BitFire enhances its cloud platform with master control features

Integrated into Spark production environments, Spark's new master control interface BitFire offers a control room experience such as closed captioning, graphics and logo insertion, commercial breaks and SCTE, for live events of any scale.

The master control interface for direct BitFire allows users finalize and master programs or without depending on subsequent installations. Accessible through an environment cloud-based on-demand which allows unlimited scalability, offers a professional orchestration and control for use cases where traditional master control is not practical or economically viable. In the words of Jim Akimchuk, President and CEO of BitFire: "With these new capabilities, the BitFire platform closes a critical gap in the transition to live production in the cloud. Whether producing one event or many simultaneously, production teams can now add a sophisticated layer of control and presentation, including live captioning, advertising squeeze-back and playlist-based pause playback, without the cost or limitations of traditional master control rooms.”

From a single cloud-based interface, operators can insert closed captions using iCap-compatible workflows with EEG/AI-Media to meet established broadcast standards, as well as activate markers SCTE-104/35 for dynamic ad insertion on the server side. The system can automate pause playback and playlist execution using standardized BXF files or manual triggers, run advertising formats advanced features like squeeze-back and picture-in-picture using Spark's powerful switching engine, and deliver transport flows finished to broadcast quality with embedded subtitles, SCTE triggers and metadata for SDI or IP distribution.

Live Master Control becomes part of the complex BitFire cloud-based production toolset, including switches, playback, audio mixing, multiviewers, intercoms and IP streaming. With the constant support of BitFire's TechOps technical support team, users can “be confident in their ability to design, use and extend reliable solutions that improve their workflows,” notes the brand itself.