By developing own products, the company gains full control over the product and may therefore fully affect its competitiveness. By developing the Redwood server designed for replacement of tape video players in studios, the AVECO Company has obtained a quality product that logically follows and complements the control equipment forming the main part of their supplies into the entire world.

Initial Status

The AVECO Company deals with supplies of control equipment for video studios already for a longer time. Thanks to the knowledge of the environment, it has met the requirements for supplies of a broadcasting server for dispatch of individual programmes into broadcasting. Because this product logically follows their current products and they have major experience with programming similar applications, the system requirements were specified and the product development has begun.

Business Objectives

The main goal was to offer the market a competitive product. In a period, where digital equipment fully rules technologies, replacement of classic tape video players with digital versions is required, most frequently in the MPEG2 format. There is competition at the market but due to the high prices of this equipment, there is a certain space for another product. A matter of course however is that even if the product is competitive mainly by the price, it must meet the performance requirements of customers fully.

Solution

The overall system was designed so that it forms a compact unit. The system thus must have contained a powerful disk array, a control computer, and the part designed for video signal processing formed by digital video cards and a rear connector panel for connecting the video equipment and peripherals usually used in the computer area. An important parameter has also been the design that is both favourably perceived by the users and is attractive from the marketing standpoint during presentations. The basis is a chassis with a height of 4U (1 U = 44.4 mm) for building into 19” racks. At the front behind the backlit and custom built panel, there is a so-called hot-swap RAID disc array securing a sufficient capacity and performance for supplying up to four channels of video signal, while there is a need to fill the disc array with further programmes for future broadcasting using a gigabit ethernet network. The central part of the system is formed by a powerful PC system of an industrial nature on a passive backplane that allows for vertical assembly of all cards and thus maximal utilisation of the space while preserving the capability of quick servicing access. In this backplane, there is the space for 1 or 2 digital video cards (each with two channels) according to the customer’s requirements for the amount of needed video channels. Because these cards are a large heat source, the internal space was specially designed with regard to filtering, supply, and discharge of air including internal tunnels for flow direction. The rear panel was designed with regard to standard requirements for connection of video signals in professional video studios and also for the requirements of connection of peripherals for control and communication of the PC system. In order to increase reliability, the system is powered by a fully redundant high performance power supply.

Benefits

• A powerful system for an acceptable price
• The system meets the current requirements
• Full control over the product and its future development

Products and Technologies

• An SW application of the AVECO company for playing and organisation of playlists
• A powerful PC system with an HDD RAID array by ELCOM IPC
• Matrox digital video cards
• A custom design and production of the chassis and the system connector panel