San Diego, California — DVEO, the broadcast division of San Diego based Computer Modules, Inc. (CMI), will demonstrate their unique Linux® based MPEG-2 to H.264 transcoders at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam, September 10-14, at Stand 2.A48.Designed for use in cable broadcasting, telco TV, IPTV, and A/V systems integration, the MPEG Gearbox^TM is DVEO’s new product line of broadcast quality, standard or high definition (up to 1080i), MPEG-2 to H.264 transcoders or MPEG-2 to MPEG-2 scalers. Five systems are available: ASI to IP, IP to IP, IP to ASI, ASI to ASI, and SMPTE 310 (8VSB) to IP. The three systems with IP output now feature adaptive bitrate streaming.

Each system transcodes one or two HD streams (1080i or 720p) or five to ten SD streams from MPEG-2 to H.264 or vice-versa, and outputs the streams over ASI or IP. The MPEG Gearbox ASI/IP and MPEG Gearbox SMPTE 310/IP can also receive one to four or more MPEG-2 channels and output them to a dedicated IP network as MPEG-2 streams. Audio support is MPEG, AAC/MPEG-4, or AC-3 passthrough.

The three transcoders with IP output — MPEG Gearbox ASI/IP, MPEG Gearbox IP/IP, and MPEG Gearbox SMPTE 310/IP — generate unicast or multicast IP streams that are in more convenient formats for re-broadcast. The IP output now features real-time live adaptive bitrate streaming, which adjusts the bitrate of a video stream to adapt to a receiving device’s bandwidth and CPU capabilities — delivering smooth online video that starts faster and plays without pauses. Adaptive bitrate streaming is the new protocol for video over mobile phones and hand-held devices such as the iPhone and iPad.

“Our customers find the Intel Core i 7 based MPEG Gearbox systems to be very cost-effective for streaming IP or ASI content on dedicated networks,” stated Laszlo Zoltan, Sales Manager for DVEO. “Another useful new feature for our transcoders with IP output is near real-time FTP output of segmented streams and live HTTP streams. This enables customers to use streams created by the MPEG Gearbox to serve thousands of viewers simultaneously using a server farm — or just to archive incoming streams into permanent storage for future playback.”

MPEG Gearboxes offer PID filtering of all unwanted traffic and a web-based GUI with SNMP support. The H.264 transcoders support both PAL and NTSC.

Features
Input format can be MPEG-2 or H.264
Output format can be MPEG-2 or H.264
Supports HTTP live adaptive streaming protocol for output to mobile devices
Capable of near real time FTP output of segmented TS streams with I-Frame boundaries
Input: DVB-ASI or IP (depending on version)
Output: DVB-ASI or IP (depending on version)
IP output supports HTTP live adaptive bitrate streaming
IP output supports FTP output of segmented streams and live HTTP streams
Supports NTSC or PAL
Transcoding bit rates: 64 Kbps to 12 Mbps
Resolutions: QVGA, HVGA, SVCB, DVD, VGA, 480i, 576i, 720p, or any custom size up to 1080i
Supports SD or HD input
Up to 1080i HD output
Transcodes one or two HD streams (1080i or 720p) or 5 to 6 SD streams from MPEG-2 to H.264 (CPU dependent) or vice-versa
MPEG Gearbox ASI/IP and MPEG Gearbox SMPTE 310/IP can receive 1 to 4+ MPEG-2 channels and output them to IP network as MPEG-2 streams
FTP output of segmented streams and live HTTP streams
SNMP support
Tested compatible with major brands of H.264 decoders
Audio support: AAC, MPEG audio, or AC-3 passthrough
Settings are remembered when power cycled
Based on embedded Linux®

Note: MPEG Gearbox ASI/IP and MPEG Gearbox IP/IP are typically deployed in “closed” systems where bandwidth is dedicated and is used for this purpose only. They are not designed to work over the public internet.

DVEO and MPEG Gearbox are trademarks of Computer Modules, Inc.
All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

Suggested Retail Prices:
MPEG Gearbox IP/ASI — $8,495 U.S.
MPEG Gearbox ASI/IP — $8,495 U.S.
MPEG Gearbox ASI/ASI — $8,995 U.S.
MPEG Gearbox IP/IP — $7,495 U.S.
MPEG Gearbox SMPTE 310/IP — $8,995 U.S.

Santa Monica, CA- July 26, 2010 – Company 3 colorist Stephen Nakamura brings his keen eye and technical ingenuity to a number of major feature films this season, including adventure story Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, drama The Town, historical drama The Conspirator and documentary Waiting for Superman.Company 3 is a comprehensive post production facility for features, commercials and music videos. Known for our creative color artistry, pioneering technology and global reach, Company 3 is trusted to deliver a quality product every time.

Company 3’s incredible talent roster includes John Bonta, Sean Coleman, Siggy Ferstl, Billy Gabor, Dave Hussey, Tim Masick, Victor Mulholland, Stephen Nakamura, Mike Pethel, Tom Poole, Rob Sciarratta, Stefan Sonnenfeld and Matt Turner. Recent commercial projects are campaigns for Audi, BMW, Heineken, Nike, and others. Recent feature film credits include “Alice in Wonderland,” “Robin Hood,” “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” “The Hurt Locker,” “A Single Man,” “Public Enemies,” and “Star Trek.” Company 3  is an Ascent Media  company.

Exec Producer Devin Sterling to oversee DI across all locations

Santa Monica, CA and New York, NY – July 19, 2010 – Further bolstering unification of its digital intermediate (DI) services, Company 3 has expanded Executive Producer Devin Sterling’s role to oversee DI operations between its Santa Monica and New York facilities, liaise with sister companies Method, and Rushes in London, as well as supervise any remote DI projects within Company 3’s international network of virtual outposts. Sterling will continue to work out of Company 3’s facility in Santa Monica.

“Devin has been instrumental in the development and execution of our 3D initiative and has built a progressive, efficient and reliable work environment,” says Company 3’s President/Managing Director Stefan Sonnenfeld. “His knowledge and experience will play an important role in taking our inter-facility operations to the next level.”

“Our feature clients have a desire to accomplish their work in the most efficient and convenient way possible and are now, more than ever, conducting their finishing work across multiple locations,” Sterling observes. “We are committed to providing them a seamless and cohesive workflow across all our locations.

“Often, there are incentives for studios to shoot and finish in places like London or New York,” he elaborates, “and as we look towards the launch of Company 3 and Method’s new New York facility in the heart of Chelsea, I’m here to ensure seamless interoperability across the board.”

About Company 3
Company 3 is a comprehensive post production facility for features, commercials and music videos. Known for our creative color artistry, pioneering technology and global reach, Company 3 is trusted to deliver a quality product every time.

Company 3’s incredible talent roster includes John Bonta, Sean Coleman, Siggy Ferstl, Billy Gabor, Dave Hussey, Tim Masick, Victor Mulholland, Stephen Nakamura, Mike Pethel, Tom Poole, Rob Sciarratta, Stefan Sonnenfeld and Matt Turner. Recent commercial projects are campaigns for Audi, BMW, Heineken, Nike, and others. Recent feature film credits include “Alice in Wonderland, “Robin Hood,” “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” “The Hurt Locker,” “A Single Man,” “Public Enemies,” and “Star Trek.”

Company 3 www.company3.com is an Ascent Media www.ascentmedia.com company.

Matrox MAX Technology 2.0 for Mac Delivers H.264 Video up to 500% Faster Without Sacrificing Quality

Montreal, Canada – July 14, 2010 – Matrox® Video Products Group today announced the immediate availability of Matrox MAX Technology 2.0 for Matrox MXO^TM2 I/O devices and the Matrox CompressHD card for Mac. Matrox MAX 2.0 for Mac is a unique technology that implements faster than realtime H.264 encoding for resolutions ranging from iPod to HD. It uses a dedicated hardware processor to accelerate the creation of H.264 files for the web, mobile devices, and Blu-ray. By using specialized hardware acceleration, jobs are finished with amazing speed and system resources are liberated for other tasks. Quality and flexibility are ensured through direct integration with Apple Compressor and support for other applications on the Mac such as Telestream Episode, Final Cut Pro and QuickTime Pro through the QuickTime codec component.

The key feature of this release is the addition of many new control parameters such variable bit rate, constant quality, scene detection, noise filtering and many more, that let users optimize encoding speed and video quality. Web video publishers, in particular, will appreciate the ability of Matrox MAX 2.0 to deliver superb quality video at low bit rates.

“Video professionals delivering H.264 content for the web, iPad, iPhone, iPod, or Blu-ray discs, know how painful it can be to wait for the long encoding times needed to create high-quality video files using software only,” said Wayne Andrews, Matrox product manager. “They might even be tempted to sacrifice quality for speed. With Matrox MAX 2.0, they no longer need to even consider making that trade off.”

Key features of the Matrox MAX Technology 2.0 for Mac

Faster than realtime creation of H.264 files, for resolutions ranging from iPod to HD
* A specialized, dedicated hardware processor liberates system resources for other tasks
* Accelerated encoding for Blu-ray, Apple TV, YouTube, Flash, web formats, and mobile devices including iPad, iPhone, and iPod from various video sources including SD, HD, and RED proxy files up to 2K
* Direct integration with Apple Compressor to simplify workflow
* Support for Telestream Episode, Final Cut Pro, and QuickTime Pro through the QuickTime codec component
* Customizable encoding parameters including VBR, CBR, constant quality, scene detection, noise filtering and many more
* Creation of Blu-ray H.264 files that can be authored in Apple Compressor, Adobe Encore, and Roxio Toast then burned without re-encoding
* Support for Apple Qmaster to take advantage of multiple systems with a Matrox MAX processing engine for distributed encoding across a network

Price and availability
Matrox products are available through a worldwide network of authorized dealers. The 2.0 release for Mac is available to registered users of Matrox MXO2 devices and Matrox CompressHD cards as a free download from the Matrox website.

Most Complete Platforms for Adobe Creative Suite 5 Production Premium Now Shipping – Matrox MXO2 Family for PC

Montreal, Canada – July 9, 2010 – Matrox® Video Products Group today announced the immediate availability of support for Adobe Creative Suite 5 Production Premium software with Matrox MXO^TM2 I/O devices for Windows. The key features of this new release include: full-resolution, full-frame-rate, multi-layer, realtime video editing via Matrox RT^TM technology; lightning fast H.264 hardware encoding for Blu-ray, the Web, and mobile devices via Matrox MAX^TM technology; and professional audio and video input and output with 10-bit hardware up/down/cross conversion.

“The Matrox MXO2 devices deliver much more than just I/O for Adobe CS5 Production Premium,” said Alberto Cieri, senior director of sales and marketing at Matrox. “Users love the built-in color calibration tool for inexpensive HDMI monitoring and now the MAX versions give them even more added advantages.  They benefit from lightning fast high definition H.264 file creation as well as Matrox RT technology that enhances the Adobe Mercury Playback Engine to save time and boost editing productivity.”

Key features of the Matrox MXO2 family for PC

·       Convenient form factors for use in studio, on set, in the field, and in OB vans

·       Works with Windows 7 and Windows Vista (64-bit) laptops and desktops

·       Broadcast quality HD/SD video and audio input/output

·       Flexible support for leading codecs, file formats, cameras, and workflows

·       Captures to HD and SD codecs – 8- and 10-bit uncompressed and highly efficient Matrox MPEG-2 I-frame

·       Extensive application support including Adobe Premiere Pro, Encore, Photoshop, and After Effects

·       10-bit HDMI input, output and monitoring with calibration controls including blue-only

·       10-bit realtime hardware up/down/cross conversion on capture and output

·       Matrox A/V Tools application for fast capture/playback of audio, video, and still frames

·       Three-year hardware warranty and complimentary telephone support

Additional features with Matrox MAX

·       Lightning fast H.264 encoding with Adobe Media Encoder, Premiere Pro and Encore

·       Matrox RT technology that enhances the Adobe Mercury Playback Engine to provide full-resolution, full-frame-rate, multi-layer, realtime video editing and advanced realtime Matrox Flex CPU effects
Price and availability
Adobe CS5 support for the Matrox MXO2 devices for Windows (Mtx.utils 3.0) is available to registered users as a free download from the Matrox website. Matrox RT features and H.264 encoding acceleration can be added to systems using versions of the MXO2 family without MAX by adding a Matrox CompressHD card.

Expansion of Services and Additions to Creative and Production Teams Bolster VFX Offering

Hollywood, Calif. – July 8, 2010 – Encore Hollywood has expanded its Visual Effects offering with the additions of Stephan Fleet as creative director, Emmy Award-winner Mitch Gates as CG supervisor and the promotion of Tom Kendall to the key role of executive producer. “We now offer on-set visual effects supervision, complete plate production and an extensive library of models and effects,” says Bill Romeo, Sr. VP of Ascent Media’s ETV (Entertainment Television) division. “Combined with key personnel additions, these moves represent our development as a business and an expansion of the VFX services we can provide.”
Stephan Fleet, creative director, has extensive experience in all facets of visual effects creation, including on-set supervision, previz and 2D artistry. Prior to joining Encore in his current capacity, Fleet freelanced for the company, overseeing a high volume of work for shows such as HBO’s Big Love and ABC’s Castle. Fleet was previously vice president of operations at boutique visual effects facility Master Key, and the director of digital media for ABC Studios’ Ghost Whisperer.
“Encore has a lot of horsepower behind it,” Fleet observes. “We have great technology and wonderfully creative people with an established track record of top-quality work. I feel very comfortable going to prospective clients and saying, ‘this is Encore Visual Effects, and we will do a great job on your show!'”
Mitch Gates, CG supervisor, returns to Encore Visual Effects after several years working at other companies. Most recently, Gates supervised CG work and helped to develop new 3D post pipelines for Prime Focus on such major releases as Avatar and Clash of the Titans.” This was a great time to come back to Encore,” he says. “The company has new people and new ideas and I look forward to helping push Encore to the forefront of the visual effects field.”
Gates is excited to work at Encore because of the wide variety of the work that comes through the shop. “I love working on the spectacular, in-your-face effects but it’s not the only thing I got into this field for. I enjoy all types of visual effects work. Encore works on so many different kinds of projects in the episodic and feature world, you get a chance to shift gears quickly, which is something I always like to do.”
Tom Kendall moves up from within the company to the new role of executive producer, overseeing the entire VFX operation for Encore. Kendall interfaces between clients and the company’s team of artists, producers and technicians to deliver the massive numbers of visual effects shots for shows such as Fox’s House and ABC’s Castle that move through the facility every week. “I look forward to growing the business, adding more artists and more shows,” he says. “We have such an impressive roster of talented 2D and 3D artists, and the ability to expand capacity as needed whenever we require a special kind of modeling or texture work.”
Romeo concludes, “With this formidable new team and wide-ranging service offering, Encore is ready to advance to a new level and become major industry player in the world of visual effects.”