Technology development comes by day. On to the Media technology scene has emerged HARMONIC MEDIA DECK TM 7000 INTEGRATED MEDIA SERVER, the benefits of which includes Broadcast -Class reliability, 100% Spectrum compatibility, robust, well proven architecture and comes with a compact physical size.

The Spectrum Media Deck 7000 media server, according to Ido Nahmany Regional Sales Director-Harmonic delivers the broadcast quality and mission-critical reliability of the world's leading transmission server in a convenient and cost effective package.

It packs up to four Video Channels, Gigabit Ethernet Connectivity and 3+1 RAID storage into a compact 1-RUChasis.

Still on its features the device, Richard Ayiku, a technical expert at ACT-ICT Gh Ltd, local partners of HARMONIC INT, said 'with Media Deck, even the smallest broadcast and programming operations can implement server-based ingest and play out operations of sophisticated file-based work flows in a broad range of video formats'.

Richard explains further that by leveraging the Omneon Spectrum architecture, Media Deck is immediately deployable with Omneon Media Applications for ingest, play out and delay serving, and with over a hundred third-party automation and production applications.

Richard Ayiku said Media Deck 7000 is optimized to satisfy the demanding reliability and performance requirements of broadcast operations adding that unlike media servers that rely on PC Computing platforms and operations systems such as Windows, the Device's system leverages IT technologies, but is purpose built the broadcast industry.

Mr. Ayiku adds that, broadcasts using MEDIADECK benefit from the price/performance gains driven by general IT technology enhancements without compromising mission -critical 24/7 broadcast operations.

As regards cost effectiveness, Richard explains that the device supports up to four bidirectional channels of video i/oup to 100mbps, while at the same time handling IP based file transfer traffic in and out of the system.

According to Richard, by delivering this high level of performance in a fully integrated system, Media Deck 7000 establishes a new price-per- channel benchmark for professional grade multi-channel media servers.

He explained that full compatibility with Spectrum Software allows the device to work out of the box with all applications supported by spectrum systems including automation, editors, archiving system, media applications and others.

On Video format flexibility, Mr. Ayiku said Media Deck 7000 provides mounting space and power for up to two independent Media Port 70001/10 modules which provide ingest and playout HD and SD video and digital audio. A module, according to him 'can be added to an empty slot at any time, and different Media Port Modules can be mixed in a single Media Deck.

The equipment has arrived at a time that Ghana and other African countries have committed themselves to the ITU mandated Analog switch off and migration onto digital TV transmission by 2015.

By Rowland Phillips-Addo