Argentina’s Telefe Taps Dalet to Improve Program Production, Broadcast, and Archives

Dalet Digital Media Systems, a provider of software-based solutions for media organizations, announced that Buenos Aires-based Telefe has enhanced the performance of its program preparation, production, distribution, and archives infrastructure with the installation of Dalet Media Life.

Facilitating Telefe’s broadcast, post, and archive workflows, Dalet Media Life connects systems and provides users with a centralized content catalog, fast production tools, advanced metadata, and automation capabilities that vastly improve the creation and distribution of news packages, soap operas, promos, magazine format shows, and general programs.

Santiago Matias Guimerans Soto, information systems and technology manager at Telefe, says of the system’s benefits, “Dalet Media Life has given us complete interoperability, smartly orchestrating media flow across our Adobe Premiere Pro CC NLEs, QC systems, storage, playout and archive platforms. With Dalet unifying our entire broadcast operation, we are able to enhance production, simplify distribution and consolidate technology to a few best-of-breed vendors.”

The enterprise deployment, which was led by systems integrator, Argentina-based IPlusB, is centered around the scalable Dalet MAM platform and features purpose-built production tools such as Dalet WebSpace integrated with Adobe Premiere Pro CC, a combination that is used for all of Telefe’s video preparation and production needs.

“By switching to Adobe Premiere Pro CC, a key component of Adobe Creative Cloud, Telefe can better manage various formats and distribution needs, unifying in one tool the entire post production process for all workflows,” said Simon Williams, senior director of business development at Adobe. “Adobe works closely with companies like Dalet to integrate its solutions and optimize production, post and broadcast workflows. In the case of Telefe, Adobe Premiere Pro CC is integrated with the Dalet MAM, creating a production environment where media flows seamlessly across the workflow.”

Dalet, which serves as the Grass Valley K2 server control layer, manages multi-location ingest of IMX 50, XDCAM HD and XDCAM EX direct to storage/archives. Web-based access to content lets users quickly search the content catalogue and archives, retrieve media, add metadata, and make shot selections. Packages are finished in Adobe Premiere Pro CC and saved for QC or automatically distributed to multiple platforms such as YouTube. Metadata is tracked at every step across the workflow. Mr. Soto echoes the positive experience the new system brings, saying, “With Dalet Media Life, we can create our own sets of metadata and build workflows specific to our production needs. This will certainly allow us to adapt to new workflows quickly, efficiently managing the production needs for a considerable time to come.”

Dalet Media Life also facilitates the fluid exchange of multimedia content stored on Telefe’s robotic IBM tape library, Xendata HSM. Previously, searches had to be carried out using the NLE system – a labor-intensive process that tied up an edit suite. Now with web-based access to the content catalogue and archives, Telefe can readily exploit the added value of its wide-ranging content library.

“Telefe represents one of the largest Dalet installations in South America,” explains Julien Decaix, general manager, Dalet US and Latin America. “It was Dalet’s ability to connect production, post-production and archives combined with the ease of content delivery to outlets like YouTube and emerging technology platforms that attracted Telefe. And the new workflow has delivered many benefits beyond initial expectations. Editors, assistant editors, producers and operators have direct access to archives and workflow tools that allow them to work collaboratively on all aspects of program preparation and production. Dalet is a solution that Telefe can continue to grow with over time, reaping the benefits of new revenue streams faster than ever before.”

In addition to Adobe Premier Pro CC, Dalet Media Life integrates Grass Valley K2 Servers, Quantum StorNext file system, Netapp NAS storage, Xendata HSM, Harmonic ProMedia Carbon transcoding, and Interra Baton QC systems.