ESPN STAR Sports establishes tapeless production workflow built on OmniBus automation

OmniBus Systems has announced that ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) is integrating OmniBus OPUS automation into a new tapeless production environment at the broadcaster's state-of-the-art, 60,000sq ft facility in Singapore. Nicknamed "Home Run" by ESS and systems integrator TSL, the project encompasses the transition from tape-based to more efficient file-based workflows that enable improved media handling, greater collaboration among ESS personnel and faster turnaround of live sports and related news.

OmniBus OPUS News & Sports Logging enables fast and intuitive logging of both live and recorded events, in real time and across multiple systems. It features fast one-button event logging, task-configurable user interfaces and intuitive desktop functionality such as recalling, sorting and accessing logged events within content. The easy capture of key frames allows users to build storyboards rapidly, and the ability to review and filter logged events lets the user focus on highlights and quickly create shot lists.

ESS staff will also use the OmniBus HeadLine desktop editor to create sports packages. The software will provide voiceover recording for eight channels of audio and audio-level control and mixing at the desktop. The finished piece can either be sent as an EDL directly to the automated playout system or to a craft editor for further editing.

The OmniBus OPUS suite will integrate with ESS' existing transmission and a DIVArchive digital archive system from Front Porch Digital. OmniBus automation will control nearline storage comprising an Omneon MediaGrid active storage system with a 2000-hour cache (50Mb/s DVCPRO) and four Omneon Spectrum server systems configured with 50 I/O ports. The system will be linked directly to 25 Apple Creative Studio systems running Final Cut Pro to enable large-scale edit-in-place capability.

OmniBus Systems' iTX software-based transmission system won a Broadcast Engineering Pick Hit Award at IBC2006.

More information about OmniBus Systems' automation solutions is available online at www.omnibus.tv.

For additional information on TSL products and services, visit www.tsl.co.uk.