Years of focus and persistence have enabled our team to accumulate extensive theoretical and practical experience. Through requirements analysis of most domestic TV stations and performance analysis of comparable international products, we developed a complete, efficient, and advanced Unified Control Platform (iSwiftMedia) for production and playout systems. The platform has been deployed at multiple provincial and municipal TV stations nationwide. The automation control systems built for CCTV, Chongqing TV, Nanjing TV, and Hangzhou TV received the Science and Technology Innovation Award from the National Radio and Television Administration (broadcast industry regulator), serving as a model for successful automation and intelligent operation of TV production and playout systems.
Sichuan TV facility-wide Tally system
Sichuan Radio and Television (SRT)
I. Requirements Overview
The SCTV new building audio/video process system consists of the station-wide playout Master Control Room (MCR) system (including studio sub-control systems), the news studio system, and the variety studio system. The playout Master Control Room (MCR) system and news studio system are located on relevant floors of the tower building, while the studio sub-control system and variety studio system are located on relevant floors of the podium building.
The playout Master Control Room (MCR) system handles station-wide unified signal scheduling and program playout. The studio sub-control system provides signal scheduling from the Master Control Room (MCR) to each variety studio and signal scheduling between variety studios. The news studio and variety studio handle recording and live broadcasting of news and non-news programs respectively.
Each audio/video system is equipped with comprehensive signal routing and switching devices and signal monitoring equipment, capable of independently performing its respective technical functions. Meanwhile, signal scheduling between systems is achieved through routing matrices to meet the recording and playout requirements of different program types.
To dynamically display source names of scheduling signals during inter-system signal scheduling, a station-wide UMD (Under Monitor Display) source name tracking system design is required.
The equipment related to UMD source name tracking system design in each audio/video system is shown in the table below:
The station-wide UMD source name tracking system is designed to enable signal monitoring equipment within each system, such as video walls, monitors, CCUs, and static TALLY lights, to correctly display signal source names or TALLY light indication status according to the switching state of routing and switching devices and the defined TALLY logic.
II. Overall Architecture
Based on the SCTV audio/video system segmentation and the spatial deployment characteristics of the corresponding business systems, the station-wide UMD source name tracking system comprises the playout Master Control Room (MCR) UMD system, playout sub-control UMD system, news studio cluster / studio complex UMD system, and variety studio UMD system. Each system is independently equipped with a dedicated UMD TALLY control host, dynamic source name drivers, source indicators, and other devices to provide independent UMD source name tracking. Systems are interconnected via Ethernet with redundant links designed into the connection paths to ensure the reliability and security of source name information exchange.
The station-wide UMD system topology is as follows:
Figure 1: System Architecture
The UMD equipment configuration within each system is as follows:
Tower Building 9F Deploy 1 set of primary/backup UMD control hosts to drive the Master Control Room (MCR) system Multiviewer and TALLY indicator lights at associated workstations.
Podium Building 3F Deploy 1 set of UMD control hosts to drive the Master Control Room (MCR) studio sub-control system Multiviewer and TALLY indicator lights at associated workstations.
Tower Building 5F Deploy 1 set of primary/backup UMD control hosts to drive the N1 and N3 news studio system Multiviewer, single-screen video wall UMD TALLY indicator lights, studio camera CCU units, and TALLY indicator lights at associated workstations.
Tower Building 7F Deploy 1 set of primary/backup UMD control hosts to drive the N2 and N4 news studio system Multiviewer, single-screen video wall UMD TALLY indicator lights, studio camera CCU units, and TALLY indicator lights at associated workstations.
Podium Building 2F (S1/S2/S3) Deploy 3 sets of primary/backup UMD control hosts distributed across locations to drive the S1/S2/S3 variety studio system Multiviewers on Podium Building 1F, studio camera CCU units, and TALLY indicator lights at associated workstations.
Podium Building 1F (S5/S6/S7) Deploy 3 sets of UMD control hosts distributed across locations to drive the S5/S6/S7 variety studio system Multiviewers on Podium Building 1F, studio camera CCU units, and TALLY indicator lights at associated workstations.
Podium Building 3F Deploy 2 sets of UMD control hosts distributed across locations to drive the S10/S11 variety studio system Multiviewers on Podium Building 3F, studio camera CCU units, and TALLY indicator lights at associated workstations.
A total of 18 sets of UMD control hosts are deployed station-wide. The playout Master Control Room (MCR) system, news studio N1/N3, news studio N2/N4, and variety studio S1/S2/S3 all use primary/backup control hosts to ensure operational safety requirements. The remaining variety studios and sub-control systems use single-unit configurations.
III. Functional Requirements
The functional requirements for each station-wide UMD system are as follows:
System Name
Number of UMD Hosts
Function Description
I. Playout Master Control Room (MCR) Section
Playout Master Control Room (MCR) System
Primary and backup UMD control hosts (two sets)
1. Define external source names 2. Multiviewer source name display and switching indication
3. Interconnect with other systems to enable source name exchange
Master Control Room (MCR) Sub-Control System
One set of UMD control host
1. Receive source name information from the Master Control Room (MCR) system and forward Master Control Room (MCR) source names to the variety studio 2. Define external source name information
3. Multiviewer source name display and switching indication 4. Interconnect with other systems to enable source name exchange
II. News Studio Section
N1/N3 News Studio
Primary and backup UMD control hosts (two sets)
1. Receive source name information from the Master Control Room (MCR) system 2. Define external source name information
3. Multiviewer source name display and switching indication 4. Trigger CCU and monitor static TALLY Tally Light
5. Interconnect with other systems to enable source name exchange
N2/N4 News Studio
Primary and backup UMD control hosts (two sets)
1. Receive source name information from the Master Control Room (MCR) system 2. Define external source name information
3. Multiviewer source name display and switching indication 4. Trigger CCU and monitor static TALLY Tally Light
5. Interconnect with other systems to enable source name exchange
III. Variety Studio Section
S1 Variety Studio
Primary and backup UMD control hosts (two sets)
1. Receive source name information from the Master Control Room (MCR) or studio sub-control system 2. Define external source name information
3. Multiviewer source name display and switching indication 4. Trigger CCU and monitor static TALLY Tally Light
5. Interconnect with other systems to enable source name exchange
S2 Variety Studio
Primary and backup UMD control hosts (two sets)
1. Receive source name information from the Master Control Room (MCR) or studio sub-control system 2. Define external source name information
3. Multiviewer source name display and switching indication 4. Trigger CCU and monitor static TALLY Tally Light
5. Interconnect with other systems to enable source name exchange
S3 Variety Studio
Primary and backup UMD control hosts (two sets)
1. Receive source name information from the Master Control Room (MCR) or studio sub-control system 2. Define external source name information
3. Multiviewer source name display and switching indication 4. Trigger CCU and monitor static TALLY Tally Light
5. Interconnect with other systems to enable source name exchange
S5 Variety Studio
One set of UMD control host
1. Receive source name information from the Master Control Room (MCR) or studio sub-control system 2. Define external source name information
3. Multiviewer source name display and switching indication 4. Trigger CCU and monitor static TALLY Tally Light
5. Interconnect with other systems to enable source name exchange
S6 Variety Studio
One set of UMD control host
1. Receive source name information from the Master Control Room (MCR) or studio sub-control system 2. Define external source name information
3. Multiviewer source name display and switching indication 4. Trigger CCU and monitor static TALLY Tally Light
5. Interconnect with other systems to enable source name exchange
S7 Variety Studio
One set of UMD control host
1. Receive source name information from the Master Control Room (MCR) or studio sub-control system 2. Define external source name information
3. Multiviewer source name display and switching indication 4. Trigger CCU and monitor static TALLY Tally Light
5. Interconnect with other systems to enable source name exchange
S10 Variety Studio
One set of UMD control host
1. Receive source name information from the Master Control Room (MCR) or studio sub-control system 2. Define external source name information
3. Multiviewer source name display and switching indication 4. Trigger CCU and monitor static TALLY Tally Light
5. Interconnect with other systems to enable source name exchange
S11 Variety Studio
One set of UMD control host
1. Receive source name information from the Master Control Room (MCR) or studio sub-control system 2. Define external source name information
3. Multiviewer source name display and switching indication 4. Trigger CCU and monitor static TALLY Tally Light
5. Interconnect with other systems to enable source name exchange
Table 2: Function Requirements Summary
IV. Technical Requirements
The facility-wide UMD TALLY source name tracking system has two aspects of technical requirements:
First, networking requirements: each audio/video system's internal UMD system must operate independently while relying on network connections for dynamic source name exchange, enabling cross-system source name tracing.
Second, within each system's internal UMD subsystem, the TALLY sources include routing devices such as studio Switchers and Matrix routers, as well as source name display devices such as Multiviewers, dynamic source name TALLY lights, static TALLY lights, monitor-attached TALLY lights, and CCU TALLY Tally Lights. Based on switching device states combined with TALLY logic, the system correctly drives the corresponding TALLY display devices with source name information and TALLY light status.
1. Networking Requirements
Primary and backup physical links between any two systems to ensure reliable cross-system source name exchange.
Capability to identify, discover, and exchange information with peer systems.
Source name exchange between systems must complete within 3 seconds, enabling rapid source name tracing during signal scheduling.
A fault in any single system must not affect the normal operation of other systems. Source names for signals from the faulty system are displayed using locally defined defaults, such as MCR-1, SAT-2, etc.
2. Internal Requirements
The primary and backup UMD drivers within each system operate in hot-standby mode. TALLY and source name information is synchronized in real time between primary and backup units. If the primary unit fails, the backup unit takes over control and management of the entire system's TALLY instantly.
Supports automatic linkage / interlock between the video Changeover Switch and the TALLY source Switcher. When the video Changeover Switch switches, the TALLY source selector is triggered simultaneously.
Supports multi-level switching modes, such as TALLY indication for primary Switcher, backup Switcher, and switching Matrix configurations. Supports macro commands and batch processing, allowing users to define different presets for multiple operating environments and switch between these presets rapidly and reliably.
Can read information from mainstream routing and switching devices, including HARRIS, EVERTZ, SONY, and THOMSON Switchers and Matrices.
Supports outputting source name information to SONY MVS8000 control panel key caps to facilitate director operation.
Supports mainstream Multiviewer products, including EVERTZ, HARRIS, and MIRANDA Multiviewers.
TALLY devices driven by the UMD system include Multiviewers, dynamic TALLY Tally Lights, static TALLY lights, CCU, etc.
Supports TALLY grouping. TALLY display color and priority can be manually selected. When a color conflict occurs in UMD display units, lower-priority TALLY is demoted in display. The software allows conditional selection based on the operator's work area to avoid ambiguity caused by color conflicts between two TALLY groups in the same display area.
The management software features a full Chinese-language interface. If TALLY display devices (Multiviewers, dynamic TALLY lights, etc.) support Chinese character display, the UMD control system also supports Chinese TALLY character driving mode.
The software adopts a plug-in architecture internally. Adding support for new devices only requires writing and debugging the corresponding device driver module.
V. System Design and Implementation
Figure 2: System Cascading, Facility-Wide Tally
System Name
UMD/Tally System
System Integrator
Features
N1-N3 News Studio
Primary/Backup Tally System
Andas
UMD Tally Light, dual-link, CCU notification
N2-N4 News Studio
Primary/Backup Tally System
Andas
UMD Tally Light, dual-link, CCU notification
S1 Studio
Primary/Backup Tally System
Century Ruike
Multiviewer, dual-link, CCU notification
S5 studio
Standard Tally System
Century Ruike
Multiviewer, dual-link, CCU notification
S7 studio
Standard Tally System
Century Ruike
Multiviewer, dual-link, CCU notification
S11 studio
Standard Tally System
Century Ruike
Multiviewer, dual-link, CCU notification
S2 studio
Primary/Backup Tally System
Sander
Multiviewer, dual-link, CCU notification
S3 studio
Primary/Backup Tally System
Sander
Multiviewer, dual-link, CCU notification
S6 studio
Standard Tally System
Sander
Multiviewer, dual-link, CCU notification
S10 studio
Standard Tally System
Sander
UMD Tally Light, dual-link, CCU notification
Master Control Room (MCR)
Primary/Backup UMD System
Guanhua
Dynamic source name display on Multiviewer
Sub-control Room
Standard UMD System
Guanhua
Dynamic source name display on Multiviewer
Table 3: Subsystem Function Overview
6. Project Features and Results
1. System Technical Features
Each UMD/Tally System is an intelligent unit. When multiple systems are interconnected, they form an intelligent distributed system with capabilities far beyond those of any single system.
Source name pass-through: Programs sent from master control to the studio can display the source name defined by master control on the studio UMD display, rather than names such as "MCR1" assigned by the studio itself.
External system source name override: The displayed source name may originate from other external systems. For example, the ingest system knows that the signal sent to a certain Matrix port comes from a specific channel of a Satellite Receiver. Once interconnected, it tells the UMD system to display the source name as "Input 33 Hunan Satellite TV," where the second part comes from the ingest system, which knows the current program name. Regardless of origin, both pieces of information are what the user needs.
In each UMD/Tally System there are two types of SOURCE: one is the direct input source at the current level; the other is output from another device looped back to the current level input. In this case, the system may need to trace back to the preceding device until the true source is found.
For forward source name derivation, the Tally system software supports multiple options: it can trace level by level to the very first stage and display the ultimate source name, specify a certain number of levels, or display the direct source name of the currently monitored signal.
Different derivation strategies can be configured with simple settings in the Tally software configuration interface.
If a signal from the same Matrix/Switcher output port is distributed via a video DA to multiple monitoring areas, each monitoring area can specify a different trace-back strategy.
Multiple display strategies are supported, such as showing the device internal name, alias, or name provided by an external system. This provides richer descriptive information when the device supports it, or allows abbreviated names to save display space.
Combined display of the above elements is supported; the combination order and delimiter characters can be freely specified.
Figure 3: Source name derivation and cross-system source name pass-through
The signal name display supports markers indicating loop-through devices in the signal path. The marker field can be combined with the source name. For example, although the output originates from CAM1, whether the signal has passed through a loop-through device (such as a Delay unit) may require differentiated display, since the picture is visually different. The UMD display for a signal that has passed through a loop-through device can be "CAM 1(D)," where the trailing D represents the delayed CAM1 signal.
Figure 4: Loop-through node signal marking
Chinese-character UMD display is supported on certain Evertz high-end Multiviewers (VIPA, MVP, VIPX).
Dynamic source names can be uploaded to the keycap labels on the operator panel of certain Switcher brands, such as Kahuna Switcher, Sony 8000 Switcher, etc.
2. Product Features
Primary/backup failover provides higher availability through hot standby.
The primary/backup failover mechanism provides a one-click manual switchover. Replacement of a failed node (computer/software) can be completed with a single click, making operation fast and convenient.
The primary/backup failover mechanism provides automatic switchover. Through heartbeat and other multi-faceted monitoring mechanisms, the redundant node can detect the working status of the active node and automatically take over when the active node fails, ensuring uninterrupted service even in unattended scenarios.
Diverse primary/backup failover mechanisms are available, including Serial Port Changeover Switch-based failover and NPort Serial Port Server-based failover, meeting the requirements of projects of different scales and configurations.
3. Project Timeline
Detailed design phase
From April 2010 to December 2010.
Installation and commissioning phase
From January 2011 to October 2011, working closely with each System Integrator and arranging tasks in an interleaved manner, system commissioning and testing were completed. These System Integrators include: Andas, Guanhua, Sander, and Century Ruike.
Acceptance and deployment
The UMD/TALLY system developed and supplied by our company for Sichuan Television was installed and commissioned on-site in November 2011, with coordination from the station's project team and cooperation from other System Integrators, and successfully passed acceptance by the station's project team.
4. Usage Results
The project has been in operation since November 2011 and has been running stably ever since.
Figure 5: Broadcast Master Control Room (MCR) UMD System in operation
Screenshots on this page show the Chinese user interface. English materials are available on request.
