Grass Valley IP Playout System to Support New CBC Broadcast Center

MONTREAL—When CBC/Radio-Canada opens its new broadcast center Maison de Radio-Canada in Montreal in 2020, it will do so with the support of Grass Valley’s iTX integrated playout platform as part of its infrastructure. With the iTX system, which supports SMPTE ST 2110, the broadcast center’s production teams will be able to manage multiple formats and mix IP live inputs using back-to-back IP sources and file-based clips for more than 100 TV, radio and web channels.

The iTX platform provides IP/SDI format flexibility and scalability for future readiness, as well as an advanced end-to-end workflow. This open standards-based IP approach enables CBC to be fully format and resolution agnostic, while also being able to adapt its services the changing viewer demands.

In addition, the iTX comes with full disaster recovery between the broadcaster’s facilities in Toronto, which has its own iTX system, and Montreal. A second phase of this development will be an upgrade to the Toronto facility, expected to begin sometime in 2020.

CBC/Radio-Canada Executive Director Francois Vaillant says that utilizing the same technology between the two language services in Toronto and Montreal simplifies the broadcasters operation, training and maintenance process.