WINNER
Lifetime
Category
New studio technology — network
Submitted by
Ascent Media Systems & Technology Services
Lifetime's 50,000sq-ft Technical Operations Center at 111 8th Avenue in New York City is the culmination of many years of intensive planning, driven by the vision of an HD-ready facility using complex digital media systems and applications. The end result: a virtually tapeless delivery to air workflow for Lifetime's women's networks on ad-supported basic cable in the United States, as well as new broadband programming in development for Lifetimetv.com.
Ascent Media Systems & Technology Services headed a design team that included Lifetime's engineering department as well as the network's newly formed Digital Media Task Force, a team comprised of broadcast and IT engineering experts.
From the outset, plans were in place for a centralized digital asset management system and a data center relocation, naturally blending the previously diverse cultures of broadcast and IT. The biggest design challenges involved the digital media applications and infrastructure supporting the production systems, vendor development partnerships and interoperability, and change management surrounding entirely new workflows. Equally critical was the selection of a media asset management partner. Following a comprehensive review process, Venaca's S3 production system was selected to serve as the core digital media application.
