Features - Enterprise Data Insights:

SUPER BROADCAST SOLUTION KEEPS MTV EUROPE ON CUTTING EDGE

IBM, Sagitta and Pinnacle Systems announced that MTV Networks Europe will be one of the first networks to implement a new super-digital broadcast solution that will allow them to reduce the production process and "time to air" by more than 30 percent.

MTV Networks Europe viewers will now have access to new programs faster than ever possible when traditional linear video tape technology was used in production.

IBM, along with storage services company, Sagitta and broadcast technology specialists, Pinnacle Systems, have developed a "supercomputing" digital video editing and storage solution which will allow MTV Networks Europe to handle large quantities of digital video data simultaneously. The new solution will eliminate the need to replicate new source material across the production department and multiple edits to reduce production time and simplify media management.

"This project is all about putting in place our digital approach for the future. The solution will let us get more work done in shorter periods as a result of more collaborative work and will give us flexibility and scalability in our growth as our needs increase," said Mike Spinks, vice president of broadcast technology planning for MTV Broadcast Services. "By working with technology leaders such as, IBM, Sagitta and Pinnacle, MTV NE is getting state of the art capability to deliver new exciting programming more efficiently and quickly to our viewers."

The way in which MTV's large video files are stored is crucial to the success of this MTV Networks BV project (based in Holland) which is being considered as a model for pan European roll out. By implementing IBM's General Parallel File System (GPFS), MTV can tap into "supercomputing technology" to help multiple users of the Pinnacle Systems Liquid editors access and edit the same video files simultaneously using multiple streams.

The storage area network solution, which can currently accommodate 3 Terabytes of disk storage space -- 260 hours of online digital video -- is built around industry standard servers and storage configured as a Linux cluster and IBM's GPFS. This means it can be easily scaled to meet growing requirements, by simply adding additional servers and storage as needed. The IBM infrastructure includes FAStT 700 storage and IBM eServer xSeries systems to provide a resilient infrastructure with no single point of failure.

The suite of Pinnacle Systems' Liquid editors are fully integrated in the SAN and includes, Liquid blue, Pinnacle System's flagship networked craft editor for broadcast professionals, which offers full end-to-end native digital production in multiple formats. Furthermore, the MTV purchase also includes Liquid chrome for post-production functionality, and Liquid purple for the company's DV editing needs. With image quality and workflow efficiency concerns at its core, Pinnacle Liquid editors have a unified workspace for multi-layer editing, effects, and compositing. As a complete solution, MTV NE will harness both the advantages of networked media and one of the most comprehensive broadcast editing solutions available to programmers today.

The entire infrastructure was first staged within Sagitta's technology lab to verify its capabilities. This included assessing the effectiveness of pioneering broadcast workflow processes developed by industry specialist Marquis Broadcast to meet MTV's specific requirements. The infrastructure was also subject to thorough stress testing before implementing the proven solution at MTV.