Imagine Communications Outfits TV with Future-Proof Playout Solution

Imagine Communications Outfits TV 2 with Future-Proof Playout Solution posted: 22/09/2016

Danish broadcaster upgrades to high-performance, high-capacity server network based on standard hardware

Imagine Communications, empowering the media and entertainment industry through transformative innovation, today announced the installation of a new server and storage playout network for TV 2, a national broadcaster based in Odense, Denmark. TV 2 is using Nexio AMP (Advanced Media Platform) and Imagine Communications' shared storage solution to upgrade an existing Imagine installation, adding more capacity, resilience and performance. The installation is designed to fortify TV 2 with the ability to quickly and seamlessly grow its storage capacity to accommodate future technology enhancements, including Ultra High Definition (UHD) and other bandwidth-consuming services.

The new architecture stipulated by TV 2 required four independent server systems. The first two are nominally identical and provide main and backup channel transmission functionality. The third, similar in configuration, is used primarily for ingest of legacy content on baseband media. The fourth and smaller system is used to test new workflows, certify new software and to act as an emergency backup while the other servers are being upgraded.

The Nexio AMP is an efficient and integrated server platform, designed for applications from ingest to playout. It is built on the industry-leading Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) server platform and enhanced by specialised software and hardware from Imagine Communications. The Nexio AMP servers are backed by Imagine's high bandwidth, scalable shared storage network that manages content between multiple users and offers extremely high levels of digital asset protection.

We are extremely familiar with Imagine Communications' servers, and when the time came to replace our existing infrastructure with a new generation of technology, we were happy to return to the company that had served us so well, said Kjeld Skovlund, head of television technology and IT infrastructure at TV 2. With Nexio AMP servers we do not have to transcode any of our files, simplifying our workflow significantly and accelerating the time-to-air process.

Using RAID-601 protection, the two transmission server systems each offer almost 1700 hours of storage. The ingest server has a capacity of 1415 hours. To ensure high reliability for live transmission, the playout servers were designed to deliver 18 gigabits-per-second guaranteed bandwidth. The design of the Nexio AMP ensures simple maintenance and scalability, allowing TV 2 to add capacity or move to UHD when it becomes a commercial requirement.

Skovlund continues, The flexible design of the Nexio AMP media server enables us to expand our system while on air, with no additional cost or disruption to our services. It helps us meet increasing scalability and bandwidth requirements more efficiently and cost-effectively.

Mathias Eckert, vice president EMEA at Imagine Communications, added, TV 2 had a clear set of requirements: scalable architecture; exceptional reliability and redundancy; rapid start-up; comprehensive codec support; and future-proofing, including UHD. Thanks to the next-generation architecture of Nexio AMP, we could tick all those boxes. Every drive and processor card, for example, is hot-swappable, allowing TV 2 to add even more channels, bandwidth and functionality at any time in the future.

The new server network at TV 2 in Denmark went on air in August 2016.

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