Imagine SNP is the processing platform of choice for media companies across the industry
AMSTERDAM, September 12, 2024 — Imagine Communications is marking a milestone at IBC2024 (13-16 September, RAI Amsterdam, stand 1.B73), where the company will celebrate shipping the 4,000th unit of its acclaimed Selenio™ Network Processor (SNP). Widely viewed as the industry’s most flexible and practical processing device in both IP and SDI workflows, the SNP has cemented its place as an indispensable part of modern broadcast architectures.
“We are proud of the pioneering technology that underpins our flagship platform, but even prouder that so many customers across the industry have put their trust in SNP to meet their operational and business requirements,” said John Mailhot, senior vice president, product management at Imagine Communications. “When we initially designed the SNP, it was quite simply the right product at the right time. Thanks to the SNP’s uniquely flexible architecture, it still is.”
Imagine continues to add groundbreaking features to the SNP. As the SNP is an entirely software-defined application built on high-density hardware, all new features can be licensed onto any SNP that has ever shipped, enabling current users to easily add functionality to their existing system. Taking center stage at IBC2024 will be the new SNP-XL, which extends the SNP platform’s capabilities with increased SDI flexibility and a new double-density gateway personality. Imagine will also showcase the SNP Master Control Lite (MCL) personality, which adds branding, live graphics, and full master control functionality for HD, UHD, and HDR to the latest release. Other recently released features include JPEG XS support, enabling high-quality, low-latency connectivity for remote production workflows and ground-to-cloud links.
The SNP has been deployed by more than 280 unique customers in applications ranging from broadcast studios, mobile production units, and playout environments to sports venues, master control, and inter-facility connectivity. In one recent example, Creative Technology, a global leader in technical solutions for live events and system integration, implemented consistent IP gateway functionality via the SNP across key business locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Northern Europe, and the Middle East. The company also put the new SNP-XL to the test at major international sports projects this year, including global pro golf tournaments and the Paris Games.
Sam Hatcher, IP solutions engineer at Creative Technology, said, “The SNP is a tried-and-tested solution that provides a powerful, stable platform ready to use right out of the box, but its flexibility is the real game-changer for live events production.”
Deltatre, the global leader in OTT, digital, and data technology for media and sport, recently deployed one of the first SMPTE ST 2110 IP networks for live graphic production based on the SNP MCL. In a major project undertaken for Italy’s Lega Serie A, Deltatre and Imagine worked against an accelerated timeline to ready the new system for the 2024-25 season’s August 17 kickoff — successfully moving from handshake to production in only 42 days.
Outside the traditional broadcast market, Lakepointe Church in Texas implemented one of the largest ST 2110 systems in a house of worship to date, built on the SNP. The Lakepointe deployment demonstrates the platform’s unique flexibility, with 12 SNPs serving entirely as IP gateways, five configured with the SNP-MV low-latency production multiviewer personality, and two configured as half IP gateway and half multiviewer.
Mailhot continued, “I think the SNP’s exceptional momentum has been driven by the fact that it embodies the evolution of broadcast infrastructure. The platform represents the move from task-specific hardware, one function per card, and screwdriver upgrades to common hardware, software-deployed features, and reconfigurable license upgrades. With every new release, the SNP continues to pave the way for the future of broadcast infrastructure.”
Media companies attending IBC2024 (13-16 September, RAI Amsterdam) can visit the Imagine stand (1.B73) for a hands-on demonstration of SNP and all the latest advances in the company’s industry-proven portfolio, which enables media companies to choose a path and pace to IP that aligns with their specific business requirements.
For more information about Imagine Communications’ products and solutions, please visit https://www.imaginecommunications.com.
About Imagine Communications
Imagine Communications empowers the media and entertainment industry through transformative innovation. Broadcasters, networks, video service providers, and enterprises around the world rely on our optimized, futureproof, multiscreen video and revenue enablement solutions every day to support their mission-critical operations. Today, nearly half of the world’s video channels traverse our products, and our software solutions drive close to a third of global ad revenue. Through continuous innovation, we are delivering the most advanced IP, cloud-enabled, software-defined network, and workflow solutions in the industry. Visit https://www.imaginecommunications.com for more information, and follow us on Twitter @imagine_comms.
