Software - Newsroom (NRCS)
Newsroom & Control Room software for all broadcast environments
Our flexible and proven solutions have been designed with a range of complex and demanding broadcast environments in mind:
- High performance systems delivering resilient and versatile operation
- Integrated solutions to improve workflow and significantly reduce production costs
- Full-scale, feature-rich applications for newsroom and control room environments
- Flexible and scalable implementations, backed by our own in-house development and support teams
Our customers include national broadcasters, regional TV stations and universities and colleges. Our software has been used at hundreds of sites by thousands of users over the last fifteen years, and we continue to rely on their input to help shape how the products develop.
QNews– our NRCS software provides a robust and reliable solution for full-scale news production, including automation for news operations.
QNews ACC - adding the optional Automation Control Centre provides control over broadcast devices such as video servers and caption generators integrated directly into the core newsroom system.
We can also offer transmission / station automation and media management functionality, either as an add-on to the newsroom or as a standalone system.
Fully-featured Newsroom Solution
QNews provides a robust and reliable solution for full-scale newsroom computer system (NRCS) functionality, with a full range of multi-user newsroom production, administration and management tools. These include script and rundown management, wire service receipt and distribution, script archiving, assignment and contact lists, user messaging, built-in internet access, media browsing and integrated prompting. QNews also offers playout automation for live programmes, with interfaces to all common broadcast devices, via the optional Automation Control Centre.
QNews provides a unique multi-column editor for television script production and offers true multi-lingual capabilities. The software is very easy to use, with an intuitive user interface, and enables individuals to configure their own preferred views of scripts, rundowns, wires, contacts and assignment information. A large number of configurable options allow the system to be customised to suit specific environments, including different media – radio, for instance – and different styles of production workflow.
QNews can be combined with other aQ products, particularly the aQ Video Server, to form complete end-to-end workflow solutions. These integrated solutions are extremely cost-effective and are straightforward to install and operate.
QNews customers include national broadcasters with multiple news and sports operations, regional television newsrooms producing continuous news programming and academic institutions teaching broadcast journalism or technology.
Overview Feature List
- Client-Server architecture, utilising standard TCP/IP networking and Windows™ Operating Systems
- Central database, including clustering and automatic fail-over for fault-tolerance and data integrity
- Highly-configurable Client software with flexible screen layout for efficient workflow
- Screen working areas allow multiple scripts and rundowns to be viewed simultaneously
- Support for third-party plug-ins, including MOS, for effective integration capability
- Full Unicode compliance for true multi- and mixed-language operation
- Extensive user and group rights management for effective security
- Comprehensive user and system administration tools accessible from across the network
Rundown Management
- Changes are immediately reflected on all rundown displays
- Extensive timing options for straightforward and accurate timing of the programme
- Flexible screen layouts allow personalised or group views
- Multiple running orders can be viewed simultaneously
- Drag and drop items within and between rundowns
- Low-resolution browsing / audio review from any workstation as an option
Scripting Functionality
- Multiple script columns with variable line spacing
- Script cut lines with column locking
- Wide variety of options for character font and size
- Dynamic spell checker – flags misspelled words as you type
- Font and size can be customized for each presenter / anchor
- Automatic read time calculation– different rate for each presenter
- All displayed scripts automatically reflect changes when scripts are updated
Script Archives
- Based around a high-performance search engine
- Search on any word, date range, or newscast
- Partial word searches and a wide range of search expressions
- Results can be set to show individual items or complete running orders
Wires
- Based around a high-performance search engine
- Customisable decoder and routing definitions
- Stories can be distributed by category or content
- Notification of selected stories to individuals or groups
- Partial word searches and a wide range of search expressions
Prompting (using Autocue's software and QBox)
- Fully integrated prompter with dynamic control features
- Advanced WYSIWYG prompter/script interface, including fonts, styles, colours, etc.
- Changes made to scripts or run order are immediately reflected on the prompter
- Multiple language capability
Playout Control
- Built-in support for video clip, CG and tape events
- Video clip handling is based around an internal database of clips available for playout
- Clips can be entered within the rundown and/or script, allowing for different workflows
- Playout control software can be run from any workstation, dynamically updated from the rundown
- A wide range of interfaces supports all common broadcast devices, including MOS integration
Additional information:
Indexing of incoming wire stories in real time
The system provides reception for any wire service in any language. Incoming stories can be distributed according to originating wire service, category code or keyword. Every word is indexed for fast retrieval.
Multilingual full-text archiving and retrieval
Any text material in the system can be archived onto a dedicated archive server using the same powerful indexing and retrieval mechanism.
Intelligent show templates
Autocue Newsroom allows producers to build detailed templates for shows, including all regular inserts, timings, and breaks. This allows them to concentrate on the content while leaving the system to automate the rest of the show preparation.
Fast and flexible remote access
Autocue Newsroom is perfectly suited to news operations with multiple sites. Reporters and presenters / anchors in remote offices can access wires, scripts and prompters or send messages just as if they were in the central newsroom.
Assignments & Contacts
Autocue Newsroom includes special tools to create shared information files, providing universal access and high-speed searching for important information. Items flow easily through the planning workflow into assignments and scripts and into archives.
Instant messaging from user to user
Autocue Newsroom offers users an instant user-to-user messaging capability, through which urgent messages can be delivered by the system to individuals or groups.
Computer assisted machine control for news playout
Autocue Newsroom allows devices such as video servers, cart systems, tape decks, character generators, still stores and robotic camera platforms to be driven directly from the rundown. Users have an extensive set of tools for creating and embedding events into scripts: supers can be previewed exactly as they will appear on air, video clips can be selected from a thumbnail library, preconfigured events can be triggered and sequenced with ease and efficiency. Playout of events can be triggered manually through on-screen control icons, workstation function keys or an external programmable button-box -- or semi-automatically, either on the basis of elapsed time ("25 seconds after the beginning of this clip, show the following super for three seconds") or by embedding the relevant control codes into the prompter output, so that events can be triggered by scrolling the appropriate word past the anchor’s eyeline.
Video images incorporated into the running order
Video stills ("thumbnails") can be placed directly into the rundown layout to make it obvious which video is to be used with which item. Up to four video clips can be associated with each item in the running order, or any number can be allocated within the script. A double-click will open a preview window and show the selected clip.
