NRK chooses Appear to optimise and modernise its mezzanine encoding for DVB and OTT distribution

Appear, the global leader in media processing and delivery technology, has been chosen by Norway’s leading public broadcaster NRK, to expand and modernise its media delivery platform and to enable NRK to take advantage of future advances in encoding and video transport technologies. Appear is delivering a comprehensive service to NRK, building and running a robust compression platform capable of delivering high-quality encoding streams for transcoding by various content distributors across Norway as well as for NRK’s OTT and DVB systems for distribution.

As part of the managed service, Appear is expanding the deployment of its X and XC platforms while taking on operation and management of the solution. Its award-winning X Platform provides NRK with mezzanine encoding expansion in DVB and OTT and managing live contribution of NRK’s premium live TV channels. Appear’s XC Platform brings NRK’s programmatic and events-based radio channels to NRK customers nationwide. Both platforms are based on modular and customisable chassis, allowing modules to interconnect to create a flexible system with the highest grade of performance and capability. The modular nature of the chassis means that Appear can efficiently provide NRK with new functionality and scale to meet future growth.

“As the demand for premium live content continues to skyrocket, the need for rock-solid live linear delivery is essential”, said Henrik Slåen, Head of Media Management and Publishing, NRK. “We were already using Appear’s X and XC Platforms because they fulfilled many of our requirements, and when we needed to expand our platform to enable us to take our media distribution into the future, they were a natural choice. However, with the increased importance of the upgraded platform, Appear needed to step up as a managed service partner. This means we can rely on having efficient compression hardware in our production chain as well as support and assistance – including software updates, system monitoring, and proactive service checks. We also expect Appear to provide its expertise to advise us on how best to make operational improvements, enabling us to concentrate on providing our customers with exciting new media services and functionality.”

Our hope is that this will ensure uninterrupted operation, reduced risk and cost, and increased life expectancy. Appear also guarantees the availability of spare parts through its sourcing department and production partners, while providing equipment at NRK’s facility for testing and staging.

Thomas Bostrøm Jørgensen, CEO at Appear, said: “Our X and XC Platforms for primary distribution and contribution encoding deliver low delays, high data rates and high quality – combined with greater rack density and less power consumption per channel. We’re confident that our X and XC Platforms meet NRK’s needs with a modular and customisable design, high performance, and extensive capabilities. These solutions deliver unmatched real-time performance and power efficiency, and Appear taking on full operation and maintenance of the solution brings a simple and reliable service to NRK. By combining hardware reliability with software flexibility, we have a compelling offering that meets NRK’s encoding needs, both now and in the future.”

Appear’s equipment provided to NRK is upgradable to the latest industry standards, including SMPTE 2110, HEVC, UHD and HDR. The efficient hardware design ensures lower operational costs and reduced space requirements, aligning with NRK’s goal of achieving a greener footprint while maintaining high-quality. BCS Bureau