Cablecast Community Media will unveil its Version 7.6 software at NAB Show 2023 in Las Vegas April 15-19. Cablecast 7.6 includes the new Audience Measurement Dashboard for advanced viewer insights, as well as audio monitoring improvements, SRT support and expanded user permissions so outside agencies can produce bulletin board content directly in Cablecast CG. Cablecast Community Media will exhibit in the Westgate Hospitality Suites adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Cablecast had basic analytics with Internet VOD Metrics, but the Audience Measurement Dashboard provides a more robust toolset for measuring impact and enabling viewership reporting for live streams and VOD. Data is collected directly from the Cablecast REFLECT content delivery service, so it gathers information from across web, mobile and OTT platforms. Among other details, operators can see how many times programming was viewed, as well as how many minutes were viewed and when programming was accessed.
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With new support for SRT (Secure Reliable Transport), a video transport protocol that is optimized for unpredictable networks like the public internet, Cablecast users can play, record and live caption SRT streams. It provides PEG channels a secure, bandwidth-efficient alternative to RTMP for transmitting and receiving programming.
To help PEG channels avoid audio distortion, audio meters have also been added to video server outputs, SDI inputs, and network stream sources in Cablecast 7.6. Color coded in red, yellow, and green, the levels provide visual representation of the volume on all channels of previewed sources. Plus, live streams can now be configured to use Cablecast’s audio normalization processing.
Cablecast 7.6 also opens the door to safe and easy collaboration by allowing PEG channel operators to create users for local government agencies and other organizations, grant them limited login rights, and allow them to create their own bulletin board messages in Cablecast CG. Message can then be submitted to PEG officials for approval and for expedited posting.
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“Cablecast 7.6 is a significant suite of upgrades based on user feedback. Our new Audience Measurement Dashboard is huge, because it provides detailed insights that can help PEG channels understand their viewership,” said Steve Israelsky, president, Cablecast Community Media. “You can see how many people are watching, when they’re watching, and how long they’re watching – by show, by daypart, by week or by month – which is critical information as more viewers make the transition to OTT and online platforms. Plus, we’ve made it easy to allow users from outside agencies to contribute directly to your Cablecast CG bulletin board announcements.”
The new upgrades build on several innovations that were introduced in last year’s Version 7.5 release. SAM, short for Smart Asset Manager, can automate the predictable parts of file management workflows, intelligently moving or copying content between the video server and other storage locations. The asset management interface was also improved to streamline asset searches, create new shows and other simple tasks, and create workflows to delete content automatically, which is helpful when managing daily news or other regular programs. Cablecast 7.5 also added Internet Channels, turnkey video streaming sites that allow PEG stations to showcase content focused on a specific school, organization, original series and more.
Also available for users starting with Cablecast 7.5 is the new Cablecast REFLECT+, which builds on the success of the original (and still available) Cablecast REFLECT delivery service. While Cablecast REFLECT automatically caches content in the cloud when it is first requested from the on-premises VOD server, Cablecast REFLECT+ allows users to push some or all of their media into cloud storage—even before it is first accessed. As a result, streaming activity is managed separately from the channel’s own network. Cablecast REFLECT+ is also a scalable solution; Cablecast users can choose how much storage is used, and user-configurable rules can automatically push specific VOD content to the cloud.
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Scheduled for a May release, Cablecast 7.6 includes the Audience Measurement Dashboard, audio meters, SRT support, external user permissions, SAM and Internet Channels as standard features. Cablecast REFLECT+ is an optional service with pricing based on tiered storage capacities. Current Cablecast customers should contact their sales representative for pricing and warranty upgrade availability.
