(June 16, 2003) - At JavaOne, Sun Microsystems announced a first-of-its-kind digital programming repository to stage and manage video program content for 15 HBO and Cinemax networks over the next three years. HBO's goal is to move from a tape/server based platform to a fully digital server architecture while maintaining the 99.999% reliability of traditional playout mechinisms. This digital repository solution will reduce cost and increase HBO's overall operational effiency.

With interconnectivity to its digital "to-air" broadcast content, HBO's digital programming repository takes advantage of Sun's enterprise servers and storage solutions, Java technology, and custom applications.

HBO's digital programming repository is an example of the broadcast industry's move from tape-based systems to digital storage for to-air content. The digital programming repository includes five terabytes (TB) of fully redundant storage, growing to 50 TBs, for a total of 5,000 hours of content. It sustains a constant data rate of more than 300 MB per second to HBO's suite of Grass Valley Group Profile XP-based playout systems using fibre channel interconnections. This system can support a peak of 900 MB per second in recovery mode, allowing HBO to deliver content to-air without a reduction in playout bandwidth while completely restoring the repository within a single broadcast day.