DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- Nov. 5, 2013 -- Archimedia Technology, a new company whose technology and applications bridge the gap between content producers and their archives without loss of quality, today announced that the Cinémathèque québécoise is using the Archimedia Master Player (formerly known as Archimedia Reference Player), the first software player to support multiple vendors' JPEG 2000 and MXF formats. It allows Cinémathèque users to view, test, and measure archival-quality files on a standard HDTV and traditional SDI equipment. The Cinémathèque is using the player in its archiving department for quality control (QC) and monitoring of any archival-grade master files it receives before checking them into the archive.
"The JPEG 2000 codec has become a well-accepted archiving format, so we needed a player that would allow us to open JPEG 2000 files and their various wrappers, no matter how they were encoded or where they came from," said Anhtu Vu, technical director at Cinémathèque québécoise. "Until the Archimedia Master Player, there was nothing on the market that could do it easily. If there happens to be a file that the Master Player can't open, we can call Archimedia and talk to someone immediately, and their engineers will quickly update the player to accommodate the problematic file -- often the same day! No other company has ever come close to that level of support. Because JPEG 2000, its wrappers, and encoders are fairly new and still evolving, Archimedia's responsiveness has been as important as the quality of the product itself."
The Cinémathèque's archiving workflow demands that personnel can open the files in the organization's care. When the Cinémathèque receives material for archiving, it inspects the files first to ensure that they play and to check for problems such as corruption, color issues, and dropped frames. Files that pass QC go on to be archived, while those that don't are sent back to the producer or distributor for correction. Given Canada's legal deposit requirement, the Cinémathèque is receiving an ever-increasing number of JPEG 2000 files from throughout the country, using every possible brand of encoder, and its stringent QC process requires an accurate player that can play JPEG 2000 material in all of its possible wrappers.
The Cinémathèque has been using the Archimedia Master Player since the player's inception and worked closely with Archimedia's engineers in the beginning to create updates whenever it encountered a wrapper format the player couldn't open. Before acquiring the Master Player, the Cinémathèque had to shelve problem files until it had the right technology to handle them. Now that the organization has deployed the Master Player -- which was developed based on decades of archiving engineering experience and is backed by Archimedia's support -- Cinémathèque staff members can work on those files almost immediately. The collaborative process has not only kept the workflow going for the Cinémathèque, but also helped Archimedia to hone the player.
"The Cinémathèque québécoise has been preserving Canada's A/V heritage for many years and is an excellent example of why we invented the product line," said Mark Gray, Archimedia president and CEO. "Formats and technology are constantly evolving, and archives need a way to stay on top of those changes if they are to do their jobs properly and ensure the integrity of the files they're asked to protect. We wanted to apply our intimate understanding of the archiving process to take some of the kinks out of the archiving workflow. The relationship we developed with the Cinémathèque has allowed us to refine our products in ways that will benefit the entire archiving community."
The Cinémathèque is also using an Archimedia HD-SDI card, which enables it to play video through the Master Player on practically any professional video device that accepts SDI inputs. The Archimedia Bluefish444 HD-SDI card plays up to 1080p at 59.94 fps using a Single Link 4:2:2 or Dual Link 4:4:4, 4:4:4:4, or 4:2:2:4 HD-SDI connection.
More information about the Archimedia Master Player and other Archimedia products is available at www.archimediatech.com.
Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/Archimedia/MasterPlayer.zip
Photo Caption: The Archimedia Master Player
# # #
About Archimedia
Archimedia Technology specializes in the processing, conversion, and playback of mastering formats, including JPEG 2000, for the professional broadcast, digital cinema, and video archival industries. Its technology and applications bridge the gap between content producers and their archives without loss of quality. Archimedia's products fulfill a critical piece of the production and archival workflows, encapsulating complex file interchange and quality control processes for mastering and archive formats into practical solutions that give end users a new level of access to their assets. More information is available at www.archimediatech.com.
All trademarks and registered trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.
