DirecTV Latin America selects wTVision for new dual-channel playout automation
wTVision and Unitecnic partnered to provide a complete playout automation workflow for two new DirecTV Latin America TV channels. The solution involved customizing wTVision's ChannelMaker to integrate with various broadcast technologies, including Grass Valley, Miranda Imagestore, Snell Cygnus, and ForeTV systems. This established new architectural structures for an SD and an HD channel with redundancy for the ChannelMaker Playout.
Key Takeaways
- Deployment of OnDirecTV HD (Showcase) and OnDirecTV SD (999) utilizing wTVision’s ChannelMaker automation.
- Hardware stack integration includes Grass Valley video servers, Miranda Imagestore mixers, and Snell Cygnus routers.
- System includes full playout redundancy for both the SD and HD channel architectures.
- Integration with ForeTV Traffic System ensures seamless media scheduling and asset management.
Why It Matters
The transition to a software-defined automation workflow like ChannelMaker allows satellite operators like DirecTV to manage multi-vendor environments without retooling their core hardware. By unifying fragmented systems into a single modular control layer, DirecTV Latin America reduces the operational complexity of running simultaneous SD and HD feeds across diverse geographic markets. This shift reflects a broader industry movement toward vendor-agnostic playout models that prioritize software flexibility over proprietary hardware locks. For the competitive landscape, it establishes a blueprint for how legacy providers can modernize their master control rooms (MCR) to match the agility of digital-first competitors. Watch for further adoption of wTVision’s cloud-ready variant as DirecTV scales its streaming-hybrid offerings.
Additional Context
The modernization of DirecTV Latin America's playout infrastructure follows its acquisition by Grupo Werthein and its reorganization under Vrio Corp. Since taking control, Vrio has pivoted heavily towards a 'media-tech' identity, seeking to unify its traditional satellite business with rapid streaming growth. Per TAVI Latam in August 2024, Vrio’s streaming Pay TV services, DGO and Sky+, surpassed 2 million subscribers, doubling their customer base in a single year. To support this scale, the operator has aggressively pursued ecosystem partnerships beyond traditional broadcast. In February 2024, per PR Newswire, Vrio partnered with TAPPP to deploy a MicroApp Platform across 11 countries, bringing real-time interactive services like betting and contextual commerce to its linear and streaming feeds. Simultaneously, DirecTV Latin America is addressing the infrastructure challenges of the region through satellite-based digital services. In February 2026, per Advanced Television, the company expanded its collaboration with Amazon to offer satellite broadband via the Amazon Leo (Project Kuiper) constellation to 15 million businesses across South America. This move into B2B connectivity complements its consumer-facing content strategy, which includes a 2025 deep-integration deal with Amazon Prime Video and Prime Gaming across seven countries, as reported by BNamericas. On the technical front, wTVision has continued to evolve the ChannelMaker platform used in this deployment. At NAB Show 2026, the company showcased its new R³ Engine running natively on macOS and highlighted cloud-ready workflows designed for 'format-aware' vertical video pipelines, according to SVG Europe. These updates signify wTVision's focus on SMPTE ST 2110 IP-based workflows, moving beyond the SDI-heavy architectures seen in earlier playout deployments to support modern, software-defined media environments.
Read full article at wtvision.com
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