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New Snell & Wilcox MEMPHIS Encoder Gives Broadcasters Future-Proof, Upgradeable Solution for HD Playout Applications

New Ph.C-Based Encoder System Delivers Superior Compression to Popular Playout Servers and Is Cornerstone of Cost-Effective Migration Path Toward Open-Standards HD and File-Based Environments

LAS VEGAS (NAB) -- April 17, 2005 --

Answering the demand of broadcasters for flexible, future-proof encoding solutions to support HD playout facilities, Snell & Wilcox today announced the release of MEMPHIS, a stand-alone, high-quality SD and HD MPEG-2 encoder designed to become the cornerstone of a cost-effective migration path toward HD and a file-based infrastructure deployment.

Based on two Emmy® Award-winning technologies from Snell & Wilcox, Ph.C phase correlation motion estimation and Prefix compression pre-processing, MEMPHIS seamlessly integrates into existing environments. As inputs, MEMPHIS accepts both SD and HD 1080/720 formats, uncompressed PCM, MP1L2, Dolby E, and AC-3 audio, and it can encode at any MPEG-2 profile.

Affordably supporting a multi-phase transition to HD, MEMPHIS can be initially integrated as a conventional encoder into a traditional ingest-for-playout environment and later upgraded to a fully configured ingest workstation for use in an IT-based infrastructure that leverages less-expensive, general-purpose storage devices over current proprietary servers. No other encoder allows a smoother transition path from SD to HD and from baseband to file-based operations.

"The broadcast industry is under enormous pressure to evolve and adapt rapidly, simultaneously transitioning from analog to digital, SD to HD, baseband to compressed, and from video-routed to IT-based structures," said Joe Zaller, vice president of marketing and product management at Snell & Wilcox. "For the playout environment, Snell & Wilcox is answering this challenge with its open-standards architecture MEMPHIS, which combines superior motion estimation, noise reduction, and encoder control with the future-proof ability to be upgraded to a fully configured ASTEROID ingest workstation."

The ability to upgrade a MEMPHIS stand-alone encoder to a fully configured Snell & Wilcox ASTEROID workstation delays equipment obsolescence and preserves broadcasters' investments by allowing relocation of previously dedicated stream encoders to file-based workstations.

Beyond giving broadcasters peace of mind for the future, MEMPHIS delivers the industry's best encoding performance now. Designed to optimize signals prior to compression, built-in Prefix compression pre-processing technology provides the dual benefits of improved picture quality for the viewer and lower bandwidth usage for the broadcaster. Based on the same Ph.C technology as the Snell & Wilcox Alchemist standards converter, MEMPHIS brings compression efficiency to unprecedented levels. Tight integration of the pre-processor and encoder allows MEMPHIS to achieve superior results at a given bitrate or smaller files compared to competing systems for an equivalent quality, translating into reduced storage requirements and lower bandwidth usage.

MEMPHIS has been validated with several industry-leading servers, including systems from Omneon, Pinnacle, and SeaChange. Its features include support for EIA-608 and EIA-708 closed- caption extraction as per SMPTE 334M, support for the SMPTE 328M GOP timecode standard, and the ability to encode SD or HD MPEG-2 at any profile, including 4:2:0 and 4:2:2, CBR/VBR, and I-Frame/Long GOP up to 175 Mbps. Used in a traditional ingest-for-playout environment, the encoding parameters of MEMPHIS can be controlled using either the stand-alone RollCall control panel or through an automation system using RollCall control or the optional VCDP interface. MEMPHIS has been thoroughly tested with many automation systems on the market.

MEMPHIS Benefits at a Glance
- Stand-alone, high-quality SD and HD MPEG-2 encoder that easily integrates into existing environments
- An encoding solution offering optimized storage efficiency
- Versatile capabilities. Accepts a variety of video and audio input formats
- Open-standards architecture
- A future-proof solution empowering the smooth deployment of next-generation, file-based infrastructure