On December 24, 2008, Toshiba and SGI Japan announced that they have developed full HD file-based TV program broadcasting systems and core broadcasting systems, including master control equipment. A terrestrial broadcasting system has already been released and delivered to Japan’s Fuji Television Network, and systems for BS and CS satellite broadcasting are also scheduled for release.
The main systems of a TV broadcasting station cover the master control, distribution center, studio (program recording) and editing functions. Toshiba’s newly developed core broadcasting systems support the final transmission of recorded programs, and offer the high reliability and high speed processing of broadcasts essential for this demanding function.
Until now, TV programs have typically been recorded and edited on video tape, and the various content elements, including video, audio and closed caption, have been compiled, edited and finalized and then uploaded to a playout server, a long, laborious process. Toshiba’s new equipment, incorporating a file-base program broadcasting system, supports faster transfers to the playout server, and secures vast improvements in workflow and efficiency.
Toshiba has supervised overall integration of the broadcasting system, including the master control equipment, and the overall planning of the program broadcasting system and materials management. The broadcasting playout server utilizes Toshiba’s flash-memory based VIDEOS, already widely used as a Spot Server System and in Video and Audio File Systems. VIDEOS now includes enhanced functionality to support recording of files in the MXF format, automatic unwrap before playing, and a decode capability that reverts MPEG 2 video and audio data to their original formats. These capabilities maintain the uniformity of data for program until broadcasting.