Sharjah Media Corporation deploys Pebble Beach Systems technology for its first channel in Kalba City

Sharjah Media Corporation (SMC) will deploy four Dolphin integrated channel devices by Pebble Beach Systems for playout and disaster recovery at Sharqiya from Kalba TV installation. Sharqiya is the first channel to broadcast from Kalba City and will feature Neptune automation system. Two of the devices will provide main and backup systems for playout, whilst the remaining two will act as disaster recovery for the main Sharjah facility.

Dr. Khalid Al Midfa, Director General, Sharjah Media Corporation said, “We are pleased to collaborate with Pebble Beach Systems to deploy the Dolphin integrated channel devices at the new facility in Kalba City. The launch of Sharqiya from Kalba TV marks another important milestone for SMC. The new channel, which will broadcast from Kalba, will focus on Sharjah’s eastern zone and will air specially-produced programmes focused on the Arab viewers.”

Hamad Abdelrazaq, Engineering Director, SMC confirmed, “We chose Dolphin because it acts as a universal media player, providing playback for multiple file formats on the same timeline, without the need for transcoding or rewrapping. We need to be able to handle a variety of formats, including Harris LXF and Avid DV100 files, and Dolphin’s ability to play these natively greatly simplifies our workflow.”

The system from Pebble Beach Systems will handle content management and automation from a single database. It delivers mixer, router and graphics control, and will be supplied as a fully redundant system with mirrored playout servers and no single point of failure.