San Jose, California – Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) announced on August 6 the release of version 7.6 of the company’s Spectrum media server product line. With this release, the Spectrum MediaCenter (MCP-2200A) media server system now supports 20 channels — eight more than previous models — and up to 32TB of integrated SAS storage in a compact 2-RU enclosure. The company also introduced a series of enhancements to the Spectrum ChannelPort integrated channel playout system and Spectrum MediaDeck server system that improve caption support, monitoring and scheduling capabilities, and integrated management tools.
“The MediaCenter platform has always been the best value for customers with moderate channel counts of four to 12 channels, and the MCP-2200A significantly increases that value, making an even more powerful Spectrum system available in a compact footprint and at a compelling price point,” said Andy Warman, director, product management, production and playout, Harmonic. “When combined with our Spectrum MediaPort and/or ChannelPort video I/O modules, this new addition to the MediaCenter family serves as a versatile yet straightforward solution for ingest, media prep, and playout.”
Ideally suited for transmission, studio production, news and sports highlights, and distributed broadcast workflows, the MediaCenter system allows users to simplify operation and maintenance while reducing overall rack space, power, and cost requirements. The high channel count (20 video channels at 50 Mbps or 10 channels at 100 Mbps) and increased SAS storage (approximately 1,200 hours at 50 Mbps) of the MCP-2200A are complemented by file transfer support for the ingest and export of clips, audio, and subtitle files. In addition to being easy to install and maintain, the system offers the rock-solid reliability for which the Spectrum product line is renowned.
The MediaCenter system supports conventional ingest and playout operations when combined with MediaPort I/O systems. When combined with ChannelPort systems for integrated channel playout (ICP) applications, it provides robust functionality including graphic branding, DVE, key and fill, video and audio switching, and much more. The ChannelPort system itself has been augmented with open caption support, which enables caption files that have been imported into a Spectrum server to be played out frame-accurately with the caption text burned into the video as a graphic. This capability is ideal for play-to-air scenarios in which captioning is required for multilingual viewers or the hearing impaired, and its integration into the ChannelPort system reduces the need for costly downstream insertion equipment.
A new Monitor Mode for the ChannelPort system enables each simulcast port to be used as a master control/gallery monitor wall output of the primary output, with timecode, clip status, and clip names burned into the video output. Operators thus gain at-a-glance access to on-air clips. The addition of a Schedule Tool application enables multiple users to create playlists that can later be played to air by Harmonic’s Onboard Playlist Control (OPC) automation.
In refining the company’s MediaDeck server system, Harmonic has embedded all configuration, maintenance, and monitoring tools within the system chassis. The user is presented with a Web page showing alarms and messages, configuration tools, status configuration, and licensing information and maintenance tasks in an easy-to-use interface.
During IBC2014, September 12-16 in Amsterdam, Harmonic will showcase its comprehensive line of market-leading solutions that optimise the production and delivery of high-value video services in the broadcast, pay-TV, and new media environments.
