US-based company DayPort has just implemented its Carbon Content Management System – the Carbon Task Manager — for content delivery, at British Sky Broadcasting; Carbon Task Manager has been implemented for Sky News Interactive based in Sky News’ new facility Unit 1 at BSkyB’s London headquarters, writes Fergal Ringrose.
Cory Factor, CEO, DayPort, said, “For DayPort, it’s not about the files, it’s about the workflow. We strive to make that large margin change in our customers’ operations.”
Andy Ioannou, SVP of Sales and Marketing for DayPort stated, “The key feature of this project is not the transcoding element (which most will naturally be drawn to), but which we at DayPort have long since recognised is only a small component of the overall content delivery solution.”
Currently, Sky News Interactive journalists edit news stories using Quantel sQEdit workstations that are ‘wrapped’ around a Zone Magic, Quantel sQ video server architecture. The Quantel system provides the core content news production system for the Sky News channel. DayPort (through a developmental and integration partnership with Quantel announced at NAB 2005) automatically extracts content from the broadcast production system, once the content is completed and approved.
The Carbon Task Manager enables preparation formatting, management and delivery of Sky News content and metadata, (data associated with the video content such as text, title, format, length, customer, etc.) in multiple video formats, resolutions, image sizes, and aspect ratios, to additional content viewing platforms such as mobile phones, iPods, other mobile video services, broadband customers and other partners of Sky News. DayPort has provided customised user interfaces, (designed in conjunction with the operational staff at BSkyB) to provide a transparent workflow, allowing the automated and manual delivery of content to BSkyB’s customers, which include Vodafone and Orange.
Cory Factor commented, “the implementation at BSkyB has been made possible by the open architecture of the Quantel server system and the interoperability of DayPort’s DMS technology. The efficiencies gained by the BSkyB project exemplify what can really be accomplished when a true technology partnership exists between two companies (i.e. DayPort and Quantel) as opposed to a marketing ‘partnership’.”
