Arqiva ready for HD with new playout suite

Arqiva’s Satellite Media Solutions division has announced the installation of a new HD-ready TV playout suite at its Buckinghamshire, England, facility. Building of the new center, which will play out combinations of HD and SD channels, has already started, ready for action in April 2008. Arqiva currently plays out more than 60 channels and the new suite will further increase that capacity to include up to eight HD channels.

The new playout suite will provide for the addition of HD-level graphics and incorporate Dolby 5.1 surround sound. The new suite will incorporate the Arqiva WorkFlow tool, which delivers a wider range of applications and greater efficiency across the broadcast process. This enables Arqiva’s clients to make the most their own content by streamlining their production processes and by making distribution to multiple platforms more cost effective.

Content, including HD, can be delivered and ingested in any file type according to the client’s preference. The electronic ingest is fully managed by the WorkFlow tool and removes the expense of tape-based delivery, ingest and storage. The playout suite is connected to a digital archive that allows ingested content to be electronically stored for immediate access, adaptation and reuse. It also enables HD content to be easily converted to an SD format.

For more information, visit www.arqiva.com.