Softel USA - Products for the Digital Age

Cyclone is Softel’s third generation Teletext management and transmission system product. It is aimed at broadcasters and Teletext operators who need a reliable (Year 2000 compliant), scalable, and easy to operate teletext system that can be used by any number of editing staff to provide teletext services on any number of TV channels.

The major modules in a Cyclone system are, a PC running under Windows, Cyclone software, and transmission hardware. A teletext system can therefore be configured using a single PC and Softel`s hardware and software. Cyclone can also be extended to a client/server configuration with control over multi-editing data inputs.

For external data inputs, the single PC Cyclone system can be expanded to provide up to 8 RS232 ports, however the LAN interface provides a more flexible system for expansion and network inter-connectivity. For Teletext page creation and editing, the Softel Flair editing terminal is ideal. These can interface into the system either via the RS232 ports or an Ethernet LAN.

PC cost advantage
OBDC/SQL Database architecture
RS232, LAN and dial-up (ISDN) connectivity
User-friendly, utilising a Windows graphical user interface to simplify operations
Compatible with Flair Windows editing terminal
Single/Multi network transmission
Includes an intergrated batch programming language for automating/scheduling many edit functions
Subtitling, TOPS/FLOF, VPS, PDC compliant
Compatible with enhanced (Level 2.5) teletext
Open interface for customer development
Interactive Teletext capability
WWW export functionality, allowing teletext pages to be exported in HTML format

Teletext systems in the past have been designed for two main markets, the low cost system with limited features, and the high end system designed for the professional teletext service provider.Softel are recognised as the World`s leading supplier for both these markets and therefore offer unparalleled experience of matching a system to the customers requirements.

With the increasing performance of PCs, the popularity of user friendly operating systems (Windows 95/98/NT), plus the cost effectiveness of networking offered by Windows, Softel are once again redefining the boundaries of price versus performance with their Cyclone Teletext System.

There are three main elements to the Cyclone user interface.

Flair, the premier Windows based teletext editing software package, is used for all page creation, and edit operations. The Cyclone Main Menu provides access to all system management and configuration utilities, and comprises a moveable button bar with selections for optimising the screen layout, viewing pending and archive operations, accessing Management tools and System Manager set-up functions, configuring the Page viewer window and minimising or closing down Cyclone.

Page Manager provides database functions and offers the user a graphical view of the Cyclone teletext page database. It is modelled on Windows File Manager, with the folder structure on the left of the screen, and the contents of the currently selected part of the database expanded within on-air and off-air lists on the upper and lower right of the screen respectively. The Page Manager display is consistent for all users with amendments made to one display reflected automatically on all the others.

Each supported TV channel is allocated folders and subfolders, which may be unique to a channel or shared across channels.Each folder holds specific groups of teletext pages, for example the ‘NEWS’ folder may have sub-folders ‘REGIONAL’, ‘NATIONAL’ and ‘WORLDWIDE’.Teletext pages are stored in the relevent folder under ‘Story Item’ name, for example ‘Forecast today’, and ‘Forecast tomorrow’. (‘Forecast’ is the Story name and ‘today’ and ‘tomorrow’ the Item names).

As far as the user in concerned, there is no concept of teletext page numbers. Instead, numbers exist only as on-air transmission ‘slots’ to which named pages may be assigned.This removes the need for editors to memorise numerous, often meaningless, page numbers.

Cylone boasts a multitude of other functions and facilities including:

Copy linked newsreel pages which are automatically updated when the original page is updated
Fastext page management which includes the ability tocheck that fastext prompts do not point to absent pages
An Archive database which allows users to retrieve earlier page versions and produce filtered queries of the database
Pending updates which hold an update to an existing on-air page until a specific day and time Scheduled commands for on/off-air moves
A Batch programming language which allows users to create, run and schedule programs containing Cyclone commands. This is the most powerful and flexible means of scheduling changes to the transmission database automatically.
Batch journal files which provide the user with facilities for determining the outcome (success or failure) of scheduled batch jobs

The SE4030 Standalone Cyclone is Softel’s latest entry level teletext solution. In the SE4030 Standalone Cyclone, the teletext database, data generator and video inserter are installed in the same 2U rackmounted unit. Standalone Cyclone is designed to be operational within five minutes of opening the box, by connecting one or more Flair workstations to it.

Standalone Cyclone is aimed at broadcasters and Teletext operators who require a reliable (Year 2000 compliant), low cost teletext system, but also require the advanced functionality and user-friendly graphical interface of the teletext page database, which is offered by larger Cyclone systems. The SE4030 is designed for entry level systems where there is no requirement for master/standby database servers or transmission hardware. However, a number of system software options allow each SE4030 to be configured to the broadcasters own specification.