SUNNYVALE, Calif. - March 12, 2008 - Omneon, Inc. and Vizrt, Ltd. announced that their flagship products for active storage and media asset management, the MediaGrid(TM) and the Viz Ardome(TM) family respectively, have been integrated and successfully tested together. The combined systems deliver a streamlined workflow for media operations, with Omneon media servers providing ingest and playout functionality, the MediaGrid acting as central storage, and the Viz Ardome system overseeing all management of media operations, directing the flow from ingest through archiving including production and playout.

 

The Vizrt Viz Ardome system is a comprehensive asset management system that allows demanding media operations to automate and streamline the movement of content through the operation, and in large enterprises provides the ability to easily manage and repurpose content as necessary through the production workflow. Since MediaGrid is able to achieve aggregate file access speeds far greater than traditional network attached storage systems, the efficiency of the overall operations is greatly improved. Also, the MediaGrid features the ability to granularly scale bandwidth along with capacity, so in combination with Ardome, users can tailor systems to their specific needs and expand as they grow.

 

"There has been an explosion of digital media being used not just by traditional broadcasters and media companies, but also for corporate communications and on the Web," said Geoff Stedman, vice president worldwide marketing for Omneon. "And sophisticated asset management systems, like Vizrt's Viz Ardome, are the key to utilizing resources across an entire operation. Media content is only as valuable as the user's ability to access and use it; and our combined solution helps our customers optimize the value of their content."

 

Besides the scalable bandwidth and capacity needed for demanding applications, MediaGrid also provides superior redundancy over the traditional RAID solutions through its dynamic data redundancy (DDR) technology. Recovering data following the loss of a drive is faster than RAID by an order of magnitude, greatly reducing any periods of file system vulnerability.

 

"The high performance and availability of MediaGrid are crucial in being able to build and manage an automated workflow around centralized active storage," said Jonas Engstrom, executive vice president of product management for Vizrt. "Unlike generic storage solutions, MediaGrid was designed specifically for the demands of media applications, providing scalable capacity, bandwidth and media processing in one easy to maintain package. That is what sets MediaGrid apart, and now makes it easy for us to build systems that are tailored to the specific needs of a given operation."

 

Omneon is a leading provider of flexible media server and active storage systems that optimize workflow productivity and on-air reliability for the production, distribution, and management of digital media. Omneon is a pioneer in the use of advanced IT technologies and open systems for broadcast applications, producing a modular and expandable video server architecture in the Omneon Spectrum. The company's MediaGrid active storage system delivers centralized content storage that is scalable in capacity, bandwidth, and media-processing power. The company has an extensive global presence with customers in 45 countries on six continents. Omneon is on the Web at www.omneon.com .

 

Vizrt creates leading-edge content production tools for the digital media industry. From award-winning 3D graphics & maps to integrated video workflow solutions. Vizrt proposes a new vision for content creation and delivery with an end-to-end solution from conception to multi-format distribution. Through constant innovation and a good measure of fun, we create software and services that push creative boundaries and develop new ways of telling stories. Vizrt's product suite is used by the world's leading broadcasters including: CNN, CBS, Fox, BBC, Sky, ITN, ZDF, Star TV, TV Today, CCTV and NHK. Also, many world-class production houses and corporate institutions, including both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, utilize Vizrt solutions.

 

Vizrt is a public company traded on the Frankfurt Prime Standard and on the Oslo Main List: VIZ, ISIN: IL0010838154. For further information please refer to www.vizrt.com