A final MediaPort variant inputs material via DVB/ASI. This video format is used for transportation of customized MPEG video streams (i.e. the video has already been compressed before input to the MediaPort). Most common uses for ASI are as the physical transport mechanism for MPTS (Multi- Program Transport Stream), where 3 or 4 video signals are compressed and multiplexed onto a single BNC cable or for transport of High Definition material which has been MPEG2 compressed in an external encoder.

The use of these last two variants of MediaPorts enables Omneon servers to store HD material in any of the available industry standard formats. The building block approach to hardware (and system software) means that these formats can be simultaneously stored on the same server (in the same file system), and these High Definition signals can coexist with standard definition video. This is a very important differentiating feature of Omneon servers, allowing users to mix and match compression techniques, or even change formats without the need to replace the entire server – you simply add the format you need, when you need it. No other server offers this level of flexibility.

Omneon media servers find significant use in playout applications. These applications have their own specific needs – in general, they require significantly more outputs than inputs, and the high channel counts force constraints both in terms of cost/channel and rack space/channel. For these applications, Omneon offer another type of I/O device, called a MultiPort.