Mediaboss Marketing

SAN DIEGOMedia Control Systems specializes in television automation products and systems for program recording, playback and ad insertion. Our master control automation products are targeted toward lower-priced systems used for program origination of cable access, internet TV and low-power broadcast applications. We manufacture our own brand of products, but we also resell and integrate other TV-automation-related products. The latter was the case with our client the Community Media Center of Marin (CMCM).

CMCM is a nonprofit organization providing residents of Marin County, Calif., with access to communication technologies, media training and the latest digital tools to create original content for cable TV and online media. CMCM operates Marin TV, Marin Countys own noncommercial community, educational and governmental cable channels. Marin TV is available on Comcast and AT&T U-Verse as well as online via live streams. CMCM also offers special organizational services and fee-for-service production assistance for schools, nonprofits and government agencies.

FITTING FORMATS IN HD & SD Like many public, education and government stations, CMCM plays back a mix of legacy SD programs and new HD video files on their television channels. CMCM also takes in many external satellite and regional program feeds in both standard and high definition. Many of the sources have previously been converted from HD to SD or SD to HD, with conversion black bars on the top, bottom or sides of the programs.

CMCM has 23 different sources of programming played out on four television channels. The challenge CMCM faced was getting all the various incoming programs to play out on both HD internet-streamed channels and SD cable channels while maintaining the correct picture formats. Specifically, that meant figuring out how to take the sources of mixed formats and files and play them out correctly on HD and SD channels without double-converting, that is, putting black pillars on the sides of the picture and black bars on the top and bottom. Also, correct conversion prevents stretching, squeezing, or cutting off part of the picture.

Media Control Systems proposed and implemented a solution that uses a Cobalt Digital BBG-1002-UDX standalone cross-converter on the output of each channel. Unlike most converters, which require three to four seconds to react, the BBG-1002-UDX can recognize the input format so quickly it can convert the input to the desired output in just a few frames worth of time. The BBG-1002-UDX reads the AFD codes on the input source programs, so it knows if the source has been previously converted, which in turn means it can apply the correct output conversion without double converting.

ONE SIZE FITS ALL The Cobalt solution minimizes the number of converters required. Instead of having to put a converter on each of the 23 input sources, CMCM only needed one converter for each of the output channels. In other words, CMCM only had to invest in eight convertersone for each of four HD internet channels and one for each of the four SD cable TV channels.

In addition to the BBG-1002-UDXs cross-conversion capabilities, it also provides audio-level management and digital frame synchronization, features that make the unit even more valuable.

All in all, the Cobalt BBG-1002-UDX was the perfect choice for CMCM because it gives the broadcaster a professional-grade, multifunctional conversion solution with exceptional performance at an affordable price. The Cobalt UDX is also available as a high-density openGear card module.

Thomas Walsh is the CEO of Media Control Systems. He can be contacted at twalsh@mediacontrolsys.com.

For more information, please visit http://www.cobaltdigital.com or call 217-344-1243.

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MCX Mixes HD and SD Playout Via Cobalt - TV Technology

Israels media has repeatedly accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of wanting to control it. For example, his backtracking on the formation of the Israel Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), which had been supposed to replace the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), was interpreted by his detractors as another attempt by Netanyahu to impose his will on the media. Since the IBC seemed to be filling up with anti-Netanyahu forces, the story was that Netanyahu had decided hed be better off with the old IBA, which would be forever thankful to him for preventing its dissolution. This perverted interpretation is but one of many fake news items to which the Israeli public has been subjected.

Who really controls Israels media? Is it the government, the politicians, the tycoons or, just perhaps, could it be those elements in the media that cry wolf loudest while doing all they can to assure the continuity of their influence and at the same time expand their own control.

Politicians can, at least in principle, exercise their influence mostly on the public media. This is why for years they would not close down the wasteful Educational TV network, or impose fiscal restraint on the IBA. Similarly, we suspect that Defense Minister Avigdor Libermans threat to shift control of the Galatz radio station to the Defense Ministry was just another political ploy aimed at assuring influence over the station.

In a similar vein, Israel has another public media station, the Knesset Channel, which costs the taxpayer only NIS 25 million a year.

The American system is simple. Congress televises its public proceedings and make them available to anyone who wants to use them, whether live or via the Internet.

C-span uses whichever proceedings it finds interesting and broadcasts it through the cable and satellite networks. The cost to the taxpayer is nothing. The consumer can, via the Internet, watch any congressional proceeding she or he desires. The American system is not predicated on many hours of studio broadcasting with panels, interviews and debates between politicians or public figures such as pundits, academics and social activists.

The Israeli system is very different. The Knesset provides a budget of NIS 25m. annually and contracts a company for a period of 10 years to take over Knesset broadcasting.

Although nowadays almost all Knesset proceedings are recorded by Knesset staff, the public can only access them through the filter of the Knesset Channel. In principle, the concessionaire has to be impartial, whereas in practice any broadcaster will always use some filter to provide what is perceived as interesting to the public.

This filter is very meaningful. Consider a typical Knesset committee debate. Does the Knesset Channel pick up all speakers? By no means only those considered acceptable by the concessionaire. Although many NGOs, companies, groups and private individuals exercise their democratic right and spend their precious time appearing in front of Knesset committees to testify and provide information, only a very small minority will ever be seen by the public since the Knesset Channel does not broadcast all the proceedings. Instead, it uses precious air time for useless, boring and repetitive debate, and biased commentary.

The concessionaire can choose, for example, to spend more time on someone from a company which advertises on the parent channel or whose goals benefit the parent channel by inviting the people involved to one of the talk shows. Owning a TV concession is about much more than just broadcasting. It is a source of power, influence and money.

It is not surprising then that the 10-year concession is highly valued. There are four finalists in the current bidding process. TV Channel 2, which operated the channel for the past 13 years, is one, as is TV Channel 10, which is under the aegis of the R.G.E. Group, a privately-held media operation whose main assets, besides Channel 10, are NOGA Communications and Sports Channel 5. The other two are smaller companies: on is TV Channel 20, the other is funded by Ami Giniger, owner of the Ulpanei Herzliya company.

The final decision will be made in the coming month, as the concession of Channel 2 runs out in May.

Logic would seem to have it that the concession should not be given to Channel 2 for, after all, government funding should be spread out and a chance given to other companies.

A monopoly is not healthy in general and certainly when it comes to the media. One would also have liked to think the concession would not be given to a company which has violated its previous fiduciary commitments to the state, in addition to bilking the public of over a billion shekels, which is the amount the company should have paid the government over the years but refused to. It did, however, provide outrageous salaries for its celebrity staff. In other words, TV Channel 10 should also not be in the running.

But thats not the way things are done in Israel. Both channels, that cry out that the government wants to control the media, actually not only control a sizable portion of the media market, but have an insatiable appetite for more. Any attempt by Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein to assure that the new concessionaire does not use its power to show the Knesset at its ugliest was nixed. In fact, politicians had very little influence over how the new concession would be formulated or awarded. Those who really influenced the process in the Knesset, thus far, were the TV stations themselves. They can afford to peddle their wares for the politicians fear of them is deathly.

So, what have we got? The public, as usual, is the loser.

It not only pays the concessionaire but in the process loses the ability to really know what is happening in the Knesset. The politicians have no say in the operation of the channel. It is the concessionaire who has the power, who can focus the spotlight on politician A or B and who can further any agenda political, economic, cultural.

Israels democracy would profit if the media exercised a wee bit of self-control. The ideal situation would be for the Knesset itself to provide live coverage, available to all, at no cost. A media company or NGO that wants then to cover Knesset proceedings could do so. The only legislation needed would be to increase the number of legal TV stations in Israel, which means, for all intents and purposes, operating under free market conditions. This is precisely what the present concessionaires do not want; they prefer self-control.

The authors are members of Israels Media Watch. http://www.imediaw.org.il

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Desperately needed: Self control - Jerusalem Post Israel News

The Online Citizen

Chee Soon Juan: The dumbing down of Singapore through media control The Online Citizen Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Secretary-General Dr Chee Soon Juan in his latest social media post, claims that the control on media has resulted in the dumbing down of Singapore. He said that this has resulted, for instance, in prime-time fare on ...

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Chee Soon Juan: The dumbing down of Singapore through media control - The Online Citizen

Elan Media has announced the launch of Elan Live, a digital control centre. Described as the first facility of its kind in Qatar, Elan Live is a control suite from where Elan Media will control content delivery to all 242 digital screens operating at the Mall of Qatar, Doha Festival City and Ezdan Mall, the company has said in a press statement. The launch of Elan Live reflects Elan Groups overall commitment to innovation, bringing new communication solutions that will increase engagement between brands and audiences. Elan Live opens up a multitude of special executions for brands that want to reach their audience in the most creative and synchronised fashion, delivering tailor-made solutions in a manner not seen before in Qatar, the statement said. The new facility will allow advertisers the flexibility to run time of day, day of week, and geo-located campaigns across all three malls simultaneously, individually or customised to an advertisers specific requirements. Advertising can be programmed to run on one screen once or all of the screens all of the time. With three large screens, including two digital MUPIs similar to those available in the malls, Elan Live also provides advertisers with the opportunity to watch a real-time preview of their campaigns before they go live, giving them full control over their communication. Elan Media COO Jamie Ball said: We are extremely proud that Mall of Qatar, Doha Festival City and Ezdan Mall have chosen us to be their exclusive media partners. The launch of Elan Live is another show of our commitment to deliver the best advertising experience to our audiences, our clients and our partners. Elan Live will create a new dynamic and ensure that advertising on the Elan digital OOH networks will work harder and smarter for brands, enabling them to deliver exactly the right marketing message to the right people at the right time.

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Elan Media formally launches digital control centre - Gulf Times

The Axe Files, featuring David Axelrod, is a podcast distributed by CNN and produced at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. The author works for the podcast.

Jeffrey Goldberg, veteran Washington correspondent and editor in chief of The Atlantic, says the reporters who cover the Trump administration should not be distracted from their duties by a hostile White House.

"To me, it's all about journalistic composure," Goldberg told David Axelrod on "The Axe Files," a podcast from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and CNN. Goldberg spoke last week before the White House press secretary took the unprecedented step of blocking several news outlets, including CNN, from attending an off-camera press briefing.

"We're not supposed to be the resistance. We're not supposed to be the opposition," Goldberg added. "We're supposed to tell the truth about what's happening in any given moment and in any given place. And let's just do that."

Reflecting on the toxic relationship between the White House and the reporters who cover it, Goldberg cautioned, "The danger is that (journalists) spin ourselves out of control out of anxiety or fear or whatever you want to call it," he said. "But all that this moment requires is a doubling down of our basic commitment to a fact-based discourse."

Just days after the conversation with Goldberg took place, Trump continued his strategy of portraying the media as opposition with the news media during a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in which he suggested media outlets rely on fabricated sources.

"A few days ago, I called the fake news 'the enemy of the people,' and they are. They are the enemy of the people. Because they have no sources. They just make them up when there are none," the President said.

Goldberg, a prominent foreign affairs analyst, also commented on Trump's debut on the global stagefrom the consequences of Trump's decision to withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership multilateral trade agreement, to what the new dynamics of the U.S.-Israel alliance could mean for Middle East peace. He warned that the President's impulsive instincts and inflammatory rhetoric could risk hurtling the country toward an international crisis.

"My first instinct is to say that (Trump's foreign policy) is heading towards some kind of disaster," he said, arguing that Trump doesn't give appropriate forethought to the decisions he's making as President.

Goldberg continued, "I'm afraid that we're heading into a situation in which there will be a provocation, there will be an attack that is going to cause an over-response, that is going to make the terrorism problem worse, not better."

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Editor cautions journalists: Don't 'spin out of control' about Trump's media attacks - CNN