Grupo RBS in Brazil has centralised its MCR and playout functionality at a single site, using Appear’s X Platform to connect 11 sub-affiliate sites to its main operations in Porto Alegre.
Grupo RBS in Brazil has centralised its Master Control Room (MCR) and playout functionality at a single site by connecting 11 sub-affiliate sites across the country to its main operations in Porto Alegre. Previously, each of these sites was relying on its own MCR and playout operations.
One of the largest media conglomerates in Brazil, Grupo RBS is deploying Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) primary distribution systems to achieve this new infrastructure. The deployment uses Appear’s hardware X Platform as an accelerated SRT connection.
“Centralising our MCR and playout operations required a robust system that connects a huge number of feeds from various sites across South of Brazil directly into our facility in Porto Alegre. The Appear SRT-enabled X Platform meant we could integrate feeds from different interfaces and sources with little disruption,” said Roberto Hoffmann, Engineering Manager at Grupo RBS.
Proactive Support
He also noted that, as well as the hardware, Appear’s proactive approach to understanding Grupo RBS’ requirements from the beginning had a major influence on the project’s success. “The company’s team was actively involved in the proof-of-concept process, proposing effective solutions that aligned well with our needs. Moreover, the X Platform met all technical requirements and was the right size for the project,” he said.
“Our partnership with Appear not only enhances our operational efficiency, but we also expect it will lead to better broadcast experiences in Brazil, through reducing points of failure and enabling us to concentrate on ensuring that our single super-playout centre remains competitive within the LATAM region.”
SRT is gaining support as a protocol that especially suits primary video distribution for broadcasters. SRT is able to overcome obstacles to traditional broadcast delivery over unreliable networks, a factor that becomes especially important when streaming content from central playout facilities to geographically dispersed local affiliate stations.
Signal Integrity
One of the main concerns of primary distribution over the public internet is ensuring broadcast-quality signal integrity, where packet loss, jitter and unpredictable bandwidth can challenge traditional transport protocols. SRT effectively handles these issues with error correction mechanisms that adapt to network quality. With its scalability and density, it made a top choice for enabling Grupo RBS to integrate and optimise its MCR and playout workflows.
“The hardware acceleration used in our professional grade SRT system opens the way for media and entertainment companies like Grupo RBS to upgrade its MCR and playout infrastructure,” said Luis Perez, Sales Director LATAM at Appear.
“The X Platform’s extreme density plus its support for SRT, SMPTE 2110, NMOS and PTP standards gives Grupo RBS far more flexibility and efficiency with scope to improve the quality of viewer experiences.”
Appear’s SRT solution helps keep operators’ costs low for channel transmission over the public internet, at the same time allowing them to replace expensive satellite links and dedicated fibre circuits with a high level of confidence. Furthermore, SRT is an effective way to reduce the transport budget of moving certain types of studio functionality to the cloud, such as media asset management.
When used as an SRT gateway, Appear’s X20 Platform can handle up to 1,536 connections (12 cards x 128 connections per card) and up to 72Gb of SRT traffic in a single 2RU chassis, saving space and power consumption, resulting in a lower cost base. Through these features, SRT can help organizations to turn the economics of migration to Internet distribution in their favour. www.appear.net
