Thomson has developed a faster-than-real time direct file import option with Pathfire to increase the HD content management capability of its Grass Valley K2 Media Server platform. The service was recently field-tested by Tribune Broadcasting with nationally syndicated content, writes David Fox.
During the week of September 6th, Tribune Broadcasting went to air at a variety of their station locations from a series of remotely located K2 servers, successfully using the Capture Service to distribute the programming as a series of HD files faster than ever before.
“Our recent trial of the new K2 Capture Service option proved its value, as it enabled us to ingest and stitch HD Pathfire content rapidly and cost-effectively for play back and delivery to our station group,” said Ira Goldstone CTO, Tribune. “This type of fast and highly automatic file conversion is sorely needed and critical to our success going forward.”
The $5,000 Capture Service option requires a simple software upgrade to existing K2 systems. It also supports SD and HD material transfer from the DG FastChannel Spotbox to K2 with no additional hardware necessary.
Thomson says Grass Valley K2 users now have a highly efficient file transfer method that allows HD content to be uploaded to a K2 server timeline nearly instantaneously (5-10X faster than real time), without the need for external transcoding or file conversion. By comparison, existing file-transcoding techniques require the need for a separate server for HD transcoding and current speeds are on-average 2X slower than real time (making it nearly 10X slower than the new Capture Service option).
With significant amounts of content needing to be uploaded every day, it could easily take operations departments longer than a single eight hour shift to upload and QC less than three hours of material.
