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Moving Media grows with Digital Rapids
Wed 13 Aug 2008
Video encoding specialist Moving Media was founded in 2003, specializing in archive digitization and preservation services for broadcast and national archives.Video encoding for web access projects and other new platforms has become a core part of the business, and we have chosen Digital Rapids systems for our encoding.
Moving Media grows with Digital Rapids
Simon Factor, Managing Director, Moving Media
Video encoding specialist Moving Media was founded in 2003, specializing in archive digitization and preservation services for broadcast and national archives. In 2005, the business began to move into digitization services to support access projects for archival video materials. Video encoding for web access projects and other new platforms has become a core part of the business, and we have chosen Digital Rapids systems for our encoding.
I have been working with audio-visual compression technology since 2000 when I was Operations Director, USA and Canada for Audio Processing Technology, a specialist in Audio compression technologies for broadcast and post production applications. I have authoured technical papers for NAB on maintaining audio quality in DAB networks, and firmly believe that similar concepts can be applied to the area of online video.
With facilities in Dublin and Los Angeles, Moving Media works with cutting-edge compression systems and customised workflow to deliver best-quality online video through digital channels such as the Internet, IPTV, VOD and mobile networks.
Using a combination of the best technology and specialist engineers with years of experience in the digitisation and handling of broadcast tape assets, Moving Media is expert in the field of compression, with a focus on the encoding process undiluted by other technical services. We offer a fast turnaround, high levels of attention to detail and rigorous quality control, working with clients to produce the optimal viewing experience. Our clients’ business is content; our business is making sure their content looks its best.
We work primarily with broadcast tape formats as sources, transferring them to a range of encoded file formats which are often edited to exclude slates and brakes. As such, we needed a system that would allow easy integration of VTRs to allow for machine control, logging and multiple input types (including component video, SDI, and AES audio). As our clients often require a range of output formats, we also needed a flexible system that would allow us to encode to many formats. Maximizing quality was also a paramount consideration. Digital Rapids’ DRC-Stream solutions have proven ideal for all of these needs.
We use multiple Digital Rapids systems at each location. Our primary encoding suites use DRC-Stream-1600 board-and-software bundles, mounted in custom-built workstations which are patched to a range of players in each suite. We use the accompanying Stream software to log, encode and batch-encode digital files from input sources ranging from Betacam SP, DigiBeta, Umatic and DVD to DV, HDCAM and HDCAM SR.
We output a wide range of file formats including MPEG-4, H.264, Flash, MPEG-2, Windows Media, QuickTime, and IMX50 at multiple rates and qualities for streaming and downloading to mobile devices (from phones to iPods) as well as VOD and IPTV services. Where fine editing and other post production processes are required, we transfer material via our network from the encode suites into one of our edit suites.
One of our key client partnerships is Babelgum, a new interactive web TV portal which uses peer-to-peer technology to offer free, on-demand personalised channels including everything from music and fashion to film and documentaries. Moving Media digitise content licensed by Babelgum from broadcast video tape to digital files, which are then securely delivered to their content management system. As part of ramping up towards Babelgum’s launch, we used the Digital Rapids systems to transfer and enhance a Getty Images collection of several hundred clips from tape to MPEG-4 files for Babelgum, including archival material from the 1920s to 1960s.
The Digital Rapids systems are a core part of our technical infrastructure. We have been using them for about 18 months so far, and find them to be top quality. As we are a specialist encoding service provider we use the systems for 90% of our video work, and they are a great complement to our world class expertise and facilities.
As a next step you can:
'Moving Media is an unusual mix of technical and business excellence.' Joe Conway - Digicast
'Moving Media have been working with us pretty much from the beginning.' Nick Tacchi - Babelgum
