PowerPlay

PowerPlay is a turnkey solution that can manage sports productions from ingest, through instant highlight editing, to dedicated sport media asset management, for a fast turnaround production environment.
PowerPlay is designed to provide a complete solution for large scale sporting events, focusing on fast turnaround and advanced data management tools.

The PowerPlay solution
 

PowerPlay is based on two main building blocks:The first, which includes ingest, instant editing and playout, relies on PlayMaker, a robust and proven 8 channel instant replay sports server designed to meet the requirements of demanding live sports productions. The second is a sophisticated Media Management solution based on cost effective, scalable and resilient IT technologies. Its iFind Asset Core is a powerful database which underpins the media asset management system providing flexible, user configurable metadata schemas.  In addition, sophisticated business rules and process driven workflows enable essential functions such as archiving, restore from archive, clip transfer and advanced search engine.
 

PowerPlay studio

The PowerPlay studio solution offers live editing of multiple game feeds, with real time access to media assets management tools and video storage.
To accommodate different requirements, PowerPlay can ingest either DVCPRO or DNxHD formats.
In one possible workflow, when airing dozens of live sports events every week, every game can be ingested and edited live into highlights for the evening sports news. The game’s highlights are immediately moved into the main storage and database and are available for all journalists and the production team. This workflow streamlines the production effort as no extra logging is required and all highlights are tagged and available for immediate use in post-production. This opens new possibilities for the production team, as all past material are instantly searchable and available.   

Ingest of multiple games feeds with auto scheduling

Using iAcquire Schedule Manager and PlayMaker ingest sports server, users can set up recordings in advance. Ideal for capturing multiple sports feeds, this interface allows operators to enter metadata before or after the recording starts with confidence that the automatic recording will take place at the pre-set time. Using the iAcquire Schedule Manager GUI, all users can quickly see the currently scheduled ingest jobs and can modify future recordings with ease.

With process orientated user interfaces for supervisors and operators, iAcquire allows automation of routine tasks whilst retaining the flexibility to make last minute changes and start instant recordings.

In game highlight editing with dedicated multi feeds editing mode

Based on PlayMaker, 8 channels slow-motion replay server, all recorded feeds are available either for instant replay, or can be edited into the game’s highlight sequences with its dedicated studio mode. Developed specifically to answer the need for editing multiple games simultaneously, PlayMaker’s studio mode is faster than any other solution available today.

The studio mode’s main features:

• Last position (time code) on each channel is recued once the input is selected
• In and out points are inserted directly to the playlist
• Clips list is sorted by channels
  
• Every ingest channel runs a separate playlist which loads automatically when the channel is selected

Automated export of all clips and metadata into shared storage
 

According the predefined rules, new clips created in PlayMaker are automatically transferred into central shared real time storage.
With PlayMaker’s Ethernet based transfer protocol, clips can be wrapped and exported into Windows or Mac environments, in QuickTime or MXF format, up to 5 times faster than real time with no intermediate hardware needed.   
 

Depending on the production workflow, the iFind AssetCore database can manage and supervise the creation of proxy files associated with the high resolution files video and metadata.
All associated metadata is available for query and file export, for PowerPlay search tools, as well as 3rd party devices such as NLE or other MAM environments.
As required in some workflows, each clip could be associated with an XML file which describes the clip’s essence, including Time Codes, clip name and number format and all relevant metadata. 
 

Dedicated logging system running on off the shelf windows PC
 

The PowerPlay iLogger interface provides the broadcaster with media tagging on acquisition of incoming feeds of live events, or on viewing of post-match analysis. The logging application gives an operator the ability to tag with event specific metadata such as players’ names, game actions, rating, etc. This metadata is in addition to the clip name and event which is tagged directly on the PlayMaker during the initial clipping process.
By tagging the incoming media with event specific metadata, the process of searching for appropriate post-record material is made more accurate. Finding material for a highlights package; searching for alternative takes, including fast review of ‘Points of Interest’  within an event are easily achieved with iLogger working in conjunction with PowerPlay’s iFind MAM.
 

Configurable, web-based, multi-media search
 

Sophisticated but simple to use, the PowerPlay iFind Web Client enables the user to find media quickly and efficiently, update records, view and edit proxy video and create new EDLs right from his desktop.
iFind Web Client provides complete multi-media access for journalists, editors, librarians, archivists and anyone else who needs to find content quickly and easily.
Metadata can be edited or updated at any time. Metadata fields and forms are completely configurable to suit each customer’s unique workflow.
 

Unique to PowerPlay’s iFind Web Client, users can add “Points of Interest” to clips, by capturing additional information about sections of a clip or about individual frames. Ideal for a range of tasks such as QC, marking sports highlights, compliance and commercial insertions, the “Points of Interest” thumbnail view allows easy access to each marked section of the clip.
 

Automated delivery of content into NLE environment
 

The PowerPlay iFind integrated Clip Viewer allows fast selection of content, shot selection and preview of the newly created clips into a rough-cut clips playlist, played instantly on the iFind Web Browser. Once the playlist is prepared, it can be exported as EDLs for rendering or editing on 3rd party systems such as Apple’s Final Cut Pro or Avid’s Media Composer.
According to the need, PowerPlay will also ensure that all the relevant clips are available for the NLE in the required directory, and will initiate transfer of needed files.
 

Playout file management
 

PowerPlay management tools can manage the transfer and verification of files needed for playout, gathered either from archiving, real time storage, or coming from the NLE environment.
Any playlist assembled in iFind can be transferred into one or more PlayMaker servers, with verification that the transfer has completed successfully. NLE output, based either on naming rules or specified folder location, will be listed in the database automatically once ready and delivered into the required playout device.  
 

PowerPlay OB
 

PowerPlay OB workflow allows multiple OB trucks to ingest, tag, and deliver content to a main facility.
This workflow ensures that all the game’s data, including all the highlights from all camera angles are delivered into a central storage in the main facility. The metadata collected during the production is automatically added to the main database and is available for any future use.
An example can be where an entire football league production produces 10 games a week for over 30 weeks, generating hundreds of recording hours and thousands of highlight events such as goals, missed attempts, penalties and many more. With PowerPlay OB, all these highlights are available as tagged content, instantly available for search and post production, with no additional effort of post-game logging.
 

Ingest
 

The PlayMaker sports replay server is a powerful platform capable of up to 8 I/O channels, which among many possible configurations can provide 6 HD ingest channels with both program and preview channels available for the operator for replay, highlight editing and playout.
For the PowerPlay enhanced workflow, PlayMaker offers DNxHD or DVCPRO ingest with a huge storage capacity of up to 60 hours of HD recording at 100mbps.
 

Replay
 

Designed specifically for instant replay purposes, PlayMaker’s dedicated sports controller offers extremely fast jog response, synchronization of all recording inputs, and high quality interpolated slow motion playout, positioning PlayMaker as a top sports replay solution in the market.
 

Tagging
 

One of PlayMaker’s unique production tools are the programmable LCD buttons and 5.7” touch screen, which are used as instant events tagging tools for game highlights. Once the in and out points are set, just pressing one event tag will save a clip tied with an event tag, to be available for any search option in the future.  With each clip holding up to 6 tags, the user can perform accurate sorts to find specific actions made by specific players.
 

Highlight
 

Based on PlayMaker’s powerful highlight editing tools, any clip can be added to a playlist with just one click, with 100 playlists available per server. The advanced yet simple editing tools allow the user to trim the in and out points, set playout speed, select transition effects, and more.  
 

Export
 

With its unique, embedded on the fly wrapping engine, PlayMaker can export every newly created clip into an external storage. While the clips are exported to either a shared folder on a remote computer or an external USB hard drive, the clip data is registered into a main PowerPlay database.
The PowerPlay database saves the clip’s name and number, unique ID, time code in and out points, and event tags added by the PlayMaker operator or by an external logger. 
 

Store
 

Once the game has ended, all the clips with the relevant metadata are available on the external storage; just unplug the device from the server and reconnect it to PowerPlay’s main database in the facility.
The game highlights database will be updated into the main database, while PowerPlay manages the transfer and verification of all game clips into the main storage. 
 

Logging
 

Understanding the need to serve different requirements and workflows, PowerPlay provides a dedicated logging tool which allows post production loggers to view every exported clip with its metadata and extend the clip’s metadata by adding more tags or by marking points of interest.
The PowerPlay iLogger module is available both for OB production and Studio post production needs.
 

Search
 

Now that thousands of events from hundreds of games are in the main storage, within a second the PowerPlay iFind’s advanced search engine can easily find the required clip and angle, and load the clip for preview.
The flexible system architecture allows each customer to define his required search fields and sorting tools. The PowerPlay iFind is a web based application and therefore can be used from any standard PC in the facility. With its simple interface, the iFind can be operated by anyone from the production staff, journalists or assistant producers, with only short training required. 
 

Produce
 

The iFind provides an extensive tool array for file viewing, marking, notes editing, and gathering for post-production purposes. Any clip found can be viewed on the iFind video browser, notes can be added to points of interest, and selected clips can be added into a playlist which can be played from the iFind browser creating a rough-cut timeline. Once gathered, the PowerPlay engine will turn the playlist into an EDL (Edit Decision List) in XML format, which can be read by common NLEs like Avid’s Media composer and Apple’s Final Cut. In workflows where the NLE has a dedicated storage, PowerPlay will formulate the EDL into an action list which will transfer all the required clips into the required folder, making it available for the NLE system.
 

Program
 

PowerPlay management tools can scan “watch folders” for the NLE’s rendered output and once the file is ready for use, PowerPlay will transfer the new clip from the NLE back to main storage, or directly to PlayMaker, ready for immediate play-out.