Canal+ Group Partners With EVS For IP-Based Infrastructure At New Headquarters

Canal+ Group, the Vivendi-owned player in the creation and distribution of content worldwide, has deployed an IP-based infrastructure built on EVS end-to-end solutions in its new Canal+ One headquarters, in Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris. The installation follows the decision of Canal+ Group to concentrate its master control room (MCR), playout and production workflows into one building to streamline its operations, reduce redundancies and increase automation.

“Our relocation into the new HQ gave us the opportunity to rethink the way we work and completely transform our workflows,” said Pierre Maillat, Canal+ Group head of technical studies and architecture. “The idea was to accelerate our SDI to IP transition, limit as much as possible the use of hardware and move towards more software-defined and cloud-based solutions, which offer the scalability and flexibility needed to optimize our operations while benefitting from future-ready workflows,” he added.

To deliver on this vision, EVS teamed up with global media services company Red Bee Media to build a new IP-enabled production infrastructure based on EVS’ LiveCeption, MediaCeption and MediaInfra solutions. The setup consists of several XT-VIA servers for multi-source ingesting and delivering fast turn-around productions in any format and resolution. Supporting a high-speed, 100GbE live IP fabric connectivity, the servers work in 1080p with the ability to easily switch to UHD in the future if needed. This LiveCeption workflow also integrates the IP-based LSM-VIA replay system, giving operators direct access to all the content on the network and allowing them to focus on delivering compelling live replays and highlights much faster.

The conversion and processing of the signals is performed by EVS’ Neuron Network Attached Processor, which also acts as the main tool for SDI/IP bridging and a firewall. Being able to activate a wide-ranging number of different functionalities from the same hardware, will contribute to helping Canal+ Group reduce rack occupancy and power consumption.

The conversion and processing of the signals is performed by EVS’ Neuron Network Attached Processor, which also acts as the main tool for SDI/IP bridging and a firewall. Being able to activate a wide-ranging number of different functionalities from the same hardware, will contribute to helping Canal+ Group reduce rack occupancy and power consumption.

Finally, on the MediaCeption asset management side, users can access remotely a fully virtualized, multi-site IPDirector system to browse, control, edit and playout content from easy-to-use interfaces. With its open, modular architecture, IPDirector can be adapted to any production environment and allows for easy integration and media exchange with any third-party system.