Dalet announced today that SPEED which is part of Fox Networks Group, a wholly owned division of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS), has successfully deployed Dalet Enterprise Edition to manage the HD content and production workflows for their SPEED motorsports network. The North Carolina based SPEED operation is responsible for producing a wide range of motorsports programs and specials including the highly popular “The Speed Report” and “Wind Tunnel”. The innovative workflow at SPEED represents one of the few end-to-end installations producing HD programs using a variety of broadcast and open IT systems.
“Moving into a brand new facility gave us the chance to build the SPEED production from the ground up. We wanted for a flexible and open technology infrastructure… one that would enable us to integrate multiple systems in our production workflow as well as adapt to new distribution methods easily,” said Richard (Rick) Miner, Senior VP for Production and Network Operations at SPEED. “The Dalet solution has given us that platform. We are far more flexible with the operation whether it is adding more programs, people, or content. The system scales and bends to our needs.”
“SPEED built one of the first next generation HD production workflows based on an infrastructure using open solutions and IT-based systems,” said Benjamin Desbois, General Manager for Dalet US. “They have implemented a state of the art solution – applying best of breed open systems and IT infrastructures around an enterprise MAM platform that tracks metadata throughout the workflow, simplifies searching and browsing content for production and makes assets readily available to the full team, from traffic to new media.”
SPEED moved into the new facility in December 2008. SPEED went to air with their first show in January 2009. The deployment of the overall system was done in a phased approached, in less than three months. Dalet serves as the central content management system, managing content and associated metadata from ingest, through production and broadcast. The all HD material is centrally ingested in DVCPRO HD, taking advantage of a mix of Omneon ports and cost effective IT servers. Program pre-production is done by producers and assistants using Dalet desktop editing tools across 125 clients. The shot lists and rough cut packages are sent to editors who finalize material with Apple Final Cut Pro. Dalet uses advanced low latency MXF technologies to allow for immediate access to content while recording. The Apple Final Cut editors are fully integrated with the content management system thanks to Dalet Xtend with a high level of interoperability.
DataDirect Networks SAN first tier storage infrastructure and Quantum StoreNext SAN management combined with Omneon video servers provide the infrastructure for the Dalet enterprise media asset management platform. An IBM tape library, managed by the Front Porch Divarchive software under control of the Dalet MAM allows HD content archiving and partial restore at any time while a proxy resolution and metadata are kept available for searching and browsing. File migration and conversions are fully automated and transparent to the SPEED production staff. The Dalet-driven workflow ensures that media and associated metadata are ubiquitous across the entire SPEED workflow.
Learn more about Dalet sports production solutions here.
About SPEED
SPEED is the nation’s first and foremost cable television network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 78 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest-growing sports cable networks in the country and, the home to NASCAR on SPEED and an industry leader in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services.
About Dalet
Dalet is a worldwide leader in software that empowers broadcasters and content professionals to produce and manage audio and video content in a digital, multi-platform world. Dalet media asset management (MAM) solutions streamline production costs and increase revenue opportunities by simplifying the distribution of rich-media assets across both interactive and traditional platforms.
Dalet tools are used around the world by thousands of content producers including major television and radio public broadcasters (BBC, CBC, DR, NPR, RFI, RTM, VOA, WDR), commercial networks (ART, eTV, Grupo Prisa, Prime Television, The Press Association, Warner Bros., XM Satellite) and government organizations (Queensland JAG, Canadian House of Commons, The European Commission). Dalet is traded on the NYSE-EURONEXT stock exchange (Eurolist C): ISIN: FR0000076176, Bloomberg DLT:FP, Reuters: DALE.PA.
For more information on Dalet, visit www.dalet.com.