Omneon today announced that France’s Direct8, an innovative new network based on live programming and studio productions, will deploy four Omneon Spectrum™ media server systems at multiple facilities to support tapeless content production, ingest, backup, and playout.

“There is no product on the market that compares to the Spectrum system,” said Cedric Drapeau, technical director of Direct8. “It gives us an incrementally scalable platform for our growing operation, which also helps to make it such a cost-effective investment. At Direct8, we rely heavily on live production, so we need robust functionality and responsiveness. The Spectrum system makes our content available wherever and whenever we need it.”

“Increasingly, interactivity and responsiveness have become very important in satisfying our commitment to live programming and news, which are the foundation of the Direct8 network,” continued Drapeau. “Our current architecture could not accommodate our tapeless strategy, and so we selected the Omneon Spectrum system as it provides the most advanced broadcast technology and allows us to satisfy a wide range of production and playout needs on a single server platform.”

At Direct8, the Spectrum systems, under the control of a Ninsight Spark Automation system, will rationalize workflows that had been based on tape storage and outdated standalone media servers. By eliminating the difficulties that go along with tape storage, Direct8 anticipates immediate time, money, and space savings, while simultaneously increasing reliability and file-based access to content.

For the future, the flexibility and scalability of the Spectrum systems will facilitate Direct8’s transition to HD production and transmission. In addition, because the Spectrum system is built on an open architecture, it will allow Direct8 to optimize its content investment by enabling easy repurposing for new services.

Direct8 will deploy the four Spectrum servers at four broadcast operations. The first will provide storage and content access at two production centers, while the second provides storage and playout at a third production center. Another Spectrum system will be deployed for ingest of third-party content such as news and for interfacing to a robotic tape archive. Direct8 will use the fourth Spectrum server as a backup for operational redundancy.

“The Spectrum system enables broadcasters to realize the considerable benefits of a tapeless workflow in production and playout environments,” said Geoff Stedman, Omneon vice president of worldwide marketing. “The proven reputation for flexibility built into every Spectrum system also is very important for operations like that of Direct8, where reliance on fast-paced production is fundamental to their success.”

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 Direct8
Direct8 is a new French television network that launched on Mar. 31, 2005 on the TNT (Channel 8) and is also available on cable and CanalSat Channel 38. Direct8 is an alternative and original network, focused on live programming, with an emphasis on news, entertainment, films, sports, and talk shows. Its programs gather a variety of guests, providing an open and inviting environment for authors, artists, politicians, and others to express themselves. Today, Direct8 employs more than 300 people including one hundred journalists. The company is based in Puteaux and can be found on the Web at www.direct8.fr.

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