DG FastChannel Launches Next Generation Content Delivery Platform for Syndicated and News Programming
DG FastChannel Launches Next Generation Platform for Television Stations – HD Digital Media Gateway
DG FastChannel(R), Inc. (NASDAQ: DGIT – News), a leading provider of digital media services to the advertising, media and entertainment industries, announced today it has launched the deployment of its next generation content delivery platform for syndicated and news programming. Building upon its first generation solution, the new HD Digital Media Gateway (DMG) will be a market-leading, multi-standard platform that will provide the industry’s first true high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) store and forward solution for long-form programming and news. The new HD DMG will bundle advanced capabilities to enhance station workflow efficiencies.
“DG FastChannel remains committed to being the leading solution for content management and delivery,” stated Scott Ginsburg, Chairman and CEO of DG FastChannel. “Our HD DMG has distinct advantages for broadcast stations including industry first integrated transcoding capabilities, significant increase in storage and processing, as well as the ability to handle both MPEG 2 and MPEG 4 compression. There is no other solution in the marketplace that compares for syndicated and news content.”
“We welcome the deployment of new HD DMG hardware. It has the potential to improve our workflow by allowing our stations to flip content to internal assets without the use of additional and costly transcoding,” said Dave Folsom, CTO, Raycom Media Inc. “We appreciate the improvements to this proven delivery system that should enhance our television stations acquisition of syndicated and news content.”
“The goal is that the new platform provided by DG FastChannel will improve and automate the process of how we receive syndicated and news content,” said Dave Johnson, WFAA’s director of technology. “Currently it’s a two-step, manual process,” added Johnson, “and our understanding is that DG FastChannel’s new platform will automate it as a ‘drag and drop’ procedure from receiving the spot to going to our on-air player. Some of the other solutions we have explored appeared more cumbersome.”
As part of DG FastChannel’s next generation platform, syndication and news content owners will also benefit from a comprehensive full-service offering including content preparation, ingestion and store and forward delivery by integration of the Company’s regional operating facilities across the U.S. The Company’s New York, Chicago and Los Angeles offices have all been upgraded and expanded to provide an end-to-end workflow solution for the syndication and news industry verticals.
Deployment of the HD DMG network has begun and will continue over the next several quarters. The Company projects that the entire platform will be replaced early in the next calendar year. It is expected that this next generation platform will also set an international standard for digital distribution of SD and HD content and workflow integration. DG FastChannel selected world-class partner DELL for its reliable hardware and professional services as part of its comprehensive HD DMG solution.
Key features of the HD DMG include:
- Ability to receive SD and HD content
- MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 H.264 support
- Increased storage of up to 3 Terabytes
- Faster processing with dual quad core CPUs
- Embedded splice, rewrap, transcode and direct connect to play-to-air servers
- Prioritized content delivery
- Continuous tracking, measurement and reporting
DG FastChannel is a leading provider of digital media services to the advertising, entertainment and broadcast industries, and operates the only comprehensive, file-based network distribution and asset management system for HD advertising, syndication and news, as well as rich media online advertising.
About DG FastChannel
DG FastChannel provides innovative, technology-based solutions to help advertisers and agencies work faster, smarter and more competitively. DG FastChannel delivers the standard in digital media services to the advertising, broadcast and publishing industries. Through its Unicast and Springbox operating units, DG FastChannel is a leading Internet marketing technology company offering online marketing and advertising solutions through a powerful combination of proprietary visualization technology, and a premium rich media advertising platform for the creation, delivery and reporting of premium rich media.
The Company utilizes satellite and Internet transmission technologies and has deployed a suite of digital media intelligence and asset management tools designed specifically for the advertising industry, including creative and production resources, and digital asset management. More than 5,000 advertisers and agencies employ the Company’s workflow toolsets. The Company has an online media distribution network of over 26,000 radio, television, cable, network, print and web publishing destinations. For more information visit www.dgfastchannel.com.
