PUBLIC SERVICE media enterprise SRG SSR’s remit is based on the Swiss Federal Constitution, the Federal Office of Communication (OFCOM). SRG SSR is made up of five regional Enterprise Units and six subsidiaries, with 6,000 employees (5,000 full-time equivalents), 18 radio stations and seven television SD/HD channels, as well as websites and Teletext services. The dramatic increase in
video traffic and new production models, such as workflows, combined with the deployment of new services and network elements poses several challenges for network owners in terms of reliability and manageability. This has network owners constantly searching for a solution that allows them to consolidate their infrastructure to one converged network, to be more efficient and simplify network management, and allows them
SRG SSR turned to Net Insight and upc cablecom for a single contribution/distribution network for its video and audio needs
to capitalise on emerging media and video opportunities. SRG SSR, Switzerland’s
national public broadcasting organisation, faced the challenge of monitoring and provisioning content distribution over its network to meet insatiable demand for its services. It had separate networks for radio contribution, radio/video distribution and data services, making network management very complex and future needs difficult to anticipate. The broadcaster needed a
new service platform in an environment requiring the highest service availability and quality, while simultaneously saving operating expenses. There were stringent requirements for a rapid migration, with minimal service disruption and a solution that not only provided multi-tier redundancy but also integrated reporting to allow for the policing of Service Level Agreements (SLA). SRG SSR decided to converge
all of its services onto a single platform, carried over its own dedicated optical infrastructure. To save time, money and enhance quality, the network had to be expanded and modernised. This for example required the conversion of the entire studio production area to high definition (HDTV), which needed a massive expansion of the transmission capacities from the previous level of 5Gbps to 40Gbps.
A new Vision
Net Insight with its video, audio and data transport platform, in partnership with upc cablecom was able to fulfill these needs. Net Insight’s Nimbra platform was selected to deliver a nationwide contribution/distribution network for all publicly owned radio and video related services in Switzerland for a high- resolution future and with guaranteed QoS. The Nimbra solution, carrying uncompressed and compressed HD video and audio, including support for legacy peripherals, was