Omneon, Inc., today announced that the Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) has selected the company’s Spectrum™ server system for media ingest, storage, and fully mirrored playout at its new broadcast facility in the city of Abu Dhabi. A key factor in ADMC’s selection was the Omneon MultiPort 4102, the Spectrum system component that will ease the broadcaster’s transition to HD while enabling it to make the most of its extensive library of SD content.

The modular design and flexibility of the Spectrum system allows configurations that will precisely and cost-effectively fit within ADMC’s ambitious plans for the future. Initially, the operation will be hybrid SD/HD, but time will see a transition to all-HD operations. The Spectrum system offers a single file structure for both SD and HD content — saving ADMC the time, trouble, and complexity of setting up and maintaining individual storage for each format. ADMC’s Spectrum system, to be installed this summer, will ingest 10 channels storing 1,400 hours of SD content at 15 Mbps and will play out seven channels with an additional seven channels of backup.

The key to the solution’s flexibility is the MultiPort 4102, an interface adapter for MPEG-2 playout, which upconverts SD content to HD and even performs simultaneous playout of the two from a single timeline of any combination of SD or HD source clips. Because the MultiPort 4102 features two HD and two SD output modules, it allows users such as ADMC to leverage SD-format media while building an HD media library, without the need to put all files in the correct format before transmission.

“The use of state-of-the-art production and broadcast technology is essential to achievement of our broader social and economic goals here in Abu Dhabi,” said Abdul Hadi Al Sheikh, ADMC chief technology officer. “Indeed, we see development of media and culture as the key to our ongoing economic and social growth. Flexible equipment like the Omneon Spectrum system enables us to leverage our legacy of media assets, which is another way of saying to bridge past and present while looking to the future.”

ADMC is one of the largest media companies in the Middle East, comprising print, Web, radio, and television operations. Among its three satellite television stations is Abu Dhabi TV, which produces 60 percent of its own content including news. Founded in June 2007 by the Abu Dhabi government, ADMC consolidates the holdings of Emirates Media Inc., a pioneer in the region when it was founded in 1969. ADMC is the linchpin in the Emirate leadership’s visionary ambition to transform Abu Dhabi into a global media and entertainment hub. As part of the endeavor, ADMC has forged partnerships with internationally recognized brands, among them a billion-dollar deal with Warner Bros. studios signed in October 2007.

“Already, ADMC has attracted international recognition for its professionalism and high standards,” said Geoff Stedman, Omneon vice president of worldwide marketing. “In keeping with those standards, the broadcaster required an HD-ready solution in line with its strategic plan. The flexibility of the Spectrum system enables broadcast in SD now but will ease the transition to HD when market forces make it desirable.”

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 ADMC
Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) is a multimedia pioneer in the Arab region. Its origins in television, radio, and press go back as far as 1969 with the establishment of Al Itihad Newspaper, UAE Television from Abu Dhabi, and Abu Dhabi Radio. It was in 1996 that television and radio were incorporated under Emirates Broadcasting Corporation (EBC). In 1999 EBC was reincorporated as EMI with its television and radio services expanded to include Al Itihad Newspaper, Zahrat Al Khaleej, and Majed Magazines. Today, ADMC’s diversity provides a unique advantage as it continues to reach millions of Arabs around the world.

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