Omneon Video Networks today announced that New Zealand’s Juice TV, a 24-hour dedicated music channel, is using a new Omneon Spectrum™ media server system to broadcast its main program channel. The new system enabled Juice TV to move to an all-digital server-based workflow, while also improving the channel’s on-air product and minimizing playout error. The installation was completed as part of an upgrade and relocation of Juice TV in a new purpose-built facility in Auckland’s Parnell Village.

“We did extensive research on our options for server-based broadcasting, and the Omneon Spectrum configuration came highly recommended,” said Juice TV General Manager Katie Noble. “The server’s ability to integrate with our Final Cut Pro software has been a huge bonus, allowing us to ‘edit in place’ and take files from our post-production workflow directly to air. The Omneon manager interface software is highly functional and easily navigated, making diagnostics and maintenance very simple, while the modularity of the system’s ports and drives helps ensure dependable performance.”

Juice TV’s Omneon-based playout system, running under NVerzion automation, went live at the end of April. The Omneon server has replaced an analog MCR suite that relied on a master control switcher in a manual environment, and the fully automated system now in operation provides a visible improvement in picture quality with more consistent and accurate playout. The integration of a server system at Juice TV also has enabled digital operations requiring much less space and support.

“Commissioning the Omneon sever for our broadcast network has given us the opportunity to focus less on day-to-day operations and maintenance and more on actual station improvements, as having a very reliable back-end takes a great deal of workload off the engineering department,” added Noble. “Though the server presently puts one channel to air, our short-term plan is to launch our second music channel, J2, operating from the same system.”

Because the Omneon ports and drives are separate components, they are easily swappable or expandable, in turn simplifying maintenance and giving Juice TV the opportunity to scale system components and capacity in small or large increments as desired. The server system is built on an open architecture that allows it to support a broad variety of third-party applications for control and transmission, media management, archiving, and collaborative production. As a result, stored media can be shared among many users and applications.

More information about Omneon and its server systems is available online at www.omneon.com.

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 Juice TV
Juice TV, operated by Juice Music Television Co. Ltd., is a 24-hour dedicated music channel available on UHF channel 57 in Auckland and on the Sky Digital platform across New Zealand. The Auckland-based channel offers music videos, awards, news, and a variety of events targeted to its viewer base. More information about Juice TV is available at www.juicetv.com.

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