MBC Dubai – Tapeless Environment

Tapeless System Environment with File-Based Workflows

  • MBC Group
    Customer
  • TV
    Markets & Industries
  • Dubai, الإمارات العربيّة المتّحدة
    City

The Middle East Broadcast Center (MBC Group) in Dubai operates 24 TV channels and several radio stations. With more than 1,500 employees worldwide, programs are broadcast to over 150 million Arabic-speaking viewers and listeners. In 2010, MBC decided to introduce a completely tapeless system environment with file-based workflows for program and transmission planning, editing, broadcasting, and archiving. The project also included migrating from SD to HD without interrupting transmissions, as well as migrating the existing taped material to a new long-term archive. Following an international tender, BFE was chosen as the partner to oversee the entire project.

Task:

BFE assumed overall responsibility for the project as a general contractor. This included implementing the technical infrastructure and introducing the new workflows, as well as supporting MBC in its change management processes when it came to the resulting organizational changes. As a first step, BFE created a workflow and requirements analysis for the MAM tender in collaboration with MBFE.

Other elements of the project involved creating a specifications sheet and documenting workflow and test cases.

Solution:

The system architecture includes the new Media Asset Management system Dalet Media Life, which was integrated into the existing planning and scheduling system Harris Broadcast Master, as well as the SAW playout automation Pebble Beach Neptune and SAW playout video server system Omneon Spectrum. A central production memory with NetApp E-Series SAN memory and Quantum StorNext SAN file system offers 7.9 GB/s bandwidth and 860 TB of memory capacity.

The Dalet BRIO Ingest video servers allow direct recording of XDCAM HD422 on the central servers. Even Apple Final Cut Pro and other NLE cutting systems can be edited directly on the production servers, which saves time.

File QC, transcoding, and digital archiving are controlled by the MAM system, and are also connected directly with the central production memory, as is HiRes material, LoRes media, image files managed by the MAM system, EDLs, and so on.

The MAM solution controls all Ingest and Outgest processes via Dalet Crash Recorder/Dalet On Air. Dalet Media Logger and Media Cutter are used for LoRes-based previews, logging, and editing. The cut in LoRes can be saved as EDL, and sent to a HiRes editing suite. Alternatively, a HiRes rendering process is possible via the Dalet Conversion Server to consolidate a new HiRes video.

The MAM system also allows control and monitoring of all production-relevant processes via a central and uniform GUI.

Highlights:

  • Enterprise Media Asset Management system MAM Dalet Media Life for controlling any Ingest and Outgest processes via Dalet Crash Recorder / Dalet On Air

  • Control and monitoring via central and uniform GUI

  • Integration of existing planning and scheduling Harris Broadcast Master system

  • Central SAN memory solution with 7.9 GB/s bandwidth and 860 TB memory capacity (NetApp E-Series SAN memory and Quantum StorNext SAN file system)

  • Pebble Beach Neptune AW playout automation

  • Omneon Spectrum SAW playout video server system

  • Apple Final Cut Pro 7 NLE editing systems for efficient editing without time-consuming material transfers

Installation details:

  • MAM system Dalet Media Life

  • NetApp E-Series SAN memory

  • Quantum StorNext SAN file system

  • Dalet BRIO Ingest video server for direct recording of XDCAM HD422 (50 Mbit, 1080i,/25, MXF)

  • File QC, transcoding, digital archive via MAM direct control

  • Central, uniform GUI for archiving, restoring, transcoding, and transferring

Technology:

  • Planning and scheduling system: Harris Broadcast Master

  • Media Asset Management system: Dalet Media Life

  • TX Automation system: Pebble Beach Neptune

  • Ingest VTR: Sony XDCAM

  • HiRes Ingest server: Dalet BRIO

  • SAN file system: Quantum StorNext

  • TX Playout server: Omneon Spectrum

  • File Ingest: Sony XDCAM

  • LoRes generation: Dalet Conversion

  • Central production storage (SAN) – HiRes: NetApp E-Series

  • Crossbar: probel

  • File QC: Interra system baton

  • Transcoding: Rhozet Carbon Coder

  • Central Storage (NAS) – LowRes/graphics/documents: existing NetApp file server

  • Graphic system: Vizrt

  • Compliance edit: Apple Final Cut Pro

  • Digital archive software solution: SFL FlashNet

  • MBC enterprise portal: Microsoft Sharepoint

  • Brand management: Adobe CS, 3ds Max, Flame, Smoke, Maya, Pro Tools, Media Composer, Quantel eQ, FCP

  • Tape library: Spectra Logic T950

  • E-mail system: Microsoft Exchange

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