Speed Channel grabs Volicon for monitoring

FOX s SPEED Channel has deployed Volicon s Observer desktop video monitoring solution for proof-of-performance of sponsored elements during broadcasts as well as overall quality of its programming.

The Volicon Observer allows us to quickly access sponsored program
elements, convert them into video clips, and transport them digitally
to anywhere in the world, said Kevin Annison, vice president of
business development and operations for SPEED. Overall, it s an
extremely useful tool for helping us maintain the high level of quality
and performance we require at the channel.

The system is a multichannel desktop video, audio, and data
monitoring system that allows users to capture broadcast assets from
multiple A/V sources, view those assets from a traditional
Windows-based desktop via a Web interface, search and retrieve them,
and export them to interested parties.
While the system monitors regular TV commercials the system also helps SPEED keep track of sponsored elements during races, particularly items like in-car camera sponsorship. Staff members need a way of identifying for sponsors exactly when and where a particular element was run. With the Volicon Observer, staff members can use the system s closed-caption search functionality to find key words, such as a sponsor name, within a specified time window, locate exactly when and where the sponsored element ran, create a clip of it, and email or FTP it to the sponsor.
To that end, SPEED uses the Observer to monitor all its programming, storing video for up to 90 days at a time. Staffers review the material for on-air discrepancies, signal problems, and other issues that may interfere with the quality of the programming. We are very focused on how we do what we do and how well we do it, said Annison. The key is immediate access to anything that aired and the ability to access those files quickly and use them to improve our production.

According to Julius Perl, vice president of marketing at Volicon, this is one of the main reasons Volicon developed the Observer. Ultimately, the Observer is a tool that gives broadcasters the ability to develop the best programming possible. It gives them a literal record of what is going on air, so they can continually improve their operations and programming.