OmniBus complete digital workflow project for WDR

Integrated journalist/production desktop tools and media management, ingest and playout automation solutions from OmniBus Systems are at the heart of a groundbreaking new digital workflow project at German broadcaster WDR.
The multi-million-Euro venture has been commissioned for the production of Morgenmagazin (MoMa), a daily three-and-a-half-hour live magazine programme Cologne-based WDR produces for the German ARD network for two weeks out of every four. WDR is to use the MoMa solution as a pilot scheme to introduce a new digital workflow across its entire organisation.
OmniBus is providing an integrated, end-to-end solution from ingest to playout automation, including integration - via MOS Protocol - to the Open Media newsroom system and Quantel production storage, G3 desktop tools using micro-modular component design, quality control, metadata entry, archiving and media management. The new system - a close collaboration between the manufacturers, WDR and general contractor BFE - is scheduled to take the programme to air by the end of 2004.
"None of the other companies we evaluated could prove they had an established product offering that suited our needs in our timescale," commented Heinz Deiters, WDR. "With its studio automation, ingest and workflow management, OmniBus provides a sophisticated, 'building blocks' approach that allows the use and integration of existing technologies.
"This not only makes it very scalable but also enables operators to interchange quickly and easily between the components they need."
Additional key features that met WDR's requirements were OmniBus' compatibility with IMX - Sony's MPEG-based digital tape format - the central ingest concept that enables acquisition of material from other broadcasters and correspondents around the world and the ready-made infrastructure and support for a future file-based digital archive.
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