Morpheus Automation Will Enable Sophisticated and Cost-Effective Centralized HD/SD Playout for Multiple Australian Free-to-Air Broadcasters Across Three Time Zones
READING, U.K. — Dec. 17, 2009 — Snell today announced that its Morpheus automation and control system will sit at the heart of Australia's first playout facility dedicated to hosting multi-client, free-to-air broadcasters. MediaHub is a joint venture between the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and WIN Corporation (WIN). The state-of-the-art SD/HD facility in New South Wales will offer automated playout through multiple Morpheus systems, as well as ingest, storage, asset management, monitoring, and headend systems with all applicable equipment and professional services provided through prime contractor Grass Valley™.
"When completed, this playout center will count among the world's most sophisticated broadcasting facilities," said Andrew Sedek, managing director Grass Valley Australia and New Zealand. "We are proud to be an integral supplier of key products that will enable the realization of this world-class broadcast center. Our close relationship with Snell and the adaptability of the company's powerful Morpheus automation system will be vital to our smooth and rapid completion of this landmark project."
The new 24,300 square foot playout center is designed to deliver enhanced and cost-effective services, cater to the enhanced demands of digital broadcasting, and increase the programming capability and capacity of Australian broadcasters well into the future. Broadcasters will plan and send their schedules to the facility, where Morpheus systems will generate ingest lists for the Grass Valley ContentShare2 (CS2)™ workflow and media asset management system, which serves as the interface between the playout center and its multiple clients' individual production centers. Content will be delivered to nearline storage, and the Snell Morpheus systems will move media to the playout server and automate playout for programming across 130 channels. This model will give centrally located operators the ability to manage multiple live content streams and variations in playout schedules for multiple time zones.
"The expansion of the Australian broadcast market demands a sophisticated, scalable playout system, and Morpheus meets this need at the new ABC/WIN facility," said Naresh Subherwal, president Asia-Pacific for Snell. "The proven performance of Morpheus in conjunction with Grass Valley products, as well as strong local support provided for our system, will make this implementation a valuable resource for those Australian broadcasters looking to leverage the latest technologies in realizing new growth opportunities."
About Morpheus
The Morpheus automation and media management system addresses the challenges faced in implementing content-delivery workflows. As a fully scalable solution, Morpheus can seamlessly evolve from a single channel to a multichannel, multicustomer playout solution, continuing to grow in line with demand. Based on format- and device-independent platforms, Morpheus offers a robust and resilient content-distribution mechanism that integrates seamlessly with new devices as they evolve to meet the demands of future services and delivery platforms. Flexible device management ensures that resources can be deployed dynamically where and when most needed. From its core database engine through to every automated device, Morpheus is designed for resilience and, where required, redundancy, thus ensuring the right content and its metadata will be in the right place at the right time.
