Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 18, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
After Vizrt acquired Ardendo and Curious, the company is showing products at this year’s NAB that combine technologies from all three companies.
Viz-Video Hub, the new media asset management system for Vizrt, emerged from Ardendo technology. Up to 500 hours of video material in SD resolution can be stored and managed on the Video Hub. For the future, Vizrt also plans to bring an HD-capable version to market.
Viz-Video Hub manages clip and metadata in a database. Clips can be used and searched by all Viz users on the network. With a small editing application called Pre-Cut, up to 20 users can access and edit the clips simultaneously. The clips can be used directly in Vizrt scenes by drag and drop.
Also included in Viz-Video Hub are two licenses for Easy-Cut, an expandedd video editor with a multitrack timeline and various audio functions such as voice-over. Editing is performed with low-resolution proxy files. The user can then export the timeline as an EDL and transmitt it to Ardome (another part of the Video Hub), where automatic conforming then takes place.
The metadata managed in Video Hub may, for example, also contain GPS data, which in turn can be useful for another new application: Viz-World. This application uses the Curious databases to generate maps of any quality and level of detail. In the Video Hub database, for example, one can search for all clips that are geographically near a particular event and at the same time have Viz-World generate the corresponding map. It shows the surroundings and the locations of the respective events are already marked in it. Flights over terrain and weather maps can also be generated with this program.
Viz-Multichannel makes it possible to control several Viz engines simultaneously. This solution is intended for large broadcasters that operate several television channels at the same time. Thus, the user can create several playlists for the different channels that run, for example, offset by one hour – for instance, to account for the time difference. The content can also be adapted automatically to the respective channel. All channels can then use the same templates, but content can be replaced with specifically local content, for example local advertising that is intended to look different on each channel.
Last but not least, Vizrt also showed the Multi Platform Suite, which had already been seen as a study at IBC 2006. This is software that transmits video and overlay graphics as separate elements to mobile receiving devices. With the corresponding plug-in, all mobile devices can display the video with the live graphics overlay. Only the 3D data of the scene is transmitted. The end device then calculates the 3D data in real time and displays it.
Prices for Vizrt products are available only on request because the systems are normally configured according to customer requirements.
Further links:
- Vizrt
