KCSM-TV, located in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, has expanded its Omneon media storage and processing platform with the addition of a MediaGrid active storage system, MediaDeck server and additional HD/SD channels for an existing Spectrum playout server.
With increased storage, support for SD and HD, and tighter integration within the station’s production environment, the newly enhanced platform has allowed KCSM to migrate smoothly and cost-effectively away from tape-based operations and to establish HD broadcast capabilities without the need to invest in a new server system.
KCSM-TV originally was launched as a student training facility, and the station today broadcasts around the clock with a professional staff while serving as a learning laboratory for students enrolled in the College of San Mateo’s Broadcasting Arts Department.
The station expanded its Spectrum system to accommodate eight HD/SD bidirectional channels and eight HD/SD playout channels, supported by automatic upconversion and operating under the control of Avid Sundance automation. A new MediaGrid active storage system provides 240TB of raw storage and enables ready access to stored content via a high-bandwidth Ethernet infrastructure.
KCSM also purchased a new MediaDeck system to support live production with four bidirectional channels and 3TB of storage, as well as a complete ProBrowse system with two proxy generators to speed and simplify media browsing and access.
