Omnibus Systems - Ian Fletcher


(click thumbnail)Ian FletcherQ. What kind of products or services does your company offer for broadcasters?

A. OmniBus provides broadcasting, cable, satellite and telecom operators with comprehensive master control, automation, playout and media content management solutions that address every area of television, mobile TV and IPTV-related operations. Its newsroom, content and workflow automation solutions include acquisition and recording of rich media material, low-resolution editing, media asset management and playout. More information is available at www.omnibus.tv.

Q. What’s new that you will show at NAB2007 and that broadcasters should look for there?

A. At NAB2007, OmniBus will be showing the latest version of its groundbreaking IT-based transmission system, iTX, featuring the new advanced 3D graphics option. Already deployed in a number of transmission environments, we will be demonstrating how iTX can be used as a cost-effective and extremely flexible news production system, offering not just playout, but also sophisticated ingest and editing functionality. Broadcasters should also look out for OPUS, our enterprise media asset management system, which continues to prove popular amongst facilities requiring high degrees of business automation and workflow. New for NAB2007 will be the OPUS smart client that uses the latest state-of-the-art technology from Microsoft to offer global media searching and viewing to Web-based users on both PCs and Macs.

Q. How is your new product offering different from what’s available on the market?

A. The broadcast industry is at the start of a major shift away from dedicated, expensive proprietary hardware and towards open systems and software applications. OmniBus is leading this transition with iTX, the first completely software-based solution for transmission playout that incorporates all of the facilities required for both simple and complex playout requirements. iTX differs from other IT-based systems that may be available on the market in that it offers a comprehensive solution that consists of an automation system, video server, master control switcher, branding devices and numerous other ancillary capabilities from a single software application; it is scalable from one to hundreds of channels and can seamlessly blend SD and HD material in the same playout schedule. OmniBus has recently announced some major high-profile contracts with customers who have been quick to embrace the massive business efficiencies iTX can offer.

Q. Where are you based, and how many employees do you have? Anything else we should know about your company?

A. OmniBus Systems is a global company with headquarters in the United Kingdom and offices in the United States, Germany and Singapore with a full-time staff of 110.

CATEGORIES