August 31, 2010 -- Markham, Ontario: Digital Rapids -- the leading provider of tools and solutions for bringing television, movie and Web content to wider audiences -- today announced new versions of the Digital Rapids Transcode Manager automated, distributed transcoding software and the Digital Rapids Broadcast Manager multi-encoder management software. Highlights of the new features in Digital Rapids Transcode Manager include automated 'commercial black' removal and extended clip list capabilities, while Digital Rapids Broadcast Manager additions include scheduling enhancements, expanded input router support and more.
The Digital Rapids Transcode Manager software provides superior performance, quality, scalability and automation for high-volume, multi-format transcoding. A new, automated 'commercial black' removal feature in Transcode Manager 1.5 automatically detects and skips over blank sections of the source content originally intended for television advertising insertion. The results are seamless, transcoded outputs for VOD, multi-platform distribution, archive and other non-television applications without the need for time-consuming manual editing. Version 1.5 also adds audio masking, extended clip list functionality for combining multiple distinct clips, and a new user interface style.
Transcode Manager 1.5 also features additions and options mirroring those in the recently released version 3.2 and 3.3 software for StreamZ and StreamZHD encoding systems. These include transcoding to segmented outputs for adaptive delivery to Apple(r) iPhone(r) and iPad(tm) devices; expanded format support including JPEG2000 video and Dolby(r) Pulse audio; Microsoft(r) PlayReady(r) technology for protection of file-based Microsoft IIS Smooth Streaming content; YouTube Content ID and Vobile VideoDNA fingerprint generation and more.
The Digital Rapids Broadcast Manager software provides centralized management, scheduling, monitoring and fault tolerance for multiple live encoders. Version 1.5 of Broadcast Manager expands the range of supported third-party video routers for automated management of incoming sources. Broadcast Manager can now control routers from Evertz and Nevion in addition to existing Harris router support. Broadcast Manager can automatically switch upstream video routers to user-selected input sources for scheduled encodes and re-route input signals as necessary during failover to backup encoders.
Enhancing the automation of ingest to files, new asset creation capabilities in Broadcast Manager 1.5 enable association of scheduled ingests with customizable metadata templates, additional media and supporting resources such as packaging shots. Complete assets can then be exported for subsequent processing by other Digital Rapids solutions -- such as the MediaMesh content delivery system -- or third-party applications. Broadcast Manager 1.5 also features enhanced scheduling precision, the same new user interface style as Transcode Manager 1.5 and support for encoders powered by Digital Rapids' new Flux hardware.
"The new 'commercial black' removal feature in Transcode Manager will save our customers a significant amount of costly manual effort while enabling faster content repurposing for revenue-generating opportunities," said Darren Gallipeau, Product Manager at Digital Rapids. "Combining this with the new features from our recent 3.2 and 3.3 encoder upgrades, Transcode Manager 1.5 reinforces its strength as the most comprehensive enterprise-class transcoding solution available. Meanwhile, the enhancements in Broadcast Manager 1.5 further bolster its sophisticated automation capabilities for both live streaming and ingest to files."
Transcode Manager 1.5 and Broadcast Manager 1.5 will be showcased in booth number 7.G41 at the IBC 2010 exhibition, September 10-14 in Amsterdam. For more information about Digital Rapids, please visit www.digital-rapids.com.
About Digital Rapids Corporation – Digital Rapids provides the leading hardware and software solutions for transforming and delivering media, enabling the multi-platform experiences that are changing how audiences view content. Scaling from standalone appliances to global workflows, Digital Rapids solutions enable media professionals to maximize their productivity, quality, and the value of their content. Recipient of a coveted IBC Innovation Award and four prestigious Frost & Sullivan honors for encoding and transcoding leadership, Digital Rapids combines innovative technology with proven expertise to help our customers to expand their audiences, increase their media revenues and reduce their costs. Digital Rapids Corporation (www.digital-rapids.com) is headquartered in Ontario, Canada with offices in the United States, the UK, Australia, Argentina and Hong Kong.
