América Televisión had been working in XDCAM format, so we needed to find a technology similar to the equipment we were already using. That’s how we found Sony’s Optical Disc Archive system. Its software adaptability fully complied with the requirements of our video library. With a user-friendly and easy-to-use environment, it allowed us to access the system administration and management through a browser, without needing to install local applications on the equipment.

Other factors that influenced the choice included the system’s scalability, which also took into account how long our videos could be kept online. And, of course, direct support from Sony.

From the moment we stopped using tapes for storage, we’ve needed fewer discs to archive what was stored on lots of tapes. Searches are quicker. Previously, the video library people performed the searches. Now editors do their own searches directly from the system if it is online. If the system is offline, they ask the video library, who just connect the disc with the data requested and the system automatically uploads it to a folder to be used by the editors.

We don’t need to download press releases to a disc and then take it to the archive. Now press releases are sent directly to the archive from the editing booths, which is a quicker flow. All system users can access all archive material with a low-resolution copy just for viewing, selecting and editing the material required. This is done logically with the corresponding user permission levels.

The speed of accessing information, the capacity for growth, the ease of accessing the system from any point connected to it, and the user-friendly environment.

The operational advantages that facilitate our day-to-day operations lie in the system’s storage capacity, immediate searches for material on the archive server and the transfer of information to the different editing stations. Also, if the material is online, the editor can pull it directly from the storage server to the editing booth. Previously, searches were much more complicated because you had to request them from the person in charge of the video library to be able to view them. Then you had to check that it was the right material before the tapes were taken to the editing booth to be imported in real time. Finally, we would edit them. The time spent on searches is now significantly reduced. And of course, the work process is more efficient.

We don’t yet have a digitalised archiving system of this size in the production department. Also, our two Avid servers operate separately: one for production and the other for news. On the production server, we have storage at 25-50 Mb in both SD and HD. In the news section we only have SD at 25 Mb. On the other hand, in the archiving section we have 25 Mb in SD for news. The production section is still operating on tapes or optical discs, but not through this type of system. Of course, we’re thinking of starting the digitalisation and storage process for old material that we have in different formats (3/4 and 1 inch, Betacam, DVCAM, DVCPRO, XDCAM at 25 Mb and 50 Mb) through a centralised archiving system so that all post-production jobs have real-time access.

Yes, and we hope to be able to finalise it next year. It’s a very important project for us because that’s where everything is linked to national productions, such as Al fondo hay sitio — a series that has smashed viewing records in Peru for eight years, with ratings of 20 points per day. We have the entire production in XDCAM HD on optical discs and we hope to digitalise it and put it on a centralised server. You have to remember that a large amount of material that we produce on video is then used the next day by the news section. So having it digitalised would be ideal for broadcasting, but also to edit the various shows we have on the channel. This would be our next step for sure, once we buy a storage system with a robot, LTO readers and optical discs. There’s no doubt this would allow us to achieve a more developed level of automation than we have now.

So far, we haven’t thought about expanding it for Canal N, mainly because content that has already been broadcast is recorded for the channel. There has been a merger of newsrooms here. Previously, América Televisión and Canal N were two different channels, each with their own newsroom. This meant they each broadcast independently. Now, with the merger of both channels, they have a shared newsroom. This has meant that both the archive and the final material are centralised on a single server and shared out from there for editing. That’s why we’re growing our archiving and storage with the Sony archive server.

During installation, they took charge of configuring the servers and adapting the intake process to the needs of the video library. They were also in charge of modifying fields to enter metadata, based on the channel’s requirements.

Ever since the system has been operational, they’ve helped with the issues that were arising due to the increased use. The main problems included incompatible driver versions on the ODS units, incomplete recording of XDCAM discs, blocked transfers from the editing booths due to incorrect formatting and the loss of metadata from uploaded clips due to lack of information when moving the folder in the system. As well as updates to the system, a lot of the problems were resolved on site and some others remotely.

In Peru, change is based around migration from SD to HD. We are currently in this process. Although for now it doesn’t apply to the news department because we expect it to take place next year, we are transiting along this path through a new project that we are developing. This is the construction of a facility with three 1,000-m2 studios and two 500-m2 studios in the Pachacamac district around 30 km from Lima. It will be a large production and broadcasting centre because we’re going to move our entertainment programmes there. The studios will be finished towards the end of December this year, with a view to being operational from January 2016. We are moving all our entertainment productions like the one I mentioned, Al fondo hay sitio. It’s currently filmed in a 5,000-m2 area that contains an 800-m2 studio plus some outdoor sets. We’re going to replicate this in Pachacamac in a 1,000-m2 studio, plus some outdoor sets in the 15,000 m2 built area. In total, there will be 35,000 m2 of built area, giving us an additional 20,000 m2 of free space. All these studios will be fully HD, so this is where all the channel’s technological investments are going in the immediate future.

As part of this project, we’re considering developing a 4K studio that’s intended, at least initially, for a co-production we’re doing with Argentina’s Telefe planned for early September next year.