NAB 2019: Imagine Communications Focuses on Playout, Live Production, Advertising Tech

Visit Imagine Communications (Booth SL1516) to experience problem-solving innovation through the real-world lens of its customers from around the globe. The focus is on proven solutions: High-caliber influencers will be on hand to discuss and demonstrate how they leveraged Imagine’s practical migration strategies to personalize the path and pace of their transition to next-generation architectures and business models. This approach enables media companies to plan their transition to an IP-connected, software-defined future at their own pace.

“We know for our customers worldwide, there is no shortage of paths to successful deployment of next-generation network and advertising business models,” says Tom Cotney, CEO of Imagine Communications. “Our NAB presence has been planned to share lessons from real-world deployment stories, showcase the potential of technologies on the horizon, and help our customers accelerate the benefits of our innovation and expertise at a pace that’s right for them.”

Imagine Communications at the 2019 NAB Show is showcasing technology in three key customer-focused areas: playout, and live production, and advertising technology.

Playout
Imagine Communications has long delivered mission-critical playout systems, including its widely deployed and trusted ADC automation. The 2019 NAB Show will see the latest in playout functionality, including the seamless integration between ADC and the Versio modular playout platform, allowing customers to start using next-generation technology while preserving their capital equipment and training investments. At the same time, they are minimizing risk by retaining their trusted and verified ADC system. With Versio supporting TS, SDI, 2022-6 and now with the introduction of SMPTE ST 2110, customers can operate their systems across any format all with the same playout solution, migrating to IP at their own pace.

In addition to Versio and ADC synchronization making hybrid playout a simple proposition, the coordination between these two is a major step in the migration to a fully software-defined playout center, ready for new formats and agility. Plus, this coordination ensures that cloud disaster recovery implementations can rapidly take on all the functionality of an on-premises main playout, protecting revenue streams. To aid in making that ability even more cost-effective, new at NAB is multichannel support in Versio, providing for better channel density and more efficient virtualization, as well as N+M redundancy for full protection at optimum cost.

Live Production
The Selenio Network Processor (SNP) is now established as a critical element in IP and hybrid video and audio environments. This high-density device seamlessly bridges SDI and IP networks, providing sophisticated video processing in a space- and power-saving 1RU. Designed with four independent, FPGA-powered processor blocks, the SNP gives customers true flexibility in adapting to various production workflow requirements in 3G, UHD, HDR and beyond. Leading the industry in the delivery of UHD over a single stream of ST 2110-20, the SNP also delivers 12G-SDI for UHD over a single link, a hugely practical element in a transitional architecture. With rapidly growing interest in adding HDR to production workflows, the SNP can now process multiple formats, including S-Log3, HLG, and PQ, so broadcasters can deliver an enhanced viewer experience.

Software-defined networks require sophisticated control to achieve the promised economies and agility. The Magellan SDN Orchestrator (SDNO) from Imagine Communications is a proven software control solution deployed in multiple installations worldwide. It delivers full support for SMPTE ST 2110 and ST 2022-6, plus the most comprehensive list of third-party IP endpoints via native APIs and open protocols, making it ideal to orchestrate complete live production and playout operations. The Magellan control layer now supports virtual re-entry for complex signal flows and multiple simultaneous actions to be prepared in advance for a single take, simplifying the management and control of hybrid and all-IP networks.

The EPIC MV multiviewer provides monitoring power, with new functionality including the ability to output compressed transport streams for remote or IP distribution of display mosaics, and interpretation and display of SCTE-104 and -35 triggers or alarms to enable supervisors to react promptly to high-value alarms. The EPIC MV software also now supports the latest generation of HPE servers for maximum performance.

Ad Tech and Targeted Delivery
Visitors to the Imagine booth can explore a unique portfolio of integrated advertising inventory management and optimization, data analytics and targeted delivery solutions that help media companies increase revenue and decrease costs across multichannel, multiplatform and multimarket operations.

At the heart of Imagine’s ad tech work with customers is xG platform, which lets broadcasters, MVPDs, vMVPDs and OTT players maximize the value of commercial airtime and optimize business efficiency with traditional unit or impression-based models for all delivery platforms, including linear, nonlinear, on-demand and mobile.

Ahead of 2019 NAB Show, Imagine will introduce the latest generation of its xG GamePlan ad campaign optimizer and tout initial results from a game-changing deployment with one of the world’s top broadcasters. xG GamePlan is a cloud-based, ultra-scalable inventory optimizer that streamlines campaign planning and post-campaign analysis, without having to replace entire back-office traffic and sales systems. Imagine will also partner with a top North American broadcaster to showcase ATSC 3.0’s ability to deliver addressable content and advertising in ultra-competitive video markets and discuss the workflow and workforce investments that will result in yet another market shift.

In and Around the Show
Including its own showcase press and analyst event on Sunday, April 7, at the Westin Las Vegas (6-8 p.m. PT), Imagine Communications executives will lead critical conversations on what’s next for a content distribution industry in flux, including:

  • PBS Technology Conference (April 6) – VP Sales, Ad Tech and Targeted Delivery, Chris Gordon will present a paper on how the transition to IP transport streams is enabling new advertising and content regionalization opportunities.
  • Devoncroft Executive Summit (April 7) – Tom Cotney will join a select group of CEOs to discuss strategies for an evolving market.
  • Streaming Summit (April 8) – Commercial General Manager, Targeted Delivery, David Heppe will address packaging media strategies and best practices for playback and delivery to end users.

In addition, Imagine will be featured at three NAB Broadcast Engineering and Information Technology Conference sessions presented by Leigh Whitcomb, principal engineer at Imagine Communications:

  • A Practical Guide to Designing and Deploying Real ST 2059/PTP Systems
  • A Practical Guide to Security for ST 2110 Systems and What the Standard Organizations are Doing to Help
  • Is a SMPTE ST 2110 Certification Program Required?

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