Gvbb Holdings S.a.r.l

Thomson Licensing

Grass Valley Canada

John R Benson

Robert John Snyder

Alex Holtz

William H Couch

Richard Todd

Maurice Smith

Charles Hoeppner

Keith Gregory Tingle

Marcel LaRocque

Kevin K Morrow

Benjamin Jay McAllister

A method, system, and computer program product enables automation and control of the sales, management, accounting, reporting, and traffic functions necessary to manage advertisement sales, content management, and administrative processes for media production environments, including, but not limited to, broadcast television, radio and webcasting stations, and newspapers. The advertisement management and automation system operates on a PC-based platform and is networked for communications with local area networks, wide area networks, and the Internet, including both wired and wireless appliances. Distribution and tracking is enabled for both local and national advertisement and content management, whereby data, advertisements, content, and reports are pushed and pulled from individual nodes (e.g., television stations) to a central network hub or point that feeds and/or gathers data and communicates with the individual nodes. Traditional broadcast methods for over-the-air, DBS, terrestrial cable, wireless, and live Internet webcasting are combined with on-demand Internet and wireless appliances for monetizing and streamlining the sales, management, accounting, reporting, and traffic processes for single and multi-distribution content production environments.

Advertisement management method, system, and computer program product

A media production system for automatically controlling device parameters during a media production. In an exemplary aspect, the system includes a rundown markup interface generator that generates a rundown markup interface by populating one or more of an event timeline and a playlist during creation of a media production and that includes a macro event generated from a macro event template. The system further includes an automated media production system that on the fly prevents conflicts between device parameters of media production devices by automatically modifying a first variable in the macro template that is associated with a first device parameter of the device parameters in response to a change of one or more second variables that are associated with a second device parameter.

System for automated television production

A production system having a first production path, a second production path, and a control system that causes the first production path to generate a show in a first aspect ratio and the second production path to generate the same show in a second aspect ratio. Moreover, the product system can product a show from live material and from archived material. This aspect operates by producing a first show including multiple stories, segmenting the first show, and storing the show segments in an archive. Then, the system produces a second show using live portions as well as show segments retrieved from the archive. The product system can include a media manager that interacts with a server that may be integrated with the production system. The media manager automatically assigns channels/ports of the server when accessing material stored in the server.

Systems, methods, and computer program products for automated real-time execution of live inserts of repurposed stored content distribution

Systems, methods, and computer program products for multiple aspect ratio automated simulcast production

A system, method, and computer program product for producing a show. In an embodiment, the invention is directed to a production system having a first production path, a second production path, and a control system that causes the first production path to generate a show in a first aspect ratio (4:3), and that causes the second production path to generate the same show in a second aspect ratio (16:9). In another embodiment, the invention is directed to producing a show from live material and from archived material. This aspect of the invention operates by producing a first show comprising a plurality of stories, segmenting the first show, and storing the show segments in an archive. Then, the invention produces a second show using live portions as well as show segments retrieved from the archive. The invention is also directed to a media manager that interacts with a server. In some cases, the server is integrated with the production system. The media manager automatically assigns channels/ports of the server when accessing material stored in the server.

A method for updating a control event for controlling at least one device to produce audio visual content includes the steps of analyzing the control event to establish: (1) parameter(s) corresponding to the control event available for modification; and (2) parameter(s) of other control events influenced upon modification of at least one parameter corresponding to the control event, and modifying the parameter of the control event and other control events influenced thereby in response to user input changing at least one parameter of the control event available information.

Method for automated television production

Systems, methods, and computer program products for automated real-time execution of live inserts of repurposed stored content distribution, and multiple aspect ratio automated simulcast production

A macro element template is replicated to build a macro element library. A macro element is associated with executable instructions for controlling a plurality of production devices to produce a special effect or segment of a media production. One or more automation control objects are positioned onto a control interface to build a macro element template. Build information is associated with each automation control object to assign a variable name, device type, property page field(s), and variable naming table. A replicator control interface allows a range of sources to be assigned to the macro element template, and is associated with executable instructions for building the macro element library. The macro element library includes user-defined filenames that enables a director to quickly search and select a desired macro element. Changes in production values ripple throughout the macro element library to dynamically update the macro elements.

Building macro elements for production automation control

A method for auto channel assignment in a live television production system allows the user to assign physical play out channels to an auto pool of channels. The user need only create a single transition macro event (TME) template, which at the time of playout, causes the production system to assign an available channel from the auto pool of channels, without requiring any further user intervention.

Auto channel assignment for live productions

A director control interface is provided to extract production information from a newsroom information management system and populate a production control system. The director control interface enables the director to build a show, but mitigate errors and check for conflicts during the building process. In an embodiment, the director control interface automatically selects macro elements, which are executed on the production control system. The director can override the selection process and choose the macro elements. The director control interface monitors the newsroom information management system for rundown changes, evaluates the changes, and updates the production control system either automatically or with approval from the director. The director control interface is compatible with any type of newsroom information management system as long as it can extract the requisite information.

Growing community of inventors

Jacksonville, FL, United States of America

John R Benson