Channel 4 chooses Pixel Power Clarity

Pixel Power has announced that Channel 4 has recently purchased its10th Clarity system, for use in graphics creation and graphics playout.
As a result of the successful implementation of the initial graphical creation and playout requirements for Channel 4, Clarity systems have also been purchased for E4 and their Disaster Recovery Service.
Pixel Power was first introduced to this project when it was given a tape containing a variety of menu design ideas and asked whether Clarity could play out the exact look, but with the ability to have the content semi-automated using fast loading and easily editable templates which could be changed and ready for air in a matter of minutes.
The menu look is built up from two layered video clips for an intro (one clip had embedded key and was cut out to reveal the background), video clips of the upcoming programmes, specially animated auto-boxed text of the scheduled programme times and names using Channel 4's special new font, coloured backgrounds and two layered video clips with cut out for the outro at the end.
Pixel Power devised a simple Excel spreadsheet that was linked directly to the Clarity template pages. This made it very quick and easy for the operator using the Clarity to change the entire contents of menu and produce a new one without having to know anything more than how to type text into a spreadsheet. The text for the programme times and names was imported directly from the spreadsheet into the Clarity template.
The programme video clips stored on the Clarity internal clip drives could be chosen easily from the spreadsheet by selecting from a drop down list. The intro and outro video clips used at the start and end of the menu sequence could also be changed easily. Channel 4 didn't want the same look every time a menu was aired so had a wide range of themed clips that could be accessed from the list and quickly inserted into the Clarity page ready for air. These themed clips would be short, quirky everyday life things like a close up of a piece of toast, an aspirin dissolving in a glass of water, ducks on a lake, traffic lights etc. All the elements, each with their own animation durations, were combined to form the look that can be seen on air now.
Earlier this year the same Clarity template and Excel spreadsheet system was modified slightly to launch E4's similar looking menu design for its programme menu graphics.
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