Masstech and SGL continue advancing SMPTE standard for interchange of archive material

IBC, Stand 8.131e, Amsterdam
7th September 2007

Masstech Group Inc., a leading provider of solutions for media lifecycle management, and Software Generation Ltd. (SGL), a premier supplier of content archive and storage management software for media and entertainment, are today announcing substantial progress towards the creation of a SMPTE standard that will allow for the interchange of material between archive management systems.

In 2006, SGL and Masstech Group recognized the need for a standard for archive material interchange, resulting in the formation of the V16 SMPTE committee. This SMPTE standard committee has earned widespread industry support and has attracted a number of prestigious members, who bring experience from some of the industry's leading broadcasting and manufacturing companies.

"Today's broadcasters face an operational and possibly financial impact due to the fact that archive software companies sell proprietary formats and tape written by one manufacturer cannot be read by another," commented Cristian Saceanu, Director of Engineering, Masstech Group. "SGL and Masstech recognized this issue and we are pleased to be working co-operatively with industry leading companies to develop a standard for interoperability between formats."

"As responsible vendors we are ensuring that archived content is secure," explained Steve Atkinson, VP Americas for SGL. "We are committed to working co-operatively with all industry partners until we have ensured that broadcasters can acquire technologies from different vendors and be assured of immediate interoperability as well as long term protection of their investments."

The SMPTE V16 standard will provide a definition of an exchange format, to enable a video file written in this format to be readable by any archive management system. The format is also to be data tape drive independent. Masstech Group and SGL have pledged their continued support for development and eventual adoption of this highly important standard. SMPTE V16 committee members from both Masstech Group and SGL will be attending IBC2007 and are available on their respective exhibit stands for further information.

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Masstech Group Inc. is a developer of software and embedded hardware solution to enable management, conversion, distribution, and sharing of digital content across open IT storage/server platforms and networking infrastructures. The company's offerings in Media Lifecycle Management, workflow Productivity Enhancement, Business Continuity & Compliance provide customers with value enabling solutions developed through a combination of visionary products and engineering leadership. The company's products are available from a direct sales force and global channel partners. For more information on Masstech Group and products, please visit www.masstech.com

Software Generation Limited is a privately held archive management software company headquartered in Southampton, England. SGL has been in business since 1989 and its flagship FlashNet product is installed in over 4500 customer sites around the world. More information can be found at www.sgluk.com.