Archive translation. Specifications, services and availability reflect the original publication date in 2001. Verify current compatibility before production use.
At IBC 2001 in Amsterdam, the dcp team introduced a complete line of onassys products. The company positioned onassys as a cost-effective backbone for television broadcasters moving to a fully digital transmission workflow with centralized Fibre Channel storage. The modules shared consistent user interfaces and could be adapted to individual customer requirements.
onassys was designed as an open platform capable of working with digital video data in Matrox and Avid formats. The aim was cross-platform compatibility with editing and special-effects systems from discreet, Avid and Incite.
Five modules for the broadcast chain
The dcp team planned, manufactured, configured and installed the 19-inch rackmount systems. Depending on the module, the workstations used dual Pentium III or dual AMD processors.
- onassys ]studio[: automated transmission scheduling and playout with live-content integration.
- onassys ]server[: play-in and playout server with SDI, SDTI, DV25/50 and MPEG support.
- onassys ]streamer[: MPEG-4 Windows Media encoding for webcasts.
- onassys ]transcoder[: conversion between OMF, QuickTime, AVI and MPEG media files.
- onassys ]info system[: information system for travel, stock-market, weather and television-news formats.
Further modules, including a browsing workstation, were in preparation. dcp also offered project planning, financing, installation and commissioning, followed by production and transmission support during the first months of operation.
onassys ]studio[
Together with onassys ]server[, the ]studio[ module formed the core of an installation. It scheduled content and automated transmission while integrating live material and tape feeds. Operators assembled running orders by drag and drop, with clip previews for native formats including DV, DV50, MPEG-2 and MPEG-2 I-frame-only.
In and out points could be changed during playout. Running-order lists could also be exported for downstream tasks such as billing. A playlist could combine static or animated graphic overlays, video clips, live feeds and tape sources, while mixing DV, DV50 and MPEG-2 compression formats and transitioning between them in real time.
The module supported analogue, IEEE 1394, SDI and SDTI inputs and outputs. An integrated Fibre Channel adapter enabled direct SAN connection, while external video switchers could control live sources.
onassys ]server[
onassys ]server[ was a DV and MPEG-2 playout server with between two and twelve independent channels. It supported frame-accurate synchronized or independent playout of prepared running orders and individual clips. Synchronizing multiple servers could extend the number of output channels.
The same machine could record video during playout for archiving or ingest. Scheduled capture could turn satellite downlinks into audiovisual feeds. Other functions included RS-422-controlled timecode batch capture, delayed playlist transmission and panoramic multiscreen output for sports or music events.
The server could be controlled entirely over IP, either inside a facility or through encrypted internet connections. SDTI and SDI video connections, digital AES/EBU audio and an integrated Fibre Channel adapter completed the module.
onassys ]streamer[
The rackmount streamer encoded MPEG-4 Windows Media formats for distributing television channels online. It supported live webcasts and video-on-demand streams and integrated with the server and studio modules for direct internet transmission.
Inputs included composite video, Y/C, SDI, IEEE 1394, AES/EBU and S/PDIF. Scalable hardware generated several MPEG-4 streams simultaneously and connected to Fibre Channel SAN environments.
onassys ]transcoder[
The transcoder brought different nonlinear editing systems into an onassys environment. It converted QuickTime, AVI and OMF files from Avid, Fast, Pinnacle and discreet into formats native to Matrox DigiSuite and DigiServer hardware. The Avid archive collects further coverage from Digital Production.
Files associated with Apple workflows were also supported, with further historical coverage in Digital Production’s Apple archive. A dual-Athlon rackmount workstation performed the conversion in roughly one third of the source material’s running time, according to dcp. The losslessly transcoded files were then made available to automated transmission control through the Fibre Channel SAN.
onassys ]info system[
The information system was intended for travel, stock-market, weather and television-news formats. It connected internet-based and conventional broadcasting, using an integrated DVE and keyer to compose on-air designs. Connections to online news services and servers allowed content to be updated remotely while incorporating live signals or media files stored on the SAN.
