Cologne-based broadcaster WDR has begun airing sports programming in HD after selecting Quantel’s Enterprise sQ server-based production technology.
WDR has kicked off its HD coverage with flagship German premier league show ‘Sportsschau Bundesliga’, with the entire production process, from ingest to playout, handled in HD by Quantel Enterprise sQ.
A key requirement for WDR was that the production workflow of the original SD Quantel system was not to be compromised in any way in the upgrade to HD. As the system was converted to HD throughout the course of the summer of 2009, production of WDR’s normal standard definition programming continued uninterrupted. In fact, WDR continues to supply other ARD broadcasters with material from the sQ system in a variety of formats. Now running fully HD, the production workflow for ‘Sportsschau Bundesliga’ has proved as agile and fast as its SD predecessor.
“Enterprise sQ provides an ideal platform to take WDR and everyone else into HD production,” said Thomas Birner, Quantel director of sales, Central Europe and Middle East. “It is well proven in terms of its ability to grow and adapt to future requirements, as the WDR installation shows, and its ability to serve all formats gives broadcasters complete flexibility in their operations.”
