TVB chooses Digital Rapids for global distribution

TVBI Company Limited (TVBI) – the worldwide operating arm of Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), one of the world’s largest producers and distributors of Chinese-language programming – is using Digital Rapids’ products to help bring TVB content to viewers and distribution partners across the globe. The systems span TVBI’s workflows including encoding, transcoding, live streaming and business-to-business content delivery.

The Digital Rapids solutions enable TVBI’s workflow to provide content from three of TVB’s live broadcast channels to a major IPTV provider in Singapore for VOD distribution with the original Hong Kong advertising and copyright content removed.

Five Digital Rapids solutions – StreamZ studio encoding systems, the Digital Rapids Broadcast Manager multi-encoder management software, the Digital Rapids Transcode Manager automated transcoding software, the MediaMesh content delivery system and the Digital Rapids C2 media delivery software – are being used to enable an end-to-end workflow from ingest through to delivery. Automated captures of the live feeds are encoded into a mezzanine format. The encoded files are reviewed for quality assurance, and existing advertisements and copyright content are marked for removal. The resulting edited playlists are then transcoded into final deliverable files and transferred over an IP network to the distribution partner in Singapore.

In a separate initiative, the Digital Rapids C2 delivery software is used to transfer media files between locations in Hong Kong, Australia, the US, the UK and Singapore, with a goal of minimising the shipping of tapes or transfer via satellite.

TVBI is also using Digital Rapids’ live streaming capabilities, with additional StreamZ encoders being used to stream live programming including Hong Kong stock market coverage for viewing in the UK and US.
“We’re pleased that TVBI has chosen our solutions to power the workflows for some of their most important new initiatives,” said Clive Vickery, managing director, EMEA and Asia at Digital Rapids. “Our comprehensive solutions for transforming and delivering media provide powerful benefits both individually and when integrated together to form sophisticated workflows with unparalleled efficiency. TVBI’s projects are a great example of how our systems help customers capitalize on new opportunities, streamline their operations and reduce their costs.”

Digital Rapids will use IBC to highlight its new Transcode Manager 2.0, the next generation of its multiscreen media file transcoding software, and StreamZ Live Broadcast, its new hybrid live encoder which combines Digital Rapids’ multiscreen output with features for the demands of broadcast, cable, telco and satellite TV operations.

Digital Rapids will be exhibiting at IBC on Stand 7.G41, with select demonstrations also featured at stand 13.293 in the Connected World area.