Korea National Open University Builds File-Based Production System on Omneon Platform

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- June 14, 2010 -- Omneon Inc. today announced that Korea National Open University (KNOU), a Seoul-based university that specializes in distance learning, is expanding its Omneon video infrastructure to optimize its new file-based production workflow. The resulting Omneon platform, built on the Omneon Spectrum(TM) media server and Omneon MediaGrid(TM) active storage system, provides fast, convenient, and reliable media access from ingest through the editing of lectures and other distance-learning content created for broadcast and Web distribution.

"The Spectrum was our preferred server solution primarily because it is a reliable and scalable system known for its proven performance at many customer sites," said Mr. Joon-Ki Kim, team manager at KNOU. "As we extend our Omneon systems to support the entire production workflow, their robust format support and ability to interface smoothly with Final Cut Pro edit systems will save our operations both time and money."

KNOU is a remote education and bidirectional video education institution that provides approximately 180,000 students with content via television broadcast, Web download, and digital media broadcast (DMB). To improve its efficiency in creating this content, the university replaced a tedious and time-consuming tape-based workflow with a file-based workflow built on the Omneon platform.

In the first of two deployment phases, the university installed two SD and two HD Spectrum systems within its sub-control room to support its production operations and to provide convenient media access for the facility's Apple Final Cut Pro nonlinear editors. The second phase now being completed includes installation of an additional four HD Spectrum server systems for production, six HD Spectrum systems for ingest, and a 60-TB Omneon MediaGrid system for high-capacity video storage.

The Omneon systems' native support for 50-Mb/s XDCAM HD files enables simple real-time file transfers to Final Cut Pro via open protocol, and the Omneon API has enabled KNOU to give users VTR-like control of media on the Spectrum systems. A KONAN content management system transcodes content as required and creates the low-resolution versions of video, stored on the Omneon MediaGrid system, that enable simultaneous browsing and searches by multiple client systems. The new Omneon systems were provided to KNOU by Seoul systems integrator Xein m&c Co., Ltd.

More information about Omneon products and solutions is available at www.omneon.com.

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About Korea National Open University

Korea National Open University (KNOU) is a national university of South Korea that provides distance learning programs in Korean for more than 180,000 students. It was established in 1972 as a branch faculty of Seoul National University, with two-year junior college courses. In 1982, KNOU was separated from SNU and established as a national university, launching programs for four-year undergraduate degrees. As of 2009, the university has 46 offices and regional learning centers nationwide and a domestic cable television channel (OUN) for broadcasting lectures. With more than 180,000 students enrolled, including 700 postgraduate students, KNOU is the first distance and lifelong educational institution of South Korea, and the largest educational institution in the country by enrollment. Since its foundation, more than 500,000 students have been enrolled, and 350,000 students graduated from the university.

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.

ENDS