SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Oct. 13, 2009 — Sahara Samay TV, the 24-hour multichannel, multilingual news and current affairs broadcaster based in Noida, has shifted its broadcast operations in Mumbai onto a new Omneon platform supporting ingest, production, and playout. In an upgrade to its existing infrastructure, the leading Indian news channel deployed two Omneon Spectrum™ media server systems, supplied and integrated by Shaf Broadcast Pvt. Ltd., to ensure reliable around-the-clock delivery of national and international news programming.
"Sahara Samay represents one of Asia's most sophisticated news organizations, and the company opted to put the Omneon Spectrum system at the heart of its Mumbai broadcast infrastructure because of the server's technological superiority, modular design, and ease of use and administration, all of which are complemented by exceptional support from the Omneon team and systems integrator Shaf Broadcast Pvt. Ltd.," said R.S. Chauhan, head of engineering and operations at Sahara India TV Network, parent company of Sahara Samay TV. "The 24-hour news environment can be very demanding, and the Omneon Spectrum system meets this challenge by providing stable performance; a streamlined and scalable platform for the entire broadcast workflow; and the benefit of a low cost of ownership."
Sahara Samay uses a wide network comprising dozens of interconnected bureaus to offer its viewers a broad portfolio of national and international news and current affairs. At its Mumbai facility, the broadcaster has integrated one Spectrum media server for ingest and production and a second for playout, with the two systems providing a total of 18 ports. The Omneon platform supporting Sahara Samay's Hindi news channel is tied into AP's ENPS news system, and six Final Cut Pro® edit seats. The smooth interoperability of the Omneon system with third-party products and its reliable operation will help Sahara Samay maximize uptime and eliminate bottlenecks that threaten to interrupt broadcasts.
"Among the largest of India's television broadcasters, Sahara Samay brings in-depth national news and cultural programming to millions in Mumbai, a key commercial and entertainment center in India, and beyond," said Geoff Stedman, Omneon senior vice president of marketing and business development. "Adoption of Omneon systems across India has grown steadily as broadcasters have gained confidence in the quality, flexibility, and reliability of the Spectrum system. Using this platform to support fundamental broadcast news operations, Sahara Samay has been able to institute a more streamlined and cost-effective workflow while ensuring the quality and continuity of its 24-hour Hindi news channel."
# # #
Sahara Samay TV
Sahara Samay TV is a division of the Sahara group of companies which include interests in banking, construction, and media and entertainment. Samay is India's leading Hindi news channel using a wide channel of interconnected bureaus to offer a wide portfolio of national and international news and current affairs. Sahara Samay TV currently transmits 6 x 24 rolling news channels in four languages and is based at Noida U.P.
Shaf Broadcast Pvt. Ltd.
Shaf Broadcast Pvt. Ltd. has been delivering pioneering solutions to the digital content creation industry since 1993. Shaf currently has a nationwide network of sales and support offices that provide consultancy, analysis, system design, project management and planning, visualization and building design, Equipment sourcing and performance testing, integration and software configuration, on-site installation, acceptance testing, technical documentation, commissioning and training to customers in various industry verticals encompassing broadcast television channels, film and video post-production studios, special effects and animation houses, digital intermediary facilities and education institutes representing a broad spectrum of media production facilities across India and the SAARC region.
About Omneon Inc.
Omneon Inc. is a leading provider of scalable media server and active storage systems that optimize workflow productivity and on-air reliability for the production, distribution, and management of digital media. Omneon is a pioneer in the use of advanced IT technologies and open systems for broadcast applications, producing a modular and expandable video server architecture in the Omneon Spectrum media server. The company's Omneon MediaGrid active storage system delivers centralized content storage that is scalable in capacity, bandwidth, and media-processing power. The company has an extensive global presence with customers in more than 50 countries on six continents. Omneon is on the Web at www.omneon.com.
