Simplicity is a virtue to non-technical television journalists in the field. The last thing they have time to do is worry about technical details when they’re on deadline and a story needs to get back to the station in a hurry.
The Associated Press is attempting to simplify matters with the release of its SNAPfeed 3.0 software. Packaged with its ENPS, a new user interface directs journalists through a four-step, non-technical process to encode and transmit video.
Using the Windows Media 9 codec and a variety of transmission options, such as DSL, cable, cellular, satellite phone and dial-up, SNAPfeed enables routine, quality field transmissions.
Eliminating complexity was an important goal of the SNAPfeed 3.0 design. What once required a complex set of decisions about encoding has been boiled down to one simple question for journalists: What’s your deadline?
SNAPfeed was designed to be reliable and simple for non-technical journalists to operate. The product works closely with Agility encoding and transcoding software from Anystream to achieve a seamless flow of video from field to production equipment. Working with SNAPfeed, Agility can automatically convert incoming files to production server specific formats and then transfer the video directly into servers without requiring user intervention.
Producers waiting for incoming video receive constant status updates in an ENPS running order or assignment area. Once received, the file can be accessed via any ENPS workstation as part of the newsroom workflow.
For stations and news organizations working with stringers and freelancers, a new SNAPfeed 3.0 feature lets an administrator define resolutions and aspect ratios, providing greater control over how video looks.
For more information, visit www.enps.com.
