The recent trend in broadcasting is toward greater workflow efficiency, and servers are playing a leading role in the movement. Servers are rapidly becoming the backbone of newsroom workflows across India.

Broadcast video server markets are growing, as the industry changes to leverage opportunities afforded by the Internet penetration, advent of high definition and the increasing adoption of content on wireless handset devices.

Demand for creation and distribution of high resolution images and conversion of video content is a huge demand driver for broadcast server manufacturers.

The recent trend in broadcasting is toward greater workflow efficiency, and servers are playing a leading role in the movement. Servers are rapidly becoming the backbone of newsroom workflows across India, as well as other global broadcast news operations. In newsrooms, server supports file-based production delivering speed, reliability and economies at virtually every step of the process; no matter how material is captured in the field.

Broadcast video servers dominate on air channel adoption and are used to shape the flexible on-air systems. Sports replays and product editing also enables the business for broadcast servers. Digital systems are vulnerable to lack of security and need high availability and reliability. New video server systems address these issues by providing solid-state memory to increase reliability.

Content is rapidly moving from physical to digital and for most, the digital world is completely new'involving new products and processes, new customer expectations and distribution channels, new revenue streams and cost structures. Within each, the changes that need to be made are extensive and vivid. Built into these need for change is the opportunity for the market to expand. For instance, for the broadcasters who want to quickly and affordably migrate to high-definition content delivery, the current format-transparent server enables them to add HD to an existing SD environment without having to reinvest in infrastructure.

With increased cell phones usage, markets are evolving for broadcast to the small format. They have started using streaming video for news broadcasts and other programs, which include on-air services. The increased use of content management solutions to manage digital assets is expected to strengthen the growth of the digital-video on-air servers market.

With the traditional broadcast production chain transitioning from discrete "box"-based applications to more integrated, multifunction solutions, servers have taken a similar technological leap. External applications and processes that were once discrete have been integrated into server platforms. This has generally been accomplished by adding special-purpose hardware as well as software to the devices. Today, next-generation servers are moving well beyond the realm of video storage to become true media platforms, capable of integrating many of a television station's crucial on-air systems, including channel branding, multi-image processing and media management. The market for broadcast servers in India is thus catching pace as there is ample need for efficient, error-free workflow of programs by broadcasters.

The broadcast server market may be broadly segmented into video servers, play-out servers and broadband servers. The major players in the Indian broadcast server markets are Apple, Benchmark, Cineom, Harris, RTPL, Seachange, Shaf Broadcast, and Thomson Grass Valley.

On sales of servers

The year 2008-09 was expected to be a slow year due to worldwide recession. We expect the Indian on-line storage requirement to leapfrog in the coming years, due to tape-less workflow in regional channels and start of HD operations at the national level.

On factors driving the market for servers

Tape less workflows; HD production and play out, need for archiving from tape to disks for faster access; and multi-format use for mobile, internet, VOD will drive the demand in coming months /years for servers.

On current market and technology trends

The current market is divided into two segments. One, very low-cost, low-reliability storage solutions to highly reliable solutions for critical area of play-to-air (flash and SAS drives); to higher-bandwidth demanding system for production with editing facility (SAS, fiber channel) and handling of HD files, to low-cost/large-storage for the archiving on SATA drives.

On product range

Play out servers: Flash Memory (FML), SAS-drive raid 5 square clusters (BMLex Series), low-cost entry level with high channel density with provision for software upgrade from SD to HD, and 8TB storage server (MSV1000).

Production servers: With the latest 10-gigabit ports for edit-in-place features and reliable SAS drives on less expensive gigabit network (UML Series). Direct ingest, ingest preview and PCR play-out from production storage by direct attach of MCL6000 series. Low cost and with latest 1TB/2TB SATA drives, expandable and with direct-ingest capability from SeaChange MCL6000 series of codecs (UML-Archive series).

Apple

The exponential growth of business digital assets, the persistent concern surrounding security, and the increased focus on Return on Investment (RoI) make a proactive server and storage strategy essential to every business. Implementing a reliable solution for managing large databases, media-rich documents, audio compression, and digital footage has become a priority.

The Promise VTrak Raid from Apple is an ideal storage solution for direct-attached or SAN-based server and workstation applications, qualified for use with Mac OS X, Mac OS X Server, Final Cut Studio 2, and Xsan 2.

The Promise VTrak E-class Raid Subsystem delivers outstanding performance, reliability, and expansion for video and server applications. With up to 16TB per 3U rack-optimized shelf, support for 1TB 7200-rpm SATA or 450GB 15,000-rpm SAS drives excellent support. The VTrak E-Class is able to deliver consistent low-latency performance without dropping frames. When used with Xsan film and video post-production, users can scale performance and capacity to support large-scale, uncompressed HD workflows.

Xserve offers three 3.5-inch drive bays supporting up to 6TB of internal storage. With support for Raid 5 via an optional Raid card, along with a new solid-state drive option. A new 128GB solid-state drive option provides an ultra fast, low-power boot drive alternative. Operating at less than 1 watt versus 12-18 watts for a typical spinning drive this solid-state drive delivers random access performance that is up to 20 times faster than a SAS drive and up to 48 times faster than a SATA drive. All with read and write performance that is about the same as a typical 3.5-inch SATA drive. And since this 1.8 inch drive is installed in a dedicated location, it does not take up a valuable drive bay, leaving all three bays available for primary storage and Raid applications.

EVS

EVS represented by Shaf Broadcast Pvt. Ltd. India continues to revolutionize the way live events are recorded and played back. Whether the production is an OB, an international broadcast centre, a live studio show or a TV series production the instant ingest and play-out solutions offer the most reliable and flexible way to get the most from your media in any event.

EVS develops and designs production and play-out servers matching the most demanding broadcast production applications. The XT2 production server allows broadcasters to record control and play media easily, quickly, and intelligently. The XT2 comes equipped with up to six record channels and up to eight audio tracks available per video channel, and the ingest capacity is scalable within a network configuration. Users can instantly retrieve any clips or a recording train for live replays or transfer to post production, while channel ingest synchronization based on TC allows users to control related content recorded on any other channel. The XT2 platform can be configured to play or record based on a simple in/out 4/6 channel system, which is available in SD and HD.

The new XS video production server guarantees a reliable and flexible transition to tape-less production in a studio environment. The new XS server offers multiple SD and HD codec configurations with native support, for faster and easier media exchange with post-production.

Harris

Harris in India is represented by Benchmark Broadcast Systems. As part of its ‘One' initiative to provide customers with interoperable workflow solutions that span the entire broadcast delivery chain, Harris developed the NEXIO AMP advanced media platform a next-generation system that dramatically expands the functionality of video transmission servers.

NEXIO AMP combines video server capabilities and diverse media applications in a single, integrated solution, establishing a solid foundation for a scalable, end-to-end HD/SD television solution. The new system combines the highest levels of I/O,(2) data pathway and storage redundancy with all the features broadcasters have come to expect in NEXIO servers including integrated software codec support that combines multiple CPUs and a powerful graphics processing unit and automatic up/down/cross conversion for complete format transparency. Inherent scalability allows the system to grow along with a broadcaster's needs up to thousands of hours of simultaneously accessible content.

At the heart of NEXIO AMP is award-winning server management software and a task-specific processing core that combines multiple CPUs and a powerful graphics processing unit. To further speed the system, NEXIO AMP features a new PCI-e media I/O card that adds host-memory-centric processing for maximum I/O flexibility. It features four HD or six SD video I/O, eight AES pairs of embedded audio per video I/O and four AES pairs of audio per video I/O. Software-enabled media applications, such as multi-viewer I/O monitoring, improves workflow efficiency throughout the entire content acquisition-transmission chain. It also reduces the cost of future hardware expenditures.

Unprecedented content protection .NEXIO server system features Harris Raid soft software Raid controller for safeguarding media assets: Raid 3, which protects a volume from single drive failures; and ECC (Error Correction Code) parity, which protects against any two drive failures in a volume including drives that are physically side by side.

NEXIO AMP with its Intrinsic Mirroring technology, for all SAN-based NEXIO systems protects against high drive count and drive-enclosure failures. Intrinsic Mirroring delivers an added layer of redundancy for data survivability and on-air availability. It works with Raid soft to protect against loss of content and provide 100 percent performance in the event of a complete SAN failure.

This sophisticated content protection results in a next-generation SAN around which broadcasters can build their business with confidence.

Streamlined Workflow. NEXIO AMP not only revolutionizes but also streamlines operations. Smaller facilities can be built around one or two media platforms with internal storage, while larger facilities can take advantage of the NEXIO SAN.

Features of the NEXIO AMP media platform

Each NEXIO AMP supports up to six channels of SD or four channels of HD or mixed SD/HD real-time I/O and ability to host integrated, software-enabled media applications

Access to 96 TB of shared storage support in NX1010MIOH Media Host Architecture.

NEXIO AMP integrated storage server is 10 TB of usable storage capacity.

Support for Harris Intrinsic Mirroring technology and integrated codec support for the Panasonic AVC-Intra and Sony XDCAM HD 35/50 formats.

Support for Avid file interchange of native Sony XDCAM HD422 HD material via Avid Interplay transfer software.

Support for AFD (Active Format Descriptor), which optimizes video aspect ratio conversion for broadcasters migrating to HD Media Host architecture option, enabling SAN access by up to 400 channels and N+1 redundancy.

Omneon

Omneon represented by Shaf Broadcast in India has focused on meeting the demanding requirements of broadcast television. By delivering reliability, flexibility and scalability that set a new standard for video servers used in ingest and play-out workflows.

Omneon's extended platform for file based workflows has revolutionized the video server market. The openness of the Omneon platform played a key role in the evolution of file-based workflows, and as these workflows become more prevalent, there is a corresponding need for more scalable file-based access to stored content. Omneon answered this need by developing the MediaGrid active storage system, the first storage platform to play an active role in the workflow by including media processing as a built-in capability.

The combination of Omneon video servers and active storage systems delivers a level of integrated functionality unmatched by any other solution targeted at the professional media markets. Omneon is the only company capable of providing real-time recording and play-out of content while simultaneously providing access to material for faster-than-real-time processing, collaborative production activities and media management.

Omneon Spectrum media server offers broadcasters and video production facilities unparalleled reliability, flexibility and efficiency in the deployment of file-based workflows. Architected as a modular system, Spectrum can be configured with just a few channels and entry-level storage or with many dozens of channels and storage for hundreds of hours of content. With support for a wide variety of SD and HD formats and numerous industry standards, a Spectrum system can be easily adapted over time as customer needs change and grow.

Thomson Grass Valley

The new and totally unique K2 Solo is a compact, cost-effective, broadcast capable, 2-channel standalone server, with up to five hours of HD or 20 hours of SD storage. The K2 Solo leverages the K2 Summit production client architecture, making it compatible with the entire K2 family of software applications, control protocols, and formats for file-based environments.

The Grass Valley K2 Dyno replay controller, coupled with the new K2 Summit Production Client server, are both designed to help sports producers and other professionals capture live events in crystal-clear HD resolutions and instantly play them out at variable speeds for critical analysis during fast-paced events.

The K2 Summit Production Client provides four bi-directional channels that can include any of the three most commonly used HD compression formats DVC-PROHD, AVC-I 50/100, and MPEG-2 (IMX and XDCAM) in a compact 2 RU enclosure.

• The T2 iDDR (Intelligent Digital Disk Recorder) provides full high-definition capture and playback to the video professional at an affordable price point. Grass Valley K2 storage area network (SAN) or dedicated K2 server are:
• K2 coder automated trans-coding application. This high performance software enables users to ingest any type of file format and then automatically convert it to any other desired "house" format. The software includes the use of "hot folders," whereby an editor or producer can designate the correct file format and where it should be saved on the computer. This hot folder then knows exactly what to do with the ingested file, once those files are placed there.
• K2-ASI Media Client. A dedicated workstation that includes a custom application allows users to receive ASI transport streams and convert them to files on a K2 Media Server system. Those files could first go through a hot folder for conversion to the proper house format.
• K2 Capture Service. This application allows stations to receive and play out syndicated programming and commercial spots as part of a highly automated system that manages the entire content life cycle of the media, including booking, play-out, and invoicing. The new Grass Valley K2 Capture Service software tells any automation system to locate and retrieve an incoming file from a store-and-forward content delivery service
• K2 Production Storage. This is a set of dedicated, cost-effective, shared storage system configurations for Grass Valley Edius editing workgroups that offers higher performance than a K2 near-line NAS system, up to 20 real time HD streams, and is not as scalable as a full-fledged K2 SAN. The storage systems are available with either Fiber Channel or Ethernet connectivity.

SeaChange

SeaChange has the market-proven streaming and storage solutions to keep costs under control. Flash memory based server from SeaChange provides high rate of reliability and performance.

SeaChange has a range of proven content storage, streaming and management solutions, including theFML200flash memory-based ingest and play-to-air server, and its latest Broadcast MediaLibrary/Broadcast MediaClient play-to-air storage system and SD/HD software codecs.

SeaChange was the first to put South Asia's first complete Avid DNx HD broadcast operation on air at Sakshi TV. They used SeaChange's Broadcast MediaLibrary/MediaClient play-to-air platform to support its end-to-end Avid DNxHD workflow.

VectorBox

VectorBox in India is represented by Benchmark Broadcast Systems. Playing video from hard disk is no longer a challenge for any manufacturer. The tough part is playing any file, in any format. Vectorbox offers a truly advanced architecture because it is not limited by hardware capability but rather codes and decodes within the operating system itself. This innovation means that Vectorbox not only supports all major broadcast codecs and wrappers but will continue to support new formats as they appear on the market.

Currently supported compression formats include: Mpeg2 IBP and I-Frame, DVCAM, DVCPRO25, DVCPRO50, MJPEG and IMX30/40/50, and supported file formats include Quicktime from Final Cut Pro, MXF, raw DV and AVI. All this media may be mixed and played in the same continuity schedule. Vectorbox provides an IPTV output for broadcast over IP as well as satellite and cable or for monitoring channel output. Output can be a compressed Windows Media 9 or QuickTime file stream ready for broadcast or a file series for broadcast from an external ISP.

On sales of broadcast servers for the year 2009

Year 2009 was 15 percent better than 2008 in term of sales. The interest in HD units has increased in the last year. We are extremely well-positioned for play-out server and VTR replacement type of servers.

On factors driving the market for broadcast servers

HD is moving fairly quickly now in the second-tier markets in the US and we see the same trend to continue over the next two to three years. The profile server from Grass Valley has built a solid reputation in the market, as it has been a leader for many years. The Grass Valley name is synonymous with servers in the industry. The K2 media server family and the T2 iDDR will bring increased efficiencies and, therefore, these servers will continue the trend of overwhelming acceptance from the market for our products.

On your product range currently available in India

We continue to extend the functionality of the K2 Media server family to give customers more value for their money. The K2 server remains the most versatile file storage and sharing system on the market. The new applications only further prove the platform's flexibility and ability to grow with the needs and requirements of the industry.

On sales of broadcast servers for 2009

The sale of broadcast servers came down drastically as the broadcast industry curtailed its spending.

On factors driving the market for different broadcast servers in India

Right now, the market is being driven down because of the lack of buying power. In the next few years, the market should be healthy as the volumes drive the price down.

On technology and price trends in the Indian server market

There are two types of servers. The first is pure play-out servers which have multiple ingest and play-out ports and an attached storage. They need to be controlled by an external automation (example - Harris, Omneon, Seachange, GVG). The second type is play-out servers which have ingest and play-out ports, as well as a built in automation (Vectorbox, Playbox, Airbox).

On your product range

We sell Harris, Seachange, Omneon, and Vector Box. Installing and supporting a video server for single or multiple play-outs is not an easy task. People assume that it is like installing computers and networking them together. However, it is quite complex. We need to cater to the bandwidth, set the workflow; test the system and then hand-hold the customer before he can go on air. We have several large installations in India and abroad.

A software-based broadcast server system is a sum of its parts where everything fits together, can be expanded, and is unhindered by the limitations of hardware. High-band-width capabilities and flexible platforms allow broadcasters to build the system they need today and add, remove and modify elements to meet their needs over time. Infrastructure is reduced, and operational costs are kept at a minimum. And, most importantly, new and emerging distribution methods whether HD, IPTV or mobile TV–can be easily and quickly accommodated. As a result of rapid IT-fuelled growth in networkability and processing power and the clear benefits they deliver in the changing media landscape video servers have emerged as cornerstone products within broadcast facilities. The drive towards tapeless workflows can be seen in newsrooms in India as there has been a proliferation of news channels across this region.

Peter Martin
Sr. Manager
Marketing Communications,
Asia Pacific Region, Harris Broadcast Communications