Affordable Package Offers Features Designed for File-Based Workflow
LAS VEGAS, NV, APRIL 12, 2010 — RadiantGrid Technologies, developer of leading-edge transcoding, transformation and new media automation service platforms, is making it easier for network affiliates and regional television stations to move to a file-based workflow with the introduction of its StationReadyTM Platform at this year’s NAB (Booth SL2327). The StationReady Platform takes into account the needs of a station’s broadcast-oriented file-based workflow and bundles together specific features of the RadiantGridTM Platform into a package that accommodates an affordable migration or enhancement strategy.
“We’ve already seen PBS start a successful rollout of its file-based workflow for their member stations this year and many other parent companies and their affiliate stations are following suit with their own strategies,” says Kirk Marple, president, chief software architect, RadiantGrid Technologies. “Based on our experiences developing a system for PBS’ file-based initiative, in what is one of the largest transcoding deployments by one company in US history, the StationReady Platform is designed to provide smaller stations with a complete and affordable solution to easily deploy their own file-based workflow.”
Elements offered in the StationReady Platform include RadiantGrid’s Multi-Platform Transcoding, Media Transformation Templates, Archive Management, Resource Management, Closed Caption & Ancillary Data Management, and a BXF integration module for Traffic Integration. For those looking for additional loudness control, transwrapping and upmixing support, the company will be offering its Multichannel Audio Management feature as an additional option. RadiantGrid offers the Linear Acoustic ITU BS.1770-compliant loudness correction solution via AEROMAX processing, in addition to enabling multichannel upmixing using the Linear Acoustic upMAX proprietary algorithm.
Multiplatform Transcoding
The platform accepts many broadcast media essence formats and broadcast ingestion container formats, such as Avid DNxHD, Avid IMX50, MPEG-2 long GOP, GXF and MXF Op-Atom, Op1a, AS-03, and Op2a. From any of these container formats, RadiantGrid can deliver content to play out servers, broadband, mobile, cable, and broadcast formats and standards, such as Microsoft Silverlight VC-1, H.264, CableLabs 1.1/2.0 MPEG-2, QuickTime DVCPRO-HD, Flash On2 VP6, 3GPP, and the Apple iPhone.
Media Transformation Templates
The StationReady Platform provides the ability to build media transformation templates, which are applied to incoming content to render a finished, composited, mixed output file without taking up the valuable time of a video editing station. Also, the platform supports an adaptive transcoding model, where transcoding settings can adapt to the incoming source media, and inherit parameters such as frame rate, audio sample rate, audio bit rate, etc. Transcoding settings can also be modified to the incoming aspect ratio, and assigned frame size and crop the region to the transcoding engine based on the incoming media source. This also aids in efficiency in that the same settings can be used for a wider range of arriving source media.
Archive Management
The Archive Management feature manages both the assets’ metadata, as well as the physical location of the files related to the asset. For gathering of a large volume of content, the StationReady Platform can ingest content in a batch mode, index metadata and generate any required mezzanine files. In this model RadiantGrid can follow several workflow processes, including applying transformation templates, archiving content, aging archived content, generating proxies, and more. Source masters or renditions can be then stored at near-line, with integrated search and aging functionalities. Content can be accessed again in case the Traffic systems transfer request failed or if another transcode is required or transfer is initiated manually.
Closed Captioning & Ancillary Data Management
The Closed Captioning & Ancillary Data Management feature offers both the capability to extract closed captioning from media sources, and to insert closed captioning back into the transcoded output file. It provides closed caption management that supports a variety of formats including: SMPTE 436M within a MXF container, SMPTE 360M within a GXF container, ATSC EIA-608 within user data in an MPEG-2 program stream, ATSC EIA-608 within VANC data in an MPEG-2 transport stream, bitmapped VBI data in the visible video stream and SAMI in a textual format, SMPTE 436M inside MXF, AFD mapping at the frame level, and almost all US based standards for captioning and ancillary data use. It also includes SCC insertion or extraction.
BXF Integration
To ensure seamless communication between traffic systems and master control automation, RadiantGrid has partnered with Metaglue Corporation to integrate BXF support into its StationReady Platform. With BXF support, content and associated metadata can easily be transferred from anywhere in the transcoding farm to interface with traffic and automation. Now specifically the trafficking system can be integrated directly into the transcoding and transfer management architecture, and instruct the StationReady Platform on how to process or transfer jobs by the stations ID. The station can even leverage its own ID system by having the StationReady Platform change ID naming on the fly. Other integration protocols can also leverage the open REST API model adopted by RadiantGrid.
About RadiantGrid Technologies:
RadiantGrid Technologies is an independent software vendor which develops and markets the RadiantGrid™ Platform – a leading-edge media workflow services platform targeting Broadcast & Cable Operators, Content Owners, Advertising Vendors, Digital Cinema Companies, and User-Generated Content Portals. The RadiantGrid Platform provides media transformation capabilities including grid-enabled transcoding, multi-format transcoding, multi-track assembly, standards conversion, and closed caption extraction and upconversion, in addition to metadata management, storage management, and media publishing.
For more information about RadiantGrid Technologies, visit www.radiantgrid.com.
