Leading Finnish broadcaster selects SGL FlashNet for digital upgrade project

Southampton, UK
6th December 2004

Software Generation Limited (SGL), a leading provider of video storage management software, has been selected by Finnish broadcaster MTV Oy to provide SGL FlashNet as part of a major digital upgrade to its transmission area. Mediatrade, SGL's finnish partner, provided sales support and will be providing first line support.

The Finnish network broadcasts three channels including MTV3, the leading channel in Finland, which boasts 40% prime time viewer share. MTV3 broadcasts breakfast television programmes, news, sports, series and films in both terrestrial analogue and digital formats. MTV3+, an additional service to MTV3, provides a digital channel broadcasting free and pay-TV content. Subtv is MTV Oy's digital terrestrial and analogue cable channel directed at a younger demographic. The network also transmits operations for a fourth sports channel.

Antero Hoffman, MTV Oy's Vice President Technical Operations, commented "Our transmission and news production areas are currently based on video servers, except material storage and archiving, which is still video tape based. This will be the first area to change when SGL FlashNet is taken into operation for the initial stage of our digital upgrade project."

The system will consist of five main components including Harris transmission automation, SeaChange video servers (three BMC clusters), Sony PetaSite data tape library, MTV Oy's programming, planning and material management IT systems (to be upgraded for browsing and logging) and SGL FlashNet.

Hoffman adds "The operation will completely modify the transmission preparation process. All material will be digitised on arrival. Editorial, promotional and interpreting work will be based on browse material with Break bumpers eventually also derived from digitised full format material. This will remove the unnecessary transport of videotapes as well as removing the need for making dozens of VHS copies."

"SGL FlashNet was selected after a tendering process, during which we also investigated a few relevant European reference sites where SGL and competing products were used. SGL FlashNet was chosen based on its ability to fulfil our requirements, and together with other components it completed the most cost-effective system," concludes Hoffman.

Bernie Walsh, Director of Sales and Marketing at SGL, commented "We are extremely happy to be working with MTV Oy on this project. The need for data backup and long term storage is growing rapidly. Source material may only exist as a file and therefore be unrecoverable from traditional videotape, which means that the need for storage grows as production in high resolution, high bit-rate formats becomes the norm rather than the exception."

####

Additional information:

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 5000 customer sites around the world.