A newly launched service that gives TV news crews and others the ability to move video across the Atlantic Ocean via a video file transfer promises to challenge widely used satellite distribution and videotape shuffling.
Known as BT Mediarelay, the service allows non-technical users to drag and drop PC files into a queue for transfer. BT Mediarelay, the brainchild of BT Broadcast Services, combines the company’s telecommunications capabilities with Pathfire’s Digital Media Gateway digital distribution and management platform to streamline the process of moving content when compared to existing alternatives.
With BT Mediarelay, BT Broadcast Services customers worldwide can connect to more than 1000 U.S. television stations that are Pathfire-enabled allowing the transfer of news footage, commercial content and programming as video files that’s simple and less expensive than other alternatives.
According to the company, BT Mediarelay will include a local server in its next phase. Doing so will allow TV news users to operate a 48-hour archive of fresh news reports for on-demand retrieval.
Those logging onto the local server could browse the archive and dub stories to tape or send them to editing server or play-to-air system. Those providing the content to the server will be able to assess what stories are in demand, helping to give them editorial direction for future postings.
"This is the most complete VFT service of its kind and will open up a powerful new conduit that allows the seamless transfer of content between Europe or North America, in the shortest possible time,” said Pathfire’s vice president ofbusiness development, Brad Ferris.
“BT Mediarelay along with Pathfire will lay the foundation for international store and forward delivery of broadcast media. This demonstrates Pathfire's commitment to expanding the value of store and forward delivery via video file transfer not just in the United States but internationally, as well."
For more information please visit www.pathfire.com and www.broadcast.bt.com
