Medway Improves Workflow Automation between Broadcast Processes at
OBU, Irish Parliament The Oireachtas Broadcasting Unit (OBU) is using Marquis
Broadcast's Medway media transfer and format conversion software as part of its
file-based asset management, archiving and playout workflow for the Houses of
the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament). Designed and installed by Eurotek, one of
Ireland's largest systems integration and equipment suppliers, the system
comprises a tightly integrated, end to end workflow that uses a range of best
of breed broadcast applications from leading manufacturers including Avid,
IBIS, Omneon, SGL and Telestream. The system also includes design capacity for
future updates, in particular, easy upgrade options to HD. Find out more
(...)
Hi Tech Systems Launches clipR New Clip Conversion
and Transfer Systems at IBC 2010 Hi Tech Systems, a leading supplier of VTR and video
server control panels to the broadcast industry, will be launching clipR, a new
Windows™ application that simplifies the movement of video clips between a
range of broadcast servers and Avid or Apple Final Cut Pro editing systems, at
IBC 2010 (stand 10.A49). Powered by Marquis Broadcast’s Media Highway
Technology, clipR will improve file-based workflows by providing fast and
reliable media transfers without the worry of file incompatibility problems
that often arises when media is moved between systems from different
manufacturers. Find out more
(...)
Marquis, Object Matrix to provide edit sequence
archive, restore solution Marquis Broadcast and
Object Matrix have partnered to provide a new
cost-effective solution for broadcast and post-production workflows using
Marquis’ Parking archive and retrieval software and Object Matrix’s
MatrixStore nearline archive system. The solution enables users to move entire sequences,
including edit decisions, subclips and metadata, from dedicated Avid or Final
Cut Pro storage to the MatrixStore environment in a simple one-click process.
The joint
development offers a number of significant benefits to broadcasters and
post-production companies. For example, workflow efficiency and resource
management are improved as valuable online edit storage is freed up; the
process of archiving is fast and easy because Parking wraps the sequence
elements and metadata into a standard TAR file as they are transferred to
MatrixStore; and the process of file restore is also fast and efficient because
Parking eliminates the need to reingest and conform media before editing can
begin. Find
out more (...)
Marquis Appoints John Woodhouse as new Product
Manager Marquis has appointed John Woodhouse as Product Manager. In his
new position, Woodhouse will help map out the future development path Marquis'
Media Highway Technology which forms the underlining architecture for the
Company's widely installed Medway media transfer and format conversion
software. Woodhouse previously held the position of Head of Operations at
Softel. Prior to this, he held several product management and marketing
positions with Quantel where he applied his broadcast engineering and front
line operational experience to a range of products and workflow systems.
Cost Effective Multiplatform Delivery -
Broadcast Forum Footage now live One of the
challenges faced in extracting profits from multiple platforms is how to
generate revenue streams without necessarily incurring directly related
production costs. In other words re-purposing content across many channels
automatically. The key to this is exploiting the power of modern digital
systems which requires rich metadata and sophisticated control systems.
Our most
recent Broadcast Forum "Cost Effective Multiplatform Delivery" studies the
production chain from ingest through to distribution and illustrate how best of
breed products can pass metadata to produce efficient and cost effective
workflows. The processes discussed can manage rights, contribute to
re-purposing, ensure the quality of broadcasting, and add significantly to
profit when delivering to multiple platforms. Below is a two minute overview.
Marquis Extends Product Line with Launch of
Shrink-Wrapped Products for Avid and Final Cut Pro Archive and Interchange at
NAB 2010 Marquis is launching two new point products for edit sequence
archive and interchange at NAB 2010. The new products, Parking and Bridging,
have been designed to bring simple yet powerful improvements to the utilization
of costly Avid and Final Cut Pro edit clients and storage. Also at NAB 2010,
Marquis' Media Highway Technology will include support for additional video
codecs and file formats, enabling easier integration between a wider range of
third party broadcasting and digital post applications. To read our full NAB highlights please click
here
Marquis Announces Jason Danielson as Vice President of the
Americas Marquis Broadcast has appointed
Jason
Danielson as its new Vice President for the Americas. In his new
position Danielson will manage key accounts, build the systems integration
channel and develop OEM technology partnerships. Danielson brings
considerable expertise to Marquis' operations in the US. He is an experienced
executive with a broad business skill set and background in digital media
production and distribution systems for broadcast, post production and telecom
media markets. He also possesses a thorough understanding of partner
programmes, marketing communications and international business development
which will help Marquis to expand its US activities and connect with new
markets. "We are extremely honoured to welcome Jason to Marquis Broadcast
and look forward to benefitting from his far-reaching knowledge of the
industry," said Neil Attard, Managing Director, Marquis Broadcast. "His
experience working with broadcasters will be essential to Marquis as we
continue to develop our US customer base and seek out new business
opportunities." Before joining Marquis, Danielson held senior director positions
with Omneon based in Silicon Valley, California where his responsibilities
included the development of technology partnerships and the company's shared
storage strategy for news and programme production. Prior to this, he held
several roles of increasing responsibility at Silicon Graphics including
Director of Media and Entertainment Industry Marketing, and was a founder of
Digital F/X where he and his product team won an EMMY for technical
achievement. "This is an exciting time to join Marquis. This year, the
company is introducing two channel-focused products for high-volume edit
collaboration and archiving, has secured promising new OEM relationships, and
will be completing several major installations with US broadcasters and content
providers," said Jason Danielson, "I look forward to putting Marquis on the map
in the Americas."
Marquis Broadcast and Tyrell CCT Demonstrate
Improved Efficiencies for File-Based Workflows at BVE 2010 Marquis Broadcast
and Tyrell CCT have signed a partnership agreement enabling them to work
together to integrate Marquis' Medway media transfer and format conversion
software with a range of file-based broadcast and post production systems. As a
result of the agreement, Tyrell CCT will showcase Medway at BVE 2010 to
demonstrate the ease with which media can be moved efficiently and seamlessly
between systems from different manufacturers. At the show, Tyrell CCT will demonstrate
how Medway creates powerful workflows and metadata integration between Avid
editing systems, Interplay, Final Cut Pro and other file based production
systems including Isilon storage systems and Grab Networks. Also on the stand,
Marquis Broadcast will highlight the benefits of its Parking and Bridging
products. Parking provides a simple and fast 'one click' method of moving
sequences from dedicated editing storage to archive or generic low-cost
storage. Bridging provides a simple method for Apple Final Cut Pro and Avid
editors to exchange timelines between systems thereby improving workflow
flexibility in digital post and broadcast environments. "By integrating
Medway with a range of broadcasting and digital post applications, customers
have more flexibility in their digital processes to use best of breed systems
in the knowledge that they will work together in a highly efficient and
reliable environment irrespective of file formats and system architectures,"
said Nick Soper, Technical Director UK, Tyrell CCT. "Medway also gives
customers the freedom to scale workflows to their requirements to meet today's
critical business-driven challenges." "We are very pleased to be working with Tyrell CCT,"
said Granby Patrick, Partner Director, Marquis Broadcast. "They have a deep
understanding of the benefits gained from implementing file-based workflows and
have the knowledge and experience to create tight integration between the
networked production systems demanded broadcasters and post-production
companies."
PBS
Chooses Marquis' Medway to Create Seamless File-Based HD Workflow Marquis has
announced that the Public Broadcasting Service's (PBS), Media Operations Center
located in Arlington, Virginia has chosen the Marquis Medway interoperability
engine to create a unified working environment between its Avid media
storage/editing systems and Omneon playout servers. Following an
initial trial last summer, PBS, a provider of high-quality, educational
programming to 356 public television stations in the U.S., is now using Medway
technology to create a seamless file-based HD workflow, enabling their
ever-increasing amounts of HD content to move transparently between two
systems. "Medway allows our editors and technicians to easily transfer
and transcode their DNX 145 HD files (OP Atom) to Omneon (OP 1A) files, in a
simple and seamless background process, while continuing to work in their
editor," said Wendy Allen, Sr. Director Media Operations Center. "The system's
ability to transfer metadata and media between systems allows the PBS' Media
Operations Center to achieve their full file-based workflow goals." Medway enables
media files from multiple sources to be moved between multiple vendor platforms
without incurring the usual workflow bottlenecks. PBS editors and technicians
can import HD footage into the Avid ISIS system, edit footage in their Avid
Media Composer, Adrenaline and use Medway to automatically rewrap the media and
export the sequence to an Omneon playout server.
From Avid to Final Cut and Back
Again for Ellen By Debra Kaufman September
2009 Source: Film &
Video When The Ellen
DeGeneres Show started in 2002, it was standard-def and housed on the NBC lot.
All the changes came six years later. “The show was very excited to move to the
Warner Bros. lot. It is such a great place to work,” explains Derek
Westervelt, the show's executive in charge of production and senior producer.
“After Telepictures designed and purchased a technical package we wanted,
the studio built the facility from the ground up for us. And it is
fantastic.” Building a new facility coincided beautifully with the
producers’ other interest: switching from standard definition to high
definition, and from tape to tapeless. That path soon became a journey with a
bump in the road and a happy destination. Readying the new facility for season six,
the systems integrator recommended moving from Avid to Apple Final Cut Pro in
lieu of Avid. Previously, The Ellen DeGeneres Show had cut with Avid Meridiens,
adding the Unity by season three to allow multiple editors to work on the show
simultaneously. The thought of switching to another editing system was met with
reluctance. “Our editors were very familiar with Avid and it was such a
stable, reliable system,” says Westervelt. “So there was a bit of
concern from that point of view alone. Why change?” As it turned out,
says Westervelt, the new facility performed smoothly in many ways. “This
complex was built top to bottom, with all the broadcast and post
infrastructure,” he says. “We were in very good shape on the
broadcast side.” But stresses showed up in post-production. Once the new editing
system was in place, it wasn’t long before everyone had second thoughts.
“While Final Cut Pro was good in some ways, it became quickly apparent
that it wasn’t the right application for us,” says Westervelt.
‘A Trying Season’
Senior editor Clark Burnett, who started on the show in season
two as a freelancer and has been full-time for the last three seasons, says the
transition from SD to HD, and from tape to tapeless, was
“interesting.” “We made it work, but it was a trying season,” he
says. Because the editing team was so used to Avid Unity as a way to
collaborate and share editing duties, it was a rude shock to lose that easy
capability. “We were so used to working with a lot of last-minute
needs,” says Burnett. “Last season, we couldn’t do that without
workarounds — and there were tons of workarounds.” Westervelt agrees.
“The workarounds took additional time that became challenging,” he
says. “We didn’t miss deadlines, but we scrambled hard to make
it.” Perhaps no one felt the pain more than Telepictures Productions
Engineer Jason Schroeder, who worked through several round-the-clock shifts
during the start-up period. According to Schroeder, one of the problems was that
the entire system didn't have enough storage capacity. “Front Porch
Digital offered to work with us to achieve the results that were originally
promised to the Ellen post department for their long-term data archive, and
chose its DIVArchive as the solution,” says Schroeder. “Sitting
between the applications and our IBM LTO-4 tape library, Front Porch delivered
on their promise. [The DIVArchive] responds well within the system and does a
fantastic job." Re-evaluating Workflow As
everyone struggled through the season, Omneon and HP gave Schroeder the support
needed to re-evaluate the workflow. The show's Omneon Spectrum media server
could be paired with the Unity by using Marquis Broadcast’s Medway
media-transfer and format-conversion software. “With this technology, the
staff was looking at a very easy solution on how to integrate their previous
gear with an Avid Unity,” says Schroeder. “Their efforts enabled the
post department to salvage a majority of the media-asset-management
infrastructure and focus entirely on delivering a robust edit solution.”
The
Marquis transfer is extremely fast, says Schroeder. “It's so fast that
it’s pretty much a real-time record transfer off the Omneon to the
Unity,” he says. “Within anywhere from 10 seconds to a minute of the
act finishing, the editors have it.” The Marquis transfer engines make the
media available on the Unity first, and then the editors used DaletPlus for
long-term management on the show’s near-line and LTO-4 data archives. It
wasn’t hard to figure out that, with Final Cut, the editors also needed
more time to do tasks that had previously been seamless, even in the
background. “When I was cutting on the [Final Cut] system and didn’t
have to share, I had no problems with it,” says Burnett. “The moment
we tried to treat it like a Unity, it didn’t work the way I was used to. I
would have to create a new project and copy it into another system. The system
just wasn’t a good fit for what we do here.” “By the middle
of season six, we knew we would come back to Avid,” says Westervelt.
“It was a matter of how to do it." Transitioning
Back to Avid ... Slowly How they did it was slowly. While season six was
still in production, Avid brought in four edit bays. “We did a beta-test
situation where every Friday we would cut one show on the Avids,” says
editor Burnett. “We did our teaser as well. We did have issues, but Avid
kept stepping up and dealing with them immediately.” The trick was not
only introducing the new Avid system, but using it simultaneously with the
existing editing system. That's when Schroeder did something rather
unconventional: he swapped out the xSAN storage and put in a Unity. “One
of the amazing benefits of Unity today, to Avid's credit, is that it's open to
connecting with [other editing systems],” says Schroeder. “We took
full advantage of that here. One of my technical challenges was to make sure
the editors could finish season six while we were ramping up for season seven.
The end result was awesome. I had FCP and Avid editors using the same SAN.
Technically, Final Cut can't use the media that Avid creates, but the ability
for both platforms to operate on the same SAN volume gave us an enormous amount
of flexibility we never had." By the end of season six, 10 Avid Media Composer
Nitris DX systems had moved inside the show’s post-production facility.
One of them is used in a unique way: it sits in the equipment room, and is used
remotely by StudioCity, the company that produces the show’s promos.
StudioCity editors are able to access the Avid with Apple Remote Desktop and a
VPN connection, select their shots, and play out the HD clips directly over
fiber, compressed using an Evertz JPEG-2000 card. Plenty of Storage The show’s new system also has plenty
of storage: 64 TB of Avid Unity (online), 100 TB of HP EVA storage (nearline),
and 400 TBs of IBM LTO-4 tape storage (deep archive). Considering that Season 6
started with only 16 TB of editing storage and barely 100 TB of LTO-4 tape
storage, the post-production staff feels like it has arrived at a system that
fits the model of what’s needed. "Avid’s new campaign is about listening to
customers,” says Schroeder, who reports that he’s logged no overtime
yet this season. “It isn’t just a slogan. With Avid, they value
communication very highly, and that speaks volumes about why we’re
reinvesting in that company." For the editors, the return to Avid editing systems
provoked sighs of relief. “The new Avid is slick,” says Burnett.
“This is going back to what everyone loved about the Meridiens. It’s
a dependable, solid box.” He is also now enjoying the benefits of the
tapeless workflow. “The one thing that’s amazing about tapeless is
how I can bring back all the media,” he says. “Before, we would
output it split four-channel track. I would digitize and cut it. Now all the
media is there and it comes back quickly and slickly.” Westervelt says it
didn’t take long to get up to full speed again. “The Unity we have is
very quick,” he says. “They can retrieve and shuffle their media
effortlessly, so our problems there have been resolved.” With season seven
in its early days, Westervelt looks forward to expanding the show creatively.
“We’re starting to branch out and do more live shots,” he says.
“We’re exploring ways to do that in a more fun, accessible way.
We’ve been doing sequences using Skype and Twitter to connect with the
audience, and they love it." “The show has a lot of components to it every
day,” he says. “Some of them are regular—we’re a
day-and-date show—we also have music acts, live remotes. Bringing those
disparate elements together every day is a challenge. And Avid, in almost every
way, makes that do-able for us. When we want to take that challenge to a new
level, Avid is a ready tool to take what’s thrown at it.”
Neil Attard named as Managing Director Following
Company Restructure Marquis has promoted Neil Attard, former product specialist and
strategist, to the position of Managing Director. In addition, Craig Littlewood
has joined Marquis as Senior Software Developer. Attard takes up the
newly created position of Managing Director following the restructuring of
Marquis' business operations in which the company's software development and
broadcast consultancy divisions have been established as two separate
companies. Attard will head up the software business, Marquis Broadcast, which
is tasked with the development of the highly successful Medway media transfer
and format conversion software. The changes will provide more time for Granby
Patrick, Marquis' Founder and Technology Director, to represent the company
more fully in the field, and evolve the technology that has established
Marquis' Medway product as a leading media integration tool. Attard joined
Marquis Broadcast in 2006 and has been instrumental in the product management
of Medway and the development of the company's two new broadcast products,
Parking and Bridging, which were launched at IBC 2009. Attard has also played
an important role working with software developers and manufacturers ensuring
the successful integration of Medway into their broadcast systems. Craig Littlewood joins Marquis with
specialist knowledge of IT professional services having held senior design
engineering and software development positions with companies including ACK,
Techland Systems International and Satchwell Control Systems. "We are delighted
to announce Neil as Marquis' new Managing Director," said Granby Partrick,
Founder and Technology Director, Marquis Broadcast. "His knowledge of the
broadcast industry and his vast business acumen have proven to be valuable
resources. We also welcome Craig to the team and look forward to benefiting
from his vast experience working with multinational companies on large IT
projects." Marquis recently announced changes to its business structure
with the establishment of Marquis Holdings, Marquis Consulting and Marquis
Broadcast as separate companies, following continued growth of the software
development and broadcast consultancy divisions. The restructure enables their
respective business interests to strengthen further while independently seeking
additional opportunities in the wider media communities. Marquis Broadcast is
now solely responsible for the software development business, focusing on
Medway. Marquis Holdings provides marketing and financial services to Marquis
Consulting and Marquis Broadcast, thereby providing both companies with
valuable shared resources that will ensure operating efficiencies are
maintained across the group.
ARTV, Parliament Channel, Portugal, Chooses
Marquis' Medway for Improved Media Delivery between Broadcasting
Processes Marquis has announced that ARTV (TV Parlamento), the internal
television channel of the Portuguese Parliament, has installed Medway, Marquis'
software integration and format conversion software. ARTV chose Medway to
improve the delivery of media between the multiple processes involved in its
enterprise-wide broadcasting environment. Medway enables ARTV
to select and transfer file-based media quickly and easily from Omneon storage
systems to Avid Unity storage networked to three Avid Media Composer Adrenaline
editing systems. Operators are able to browse and retrieve content via a Medway
interface which is accessible from within the Avid systems. After editing, the
finished sequences are moved to the Omneon systems via Medway and added to the
channel playlist ready for playout. ARTV uses an Omneon Spectrum server to
record up to six simultaneous ongoing parliamentary sessions and debates, and
for continuity playout. Medway provides a seamless workflow for ARTV by enabling the
media files to move transparently between the systems. Medway rewraps media and
its metadata in the appropriate formats so that they are delivered ready to
use. Media is transferred at faster than real-time speed in a highly efficient
workflow environment without file incompatibility delays that frequently occur
when media moves between different manufacturers' architectures.
Marquis Broadcast Appoints Digistor Marquis has
announced the appointment of Digistor Pty Ltd as its reseller for the
Australian market. Marquis provides a range of software products for the
broadcast, digital media and post-production markets. Digistor supplies
technical solutions and professional equipment for these markets and will
provide sales, systems integration expertise and technical support services for
Marquis Broadcast products. Established in 1990, Digistor is Australia's leading
provider of solutions and systems for the creation, management, storage and
delivery of digital media. The company has earned an excellent reputation from
Australian broadcasters, post-production and media companies as a specialist in
the implementation of file-based workflows. "Our customers are always seeking
innovative solutions to complex media requirements," explained Andrew Mooney,
Digistor Managing Director. "Marquis Broadcast's products allow us to achieve
efficient workflows, uniting diverse areas of the production cycle, media
management and play-out." Digistor provides solutions for all aspects of digital content
management for broadcast and post-production including asset acquisition,
content management, archiving and process workflow analysis. "We are very
pleased to appoint Digistor as our reseller for Australia as they have a deep
understanding of the benefits and challenges of digital workflows and the need
for tight integration between processes," said Granby Patrick, Technology
Director, Marquis Broadcast.
Parking and Bridging Catch The Eye at IBC
2009! Marquis gained considerable interest in both new software
products Parking and Bridging at IBC. Founder of Marquis, Granby Patrick
explains the benefits of both media integration products to IBC TV News on this
short video clip.
Marquis Demonstrates New Product Range and Extends Medway Support
for Third Party Platforms At IBC 2009 Marquis is demonstrating a new and expanded product
range at IBC 2009 (Stand 2.A58) with Parking and Bridging, two new products designed to improve
workflow efficiencies for post and broadcasting workflows. Marquis is also
demonstrating Medway, its media transfer and format conversion software, with
extended support for third party platforms including AVC Intra and XD-Cam HD
media formats and the Grass Valley K2 range of servers. Parking provides a
fast and easy method for editors to create an archive file in an open standard
format that can be moved from expensive online storage onto lower cost disks or
tape archive systems thus saving on local storage. Parking brings a higher
level of flexibility to editing workflows in terms of resource management and
greatly facilitates the resumption of editing following project delays or
future versioning requirements. Bridging allows easy collaboration between Apple FCP
and Avid editing systems by enabling editors to move entire sequence timelines
from one editing system to another in a single drag and drop operation. Editors
have more freedom in planning and organising projects and there is improved
collaboration when a range of different systems is in use. "Marquis is now in
its 11th year designing products to improve broadcast and post workflows
through technical innovation," said Granby Patrick, Partner Director,
Technology, Marquis Broadcast. "As part of our ongoing commitment to product
development, we are delighted to be attending IBC this year with a much
expanded product range including Parking and Bridging. Both products provide
simple and efficient methods of streamlining the movement of media between
different editing systems and also between different editing locations both now
and into the future. We also continue to work with leading manufacturers and
are proud to be showing Medway functionality integrated into an extended range
of broadcasting applications at the show." Also for the first time at IBC, Marquis is
showing its Medway media transfer and format conversion software with support
for AVC Intra and XD-Cam HD media formats, and the Grass Valley K2 server.
Medway provides interoperability functions for media companies that require
fast, efficient digital workflows, without incurring delays that frequently
occur when media moves between systems from different manufacturers. By
rewrapping files, Medway allows media to be transferred quickly and easily
between processes. The system also extracts and manages the metadata attached
to media, therefore enabling easy repurposing of content. By supporting AVC
Intra and XD-CAM HD media formats, Marquis is making the benefits of Medway
available to a wider range of professionals at the production end of
broadcasting. Likewise, Medway's new support for the Grass Valley K2 server
range enables Grass Valley customers to improve workflow efficiencies by
simplifying and centralising the management of bi-directional media transfers
between editing platforms including Avid and Apple systems and the K2 platform.
Medway is
being demonstrated on several Marquis partner stands at IBC 2009 including
Dalet (8.B77) and IPV (8.B67). Parking is being demonstrated on Marquis' stand
(2.A58) and also with Blue Order (3.C40), Quantum (7.G29), Isilon (7.H10) and
Omneon, Inc (8.B60) while Bridging is being demonstrated on the Marquis and
Omneon stands. Parking and Bridging will be available from November 2009 from
Marquis' network of business partners. Medway support for AVC Intra, XD-Cam HD
and Grass Valley K2 servers is available immediately.
ITV
Chooses Medway for Seamless File Integration with BT Content Store ITV has purchased a
Medway file interchange system, for use at its postproduction operation at The
London Studios (TLS) on South Bank, London. Medway will be integrated with the
company's Avid ISIS editing and postproduction operation and BT Content Store
media storage service, enabling broadcast quality digital content to move
seamlessly between the two systems.
Medway Integration Brings Workflow Benefits to
SGL's FlashNet Archive and Storage Environment April
2008 Marquis Broadcast, specialist in broadcast workflow
studies and software solutions, and Software Generation Ltd (SGL), a leading
provider of content archive and storage management software for media and
entertainment, have announced a technology integration agreement allowing SGL
to integrate Marquis' Medway media highway with its FlashNet content archive
and storage management systems, including the new FlashBrowse proxy creation
system and FlashBox archive management and storage solution. "The integration of
our FlashNet products with Medway brings workflow improvements and more
flexibility to critical digital processes," said Bernie Walsh, Sales Director,
SGL. "Integration, strong business benefits, system expansion and low cost of
ownership are key to the SGL philosophy and this partnership will allow our
customers to improve workflows, thereby increasing productivity and
ROI."
RTL-TVI Belgium Installs Marquis Medway Media Highway for Powerful
Cross-Platform Postproduction and Broadcast Workflows March 2008 Marquis has announced that regional Belgian
television station, RTL-TVI Belgium, part of RTL Group, has installed its
Medway Media Highway. RTL-TVI Belgium is using Medway as the interoperability
engine for its broadcasting and postproduction workflows based in its head
office in Brussels. Medway has enabled the Company to achieve fast media
transfers between its production areas where multiple teams of operators use a
range of applications from different manufacturers. "We chose Marquis as
our supplier because having talked through our plans with them, they understood
precisely what we were looking for and were able to demonstrate how Medway's
capabilities could fulfil our requirements completely," said Thierry Piette,
technical director, RTL-TVI. "Medway is very reliable. It has a simple
interface which requires minimal training, and can be used by any of our
operators including those who do not have specialist technical backgrounds.
Also, we do not require transcoding which means the media flows between our
various applications very fast. It's a very powerful method of moving data
around."
RTV
Belgium Achieves Fast Media Transfers using Medway Media Highway for New
Tapeless Workflow March 2008 Marquis has announced that regional
Belgian television station, RTV Belgium, has installed its Medway Media
Highway. RTV Belgium is using Medway to transfer media files between a range of
broadcasting and editing systems in its head office in Westerlo. Although
currently broadcasting in SD, RTV Belgium is migrating its workflows to HD
broadcasting. Medway will fulfil an essential role in this process, as it
already supports a range of HD formats. "We chose Marquis Broadcast as they have a
solid name in broadcasting technology," said Bart Snoeks, head of the technical
department at RTV. "Medway is a very powerful system and is particularly fast
when exporting Avid sequences to playout. All our operators, including those
who are not trained in server technology, are able to use it. With Medway, we
have created a highly streamlined, efficient workflow."
Dalet and Marquis Partner To Optimise Integration With Third Party
Editing Systems September 2007 Dalet Digital Media
Systems and Marquis Broadcast, specialist in broadcast workflow studies and
software integration solutions, today announced that both companies have
partnered to optimize the integration of third-party non-linear editing (NLE)
systems with Dalet Enterprise Edition and Dalet News Suite platforms. Marquis
Medway for Dalet will facilitate the exchange of media essence, Edit Decision
Lists (EDL) and associated metadata between Dalet Content Catalogues and
external NLEs such as Avid NewsCutter and Avid Adrenaline. "By working
alongside leading solutions developers such as Dalet, we are able to widen the
market for Medway media highway and enable more broadcasters and media
professionals to benefit from seamless integration between best of breed
systems within their production environments," explains Granby Patrick, Partner
Director, Marquis Broadcast. "The integration of Medway with Dalet media asset
management systems will provide a powerful, efficient and secure solution with
the assurance that vital metadata remains preserved throughout the
workflow." "Marquis and Dalet really share the same vision of open
broadcast platforms whereby content can be seamlessly exchanged between
production systems," comments Mr. Nicolas Hans, Director of Marketing for
Dalet. "Our joint partnership will truly serve broadcasters who have been
entrapped for too long in proprietary solutions whereby content was entrapped
in isolated silos". Marquis Medway for Dalet is currently being implemented for
a large European content provider and is planned for release in Q4 2007. Once
completed, Marquis Medway for Dalet will be available through Dalet Business
Partners and supported by Marquis
Broadcast.
Marquis Announces
Medway Support for the EVS XT[2] Server Range August
2007 Marquis has added EVS Broadcast Equipment's EVS XT2 server to the
list of products supported by its Medway media highway system. By supporting
the EVS XT2 proprietary file export format, Medway brings new functionality to
broadcasters by enabling them to read and write DNxHD media between systems
based on the EVS XT[2] architecture and Avid Technology's storage and Media
Composer editing systems.
Medway Adds Support For Omneon MediaGrid Active Storage
System Marquis Broadcast's Medway universal media highway product now
supports the Omneon MediaGrid next generation storage system. MediaGrid is a
storage system optimized for scalable, highbandwidth access to content required
by media production and broadcast professionals. The system integrates with
workflow and content management applications through open file protocols and
APIs. Medway enables media files from multiple sources to be moved seamlessly
between a variety of vendor platforms Under an existing OEM relationship
between Omneon and Marquis Broadcast, Omneon currently offers Medway in its
product portfolio branded as the Omneon ConformTool and promotes it longside
Omneon products through its distribution channels. The completion of Medways
support for MediaGrid means that Omneon is now able to extend its offering of
ConformTool to existing and future MediaGrid customers. MediaGrid is a
storage system optimized for scalable, highbandwidth access to content required
by media production and broadcast professionals. The system integrates with
workflow and content management applications through open file protocols and
APIs. Medway enables media files from multiple sources to be moved seamlessly
between a variety of vendor platforms. Media is moved at full capacity network
speeds and with complete reliability in any format including DV and 50-Mbps
IMX. The
integration of Medway and MediaGrid further extends our range of broadcast
solutions, said Jason Danielson, senior director of solution marketing for
Omneon. By offering it with our Spectrum server and MediaGrid storage
platforms, our customers can achieve improved efficiency in their workflows and
at the same time, have the freedom to choose best of breed systems in the
knowledge that they will not encounter file incompatibility problems. As with the existing
Omneon Spectrum integration, Medway allows browsing, reading and writing to
MediaGrid folders while providing rewrapping of files in appropriate MXF or
QuickTime preferences. This can be performed under manual control, via the API.
Harris Integrates Medway Within Its Media Management Products
For Greater Workflow Productivity September
2007 Harris Corporation has signed an OEM agreement with Marquis Broadcast
enabling Harris to integrate Marquis' Medway Media Highway software within
Harris' H-Class Intelligent Media Mover and Invenio H-Class Digital Asset
Management systems. By integrating Marquis' Medway within the H-Class Intelligent
Media Mover and Invenio H-Class Digital Asset Management systems, the Harris
software now supports the seamless transfer of digital media and metadata
assets between its own archives and third-party systems such as NLE
workstations and video servers. A user workflow can now be delivered that
allows for searching of catalogued content within Harris' Invenio media
archives and creates the instruction to move the SD/HD content off the Nexio
server to industry-leading production tools such as Apple Final Cut Pro NLE
software, Avid editing and Unity storage. This unified integration benefits
users by facilitating the access, ingest, transfer, storage, and ultimately,
the playout of media to air. "The OEM agreement between our companies will result
in a compelling solution for media companies looking for maximum output from
their workflow processes," said Tim Thorsteinson, president, Harris Broadcast
Communications. "By integrating Medway within our asset management products, we
can offer our customers powerful, transparent media workflows across all
broadcasting applications." Marquis Broadcast has completed the integration of Medway into
the Harris asset management product line, and now offers on-going product
support to Harris customers. The integrated solution is available now through
Harris's global distribution channels, with product installation provided by
Harris.
Final Cut Pro Support From
Medway Medway now supports
an extended range of manufacturers’ platforms.
This increased
interoperability will give broadcasters even more freedom to choose best of
breed solutions for their broadcasting workflows without the worry of data
transfer bottlenecks due to file incompatibilities.
Medway will be demonstrated at IBC
with full support for a wide range of broadcasting systems, including for the
first time, support for Apple’s Final Cut Pro 5 and Sony’s XPRI
editing systems, Grass Valley’s ProfileXP video server, and
FrontPorch’s DIVA range of archive management
solutions.
