MediaPower surpasses milestone of 25 NetApp solutions sold in Europe

Media technology solutions provider MediaPower has announced the sale of 28 NetApp storage solutions to broadcasters in Southern Europe, surpassing the goal of selling 25 solutions since its reselling relationship with NetApp began in 2013.

“Our clients represent some of the most demanding broadcast environments in the world and expect that the systems we install will be absolutely reliable,” said Media Power’s president and CEO, Marcello Dellepiane. “In NetApp we have found a partner that can deliver that reliability in the critical area of storage for real-time television, with solutions that are easy to install and deploy — usually within hours — and cost-effective to maintain. And, like us, NetApp believes strongly in quality service and quick turnaround.”

Most of the NetApp solutions sold thus far have gone or will soon go to broadcasters in Italy and Switzerland, and involve the NetApp Data ONTAP system. One such installation was for Mediaset, Italy’s largest media company. The NetApp FAS3220 system running Data ONTAP played a crucial role in the structure of Mediaset’s Rewind and Video Mediaset services, which went on the air in October 2013. In those services, files are transcoded into different adaptive-bit-rate profiles on the FAS platform and cached so that viewers can access the proper profile for their screens.

“In the highly competitive world of broadcast media, launching new services for our viewers is a high priority for us, and our latest services are highly dependent upon robust, responsive storage,” said Mauro Cassanmagnago of Mediaset. “NetApp storage gives us exactly what we need to make sure the services run smoothly for our customers.”

“One of the main reasons we chose to work with MediaPower is its long and deep expertise in broadcast and its reputation not only in Europe, but, increasingly, in the rest of the world,” said Jason Danielson, manager, media solutions at NetApp. “MediaPower also has critical experience in integrating our Data ONTAP and E-Series storage platforms into broadcast production environments, so we’re completely comfortable knowing MediaPower can satisfy broadcast and postproduction customers in every region they serve.”