Jasco helps e.tv implement digital archive with Oracle Content Storage Management
12 October 2015
e.tv, South Africa’s first private free-to-air television channel, is the largest English-medium channel in the country and the third largest overall, with a pan-African presence through e.tv Africa. When the organisation launched its multichannel offering in October 2013 through Openview HD satellite and began to diversify its content on digital platforms, the need for digital archiving and long-term content storage became an imperative. The channel turned to Jasco Broadcast Solutions and the Oracle DIVA Content Management System (CMS) to provide the solution.
With volumes of digital content continuing to grow, e.tv required an efficient and stable digital archiving system that would allow for efficient archival and retrieval of footage. This would allow the channel to more effectively repurpose and repackage existing content, both for internal use and commercial exploitation. The solution also needed to incorporate archival and storage of all legacy content, raw footage, clips, stills, and supporting documents, both electronic and paper-based. One of the most pressing requirements was the ability to index all footage comprehensively and accurately, to ensure the ability to locate and retrieve specific clips on demand.
“Previously, we had relied on a manual process of browsing and retrieving footage by viewing tapes and finding appropriate clips. This was both time consuming and labour-intensive, and was becoming increasingly inefficient, especially given the increasing volumes of content we were beginning to produce. The move from analogue to digital archive workflows and storage on open standards (LTO) data tape was therefore a logical step. Our goal was to improve efficiencies in organising and storing content to enable monetising of completed programming and raw footage for clip sales,” explains Nohra Moerat, General Manager, Group Libraries and Archives, e.tv Pty Limited.
The Oracle DIVA CMS (previously Front Porch Digital DIVArchive) was identified as the ideal solution to address these requirements. The solution has a strong proven track record and a strong reputation within the broadcast industry, delivering the required efficiencies to enable more effective archiving and storage of digital content. Further requirements included the ability to integrate with iAcquire and iFind from IBIS, the Media Asset Management solution identified by e.tv for the implementation of the digital archive project. The end goal was to implement a fully integrated digital archive and storage solution customised for e.tv’s requirements. As the local agents for the Oracle CMS range, Jasco Broadcast Solutions was chosen to deliver the solution. Jasco provided an end-to-end system, including installation, support, integration, and maintenance as well as on-site training.
“Project implementation began in 2014 and went live in May 2015. The implementation of the Oracle DIVA CMS solution was overseen by our technicians and managed by e.tv’s IT support team, who also received training from Jasco to enable them to administer and maintain the system as well as support the end users,” says Rupert Dalton, Sales Executive, Jasco Broadcast Solutions.
The new centralised digital archiving solution is expected to deliver numerous benefits to e.tv to assist them with improved efficiency and accessibility of their digital archives, a factor which is of particular importance in a growing, multi-channel television environment.
About the Jasco Group
Jasco delivers end-to-end best-of-breed solutions across the entire ICT value chain. Our services include solution design, business consulting, project management and logistics to manage the supply, installation and commissioning of solutions; and professional services to provide integration and customisation of solutions; managed services, support and maintenance.
Jasco’s operating divisions, namely Intelligent Technologies, Enterprise, Carriers and Electrical Manufacturers deliver a range of solutions and services. Intelligent Technologies delivers broadcast, power, data centres and Property Technology Management (PTM) solutions as well as Energy Optimisation and Co-location services, a carrier-neutral co-location telecommunications hub where the network infrastructure serves multiple service providers. The Carrier business provides solutions and components for access and transmission networks as well as hi-sites. The Enterprise business delivers contact centre solutions, Unified Communications, Cloud Solutions and security and fire solutions. Electrical Manufacturers delivers contract manufacturing of white goods.
The Jasco Group has a national footprint with offices in Gauteng, Western Cape, Free State, Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal. Other than South Africa, the organisation trade in many sub-Saharan African countries, with a special focus on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
For more information visit us at Jasco at www.jasco.co.za
