Sahara Samay Selects Omneon Spectrum Media Server Platform

The 24-hour multichannel, multilingual news and current affairs broadcaster based in Noida, Sahara Samay TV, has shifted its broadcast operations in Mumbai onto a new Omneon platform supporting ingest, production and playout.
In an upgrade to its existing infrastructure, the leading Indian news channel deployed two Omneon Spectrum media server systems, supplied and integrated by Shaf Broadcast to ensure reliable around-the-clock delivery of national and international news programming.
R.S Chauhan, Head of Engineering and Operations at Sahara India TV Network, parent company of Sahara Samay TV, said: "Sahara Samay represents one of Asia's most sophisticated news organisations and the company opted to put the Omneon Spectrum system at the hear of its Mumbai broadcast infrastructure because of the server's technological superiority, modular design and ease of use and administration, all of which are complemented by exceptional support from the Omneon team and systems integrator Shaf Broadcast.
"The 24-hour news environment can be very demanding and the Omneon Spectrum system meets this challenge by providing stable performance; a streamlined and scalable platform for the entire broadcast workflow; and the benefit of a low cost of ownership."
Sahara Samay uses a wide network comprising dozens of interconnected bureaus to offer its viewers a broad portfolio of national and international news and current affairs. At its Mumbai facility, the broadcaster has integrated one Spectrum media server for ingest and production and a second one for playout, with the two systems providing a total of 18 ports.
The Omneon platform supporting Sahara Samay's Hindi news channel is tied into AP's ENPS news system and six Final Cut Pro edit seats. The smooth interoperability of the Omneon system with third-party products and its reliable operation will help Sahara Samay maximise uptime and eliminate bottlenecks that threaten to interrupt broadcasts.
Geoff Stedman, Omneon Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Developemnt, said: "Among the largest of India's television broadcasters, Sahara Samay brings in-depth national news and cultural programming to millions in Mumbai, a key commercial and entertainment centre in India and beyond. Adoption of Omneon systems across India has grown steadily as broadcasters have gained confidence in the quality, flexibility and reliability of the Spectrum system. Using this platform to support fundamental broadcast news operations, Sahara Samay has been able to institute a more streamlined and cost-effective workflow while ensuring the quality and continuity of its 24-hour Hindi news channel."
(KMcA/BMcC)