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Snell & Wilcox Unveils iCR Automated Content Repurposing Workstation

New System Automatically Creates, Packages, and Repurposes Revenue-Generating Content for Multiple Distribution Platforms

Visit Snell & Wilcox at IBC2006 Stand 8.271 --

HAMPSHIRE, U.K. -- September 5, 2006 -- In a move that facilitates the shift toward a "master once, repurpose many" strategy for broadcasters and content owners, Snell & Wilcox today unveiled iCR, an automated content mastering and repurposing workstation that enables users to create high-quality digital masters of their content and then repurpose these for distribution on multiple, revenue generating platforms. Integrating unique image conditioning, content mastering, quality control (QC), and content repurposing functionality, iCR delivers superior image quality while drastically reducing the time required to repurpose revenue-generating content for multiple media platforms.

iCR's concurrent processing capabilities eliminate the need for the separate encoding and transcoding processing steps required today. Instead iCR performs these as part of a single workflow, and in fact allows multiple, simultaneous transcode processes to start as soon as the master encode process is underway. As a result, users can complete all their mastering and repurposing tasks in about the same time it would take to perform a single encode/transcode operation using a conventional system.

As well as enabling content to be repurposed more quickly than previously possible, iCR provides tools that dramatically reduce the costs associated with manual QC processes. This combination of concurrent processing and automated QC means that iCR gives its users the lowest cost per deliverable -- whether the output is for broadcast, VOD, mobile phones, portable media viewers, or internet /web publishing -- while delivering high quality results.

"iCR provides content owners and broadcasters the ability to create high image quality digital masters of their assets and then monetize these across multiple distribution platforms and target devices in an automated, scalable, efficient, and cost-effective way," said Joe Zaller, vice president of marketing at Snell & Wilcox. "As well as providing high quality, the system's ability to simultaneously create multiple deliverables from a single master increases throughput and lowers costs for users."

The quality of the images produced by the iCR system is ensured by the use of multi-award-winning technologies from Snell & Wilcox. These include Ph.C motion estimation, Prefix compression pre-processing, DEFT 3:2 cadence correction, FormatFusion up/down/cross conversion, and MOLE, which delivers high-quality, multi-generation compression performance. The combination of these technologies allows iCR to deliver visibly superior results at any given bit rate or smaller files at a given quality level.

Automated Quality Control
Automated QC monitoring is integrated into each step of the iCR workflow. This streamlines manual QC by enabling operators to rapidly focus on problematic areas. Going far beyond monitoring the technical characteristics of the video, the QC functionality in iCR can also evaluate the quality and makeup of the video, audio, and metadata content within the signal. In addition to alerting the operator to an error, iCR also automatically provides an "educated opinion" as to whether each element of the program meets satisfactory viewing quality standards, as well as the legal and contractual requirements necessary to generate revenue.

Integrated Architecture Increases Throughput, Lowers Costs
Typically several systems and operators are required to carry out all of the tasks that the iCR system performs in an easy-to-use, single-pass, automated process that can be controlled by a single operator. Its superior throughput allows the iCR operator to continue working and move from task to task without delay, instead of having to wait for system processing functions to complete. Since the iCR system is scalable and easily expanded, any number of repurposing sessions can occur simultaneously. Because the repurposing process can start as soon as the operator begins encoding a master, the typical working day becomes much more productive.

"The explosion of content distribution platforms and associated targeted viewing devices means that each media asset might now be repurposed for dozens of platforms and consumer device types," Zaller added. "iCR turns this explosion into a business opportunity for players throughout the digital media value chain as a no-compromise solution that automatically creates, packages, and repurposes revenue-generating content for delivery to multiple media platforms."

Snell & Wilcox designs and builds the world's most advanced systems for video playout, mastering, repurposing, infrastructure, and live production switching. Providing solutions that deliver immediate value while enabling a controlled and cost-effective transition to HD and file-based systems, the company serves a worldwide base of customers in the broadcast, postproduction, cable, satellite, mobile TV, and IPTV markets. In business since 1973, Snell & Wilcox maintains its U.S. headquarters in Burbank, Calif., and European headquarters in Hampshire, U.K. Additional offices are located in New York, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, and Russia. Further information is available at www.snellwilcox.com.

EMEA Press Contact: Becky Smith, on behalf of Wall Street Communications, Phone: +44 1622 684 592. Email: becky@ella-beck.co.uk.

Americas Press Contact: Susan Warren, Wall Street Communications, Phone: +1 631 261 1013. Email: susan@wallstreetcom.tv.

Asia Pacific Press Contact: Dave Netz, Wall Street Communications, Phone +1 303 369-0359.

Snell & Wilcox, Putting Pictures to Work, iCR, Ph.C, Prefix, DEFT, FormatFusion and MOLE are all trademarks of the Snell & Wilcox Group. All other trademarks mentioned herein are acknowledged as the property of their respective owners.