Telestream Episode video encoding software was selected by Banis Software Development, Inc. to provide video and audio transcoding for V&A Waterfront World Media & Legacy Centre which was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.

Banis selected Episode for integration with its Server DAM digital asset management and distribution system. Initially developed for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, Server DAM is the first system of its kind to offer an uncompressed cloud storage and distribution portal with secure web access to video footage for accredited press. Thousands of registered media from around the world gained access this week to the online video portal which allows them to build pre-game video packages in a variety of formats for the 2010 FIFA World Cup which opens in Cape Town on June 10.

“We selected Episode encoder because of the simplicity of fully integrating it with Server DAM and because of the breadth of formats it provides,” says Ford Sinclair, President at Banis Software Development, creators of the video portal.  “Telestream’s Episode was a natural fit for our business needs. The strength of our products is that they function as one system, providing on-demand access 24 hours a day to video footage in any format for any number of users.”

Banis integrated Episode server-based software with Server DAM to enable fully automated, on-demand video transcoding. Initial loading of the clips into the video portal included hours of HD video which needed to be encoded into 5 to 60-second clips. According to Sinclair, Episode was the only system that met all the demands required by his client, including input support for RED camera format. Sinclair adds, “Telestream’s technical support has been amazing.”

The Cape Town media center for the 2010 FIFA World Cup at www.waterfrontmediacentre.co.za provides global access to the video portal which offers local footage, location shots, B-roll, HD highlights and photography. Registered media are given secure access to the portal where they can create a custom menu and specify selection criteria. Video/audio format choices include ProRes 4:2:2 HD, NTSC-SD, PAL-SD, uncompressed video, plus QuickTime .mov and .flv for the web. Additional choices include style shots, locations, venues and keyword searches.

Banis developed Server DAM as a robust video portal with a huge data center backend to support large-scale video needs.  A single video clip can simultaneously be accessed by 10,000 users without interruption or loss of speed. According to Sinclair, the system proved itself at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games where less than 5 percent of total resources were used at any given time.

Episode is the only cross-platform, multi-format software encoder on the market that scales from the desktop to a server cluster. Episode combines best-in-class video processing, full 10-bit support and hands-on control with frame-by-frame video preview to allow users to generate excellent picture quality. Episode provides extensive format support for post-production, new media, web and mobile encoding environments.