Presentations focus on operational, creative and commercial benefits available today
[28 July 2016]
Imagine Communications, empowering the media and entertainment industry through transformative innovation, will present a range of solutions – deliverable today – that demonstrate the benefits of moving operations to software-defined architectures and virtualized environments during BIRTV 2016 (24-27 August China International Exhibition Center in Beijing), China’s largest yearly gathering of radio and TV equipment manufacturers. Alongside virtualized and cloud playout, multiplatform distribution and integrated advertising management, Imagine Communications (Stand 8A03) will be showing key new solutions, including Ultra High Definition (UHD) production tools and a powerful next-generation monitoring solution.
The EPIC™ Multiviewer (MV), a software-based UHD-ready multiviewer unveiled by Imagine Communications at NAB Show 2016, will have its first showing in China at BIRTV. Powered by the company’s Zenium™ technology, EPIC MV provides a seamless integration of IT and traditional broadcast operational monitoring and orchestration technologies. The first product to be built on the EPIC operational management platform, EPIC MV achieves new benchmarks in versatility, scalability and adaptability and is IP-based and compatible with UHD/4K formats.
“We identified the importance of the shift to a software-defined world a few years ago and started down a development path to make sure our technology was well placed to meet market demands,” said Andy Hui, country manager, China at Imagine Communications. “We can deliver comprehensive, field-proven and highly scalable solutions for broadcast and multi-platform delivery which are flexible, take maximum advantage of standard IT hardware and virtualization, and are designed for hybrid environments that ease the transition to an all-IP world.”
The ongoing fusion of the media and entertainment and IT industries will be a prominent topic at BIRTV 2016. At the beginning of 2016, Imagine Communications expanded its alliance with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and announced a comprehensive go-to-market strategy that blends HPE’s datacenter expertise with Imagine Communications’ unrivalled knowledge of broadcast technology to accelerate the transition to IP-based, virtualized facilities that are the future of the media and entertainment industry. The new EPIC MV is designed to run on HPE servers and other industry standard compute and networking platforms.
The strategic partnership also includes Imagine Communications’ CloudXtream™ portfolio, comprised of cloud-based solutions that empower service providers to introduce new and highly personalized services that redefine the video consumption experience. The Imagine Communications portfolio includes capabilities for live, linear, on-demand, and cloud DVR (cDVR) video delivery models, and enables dynamic ad insertion (DAI) capabilities for any of those models. CloudXtream, paired with HPE storage and compute resources, helps service providers generate new revenue, extend reach to new consumers and devices, and realize dramatic operational savings and substantial storage optimization improvements.
The software only version of the Versio family of integrated playout devices will also be demonstrated. This solution can be deployed on premises-based equipment, private datacenters or in the public cloud.
Also featured at BIRTV 2016 will be the latest in UHD technology, including high dynamic range (HDR), hybrid log gamma (HLG) and extended colour gamut video, allowing content creators, distributors and broadcasters to choose the solution that best suits their needs. Support for UHD is available across Imagine Communications’ production, playout, distribution and monitoring products and will be featured at BIRTV in conjunction with its SelenioFlex™ File media processing solution, which seamlessly blends transcoding and workflow capabilities to support a comprehensive range of formats. The file-to-file processing platform offers superior quality for post-production, archive and multiscreen distribution applications. The latest release of SelenioFlex File includes support for Apple ProRes, HEVC UHD Main 10 and Interoperable Master Format (IMF) file-based transcoding to enable UHD on-demand workflows.
Advancing the industry forward through standards and widespread interoperability will also be a major focus of Imagine Communications’ BIRTV activities. The company is a founding member of the Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), a broad alliance of vendors committed to the promotion of standards-based, open IP interconnectivity. The AIMS work is particularly important in moving towards the use of IP in live production and delivery.
“Imagine Communications has a strong presence in China to support its key customer base across the country,” added Hui. “Media and entertainment companies are adopting next generation agile solutions to ensure they are able to respond to the changing consumer demands and maintain a competitive advantage in an IP-centric, cloud-based virtualized world. BIRTV is an ideal opportunity to showcase our innovations and discuss our vision with our customers, partners and industry leaders in this dynamic market.”
For more information please visit www.imaginecommunications.com.
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