Monitoring the status of devices within a mission-critical system is vital to its operation.
Do you want to know where a fault occurs within a workflow chain, which device has lost its input or reference, whether there has been an outage or downtime for a particular output, or when the power supply failed in a key unit?
TSL Control offers multiple protocols that allow monitoring and reporting when device faults occur or are detected, including manufacturer-specific protocols and industry standards such as SNMP. Additionally, when coupled with a TSL virtual panel, a simple, easy-to-understand display can be created that will allow operators to quickly diagnose and rectify live operational issues.
Operations and Maintenance teams can now quickly view the operational health of the entire system at a glance and automatically be notified of any failures that may impact operations.
Use Case: Signal Chain Monitoring and Remote Control for Major Sports Network
A broadcast systems integrator was tasked with installing a broadcast monitoring and control solution for a major international sports broadcast network. Turning to TSL Control, the customer successfully deployed a complete solution delivering reliability and productivity enhancements.
When it comes to complex broadcast workflows, it’s crucial that operators can monitor the entire signal chain. The information and real-time alerting required for this are available in multiple forms, with extensive use of SNMP as well as proprietary protocols. By condensing this information into an intuitive and focused user interface, operators can manage multiple signal paths at once, with a clear view of overall system health and immediate alerts of unforeseen events during a broadcast.
Within the sports network’s playout facility, there are over 1700 SNMP traps and 5 proprietary interfaces from multiviewers and glue, monitoring diverse elements such as loss of signal, Dolby and SCTE presence at critical points through the chains. With the help of TSL the customer was able to simplify operations, providing users with a condensed, straightforward way of monitoring numerous signals across multiple signal chains and geographically remote facilities, reducing costs and allowing engineers to achieve more without being physically present.
Correct errors in real-time
The customer’s broadcast operators are immediately alerted if there are any alarms, freezes or other unexpected issues during a broadcast stream, so errors can be corrected in real-time.
Additionally, the panel is configurable to suit any workflow and provides operators with a condensed way to oversee their workflows. In this case, 12 signal chains are monitored simultaneously, with more being added.
For the end users, alarms for all the 1,700 plus SNMPs can be easily seen, identified, and resolved. Audible alert buzzers are also triggered to draw attention to the monitoring system and can be muted by the operators once they are aware of the issue. To ensure safe operation when working with a multitude of signals, it’s beneficial that operators can also selectively lock out controls to reduce the occurrence of human error during a program.
Key elements of the monitoring solution are the powerful capabilities brought by TSL Control. With both DTMF and SCTE monitoring, TSL’s control processor monitors the DTMF using pre-determined criteria for the expected audio tones within specific timeframes and alerts when there is an issue. With the flexibility of adapting to any user-configurable time period, the TSL controller allows users to align the system parameters to best fit its specific broadcast requirements.
With the interface enabling one person to monitor the 12 channels at once, operators are able to easily redirect a signal flow or alert an engineer to an issue. The system’s secondary function is to log alarms and signal paths throughout a broadcast, which can be presented if there are any issues within the content, such as SCTE or DTMF messages not being sent where and when they’re expected.
Logs can be easily accessed through a web browser or FTP for a ten-week period. With the sports broadcast network able to deploy the TSL control processor to log commands, broadcast operators can look back at previous workflow charts for efficient problem-solving and future comparisons.
Modern broadcasting technology offers a huge range of signal types which can vary hugely in complexity and that can have a big effect not only on the supporting engineers but the operational staff who are making the content. TSL Control offers a manufacturer-agnostic and cost-effective approach to the control of routing media regardless of format. Discover more
HMI Interfaces
TSL hardware panels give you solutions to niche problems in a simplified way, allowing control of external devices from the button panels without having to go via a control system. It’s direct control. They have their own logical functions and GPIO. Plus, a wide variety of comms mechanisms, that can talk of over IP, over serial and over GPIO. With a small footprint and big performance, the panels can control any GPIO, IP, RS422, or RS232-enabled device, located anywhere, with a single button push.
VIRTUAL PANELS
The TallyMan Virtual Panel (TMVP) is an incredibly powerful addition to the TallyMan control system. The fully customisable user interface brings signal flow management, monitoring and device management to users in an intuitive control surface, enhancing operational workflow to bring flexibility to outside broadcast and transmission facilities throughout the world. Discover more
Tally (UMD, Camera Delegation)
The modern broadcast system contains a vast array of devices that either produce, display or “consume” tallies. Most of these devices will produce or receive the tally information in different ways using different protocols and interfaces. Tally requirements can be very small and contained, but some can be very large systems that are spread across geographical locations. Discover more
Orchestration
Broadcasters deploying ST 2110 infrastructure face complex challenges in orchestrating media flows across diverse IP endpoints. TSL provides a scalable and cost-effective control layer that simplifies IP routing, reduces training overhead, extends the life of legacy systems, and accelerates adoption of ST 2110 without operational disruption. Discover more
Anything-to-Anything (Machine Control Routing)
A broadcaster may wish to have an array (or pool) of devices that can be dynamically allocated or routed flexibly on a production-by-production basis. These devices may be from different manufacturers (EVS, Evertz, Grass Valley, Black Magic etc) and have different control panels, interfaces, and protocols. Discover more
Dynamic Insertion (SCTE)
For broadcasters navigating the thrilling world of live sports and news, the unpredictability of highly reactive content can make signalling ad insertion challenging. Rapid changes in content increase the likelihood of failing to deliver ad breaks at the right time, risking reputational damage with advertisers. Discover more
Facility Control
The modern operator can be faced with a bewildering array of control surfaces, web pages and graphical user interfaces to control even a simple production. This can lead to delays and errors, affecting production values and output, and perhaps even causing a financial penalty (service Credits) from the broadcasters' customers. Discover more
Protocol Translation
Most broadcasters have a wide variety of new and legacy equipment that they need to work together in one cohesive system. These devices will utilise a vast array of different protocols and interfaces, everything from GPIs to xml. Do you need to use your old Evertz control panel with your new Grass Valley Router? Do you need to control your graphics keyer when it is routed to air? This all requires some form of protocol translation. Discover more
Monitoring (SNMP)
Monitoring the status of devices within a broadcast system is vital to its operation: Do you want to know where a fault occurs with a broadcast chain, which device has lost its input or reference, and whether there has been silence on a channel for too long? Has the power supply failed in a key unit? Discover more
IP Transition
More and more broadcasters are moving to IP-based infrastructure over traditional SDI. The promise is that the equipment required (IP switches, router etc.) are more cost-effective than their SDI equivalent as well as opening up broadcast to a huge amount of industry standard tools that are used in the IT industry. The problem is that doing reliable real-time media over IP is hard. There is a significant learning curve and a very different methodology used than with SDI. Discover more
Server/Clip Control (DDR)
Broadcasters may have a number of record/replay devices (DDRs) that they wish to control from a remote operational position, this device could be from a number of different manufacturers (EVS, Blackmagic, Evertz and GrassValley to name a few). It is common practice to bring in rental equipment for some productions, so the make and model can change frequently. Discover more
Disaster Recovery
Many broadcasters need to provide a disaster recovery playout chain but cannot afford a full additional channel of automation from one of the larger broadcast manufacturers. Discover more
Control Room Snapshot and Recall (Presets)
Modern broadcast systems often require reconfiguration, for example, where a production gallery switches the studio floor it has been assigned to or where you switch to a backup system. This action requires the reconfiguration of multiple devices or systems, which can be complex and time-consuming. Discover more
Graphics Management
Modern live news networks will prepare many graphics ahead of time for potential future events, such as various outcomes of elections or sporting events. Managing this workflow and ensuring that the proper versions of graphics make it to air can often fall on the graphics department which can make their daily work more complicated. Discover more
Scheduled Actions and Secondary Events
One of the primary pillars of modern broadcast workflows is reducing the number of manual functions that operators are responsible for. Many functions happen on a daily or weekly basis at specific times of day and can be easily automated to free operators up for more important tasks. Discover more
Control Servers and Other Hardware Solutions
From signal routing to remote device control, by grouping multi-level actions into a single, user-configurable interface, you can do things that will make your production much more efficient. By providing just the controls needed, from simple interfaces for specific tasks to unleashing the full power of a system built on a logic-based and open control layer, customers are able to maintain complete ownership of their systems.
Our Solutions
Audio Monitoring
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Testimonials
“The newly designed TSL MPA1-MIX MADI-V units feature an extremely intuitive layout. The left to right ascending order of the knobs is very user-friendly as the operator can easily find the channel they need, without having to look directly at the panel. The ‘V’ pattern also has a nice aesthetic look to it.”
Michael Naugle
Design Engineer, NEP’s U.S. Broadcast Services team.
“Turner has always encouraged workplace innovation, and partnering with TSL allowed us to develop a solution that genuinely improved operational workflow. We're now exploring ways to roll this setup out across the whole organization.”
Terry York
CNN Field Engineer
“PAM2 is an easy-to-use package that gives NEP Visions the confidence that the audio streams from our OB vehicles will arrive at their destinations on the right channels, with the correct coding and the correct loudness. With the PAM2s in use almost every day in our 3G vehicles for Sky Premiership football matches, and with coverage of crucial events such as Wimbledon, the Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations and the London 2012 Olympics, we’ve made the right choice in terms of audio monitoring for now and for the future.”
Paul Fournier
Head of Sound at NEP Visions
“We used to monitor everything manually. This was stressful because inevitably mistakes could sometimes be made by this method; it was also very inefficient. Now we have an automated system that we can rely on. InSite works, giving us the information we need when we need it and displayed in a way we like.”
"TSL’s commitment to supporting emerging IP standards such as AES-67, SMPTE 2022-6 and SMPTE 2110 gave us the confidence we needed in the PAM2-IP to provide the audio monitoring we required at RTL City. Additionally, knowing that we could deploy the PAM2-IP in our new all-IP infrastructure without being forced to change our operational workflows was fundamental to our purchase decision."
Costas Colombus
Director of Technology projects and Support at BCE
"We’ve been thrilled to have TSL as part of our growing AMPP alliance. As Product Manager for Orchestration Tools and Infrastructure at Grass Valley, I’m excited to partner with them as they deliver the processing engine behind the new GVO-Tally option for GV Orbit.
TSL is well known for its expertise in tally management, making them the ideal collaborator to support our Production Switchers, camera tally lamps, and UMD/multiviewer labels. We also worked together to support third-party tally and control protocols.
By integrating TSL’s software directly into GV Orbit, our customers avoid the need for extra power, rack space, or cabling. It’s a strong partnership that offers a complete tally solution and a great working relationship."
Steve Billow
Senior Product Manager, Grass Valley
"Providing this simplicity and power, TSL’s solution offers users complete control via a unified infrastructure, allowing for immediate access to all devices across multiple networks, avoiding the need for individual sets of control interfaces. Plus, with Virtual Panels, access and routing between the different networked systems is fast and intuitive.”
Christopher Hawkes
Principal at Kromers
“Our volunteers love the simplicity and new capabilities of our system, and they don’t have to understand the underlying technology that makes it possible. We no longer have to re-label every input and output on a route change, which equates to faster and more dependable configuration changes. The ability to interface with numerous data protocols, as well as analogue interfaces, has added additional capabilities to out system that can help to further streamline the facility’s workflow.”
J Ballard
First Baptist Church of Jacksonville
"What attracts us most about TSL is its price to performance ratio.”
Zhang Xuming
Head of Broadcasting Technology Planning TJ Sports