dynamic emission metadata for broadcasting and cable

Broadcasters and cable television providers maximize audience size and viewer satisfaction by transmitting broadcast and cable metadata (or both) that accurately informs viewers of current and upcoming television and digital radio programming.  Broadcast and cable metadata, just as importantly, provides television sets, set top boxes and digital video recorders (dvrs) with the information needed to make sure the content desired is the content that is watched live or recorded for later viewing.

The operational requirements for dynamic broadcast metadata seem are simple: transmit consistent and continuous metadata that conforms to MPEG-2 (and ATSC or SCTE standards, or both) multiple times per second, every second of every hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Vendors large and small promise broadcast or cable metadata, but either don't know or don't care that their emission metadata fails to comply with the required standards.

 All full service broadcast television stations are required by FCC regulations to transmit fully standards-compliant PSIP that is coordinated MPEG-2 Program Specific Information (PSI). When broadcast television stations transmit ATSC Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) that doesn't fully comply with the underlying standards, they risk losing slices of their potential viewership, and face possible fines by a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that increasingly seeks large fines for what were once considered minor violations.

Cable television television systems also routinely transmit cable metadata that simply isn't compliant with mandated standards.  SCTE-65 program information, despite plain language in regulations and standards, isn't coordinated with MPEG-2 PSI.  In addition to possible FCC fines, non-compliant metadata generation is one of the tricks that seems only to serve to tie systems into the non-compliant set top boxes offered by the same vendor.

Vendors of broadcast metadata systems don't seem to understand cable requirements, and cable metadata system vendors don't understand digital broadcast standards.  All too often, the system providers only seem to work with a preferred provider of television program listings.

EtherGuide Systems emission metadata generators are "compulsively compliant" with all applicable standards when properly configured.  Broadcasters using our system can transmit terrestrial and cable PSIP alongside "in-band" SCTE-65 metadata.  Cable systems can transmit SCTE-65 alongside terrestrial and cable versions of ATSC PSIP.  Our systems have been proven in actual use to provide reliable, continuous service for years, through changes in channel line ups and changes in daylights savings time and other time parameters.

Regardless of whether your EtherGuide Systems metadata generator is configured for broadcast or cable output (or both), and irrespective of whether the source of program information is off-air, off-cable, or provided by a provider of listing services (or some combination),  your system offers the following features:

• Multiple independent outputs (up to 4 independent outputs is standard)
• Ethernet (UDP/IP) output standard (DVB-ASI output and input available as an option)
• 2 rack unit hardware from Intel with redundant power supply, redundant cooling fans, RAID-1 redundant hard drives, all of which can be swapped or serviced while unit continues to generate reliable emission metadata.
• Dual network cards enable safe segregation of internal Ethernet outputs from program listings from Internet sources.
• Fully supports ATSC A/76 Programming Metadata Communications Protocol (PMCP) for program listings
• Provides metadata for digital television, digital radio, analog, ATSC Non-Real Time program services.
• Change any output setting, and see the results reflected immediately in output.
• Generates Electronic Program Guide (EPG) listing information from Broadcast Interactive Media (formerly TitanTv.com), from off-air sources via an optional DVB-ASI interface, traffic or automation system(s), or manually entered
• Open Application Programming Interface (API) permits any external that "understands Structured Query Logic [SQL] to completely control metadata output
• Software updates to conform to latest standards modifications and customer needs
• Directly interfaces to transport encoders and multiplexers from a wide variety of vendors, including Harris, Tandberg, RGB Networks, Harmonic Labs, Logic Innovations, Motorola, Cisco, Logic Innovations and more
• Three-year (component swap) limited warranty on all hardware
• More features are coming, including transmitting EPG information via "non-traditional" means over the Internet.

If your needs are not answered by these features and the EtherGuide Sincronizada data Data sheet, we'd like to discuss how EtherGuide Systems can answer your emission metadata needs. Please drop a note to [email protected] or give EtherGuide Systems a call on +1 619-567-9486 so that we can understand your needs.

EtherGuide Systems -- compulsively compliant dynamic emission metadata generation