Outfitting a TV channel with playout automation can be a real challenge. “Channel-in-a-box” solutions turn out to be more expensive than advertised because you end up buying a dizzying array of modules and licenses to get EAS, graphics layers, dynamic content, satellite network sources, and ASI inputs and outputs. Your vendor can make your product ownership experience frustrating because support is overseas or you have to pay for a big contract.

Local supplier DVEO is gaining traction with some interesting solutions for broadcasters of all kinds, whether a cable station, LPTV station, government channel, or a subchannel at your major affiliate TV station. DVEO will appear this month to show us modern tools for inserting commercials, network and local media, graphics layers, and even EAS into an SDI or ASI stream.

We’ll also get a look at a 4K resolution brand spanking new H.265 HEVC encoder and decoder pair. While you may not think of 4K as a practical format for broadcast yet, you can still use this codec for transmission of conventional HD video at about half the bandwidth of H.264.

Join us Wednesday, January 20 at 12 noon at KFMB, 7677 Engineer Road in Kearny Mesa, San Diego. DVEO will buy us lunch.