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Sony Pictures Entertainment Redefines Content Storage and Delivery With Ascent Media Group and HP

Posted on: Monday, 18 April 2005, 03:00 CDT

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) today unveiled its plan to dramatically streamline the distribution of its film and television content by leveraging a series of new digital entertainment technology and services created by Ascent Media Group (AMG) and HP. By digitizing its library of media assets -- both film and TV -- SPE can create content once and deliver it to its partners and customers many times, in any standard or format, more securely, quickly and cost-effectively than ever before.

SPE's first-of-its-kind alliance with AMG and HP will transition the formatting, management and distribution of its vast portfolio of media assets from traditional analog format to a "tapeless" digital environment. The move from analog to digital formats dramatically reduces the time and cost required to distribute content for a wide variety of broadcast standards and entertainment formats and allows for increased flexibility in delivery.

"At SPE, the ability to deliver our content in an efficient, cost-effective and secure way is critical. This project marks a significant step towards the future of file-based digital content delivery," said Jeff Hargleroad, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Product Fulfillment, Sony Pictures Entertainment. "AMG's knowledge of the complexities of media asset creation and workflows combined with HP's innovation in digital entertainment technologies makes our partnership uniquely positioned to fulfill our vision."

SPE selected AMG to provide the end-to-end technology and services required to create, manage and store the studio's digital library. AMG oversees SPE's file-based digital asset management archive. This "library" may be searched and reviewed and the assets repurposed with the appropriate metadata for all of the studio's post-theatrical outputs; manage the electronic and physical distribution of assets to and from this digital archive; oversee the ingestion of electronic assets; as well as create and archive the assets to data tape for back-up.

AMG and SPE chose HP's Digital Media Platform (DMP) as its technology foundation. The HP DMP is an open standards-based framework consisting of enterprise software, hardware and services that allows media companies to digitize, store, process, manage, distribute and archive complex media assets securely and efficiently.

"We have a long-standing relationship with Sony Pictures Entertainment and today's announcement is a powerful statement on how the industry is addressing high-priority issues like security, time and manufacturing efficiencies, and new forms of distribution," said Ken Williams, chief executive officer, Ascent Media Group. "Our rich history and proven expertise in content management combined with HP's technological prowess and proven ability to execute enables us to deliver a flexible, cost-effective and fully integrated solution for the secure creation, management and distribution of digital content."

The HP DMP, which leverages research from HP Labs, enables media companies to create digital content once to distribute many times, in any format -- thereby reducing the time to market for new assets and providing new content streams for old assets. By continually adapting to changing workflow evolutions and eliminating the need for analog tape storage, the HP DMP makes digital content creation and distribution processes more secure, reliable and flexible than the traditional physical and analog environment.

Since deploying the solution in November 2004, AMG has ingested more than 500 of SPE's film and television titles. SPE is the first studio to digitize its assets with the HP DMP.

"HP is proud that Ascent Media and Sony Pictures Entertainment are using the HP Digital Media Platform to revolutionize how they create and distribute digital entertainment content," said Shane Robison, executive vice president and chief strategy and technology officer, HP. "It's a great example of how HP innovation can help media and entertainment companies capitalize on the digital entertainment revolution."

About Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home video acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, development of new entertainment technologies, and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries worldwide. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at www.sonypictures.com.

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended Jan. 31, 2005, HP revenue totaled $81.8 billion. More information about HP (NYSE:HPQ) (NASDAQ:HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.

About Ascent Media Group

Santa Monica, California-based Ascent Media Group provides creative and technical services to the media and entertainment industries through its Creative Services, Creative Sound Services, Media Management Services and Networks Services groups. At more than 70 facilities in the regions of Southern California, New York, London, Atlanta and Singapore, and at locations throughout the world, Ascent Media Group provides effective solutions for the creation, management and distribution of content to major motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies and other companies that produce, own and/or distribute entertainment, news, sports, corporate, educational, industrial and advertising content. More information about Ascent Media Group is available at www.ascentmedia.com.

Source: Business Wire

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