Noggin (www.noggin.com) wanted a modular, extensible system for on-the-fly generation of
automated interstitials from web data, chat data and internal databases.
The system had to be extensible for future projects that provide additional ties
between Noggin.com and broadcast operations. It had to interface with an existing
Harris Automation system, and take triggers from existing Viacom scheduling systems
as well as multiple data sources, including Noggin's databases and Noggin's web site.
Our Solution
Video Design Interactive provided a software and hardware solution consisting of a
Chyron Duet for graphics generation and a modular software system.
The installation includes the TagMonitor playout
plug-in for Harris automation interface and graphics system control. The
playout system is structured in a modular fashion, with all current and future
modules plugging into a base infrastructure that monitors Viacom's Harris Automation
system and triggers graphics generated from live Web-based data on the CG.
The first module delivered was Polling, which interfaces to Noggin.com's
polling engine to create interstitials from live web data. Currently, sixteen
spots are automatically generated each night. Two separate interstitials are
generated, a "poll tease" with just the poll question, and "poll results" featuring live poll updates.
Noggin Polling
The second module delivered was Chat, which creates three-minute interstitials
as well as full shows with live chat text overlaid from Noggin's web site. Chat
data is passed to the broadcast system through a custom editorial tool (also
provided by Video Design Interactive) that filters all content for curses, slurs and other objectionable language.
Show 2: Menus
The next set of plugins delivered were for Noggin's live "Menus."
The Noggimations plug-in generates live interstitials mating one of several
pre-produced video "backplates" with one of many thousand animations created
by children on Noggin's web site using their 'Noggimation' keyframe animation
tool. During these interstitials, the child's name and state and the name of
their creation, along with the animation itself, are displayed. The choice of
which animation is completely random, and the animation and attribution data
is downloaded directly from Noggin's web site moments before air.
The Birthdays plug-in generates live interstitials mating one of several pre-produced
video "backplates" with a scroll of childrens' Noggin.com "screen names" whose
birthday is today. Several Birthdays spots air each day with unique names shown
in each spot. Data is culled from Noggin's registration database via their web server.
Show 3: Phred on Your Head
To enhance Noggin's "Phred On Your Head" programming block, we
delivered several new plug-ins for their Web To Air broadcast graphics system:
The "Birthdays" plug-in generates live interstitials mating one of several pre-produced
Phred-specific video "backplates" with a scroll of childrens' Noggin.com "screen names"
whose birthday is today. Several Birthdays spots air each day with unique names shown
in each spot. Data is culled from Noggin's registration database via their web server.
Noggin Birthdays
The "Dress Phred" plug-in generates live interstitials by layering a digital clothing
outfit created by a child on Noggin.com over a "naked" Phred character. Children who
log on to Noggin.com can create outfits for Phred by dragging and dropping shirts,
pants, hats, shoes, and accessories. During the Phred On Your Head programming block,
Dress Phred interstitials are automatically generated by mating pre-produced video
"backplates" with the clothing creation, and the name of the creator, and the title
of the creation.
A "High Scores" plug-in creates four similar interstitials displaying the high scorers
and their scores for the "Hot Shot", "Mumbo Jumbo", "Flood Control" and "Bang On"
online games on Noggin.com. All scores data is live to air.
Phred High Scores
A new Phred-specific "Noggimations" plug-in was delivered, which generates live
interstitials mating one of several pre-produced video "backplates" with one of
many thousand animations created by children on Noggin's web site using their
'Noggimation' keyframe animation tool. During these interstitials, the child's name
and state and the name of their creation, along with the animation itself, are
displayed. The choice of which animation is completely random, and the animation
and attribution data is downloaded directly from Noggin's web site moments before air.
Two Skengle and Skengle "Polling" plug-ins generate poll tease and poll result
interstitials that display live poll results from Noggin.com's Skengle and
Skengle polls. The poll results are displayed in numeric and graphical
format.
Phred Skengle Poll
Show 4: Sponk
To enhance Noggin's Sponk comedy game show, Video Design Interactive delivered several
new plug-ins for their Web To Air broadcast graphics system:
The Featured Creation plug-in generates interstitals that display the Sponk
"Featured Creation" image, a viewer-submitted funny picture. The Featured Creation,
downloaded from the Noggin.com web site, is displayed along with the name, age and
state of the submitter and the title of the creation.
Sponk Chat
The Sponk Chat plug-in generates interstitials featuring live chat from Noggin.com
along with a featured creation image about which the children are chatting. Like
other chat interstitials, the Sponk Chat features Video Design Interactive's chat acquisition, review
and filtering technology.
The Sponk High Scores and Team Scores interstitials display up-to-the-moment score
data for the top 10 individual scorers as a static page, and team scores across
the country as both text and as a map of the United States with each state colored
red or blue based upon which team is winning in that state.
Show 5: Doodle Pad
To enhance daily programming, VDI developed a system to download and display
childrens' drawings as live interstitial spots.
