HELM – BRANDING DEVICES

Precise, user-customisable control of
branding devices from leading manufacturers

Precise

Precise

Helm delivers precise, customisable on-air control of branding devices from leading manufacturers. It controls all essential branding functions including logos, voice-overs, DVEs and A/B mixers.

Each channel may need a huge number of graphical assets. Operators can view thumbnails and select these directly from a Helm panel, giving them real confidence.

You can integrate branding control with other broadcast devices on a single panel. This means faster operator responses, fewer errors, and easier maintenance.

Scalable Master Control

Scalable Master Control

When used with a router, Helm is an ideal solution for broadcast master control, from single channels up to large multi-channel systems with multiple operators.

Helm panels show the state of the devices, even when they’re also controlled from automation. This means operators can monitor and verify graphics and keyer state, allowing problems to be corrected quickly and easily.

Several users can view or control the same channel simultaneously. This allows a supervisor to monitor or quickly override another operator. Changes made by one operator immediately tally on all other panels.

Live Events

Live Events

Not all broadcasts can be automated: Live events and sports typically need sophisticated branding, and operators must respond instantly to the unexpected. Helm is ideal for these cases, for example placing urgent messages across multiple channels.

Station engineers can design custom panels for specific shows or special events. The panel manages any complex requirements, while giving operators a familiar user interface. This reduces the risk of costly mistakes on-air, as well as making training easier.

Branding elements like logos, clocks, timers and dynamic text are all easily controlled via Helm.

Case Study:
Harmonic Spectrum™ ChannelPort

Harmonic’s innovative Spectrum™ ChannelPort is an integrated playout solution that combines channel-branding capabilities with a media server to simplify integration and reduce maintenance and operations costs.

Helm gives operators comprehensive control of both the branding and server aspects of ChannelPort. On the branding side, keyers can be monitored and controlled and graphical assets can be browsed and taken to air. Helm can also update text on-air using ChannelPort’s integrated character generator. Helm also controls the ChannelPort media server, via the Spectrum Player API. This provides manual clip load and playout, as well as monitoring of the server’s internal playlist.

Additionally, operators can load pre-built playlists directly into ChannelPort, for emergency playout of a simple playlist.

Application Areas
  • Branding control for live events
  • Master Control (single and multi-channel environments)
  • Manual intervention in automated environments
  • Integrated control of branding, routing and modular gear
  • Live sports graphics
  • One-off live events
Supported Devices

Helm controls the core functionality of all these products. For information about the functionality of these devices please see the manufacturer website.

Control of:
  • Keyers
  • Logo browsing and loading
  • Dynamic tallies
  • Video and Audio AB mixer
  • Video fade-to-black
  • Audio voice-overs and levels
  • Audio shuffling
  • Playout of audio clips
  • DVE effects
  • Live text updates
  • In-vision clocks and timers
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