News

Quantel sQ server scales up and down at NAB (11/5/2005)

World-beating server range gets bigger, more affordable and more capable

Quantel today unveiled a number of innovations and developments for its market-leading sQ server-based production systems. These include extending the range of servers to offer both larger and smaller models, zoning for multi-server management, self-automation with the new QRecord and QPlay built-in applications, and a new highlights facility for sports packaging.

"Not all server systems are the same," says Quantel Executive Chairman, Richard Taylor. "Our many users around the world tell us that sQ technology is quite simply years ahead of anything else out there. These new developments raise the bar yet further."

The sQ server range has always been scalable; the range has been further extended. There is a new bigger sQ server announced for larger installations, and a new smaller model introduced for greater flexibility. These new servers incorporate all the unique Quantel sQ technologies (Frame Magic, ISA Integrated Server Architecture, Delta Editing, Resolution Transparency, etc) but in a more flexible package. They are also fully HD-upgradeable, offering broadcasters total peace of mind way into the future. "The expansion of the sQ server range now brings Quantel magic to an even wider audience," says Norman Rouse, Quantel Marketing Manager.

Zoning is a breakthrough development from Quantel that enables broadcasters to create intelligent relationships between different production areas in multi-server systems. Using Quantel's Zoning technology, the broadcaster can decide what information held on the server system can be shared between areas and what needs to be kept private (for example, the news production teams for two different channels). It's the kind of operational flexibility that today's broadcasters crave.

Practically every server-based broadcast system is controlled by sophisticated, feature rich third party management applications. Quantel's new Self Automation facility for sQ is designed to complement this by providing one-press, instant record and playout with QRecord and QPlay, and is also powerful enough to be able to stand in its own right in smaller installations. "QRecord and QPlay have been developed by popular demand with many of our users who are interested in increasing the resilience of their installations, or reducing the entry cost," adds Rouse.

The final new development for sQ on show at NAB is a super-fast turnaround Highlights facility, designed very much with sports broadcasting in mind. Using the new Highlights facility, any incoming material can be quickly selected, topped, tailed, assembled, given the slo-mo treatment if required and then played out to air, all without the operator leaving their seat.

www.quantel.com