New automated newsroom and MCR to support future growth at Thai media and entertainment company

Imagine Communications, empowering the media and entertainment industry through transformative innovation, has deployed a fully integrated and centralised master control room (MCR) and news playout system, including full workflow automation, at privately held entertainment company RS Thailand.

RS Public Company Limited (PCL), which started as a jukebox production and cassette-tape recording company, has grown to be one of the biggest names in Thailand’s media and entertainment industry, spanning music, show business and media content. The company operates one of the top-rated digital TV channels and three leading satellite TV channels.

“We needed a fully integrated MCR and news playout system, which would be robust and also allow for future expansion,” said Mr. Prayuth Wongwilai, VP of broadcast engineering at RS PCL. “We chose to work with Imagine Communications because the company provides a proven, seamless and rapidly deployable end-to- end workflow that required minimal integration. The Imagine Communications solution enables us to bring new channels on air cost efficiently, with zero downtime.”

Wongwilai added, “We can monitor our entire system from a single console with an easy-to-navigate GUI. This allows all of our staff, from system architect to engineer, to understand and manage the system with very little training.”

At the heart of the RS PCL three-channel news playout and MCR solution is a host of Imagine Communications networking and playout equipment working in unison under the control of an ADC™ automation system. The Selenio 6800+™ core processing and distribution platform provides a hub through which all signals can efficiently move across both the newsroom and the MCR, while the SelenioFlex™ File file-to-file media processing solution blends all transcoding and workflow capabilities across the newsroom for dynamic system management.

Imagine Communications’ Platinum VX™ and MX™ routers and multiviewers support signal routing, distribution and monitoring requirements. Nexio AMP® video server and Imagine’s high-performance online storage provide central storage for ingest, asset management and playout, supported by a Nexio® Motion™ for intelligent media management that creates automated processes to move and manage media between platforms.

The ADC and Nexio server technology is integrated with an established newsroom computer system (NRCS) to help minimize human error across the MCR and newsroom, support seamless editorial collaboration and ensure high productivity.

In the newsroom, the Velocity PRX™ proxy editor enables frame-accurate editing. The Nexio server system automatically generates browse-resolution proxies and instantly conforms offline edits for maximum speed in getting stories to air, as well as providing journalists and editors working in the newsroom with easy access to content. Additionally, Imagine Communications’ high-quality branding and graphics power the on-air look of RS PCL’s channels, while its test and measurement devices maintain signal integrity.

“This is a significant win for Imagine Communications in Thailand and another milestone in our continued expansion in the SE Asia market,” said Joe Khodeir, senior vice president of Asia Pacific at Imagine Communications. “This project again demonstrates our ability to deliver end-to-end, state-of-the-art solutions from ingest to playout anywhere in the world, and our high-quality local partners’ ability to provide RS PCL with a first line of support in a timely manner.”

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About Imagine Communications
Imagine Communications empowers the media and entertainment industry through transformative innovation. Broadcasters, networks, video service providers and enterprises around the world rely on our optimized, future-proof, multiscreen video and revenue enablement solutions every day to support their mission-critical operations. Today, nearly half of the world’s video channels traverse our products, and our software solutions drive close to a third of global ad revenue. Through continuous innovation we are delivering the most advanced IP, cloud-enabled, software-defined network and workflow solutions in the industry. Visit www.imaginecommunications.com for more information, and follow us on Twitter @imagine_comms.