NAB Perspectives: Selenio Reshapes the Harris Landscape

Harris Broadcast laid out a vision for 2011 that builds on the accelerating pace of change as the age of “media oversaturation” becomes a global phenomenon everywhere from the U.S. to Afghanistan and beyond. “We see content fueling technology change,” said Harris Morris, president of Harris Broadcast. But it appears that Harris Broadcast is looking to fuel change as well with new concepts like the Selenio Media Convergence Platform.

Morris calls it a new product category, one designed to bring in baseband video signals into a 3RU box and then create IP-based signals that can serve new needs like 3D, 3G, mobile, and HD.

What exactly is Selenio? Every shipment of the Selenio frame includes the following a controller for interface to control networks (with an option for data networks); two genlock reference looping inputs utilizing standard BNC connectors; built-in, browser-based management system (no software required) that incorporates support for rich interactive features through Microsoft Silverlight; a General Purpose Interface (GPI) with two GPI inputs and outputs provided on a multi-pin type connector; and an energy-efficient power supply.

But it’s what isn’t included that is nearly as important as what is included. By adding dual-channel baseband modules each Selenio frame can handle 28 channels of high-density baseband video processing, including up-, down-, and cross-conversion and synchronization. Audio processing capabilities, including integrated Dolby E, Dolby Digital, AAC, AAC-HE, MPEG audio and DTS Neural Surround UpMix, DownMix and DTS Neural Loudness Control. And MPEG-2 and h.264 compression is supported from SD and HD up to 3Gbps and down to mobile apps. Toss in audio and video multiplexing and demultiplexing for compressed streams and support for up to 14 independent, single-slot modules with internal connectivity and a network or playout facility can tackle new business opportunities without massive investments.

“It allows for new revenue models to be tested to find out what is working without making an investment in new infrastructure,” adds Morris. It can also result in cost and space savings as the 3RU unit only draws 600 Watts of power and new channels and services can be added by using a block diagram workflow interface to program it.

Also new is Nexio Fared, a high-performance online storage system that Morris says is ideal for large-scale ingest of sports and news content. Throughout is upwards of 8Gbps and storage capacity tops out at 32TB. Users can also scale Farad capacity to more than 512TB of usable RAID-601 protected storage and/or 32,000Mb/s easily with minimal workflow disruption.

“It also decouples storage and bandwidth so both can scale independently,” adds Morris. “There is also no time to needed to transfer files [because all of the media is in one place].”

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