HBO Asia has migrated its Singapore facility infrastructure with technology from Omneon and Pharos, a developer of software for desktop content management, to take advantage of a file-based workflow. The system will be in operation by the end of the year.
The combination of Omneon MediaGrid active storage and ProXchange transcoding with Pharos Mediator content management and Playtime automation allows HBO Asia to achieve greater efficiency as it delivers programming to a base of 31 million subscribers across 22 countries in Asia.
HBO Asia will incorporate a 60TB MediaGrid active storage system from Omneon as a central storage platform along with new Playtime automation and Mediator content management systems from Pharos to deliver 12 SD channels to air. The Singapore-based media company will also use an Omneon ProXchange high-performance transcoding system to support its media repurposing operations.
According to those involved, HBO Asia needed a more efficient way to ingest and manage content for its new 3-D presentation style as well as an automation solution to better manage complex secondary events, subtitles, multiple languages, and local ad breaks. The chosen solution is designed to handle such a large-scale operation.
Pharos Mediator will provide media logistics for traffic, library, and ingest operations, while also managing all file transfers between the Omneon storage subsystems and integrate the existing data tape library to provide end-to-end media lifecycle management. Mediator also supports future operations like screening, compliance editing, and approvals, and could manage future HD and VOD services.
As part of the migration, HBO Asia has also upgraded its existing Spectrum server to gain increased system bandwidth and six additional playback channels to be used as squeeze channels.
For more information, visit http://www.pharos.tv/ and http://www.omneon.com/.
