Pinnacle Systems takes Southern Cross Broadcasting tapeless with Palladium-based servers and editing systems.

Pinnacle Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCLE) has announced that Southern Cross Broadcasting (SCB), Australia's leading regional free-to-air television network, selected Pinnacle to provide the server and editing infrastructure for SCB's new "tapeless" playout facility. Installed at the SCB playout center in Canberra, the project centers on a large-scale deployment of Pinnacle's Palladium networked media architecture using MediaStream 900 Networked Storage Servers. In addition the nationwide editing infrastructure for SCB has been completely overhauled and standardized on Pinnacle Liquid nonlinear editing systems.

"Southern Cross was looking for a system that would provide rock solid playout," said Raoul Prideaux, Southern Cross' Director of Engineering and Technology. "The MediaStream 900 and the Palladium architecture demonstrated that Pinnacle were ahead of the market and could deliver the range of capabilities we needed. Southern Cross expects the Pinnacle solution will streamline all associated workflows with advanced material handling."

The pivotal factor in the SCB decision is the underlying Pinnacle Palladium architecture that enables SCB to digitally acquire and create content once, from any location nationwide, and transfer the material efficiently to the playout station. In addition MediaStream servers provide readiness for HDTV operation without modification or additional cost, interoperability 3rd party commercial distribution servers, scalability through shared network storage, and a fault-tolerant architecture. The result is a high-reliability, cost-effective solution for multi-channel playout of MPEG-2 video with simultaneous standard definition and high definition formats.

SCB also deployed the MassStore Asset Management system from MassTech that leverages Palladium to further automate and streamline material handling. A simple Xsend command at the remote Liquid editing workstation initiates the fully automated MassStore material handling process to the central site.

"Southern Cross has replaced all existing commercial production editing infrastructure feeding our new playout facility with Pinnacle Liquid Silver and Liquid Blue NLEs," said Rod Giddy, Southern Cross's Engineering Manager based in Canberra. "Southern Cross required a nonlinear editing system that would excite our clients (and editors) to ensure we are competitive and capable of the most advanced effects."

Initially SCB managers were attracted to Liquid's standard digital I/O, MPEG-2 and uncompressed editing capability, and built-in DVD burning. Ultimately, however, SCB creative personnel who appreciated Liquid's comfortable user interface, slick layering and compositing tools, background rendering, and 3-point color correction drove the decision.

The Pinnacle servers, Palladium Exchange, Liquid NLE's, Masstech MassStore and Spectra Logic Library were supplied and installed by Techtel Pty Ltd of Sydney.