TV Azteca Upgrades Playout Infrastructure
TV Azteca, one of Mexico's leading broadcasters, has collaborated with Imagine Communications to deploy a next-generation playout and master control infrastructure. The scalable, software-based platform running on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware is currently driving 120 channels from TV Azteca's headquarters in Mexico City.
The new infrastructure features 20 Nexio+ AMP software-defined media servers, which support uncompressed and compressed IP and UHD/HD/SD SDI I/O. Three Versio IOX SAN high-performance online storage systems provide a total of 528 TB storage and allow scaling of storage and bandwidth without affecting existing media or interrupting on-air operations.
Supporting Future Plans
The upgrade is part of TV Azteca's efforts to evolve its infrastructure to support its growing operations and future plans for IP distribution, cloud-based operations, and 4K UHD. The company aims to gradually transition to an end-to-end IP workflow from camera to screen.
According to Pedro Carmona Ortiz, technology director at TV Azteca, the new infrastructure will enable the company to maintain its legacy equipment while shifting into a purely IP-based operation over the next couple of years. 'Our ultimate goal is an end-to-end IP workflow,' he said. 'Imagine Communications has provided us with an innovative and practical solution that enabled us to achieve this goal.'
Partnership with Imagine Communications
Sergio Yáñez, vice president, CALA Sales at Imagine Communications, praised TV Azteca's forward-thinking approach to technology implementation. 'We are proud of our long relationship with this future-focused media organization and look forward to continue supporting TV Azteca with practical solutions and migration strategies that align with their specific requirements.'