• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • TV/Radio Deals
  • Film partnerships
  • New appointments
  • Production
  • TV Channels
Engineering seamless workflows at Al Aan TV

Engineering seamless workflows at Al Aan TV

November 10, 2017
Four MAD films to compete at Durban International Film Festival

Four MAD films to compete at Durban International Film Festival

July 19, 2025
Ad 1
Riyadh set to host second annual Film Music Festival with global composers

Riyadh set to host second annual Film Music Festival with global composers

July 18, 2025
Hitomi Broadcast to demonstrates MatchBox Everywhere at IBC

Hitomi Broadcast to demonstrates MatchBox Everywhere at IBC

July 18, 2025
Orange Jordan signs deal with StarLink to boost digital transformation

Orange Jordan signs deal with StarLink to boost digital transformation

July 18, 2025
Zawya Cinema brings Somali film ‘The Village Next to Paradise’ to Egyptian screens

Somali film ‘The Village Next to Paradise’ is set to screen in Ethiopia

July 18, 2025
Netflix achieves record growth with 18.9m new subscribers in Q4

Netflix surpasses expectations in Q2, raises full-year forecasts

July 18, 2025
Dalet to demo media workflows and content integrity tools at IBC

Dalet to demo media workflows and content integrity tools at IBC

July 18, 2025
Glensound to debut series of audio products at IBC 2025

Glensound to debut series of audio products at IBC 2025

July 18, 2025
Kratos and Intelsat demonstrate 5G NTN over GEO

Kratos and Intelsat demonstrate 5G NTN over GEO

July 18, 2025
Kuwaiti creators reimagine Kuwait city as a cyberpunk metropolis with Nvidia

Kuwaiti creators reimagine Kuwait city as a cyberpunk metropolis with Nvidia

July 18, 2025
Viaccess-Orca to present cutting-edge media solutions at IBC 2025

Viaccess-Orca to present cutting-edge media solutions at IBC 2025

July 18, 2025
CT Middle East makes major investment in Robe lighting equipment

CT Middle East makes major investment in Robe lighting equipment

July 18, 2025
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Magazine Archive
  • Directory
  • Contact
Sunday, July 20, 2025
  • Login
BroadcastPro ME
  • News
    • All
    • Analyst Reports
    • AV
    • Cinema Theatres
    • Esports
    • Film partnerships
    • International News
    • Mergers/Acquisitions
    • New appointments
    • OTT/Video Streaming
    • Podcasting
    • Production
    • Satellite/Comms
    • TV/Radio Deals
    Four MAD films to compete at Durban International Film Festival

    Four MAD films to compete at Durban International Film Festival

    Riyadh set to host second annual Film Music Festival with global composers

    Riyadh set to host second annual Film Music Festival with global composers

    Orange Jordan signs deal with StarLink to boost digital transformation

    Orange Jordan signs deal with StarLink to boost digital transformation

    Zawya Cinema brings Somali film ‘The Village Next to Paradise’ to Egyptian screens

    Somali film ‘The Village Next to Paradise’ is set to screen in Ethiopia

    Netflix achieves record growth with 18.9m new subscribers in Q4

    Netflix surpasses expectations in Q2, raises full-year forecasts

    Kratos and Intelsat demonstrate 5G NTN over GEO

    Kratos and Intelsat demonstrate 5G NTN over GEO

    Kuwaiti creators reimagine Kuwait city as a cyberpunk metropolis with Nvidia

    Kuwaiti creators reimagine Kuwait city as a cyberpunk metropolis with Nvidia

    CT Middle East makes major investment in Robe lighting equipment

    CT Middle East makes major investment in Robe lighting equipment

    Red Sea Fund 2024 invites applications for production cycle

    White Oryx Short Film Festival opens submissions for 2025 edition

    Insys and To-Do Media bring Arabic content to mobile devices

    1001 and Almentor partner to launch educational content in Iraq

    Trending Tags

    • broadcast
    • MENA broadcast
    • ConnecTech2019
  • Tech Features
    • All
    • CASE STUDIES
    • New Media
    • REVIEWS
    • TV/Radio Deals
    • Updates from FOMEX
    • Virtual Production Series
    Breaking free from the hardware cycle: Cloud collaboration in post-production

    Breaking free from the hardware cycle: Cloud collaboration in post-production

    Playing to win

    Playing to win

    The expanding role of AI in broadcast

    The expanding role of AI in broadcast

    The power of podcasts and audio streaming in MENA

    The power of podcasts and audio streaming in MENA

    Tech strategies for an evolving modern MENA media ecosystem

    Tech strategies for an evolving modern MENA media ecosystem

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part II

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part IV

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part I

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part III

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part II

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part II

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part I

    SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part I

    Transforming the entertainment experience with tech

    Transforming the entertainment experience with tech

    Trending Tags

    • Videos
      FOR-A’s award-winning HVS-Q12: A quantum leap in switcher design

      FOR-A’s award-winning HVS-Q12: A quantum leap in switcher design

      Ignacio Gonzalez-Nuñez on Eutelsat’s new offering and market leadership

      Ignacio Gonzalez-Nuñez on Eutelsat’s new offering and market leadership

      Francesco Cataldo on iKO Media Group’s CABSAT showcase and broadcast trends

      Francesco Cataldo on iKO Media Group’s CABSAT showcase and broadcast trends

      Deepraj Sandhar on Ross Video’s Middle East growth and broadcast tech trends

      Deepraj Sandhar on Ross Video’s Middle East growth and broadcast tech trends

      Reema Omari

      Reema Omari on Universal Satcom’s growth and connectivity solutions

      Mustafa Afifi

      Mustafa Afifi of Rivada Space on Outernet’s impact in the Middle East

      Don

      ST Engineering iDirect CEO Don Claussen on Mideast ties and satellite strategy

      KSASummit

      Transforming Arabic Content: Studios, Producers and Regional Impact

      Bringing Real-Time Audience Insights to Linear Broadcast TV – A First and Exclusive

      Bringing Real-Time Audience Insights to Linear Broadcast TV – A First and Exclusive

    • Opinion
      Survival of the Smartest: Cloud Playout as a Strategic Weapon

      Survival of the Smartest: Cloud Playout as a Strategic Weapon

      Bridging the Latency Gap with Broadcast in a Streaming World

      Bridging the Latency Gap with Broadcast in a Streaming World

      YouTube in Ramadan: The silent giant

      YouTube in Ramadan: The silent giant

      Evision’s transformation proves that business acumen and passion drive success

      Sport’s Growing Grip on MENA Media

      MEASA’s media and communications innovations set new benchmarks beyond regional boundaries

      MEASA’s media and communications innovations set new benchmarks beyond regional boundaries

      Integrate ME 2023 brings its inaugural edition to successful conclusion

      Empowering the next generation of content creation and live broadcasting with AV PRO

      Decoding the Ramadan Drama Phenomenon: What Makes a Winner?

      Decoding the Ramadan Drama Phenomenon: What Makes a Winner?

      Reviving cultural identity through native storytelling in Abu Dhabi

      Reviving cultural identity through native storytelling in Abu Dhabi

      Why it’s game on for broadcasters of live sport

      Why it’s game on for broadcasters of live sport

      Evision’s transformation proves that business acumen and passion drive success

      Saudi Arabia emerges as the epicentre of Media & Entertainment in 2025

    • Interviews
      • All
      • Lounge
      Sand, sweat and high stakes

      Sand, sweat and high stakes

      All eyes on AIUIa

      All eyes on AIUIa

      Grass Valley scales up with software and IP workflows

      Grass Valley scales up with software and IP workflows

      Breaking barriers, building futures: The new face of IABM

      Breaking barriers, building futures: The new face of IABM

      New Leadership, Same Strategy, Sharpened Focus

      New Leadership, Same Strategy, Sharpened Focus

      Creating Captain Shedeed: A superhero with Arab roots

      Creating Captain Shedeed: A superhero with Arab roots

      UAE Pro League flips the field

      UAE Pro League flips the field

      Bringing the wild to the Middle East

      Bringing the wild to the Middle East

      Shades of success

      Shades of success

      Navigating the news wave

      Navigating the news wave

    • Products
    • Magazine Archive
      • BroadcastPro ME Magazine
      • PRO Directory
    • Events
      • News from Events
      • Upcoming Events
      DICM

      DICM

      IBC Show

      IBC 2025

      MPTS

      CABSAT2025

      CABSAT2025

      NAB Show

    No Result
    View All Result
    BroadcastPro ME
    • News
      • All
      • Analyst Reports
      • AV
      • Cinema Theatres
      • Esports
      • Film partnerships
      • International News
      • Mergers/Acquisitions
      • New appointments
      • OTT/Video Streaming
      • Podcasting
      • Production
      • Satellite/Comms
      • TV/Radio Deals
      Four MAD films to compete at Durban International Film Festival

      Four MAD films to compete at Durban International Film Festival

      Riyadh set to host second annual Film Music Festival with global composers

      Riyadh set to host second annual Film Music Festival with global composers

      Orange Jordan signs deal with StarLink to boost digital transformation

      Orange Jordan signs deal with StarLink to boost digital transformation

      Zawya Cinema brings Somali film ‘The Village Next to Paradise’ to Egyptian screens

      Somali film ‘The Village Next to Paradise’ is set to screen in Ethiopia

      Netflix achieves record growth with 18.9m new subscribers in Q4

      Netflix surpasses expectations in Q2, raises full-year forecasts

      Kratos and Intelsat demonstrate 5G NTN over GEO

      Kratos and Intelsat demonstrate 5G NTN over GEO

      Kuwaiti creators reimagine Kuwait city as a cyberpunk metropolis with Nvidia

      Kuwaiti creators reimagine Kuwait city as a cyberpunk metropolis with Nvidia

      CT Middle East makes major investment in Robe lighting equipment

      CT Middle East makes major investment in Robe lighting equipment

      Red Sea Fund 2024 invites applications for production cycle

      White Oryx Short Film Festival opens submissions for 2025 edition

      Insys and To-Do Media bring Arabic content to mobile devices

      1001 and Almentor partner to launch educational content in Iraq

      Trending Tags

      • broadcast
      • MENA broadcast
      • ConnecTech2019
    • Tech Features
      • All
      • CASE STUDIES
      • New Media
      • REVIEWS
      • TV/Radio Deals
      • Updates from FOMEX
      • Virtual Production Series
      Breaking free from the hardware cycle: Cloud collaboration in post-production

      Breaking free from the hardware cycle: Cloud collaboration in post-production

      Playing to win

      Playing to win

      The expanding role of AI in broadcast

      The expanding role of AI in broadcast

      The power of podcasts and audio streaming in MENA

      The power of podcasts and audio streaming in MENA

      Tech strategies for an evolving modern MENA media ecosystem

      Tech strategies for an evolving modern MENA media ecosystem

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part II

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part IV

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part I

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part III

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part II

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part II

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part I

      SMF and FOMEX bring top industry leaders together in Riyadh – Part I

      Transforming the entertainment experience with tech

      Transforming the entertainment experience with tech

      Trending Tags

      • Videos
        FOR-A’s award-winning HVS-Q12: A quantum leap in switcher design

        FOR-A’s award-winning HVS-Q12: A quantum leap in switcher design

        Ignacio Gonzalez-Nuñez on Eutelsat’s new offering and market leadership

        Ignacio Gonzalez-Nuñez on Eutelsat’s new offering and market leadership

        Francesco Cataldo on iKO Media Group’s CABSAT showcase and broadcast trends

        Francesco Cataldo on iKO Media Group’s CABSAT showcase and broadcast trends

        Deepraj Sandhar on Ross Video’s Middle East growth and broadcast tech trends

        Deepraj Sandhar on Ross Video’s Middle East growth and broadcast tech trends

        Reema Omari

        Reema Omari on Universal Satcom’s growth and connectivity solutions

        Mustafa Afifi

        Mustafa Afifi of Rivada Space on Outernet’s impact in the Middle East

        Don

        ST Engineering iDirect CEO Don Claussen on Mideast ties and satellite strategy

        KSASummit

        Transforming Arabic Content: Studios, Producers and Regional Impact

        Bringing Real-Time Audience Insights to Linear Broadcast TV – A First and Exclusive

        Bringing Real-Time Audience Insights to Linear Broadcast TV – A First and Exclusive

      • Opinion
        Survival of the Smartest: Cloud Playout as a Strategic Weapon

        Survival of the Smartest: Cloud Playout as a Strategic Weapon

        Bridging the Latency Gap with Broadcast in a Streaming World

        Bridging the Latency Gap with Broadcast in a Streaming World

        YouTube in Ramadan: The silent giant

        YouTube in Ramadan: The silent giant

        Evision’s transformation proves that business acumen and passion drive success

        Sport’s Growing Grip on MENA Media

        MEASA’s media and communications innovations set new benchmarks beyond regional boundaries

        MEASA’s media and communications innovations set new benchmarks beyond regional boundaries

        Integrate ME 2023 brings its inaugural edition to successful conclusion

        Empowering the next generation of content creation and live broadcasting with AV PRO

        Decoding the Ramadan Drama Phenomenon: What Makes a Winner?

        Decoding the Ramadan Drama Phenomenon: What Makes a Winner?

        Reviving cultural identity through native storytelling in Abu Dhabi

        Reviving cultural identity through native storytelling in Abu Dhabi

        Why it’s game on for broadcasters of live sport

        Why it’s game on for broadcasters of live sport

        Evision’s transformation proves that business acumen and passion drive success

        Saudi Arabia emerges as the epicentre of Media & Entertainment in 2025

      • Interviews
        • All
        • Lounge
        Sand, sweat and high stakes

        Sand, sweat and high stakes

        All eyes on AIUIa

        All eyes on AIUIa

        Grass Valley scales up with software and IP workflows

        Grass Valley scales up with software and IP workflows

        Breaking barriers, building futures: The new face of IABM

        Breaking barriers, building futures: The new face of IABM

        New Leadership, Same Strategy, Sharpened Focus

        New Leadership, Same Strategy, Sharpened Focus

        Creating Captain Shedeed: A superhero with Arab roots

        Creating Captain Shedeed: A superhero with Arab roots

        UAE Pro League flips the field

        UAE Pro League flips the field

        Bringing the wild to the Middle East

        Bringing the wild to the Middle East

        Shades of success

        Shades of success

        Navigating the news wave

        Navigating the news wave

      • Products
      • Magazine Archive
        • BroadcastPro ME Magazine
        • PRO Directory
      • Events
        • News from Events
        • Upcoming Events
        DICM

        DICM

        IBC Show

        IBC 2025

        MPTS

        CABSAT2025

        CABSAT2025

        NAB Show

      No Result
      View All Result
      BroadcastPro ME
      No Result
      View All Result
      AMT Ad ibc Ad
      Home Case Studies

      Engineering seamless workflows at Al Aan TV

      Clayton Vallabhan by Clayton Vallabhan
      November 10, 2017
      in Case Studies, TV Channels
      ShareTweetPostEmail

      Raad Haddadin, Head of Engineering and Support at Al Aan, talks about the upgrades undertaken at the Dubai facility.

      Raad Haddadin, Head of Engineering and Support at Al Aan

      Al Aan TV has upgraded its studios with new equipment and additional features, to create a more engaging viewership experience while reducing the complexity of current workflows. In an exclusive interview with BroadcastPro ME, Raad Haddadin, Head of Engineering and Support at Al Aan, talks about the upgrades undertaken at the Dubai facility.

      With an increasing viewership base, phased H D upgrades and a fully integrated social media interaction platform, Al Aan TV is gradually taking the steps necessary to encourage its audience to make the transition from passive to more engaged viewing. Raad Haddadin, CTO of Al Aan TV, says a tech refresh and content updates are crucial to retaining the network’s viewership.

      “Our aim is to take full advantage of new technologies in the market, and in parallel to exploit the potential of social media to encourage our viewers to engage and interact more closely with us, our programmes and each other. Alongside this, we are involved in a number of technical changes, some of which are completed and some of which are in various states of progress,” says Haddadin.

      Big changes have come to Al Aan, with one of the key aspects being a comprehensive review of the power distribution at the network to allow true A/B power distribution across all areas. This also required replacement of the existing CAR A/C, which had grown organically over the years as required and could no longer support the needs of the area.

      In addition, Al Aan recently sourced hardware and software from Imagine Communications to replace its existing main playout chain, with the existing main chain equipment serving as the back-up. This solution includes the delivery of a new Imagine storage system, which includes both hardware and software and replaces the existing playout server and storage. The existing main chain equipment will be reused to replace the existing back-up chain equipment.

      The new SAN provides 18 bi-directional HDSDI ports across three Nexio+ AMP servers with a fibre switch configuration. A new Nexio PRX transcoder and Media gateway, also attached via fibre channel, are part of this revamp.

      “The fibre channel switches were provided by Al Aan and are those currently in use in the existing system. The 2x Imagine Versio IOX chassis supplied form the SAN storage and consist of a single core chassis with fibre channel host bus adaptors and a single storage expansion chassis. Both chassis are fully loaded with 12 x 8TB drives each, for a total usable storage capacity of 128TB usable storage. The total bandwidth provided by the SAN system is 6,000Mb/s,” explains Haddadin.

      The deployment includes a new Nexio FTP server, a Nexio Proxy transcoder, the Versio IOX Storage, a new Imagine ADC CHP device server and a Nexio PRX transcoder, which reads all Nexio-supported high-resolution, HD and SD formats and can automatically transcode four or eight independent, simultaneous streams up to four times faster than real time. Once transcoded into low resolution, all MP4 proxy files are stored on storage arrays where they can be viewed.

      The New Nexio Media Gateway provides a typical multi-stream transfer performance of 2,500Mb/s over the 10Gb Ethernet network connection, within a range of 1,500- 4,000Mb/s. A new single ADC CHP replaces the back-up chain device server, while the existing Imagine storage solution replaces the current back-up playout server and storage.

      “This investment will increase the number of playout ports, thereby giving Al Aan TV the ability to transmit new TV channels while increasing the redundancy for all the current channels. In addition to this, a third HD back-up chain will be created should any of the main or back-up chains fail. The third and separate back-up chain will immediately take over to ensure zero downtime,” explains Haddadin.

      Imagine Communications will also provide its professional services as part of this update. The entire project was done in-house by the Al Aan engineering team and completed in September this year.

      In parallel, Al Aan has now embarked on two additional projects. One entails securing a new 6Mbps space on Eutelsat to be used by its news team to receive feeds and by its services department to lease the capacity. Alongside this, Al Aan has undertaken a complete newsroom revamp with Avid, investing in an automated monitoring system from SAM as well as a social TV server from Vizrt.

      According to Haddadin, most TV channels invest in a number of Avid servers because they are required for redundancy. However, this requires a lot of rack space and cooling and involves high power consumption. SLA is also very expensive because the hardware and software is provided by Avid directly. Now, however, Avid has circumvented this issue by providing clients with virtual servers from a third party.

      “Being free of hardware allows for lower power consumption, cooling costs and more free rack space, while still providing us with the latest technology from Avid. It also means we have triple the storage space. We can upgrade to the latest releases from Avid, creating a totally new hardware environment,” explains Haddadin.

      “Removing the dependency on Avid IT hardware is in itself an attractive proposition. The new system is also very easy to update to the cloud. The cost reductions for SLA are massive. Plus there is better uptime for the new system when you start it from scratch. It loads within a few minutes compared to the previous set-up, where it used to take at least half an hour.”

      Furthermore, with social media increasingly important, interaction with viewers has become a top priority for Al Aan. This led to the recent procurement of the Vizrt Social TV server, a multilayer graphics generator with a social media broadcast engine for TV production. Haddadin says it collects and collates all messages from viewers on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms in real time.

      “This Social TV solution can be integrated with existing Vizrt environments or provided as a onebox solution where data is harvested, moderated and triggered to air with custom graphics in a simple workflow,” explains Haddadin.

      Producers in the newsroom can use the Social TV solution to harvest, moderate and create social media content with the same tools and the same workflow they use for all other content. Data can be captured from any social media outlet, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Picasa, YouTube and any RSS/Atom or JSON/XML feed.

      They can also use newsroom control systems or the MCR to send breaking news and programme updates to Twitter and Facebook during live broadcast.

      “You can search for any hashtag that you want and filter it through the software and insert it into your own design template. This can then be shown on-screen as graphics. All subjects in news bulletins may be searched for through a hashtag.

      “We can receive feedback from people and show it on air. This is called social media to air, and is primarily used on current affairs shows as well as news and talk shows. If you ask any question to the viewers during the show and ask them to use a certain hashtag, it will show up,” says Haddadin.

      “We have also developed our own software for whatever we have on the grid to be tweeted to our Twitter account. If we have a particular show at a particular time, it can immediately send a tweet showing viewers that this is what will be on-air at a specific time, with a particular presenter. There is even a link to our YouTube channel, or a preconfigured image for that particular show.”

      On the satellite front, Al Aan has signed a new contract with Eutelsat for its own occasional use space segment. This is used by the news team to receive feeds and the service department for lease.

      “For the last three years, we had a contract with Arabsat for 3Mbps. Right now, the market requirements are changing. We lease SNGs, OB vans and production equipment. A lot of times, the clients are not happy with 3Mbps because everyone wants to transmit in HD. This is why we now have 6Mbps with Eutelsat. We have two space signals now, one for occasional use and another for Al Aan to go HD.”

      With an updated workflow, Al Aan TV is poised to retain and engage its viewers.

      Tags: Al Aan TVNexioRaad HaddadinStudio upgradeVizrt

      Related Posts

      Asharq Egypt upgrades to remote production

      Asharq Egypt upgrades to remote production

      April 16, 2025
      Vizrt and Blinx collaborate on real-time XR integration for TikTok Live

      Vizrt and Blinx collaborate on real-time XR integration for TikTok Live

      April 3, 2025
      Vizrt unveils Viz Connect Audio for enhanced NDI audio connectivity

      Vizrt unveils Viz Connect Audio for enhanced NDI audio connectivity

      April 3, 2025
      Reson8 Media becomes Vizrt’s first Service Delivery Partner

      Reson8 Media becomes Vizrt’s first Service Delivery Partner

      March 19, 2025
      Qvest completes broadcast transformation for Sky News Arabia at IMI’s HQ

      Qvest completes broadcast transformation for Sky News Arabia at IMI’s HQ

      March 13, 2025
      FOMEX 2025 returns to Riyadh for third edition on February 19

      FOMEX 2025 returns to Riyadh for third edition on February 19

      February 17, 2025

      Related News

      Al Aan TV introduces media training programmes

      Al Aan TV introduces media training programmes

      November 18, 2024
      Al Aan TV selects VSN to manage news production workflow

      Al Aan TV selects VSN to manage news production workflow

      May 11, 2023
      Al Aan TV adapts to Actus Digital compliance and monitoring solution

      Al Aan TV adapts to Actus Digital compliance and monitoring solution

      December 15, 2022
      How the MENA streaming sector is tackling the viewership challenge

      How the MENA streaming sector is tackling the viewership challenge

      December 8, 2022
      OTT video delivery: Challenges and aspirations

      OTT video delivery: Challenges and aspirations

      September 20, 2022
      Al Aan TV launches two programmes for the summer

      Al Aan TV launches two programmes for the summer

      June 30, 2022
      More Related News

      BroadcastPro ME

      • About
      • Advertise
      • Subscribe
      • Magazine Archive
      • Directory
      • Contact
      • Privacy

      Follow us on Social Media

      No Result
      View All Result
      • News
      • Tech Features
      • Videos
      • Opinion
      • Interviews
      • Products
      • Magazine Archive
        • BroadcastPro ME Magazine
        • PRO Directory
      • Events

      Welcome Back!

      Login to your account below

      Forgotten Password?

      Create New Account!

      Fill the forms bellow to register

      All fields are required. Log In

      Retrieve your password

      Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

      Log In