// brands · cablecast
Cablecast playout, streaming and captioning for public channels.
Cablecast systems serve government, community and school channels on cable, the web, TV apps and on-demand video. Which server, software and services you need depends on where your channel has to reach. Varto Technologies in East Rutherford, NJ quotes Cablecast equipment on its own, or plans it with the cameras and control room that feed the channel.
Prefer to talk? (888) 656-6233
Authorized Cablecast dealer
// choose the server
Start with where the channel has to go.
The model depends on how many channels you play, whether the same server also feeds the web and TV apps, and what you already run.
| Your channel needs | Start with | Chassis | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cable playout, one or two channels | VIO Lite or VIO 2 | 2 RU or 3 RU | Two SDI ports, set as two outputs or as one encode and one playout channel. |
| Cable playout, up to four channels | VIO 4 or VIO 4 plus | 3 RU | VIO 4 has four configurable SDI ports. VIO 4 plus has eight, for up to four outputs and four inputs. Both allow up to two encode channels. |
| Cable, web and TV apps from one server | VIO Lite OMNI or VIO 2 OMNI | 2 RU or 3 RU | Plays one cable channel and publishes live and on-demand video to the web, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV and phones. |
| Web and apps now, cable later | VIO Stream Lite or VIO Stream Pro | 2 RU or 3 RU | Ships with an HD-SDI output that an added license turns on for cable playout. |
| An on-demand library for the channel | VOD Lite or VOD Pro | 2 RU or 3 RU | Publishes programs from your schedule to a Cablecast watch site, with chapters and automatic playlists. |
| The cable channel streamed live | Live or LIVE Multi | 2 RU | Live streams one channel. LIVE Multi streams up to four, each up to 1080p. |
| A bulletin board only | CG Server or CG Player License | 2 RU, or software | CG Server runs Cablecast CG on two outputs. The license adds CG to an existing VIO server. |
Cablecast CG is built into the OMNI and VIO Stream models. We confirm what each configuration includes before we quote.
Compact · 2 RU
Lite models, Live and CG Server
- Storage
- 8 TB internal drive on the Lite models and CG Server
- Depth
- 13 in
VIO Lite, VIO Lite OMNI, VIO Stream Lite, VOD Lite, Live, LIVE Multi and CG Server.
RAID · 3 RU
VIO 2, VIO 4 and the Pro models
- Storage
- 10 TB RAID 5; VIO models to 40 TB
- System drives
- Two 480 GB SSDs in RAID 1
- Power
- Redundant supplies
- Depth
- 25.5 in
VIO 2, VIO 4, VIO 4 plus, VIO 2 OMNI, VIO Stream Pro and VOD Pro, for channels that cannot lose the library to one failed drive.
All current models run Windows 11 IoT Enterprise, use 10 Gigabit Ethernet networking and carry a three-year parts-and-labor factory warranty.
// on the air
The schedule runs the channel.
Scheduling, playout and live switching
Staff build days or weeks of programming at a time, and Cablecast plays it to air, keeps as-run logs and records live events from the schedule. Recurring meetings can fill their slots automatically from rules.
Everything runs from a web interface on any device, so staff can take a live source, change the schedule or upload a file without being at the rack.
The bulletin board
Cablecast CG fills the gaps between programs with announcements, the program schedule, "Coming Up Next" slides and weather, traffic, RSS and calendar feeds. It can run full screen or as an L-bar around live programming.
Channel branding with crawls and a station bug is part of the playout software.
VIO playout servers play MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264, DV and other common formats without transcoding, and take network streams such as RTMP and HLS as sources.
// web and tv apps
The same programs on your website and on TV apps.
Programs publish from the Cablecast schedule, so a meeting that airs on cable can be live on the web and in the archive without being uploaded twice.
- On demand
- VOD Lite or VOD Pro, or an OMNI or VIO Stream server, publishes to a Cablecast watch site with search, chapters, agenda attachments and an embeddable player.
- Live
- Live and LIVE Multi stream the cable channel as adaptive-bitrate HD. OMNI and VIO Stream servers generate their own live stream.
- REFLECT
- Cloud delivery for Cablecast live and on-demand video. REFLECT caches streams to take load off your connection; REFLECT+ stores and serves them from the cloud, so viewer traffic does not reach your building.
- TV and phone apps
- The free Cablecast app on Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, iOS and Android comes with a REFLECT subscription. A branded app, also used with REFLECT, carries your own name, logo and art on the same platforms.
// cloud services
Captions, translation and other cloud services.
These are Cablecast services, sold as subscriptions or blocks of hours and separate from the server.
Closed Captioning transcribes programs live as they play out, or from files already on the server. Custom vocabularies teach it local names and places, and the caption editor lets staff correct spelling, timing and position inside Cablecast.
| Service | What it does | What it needs | How it is sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning | Automated captions for live and file-based programs, with an editor | VIO or Flex server on Cablecast software 7.4 or later | By the hour, or 500- or 1,000-hour blocks |
| Translate | Translated captions: seven languages live on cable, 72 for on-demand video | VIO or Flex server on software 7.7 or later | By the hour, or 500- or 1,000-hour blocks |
| MediaScribe Narrate | A narrated audio description track for blind and low-vision viewers, with a timeline editor for review | Uploaded video in any format; delivered as a selectable audio track (SAP on TV) | Cloud service |
| Smart Summary | Automatic chapters and text summaries of meeting video | Ask us | Cloud service |
| LiveBridge | Brings up to three live RTMP feeds, such as a Zoom meeting, into Cablecast for cable, web, apps and social | Cablecast hardware to receive the feeds | Subscription with a 100 GB monthly bandwidth pool |
| REFLECT and REFLECT+ | Cloud caching or cloud storage and delivery for live and on-demand video | A Cablecast VOD or Live server | Subscription |
Captions, translation and audio description are tools. Whether a program meets an accessibility requirement depends on the program, the accuracy of what is published and how viewers reach it, so confirm your obligations with your own accessibility or legal advisers.
// already on the air
Upgrading a channel you already run.
Most channels upgrade in steps. Before we quote, we check the model and software version of the server you run now, what feeds it and what the channel has to reach next.
- Captions on an older server
- Captioning needs a VIO or Flex server on software 7.4 or later, and Translate needs 7.7 or later. Older Cablecast SX servers are not listed for either.
- A bulletin board
- The CG Player License adds Cablecast CG to VIO servers only. A CG Server can later become a VIO Lite or VIO Lite OMNI.
- Cable later
- A VIO Stream server can take on cable playout with an added license, without new hardware.
- More storage
- VIO 2, VIO 4, VIO 4 plus, VIO 2 OMNI and VIO Stream Pro ship with 10 TB of RAID 5, factory-upgradeable to 40 TB. Ask us whether that applies to a server you already own.
Installed in North Brunswick
Varto installed Cablecast for North Brunswick Township. When we plan a channel, we plan the playout server together with the cameras, switching and audio that feed it.
// buying through varto
Why buy Cablecast through Varto?
We build and support Cablecast playout for public, educational and government (PEG) channels, and we work on the rooms that feed them.
- SELECT
- The server and services the channel needs.We match the model, storage and services to your channel count, your web and app plans and the server you run now.
- QUOTE
- Equipment on its own is welcome.Ask for a server or a license. No project is required.
- INTEGRATE
- Connected to the room and the network.We plan the SDI and network feeds from your chamber or studio, build the server into the system, commission it, and coordinate addressing and bandwidth with your IT staff. Integration
- TRAIN
- Staff learn the system they run.Training on your equipment and workflow, at your facility, online or in East Rutherford. Training
Manufacturer support is Cablecast's own: basic technical support is included for the life of the hardware, Cablecast's Gold and Platinum plans add coverage such as remote troubleshooting and after-hours help, and Cablecast's extended hardware warranty can carry a system to five years of coverage.
Quote a Cablecast server, or plan the whole channel.
Send the model you want, or tell us what the channel plays, where it needs to reach and what you run today. We will send a quote.
Or call (888) 656-6233