The new enhancements build on the Tightrope Media Systems' Cablecast, a powerful turnkey website publishing toolset, which enable customers to quickly and easily deploy sophisticated, public-facing video content portals without time-consuming, specialised coding. Expanded closed caption capabilities in version 6.4 improve web and mobile video accessibility for hearing-impaired viewers. Complementing Cablecast's long-standing ability to deliver closed captions on stations’ cable television channels, the new update adds similar support for live streams and VOD programming.

Cablecast 6.4 also allows community broadcasters to display a more flexible array of information alongside their live streams and VOD clips, and offers greater control of how such material is presented. Most significantly for municipalities and public sector boards, documents such as agendas and minutes can be displayed next to video of their meetings, and can be downloaded by viewers. New database fields also allow the display of custom metadata, while standard fields can now be hidden from viewers as desired.

In addition to Cablecast 6.4’s viewer-facing updates, the software’s new Live Chaptering feature offers workflow improvements for operators. VOD chapter markers, which let viewers jump directly to sections of interest in VOD clips without scrubbing, can be added in real time while live video recording is in progress. This alternative to earlier versions’ post-recording process saves time for program producers, while making content available to web visitors sooner.

NAB Show demonstrations of Cablecast will also highlight new features introduced late last year in version 6.3, including optional StreamSource direct IP input support for live remote contribution, and LiveOverlay pass-through graphics for live channel branding and crawls.