Omneon and Pharos Chosen by HBO Asia for Next-Generation Facility Upgrade
SUNNYVALE, Calif. — June 17, 2008
Omneon Inc., a leading provider of scalable media server and active storage systems, and Pharos, a developer of software architecture for desktop content management, today announced they have been selected by HBO Asia to provide an infrastructure upgrade that will enable a fully file-based workflow for HBO's Singapore facility. The combination of Omneon MediaGrid active storage and ProXchange™ transcoding with Pharos Mediator content management and Playtime automation will allow HBO Asia to achieve greater efficiency as it delivers programming to a base of 31 million subscribers across 22 countries in Asia.
"We have a good working relationship with Omneon and have confidence in the reliability of the company's Spectrum™ media server system," said Vincent Teo, senior vice president, technology and operations of HBO Asia. "By adding MediaGrid active storage and deploying advanced media management and automation from Pharos, we have a solution that delivers an efficient workflow and meets our requirements for cost-effective easy expansion to support the growth of our Asian operations."
HBO Asia will incorporate a 60TB MediaGrid active storage system from Omneon as a central storage platform along with new Playtime automation and Mediator content management systems from Pharos to deliver 12 SD channels to air. The Singapore-based media company will also use an Omneon ProXchange high-performance transcoding system to support its media repurposing operations. The system will be in operation in the last quarter of 2008.
"HBO Asia needed a more efficient workflow to ingest and manage content for its new sophisticated 3-D presentation style and an automation solution to better manage complex secondary events, subtitles, multiple languages, and local ad breaks," said Russell Grute, director of marketing at Pharos. "Mediator content management and Playtime automation in combination with Omneon storage provides a complete, tested package able to handle the demands of such a large-scale operation."
Pharos Mediator will streamline HBO's workflow and provide media logistics for traffic, library, and ingest operations. Mediator will manage all transfers between the Omneon storage subsystems and integrate the existing data tape library to provide end-to-end media lifecycle management. Mediator also supports future operations like screening, compliance editing, and approvals, and could manage future HD and VoD services.
In addition to its MediaGrid purchase, HBO Asia has upgraded its existing Spectrum server with increased system bandwidth and six additional playback channels to be used as squeeze channels.
"As a leader in home entertainment, HBO Asia understands the importance of delivering timely, high-quality programming to viewers," said Geoff Stedman, Omneon senior vice president of products and markets. "A streamlined file-based workflow will help HBO achieve its goals of greater efficiency with easy expansion capability."
About Omneon
Omneon is a leading provider of flexible media server and active storage systems that optimize workflow productivity and on-air reliability for the production, distribution, and management of digital media. Omneon is a pioneer in the use of advanced IT technologies and open systems for broadcast applications, producing a modular and expandable video server architecture in the Omneon Spectrum. The company's MediaGrid active storage system delivers centralized content storage that is scalable in capacity, bandwidth, and media-processing power. The company has an extensive global presence with customers in 45 countries on six continents. Omneon is on the Web at www.Omneon.com.
About HBO Asia
Singapore-based HBO Asia is able to bring the best of Hollywood to Asia through its licensing deals with major Hollywood studios — Columbia/TriStar, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, and Warner Brothers. HBO Asia offers five commercial-free subscription movie channels — HBO, HBO SIGNATURE, HBO FAMILY, HBO HITS, and CINEMAX — as well as a subscription video-on-demand service, HBO ON DEMAND. In addition to the proprietary and award-winning HBO Original programs that are produced exclusively for HBO viewers, HBO works with a large number of major independent production companies to secure exclusive rights to a host of quality movies. HBO Asia is a joint venture of media giants Paramount Films and Time Warner.
About Pharos
Pharos delivers better workflow management to broadcasters and service providers in television, radio, IPTV, and telecommunications. Pharos solutions offer a next-generation platform to better manage multiformat content and enable rapid expansion in playout, presentation, and publishing. Pharos workflow offers greater efficiency for library management, ingest, quality control, storage management, archival, transcoding, post production, and playout. Pharos software architecture, integration, and support services enable disparate broadcast and IT processes to be unified across the enterprise. For 10 years, Pharos has continually developed the unique Mediator, Playtime, and Pilot desktop broadcast management solutions. More information is available at www.pharos.tv.
Contact:
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