Sony Professional Solutions Europe has announced the launch of its omni-media network production system Media Backbone Hive.
Successor to its Sonaps news production system, Media Backbone Hive is designed to meet the evolving production and operational needs of modern broadcast workflows, providing end-to-end, camera-to-archive content and workflow management.
Hive, which will be available from September, is constructed around a Hyper Convergent Node platform, which, according to the company, offers ‘state of the art’ security, resilience and scalability.
“Media Backbone Hive is a technology enabler for the broadcast industry,” said Ali Etezadi-Amoli, director of product marketing at Sony Electronics.
“It uses internet technologies, like Hyper Convergent Nodes, to deliver efficient operations and the opportunity for a significant reduction in the total cost of ownership.
“It is also built with the future in mind. While our first releases are focused on news and sports applications, the core Hive platform already supports the integration of new toolsets and the development of new applications.”
The news comes alongside a vast array of announcements from Sony at its NAB press conference in Vegas.
The company is presenting a range of products at NAB, including the latest PXW-Z450 – its latest XDCAM shoulder-mount camcorder, capable of capturing 4K picture quality from a new 2/3-type ExmorR CMOS sensor. It is also showcasing the HDC-4800, its newest camera system which combines 4K, wide colour space with UHFR capabilities.
It is unveiling the second generation of its Optical Disc Archive System, which adopts a new, high-capacity optical media developed jointly by Sony and Panasonic, alongside the new PVM-X550, a 55-inch 4K OLED monitor ideal for verifying 4K footage during production.
The company will collaborate with Grass Valley to develop industry-wide interoperability between the two companies’ IP-based solutions and devices. In order to foster better interoperability across the industry and offer customers a standards-based approach, Grass Valley plans to implement an IP-to- IP gateway card compatible with its innovative GV-Node IP processing platform.
Sony is also revealing its latest solutions, designed to further enhance its interoperable IP Live Production system with Networked Media Interface. The new suite of solutions have been developed to help broadcasters make the most of IP technology.
A new deal with Sweden’s largest commercial news broadcaster, TV4, will see Sony Professional provide 50 new PXW-X70 cameras, which will be purchased over the course of a year.
