Bloomfield Hills Schools

Bloomfield was upgrading their playback automation system from an IR controlled tape based system to a fully automated digital system with video server playback and an SDI infrastructure.

Cablecast and Carousel were the perfect fit. First, the system's web-centric interface meant that David and his staff could update the system from anywhere. Second, the built-in scheduling system and show database provided him with a single system to manage all of the data related to his head end--no more double entry.

Tightrope's video servers would have been ideal for Bloomfield, except that SDI was a necessity. With Cablecast's VDCP support, adding 360 Systems' ImageServer 2000 was as simple as adding a 422 serial card. The integration was seamless and Cablecast controls the ImageServer as it does Tightrope's VS4 series servers.

As David puts it, "We treat our community bulletin board as an integral part of our channel. It's not just an afterthought with us because people rely on those announcements for important information." Carousel was David's choice for signage because of its web-centric interface. Staff throughout Bloomfield Schools have access to Carousel and they can submit messages that are held for approval. The system runs an average of 60 messages per day and what's more, Carousel automatically mines scheduling information from Cablecast. This eliminated the need to re-enter the programming data for advertising on Carousel.

This solution has been an unqualified success story. The quantity of programming that they've been able to air and the reliability of their channel have both improved; all while greatly reducing the amount of staff time required to maintain the channel. What more could you ask for?