[15 November 2017]
Local specialists showcase how Imagine’s practical approach to innovation builds bridge to future of TV
Imagine Communications, empowering the media and entertainment industry through transformative innovation, is working with its local technology partners to showcase its latest solutions at the Inter BEE conference and exhibition (Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Tokyo, 15 – 17 November 2017). These demonstrations cover today’s HD, the transition to all-IP architectures, and 4K and HDR Ultra High Definition (UHD).
Leading the technology advances is the Selenio™ Network Processor (SNP), the industry’s first pure-IP and hybrid processor supporting ST2110. This 1RU appliance, which offers SDI-to-IP gateway capabilities, is a high-density platform supporting a broad range of functionality in the IP domain, based on the SMPTE 2110 family of standards for the transport of media over IP networks. SNP is format agnostic, allowing it to support multiple audio formats as well as HD and UHD, and standard and high dynamic range signals, along with all the necessary cross-conversions and corrections.
Imagine Communications will also be showcasing its Zenium™ technology, the industry’s only cloud-native microservices platform. Zenium, which powers Imagine’s next-generation solutions, is designed to revolutionise how workflows and networks are designed, implemented, developed and managed. The architecture allows third parties and media organisations to develop their own microservices to run on the platform alongside functionality and applications from Imagine, ensuring users can create precisely tailored custom solutions, and in turn adapt quickly to market dynamics.
“The broadcast and electronic media industry has never seen such exciting times,” said Phil Chang, regional sales manager, Japan and S. Korea at Imagine Communications. “We see the move to UHD, and the transition from SDI to software-enabled, IP-connected infrastructures bringing about seismic changes in workflow efficiency, scalability and flexibility. Imagine Communications has the technologies to seize the benefits of these changes while supporting an orderly transition. By working with our local technology partners, we can deliver solutions which are tailored to the individual enterprise, allowing everyone to migrate to new technologies and develop new services at the pace which is right for them.”
The SNP is a centerpiece of the demonstrations on the Itochu Cable Systems booth (hall 4, booth 4208). Alongside it is a Versio™ playout and graphics system operating in UHD with HDR. Versio is a cloud-native software solution, also deployable on premises-based equipment, that provides comprehensive multi-channel playout functionality and uncompromised graphics quality for branding. Completing the UHD, IP-native playout solution is the EPIC™ MV multiviewer, a software processor which manages and displays all signal types and screen formats for an infinitely flexible monitoring structure. The demonstration also underlines the comprehensive support by Imagine Communications for the emerging SMPTE ST2110 family of standards for realtime IP connectivity.
Also on show at this booth is the Magellan™ SDN Orchestrator, the popular software control system from Imagine Communications designed to manage hybrid baseband and IP networks through a common, familiar and secure user interface. Alongside it is the Selenio™ MCP3, the ground-breaking hybrid processor from Imagine Communications. Simultaneously supporting baseband and IP signals, it provides an open architecture for video and audio signal processing, conversions and translations, and compression and networking, all in a compact 3RU frame.
With partner Sanshin Electronics Company (hall 5, booth 5110), Imagine is demonstrating the SNP alongside a Versio playout system, showing the flexibility of the architecture and the way in which these systems can be used during the transition to IP. For example, HD can be up-converted to 4K easily and output as an IP or SDI signal.
The Zenium microservices architecture is the centerpiece of the demonstration at Digital Processing Systems Japan (hall 7, booth 7001), along with the Zenium-powered Selenio™ One live compression and transcoding platform. Through the software-defined architecture, and the ability to add and deploy third-party and in-house developed microservices-based workflows, users gain unrivalled flexibility to design workflows and process chains to precisely achieve their technical and commercial goals.
“The real benefits of the move to software-centric, IP-connected technology platforms come when users recognise they are no longer constrained by hardware but can define workflows to achieve precisely what they need,” Chang concluded. “Teams from Imagine Communications in Japan and Asia are looking forward to talking to customers at Inter BEE, helping them to realise the full potential of the latest advances.”
