Increased resolution and adaptive bit rate delivery improve VOD quality, while new measurement and analysis tools help broadcasters better understand their online audiences
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, OCTOBER 17, 2018 – Hot on the heels of its release of Cablecast Screenweave for bringing community TV content to popular OTT devices, Tightrope Media Systems has unveiled version 6.5 of the Cablecast Community Media platform. Designed to help PEG broadcasters improve their online viewer experiences, the new update elevates the quality of VOD clips while providing new tools to help users measure the impact their content is making online.
Foremost amongst the enhancements are new adaptive bitrate options for VOD, enabling the publishing and distribution of on-demand content at full 1080p HD resolution through the Cablecast Pro VOD system and Cablecast Reflect cloud-based delivery service. VOD outputs at multiple resolutions and bit rates are created automatically for each clip by Cablecast Pro VOD, with adaptive bitrate streaming using the HLS protocol dynamically delivering the optimal version for each viewer’s Internet connection speed and device.
“Our customers frequently receive compliments from their audiences on the stunning quality of their Cablecast-powered 1080p live streams, and with Cablecast 6.5 we’re bringing that same visual fidelity to VOD clips,” said Steve Israelsky, President, Cablecast Community Media. “The improvement is particularly striking on large TV screens in viewers’ living rooms, but adaptive bit rate delivery ensures that the results can be watched reliably on any device at the best possible quality.”
Helping community broadcasters gain insights into their audience’s online activities, version 6.5 adds seamless integration between Google Analytics and websites built on Cablecast’s dynamic, turnkey “public site” web publishing tools. The new integration lets customers track and analyze a wealth of information including overall site traffic and trends, visitor location, which pages are getting the most views, and how long visitors are staying on each page.
Further expanding Cablecast’s collection of online engagement tracking capabilities, version 6.5 extends the system’s rich reporting functionality to include VOD metrics data. Reports can be broken down by category or individual programs, indicating how many times each show has been viewed online.
“While some of this data was already available to users through the Cablecast interface, the new Google Analytics integration and VOD reporting capabilities help customers aggregate, analyze and view the metrics in more comprehensive and convenient ways,” said Israelsky. “The improved measurement and analysis help community broadcasters better understand their audiences, enabling them to develop more successful online engagement strategies.”
The Cablecast 6.5 upgrade is scheduled for release in early October, and will be free for Cablecast customers on active support agreements.
About Cablecast
For over 20 years, the Cablecast Community Media platform from Tightrope Media Systems has enabled exceptional workflow efficiency, usability and versatility to help local cable channels, campus television and other community media providers engage their viewers in the evolving media landscape. The comprehensive Cablecast product line provides complete, tightly-integrated broadcast solutions including station automation, playout servers, Internet video on demand and live streaming. For more information, visit www.cablecast.tv or call (866) 866-4118.
