08/11/2003 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• • Organize all files and videotapes • Set up the new facility as quickly as possible so as to minimize production downtime for both staff and the public • Smoothly switch playback from old master control to new master control • Closely monitor HVAC and power usage to assure conservation whenever possible A Master Control Re- inventing and rebuilding master control will be the most significant goal of the year. (Right after moving into a new building!) This will be the first, and most important step, in developing two of our primary long -term goals. First, through the upgrade of our playback system we will take a giant step toward a new video world that relies more on computers than tape decks. Eventually this change will save us a fortune on equipment and videotape. While computers with massive hard drives aren't free, they are less expensive than the multiple machines videotape playback and editing require, and they just keep getting cheaper. Second, with the new playback system we intend to build, master control responsibilities for all seven cities can be centralized. This has the potential of saving cities a great deal of money in capital and human resources expenditures. A series of events has taken place that makes this the most opportune time to upgrade • from a tape -based playback system to a hard -drive based playback system. • Most of the tape decks we currently use for playback need to be replaced. • Our signal routing software and hardware is no longer supported and spare parts are impossible to get. • All of the peripheral equipment required to monitor playback quality is original...meaning it is over 15 years old. Since, literally, all of our master control equipment needs to be replaced it is the perfect time to move to a new signal transmission and manipulation format. Technical staff has been diligently researching "server based playback systems" and are completely convinced of the wisdom and necessity of this format change. The benefits of such a system are many. Eventually, all program editing could be done at a producer's computer and then simply saved, via networking to a master server. Once stored on the master server the program can be played back on a channel, dubbed, or used for other editing projects. Staff would also be able to access the playback system via the internet, from a remote location, in the event of an emergency. Because we receive many programs from outside sources, on videotape, that would need to be encoded for storage on the server, and the possibility always exists for computers to crash, we would require some tape decks as a part of the master control package. We would, however, not require nearly as many as we otherwise would, and they wouldn't experience a high level of use, thereby extending their functional lives. That brings us to the second benefit of our new master control plan, namely, that it serve as the master control for all seven of our cities in addition to the public access channels.