Softel ScheduleSmart™ Automated Subtitle Control Center Makes European Debut

ScheduleSmart provides a powerful, automated subtitle process management platform to any broadcast facility faced with the challenge of when and how to bind multi-language subtitles and other ancillary data to "broadcast-ready" video content. There are significant business benefits to be gained by binding subtitle content to video early in the broadcast operations workflow, but ScheduleSmart also accommodates late-edited and true live subtitles.

ScheduleSmart monitors upcoming channel playlists, identifying subtitled events, checking the mix of content flagged for hard-of-hearing and localized applications, and calculating, in each case, the optimum time to encode the subtitles to the video asset. To achieve this, ScheduleSmart interfaces with a wide range of broadcast system components including Softel Swift™ vTX (for early binding of subtitles to video files), Swift Create (for post-encode subtitle QC checks and repurposing), Swift TX (for time-of-air transmission of subtitle files) and third-party products such as channel automation and digital asset management.

Early binding of subtitles to video brings workflow benefits in key areas such as content archiving, QC processes and time-of-air system supervision. The ability to archive video along with single or multiple subtitle streams is a valuable asset management benefit; allowing time within the workflow to conduct quality checks and fix issues on subtitled video content improves overall service quality, and simplified time-of-air subtitle transmission saves on operational cost.

"With ScheduleSmart, broadcasters ensure their requirements for subtitling are met today and in the future as they expand their workflow to deliver a multitude of content types to a variety of audiences over multiple playout platforms," says Sam Pemberton, Softel CEO. "ScheduleSmart allows broadcasters to enhance their quality of service, deliver increased viewer satisfaction and contribute to a reduction in operational costs while simplifying modern multi-format, multi-platform workflows."

About Softel

Softel is a global leader in key TV and video technologies including subtitling and captioning, interactive TV, MPEG stream processing and multiplexing, opt and ad insertion cuing, and Teletext, delivered through a full range of products, professional services and bespoke development. Based in Pangbourne, near Reading in Berkshire, England, Softel also owns Softel-USA LLC, which focuses entirely on the Americas from its metro New York location. The company also has an impressive network of partners worldwide. With almost three decades of broadcast experience, Softel has built a customer list that encompasses prestigious 'blue chip' broadcasters and major post production facilities, as well as freelancers and smaller facilities.