“Digital Interview” Age

Interview System is one of the last digitalized fields in the broadcasting station. Suzhou Fortune Technology Co., Ltd developed DJ200 professional digital interview recorder——“Reportman”, becoming the first supplier who adopted MP2 encoding, IC Memory and USB connector into professional interview equipment in the domestic market.

The birth of “Reportman” starts a new era of digital interview in the domestic market. Since it broke up the barrier between interview recorder and work station system, interview and editing system would face an excellent opportunity of overall update and development. The new interview and editing system with the core of interview recorder and journalist work station will bring brand-new energy and space.

MPEG Processing Platform

80% of domestic audio work stations adopt PCX professional sound cards from French DIGIGRAM Company and the software is developed by the third party based on the PCX. MPEG calculation is finished by DSP. It is reasonable in the early stage that PC calculating speed is not enough. However, nowadays, the calculating speed of PC can realize MPEG real time encode & decode, multi-track quick mixing, effects processing and so on without sound card speedup. It can save the expensive cost of purchasing professional sound card.

Because the scale of interview and editing system is far larger than broadcast system, the selection of professional sound card will limit the development of interview and editing system. Most of the time, it is not necessary to output HD audio signals by USB connector for journalist and editing work station, so it is enough to edit regular program with the sound card configured in the interview recorder.

The software MPEG processing platform has come into being, which not only maintains the advantages of audio work station and state standard, but also has no relation with sound card, totally replacing PCX sound card and becoming the core of new interview and editing system.

WAN Reform

The widespread of internet makes it possible to send digital audio files through WAN and realize remote journalist station, mobile press station and family interview & edit station, etc. Many broadcasting stations exchange and share program resources through WAN, which make a revolutionary influence on broadcast development.

WAN Digital Audio Work Station System

WAN Digital Audio Work Station System, based on the software MPEG processing platform, adopts advanced network and data processing technology, which can build large scale interview & editing and transmission system of audio database. The system supports many audio formats such as S48, MP2, MP3 and WAV, etc and can directly download and edit the audio files recorded in the “Reportman”. Adopting high efficient compression to ensure that audio files can be transmitted by almost all the network carriers (including telephone line) and having the database management, the system will totally change the time and space concept of interview & editing procedure and improve the program efficiency a lot.

WAN Digital Audio Work Station System contains interview & editing system, remote transmission system and database management system and consists of local journalist station, remote journalist station, editing station, auditing station, server and sending & receiving platform (as the following picture). It is a comprehensive system integrated with collecting, editing, transmission and management of digital audio by internet.

· Journalist Station can read interview content directly and save it in local database after non-linear edited. When connected with server (remote or mobile journalist station can by Wide Band, dial-up, CATV network and satellite, etc; local journalist station by Ethernet), the audio files can be sent to database on server with the data management like authority management. Journalist station can also download audio files including individual or shared audio files or examine the using status of manuscript from server according to different authorities.

· Editing station recalls audio files from database and edits for the second time, then sends it to the edited database for auditing.

· Audit Station recalls audio files from edited database. If passing the audit, the audio files will send to the database to be broadcasted, otherwise, return to re-edit. In addition, audit station has manuscript statistics and output function.

· WAN Sending & Receiving Platform has public network IP address and firewall function, which can automation send and receive all the files and exchange data with server.

· Management station is in charge of ID and authority management, database maintenance and parameter settings.

· The system will implement second compression to speed up the remote transmission according to the network status and users’ needs as well as supporting breakpoint continuous download.

· After open authority, broadcasting station can exchange program with other stations.

Digital Audio Automation Broadcasting System

Digital Audio Automation Broadcasting System is also based on software MPEG processing platform. Users can select different level sound cards to satisfy different requirements of recording, broadcasting and monitor.

The system consists of data server, recording work station, broadcasting work station, advertisement management and audit work station, which can realize overall digital operation and management from recording, non-linear editing, program arrangement to automation broadcasting, providing a complete, mature, reliable and flexible solution for broadcasting stations.

Recording work station adopts multi-track nonlinear editing system with XTRACK style, supports MPEG, ADPCM and BWF formats as well as block operation and level editing, opens and saves files at a rapid speed and has the effects of time axis stretching, modified tone and dynamic noise reduction as well as recording and editing function.

Broadcasting work station provides several broadcasting modes, including broadcasting and dual backup, etc. broadcasting by setting time, order or manual. There are time table, standby table and hotkey table on the broadcasting interface. It can download and dynamic update the broadcast program quickly, realizing network and local pre-download broadcasting. In addition, it supports multi-channel output and full duplex synchronous recording on the broadcasting process, cycle playing, quick location, fade in & out as well as cross fade in & out, automatic playing music and remind time on the time mode. Furthermore, it features in emergency solutions such as mandatory broadcasting and dual backup, etc.

The system adopts SQL Server 2000 database, realizing complete identity, jurisdiction and memory management. Program adopts block style. Master can set individual broadcast & control module, establish audit procedures which can examine and approve of audio files, standby program and broadcast module. With the support of database, advertisement module realizes program, contract and finance management. By editing and uploading, it can realize advertisement arrangement as well as monitor and analyze the broadcasting process by return data.

Integrative Solution

Automation Broadcasting System is the core of daily program on broadcasting station. The special requirement for reliability decides that it must a closed internal network and not open for WAN most of time. However, interview & editing system must connect to Internet through firewall. The difference between them makes that we cannot connect them directly. Different from manuscript, the program from WAN digital audio interview & editing system must input internal network to broadcast. Otherwise, it has on value for broadcasting stations.

There are many solutions to solve this problem. The easiest solution is using two computers in the studio, one for broadcasting, another for interview & editing work station. However, the disadvantage is that every exchange link must arrange two computers and wait 1:1 copy time. Another solution is using “Reportman” as a carrier, input the files from interview & editing system by USB connector and output them to broadcasting system. Because “Reportman” has the MPEG files filtering function without any file damage and loss, it can effectively prevent virus and illegal files to spread.

Now we can provide the third solution, an integrative solution. The two networks are connected by a gateway which is not only the output station of interview & editing system, but also the input station of broadcasting system. The hardware and communication protocol are developed by ourselves, satisfying with the safe and reliable requirements and realizing the mapping between input & output station and file & database connection. With the integrative solution, standby database from interview & editing system will transmitted into news database from broadcasting system. Users can search and use it on any work station from broadcasting system. At the same time, the using status of database can return to the interview & editing system for processing and statistics on time, absolutely satisfying the safe and reliable requirements.