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[Wednesday at NAB]
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Triangle Maps in 3-D HD
Beat the Traffic Expands Commuters’ Aids
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by Jay Ankeney,
~ April 16, 2008
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TV TECHNOLOGY
The big announcement at Beat the Traffic’s press conference was the signing of its 20th customer since the system was first introduced in 2005.
“This makes us the fastest growing provider of traffic broadcasting solutions,” said Andre Gueziec, president and CEO of Triangle Software LLC, the maker of Beat the Traffic software.
Gueziec told the conference that Beat the Traffic now offers three new traffic reporting solutions.
The first is a live 3-D HD mapping software that provides topographic views of selected areas of city traffic. A quickly established playlist of 3-D views are generated from artist-enhanced satellite imagery and can include location-specific landmarks along with a station’s own graphics or an advertiser’s landmarks.
With this 3-D enhancement to the Beat the Traffic graphics system, a station can provide wide angles of the overall traffic situation, compare alternative travel routes and then zoom in on areas of difficulty.
Drag-and-drop icons of cars, trucks or emergency vehicles can show the audience who is involved with the traffic problem or where construction zones may slow them down, and the system can even change the look of the weather in the skies overhead as the day’s weather changes.
“We are known for the distinctive quality of our graphics,” said Gueziec. “Thanks to the ease of use of our system, anyone can learn to operate it with just a minimum of training.”
To complement its on-air service, Beat the Traffic introduced an Internet/mobile high-definition server that anyone can access from home via the Internet or on a portable Wi-Fi digital device. With just a few clicks, this new Web interface can be accessed to display the traffic awaiting any driver in their own customized view to help avoid congestion snarls.
The third introduction from Beat the Traffic at the NAB Show is automated high-definition channel reporting based on the same eye-catching 3-D graphics.
Timed flythroughs of predetermined areas provide a 360-degree vision of trouble spots, and the traffic data gathered from police or private sources can be automatically updated. Since the station can include sponsors’ landmarks, this can provide additional revenue possibilities. This automated 3-D channel can be useful for cablecasts, off-hour broadcasts, secondary digital channels or streaming on the Web. Customized graphics included in the display can create additional sponsorship opportunities.
The Beat the Traffic images can be formatted in 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratios, depending on the delivery system being used.
“This year we can also include video from traffic cameras set up by a location’s department of transportation,” Gueziec said. “Since there is no prerendering, everything is happening just as the viewer sees it. This kind of timely traffic information can significantly help a local station gain viewership and retain those viewers by offering a unique and useful service.”
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