Path Blue is a collection of NVerzion Hardware and software solutions that greatly enhance your Commercial / Program Delivery system. The standard Path Blue Product ships with a 2 RU rack mount PC with 2 RS 422 serial ports. Also included in the standard product are 3 NVerzion software solutions; Pitch Delivery, NGest Delivery and NControl Delivery. Other optional NVerzion software modules are available, at an additional cost, to aide you in Archive, 3rd party Meta data update, as well NVerzion automation solutions. Path Blue is intended to be automation and traffic agnostic and can be run with your existing software solutions.
Path Blue's Pitch Delivery software module gives you the power to read meta data from the delivery system and move the A/V data from the delivery system into you local station. Pitch Delivery software functionality varies based on the commercial / program delivery system but traditionally gives you the power to choose to either move the A/V data to a transcode watch folder, near or far storage, or (in some cases) move the A/V data directly to the video server. In most cases, what the delivery system calls the clip is not what your local traffic / scheduling system calls the clip so Path Blue always gives you the ability to rename the clip during the transfer.
In addition to being able to file transfer the data, Path Blue's NGest Delivery provides the functionality to play video from the source device, via RS422 control, and encode it onto the video server. This functionality can be a faster / higher quality solution than a transcode, especially in the MPEG4 to MPEG2 conversions, which can be time consuming and requires expensive 3rd party transcode software. NGest Delivery allows you to choose from a drop down box material currently available on the delivery system, provide a different destination name, update meta data, and transfer (at real time) the clip onto your video server. In addition, certain delivery systems allow us to cue and play from timecode. NGest Delivery can use this meta data to automatically create sub-clips on your video server for individual playout. This greatly enhances the integration between NVerzion and 3rd party automation systems who can now use these sub-clips to play to air without and further integration between the two companies. In addition, the generation of individual national add, and barter clips, make it easier for the traffic system to verify that these clips actually ran in the generation of the As-Run log.
The Path Blue standard implementation also includes a copy of NVerzion's NControl Silver playlist software. Since the inception of the Commercial / Program delivery system, stations have been looking for ways to play these clips directly to air from the Commercial / Program system. Generally this is not a good idea since the delivery systems are not engineered with the highest of reliability in mind, however, NControl Silver gives you the power to build a play list, with in points and duration, and either dead roll the entire show, or play segments and barter individually. NVerzion does not suggest you do this as a standard practice, but NControl Silver makes a reliable emergency back up solution.
NVerzion has created the following (low budget) videos for you to see how the software works. You may click on the following links to view those videos. In addition, following the links, is the Path Blue data sheet. Clicking on any of the software images will play the video associated with that application.
