Gray Television Standardizes on Harris Selenio Platform

Gray Television has implemented the Harris Broadcast (Booth N2503) Selenio media-convergence platform to incorporate new efficiencies across its stations’ infrastructure and transmission operations. To date, Gray Television has installed Selenio at 10 of its stations, with many more sites to follow into 2014.

The broadcaster deploys Selenio for multiple-signal compression, distribution, and processing tasks, using a single fully integrated, space- and energy-efficient platform instead of several standalone components. The company began using the platform for bandwidth-efficient over-the-air encoding in 2011.

According to Gray Television VP of Technology Jim Ocon, the typical over-the-air Selenio configuration accommodates one or two HD channels, one or two SD channels, and a mobile DTV channel “without starving bits from one program to the other.” He also notes the ability to produce quality 720p and 1080i HD channels at the same time, an important benefit as several of the stations require support for both resolutions.

Elsewhere, Gray Television uses Selenio to process and deliver video feeds to cable and satellite operators and relies on it for loudness control and management — fulfilling viewer satisfaction and CALM Act compliance at once.

The Selenio installations represent the latest phase in the Gray Television-Harris Broadcast relationship as the broadcaster works toward its final “Gray Model” upgrades. Instituted at more than 30 of its stations, the Gray Model uses Harris Broadcast automation and servers at its core to re-envision media-workflow efficiencies and priorities. The Gray Model essentially eliminates traditional master-control operations and re-allocates resources to news and other production tasks to create more content. Harris Broadcast NEXIO (servers and storage) and ADC (automated content management and distribution) products t “handle the heavy lifting” behind the scenes, efficiently managing ingest and playout tasks.