Snell & Wilcox will introduce at NAB a new cost-effective ingest system that can be used by broadcasters in IT-based television facilities. Called Comet, the new ingest system takes advantage of the recent standardization of the MXF (Material eXchange Format) and SMPTE RP-210 metadata dictionary. It is said to be interoperable with a new generation of broadcast equipment based on the new IT standards.
Comet allows broadcasters to pick and choose products from vendors who adopt newly available open standards such as AAF and MXF.
Snell & Wilcox said products such as Comet empower broadcasters to use open standards to move away from single-vendor proprietary technology and to create multi-vendor server and asset management systems with complete interoperability.
Simon Derry, chief executive of Snell & Wilcox, said that the inability to move files between systems from different vendors has been one of the most significant challenges facing broadcasters. Comet changes this by enabling broadcasters to pick and choose products from vendors who adopt newly available open standards such as AAF and MXF. According to Derry, “The result will be easy file exchange between systems, lower-cost generic computer hardware for use in broadcast facilities and new opportunities for our customers to revolutionize their workflow for more efficient, profitable operations.”
Comet is based on another new Snell & Wilcox technology called MediaX, a high-bandwidth PCI multicodec that runs with any standard Windows PC. The company said it and other vendors will begin to develop a range of new products on the MediaX platform, including playout servers, character generators, logo inserters and non-linear editors.
Snell & Wilcox will demonstrate the new products in booth #C6421 at NAB. Or visit their Web site: www.snellwilcox.com.
