In Broadcast - February 2015 - 63

63

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 5 - Issue 2 | February 2015

InForm

Why Not To Invest In COTS Based
Broadcast Systems
Tim Felstead, Broadcast & Media Specialist,
Rohde and Schwarz discusses developing
broadcasting systems that cross the divide...

T

here is so much complexity in
broadcasting systems today. We
are constantly bombarded with new
formats for production, new delivery
platforms on the cloud, new frame
sizes like UHDTV, new colour gamuts...
the list is endless it seems. Of course,
to ensure we can cope with all this and
provide performance and reliability in
products and systems customers rely
on, we are all looking at common off
the shelf (COTS) products to take cost
out of a potentially highly expensive
environment (the broadcast and media
industry today).
But look at the requirements of
today. Performance can equate to
speed and flexibility, for example very
high processing capacity, storage
capacity or seamless handling of
disparate file formats.
Reliability

is
highest
system
availability,
redundancy and security of operation.
However, longevity is the other
element often overlooked, and this
can materially affect cost of operations
and total cost of ownership of our
infrastructure. If customers are forced
into frequent hardware and software
refresh cycles to cope with this
ongoing change the dream or panacea
of software based, IP based, COTS
based, even cloud based, television
systems loses a significant amount of
its lustre.
Rohde and Schwarz have been
focussing on developing systems
that cross this divide. As IT storage
capacity and processing speed
increases with time we have developed
systems that reduce the frequency
with which refresh cycles are required

and longevity (read return on
investment) is increased by extending
the useable life of the system.
SpycerBox Cell is a new 1RU system,
SD, HD, 2K, 4K and 8K capable,
offering over 3GB/s sustainable
throughput from a single chassis.
Cascadable units enable customers
to easily, simply and reliably expand
their storage systems in both speed
and capacity. For example, only four
SpycerBox Cells together can support
not only all current resolutions in your
facility but up to and including five
simultaneous streams of 4K at 60p,
in only 4RU. The design philosophy
is
to
allow
the
product
to follow the
evolution
of
disk capacities
and speeds over
time, without
replacing
the
system itself.
Venice
and
Clipster
are
media servers
created
to

manage the wide variety of formats
being used in studio production and
post-production respectively. Both are
capable of 4K with the huge associated
data rates, yet can also manage less
demanding standard definition formats
that are in more common use.
All of these products are part of a
consistent family of solutions designed
to solve difficult problems for Rohde
and Schwarz customers now, and well
into the future.
You can discover more about these
products on www.rohde-schwarz.
co.uk or at the BVE show at the London
Excel, February 24th to 26th.

Rohde and Schwarz CLIPSTER

http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.rohde-schwarz.co.uk http://www.rohde-schwarz.co.uk http://www.dvs.de/products/post-production-solutions/clipster/clipsterreg/video-case-study.html http://www.bradeng.com http://www.bradeng.com

In Broadcast - February 2015

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