Swisscom Broadcast – A future-proof live sports IP contribution network
Swisscom Broadcast needed to provide reliable, high-quality live video transport services mainly for football and hockey leagues in Switzerland, enabling TV stations to transport productions live to their studios.
THE COMPANY
Swisscom Broadcast is the leading terrestrial radio and TV distributor in Switzerland that provides services in various areas from radio and TV broadcasting, tower business and network engineering to security communication networks, event services and TV contribution.
THE ISSUE
Swisscom Broadcast needed to provide reliable, high-quality live video transport services mainly for football and hockey leagues in Switzerland, enabling TV stations to transport productions live to their studios.
Their existing video contribution network had reached its limits, more channels from and to event sites were requested by their clients, and more services such as the possibility of integrating communication – video, audio and data services. In order to cope with the increasing market needs for contribution services, Swisscom Broadcast decided to invest in a new platform in order to provide enhanced and future-proof services.
What Swisscom Broadcast required was a network that matched their clients’ demands regarding formats, capacity and ease-of-use. Swisscom Broadcast’s requirements were very high, e.g. they required integration of JPEG2000 compression to optimize bandwidth usage, as well as greater functionality with point-to-multipoint transmissions, any-to-any connections, integrated LAN services, monitoring and more channels per location.
THE SOLUTION
Swisscom Broadcast put a lot of effort in finding a stable and reliable solution, supporting both high definition transmissions, and an easy configured system to provide uncompromised quality and service availability to meet the expectations of their clients.
One of the main challenges was that Swisscom Broadcast had to perform the roll-out and the testing of the new network in only five weeks, the short time span between the end of the football season and the start of the winter season. And they knew that they would need the supplier’s assistance to ensure a smooth and fully functional transition.
Swisscom Broadcast chose Net Insight as the offered Nimbra solution provided very reliable transmission, incorporated the flexibility needed and could integrate JPEG2000 for bandwidth optimization.
THE RESULTS
In collaboration with Net Insight, Swisscom Broadcast, Switzerland’s leading radio and TV distributor, has been able to upgrade their network and replace all video-hardware to provide extended, stable and sustainable transmission services to clients. The rollout at the sites was done in a limited timeframe of five weeks.
The network has been in operation since July 2012 and has been very well received by their clients. As it allows them to improve production processes and the handling of connections has been made easier and straightforward to manage through the touch screen application Touch&Switch.
Swisscom Broadcast says that the transition to the new network has gone very smoothly.
Net Insight has provided very professional training, very good support and very good value for the money.
