SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Feb. 24, 2009 — Omneon Inc., a leading provider of media server and active storage systems, today announced that Jordan Media City (JMC) has enhanced ingest and playout operations for the Arabsat satellite service with Omneon Spectrum™ media server systems. Installed at the JMC transmission center in Amman, Jordan, the Omneon Spectrum systems provide a scalable platform for the 28-channel Arabsat service and for additional growth of JMC’s transmission business.
“Following an evaluation of broadcast server technologies, we elected to use Omneon Spectrum servers to support our expanding operations, including transmission for the Arabsat service,” said Suleiman Nakai, transmission engineering manager at Jordan Media City. “Omneon products provide both reliability and resilience in mission-critical environments, and they are backed by outstanding installation and technical support. As we continue to expand our operations, the flexibility of the Spectrum system gives us the freedom to bring new channels to air very quickly.”
Each of the two Omneon Spectrum servers at JMC carries 14 Arabsat channels to air. The Omneon Spectrum systems are integrated with Pebble Beach automation, which manages both ingest and playout. JMC chose to upgrade from its previous transmission server to the Omneon system because the Spectrum media server provides support for a file-based workflow with standard file wrappers and formats without the need for transcoding. The time savings realized through the new workflow enables faster turnaround of content to air and, as a result, more cost-effective operations.
“We have invested in the latest technology and continually update our infrastructure to keep pace with the industry and give our customers superior service,” added Nakai. “Uniquely flexible and HD-ready, Omneon Spectrum servers offer us the best platform for delivering our services.”
JMC is responsible for 108 turnaround services and more than 60 playout channels for approximately 30 customers. Because Spectrum servers offer a single file structure for both HD and SD content, JMC will have the ability to provide HD services simply and with a minimal investment of time and technical resources.
“The Middle East is among the fastest-growing broadcast markets in the world, and JMC is among the leading media companies bringing new satellite channels to this region,” said Geoff Stedman, Omneon senior vice president for products and markets. “The company’s decision to upgrade its transmission operations with a Spectrum server-based platform ensures reliable delivery of Arabsat’s 24-hour programming and supports easy expansion as needed.”
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About Jordan Media City
Jordan Media City (JMC) was launched in 2001 as the first private media city in the region with the aim of providing the regional and international media industry with state-of-the-art technologies and professional and experienced staff. JMC is a private company founded as a result of an agreement between the government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Dallah Production Company. The company’s mission is to become the leading media hub in the region, to be able to play out and uplink television channels to cover the whole world, and to offer state-of the-art studios and production facilities. More information is available at www.jordanmediacity.com.
About Omneon
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. The company’s 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.
