Ascent Integrates Omneon

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Omneon Video Networks today announced that Ascent Media's new European Transmission Centre (ETC), located in London, has integrated two Omneon SpectrumT media server systems for playout of as many as 32 channels. Among the Ascent Media clients served by the facility are Sony Pictures Television International, Info TV, and Teachers TV.

"When it came time to choose the heart of our state-of-the-art playout infrastructure, it was clear the Omneon Spectrum system was the best solution for this project," said Richard Scott, senior vice president EMEA, Systems and Technology Services, for Ascent Media. "Our clients demand world-class levels of reliability, so that's what we must deliver. We needed a proven performer, and Omneon delivers a product in which we have very high confidence."

Ascent Media's ETC offers clients continuous broadcast and support services in a tapeless, multichannel environment. Services run the gamut from voice-over to duplication and editing. The standard per-channel offering includes broadcast monitoring, video/audio-level control, and up to 48 hours of digitally stored content. Currently, the two Spectrum server systems each deliver eight playout channels, with a ninth for preview, in a main and back-up configuration. The servers are controlled by Pro-Bel Morpheus automation and incorporate Miranda Imagestore presentation graphics.

With its open architecture and support for a broad variety of third-party applications, the Omneon Spectrum media server system provides a cost-effective, reliable, and scalable infrastructure for broadcast playout and storage applications. ETC is the first phase in a long-term Ascent Media project. Ultimately, the project's goal is to deliver a linear pricing model for channel expansion and to achieve the versatility to meet clients'changing budgetary and technical needs. Through flexibility in configuration and reliable performance, the new Omneon Spectrum systems will help Ascent Media meet that project goal.

"Omneon's key place in the ETC installation is testimony to the mutual benefits of our longstanding relationship with Ascent Media," said Geoff Stedman, vice president of worldwide marketing for Omneon. "Content owners and media companies increasingly are looking for turnkey content storage, management, and distribution services. With its ETC installation, Ascent Media is poised to capitalize on this new business opportunity."Omneon Video Networks