AMSTERDAM, IBC2006 — Sept. 7, 2006 — Omneon Video Networks today announced new versions for three applications in the Omneon MediaTools suite designed to streamline file-based workflows and deliver enhanced media management and processing functionality. The enhancements all address workflow requirements for customers increasingly working with file-based media on Omneon Spectrum media servers and MediaGrid active storage systems and make it easier to manage large repositories of content. The three new applications will be demonstrated at IBC2006 in the Omneon stand (#8.260).

ProBrowse 2.0 This new version of the ProBrowse proxy generation and management system contains advanced management and video processing features to facilitate material research, storyboard development, offline shot trimming, and media management across multiple Omneon storage systems. ProBrowse 2.0 now incorporates intelligent scene-change detection, automatically creating picons, or key frames, at each scene change. These picons contain an exact timecode reference allowing users to jump to the beginning of any desired scene in the clip or use the scene timecode values to provide a frame-accurate shot list to craft editors. ProBrowse 2.0 also includes new features for offline clip management, including jog/shuttle capabilities with continuous audio that make it easier for users to identify specific points of interest in a clip.

The Omneon ProBrowse system now monitors content directories within either a Spectrum server or MediaGrid and automatically generates low-resolution versions of all material, including any new material ingested or copied into the system via FTP. With ProBrowse 2.0, proxy files can be stored within MediaGrid and are available for viewing on any networked PC using Omneon’s ProBrowse Desktop application or any “off the shelf” MPEG-1 based viewer such as Windows Media Player or QuickTime Player. ProBrowse will also keep track of the location of full-resolution media linked to a proxy version regardless of where the full-resolution media is located. As material is moved between Spectrum ingest or playout servers and MediaGrid storage, ProBrowse maintains the linkage between proxies and full-resolution material.

“ProBrowse 2.0 gives Omneon Spectrum and MediaGrid users even easier and more powerful tools for browsing low-resolution proxies and modifying metadata, providing an integrated tool for efficient content selection, previewing, and management,” said Geoff Stedman, vice president of worldwide marketing at Omneon. “The new features are designed to streamline file-based activities, allowing users to easily view, catalog, search, sort, and manage SD and HD material stored on any networked Omneon active storage system.”

ClipTool Pro 2.0 ClipTool Pro is an application for managing the realtime recording and playout of material on an Omneon Spectrum media server system, using a VTR-style emulation interface. ClipTool Pro allows users to control a channel on an Omneon system for user-initiated functions such as crash record, bounce mode playback, cue to timecode, clip extract (between in and out points), and clip renaming. Version 2.0 adds two new features that address requirements for managing new clips, loop record, and merge timeline. Loop record allows a user to set up a timed loop (i.e., one hour) into which video will be recorded in a continuous fashion. The media being recorded can be monitored for points of interest, with users marking in and out points when a specific extract is desired. Merge timeline allows a user to load a set of clips onto a timeline and then export that timeline as a new clip, effectively “stitching” the subclips together into a new clip.

MirrorTool 2.0 MirrorTool is an application for synchronizing the content on two Omneon systems, providing automatic, timed, or user-initiated mirroring of data. Originally designed to synchronize two Spectrum file systems, version 2.0 extends the mirroring functionality to include MediaGrid as well as external PCs. MirrorTool 2.0 now provides the flexibility to mirror content between two Spectrum systems, between Spectrum and MediaGrid systems, between two MediaGrid systems, or between a generic PC and a MediaGrid system. Additionally, MirrorTool 2.0 includes customized filtering capabilities, allowing users to more precisely control mirroring operations by filtering for file name, media type, duration, size, creation date, or modification date.

“These new versions of our tools are a reflection of the investment we are making to enable file-based workflows and provide the kind of media and system management capabilities that our broadcast customers demand,” added Stedman. “As more and more Omneon servers and storage systems are installed, the need for easy, fast, and accurate tools to help manage growing libraries of content continues to increase. Our suite of MediaTools helps broadcasters deal with this growth by providing tools that enable easier management of their growing content stores.” More information about Omneon and its server and active storage systems is available online at www.omneon.com.

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About Omneon
Omneon is a leading provider of flexible media server and active storage systems that optimize workflow productivity and on-air reliability for the production, distribution, and management of digital media. Omneon is a pioneer in the use of advanced IT technologies and open systems for broadcast applications, producing a modular and expandable video server architecture in the Omneon Spectrum. The company's MediaGrid active storage system delivers centralized content storage that is scalable in capacity, bandwidth, and media-processing power. The company has an extensive global presence with customers in 45 countries on six continents. Omneon is on the Web at www.Omneon.com.

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