KCSM TV Expands Omneon Media Storage

Omneon, Inc. announced that KCSM TV, located in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, has expanded its Omneon media storage and processing platform with the addition of an Omneon MediaGrid active storage system, an Omneon MediaDeck server, and additional HD/SD channels for an existing Omneon Spectrum playout server.

With increased storage, support for SD and HD, and tighter integration within the station’s production environment, the newly enhanced Omneon platform has allowed KCSM to migrate smoothly and cost effectively away from inefficient tape-based operations and to establish HD broadcast capabilities without the need to invest in a new server system.

"KCSM TV originally was launched as a student training facility, and the station today broadcasts around the clock with a professional staff while serving as a learning laboratory for students enrolled in the College of San Mateo’s Broadcasting Arts Department," said Michele Muller, director of engineering at KCSM. "As a college-owned station, KCSM is focused on the need to do more with less, even while meeting viewers’ demand for premium broadcast content. The expansion of our Omneon media storage and processing platform has allowed us to meet both these goals, enabling us to take advantage of the cost and time efficiencies of file-based production and to make a smart, smooth shift to HD."

KCSM TV expanded its Omneon Spectrum system to accommodate eight HD/SD bidirectional channels and eight HD/SD playout channels, supported by automatic upconversion and operating under the control of Sundance automation. A new Omneon MediaGrid active storage system provides 240 TB of raw storage and enables ready access to stored content via a high-bandwidth Ethernet infrastructure. KCSM also purchased a new Omneon MediaDeck system to support live production with four bidirectional channels and 3 TB of storage, as well as a complete ProBrowse system with two proxy generators to speed and simplify media browsing and access.

The expanded Omneon media storage and processing platform, delivered by systems integrator Advanced Systems group, enables KCSM to digitize its existing videotape library; acquire, store, and broadcast both SD and HD video; and access all of its video assets with ease. Equally important, the upgrade has positioned the station to handle the new distribution and acquisition formats of PBS, local public television, and the Community College system.

"Omneon media server and storage systems feature a modular design that enables broadcasters to pursue a thoughtful growth path – one that builds on their initial investment to provide dramatic gains in functionality without requiring an equally significant investment in new equipment," said Geoff Stedman, senior vice president of marketing and business development for Omneon. "In expanding its Omneon media storage and processing platform, KCSM TV has demonstrated the ongoing value that our highly scalable solutions bring to evolving broadcast operations."