Vizrt integrates with Escenic

Vizrt, a provider of real-time, integrated broadcast
graphics software has joined forces with Escenic, a provider of content
management and publishing for the web.

The move expands Vizrt’s robust offering of high-end
graphics and media asset management solutions with Escenic’s array of products
that power hundreds of media sites worldwide. The companies, both Norway-based,
have already begun integrating their respective tools and will display the
results of this integration at the upcoming NAB2008 show in
Las Vegas, NV
(Booth #SL4805).

This integration allows journalists and editors to search
and add video content to online articles, directly from Escenic’s content
management system interface. The integration offers online
publishers the tools to establish professional video content handling. The
solution can later be expanded to IPTV, TV and multichannel production.
Similarly, the Vizrt-Escenic integration proposes a viable solution for
broadcasters targeting web publishing without duplicating staff.

The integration offers three unique benefits including a single
interface for the journalist and editor to create and publish professional
media content. Another benefit is the ability to reuse video content for
future stories, building up a functional, scalable asset management
solution. Also new revenue model opportunities where content can be made
available, for a fee, for automatic search and download.
Vizrt President and CEO, Bjarne Berg, commented: “We
see great synergy from a technology and market perspective with the combined
strengths of Vizrt and Escenic. The merging of Vizrt’s real-time, 24/7 graphics
solutions and Escenic’s highly regarded web publishing software creates a
seamless bridge between web and broadcast workflows. Vizrt’s 1,300
broadcasting customers worldwide and Escenic’s 500 media customers throughout
the world provide an excellent expansion opportunity for both Vizrt and
Escenic.”

The integration of Escenic’s Content Studio software with
the Viz Content Pilot template-based graphic solution provides users with the
ability to generate thousands of high-quality, branded graphics. A journalist
can simply fill-in a template and associate a branded graphic to a story
directly through Escenic’s Content Studio GUI.

yvind rb k, CEO of Escenic, said his company has
recognized the need for more professional video and graphic tools for online
editors: “Escenic’s customers are increasingly developing their video and TV
presence for online and mobile applications. Many of our newspaper customers
are planning to set up TV studios to create their own TV and video content. By
integrating their media asset management system, video editing, and dynamic
graphics creation tool into the Escenic workflow, Escenic can continue to
provide media customers with leading solutions for online editors, journalists,
and television producers. They will have access to a single interface to create
and publish professional media content.”

From the Viz Content Pilot’s interface, Escenic users can
now access a complete digital video workflow. Users can easily search,
edit and store small to large amounts of video. This is achieved thanks
to Vizrt’s extensive range of media asset management (MAM) tools – from the
company’s Viz Video Hub media asset management system to the larger-scale Viz
Ardome asset management solution. Here again, a journalist can search, edit and
associate a video to an article published on the web directly through Escenic’s
Content Studio. Repurposing content for the web, such as 3D graphics or video
clips can be accomplished immediately.