Abu Dhabi Media upgrades with Imagine
January 16, 2018
Imagine Communications is providing a full upgrade of the central technical facilities at Abu Dhabi Media. The centre, which includes playout facilities for 15 HD channels, relied extensively on Imagine technology when it was first established 10 years ago.
Central to the design of the refreshed technology platform is the flexibility to update seamlessly to meet changing market demands. The system currently supports baseband/SDI, but is future-proofed to incorporate IP connectivity, as required. It supports 4K, HDR and other potential technical developments. The hybrid architecture supports a mix of on-premises and cloud-ready solutions, including Imagine’s Broadcast Master and xG Schedule for traffic and programme scheduling. In 2017, Imagine and Abu Dhabi Media implemented a proof-of-concept cloud playout system for disaster recovery in cooperation with du Media Cloud.
“Today, the direction of technology is more towards software-defined solutions and away from hardware,” said Ahmed Al-Menhali, director of projects at Abu Dhabi Media. “The concept of software-defined technology is helping everybody. Imagine is following that direction, and that serves the roadmap we have planned to roll out.”