New Zealand pay-TV provider Sky deploys Playout X on Grass Valley AMPP for scalable, hybrid cloud solutions to deliver high-quality UHD content and accelerate channel growth.
New Zealand broadcasting company Sky Network Television delivers pay television services via satellite, media streaming and broadband internet. Sky has well over 1 million residential television subscribers, of which nearly one half are satellite subscribers, almost another half are streaming subscribers, and the remaining are supplied via broadband. Sky now delivers free-to-air services through its newly acquired Sky Free subsidiary as well.
Addressing this diversity, Sky is undertaking an overhaul of its playout operations, which which have been running on Grass Valley Morpheus ICE. It will implement the new centrally controlled, adaptable Playout X system across 10 HD channels with full UHD support. Playout X operates on Grass Valley’s AMPP platform and establishes a flexible environment that prepares Sky to shift to cloud infrastructure when needed, and is capable of on-premises, hybrid and cloud-burst operation.
Options and Agility – Moving to AMPP OS
This deployment uses the open APIs made available with AMPP OS, to integrate directly with Sky’s existing business management and traffic systems. Further API support enables them to tailor the platform by integrating custom tools and applications as needed.
“AMPP delivers the agility and extensibility we need to meet today’s demanding broadcast requirements and to prepare for future growth,” said Justin Loza, Platform Owner – Broadcast & Network at Sky Network Television. “We particularly value the platform’s hybrid deployment options and the flexible commercial model, all of which align with our goal of rapid channel expansion and event-driven operations.”
By adopting a playout solution that can automatically scale resources in response to viewer demand such as major sporting events, with all essential features, Sky aims to simplify its operations and accelerate channel launches. In terms of the quality and continuity of content delivery to audiences, the platform maintains robust support for HD and UHD workflows, and Sky also plans to retain tight control over monetization through precise ad insertion.
Centralised Orchestration
As well as flexibility and scalability, Playout X’s availability on AMPP means Sky’s team has the advantage of centralised orchestration, allowing control of their diverse channel deployments from GV.UI, a single HTML5-based interface.
Operators can configure control layouts that suit their specific workflows. Through GV.UI, multi-monitor dashboards can be created for monitoring, event management and schedule manipulation in real-time, securely accessed from a browser.
An important integration is support for Framelight X asset management, making content preparation and playback straightforward, efficient and less prone to operational friction. Through Playout X, Sky can organise and access media assets, ready for playout at all times. The Framelight X content registration workflow allows operators to drag-and-drop assets direct into Playout X channels as they prepare and schedule content – without leaving the platform.
For the Operator
Other features for operators include diverse inputs such as SDI, SMPTE ST 2110 and IP streams, with output options in SD, HD, UHD and HDR. Audio and subtitle management covers multi-language audio, built-in loudness correction, and support for closed captions. The tools integrated for graphics and overlays feature HTML5 graphics rendering, DVE support and live tickers.
Evan Boyd, Senior Vice President of Sales, APAC, at Grass Valley noted that the initiative to adopt Playout X also strengthens his company’s presence in the Asia-Pacific market. “The successful transition of a tier-one broadcaster like Sky Network Television to AMPP OS highlights the strategic importance and agility of software defined infrastructure,” he said. “Sky now has the scope to scale confidently and maintain its leadership in a rapidly evolving media landscape. www.grassvalley.com
