Jordan Media City Relies on Omneon Spectrum Platform

Omneon, Inc. announced that Jordan Media City (JMC) has enhanced ingest and playout operations for the Arabsat satellite service with Omneon Spectrum media server systems. Installed at the JMC transmission center in Amman, Jordan, the Omneon Spectrum systems provide a scalable platform for the 28-channel Arabsat service and for additional growth of JMC’s transmission business.

"Following an evaluation of broadcast server technologies, we elected to use Omneon Spectrum servers to support our expanding operations, including transmission for the Arabsat service," said Suleiman Nakai, transmission engineering manager at Jordan Media City. "Omneon products provide both reliability and resilience in mission-critical environments, and they are backed by outstanding installation and technical support. As we continue to expand our operations, the flexibility of the Spectrum system gives us the freedom to bring new channels to air very quickly."

Each of the two Omneon Spectrum servers at JMC carries 14 Arabsat channels to air. The Omneon Spectrum systems are integrated with Pebble Beach automation, which manages both ingest and playout. JMC chose to upgrade from its previous transmission server to the Omneon system because the Spectrum media server provides support for a file-based workflow with standard file wrappers and formats without the need for transcoding. The time savings realized through the new workflow enables faster turnaround of content to air and, as a result, more cost-effective operations.

"We have invested in the latest technology and continually update our infrastructure to keep pace with the industry and give our customers superior service," added Nakai. "Uniquely flexible and HD-ready, Omneon Spectrum servers offer us the best platform for delivering our services."

JMC is responsible for 108 turnaround services and more than 60 playout channels for approximately 30 customers. Because Spectrum servers offer a single file structure for both HD and SD content, JMC will have the ability to provide HD services simply and with a minimal investment of time and technical resources.

"The Middle East is among the fastest-growing broadcast markets in the world, and JMC is among the leading media companies bringing new satellite channels to this region," said Geoff Stedman, Omneon senior vice president for products and markets. "The company’s decision to upgrade its transmission operations with a Spectrum server-based platform ensures reliable delivery of Arabsat’s 24-hour programming and supports easy expansion as needed."