Omneon Announces Expansion of Spectrum Server Capabilities/Enhanced Toolset

At IBC last week, Omneon Video Networks announced an increase in the functionality of it Spectrum media server, as well as new versions of tools used with both the Spectrum and Media-Grid products.

Omneon demonstrated Spectrum support for both Avid's DNxHD compression algorithm and Sony's XDCAM HD acquisition format. The company also announced the addition of QuickTime version 7 wrapper support, as well as enhancements to current DV and MPED-2 SD MediaPorts. In addition, Omneon is providing new versions of three applications in the Media Tools suite-ProBrowse 2.0, ClipTool Pro 2.0 and MirrorTool 2.0.

"These new offerings demonstrate the openness and flexibility of the Omneon Spectrum platform, as well as our continued commitment to supporting new formats as they become available," said Geoff Stedman, vice president of worldwide marketing at Omneon. "Our support for Avid's DNxHD codec, Sony's XDCAM HD format, QuickTime 7, and the ability to play DV or MPEG-2 material back-to-back gives our customers an even more powerful platform."

The enhanced Avid and Sony capabilities are in the form of software upgrades, requiring no new hardware purchases by Omneon customers.

The new toolset applications are designed to streamline file-based both Omneon Spectrum and MediaGrid user workflows and to provide enhanced media management and processing capabilities.

"These new versions of our tools are a reflection of the investment we are making to enable file-based workflows and provide the kind of media and system management capabilities that our broadcast customers demand," Stedman said. "As more and more Omneon servers and storage systems are installed, the need for easy, fast, and accurate tools to help manage growing libraries of content continues to increase. Our suite of MediaTools helps broadcasters deal with this growth by providing tools that enable easier management of their growing content stores."

Software for the Avid DNxHD format support is currently shipping; the Sony XDCAM HD and QuickTime 7 support enhancements will be available later this year.