NAB 2013: Ross Video Intros XPression Connect Controller

Ross Video introduces XPression Connect, a new playout controller for social media applications that works with the XPression Real-Time Motion Graphics System. Connect enables users to take social media feeds to air with full preview of the data displayed in the XPression template, either manually, or automatically based on a user-defined duration.

What has traditionally been the “missing link” between largely XML-based social media feeds and broadcast graphic devices is a robust controller that allows operators to manage what actually goes to air. XPression Connect fills that gap by letting users see the data feeds and act as a final moderator prior to taking the messages to air.

Connect offers the ability to either crawl or cycle messages, as well as the option to use avatar images, which are cached locally for fast recall. The number of times messages are aired is tracked for each item, and it’s also possible to float messages out of the list temporarily.

If there is no operator, messages can appear automatically with intelligent sorting logic, so recent messages are displayed right after they are added to the queue, without cycling through the whole list. Data feeds from multiple providers can also be controlled simultaneously from the same Connect interface. Currently supported social media feeds include – Ross Inception and Mass Relevance with more in the works.

“We’ve had the pleasure of working with Ross for the past two years, providing real-time social engagement for some of the most high-profile broadcasts – including major award shows, beauty pageants, and network reality competition programs,” says Sam Decker, founder and CEO of Mass Relevance. “We are proud to partner with Ross on Connect, which makes the integration process even easier for our joint clients. With a standardized interface and built-in support for Mass Relevance data feeds, it doesn’t matter who’s doing the show, the solution will work out of the box. “

“We’re excited to be able to provide a better experience for our customers and partners who are leveraging social media in broadcast,” adds Brian Olson, Director of Graphics Marketing Product Management at Ross Video. “XPression Connect gives users of our own social media tool, Inception, more control over how messages are displayed on XPression, while allowing the Inception team to further develop their rich toolset for handling both inbound and outbound social messaging.”