VIZRT TO INTRODUCE VIZ|VIDEO HUB PLUG-AND-PLAY MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT SOLUTION AT NAB 2007

At NAB 2007 (Booth #SL4810), Vizrt will introduce Viz|Video Hub, a robust and intuitive, plug-and-play media asset management solution. Based upon the proven and widely used technology of Ardendo s Ardome media asset management software, Viz|Video Hub allows customers to easily access video clips, stills, graphics and audio clips from a standard PC.

Viz|Video Hub is an easy-to-use system, ideal for the demanding pace of a newsroom or the flexible workflow of a production company. It provides users with direct access to the most powerful search options, most recent material, best search options, and pre-editing functions resulting in a significantly faster workflow

Viz|Video Hub will integrate with existing Vizrt software such as Viz|Content Pilot content management and Viz|Trio CG. This integration makes it possible to easily search for video clips from graphical templates just as users would search for images or data elements from a newsroom system or directly from Viz|Trio and Viz|Content Pilot.

Viz|Video Hub can easily scale to offer a media asset management solution to a large broadcast facility or smaller multi-media outfits. Vizrt Viz|Video Hub Technical Project Manager Tim Child said that the need for an easily deployed and scaleable system factored into the product s evolution. We ve taken a successful media management system and made it easy to deploy, while maintaining scalability, explained Child. What was an intensive integration process has been replaced by easy configuration screens, allowing customers to start using it right away.

Viz|Video Hub uses industry-standard metadata fields based upon the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). Fields for title and a brief synopsis of the clip stored are pre-defined. Retrieval is fast and easy with Viz|Video Hub, explained Child. A user can search through the search engine with free text, Boolean commands and keywords. The back and forth between library archivists and production is eliminated because the user can access the system themselves, search for what they need, and get right back to work.

The base version of Viz|Video Hub comes bundled with two basic editing functions Ardendo PreCut and Ardendo EasyCut. Ardendo PreCut enables up to twenty users to simultaneously rough cut video and create new clips. Journalists retain more control over their story during the creation process and can instantly determine whether the video they need to illustrate their point exists, added Child.

The Ardendo EasyCut feature is a slightly more advanced timeline-based video editing tool. With either option, the newly created material can be browsed continuously and is available immediately.

The benefits of Viz|Video Hub reach a number of departments by streamlining the overall production workflow:

Newsrooms save time with direct access to the most recent material with powerful search options and pre-editing functions

Staff can automatically add content with drop folders or through an optional video server. Automatic updating eliminates the need to convert and re-save material

Instant access to ingested material speeds control room functions

System administrators don t need to install specialized hardware as all ingest, search and editing functions can be carried out on standard PC s. The system easily expands as needed.

The Viz|Video Hub 500 configuration consists of video and image storage, a pre-packaged MAM system, a proxy transcoding server, and storage for proxy video. This includes:

500 hours of DV25 or 250 hours of IMX50 storage

Transcoding capacity for up to 10 real-time DV25/DVCPRO25 streams or 10 real-time IMX50 streams

Up to 20 concurrent Ardendo PreCut and MAM users

Two concurrent Ardendo EasyCut users

Supported video formats will be: DV25, DVCPRO, DV50, IMX30, IMX50, with support for HD formats to follow in a future release.

Viz|Video Hub is easily upgraded through add-on modules. Up to three expansion units can be added to increase storage hours from 500 to 2000 (DV25) and increase simultaneous users from 20 up to 80.

Other options include:

Redundancy option to eliminate single points of failure

Import/export integration with NLE systems

Final Cut Pro integration

SDI ingest capabilities

The Viz|Video Hub 40 system offers the identical functionality as the Base System, but with smaller capacity. It provides:

40 hours of DV25 or 20 hours of IMX50 storage

Transcoding capacity for up to four real-time DV25/DVCPRO25 streams or four real-time IMX50 streams

Up to 10 concurrent MAM and PreCut users

Ardendo s Ardome solution is geared for large-scale media asset management environments and typically comes with an implementation and integration project. For customers seeking investment protection, a commercial upgrade path will be available.

Viz|Video Hub will be available for delivery by the end of Q1 2007.

Vizrt acquired Ardendo on April 27th of 2006. Based in

Stockholm, Ardendo offers a range of software solutions for digital archiving, ingest, transcoding, browsing, and system integration media management for broadcasters moving to IT-based production and archiving.