iTX

Integrated linear and on-demand workflows
iTX provides exceptional integration of linear and on-demand television workflows. Facilities can instantly share assets and playlists across linear and non-linear delivery. They can also instantly convert on-air linear content into on-demand assets, complete with rich branding graphics and Nielsen watermarks.

Reduced cost of ownership
iTX substantially reduces capital expenditure and operating costs for television facilities. It replaces proprietary broadcast playout and processing hardware with enterprise-level IT servers and highly integrated software applications. Cost savings are achieved through reduced purchase costs, faster revenue generation, improved system scalability, and more efficient workflows. The use of commodity IT hardware also results in a significant reduction in space and power requirements, as well as simplified maintenance.

Fully scalable with rapid deployment
With iTX’s IT-based architecture, facilities can easily increase channel counts without traditional scaling constraints. The simplified system design also allows much faster deployment of new facilities, additional channels and services. Fully featured iTX channels can be operational in a matter of weeks, sometimes even days.

Streamlined, end-to-end workflow
The highly integrated, end-to-end workflow streamlines all the core playout processes, including ingest, content management, transmission control, interfacing to traffic, archiving, and monitoring. Based on over 15 years’ expertise in deploying high-end solutions for world class television facilities, the workflow is exceptionally versatile and fully robust.

Future proof, space saving design
With a traditional playout solution, each channel can require multiple broadcast devices from multiple vendors. In contrast, iTX uses enterprise-grade IT servers to perform multi-format video playout, signal processing, video/audio mixing, multi-level graphics, metadata insertion, and Nielsen audience measurement. The result is a dramatic saving in space and power requirements. The software-based iTX platform also offers much greater future-proofing, with the ability to take advantage of ongoing CPU/GPU developments in IT hardware.

Enterprise-level software and services
As a critical business system, iTX offers full enterprise-class software functionality, with sophisticated upgrade management and version control. iTX also provides detailed system health monitoring, with optional continuous remote monitoring performed by Miranda. To fully support iTX installations worldwide, the company also offers a wide range of MirandaCare services for project management, training and 24/7 technical support.

Exceptional resilience and fast recovery
The iTX system offers exceptional resilience, and fast playout chain recovery. With its enterprise-standard IT platform, wide-ranging capabilities are available for backup and redundancy of the hardware, operating system and database software. In addition to full system redundancy, each Output Server acts as a content cache, dramatically reducing dependence on the LAN for play-to-air. An iTX Output Server will continue to run even if it is cut off from the rest of the network. In the unlikely event of a crash or power failure, an iTX channel will auto-start much more quickly and effectively than a traditional playout chain.

Uncompromised playout performance
iTX offers uncompromised playout performance, ideally suited to the requirements of primetime television channels. The system delivers superb picture quality due to the reduced number of broadcast devices in the chain, combined with native YUV signal processing. It also offers highly flexible audio management, and the multi-level graphics capabilities needed for effective channel branding and audience retention.