Turner Entertainment Networks Implements Tektronix Cerify

Used in One of World's Largest All-Digital Broadcast Facilities, Integrated System Combines with Pro-Bel Morpheus for High-Performance Video Asset Quality Checking and Workflow.

(BEAVERTON, Ore.) - Tektronix, Inc., a leading worldwide provider of test, measurement and monitoring instrumentation, announced that Turner Entertainment Networks (TEN) has successfully implemented multiple instances of the Tektronix Cerify system tek.com/cerify, the world's first fully automated system capable of verifying the quality of file-based, compressed digital video and audio content prior to transmission.

TEN has one of the world's largest all-digital broadcast facilities. Cerify ensures the quality of broadcast through consistent and thorough checks of incoming compressed digital video. The automated monitoring provided by Cerify ensures that digital content meets TEN quality standards.

Manual inspection is resource intensive and can be prone to error. Cerify is the only automated product that fully tests all aspects of a digital audio and video file to ensure that it meets system parameters, formats, resolutions, bit-rates, video/audio quality levels, metadata and compliance/correctness to a wide range of specified video and audio standards. Cerify can automatically check all of these, providing a repeatable, objective, and cost-effective testing methodology.

"TEN has now implemented a dozen Cerify systems to support our several broadcast properties such as TNT, TBS, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, and truTV," said Naveed Aslam, Senior Director, Broadcast Technology & Engineering, TEN Network Operations. "In the analog world it was relatively easy to find a drop in audio or hits in the video. This is a much more difficult proposition in a compressed file-based domain. Cerify is able to quickly find problems automatically based upon the parameters we specify so that we can maintain our high-quality broadcast output."

In the transition from tape to digital ingest and server-based storage, broadcasters are faced with a wide variety of technical challenges and changes in workflow. Complicating the process are continual updates in technology prompted by new digital CODECs and formats. Regardless of the CODEC or format being used, maintaining content quality and consistency is critical for commercial success.

TEN has implemented Cerify with the Morpheus Quality Control (QC) Manager from Pro-Bel to form an integrated video quality and broadcast management system. The combined systems provide the seamless management of ingest and transfer of assets in the broadcast workflow.

"The integration of Tektronix Cerify and Pro-Bel Morpheus systems has become integral to our workflow," added Aslam. "The integration enables TEN to perform fully automated, high-performance quality checking and management of our media assets. This ensures that all ingested material is correct and ready for scheduling and playout."

Links between the Morpheus QC Manager and the Cerify web-based user interface provide a status overview of files ingested on the video server network and enable TEN to drill down and view file details and information about any quality errors and their exact location, right down to individual frames in the video and audio. The combined systems provide the seamless management of ingest and transfer of assets in the broadcast workflow.

Tektronix Cerify is the leading automatic quality control systems for file based video. Cerify provides fully automated 24/7 QC with user definable test templates that allow consistent and objective measurement of conformance to the allowable quality standards for specific content type and transmission channels. Cerify is applicable not only to traditional broadcasters and network operators but also to content providers including movie, TV, video and streaming media companies, for post-production checking of encoding, and to video archives providing an easy way to analyze and check the integrity of the content of the digital video archives.

Turner Entertainment Network is one of the world's largest all-digital broadcast facilities, supplying over 30 program streams to several different time zones in the North American continent. Through its Network Operations Center in Atlanta, Georgia, Turner Entertainment Network originates more than 20 network streams, including TBS, TNT, Boomerang and the Cartoon Network. Several of these brands are available in HD. TBS is a major producer of news and entertainment products around the world, and it is a leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry. About Tektronix Tektronix is a leading supplier of test, measurement, and monitoring products, solutions and services for the communications, computer, and semiconductor industries -- as well as military/aerospace, consumer electronics, education and a broad range of other industries worldwide. With 60 years of experience, Tektronix enables its customers to design, build, deploy, and manage next-generation global communications networks, computing and advanced technologies. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix has operations in 19 countries worldwide. Tektronix' Web address is tektronix.com/.

Tektronix is a registered trademark of Tektronix, Inc. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.