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Snell & Wilcox MPEG Mastering System Optimises Content Management Efficiency

Mastering and repurposing system reduces operational costs for content owners with maximum storage efficiency

IBC 2003, Stand 1.411 --

Material ingest is the first stage of any new IT-based broadcast/video facility infrastructure. The ingest process offers a unique opportunity to optimise content and add metadata, transforming that content into a valuable asset.

At IBC 2003, Snell & Wilcox introduces a high-end MPEG mastering and re-purposing system that enables content owners to generate maximum value from audio-visual material. Designed for file-based content creation, storage, quality control and re-purposing, the system includes the company's "Ingest Station" mastering encoder, "Mosalina" quality control software and the "RepoDepot" file transcoder.

Ingest Station incorporates the most advanced Snell & Wilcox developments in multi-standard SD/HD MPEG mastering, including SMPTE recoding data and two Emmy-award winning technologies: Prefix MPEG pre-processing and Ph.C motion compensation. Optimised for storage efficiency and image quality, Ingest Station operates on the principle: "master once - re-purpose many."

In operation it creates a file incorporating both content and technical metadata, including SMPTE UMID, which references the content to business and legal databases. Automated quality control devices and a simple control workstation guarantee faster turn-around by reducing the need for manual intervention.

According to Francois Abbé, Snell & Wilcox Product Manager, MPEG: "Content managers are in need of a complete content mastering and re-purposing system that not only uses the latest MPEG technology, but provides a variety of other useful functions. The open interface of the Ingest Station, with storage, playout and post-production systems, makes it a Media Asset Management (MAM) friendly solution. Importantly, the Ingest Station is also MXF-ready."

The "RepoDepot" file transcoder is a software solution designed to re-purpose any MPEG-2 master to produce a file in a different format. It is qualified as "smart" because it uses Snell & Wilcox MOLE™ technology to ensure optimum quality of the output file and increase processing speed by re-using MPEG-2 coding data.

The MPEG Mastering System works with a variety of video, audio and file formats in standard and high definition. It is well suited for all ingest applications, including play-out from servers and archival for long-term storage.

International Press Contact: David Cunningham, Press Relations Manager, Snell & Wilcox, Southleigh Park House. Eastleigh Road, Havant, Hampshire, UK, PO9 2PE Phone: +44(0) 23 9248 9253
Fax: +44 (0) 23 9245 1411 or Email: david.cunningham@snellwilcox.com.

North American Press Contact: Robin Hoffman, Pipeline Communications, 277 Valley Way, Montclair, New Jersey. Phone: 973-746-6970, Fax: 973-746-6701 or Email: robinh@pipecomm.com.