ATN deploys Omneon MediaGrid

Arabian Television Network (ATN), the broadcast arm of Dubai-based Arab Media Group, has selected Omneon's MediaGrid active storage system and Spectrum media servers as the foundation for a tapeless infrastructure at its facility in Studio City. The ATN deal represents the first deployment in the Middle East of the MediaGrid, which uses an innovative grid-based architecture to provide active online storage. ATN currently broadcasts a number of satellite channels in the region, including MTV Arabiya and Shoof TV.

Speaking about the installation, Maryam al Falasi, general manager of Arabian Television Network, said: "In Dubai, our approach is to implement the newest solutions first and fastest. Our market is growing at such a pace that we need to not only keep up, but lead."

The workflow at ATN is being phased in, with full implementation set for this month. At that time, Pro-Bel Morpheus automation will direct migration of media content from ingest on Omneon Spectrum servers to online storage on the MediaGrid where up to 27 TB will be available for editing from 10 seats of Apple Final Cut Pro. Spectrum servers will also provide six channels of SD playout. Transcoding will be performed by Anystream, subtitling by Softel, and graphics incorporation by Chyron. Harris Broadcast Master technology will be used to execute presentation scheduling, while archiving will be managed by SGL's FlashNet.

"The fast processing and real-time scaling of both capacity and bandwidth on the MediaGrid were key factors in our deciding to use it at the heart of our workflow," commented Afzal Lakdawala, director of broadcast services at ATN. "In addition, the realities of our market mean we expect to enjoy fast growth, so the easy scalability of the Spectrum system was also key. As we have worked with Omneon, we have also appreciated their outstanding of beginning-to-end service - all the way from workflow definition to installation, training, and support."

Geoff Stedman, vice president of Omneon worldwide marketing, described the project as one of the most advanced and ambitious in the Middle East. "AMG's new subsidiary has adopted a forward-thinking approach to technology, basing its workflow on a tightly integrated combination of state-of-the-art systems," he said. "At Omneon, we believe that this concept makes for the most efficient workflow, one that will position the Arab Television Network as a standard bearer for production quality and broadcast reliability in this market."

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