Sony Electronics Details Its Anycastô Vision

Announces Concadia Solutions Venture With Accenture

27-Apr-01

At the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention, Sony Electronics' Broadcast and Professional Company detailed its Anycastô broadband vision and announced a new joint venture with one of the world's foremost business consultancies, Accenture. Sony's press conference also featured a surprise guest appearance by legendary filmmaker George Lucas, who is shooting ""Star Wars: Episode II"" using Sony's high definition 24p CineAltaô camcorders and VTRs. ""Our Anycast theme reflects Sony's diverse product offerings and solutions to help content creators extend their business models to encompass narrowcasting, Webcasting and datacasting,"" said Edward Grebow, Deputy President of Sony Electronics and President of its Broadcast and Professional Company. ""The Anycast concept reflects how producers and distributors are seeking to deliver content over a variety of distribution channels - from televisions and PCs to handheld devices - to anybody, anywhere, at anytime."" A key component of Sony's Anycast vision is asset management. According to Grebow, the joint venture with Accenture, called Concadia Solutions, will offer complete digital asset management solutions for media-rich organizations. Concadia Solutions combines Sony's expertise in broadcast systems and video technologies with Accenture's leading workflow reengineering management capabilities. Grebow said that Concadia Solutions, which will be based in San Jose, California, has been created to enable organizations with rich digital media - video, music, photos and images - to create, manage, archive and re-purpose assets over a variety of channels, from television to the Web. At the press conference, Sony also announced that Belo Corporation and Sony intend to create a state-of-the-art digital news production and content management system for Belo's broadcast and print properties. In the multi-year project, Belo will install up to 18 additional Sony NewsBaseô video news server systems at its four broadcast facilities to join its initial server installation at TXCN, which provides 24-hour-a-day news for Texas cable outlets. In addition, Sony and Belo Interactive intend to join forces to develop an industry-leading digital content management system that will share news content through all of Belo's media properties. Sony also announced that Time Warner Cable has selected its DVCAM digital video format for electronic newsgathering at its news bureaus now under construction nationwide. The DVCAM format will also ultimately replace existing hardware at Time Warner's currently operating news bureaus. Time Warner has additionally purchased Sony monitors, production switchers and routing switchers. Other new Sony products announced to help content creators and distributors realize their Anycast potential include: - The new XPRIô nonlinear video editing system, which scales from standard definition (SD) to high definition (HD) in 60i or 24p technology and works with either baseband or MPEG compressed signals. - The MVS-8000, a new multi-format production switcher, which can handle HD and SD signals simultaneously.- A new multi-format MSV-2000 stream bridge that enables customers to extend their MPEG infrastructure beyond the studio. - The ISARAô master control switcher that allows a single operator to control up to 25 simultaneous broadcast channels.- HDW-750/730 second-generation HDCAMÆ 60i equipment for DTV production.Lucas discussed his work with Sony's HDCAM 24p CineAlta technology. ""It's as profound a change as going from silent to talkies and going from black and white to color,"" said Lucas in the presentation. ""I've always been pushing the envelope of the medium, because I want to get the best possible image in the best possible way in telling my stories. I've always found myself bumping up against this celluloid ceiling of technology that says ëYou can't go here; you can't go there; you can't do that.í"" Sony's 24p CineAlta technology has gained large-scale acceptance in the production of television shows, commercials, TV documentaries and live events, including the acclaimed dramatic series ""100 Centre Street,"" and the U.S. Army's ""Go Army"" commercials. In addition Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band's recent ìLive From New York Cityî HBO special was acquired in Sony's HDCAM 1080/60i format. For more information about Sony Electronics' Broadcast and Professional Company (BPC), visit www.sony.com/professional.

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