MUNICH, May 26, 2022 — Following a public tender, Rai Way, a leading Italian network infrastructure and services operator, selected Lutech SpA and its technology provider, Imagine Communications, to support the rollout of its new IP video and audio contribution and distribution network “IP Matrix” project.

The project takes advantage of the flexibility offered by a full IP, software-based network and leverages the benefits of Imagine’s award-winning and widely deployed, standards-based, Selenio™ Network Processor (SNP). Built on cutting-edge technologies such as the SNP, the completely new contribution infrastructure Rai Way has implemented for its video and audio networks brings together the best of both legacy SDI and state-of-the-art IP worlds.

“This is a transformative project, and we are proud of the power, flexibility and security of our solutions, supporting the transition to IP,” said Mathias Eckert, SVP & GM EMEA & APAC at Imagine Communications. “Rai Way needed a solution that was able to deliver the quality and reliability necessary for such a mission-critical infrastructure project and to deliver it within the tightest of deadlines.”

The project includes a complete transformation of the contribution and distribution network to IP video. Built on industry standards, including SMPTE ST 2110, ST 2022-6 and ST 2022-7 transport, the network switches compressed and uncompressed signals over a quadruple redundant network for optimum reliability ― all distributed across four different sites in the Rome area.

SNP provides the network connectivity, signal multiplexing, and interfacing between formats and between SDI and IP. A software-configurable appliance providing multiple independent processing paths in a single 1RU chassis, the SNP offers a unique power- and space-efficient solution for a wide range of signal processing and delivery applications ― cutting power consumption for these applications by more than 50%.

Services can easily be cross-connected and routed in multiple ways by Rai Way operators, simply using an intuitive network orchestrator GUI from Skyline Dataminer. Also incorporated into this facility is Imagine Communications’ low-latency production multiviewer personality, SNP-MV, alongside the company’s EPIC™ MV, a highly scalable multiviewer providing operators with sophisticated monitoring capabilities.

Aurelio Severino, account manager at Lutech SpA, added, “Lutech SpA is honored to have been selected as the prime integrator for the Rai Way full IP video matrix project. Leveraging the company’s unique mix of IT/IP, broadcasting and audiovisual skills, we were able to integrate the best network and broadcast technologies into one coherent and cohesive platform, making it easy for Rai Way operators to use and troubleshoot it.”

The overall solution is being deployed in synchronization with the Italian switchover to DVB-T2, imposing a fixed timeline that had to be adhered to for the completion of the whole project.