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OmniBus enjoys pre-NAB iTX success

Even before NAB has begun, OmniBus Systems has announced that iTX, the software production and transmission system, has racked up $7.5 million in orders, with a large proportion from sales to customers launching high definition services. At NAB later this month OmniBus is launching iTX version 1.1, featuring new HD ingest and content browsing capabilities that further strengthen the solution's appeal as a platform for HD broadcasting, writes Andy Stout.

Even before NAB has begun, OmniBus Systems has announced that iTX, the software production and transmission system, has racked up $7.5 million in orders, with a large proportion from sales to customers launching high definition services. At NAB later this month OmniBus is launching iTX version 1.1, featuring new HD ingest and content browsing capabilities that further strengthen the solution’s appeal as a platform for HD broadcasting, writes Andy Stout.

Based on a like-for-like specification of 20 HD playout channels, five HD ingest channels, 2.3 TB of online storage and 12 TB of nearline storage, an HD broadcasting solution based on iTX requires only around half the investment needed for a setup using conventional hardware. “That is a huge consideration for broadcasters of any size that are scaling up for HD,” said Ian Fletcher, CTO, OmniBus Systems. “We are finding that broadcasters are drawn to iTX not only for these cost advantages, but also because it simplifies many of the technical issues facing designers of new HD installations.”

“There are a number of challenges, including dealing with surround sound and the upconversion of existing content,” added Fletcher. “iTX solves all of these problems in a single software package by enabling broadcasters to produce a hybrid schedule consisting of HD and SD, and a mix of stereo and 5.1. iTX seamlessly marries all these types of content into an HD-compatible 5.1 output with all upconversion being done in real time.”