News

Omneon shows new producrs and upgrades at IBC 2008 (1/8/2008)

MediaPort 5320 and 5220 Series for Omneon Spectrum(TM) and MediaDeck(TM) Servers

The Omneon MediaPort 5320 series offers up to four channels of HD/SD record and play in a compact 1-RU package. Fully compatible with existing Spectrum(TM) media server systems, these MediaPorts provide industry-leading channel density, with all channels available for either record or play in any combination. Using proven MPEG-2 codec technology, the units deliver unmatched flexibility for deployment in HD and SD ingest applications, playout servers, or hybrids -- with the ability to reconfigure quickly when needs change. Material recorded with the MediaPort 5320 can be stored either in Material eXchange Format or QuickTime(R) files, assuring interoperability with leading edit solutions, storage, and other broadcast and production equipment. With full support for HD bit rates from 18 Mb/s to 100 Mb/s (with a choice of either 4:2:0 or 4:2:2 chroma sampling), including all of the XDCAM HD operating points, the user can select the optimal balance of video quality, storage required, and resource utilization.

The Omneon MediaPort 5220 series delivers all of the SD functionality of the 5320 series, with up to four channels of SD record and play in the same 1-RU package. Supporting SD MPEG-2 encoding and decoding at rates from 3 Mb/s to 50 Mb/s, these units are fully upgradable to the corresponding models in the 5320 family though a simple software upgrade. This offers broadcasters full protection for their SD investment today without requiring expenditure for HD capabilities until needed. Both MediaPort series are also available as Omneon MediaDeck(TM) modules, providing up to four channels of HD or SD record and play -- in any mix -- per MediaDeck platform. Using these modules, the MediaDeck can serve as an HD and SD ingest server, HD and SD delay server, edit platform, edge server, or other media server requiring moderate storage in a convenient integrated package.

ProCast CDN(TM) File-Transport Engine

From its recent acquisition of Castify Networks, Omneon will be making its European debut of ProCast CDN(TM), a high-performance file-transport engine employing unique acceleration technology that allows for high-speed file transfers over a wide area network (WAN). With ProCast CDN, users can move large media files over great distances as fast and simply as if the move were a local transfer. The core technology behind this system was obtained by Omneon in the acquisition of Castify in December 2007. File transfer speeds achieved with ProCast CDN are orders of magnitude greater than FTP transfers and are not affected by distance. For example, a one-hour DV25 file sent from Los Angeles to New York on a 450-Mb/s connection would take 30 hours via FTP, but with ProCast CDN the transfer takes only three minutes. The same file sent from Beijing to New York would take 69 hours via FTP, but still takes just three minutes with ProCast CDN.

ProCast CDN is fully integrated with all Omneon server and storage products (MediaGrid(TM), Spectrum(TM), and MediaDeck(TM)). It allows for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint transfers of content between systems. Typical media applications for ProCast CDN include transport of contributions from regional offices of large broadcasters, transfers between affiliates, and transfers from post-production houses to clients and broadcasters.

ProXchange(TM) Transcoding System

Omneon ProXchange(TM) version 1.1, which will be on display at IBC2008, is a high-performance transcoding system designed for high-volume, multiformat media environments. Running on the Omneon MediaGrid(TM) active storage system, the ProXchange system takes advantage of the combined storage and processing architecture offered by the MediaGrid system to deliver scalable and efficient grid-based transcoding.

Omneon ProXchange performs conversion between a wide variety of video and audio formats, including all formats supported by the Omneon Spectrum(TM) media server, as well as conversion to the low-resolution H.264 format and, with version 1.1, Microsoft(R) Windows Media(R) VC-1 and Adobe(R) Flash(R) video. Conversion and rewrapping between wrapper formats also is supported (QuickTime(R) and Material eXchange Format), with preservation and accurate placement of all metadata through all conversions.

MediaGrid(TM) Active Storage

The award-winning Omneon MediaGrid(TM) active storage system represents a technological breakthrough: It is the first content storage system to play an active part in the broadcast workflow. Version 2.1 enables a smaller, more affordable, entry-level system configuration suitable for a wider range of facilities, such as local broadcast stations, post-production facilities, and corporate A/V departments.

Among the features in the Omneon MediaGrid 2.1 are the ability to create storage reservations so that individual users are guaranteed a minimum amount of storage, tail-mode FTP to support active workflows in conjunction with third-party servers, and more robust system monitoring and reporting.

www.omneon.com  

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