Enterprise Broadcasting Corporation Orders Profile XP Media Platform for High-Definition, Luxury Network Event Centers—Firm to Establish Theaters in Malls, City Centers Nationwide—Free to the public and linked to an e-commerce network, the EBC theaters will serve as centers of commerce where manufacturers and service providers of high-end goods and services (such as ocean cruises, rafting and hiking excursions, and sports cars) can communicate directly with their target consumers in a highly memorable fashion. EBC will enable these companies to tell their stories using high-definition, digital merchandising that includes eight-channel Dolby® surround sound and pristine high-definition video images playing out from the Grass Valley Group's Emmy® award-winning Profile XP Media Platform onto a 23-foot screen. "Our Network Event Centers will be technologically and experientially the most advanced venues for commerce yet conceived, indicative of the sea of change in consumer desires and aspirations," said Tom Wade, EBC president and chief executive officer. "One of the keys to this experience is the highest quality video possible to make the longest lasting impression on our patrons. The only natural choice for us was the Grass Valley Group and the high-quality, high-definition output of its Profile XP Media Platform." "Whether it's a broadcast center or a shopping center, the demand for more video in more places is creating new, high-growth markets with very demanding requirements for quality, performance, and reliability," said Tim Thorsteinson, president of the Grass Valley Group. "The EBC network is a great opportunity for us to demonstrate the core video expertise that has made the Grass Valley Group a mainstay of the broadcast industry for more than 40 years." Delivering A Luxury, High-Quality ExperienceThe EBC experience is designed to be one of luxury. Each individual, leather-covered seat in its Network Event Centers will have a touch screen network terminal. Activated via a smart card, each terminal will allow customers to buy products, or even bookmark them to their home computer for at-home viewing. To deliver video quality commensurate with the plush Network Event Center surroundings, EBC will use the Grass Valley Group's Profile XP Media Platform. The EBC staff will use the platform to assemble programming, promotional clips, and other elements at its Broadcast Operations Center; ensure those elements are of the highest possible quality (e.g., no imperfections resulting from the transfer of content from one medium to another); and, feed different programs via satellite to multiple Network Event Centers. The ability of the Profile XP Media Platform to store and later distribute materials will give EBC the flexibility to time its programming to meet advertisers' scheduling requirements as well as deliver programming "on the fly." Ultimately, the platform will support live programming—such as a promotional concert by a band with a new CD—in addition to pre-packaged materials. A key feature of the Profile XP Media Platform in the EBC setting is its ability to support multiple channels of video—in fact it is the only multi-channel HD digital media platform available today. Typically, EBC will distribute its programming as an MPEG Transport Stream (MTS). Using this approach to transport complex programming provides EBC an unparalleled level of accuracy and control of its theater programming. For example, the company will be able to easily shuffle and reorder its programming in response to the demographics of the audience. For each Network Event Center, the Profile XP Media Platform will generate four unique video channels: one for the main screen, two for HD monitors in the mall outside a theater (one with a program guide and the other with highlights and a description of the EBC service), and one for maintenance and service operations that will not disrupt activities in a theater. To prevent any video downtime in the theaters, the Grass Valley Group's NetCentral™ software will monitor EBC's Profile devices in the Network Event Centers and proactively alert a technician via e-mail, pager, or cell phone in the event of an error condition—flagging a rising temperature, for example, that can indicate a malfunctioning fan. Should a Profile device require a software update, EBC can load it directly over a high-speed phone line. EBC's technology partners include the Grass Valley Group and Sony, as well as Dolby, JVC, JBL, QSC and others, who have teamed up to deliver this new venue for commerce. About The Profile XP Media PlatformWith more broadcast content stored on it than any other server, the Profile XP Media Platform is the industry's most open solution, supporting both the high-quality standards required for broadcast television and low-resolution required for the Internet, as well as MPEG, DVCPRO, HD and MPEG Transport Stream (MTS) formats. It is also extensible to new applications inside and outside a broadcast facility including hard news production, interactive television, digital cinema, and the Internet. About The Enterprise Broadcast CorporationEnterprise Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) is headquartered in Scotts Valley, Calif. During the past five years the company has developed a new commercial broadcasting network. Early next year, using a new combination of technologies, EBC will begin broadcasting a wide array of commercial programming to a network of luxurious high-definition theaters it is opening in upscale malls and city centers across the nation. www.ebc.cc About The Grass Valley GroupThe Grass Valley Group knows more about high-quality video than anybody else—especially as video goes digital. Interactive television. Digital cinema. Data-enhanced broadcasting. Internet. It's a world of Digicasting™—of Media Without Bounds™. Whether online or on the air, the Emmy award-winning Grass Valley Group, a privately held digital media leader, has the hardware, software, and new media technologies to get content wherever it needs to go. For the latest Grass Valley Group product information, including Vibrint solutions, visit www.grassvalleygroup.com. # |
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