Snell IQ Modular Infrastructure and Routers Support Swiss Broadcasters RSI and RTS

Snell today announced that Switzerland's RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse) and RSI (Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana) have installed Snell infrastructure to support migration of their master control and playout facilities to HD. The two broadcasters — owned by parent company SRG SSR idée suisse broadcasters — serve the French- and Italian-speaking populations in Switzerland. Snell delivered and commissioned IQ modular infrastructure and new Cygnus, Sirius, and Halo routers to the RTS facility in Geneva and the RSI facility in Lugano, in conjunction with systems integrator BFE of Mainz, Germany.

"The scalability and flexibility of Snell hardware and software made them a smart solution for our HD upgrades at RSI and RTS," said Philippe Kaeser, senior engineer at SRG SSR. "The company's advanced products integrate and interoperate smoothly with our BFE control system for enterprise-wide signal transport management and monitoring. Because our staff members are already familiar with Snell's Centra RollMap™ Network Management System, we were able to take advantage of its extensive functionality with very little training."

In near-identical installations at RTS and RSI, Cygnus (576x576) and Sirius 600 (256x128), and several Halo routers are used for signal distribution and preparation prior to transmission from the new playout facilities. Snell's IQ Modular infrastructure products have been installed, making use of the company's RollCall™ communications and Centra RollMap Infrastructure Management System to provide integrated monitoring and control capabilities of all Snell products and the broadcasters' third-party IT and broadcast equipment.

The Snell monitoring and management systems allow RSI and RTS engineers to use a single PC to perform comprehensive monitoring of the entire operation for all networks. The Centra RollMap system, equipped with Snell's Hyperion technology, can provide alarms to BFE's KSC-Manager control system and also interact with the STG automation system. As the stations continue to evolve, the monitoring solution currently installed can be expanded to include any additional third-party device. All of Snell's IQ Modular equipment can easily be upgraded from 1.5 to 3G by software update, thereby serving as a future-proof solution.

"SRG SSR is the largest electronic media organization in Switzerland, and we're pleased that the group has turned to Snell solutions once again as RSI and RTS move into the HD realm," said Stefan Geradts, sales director of Central and Eastern Europe at Snell. "With our IQ Modular infrastructure and advanced routing and monitoring systems supporting their HD operations, both broadcasters are positioned to maintain their leadership in a competitive marketplace."

About Snell

Snell is a leading innovator in digital media technology and provides broadcasters and global media companies with a comprehensive range of solutions to create, better manage, and streamline the distribution of content for today's multi-screen world. Snell provides the tools necessary to transition seamlessly and cost-effectively to HDTV, stereoscopic 3D, and 3Gbps operations. Headquartered in the U.K., Snell serves more than 2,000 broadcasters, post facilities, and global media companies in more than 100 countries through its worldwide team of sales and support personnel.