Asahi Broadcasting Corporation Selects Virage For Digital Newsroom Project
Asahi Broadcasting Corporation has selected Virage software to streamline its newsroom production process. Based in Osaka, Asahi Broadcasting is one of Japan’s leading broadcasters and is transforming its newsroom from analog to digital. Asahi Broadcast
San Mateo, CA(29 Jan 2003)
Virage, Inc. [NASDAQ: VRGE], a leading provider of video and rich media communication software, today announced that Asahi Broadcasting Corporation has selected Virage to streamline its newsroom production process. Based in Osaka, Asahi Broadcasting is one of Japan?s leading broadcasters and is transforming its newsroom from analog to digital. Asahi Broadcasting?s staff of journalists, editors, and producers, will be able to access all news content and related media assets, as well as satellite and line feeds, from their desktops.
?Our newsroom project with Virage offers us many possibilities,? said Keishi Kandori, chief engineer at Asahi Broadcasting. ?First, Asahi Broadcasting will be able to move away from the tape-based system to a central video repository, which will contain all our past and current video content. Our staff will be able to access the system to build new news stories, decreasing the amount of production time and cost. Secondly, Asahi Broadcasting hopes to expand its news offering from the television to the Internet. We believe there will be many benefits for us and the general public.?
Dave Girouard, senior vice president of Marketing and Business Development at Virage, said, ?Our software is a perfect fit for companies like Asahi Broadcasting, who are looking to streamline operations and maximize their branded content. It?s great to see our technology validated by leading broadcasters around the world.?
Broadcasters are seeking new ways to improve the bottom line while processing greater volumes of video. In today?s tape-based environment, management and distribution of video is inefficient and expensive. By indexing, digitizing and storing content in a central repository, broadcasters can significantly save on operational costs associated with tape duplication, program creation and manual archiving.
With the Virage(R) system, the Asahi Broadcasting?s raw video content is immediately available to the staff. The video content is encoded and indexed through the Virage SmartEncode(TM) process. All significant names, events, and dialogue are captured and logged for accurate search and retrieval of video assets. Staffers are able to quickly search for and review any of the various elements in the raw footage. If desired, more information can be added to the index for a particular shot, right from a web browser. Next, the Virage software allows the staffers to quickly assemble and share low-resolution rough cuts of each news segment, enabling development of the script and collaboration on the segments. The rough cut of each show can be saved, shared, and even e-mailed around the production facility for viewing by all involved in the project.
For more information about Virage customers, please visit www.virage.com/customers and for information about Virage products, such as VS Production(TM) or VS Publishing(TM), please visit www.virage.com/products . For additional information about Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, please go to www.asahi.co.jp .
About Virage
Established in 1995, Virage is a leading provider of video and rich media communication software. Virage builds integrated rich-media business solutions for corporations, media & entertainment companies, universities and government agencies worldwide. Headquarted in San Mateo, California, Virage (www.virage.com ) has offices throughout the United States and Europe.