NEW OMNEON PRODUCTS AT NAB2006
NEW OMNEON SPECTRUM MEDIADIRECTOR 4202
Extending its leadership in providing media server technology that supports a wide range of file-based workflows, Omneon will introduce at NAB2006 a new MediaDirector component—within its flagship Spectrum line—that doubles the overall system bandwidth to support both higher channel counts and higher IP throughput on a single system. The new MediaDirector 4202 incorporates the latest advanced IT-based components including multiple IEEE 1394b (800 Mbps) busses for more realtime data throughput, six Fiber Channel connectors for additional Fiber Channel storage bandwidth, and two additional Gigabit Ethernet ports. With these expanded standard interfaces, the Omneon Spectrum is now an even more powerful solution for broadcasters who need a system capable of supporting a higher number of HD channels as well as providing enough IP bandwidth to support extensive collaborative browsing or editing environments.
As a key component of the Omneon Spectrum media server system, the MediaDirector 4202 further extends Omneon's concept of Smart Scalability, which provides the industry's most scalable, flexible architecture to allow broadcasters to expand the channels, capacity, and network bandwidth of their media server system in small, manageable increments. The MediaDirector 4202 will support all of the company's current storage and media interface components, allowing systems to be configured precisely to match customer requirements for media type(s) and storage capacity.
ADDITIONAL HD FORMAT SUPPORT
At NAB2006 Omneon will again extend its multiformat HD capabilities by adding support for Avid's DNxHD format. With this system upgrade, any Omneon Spectrum system will be able to record and play back DNxHD files using Avid's DNxchange codec device. Recorded DNxHD clips are immediately available for editing by Avid editing systems, and finished clips exported to the Spectrum server can be immediately played out.
The addition of DNxHD support to the range of HD formats supported by Omneon follows the recent announcement of the Spectrum systems' ability to ingest and play back HDV material. Support for HDV enables users to ingest HDV material into a Spectrum server from Apple Final Cut Pro and play back HDV material stored in the system directly to air. For playback, the HDV content is automatically scaled to a full 1920-line HD signal. This approach allows both native HD material and HDV material to be mixed on a single timeline for back-to-back playout.
OMNEON PROBROWSE SYSTEM
Extending the utility and functionality of the Omneon Spectrum media server system, Omneon will also show at NAB2006 its new system for creating and viewing low-resolution versions (proxies) of full-resolution material contained within an Omneon Spectrum system. The new Omneon ProBrowse System monitors content directories within a Spectrum server and automatically generates low-resolution versions of all material, including any new material being ingested or copied into the Omneon Spectrum system via FTP. The proxies are then immediately available for viewing on any networked PC using an MPEG-1-based viewer such as Windows Media Player or QuickTime Player. The proxy files created by the Omneon ProBrowse System are also immediately available to any broadcast application such as automation systems, newsroom systems, and content management systems.
