Magna Systems updates Fiji TV’s structure to enhance productivity

Fiji TV has partnered with systems integrator Magna Systems to update its broadcast editing and production facilities. To replace older equipment and workflows that had become difficult to maintain, Magna introduced EditShare shared storage, Leader synchronisation, and Disk Archive for long-term storage.

Sunjeewa Perera, CEO, Fuji TV, said, “This project has changed how we work. Before, our teams were spending more time moving drives between machines than actually editing. The new EditShare workflow means everyone can access the same projects, share ideas and get programmes to air faster. 

“The stability of the new Leader sync system gives us confidence we simply didn’t have before. For our viewers, that means better-quality content, delivered more reliably.

“Magna understood our challenges from day one and delivered a solution that fits Fiji TV perfectly.”

Fiji TV’s goal was to move its operations toward HD and address a number of technical issues that were affecting day-to-day productivity.

When Magna’s engineering team arrived on site in Suva, they found that the facility’s Sync Pulse Generator (SPG), which provides timing reference for the broadcast plant, was running on a backup unit. The team worked with Fiji TV to replace this with a new Leader synchronisation system, configured with redundancy, to provide more reliable timing across the facility.

The broadcaster’s editorial workflow had also relied on producers physically moving media on USB drives and portable hard disks between individual workstations. The practice was slow and made collaborative editing difficult.

For a broadcaster covering news, sport, current affairs and cultural programming across two free-to-air channels — Fiji One and Na Lololo — the old approach was becoming hard to sustain.

The integrated solution updates Fiji TV’s workflow from ingest to playout. At the centre sits EditShare, a shared storage and media management platform that connects the Mac workstations across the facility. Fiji TV’s production teams can now collaborate on projects, share media and archive completed programmes for later re-use, removing the need to transfer portable drives between workstations.

For long-term content preservation, the solution incorporates Disk Archive, providing online storage for completed productions and archive material. Network redundancy measures were also implemented throughout the facility to support operational continuity.

Perera concluded, “For Fiji TV’s staff, the most noticeable change is in day-to-day production. With shared project access, faster media availability and with a more stable technical backbone, our editors and producers are able to deliver content with fewer technical interruptions.

“The updated facility positions Fiji TV to meet current broadcast standards and to scale operations as demand for content grows.”