AmberFin has launched version 6 of its iCR software range, which thecocmpany says features major new developments in response to the growth in file based workflows.
AmberFin CTO, Bruce Devlin (pictured), explained: “Broadcasters and post houses are evolving from videocentric to filecentric businesses. We are beginning to see a tipping point – when the majority of content input or output becomes files opposed to video – with different organisations reaching this at different times. This shift is causing them to question whether the videocentric products and architectures we use today are sufficient for future requirements. As a result organisations are increasingly buying pure software products, running on generic IT hardware and evaluating Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) as a design philosophy.”
iCR Version 6 has a range of practical tools to answer the requirements for file-based workflow. One key new development is AVC Intra in P2 and OP1a MXF, which opens up iCR to a new community of users. Other enhancements include DNxHD in OP1a, SAMMA J2K file support, DVCPRO progressive files and GXF file read.
Developments within the new Version 6 web services build the foundations for practical SOA deployment. iCR enables the prospect of building and running many kinds of operations, using a mixture of ‘best in class’ multi-vendor software products using generic IT hardware and storage. This approach helps to drive down costs of purchase and ownership, and reduce the complexity and inflexibility of using protocols like VDCP and MOS or proprietary API’s. AmberFin is pioneering open standards Transcode interfaces through the EBU/AMWA FIMS project.
AmberFin CEO, Jeremy Deaner, concluded: “2010 has been a strong year for AmberFin, resulting in rapid growth of our customer base – both large scale file based systems sales and also in-point solutions for file based workflow, especially format and standards conversion. AmberFin offers its customers practical day-to-day business benefits, delivering ‘best in class’ picture quality, high productivity through process automation and the flexibility and cost effectiveness offered by generic IT hardware. This adds up to great return on investment for customers, as well as creating an important stepping stone towards an SOA approach to file management.”
