IBC 2011: Harmonic Extends Spectrum™ Media Server Family

New MediaDeck™ 7000 and MediaPort 7000 Series Products Offer Greater Flexibility, Capacity, Performance, and Reliability

Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced significant additions to its industry-leading Omneon Spectrum™ media server product line. The new Omneon MediaDeck™ 7000, a fully integrated four-channel media server system, offers high capacity, performance, and modularity in a convenient 1-RU form factor. In addition, the company is adding new I/O modules to its recently introduced Omneon MediaPort 7000 Series that supports MPEG-2 encode and simultaneous generation of H.264 proxies.

Together, these new products give users even more choice and flexibility in server deployment, allowing them to tailor systems precisely to their needs.

The MediaDeck 7000 system is the newest member of the Spectrum media server family, and it offers multiple-codec playback, up/down/crossconversion, HD/SD simulcast capabilities, and two-channel modularity. Supporting all members of the MediaPort 7000 family of I/O modules, the MediaDeck 7000 server is an economical but highly capable unit that is ideal for applications requiring two to four channels in an integrated 1-RU package.

Harmonic has extended the highly successful MediaPort 7000 Series with the release of the MediaPort 7300, which adds MPEG-2 encode capability to the product line, extending the family's already broad codec support. The MediaPort 7000 Series also now streamlines ingest workflows with real-time high-quality H.264 proxy generation available on all models, including the new MediaPort 7300.

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"With broad and flexible codec support, as well as valuable conversion and simulcast capabilities, the MediaDeck 7000 system is optimized to serve as an ingest or playout edge server, delay server, or stand-alone media server," said Mark Cousins, senior product line manager for media servers at Harmonic Inc. "Our new MediaPort 7300 modules address the reality that media server customers use MPEG-2 far more often than any other codec. By integrating conversion and simulcast with multiple-codec recording and playout, the new modules also simplify multiformat ingest and playout workflows."

The new MediaDeck 7000 system employs two hot-pluggable MediaPort 7000 Series modules to provide video and audio I/O, as well as interfaces for external reference, timecode, and automation control. These modules can be mixed in any combination, providing complete flexibility for support of mixed-codec (MPEG-2, XDCAM HD, AVC-Intra, and SD/HD DV) workflows. The MediaPort modules offer built-in up/down/crossconversion, as well as separately configurable primary and secondary outputs.

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Each of the two MediaPort modules within the MediaDeck 7000 system supports two independent bidirectional video channels for a total of four channels per 1-RU system. The media server system itself provides 6TB of usable media storage (225 hours at 50 Mbps), protected by the Spectrum system's reliable software RAID architecture. A detachable front panel with color status display provides easy access to the drive modules. Dual redundant hot-pluggable power supplies bring broadcasters peace of mind, as well as power system maintenance flexibility. A single power supply can run the system indefinitely.

The MediaDeck 7000 media server system can operate independently or within a larger network of Spectrum servers and Omneon MediaGrid™ active storage systems managed by the Omneon Media Application Server. Because the MediaDeck system employs the same APIs as other Spectrum systems, the system maintains compatibility with existing third-party applications and automation solutions.

The MediaDeck 7000 media server system equipped with MediaPort 7000 Series modules will be featured at Harmonic's stand (1.B20) during IBC2011 in Amsterdam, Sept. 9-13.

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