Category
New studio technology
— network
Submitted by Omneon Design Team Televisa: Armando Medina, technical dir.; Jorge Cosío, technical mgr.; Edgar Gallegos, technical mgr.
AM Tecnología (AMTEC): Andres Martinez, general dir.; Roberto Martinez, technical dir.; Alejandro Juarez, technical mgr.;
Omneon: Tom McCarthy, regional sales mgr.; Frank Lima, sys. eng.; Bruce McKay, sys. eng. mgr. Technology at work Apple Final Cut Pro editors
Aveco Astra automation
Omneon
Spectrum media servers
MediaGrid active storage system
Snell & Wilcox Memphis encoders
Tedial media asset management
Televisa improves efficiency with a new seamless, integrated workflow
Grupo Televisa, S.A., one of the world’s largest Spanish-language media corporations, this year streamlined its broadcast operation. The organization dramatically improved efficiency by implementing an automated, fully tapeless workflow system across its two facilities, Chapultepec and Santa Fe, both located in Mexico City. In collaboration with systems integrator AM Tecnología (AMTEC), Televisa spent many months in planning, design and installation before the new state-of-the-art operation went on the air in fall 2007.
At its Chapultepec broadcast technology center, Televisa produces news and other programming and broadcasts three national channels and one local channel. The facility has a streamlined, futuristic look that reflects its high-tech efficiency. The Santa Fe facility produces reality shows and other programming, and ingests commercials for playout.
At the core of Televisa’s new infrastructure are an Omneon MediaGrid active storage system and five Omneon Spectrum media servers. The 24TB MediaGrid system at the Chapultepec facility acts as a central nearline repository for content, storing finished material that is subsequently moved to Spectrum servers for playout and to a Tedial media asset management system for archive. The MediaGrid system also provides edit-in-place storage for multiple Apple Final Cut Pro editors.
Four of the Spectrum server systems are located in the Chapultepec facility, with two designated for main and mirrored playout, the third for archiving and the fourth for ingest, primarily of long-form content. Each of these servers includes 16 SD channels and one HD channel, configured for a variety of functions including preview, high-res quality control, ingest and playout. The fifth server was installed at the Santa Fe facility for ingest of commercials that are then transferred under the control of Aveco Astra automation over a private fiber-optic network to the main mirrored playout servers at Chapultepec. Televisa uses Snell & Wilcox Memphis encoders to ingest content and commercials in HD format.
The new tapeless workflow replaced an outdated system whereby content was ingested from VTRs and live feeds and then stored on video servers for playout as needed. A particular challenge of the renovation was transferring more than 10,000 files from legacy servers to the new systems. To accomplish this, Televisa deployed the Omneon MigrateTool.
Televisa has deployed the most advanced and reliable technology in its Mexico City facility. Through the entire content life cycle, it has created a seamlessly integrated workflow. In the future, the availability of assets and ease of repurposing for new platforms will enable it to take advantage of new business opportunities as they emerge.
