Sky Italia Move Toward Fully Virtualized Audio/Video Routing Ecosystem

Taking a visionary but realistic approach to their IP transition plans, Sky Italia chose to implement an open-standard, interoperable system that allows them to make a measured investment in IP, while keeping intact the already paid for infrastructure that handles SDI signals. The company realized that it was not practical to have their operators deal with the baseband network in one way and with the IP network in a completely different way — they needed to have the same operational interfaces and processes in both networks. With advanced techniques that transparently map IP signals into the existing workflow, the Magellan SDN Orchestrator provides a seamless, unifying management layer for both the Platinum routers and the IP switches. This allows Sky Italia operators to use familiar hardware and software control panels to accommodate both signal types in the hybrid workflow environment. As the interplay between the SDI infrastructure and IP-based connectivity is managed using tie-line control methods, the upstream functions in Sky Italia’s plant — automation, tally systems, multiviewers, and master control switchers — can continue to use existing industry-common routing control protocols, even when the source, destination, or both are actually in the IP domain.