Omneon, Pharos Land HBO Asia Upgrade Project

Omneon and Pharos, a developer of software architecture for
desktop content management, have been selected by
HBO Asia to provide an infrastructure upgrade that will enable a fully
file-based workflow for HBO’s Singapore facility. The combination of
Omneon MediaGrid active storage and ProXchange transcoding with
Pharos Mediator content management and Playtime automation will allow
HBO Asia to achieve greater efficiency as it delivers programming to a
base of 31 million subscribers across 22 countries in Asia.

“We have a good working relationship with Omneon and have confidence in
the reliability of the company’s Spectrum media server system,” explains Vincent Teo, senior vice president, technology and operations of
HBO Asia. “By adding MediaGrid active storage and deploying advanced
media management and automation from Pharos, we have a solution that
delivers an efficient workflow and meets our requirements for
cost-effective easy expansion to support the growth of our Asian
operations.”

HBO Asia will incorporate a 60TB MediaGrid active storage system from
Omneon as a central storage platform along with new Playtime automation
and Mediator content management systems from Pharos to deliver 12 SD
channels to air. The Singapore-based media company will also use an
Omneon ProXchange high-performance transcoding system to support its
media repurposing operations. The system will be in operation in the
last quarter of 2008.

“HBO Asia needed a more efficient workflow to ingest and manage content
for its new sophisticated 3-D presentation style and an automation
solution to better manage complex secondary events, subtitles, multiple
languages, and local ad breaks,” says Russell Grute, director of
marketing at Pharos. “Mediator content management and Playtime
automation in combination with Omneon storage provides a complete,
tested package able to handle the demands of such a large-scale
operation.”

Pharos Mediator will streamline HBO’s workflow and provide media
logistics for traffic, library, and ingest operations. Mediator will
manage all transfers between the Omneon storage subsystems and
integrate the existing data tape library to provide end-to-end media
lifecycle management. Mediator also supports future operations like
screening, compliance editing, and approvals, and could manage future
HD and VoD services.

In addition to its MediaGrid purchase, HBO Asia has upgraded its
existing Spectrum server with increased system bandwidth and six
additional playback channels to be used as squeeze channels.

“As a leader in home entertainment, HBO Asia understands the importance
of delivering timely, high-quality programming to viewers,” says Geoff
Stedman, Omneon senior vice president of products and markets. “A
streamlined file-based workflow will help HBO achieve its goals of
greater efficiency with easy expansion capability.”