Harris Debuts New Playout Server at IBC2007
NEXIO AMP Pairs High-Definition/Standard-Definition Architecture with Software-Enabled Media Services
By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/7/2007 4:48:00 AM
Amsterdam, Netherlands -- Harris Broadcast used IBC2007 here to unveil a new video-server platform, NEXIO AMP, which seeks to leverage the company's expertise in automation software, asset management, graphics and monitoring by tightly integrating them into the product.
NEXIO AMP pairs a high-performance, high-definition/standard-definition architecture with a range of software-enabled media services that will be offered as options, allowing a broadcaster to integrate signal-quality control, channel branding, multiviewer I/O monitoring and playout automation capabilities within a three-rack-unit chassis.
"Really what we're doing is taking the best intellectual property from across Harris and applying that to developing new technology," vice president of marketing Brian Cabeceiras said.
NEXIO AMP is based on an advanced storage architecture built around Harris' all-new AMP MediaCore engine, which incorporates multiple processing chips and integrates into the NEXIO storage area network. For redundancy, it uses the Harris RAIDsoft software RAID management system and new, patent-pending technology called "Intrinsic Mirroring," which provides simultaneous media mirroring to a second SAN at the point of ingest, with no replication or copying required.
The first NEXIO AMP model, the NX3601, was officially introduced here. Two versions will be available: the NX3601HDI with integrated storage and the NX3601HDX for shared storage networks. Both are capable of adding software-driven Harris media services to tackle diverse broadcast operations, including signal-quality control based on the Videotek QuiC media analysis server, playout automation based on the H-Class ADC playout-automation system, multiviewer I/O monitoring based on the CENTRIO multiviewer and channel branding based on the IconStation master-control graphics system.
Harris president Tim Thorsteinson said the company's new "One" strategy of selling complete broadcast systems, instead of individual components, is going well, with recent large sales to Madison Square Garden Network and Comcast in the United States.
"We had a whole bunch of customers in the last half of the year who bought total solutions from Harris, and were happy about that," he added.
