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Harmonic (News - Alert), a provider of infrastructure that powers the video economy, claimed that BBC Sport has integrated the Omneon MediaGrid active storage system into its new file-based production system.

According to Harmonic, the new system is supposed to offer BBC Sport with the ability to create instant highlights of broadcasts and make fast-turnaround edits. The Omneon MediaGrid is being installed along with EVS live production systems at the broadcaster's new facility in Salford Quays, Greater Manchester.

The MediaGrid system will have 1500 hours storage capacity for HD content and support a fast edit-in-place workflow for the facility’s Final Cut Pro editors.

Officials with Harmonic commented that BBC has relied on Omneon server systems for more than a decade, and now with its shift to a faster and more agile file-based live sports production system, the company also has chosen to implement an Omneon storage solution. The Omneon MediaGrid storage system offers the high performance and resilience that are critical in live broadcast applications, and Harmonic is confident it will provide the same performance for future sports broadcasts from Manchester.

The company explained that the Omneon MediaGrid active storage system combines clustered storage with grid computing, using multiple intelligent, interconnected-yet-independent nodes to create a system that scales in manageable increments of capacity, bandwidth and media-processing power. Designed specifically for digital media workflows, the system integrates easily with workflow and content management applications to deliver a complete platform solution.

At the BBC Sport production facility, the Omneon MediaGrid system with the capacity to offer an aggregate bandwidth up to 6 Gbps and total usable storage capacity of 96 TB will be connected directly to Final Cut Pro for creation of features and highlights packages, news-based packages, documentary-style content, and other edits in post-production. The entire production system is scheduled to go live by the end of 2011.