The Exterity IPTV system enables the media company to follow the news and provide comment on sports matches in real-time

Munich, April 16, 2014 – Exterity, the leading provider of enterprise IPTV technologies for the secure distribution of live, on-demand and recorded video over IP, and Perfect Media Solutions GmbH, one of the leading independent consulting and project development companies for IPTV, video networking, digital signage and media technology, have been appointed by media company sh:z to deploy an entire IPTV system in its new headquaters in Flensburg.

The sh:z media company recently decided to build new headquarters to accommodate its growth and deployed an Exterity IPTV system integrated with digital signage in order to distribute real-time entertainment and information throughout the premises. The solution, which includes media control by Creston and support for Sky Sports channels as well as a series of regional packages for Bundesliga matches delivered over DVB-S2 TV gateways, was implemented by Hamburg-based PMS Perfect Media Solutions GmbH.

In addition to distributing live TV, the system supports digital signage via PMS’ software module PerfectShow Display Caster, allowing for the output to be treated as multicast. It is then detected as a separate channel on the network and delivered to an Exterity receiver or desktop client. The integration with Creston components, such as the IP-based touch panel, enables system administrators to easily monitor the activity via a user-friendly interface.

“We monitor a large number of channels, which is why we required an end-to-end system that was flexible and user-friendly,” said Matthias A. Paul, Project Manager at sh:z. “The Exterity PoE (Power over Ethernet) functionality of the set-top boxes increases reliability, which combines with the unique central monitoring and sophisticated rights management system provided through AvediaServer to enable our system administrators to focus on ensuring that each source reaches the right end point at all times. Digital signage integration was also paramount as our editors need to stay abreast of news 24/7. The integration, which was managed in a few days, has already increased the productivity of our team and enabled us to provide a better service to our customers.”

“Video has become the main source of information for many companies, and it is crucial for broadcasters to be able to rely on their internal video system to follow the trends ahead of the general public,” said Colin Farquhar, CEO, Exterity. “Broadcasters increasingly require the means to watch and monitor multiple sources at once, and IPTV is the best option to deliver a number of inputs/outputs in real-time. Our system has already proved that it could support all sources, whether the traditional satellite, cable and DTT signals, as well as IP-based content, making it particularly suited to installations such as sh:z, where distributing information late is not an option, regardless of the distribution method.”