Imagine Communications Develops Automation UI to Improve Efficiencies for Remote Workflows

As demand for remote operations continues to increase across the industry, Imagine Communications has enhanced its ADC playout automation, enabling media companies to access and control their broadcast chain from anywhere. This powerful capability enhances existing media workflows with better revenue assurance and business continuity, provides for more efficient operations utilizing remote staff, and supports new operational models including hub-and-spoke deployments and unified broadcast operations from a centralized broadcast center.

ADC Flex is an intuitive, flexible, and highly configurable addition to Imagine’s trusted ADC automation platform. Running natively in a web browser, ADC Flex provides a powerful, easy-to-use, remote-ready control solution, enabling media companies to leverage existing infrastructure and minimize operational training to reduce their total cost of ownership. ADC Flex can be added to existing ADC deployments or can be used as the basis for new facilities and new channel launches.

ADC Flex lets operators monitor and control channels, schedule content ingest and manage content from anywhere with internet access ― providing operational efficiencies, while maintaining mission-critical functions. With its modern HTML5 web user interface, ADC Flex is tailored to broadcasters’ specific operational needs, offering an identical look and feel whether the operator is in the machine room, at a remote location, or working from home; all that is needed to communicate is a secure data connection.

“Customers today want highly resilient playout control that is intuitive, fast, configurable and reliable,” says Andy Warman, senior VP playout at Imagine Communications. “ADC Flex provides that flexibility and agility, whether it is for an existing system or at a new ADC installation. The user interface features a thoroughly modern look and feel that is easy to use and easy to customize. It allows media companies to connect over their local network or over a secure internet connection ― without the need for any additional cumbersome hardware or interfaces.”

Renowned for its extensive library of external devices, ADC automation can be tightly integrated with Imagine Communications’ Nexio video servers and Versio integrated playout platform and provide an easy upgrade path as and when needed. ADC Flex leverages these capabilities and will adapt to changing technologies and workflow requirements.

Screens can be customized to suit workflow requirements and user preferences. Permissions can be assigned to users and groups, and favorites can be assigned for commonly used layouts. Since it is built using HTML5, ADC Flex can run on Windows, MacOS or Linux. Control panels and supervisory screens can also be created for tablets where mobility is required.

“The events of the last 18 months have driven home the need to be able to work remotely, which in channel playout means updating schedules, taking dynamic manual control and monitoring outputs,” adds Warman. “ADC Flex is the solution that broadcasters around the world have asked us for.”