Technicolor Network Services are a global transmission service provider offering preparation, management and distribution of broadcast assets. From its expanding playout centre in London it currently provides creative production and playout services for multiple clients.

The Challenge

Technicolor is a leading international playout centre offering transmission services to its clients. In the past, Technicolor used a tape-based broadcast system for playout and production.

To offer new services on a larger scale, Technicolor realised the benefits that migrating to a file-based operation would bring. With a clear vision of their business objectives, Pharos are helping Technicolor to achieve new efficiencies for a completely file-based operation.

Mediator Enterprise in conjunction with third party transmission automation systems provides the toolkit required to better manage ingest and workflow in such a demanding environment.

The Solution

From ingest to archive and back again, Mediator Enterprise manages the assets providing fast, efficient ingest, workflow and transfer management.

Ingest is performed in either SD or HD from tape to an Omneon server. One of the unique services that Technicolor offer is the facility to playout programs with multiple languages, and to alter the languages provided according to the distribution territory. Mediator enables new audio to be uploaded to existing material in the system allowing the material to be re-used without the need to repeatedly re-ingest the material.
Workflows vary for each client and providing specific functionality for promos, compliance and approval whilst protecting the privacy of each clients' library.

All material is stored using a modular Isilon iQ on-line storage system which is managed by Mediator Intelligent Storage and Transfer Management. The Isilon storage is ideal for Technicolor as the modular design allows expansion of both capacity and bandwidth as clients' needs increase. Huge amounts of storage are available with high bandwidth to ensure easy transfer of material in and out of the store. Extra storage can easily be added in future while Mediator and Isilon is live, ensuring no downtime.

Material passes through a well defined workflow to ensure that only assets of acceptable quality are approved and presented for playout. When assets are required by transmission, they are transferred to the Omneon TX servers. Mediator manages all the transfers automatically and guarantees the asset is presented at the right time for third party automation for playout in SD and/or HD.

Material is available via the Mediator desktop browse at all times allowing search, review and creative approval from the desktop. Mediator Enterprise provides complete file-based asset management.

Why Pharos?

"TNS chose Pharos on the basis of their proven achievements, flexibility and speed of delivery. They are a very dynamic team; they listen and they deliver. Pharos Mediator media management handles delivery from ingest through approvals and into mutiple playout servers and it enables us to use highly cost-efficient IT-standard hard-disk drives for online and archiving. It provides us with the desktop tools we need to ingest digital content from different sources for multiple clients".

"The new installation has enabled us to reduce costs and, more importantly, reduce time to market for delivering additional languages and channels to our clients existing inventory of assets."

Alec Stichbury - CTO, TNS

"It is a modular system, so we can launch channels very quickly. Because of the design TNS can be really flexible."

Maurizio Cimelli - Senior Vice President UK & Japan, TNS

Business Benefits

• Repurposing of content without re-ingesting
• Reduction in operating costs
• Managed desktop workflow
• Reduced consumables such as tape
• Increased technical resource utilization
• Operator skills maximised at varying levels
• Common interface reduces training budget
• Less maintenance of traditional hardware

Key Functionality

• Fast efficient ingest
• SD and HD material handled by the same system
• Reduced operational and data input errors
• Single point of data entry
• Flexible audio upload
• Multiple language tracks per asset
• Integrated editing workflow using Avid
• Desktop review and approval

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Pharos Mediator manages content and metadata to integrate disparate systems