Rogers Centre invests with EVS for live production and archive system

“We chose EVS to help us meet live recording needs and store multiple seasons worth of media by moving content to a file storage,” according to Mike Christiansen, manager, technical production and broadcast services at Rogers Centre.  “Storing multiple seasons of media was straining the resources needed for the live production and necessitated additional storage.” 

EVS’ IPDirector content management platform with integrated archive capabilities is key to the new workflow. The system provides simple and direct integration with deep archive for back-and-forth media exchange, delivering critical ultra-fast  content turnaround for the stadium.

EVS worked alongside archive and storage management expert SGL, who provided its FlashNet content management system to enable Rogers Centre to store highlights and content from prior seasons. The new workflow allows Rogers Centre to search and access specific content from past seasons and view on low resolution, and send it directly to the EVS XS or XT server for playout as well to as their editing systems. Approximately 11,000 clips have already been shared between the two systems.

 “We were able to seamlessly maintain our IPDirector interface, and keep all our media management in the same software environment, from content creation to deep archive,” said Christiansen. “Now we can move older content to secure storage while all of our assets, including metadata, are in one place and easily accessible, and our nearline storage can function for immediate live production needs the way it was intended.”

Bernie Walsh, SGL’s director of worldwide sales adds, “The SGL FlashNet archive management solution provides high availability for any combination of disk and tape storage. FlashNet’s unique clustered architecture wraps a software management layer around the physical storage. This allows a mix of storage platforms as well as providing a technology proof buffer between the EVS environment and the archive storage. Storage types, whether disk or tape, can be added and capacity increased without affecting the associated workflows.”

In addition to the IPDirector suite in the control room, the EVS workflow features a six-channel 6U XS media server, XT3 live production servers and XStore shared storage. Together, the new database sever, software and workflow configuration allows a seamless system that is tightly integrated with non-linear editing.