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SGI Launches Silicon Graphics Broadcast Europe

Posted on: Thursday, 9 September 2004, 06:00 CDT

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., and LONDON, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Following successful installations in six countries in the European broadcast market over the past two years, Silicon Graphics has launched Silicon Graphics Broadcast Europe under general manager Stephan Schindler. The dedicated media business unit will offer IT-based broadcast solutions and systems integration services to European broadcasters and operate across Europe with offices in London, Copenhagen, Munich, Paris and Amsterdam.

Key to its success in Europe, SGI has architected, integrated and provided broadcasters with digital IT infrastructures capable of managing their soaring volumes of data as they move from proprietary video-based facilities to standards-based IT data-centric models. In making their move from analog to digital infrastructures, broadcasters throughout Europe have seen IT as more efficient and cost-effective allowing for the ingestion, sharing and storage of content within and between facilities at speeds faster than real-time.

"Broadcasters are looking for an IT solutions provider that understands broadcast workflow. As a high-performance computing company with a heritage in broadcast graphics and video, we have the expertise and technology that fits the bill," said Stephan Schindler, general manager, Silicon Graphics Broadcast Europe, who joined SGI from Avid Technology two years ago. "With our deep systems integration experience in optimizing best-of-breed broadcast applications combined with SGI Media Server systems and storage solutions, we help broadcasters convert their workflow into effective dataflow empowering broadcasters to get news to air faster and make more efficient use of their media assets across their organizations."

SGI's digital infrastructure solutions deliver interoperability and integration from ingest and edit to playout and archive in computing, storage, and networking as well as video production. These solutions simplify, accelerate and optimize broadcast workflow allowing staff at broadcast companies to have faster access to archived material and the ability to share video and audio material across multiple operations.

With one of the largest broadcast markets in the world, Europe represents a significant growth opportunity for SGI. With the creation of the team, Silicon Graphics Broadcast Europe will build on the successes SGI has already established including current customers: BBC, Czech Television, Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), EuroNews, France Televisions Publicite (FTP), M6, France2, France3, TF1, Suedwestrundfunk (SWR) and Sveriges Television (SVT), among others.

Among its successful broadcast installations completed or currently underway:

-- BBC Broadcast purchased the SGI(R) InfiniteStorage NAS 3000 and SGI(R)

InfiniteStorage Shared Filesystem CXFS(TM) as the foundation of a

tapeless environment for virtually all its processes. The system

includes 50 terabytes of storage with high-bandwidth capacity from SGI.

The system enables assets to be available for a large number of

requirements -- ingest, archive and playout. Every piece of content

that touches BBC Broadcast will ultimately go through this system.

-- Czech Television (CT) public service television in the Czech Republic

awarded its server-based newsroom project to SGI for the delivery of a

complete Digital News Production System (DNPS) for managing the

production of news and sports broadcasts. The project consists of two

implementation phases: the start of the pilot operation is scheduled

for Fall 2004 and an estimated completion date for full production is

Winter 2005. SGI designed the overall digital architecture, integrating

multivendor technologies and providing a variety of professional

services. For CT personnel in the news and sports departments, the DNPS

solution will significantly change current workflows, resulting in more

effective and efficient production processes. Included in the DNPS

solution are four SGI Media Server(TM) for broadcast systems with a

total of 20 MPEG-2 channels at 50 Mbps IMX/MXF, four SGI(R)

InfiniteStorage TP9100 storage systems, and a central Media Repository

comprising an SGI(R) Origin(R) 300 system and SGI(R) InfiniteStorage

TP9500 storage system with 2TB of initial storage. The DNPS solution

integrates SGI key partners' applications including Aveco Master

Control and Clip Contribution Manager systems, Ardendo browse and

desktop editing systems, and Pinnacle Liquid blue(TM) and Pinnacle

Liquid purple(TM) nonlinear editors.

-- Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) is in its final year of its

complete digital conversion to become one of the world's most advanced

and workflow-efficient broadcast facilities. The conversion began in

1999 with digital radio production, continued in 2000 with a digital TV

pilot phase and will result in an all-digital DR and a new facility in

Copenhagen -- "DR Byen" -- that will bring the company together in a

multimedia community in 2005. After the successful completion of a

pilot phase architected by SGI, DR chose SGI(R) equipment and systems

integration services for the next phase-a completely integrated,

all-digital workflow for news and sports. Recently completed, the

Sports and News Production System (SNPS) is based on the SGI Media

Server for broadcast system. The system comprises eight SGI Media

Server for broadcast systems; SGI(R) Origin(R) 3000 and Origin 300

servers; two SGI(R) InfiniteStorage TP9500 35TB storage systems; and

SGI(R) Data Migration Facility (DMF) software for archiving. The system

also integrates a vizrt automation system, ingest automation software

from Ardendo, StorageTek(R) L5500 tape library and 24 Pinnacle Liquid

purple and Pinnacle Liquid blue nonlinear editing systems. DR recently

took a smaller clone version of this broadcast system for its sports

and news production at the Summer Games in Athens. [See release dated

August 13, 2004: "Danish Broadcasting Corporation Selects SGI Broadcast

Systems for Sports and News Production at the Summer Games" http://www.sgi.com/newsroom/press_releases/2004/august/dr_olympics.html ]

-- France Televisions Publicite (FTP), the advertising-production

subsidiary of national broadcaster France Televisions, wanted to

streamline its production -- digitally ingesting commercial spot

content, editing specific commercial break sequences, and delivering

content directly from the central location to the transmission servers

-- allowing for last-minute schedule changes impossible with a tape-

based system. With three main channels -- France 2, France 3 (including

local transmission sites), and France 5 -- in addition to nine thematic

channels, FTP chose SGI to migrate to this IT model. It employs SGI

Media Server for broadcast systems providing MPEG-2 ingest capabilities

at the central facility in Paris. From there, video content is

distributed as data files to smaller SGI Media Server systems, which

provide playout services for the spots at the local transmission

facilities. FTP now uses an all-digital, disk-based architecture for

commercial playout. It runs on an SGI(R) Origin(R) 3200 server with two

Sony(R) PetaSite(R) systems, SGI Media Server for broadcast systems,

SGI(R) Origin(R) 2000 servers, SGI CXFS shared filesystem, SGI DMF and

other support equipment.

-- Suedwestrundfunk (SWR) or Southwestern Broadcasting recently built a

second News Studio and implemented a tapeless digital newsroom in one

of its main facilities in Stuttgart that went on air in July 2004.

After a similar installation in Mainz, which has been on air since

February 2003, this is the second time SWR choose SGI's expertise in

broadcast business environments. This newsroom will allow the 100+

people news team in Stuttgart to streamline its operations, news

production and play to air. For Stuttgart, the station chose a solution

designed by SGI Professional Services, who also served as systems

integrator. The solution, based around SGI's data-centric broadcast

technology, relies on the SGI Media Server for broadcast systems, based

on the Origin 350 server and the TP9500 storage system. The solution is

completed with Pinnacle Liquid blue nonlinear editing systems, a Dalet

newsroom computer system, Media Management and newsroom automation

technology from SGT, as well as their MPEG-1 video browsing and editing

solution. Rather than utilizing servers strictly as a means of

transporting a video signal, the new digital infrastructure enables the

company to enhance its workflow and create efficiencies by allowing

users to edit and browse material while it is being ingested. This also

enables easy reuse of news items, both text and video for SWR's

Internet offerings. SWR Mainz was awarded a Broadcast Engineering

Magazine Excellence Award, recognizing leading-edge design and systems

integration, in the "News Room Technology-Station" category. [See

release dated June 21, 2004: "SGI Broadcast Installations Win Awards

for Innovation at NAB 2004" http://www.sgi.com/company_info/newsroom/press_releases/2004/june/broadcast_aw ards.html (due to the length of this URL, you may need to copy and paste it

into your browser)]

-- Sveriges Television (SVT), the Swedish public broadcaster, launched an

all-digital news-production facility, expanding its SGI Media Server

for broadcast news-server system, and moving SVT news, sports, and

current-events programming units (including national channels SVT1 and

SVT2 and 24-hour national news service SVT24) into an all-digital

facility in Stockholm. SVT's main design goal was to completely replace

the tape-based system that had served the older four newsrooms. The new

Stockholm facility is based on SGI Media Server for broadcast-backed by

the SGI(R) Origin(R) 3400 system. SVT operations were the first to be

entirely designed around the SGI Origin 3400 server, which is being

used as a central file server storing all the content and acting as the

hub to all the other servers on the SVT network. Almost 90% of SVT News

is handled by 34 SGI Media Server systems. The networked system, where

playout is done from seven SGI(R) Origin(R) 200 media servers, ingest

from three 4-channel SGI Media Server systems and file transfers

directed through an SGI Origin 3400, covers the whole of Sweden:

10 news rooms in Stockholm and 10 regional news rooms around Sweden,

connected on a network for faster than real-time transfers of video

files.

SILICON GRAPHICS | The Source of Innovation and Discovery(TM)

SGI, also known as Silicon Graphics, Inc., is a leader in high-performance computing, visualization and storage. SGI's vision is to provide technology that enables the most significant scientific and creative breakthroughs of the 21st century. Whether it's sharing images to aid in brain surgery, finding oil more efficiently, studying global climate, providing technologies for homeland security and defense, or enabling the transition from analog to digital broadcasting, SGI is dedicated to addressing the next class of challenges for scientific, engineering and creative users. With offices worldwide, the company is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and can be found on the Web at http://www.sgi.com/.

NOTE: Silicon Graphics, SGI, Origin, XFS, the SGI cube and the SGI logo are registered trademarks and CXFS, SGI Media Server and The Source of Innovation and Discovery are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries worldwide. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

MEDIA CONTACT

Lisa Pistacchio

pistacchio@sgi.com

650.933.5683

SGI PR HOTLINE

650.933.7777

SGI PR FACSIMILE

650.933.0283

SGI

CONTACT: Lisa Pistacchio, +1-650-933-5683, or pistacchio@sgi.com, or PRHotline, +1-650-933-7777, or PR Facsimile, +1-650-933-0283, all of SGI

Web site: http://www.sgi.com/

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