NBC Universal Installs BitCentral Précis for Ingest

NBC Universal has tapped BitCentral to provide its end-to-end play-to-air system, Précis, at six of the network's O&Os.

Précis ingests multiple analog NTSC sources such as microwave feeds or SDI sources, into a facility's digital workflow. The file-based system minimizes the time to prepare a clip for air from 30 to 90 minutes, down to three to five, according to the Irvine, Calif.-based company.

"The revised workflow process seemed natural and efficient, eliminating many unneeded steps that were a legacy from antiquated analog tape-based systems," said Apsara Sivamurthy, manager of news technology for NBC O&Os.

Since 2003, NBC NewsChannel has also been using the BitCentral MediaPipe news management and distribution system to disseminate national news to local affiliates.