Mobile
Rotana buys Harris’ ‘One’
Chris Forrester ©RapidTVNews | 19-11-2009
Fast-growing Middle East broadcaster Rotana has selected a Harris Corp ‘One' end-to-end channel playout system for its central master control, located at Cairo's NileSat.
NileSat hosts many broadcasters, but Rotana is a major client and hence deserving a dedicated self-contained operation. The Harris solution for Rotana is a major step-up for the Lebanese headquartered operation.It includes automation, servers, master control switchers, branding systems, routers, multiviewers and processing equipment - and supports the expansion of Rotana TV in the Middle East. Harris' dealer Systems Design was contracted to handle the complete setup.
"Our previous infrastructure could only support four channels," said Dr. Naser Refaat, technical advisor at Rotana TV. "As our presence throughout the Middle East expands, we need an advanced infrastructure to support us and ensure we are future-proofed. The Rotana technical and commercial committee selected Harris because of its high-quality, comprehensive broadcast transmission solution, as well as for the company's very strong regional presence and local support team."
The upgraded MCR enables Rotana to support 14 TV channels - with the ability to upgrade to HD transmission chains in the future. The system is integrated with Rotana's channel management system, as well as with the Rotana media central archive library system, which is located 20 kilometers from the master control room.
"With Harris, broadcasters can streamline workflows, centralize media management and lower per-channel costs in multichannel applications," said Richard Scott, vice president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa operations, Harris Broadcast Communications. "This installation illustrates the strength of Harris when it comes to providing integrated ONE solutions."
© Rapid TV News 2009
