SuperSport South Africa Grows With Miranda Master Control

South African pay-TV giant SuperSport has installed more than 70 of Miranda’s Imagestore 750 HD/SD master control and branding processors, plus Densité LGK-3901 logo insertion and downstream keyer modules as part of a major expansion project.

The Miranda technology supports SuperSport’s extensive, two-phase “Argus Project,” which entails  moving SuperSport’s programing to a new, purpose-built facility that will soon playout all of SuperSport’s 150+ HD and SD channels.

“The new facility being built in phases at our Randburg, Johannesburg, campus will enable us to meet our anticipated growth in sports and entertainment channels,” says SuperSport Technical Director Eddie McAlone. “Those channels require branding and after careful consideration of competitive offerings, our choice of Miranda’s Imagestore 750 for channel branding was a unanimous decision.

“We have used Imagestore technology in the past and the underlying protocol is the only one proven to work with our automation system. The protocol also supports dynamic audio shuffling and gain control, which are essential tools for our operations. There really was nothing else to compete with it.”

SuperSport’s playout facility also requires schedules to be delivered to multiple distribution mechanisms. Each distribution path may require a separate IPI, which can only be inserted downstream of any signal format conversion. SuperSport had previously deployed Miranda LGK-3901’s for IPI insertion, so additional modules to pair common graphics formats for branding and keying were a natural fit.

Ideal for pre-rendered graphics, the LGK-3901 is a low-cost, modular channel branding processor housed in a Densité 3 frame that provides five independent keying layers, automated character generation, EAS insertion and audio voice-overs.

SuperSport enlisted the technical expertise of South African systems integrator and Miranda partner, Inala Broadcast, for both phases of the expansion.

Providing context, Inala’s General Manager, Colin Wainer, said, “In 2012, SuperSport realised that it had outgrown its existing facilities, both technically and operationally, and decided that an all-new playout centre was required.

“SuperSport management then embarked on a year-long investigation with an open view on available technology, including visits to major tradeshows, manufacturer sites and other broadcasters’ playout facilities to gather information on new products and solicit views on service and support. This enabled them to make informed, qualified decisions, which resulted in the purchase of Miranda’s proven technologies and an agreement with Inala for ongoing service and support.”

Micky Edwards, vice president, sales EMEA for Miranda, further explained, “Our relationships with Inala and SuperSport are based on mutual understandings of operational goals, technical requirements and day-to-day working practices. The accelerated widespread and growing use of Imagestore by SuperSport is ample evidence of its branding power and workflow efficiency.”