IBC 2016: SAM to demonstrate market-leading position in IP, 4K and software applications
At IBC, SAM will build upon its leading position and pioneering work in IP, software applications, 4K, and HDR to address media organisations’ changing operational and business needs. Exhibiting in IBC’s new Hall 9 at stand 9.A01, SAM will demonstrate its latest capabilities in 4K and IP sports production workflows; its complete IP product portfolio; and its accelerated move into the software application world.
SAM’s CEO, Tim Thorsteinson, comments: “IBC 2016 represents a milestone for us because it’s been one year since Snell officially fused with Quantel to form SAM. Since these two dynamic companies united, we’re now more than ever using our collective experience to be a trusted partner for our customers, pioneering the way content is created and delivered. Our proven IP solutions and comprehensive software systems are winning business around the globe, and our newly launched 4K sports replay system promises exciting opportunities.”
He continued: “We’re investing over 20 percent of revenue in R&D and as a result we have a world-class portfolio that delivers the finest offerings on the market today, both in terms of price and performance. This is evidenced by our success with our live production switchers, which rank #1 in EMEA with recent customer wins at Telegenic, NEP and Timeline TV and with our brand new news and sports workflow solution which already has orders in excess of five million pounds. The other area we are investing heavily in is Support to build on our unrivalled customer support capability worldwide.”
SAM is at the forefront of developments in IP, offering products that work today in the SDI domain and allow expansion into the IP world. Unique to this is SAM’s sophisticated IP-Edge production routing technology, which takes the complexity away from hybrid and pure IP rollouts and closely follows the interoperability goals of AIMS. High capacity 25 GbE and 40 GbE IP Edge interfaces are available on many of SAM’s products including routers, switchers and MultiViewers, along with dedicated IP-only processing and control products.
SAM continues to work with leading service providers on deploying software defined channels for the new face of playout. SAM will demo its comprehensive software solutions including ICE SDC. This provides the highest levels of playout functionality from a pure software solution running on commodity IT hardware – in a facility or a data centre – as part of a cloud strategy.
Building on SAM’s 4K workflow offerings, which fully satisfy customers’ 4K needs especially in live sports, IBC will see the launch of the new LiveTouch 4K highlights and replay system with a live demonstration running over IP. LiveTouch enables seamless and efficient scalability and uniquely powerful workflows in standalone systems or integrated into a wider production environment. With LiveTouch, collaboration is instant by all users on the system with no media movement. SAM is also showing its 4K Kula 1ME/2ME production switcher along with its 4K Kahuna range of switchers – all of which feature 4K UHD M/Es that are as easy to use as HD production formats.
SAM has enhanced its fast turnaround news and sports production solution. Already the fastest way to edit and publish content for broadcast, Enterprise sQ now includes support for all OTT formats as well a wide range of non-broadcast formats. Enterprise sQ now supports “ingest to publish” for all formats natively allowing customers to be the first to publish content across all platforms.
SAM will show its new MV-800 series of Intelligent MultiViewers including the MV-800 MultiViewer which is integrated into the Sirius 800 router series. This new MultiViewer series, which includes the standalone MV-820, the software based IP stream MV-805, and the integrated MV-850 and MV-830, bring new functionality to multi-channel monitoring environments by allowing the operator to use true monitoring-by-exception.
SAM will show its Signal and Media Assurance system, featuring its Media Biometric intelligent monitoring technology that’s implemented throughout SAM’s processing and infrastructure. This unique technology allows broadcasters, for the first time, to be sure that their customers are receiving the correct video and audio content throughout their production and distribution. By purchasing products that include Media Biometrics, such as SAM’s switchers, MultiViewers, routers, servers and IQ processing solutions, broadcasters can implement monitoring by exception and maximize their operational efficiency and be confident of their content delivery.
SAM will be launching its new mid-range Vega processing router line-up at the show, featuring four processing router models from 68 ports to 432 ports. These routers provide hybrid audio routing, clean and quiet switching, audio processing and MultiViewer capabilities. SAM will also be showing its new IP input/output capability in its Sirius 800 router series together with expansion capabilities up to 2304×2304. These expansion capabilities have already been deployed in SAM’s hybrid IP/SDI architectures enabling a risk free migration path from SDI to IP infrastructure.
Building on the success of its modular range of products SAM is showing its new low cost, high capability range of signal protection modules, synchronisers and mux’s. Additionally SAM is introducing new 12 Gbps 4K signal processing modules and adding its unique logo detection and alarming technology to its monitoring and control solutions.
SAM will demonstrate new shared workflows for Quantel Rio users using commercial off-the-shelf storage. Creatives can now work on the same media with history for color, edit and finishing at 4K on its facility SAN. Quantel Rio will also be demonstrating wide color gamut and HDR workflows now with RAW color support
Alchemist offers the best quality frame rate conversion solutions in both software and realtime hardware guise. Regardless of the application, realtime conversion for 4K streams or resolution independent file-based workflows the Alchemist range is the benchmark for quality. SAM will be launching its Kronos XF software media re-timing product that uses Alchemist technology to allow broadcasters to create additional space in content for increased advertising.
“The list above represents an unprecedented amount of new technology created to provide more flexible cost effective solutions for a rapidly changing marketplace. Our order rate increased by a record amount in the first half of the year and we expect this momentum to continue. Growth is validation of our leading technology and world class customer support,” said Thorsteinson.