Snell Morpheus Selected for Groundbreaking New ABC/WIN Playout Facility in New South Wales
Morpheus Automation Will Enable Sophisticated and Cost-Effective Centralized HD/SD Playout for Multiple Australian Free-to-Air Broadcasters Across Three Time Zones
READING, U.K. — Dec. 17, 2009 — Snell today announced that its Morpheus automation and control system will sit at the heart of Australia's first playout facility dedicated to hosting multi-client, free-to-air broadcasters. MediaHub is a joint venture between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and WIN Corporation (WIN). The state-of-the-art SD/HD facility in New South Wales will offer automated playout through multiple Morpheus systems, as well as ingest, storage, asset management, monitoring, and headend systems with all applicable equipment and professional services provided through prime contractor Grass Valley™.
"When completed, this playout center will count among the world's most sophisticated broadcasting facilities," said Andrew Sedek, managing director Grass Valley Australia and New Zealand. "We are proud to be an integral supplier of key products that will enable the realization of this world-class broadcast center. Our close relationship with Snell and the adaptability of the company's powerful Morpheus automation system will be vital to our smooth and rapid completion of this landmark project."
The new 24,300 square foot playout center is designed to deliver enhanced and cost-effective services, cater to the enhanced demands of digital broadcasting, and increase the programming capability and capacity of Australian broadcasters well into the future. Broadcasters will plan and send their schedules to the facility, where Morpheus systems will generate ingest lists for the Grass Valley ContentShare2 (CS2)™ workflow and media asset management system, which serves as the interface between the playout center and its multiple clients' individual production centers. Content will be delivered to nearline storage, and the Snell Morpheus systems will move media to the playout server and automate playout for programming across 130 channels. This model will give centrally located operators the ability to manage multiple live content streams and variations in playout schedules for multiple time zones.
"The expansion of the Australian broadcast market demands a sophisticated, scalable playout system, and Morpheus meets this need at the new ABC/WIN facility," said Naresh Subherwal, president Asia-Pacific for Snell. "The proven performance of Morpheus in conjunction with Grass Valley products, as well as strong local support provided for our system, will make this implementation a valuable resource for those Australian broadcasters looking to leverage the latest technologies in realizing new growth opportunities."
About Morpheus
The Morpheus automation and media management system addresses the challenges faced in implementing content-delivery workflows. As a fully scalable solution, Morpheus can seamlessly evolve from a single channel to a multichannel, multicustomer playout solution, continuing to grow in line with demand. Based on format- and device-independent platforms, Morpheus offers a robust and resilient content-distribution mechanism that integrates seamlessly with new devices as they evolve to meet the demands of future services and delivery platforms. Flexible device management ensures that resources can be deployed dynamically where and when most needed. From its core database engine through to every automated device, Morpheus is designed for resilience and, where required, redundancy, thus ensuring the right content and its metadata will be in the right place at the right time.
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About Grass Valley:
50 Years of On-air Innovation: With a rich history serving the broadcast and professional video industries, the Grass Valley name is synonymous with innovation, leadership, and performance. With a full range of products and services supporting many of the world's most high-profile television events, Grass Valley offers the most comprehensive portfolio of flexible and cost-effective digital technologies and systems available. Customers deploying Grass Valley solutions include most of the world's leading broadcast and teleproduction facilities, independent video professionals, as well as emerging content creators and distributors providing broadband, telecommunications, and transmission services. When you're watching news, sports, or entertainment programming, whether on a TV, the Web, or a mobile phone, you're watching Grass Valley at work. For information about Grass Valley products, please visit www.grassvalley.com.
About Snell:
Established in 2009 through the merger of Pro-Bel and Snell & Wilcox, Snell is a market-leading player in the global film and broadcast market. The company provides customers with a comprehensive range of solutions for the creation, management, and distribution of content, as well as the tools necessary to transition seamlessly and cost-effectively to digital, HDTV, and beyond. Headquartered in the U.K., the company serves more than 2,000 active customers in more than 100 countries through a worldwide team of sales and support personnel. For more information, visit www.snellgroup.com.
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