Omneon supports Panasonic’s AVC-Intra HD Format

At
Inter BEE 2007 (stand 5508), Omneon, Inc. announced server support for the
AVC-Intra high-performance HD format. The new MediaPort modules for the Omneon
Spectrum media server and the Omneon MediaDeck integrated server will provide
realtime encoding and decoding of HD material using the AVC-Intra codec.

AVC-Intra is based on the advanced MPEG-4 Part 10 Intra standard and offers high-quality
record and playout at roughly half the bit rate of MPEG-2 based codecs. With
the new MIP-5600 line of MediaPorts for Spectrum and MediaDeck systems,
incoming raw video feeds can be encoded in the AVC-Intra format in realtime,
creating AVC-I formatted files within the servers’ systems that can be accessed
and edited by non-linear editors that support the format. AVC-Intra files can
then be decoded by the MediaPorts for playout.

The MIP-5600 line of MediaPorts, which includes the MIP 5601 and MIP-5602 for
the Spectrum system and the MDM-5601 for MediaDeck, is based on the AVC-Intra
specification provided by Panasonic and is fully compatible with Panasonic
cameras and recording equipment, both AVC-Intra 50 and 100 modes. Each video
channel supports up to 16 channels of embedded audio or four channels of
separate audio.

The new Omneon MediaPort modules also enable the direct transfer of AVC-Intra
content from Panasonic P2 media to the Spectrum system and MediaDeck server for
editing and playout. Non-linear editors that support the format, including
those announced by Apple, Avid, and Grass Valley, will be able to mount the
Spectrum or MediaDeck file systems to edit the content in place, reducing the
need for lengthy transfers.

“Our support for AVC-Intra reaffirms our commitment to deliver the HD capabilities
that our customers require or will require,” said Geoff Stedman, vice
president of worldwide marketing for Omneon. “Omneon systems have been
designed with the flexibility to address the changing HD and multiformat
requirements of today’s facilities, and we have continually rolled out new
format support as they are accepted by the industry. The addition of AVC-Intra
to our portfolio carries on this tradition.”

The new MediaPorts can be connected easily to existing Spectrum servers to add
AVC-Intra functionality and can be mixed with other Omneon MediaPorts for SD
within the same system. The addition of a new MediaPort to an existing server
requires no disruptive upgrade procedure and in most cases can be done while
the system remains online.

Omneon is demonstrating playback of AVC-Intra video through the MIP 5601 of a
Spectrum server at Inter BEE 2007, Nov. 20-22 at the Makuhari Messe exhibition
hall in

Tokyo,
Japan. The complete MIP-5600 line
will be available in mid-2008.