Broadcast News

Bookmark and Share
02/05/2006

Sony delivers on BSkyB migration to HD

Sony announced at NAB that British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) is progressing well with its operational migration to High Definition (HD).
As part of this transformation, Sony has delivered a five camera HD studio and is working closely with BSkyB to move its play-to-air operations from tape to server-based play-out with Sony PetaSite storage technology.
Last December, Sony and BSkyB signed a joint marketing agreement to bring HD to Sky viewers in the UK and Ireland. This widely reported deal demonstrated both organizations' long-term commitment to HD as broadcasting's future.
The two companies have been working to establish HD capabilities within BSkyB's technical and broadcast operations. BSkyB selected Sony to project manage the design and delivery of its first HD studio as a cornerstone of a carefully-managed HD migration. The sophisticated solution includes five Sony HDC-1500 HD studio cameras and a custom-built control system that facilitates rapid reconfiguration between standard and high definition operations.
“When it came to building our first HD studio, Sony and its Professional Services team proved to be ideal partners in delivering our requirements. Their knowledge of designing and building HD systems to meet even the most advanced engineering requirements was unsurpassed,” said Chris Johns, Chief Engineer at BSkyB. “From the beginning, we had enormous confidence in Sony's capabilities, the quality of its products and the knowledge of its people.”
Elsewhere, BSkyB's Broadcast Centre has deployed two Sony PetaSite storage solutions as part of a major technology refresh project that includes migrating its transmissions infrastructure from a tape-based to an automated, server-based playout platform.
This new infrastructure will support all Sky Networks' channels, including Sky Sports, Sky Movies, Sky News, Sky One, Sky Two, Sky Three, Sky Travel and Artsworld, as well as BSkyB's dedicated HD channels.
“The ability to ingest high-quality tape-based content directly onto Sony PetaSites has changed the way we store and transfer programmes,” said Peter Esdaile, Programme Manager, Engineering and Platform Technology. “Instead of pulling hundreds of tapes from the library each day for our 24-hour schedules, we can now store data on the PetaSites, wait until the scheduled date and then move the content to the video transmission server for playout while simultaneously archiving that content for future reference.”
By transitioning to a file-based playout infrastructure, BSkyB's Broadcast Centre will become more efficient. While more than a year's material will be stored on each PetaSite, less than five days material will be held on the live servers, which will ensure that even if a server fails, operations will be restored quickly. Eventually, the new PetaSites will be employed as part of BSkyB's full HD migration.
(SP/GB)
Solidmate Ltd Memory Card Hire London

Top Related Stories
Click here for the latest broadcast news stories.

21/04/2023
Sky Mobile Sponsors Britains Got Talent
Sky Mobile is the new headline sponsor of one of the country's biggest and best loved TV programmes, Britain's Got Talent. The iconic show returns for
03/04/2023
Sky Opens Digital Hub In Isleworth
In partnership with IvybridgeLink Charity, Sky opened a Digital Hub at The BridgeLink Community Centre, close to its group headquarters in Isleworth.
08/03/2024
Sky Receives Seven Nominations For 2024 Royal Television Society Programme Awards
Sky has received seven nominations for the 2024 Royal Television Society Programme Awards across kids, entertainment, factual and sports programming.
11/12/2023
Sky Opens New Digital Hub In Cardiff
In partnership with Cardiff Council's Youth Services, Sky opened a new digital Hub in Cardiff, the first one in Wales. The Hub provides access to digi
08/12/2023
Sky Media Unveils The Grub Club
Grub Club has been unveiled by Sky Media as the recipient of the Grand Prix prize of the 2023 Sky Zero Footprint Fund. The £2 million advertising init
06/12/2023
Sky Secures Broadcast Rights To Show Record Number Of Premier League Fixtures
Sky has secured the broadcast rights to show a record number of Premier League fixtures in a new four-year deal. With up to 100 more matches each seas
01/12/2023
Sky And Fastweb Sign Multi-Year Partnership
Sky and Fastweb have signed a multi-year partnership to launch Sky Mobile in Italy in early 2024. Powered by Fastweb, Sky Mobile will offer a reliable
24/11/2023
Sky Agrees New Partnerships With ATP Media And WTA Ventures
Sky has agreed new five-year partnerships with both ATP Media, the broadcast arm of the ATP, and WTA Ventures, the commercial arm of the WTA, which wi
17/05/2023
Sky And Sony Pictures Television To Continue Partnership
Sky and Sony Pictures Television (SPT) have agreed a multi-year continuation of their partnership, which will see major SPT feature films and SPT tele
20/10/2023
Sky Extends Partnership With Kick It Out
Sky has announced that it will be extending its partnership with anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out, pledging an additional £1 million inves
18/10/2023
Sky Ireland And Virgin Media Ireland Announce Wholesale Network Access Deal
Sky Ireland and Virgin Media Ireland have announced a wholesale network access deal, that will significantly enhance broadband services available to S
16/10/2023
Sky Sports Announces New Rights Deal RL Commercial
Ahead of live and exclusive coverage from Old Trafford tonight of the 26th Super League Grand Final, Sky Sports and RL Commercial have announced a tra
11/10/2023
Sky Announces New Documentary
Sky has announced a new documentary Save Our Wildlife set to hit Sky Kids platforms on 9 October. The show will also air on Sky News on 2 and 3 Decemb
10/10/2023
Sky News Arabia Adopts Viz Mosart
Long-time Vizrt client Sky News Arabia has adopted market-leading studio automation software Viz Mosart as it moves away from a manual process-based a
05/10/2023
POLITICO Teams Up With Sky News
POLITICO and Sky News have partnered to release Politics at Jack and Sam's, a new weekly podcast which launches on Sunday, 01 October. Two of Britain'