Teleclub supporting sports channels with Harris
Teleclub, the largest pay-TV operator in Switzerland, has implemented a major HD upgrade to its facilities at Volketswil near Zurich. The extensions include two Harris NEXIO server systems to support its sports and drama channels, together with Harris branding, signal processing and workflow systems.
Available on cable TV and IPTV platforms, Teleclub originates many of its own channels and hosts global brands. These include popular sport, drama and movie channels. In sport, the company has the broadcast rights to major events including Swiss football and ice hockey. Key drivers for this project were to manage workflows around live sports and make all coverage available in HD.
The larger of the two NEXIO server systems is dedicated to sports, and includes 19 four-channel Harris NEXIO AMP servers providing a total of 76 HD channels. NEXIO Farad shared storage incorporates Harris’ patented Intrinsic Mirroring functionality for full redundancy. On a sports weekend, Teleclub records up to 36 HD channels simultaneously. An extension to the NEXIO edit-in-place capabilities developed by Harris allows Final Cut Pro editors to work on growing files as they are recorded, and create instant highlights packages for halftime and after the match.
The second server system is dedicated to playout of the drama channels, and contains six four-channel NEXIO AMP servers, again sharing NEXIO Farad storage. The project also includes Harris Invenio Motion digital asset management software, which allows users to design and automate custom workflows, and the Harris Selenio media convergence platform, which provides Teleclub with automated signal processing and logo insertion.
“We needed to build an infrastructure to meet our viewers’ expectations for HD on all our channels, and we took this opportunity to develop a new workflow system which would allow us to operate efficiently and effectively,” said Benno Zimmermann, head of playout and production centre at Teleclub. “We have a long and comfortable working relationship with Harris and its local dealer, Videolink, who were able to demonstrate that they had the technology and could implement it within our timescales. Our live sports operation, in particular, is now very slick and impressive, and we could not have achieved it without the excellent support of Harris.”
“We already knew the infrastructure and the people at Teleclub, so we were able to deliver the technology they required, including the custom developments and extensions to the live automation system, in the requested time and budget,” said Mathias Eckert, vice president, sales and services, Europe and Africa for Harris Broadcast. “The Teleclub team was very impressive — not just in the way they worked with Harris but also simultaneously refreshing and rebuilding the station’s entire technical infrastructure.”