Vimond introduces new automation features for online TV platform
The Vimond Video Flow Engine, which serves as the core technology behind the Vimond Platform’s online video services, has two new automation features known as Media Importer and Content Catalogue. The new features make it easier for publishers to import large quantities of content from their existing systems and maintain their metadata in one source. Both features are managed through the Vimond Control Center (VCC), Vimond’s video workflow management tool.
“Vimond focuses heavily on automation because automation connects different systems, minimizes the need for working in multiple systems, and generally eases an editor’s everyday work,” says Helge Høibraaten, CEO of Vimond Media Solutions. “The Video Flow Engine’s new automation capabilities save time and cost, allowing editors to concentrate on the creative and interesting parts of deploying successful online TV.”
The Media Importer automatically imports assets directly into VCC from broadcast or media asset management systems, or from online sources such as YouTube. From there it transcodes the video and can then distribute new content to channels automatically depending on the rules that are set. The system will check for updates regularly so that it automatically detects and imports new assets and/or changes to existing assets. The Media Importer feature also has its own GUI, making it simple for content editors to set up new media sources, and import jobs and media feeds in VCC. The GUI also has a status display to give content editors complete confidence that jobs are being completed. VCC monitors the feeds and delivers error messages for failed imports. Using the Vimond metadata extension RSS, it is also possible to import any custom metadata for assets. Other options include configuring the system to import all the content into one content category or provide category information per asset.
The new Content Catalogue feature gives users greater control over how to organise their assets. Rather than the usual way of simply organising content by standard criteria such as episode number or date of publication, a new, easy-to-use interface in VCC enables users to highlight certain programming based on other chosen criteria. The new interface makes it even easier for publishers to create and maintain their content catalogues and organise their content in a hierarchy of channels and shows, so that certain content gets pushed to the top of the list.
The new features are part of the Vimond Platform, a feature-rich, powerful, modular online TV platform that enables high-performance, high-quality multiscreen offerings. Vimond’s flexible approach to online video distribution lets customers choose the product packages that are most relevant to their businesses and customise them by end-user. The Platform is also totally pluggable, so broadcasters and other content providers can choose the parts they need now and plug in others later.