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Research partnership aims to refine digital archive systems
29th February 2008
Cambridge Imaging Systems has agreed a partnering arrangement with Brunel University in a new research project.
The project is designed to develop an improved service for attaching the information to digital media which is subsequently needed to locate relevant items from the archive and understand more about them. This ‘metadata’ is added by a community of operators during the media ingestion process.
Tony Blake of Cambridge Imaging Systems said:
“We have a fundamental interest in metadata solutions and the pioneering approach proposed by the team at Brunel will help business interest grow. Our solutions for the BBC, ITN, MoD and the like are designed as far as possible on the premise that operator time during the media ingestion process is reduced to a minimum."
“Our systems are being installed in large environments that serve huge quantities of media to thousands of users across many locations worldwide. With tens of thousands of users accessing some systems from different locations every day, we believe the new approach to metadata creation being proposed offers increased scope for reducing operator time. It would also improve the quality of results presented to users and increase collaboration and communication between them.”
The main source of funding for the “MC²: MPEG-7 Content Modelling Communities” project is the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Research is being carried out at Brunel’s School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics.
Dr Harry Agius of Brunel said:
“Due to their experience with the Imagen digital archive management system, Cambridge Imaging Systems have two main roles in the project. The first is to assist with evaluating the MC² service, particularly with respect to its business potential. The second is to lead dissemination among the business community.”
Project research and evaluation is scheduled to take place throughout 2008 and into 2009.
For further information please contact:
John Foster (foster.rowsell@btinternet.com) at 01473 652195
Increased flexibility from new media control centre
9th January 2008
Cambridge Imaging Systems has upgraded and re-engineered its Imagen media asset management system to improve integration with customer’s existing workflows.
Imagen is a well established large scale video and stills asset management system. It is used for digitally recording, archiving and distributing very large quantities of stills or video and is incorporated in well known archives such as British Pathe as well as in the BoB (Box of Broadcast) systems developed for education centres.
Now Imagen has been given its own make-over and has a new architecture to make it more flexible and adaptable. It is now easier for clients to integrate third party modules, such as storage or databases that they already possess, into the advanced Imagen framework.
At the heart of the new system is the Imagen Media Control Centre (IMCC) which operates with management modules for databases, workflows, storage and ‘plug ins’ such as encoder, transcoder and distribution servers.
The new Imagen can also be linked to other products such as the security archive and management system Polsafe or web based distribution systems BoBWeb and ImagenWeb. These provide a sophisticated means of researching and accessing a wide range of media, from older archives to recent broadcast footage. Functions such as user audit trails, order reporting and other management information are built in.
Tony Blake of Cambridge Imaging Systems said:
“Imagen started out as a fully integrated end-to-end solution. As the industry has developed there has been a growing need for modular solutions which are capable of linking a variety of third party units. Our new Imagen performs this role extremely well and means that while no two solutions need be the same, they can benefit from the superior performance of our tried and tested technology.”
For further information please contact:
John Foster (foster.rowsell@btinternet.com) at 01473 652195
Editor’s note
Cambridge Imaging Systems provides complete archive management systems, including encoding, transcoding and retrieval of stills and video. Clients include the BBC, British Pathe, ITN and Ministry of Defence, along with universities and newsfilm management and distribution companies. The company’s modular systems allow a flexible approach, ensuring excellent performance across a wide range of applications. www.cambridgeimaging.co.uk
New digital TV system on show at Broadcast Live & VideoForum 2008
31st December 2007
Cambridge Imaging Systems, the digital archive management specialist, will exhibit T-Gate, a new, efficient way to manage enterprise digital TV, at Broadcast Live & VideoForum 2008 on January 31 and 1 February.
T-Gate is a new solid state DVB-T to IP gateway. It takes an input signal and converts it to several multicast UDP streams. For digital terrestrial and satellite TV the unit can receive and filter an entire DVB multiplex.
Using a single T-Gate blade, a number of digital terrestrial TV or radio services can be transferred to standard Ethernet networks using TCP/IP.
Tony Blake of Cambridge Imaging Systems said:
“T-Gate provides many advantages over earlier systems. It is a single card solution which can handle up to 11 unicast or multicast UDP streams and can stream packets that contain any sort of data. It requires very little configuration by the user and can be combined with our off-the shelf scheduling and stream capture software.”
Users can configure the device to filter TV and radio channels from the multiplex and send the filtered channels to separate network streams. Up to eight filters can be set up but one is used internally.
T-Gate is designed to fit onto a slightly extended Eurocard size PCB. Power and RF are supplied to the rear of the board, with all remaining I/O connectors and LEDs on the front edge.
For users who require a more efficient DVB-S to IP gateway, Cambridge Imaging Systems are launching T-Gate’s ‘twin’ named S-Gate.
The company is exhibiting in partnership with Global Distribution, supplier of leading data storage components and Spectra Logic, suppliers of tape libraries and other storage solutions.
Cambridge Imaging Systems will demonstrate the ways in which its innovative off-air recording facility interfaces with Spectra Logic’s versatile tape libraries. The Box of Broadcast (BoB) system developed by the company holds entire television programmes in digital file form on hard disk in a rolling archive and allows a range of functions such as transcoding to lower bit rates and clip selection by the user of the broadcast programs.
The system offers high performance enterprise level distribution and has already proved popular with universities and libraries. It is currently in use at the University of Bournemouth and is being installed at the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales.
For further information please contact:
John Foster (foster.rowsell@btinternet.com) at 01473 652195
Editor’s note
Cambridge Imaging Systems provides complete archive management systems, including encoding, transcoding and retrieval of stills and video. Clients include the BBC, British Pathe, ITN and Ministry of Defence, along with universities and newsfilm management and distribution companies. The company’s modular systems allow a flexible approach, ensuring excellent performance across a wide range of applications. www.cambridgeimaging.co.uk
POLSAFE system showcased at BT innovation centre
12th December 2007
Developed by Cambridge Imaging Systems, POLSAFE – Police Secure Asset Folder – is a suite of programs designed to manage all types of police video and still images. POLSAFE works with the Cylon Body Worn Camera, enabling police officers to record, catalogue and store video securely and then carry out regulated archive searches to support possible legal action.
Now a system demonstrator of POLSAFE, which is distributed by Media Perception, has been installed at the BT Innovation Centre in Queen Anne’s Gate, London.
The demonstrator shows how POLSAFE automatically takes video footage off a digital video camera, catalogues it and then copies the catalogued recording onto a local searchable POLSAFE filestore. The demonstrator can also process images from a digital still camera as well as many other kinds of digital audio visual material. The system can be made secure with access restricted via logins and passwords, plus complete monitoring of user activity ensures that audit trail reports are made available.
Mike Kavanagh of Media Perception said:
“POLSAFE can be customised for use by local police operational groups, such as scene of the crime groups, or expanded for use by local or regional centres including Basic Command Units and Technical Support Units. When used across a force it provides a connected digital audio visual management system for 21st century policing.”
Tony Blake of Cambridge Imaging Systems said:
We are pleased to be able to support BT, Cylon and Media Perception in this demonstration at a time when police forces across the country are adopting new technology such as ‘body worn cameras’ or ‘headcams’. POLSAFE provides the sort of secure systems essential for public confidence and police efficiency alike.”
For further information please contact:
John Foster (foster.rowsell@btinternet.com) at 01473 652195
Siobhan Davies Digital
12th December 2007
Cambridge Imaging Systems, a leading international developer of digital archive management solutions, has begun work on the UK’s first digital contemporary dance archive.
The archive is of the work of Siobhan Davies Dance and is a collaborative project with Coventry University, with financial support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
The archive will comprise a mix of filmed and recorded performances, photographs, posters, memorabilia, commentaries and other material collected since the ‘70s. This unique resource will be fully accessible to dance researchers and students along with art enthusiasts of any age.
Cambridge Imaging Systems have been charged with creating a system that must fully reflect the work of the company, not only in its content but also in the way the material can be accessed by a wide range of end users.
Ian Mottashed of Cambridge Imaging Systems said:
“Ideally, the way in which a user interacts with the site should tell that person something about the processes by which Siobhan Davies creates her dance pieces. Fortunately our Digital Asset Management System and its web component offer a great deal of flexibility in how the content can be delivered and the user experience shaped.”
The system includes ‘ingest’ applications that are designed to encode video. High resolution digital masters are being created from older tape formats and then prepared in a format which enables short clips or longer items to be viewed or downloaded via the web as required. A sophisticated method of attaching information to short sections of digital information makes the material easy for the user to find and view.
The team from Coventry University is comprised of Professor Sarah Whatley, Principal Investigator on the project, Dr Paul Allender Senior Research Fellow, and Ross Varney, Research Assistant. Professor Whatley said:
“The video archives of Siobhan Davies Dance offer a remarkable insight into the development of contemporary dance over the last 30 years or so. They are obviously a valuable resource for students of dance but by creating this open archive in an interesting and attractive format we hope to involve a wider audience in this exciting art form.”
The digital archive is planned to be on-line by December 2008.
For further information please contact:
John Foster (foster.rowsell@btinternet.com) at 01473 652195 or Paul Allender (p.allender@coventry.ac.uk) at 02476 792478
Oxbridge Double First for BoB at Broadcast Live?
12th June 2007
Cambridge Imaging Systems is exhibiting for the first time at Broadcast Live 2007 and will be demonstrating, again for the first time, the synergies and benefits that can be achieved by operating its archive management solutions with Spectra Logic tape libraries. Spectra Logic’s UK base is in Oxford.
Hosted by Cambridge-based Global Distribution (stand 43), Cambridge Imaging Systems is showing the ways in which its innovative off-air recording facility interfaces with Spectra Logic’s easy to use and efficient digital tape archives. The Box of Broadcast (BoB) system developed by CIS holds entire television programmes in digital file form on hard disk in a rolling archive and allows a range of functions such as: transcoding to lower bit rates and clip selection by the user of the broadcast programs.
The system offers high performance enterprise level distribution and has already proved popular with universities and libraries. It is currently in use at the University of Bournemouth and the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales.
The combined archive management and storage solution offers significant benefits, claims Tony Blake of Cambridge Imaging Systems:
“Our system provides a unique, robust solid state DVB to IP gateway, thus allowing users to move away from the use of computers for file transfer. Our modular systems have been adopted by a wide range of clients including the BBC and MOD and we know from experience that the Spectra Logic storage is an effective medium for our systems.”
Andrew Robertson of Spectra Logic said:
“We are delighted to be able to demonstrate Cambridge Imaging Systems archive management systems using our tape libraries. Together, we can provide simple, highly reliable and efficient solutions for a wide range of applications for the video and entertainment market.”
For further information please contact:
Tony Blake (tony@cmgroup.co.uk) at Cambridge Imaging Systems 01954 262000 or John Foster (foster.rowsell@btinternet.com) at Media Matters 01473 652195
Instant Library provides key clips at touch of a button
1st June 2007
Cambridge, June 2007 – Cambridge Imaging Systems has created an on-line reference library of historical TV images for AP Archive, the stock footage business of Associated Press.
Instant Library is a historical moving image source exclusively for news broadcasters. It contains over 60 hours of the most important events and figures of the last 75 years, the first clip having been filmed in 1929. Totalling some 3,000 individual clips, the library is a rich archive of pre-licensed file material for use in news bulletins.
Instant Library is a stand-alone product and AP Archive is separately in the process of digitising its entire footage collection which amounts to more than 100,000 hours of material.
Using its range of flexible modular software, Cambridge Imaging Systems has encoded the material from Beta SP tapes to digital file formats. A specially created web site allows users to search for the clips they require simply by entering key words. Search results are displayed as a list of clips, showing a key frame and information (metadata) for each clip. Clips can then be selected and viewed either as a storyboard of thumbnail images, or played in a video player.
For example, a quick search of famous names reveals 45 clips under ‘Kennedy’, 13 under ‘Diana’ and 19 under ‘Blair’.
The selection is updated four times each year with material generated by AP Television News through its global network of more than 85 bureaux.
Alwyn Lindsey of AP Archive said:
For news broadcasters, “Instant Library” is like having their own historical archive that they can use whenever they like, all for one fixed annual fee. There’s everything from the major stories and key personalities, through to lighter stories and showbusiness. The new web site makes it very easy to search and access.”
Paul McConkey of Cambridge Imaging Systems said:
“Our proven modules have enabled us to create a flexible system which not only provides easy access to authorised users but has also made it much easier to search for exactly the right clip.”
Instantlibrary.com is available on a subscription basis to news broadcasters.
Cambridge Imaging Systems helps Homerserve go ‘down the drain’
4th April 2007
Few companies would be pleased to hear their product was ‘going down the drain’ but Cambridge Imaging Systems are delighted their image archive management systems can help leading emergency call out company Homeserve with its drainage repair solutions.
Homerserve engineers use video footage to record information about repairs needed to drains and sewers and create files recording details of completed work. Large quantities of digital media are created which need to be archived in a secure system and reviewed or retrieved on demand.
The solution developed by Cambridge Imaging Solutions provides a flexible and sophisticated means of capturing, tagging, storing and reviewing large amounts of digital video footage.
Engineers can now use their camera and laptop computer to create a series of video clips in Windows Media format. Each clip is associated with written information – metadata – which is added by the engineer, enabling detailed searches to be carried out in the future.
On returning home the engineer connects the laptop to the internet and ‘uploads’ the video files using Cambridge Imaging Systems’ Capture GUI software. The latest files created that day are automatically transferred using the company’s Imagen Distribution Server software. When the files reach the server at the Homeserve base a new record is created from the metadata already provided by the engineer. The file is sent to a transcoder where thumbnail images are created, captured at five second intervals.
Users of Homerserve’s network or ‘LAN’ are then able to search the archive using a variety of search criteria and can store interesting material in a ‘lightbox’. Files can be downloaded to their own desktop or a DVD video can be created.
Mark Westgate of Homeserve said:
“Although it may sound complicated, the system has proved to be very easy and quick to use. We have a record of surveys which can be recalled and examined as necessary, such as for insurance purposes. The system has certainly improved efficiency and we now have an excellent archive.”
Ian Mottashed, director of Cambridge Imaging Systems is also pleased with the smooth implementation of the system: “Our modular system is highly flexible and the Imagen server is very robust, compact and fast. Sophisticated searches are easy to perform and it is possible to limit access as required.”
For further information please contact: John Foster 01473 652195
Welsh national archive goes digital with BoB
5th February 2007
Cambridge Imaging Systems has been awarded a major contract to develop and install a sophisticated digital off-air recording system for The National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales.
When complete, the system will allow TV or radio programs to be recorded digitally by selecting from a seven-day electronic programme guide (EPG) and the retrieval of recorded programmes from the guide.
As the Archive contemplates a programme of digitising its collection of over 5.5 million feet of film, over 250,000 hours of video along with sound recordings and tapes, the system is also being designed to incorporate a digital asset management facility for improved search and recall.
For off-air recording, when a request is made using the seven-day EPG, the TV or radio programme will be recorded and added to a long term archive where it can be accessed and played back at any time by anyone with appropriate access. Subtitles can also be stored as part of the recorded programmes.
The whole system is scalable, modular and built around an open architecture, allowing expansion and modification as required.
At the centre of the new system is Cambridge Imaging Systems’ Box of Broadcasts (BoB). Developed initially in association with the British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC), BoB displays the next seven days Freeview TV and Radio and users can select recordings at the click of a mouse button. Metadata records for the archived programmes are created for the programme information and users can add to the metadata at any time, improving search facilities.
BoB also provides the opportunity to add programmes to the archive which have already been broadcast, using a short term archive of the major channels.
Other elements in the system include the company’s Imagen server, which forms the central database, MediaPlan administration software and Cambridge Imaging’s solid state Agate DVB receiver.
Iestyn Hughes, Head of The National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales said:
“Digitisation offers many advantages over the older analogue technology including reduced handling and storage costs and faster access by avoiding the need to allow tapes to reach ambient temperature from secure cool storage. The system will be operational in the Spring and we look forward to being able to offer researchers and public a full service later in the year.”
The project is part of a far reaching objective by The National Library of Wales to create an integrated digital management system. As part of this initiative the Library has recently unveiled a project to digitise and place Welsh printed collections on the web.
Ian Mottashed of Cambridge Imaging Systems said:
“This is an exciting project and we look forward to working with The National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales to develop the optimum system, able to meet not only the requirements of today but also to have the flexibility to give excellent service in the future.”
For further information please contact:
Or John Foster at Media Matters 01473 652195 foster.rowsell@btinternet.com
Siôn Jobbins, The National Library of Wales 01970 632902 sij@llgc.org.uk
CAMBS COMPANY HELPS USA
BROADCASTERS KEEP
CLOSE EYE ON IMAGE ARCHIVES
1st December 2006
Cambridge Imaging Systems, a small company which has helped
the BBC and ITN manage and market their massive image archives,
has achieved export success in the USA, with the help of UK
Trade and Investment (UKTI).
The Willingham-based company specialises in media asset management
solutions for large-scale video and stills archiving and distribution.
This often involves turning older film formats into more accessible
digital files and providing search tools so archived material
can be recalled effectively.
“Our preliminary investigations into exporting led
us to Mike O’Malley, Regional International Trade Advisor
(Information and Communication Technologies) at UKTI. Mike
encouraged us to register on the Passport to Export programme
and we went through a quick and painless exercise to ascertain
whether our business had the capacity to achieve growth through
exporting,” explained Cambridge Imaging Systems Chairman,
Tony Blake.
Passport to Export is UKTI’s flagship programme for
new and inexperienced exporters. It provides the training,
planning and ongoing support needed to begin a successful
export operation. Participants receive a business health check,
mentoring from export professionals, an individual export
plan and a range of developmental training options. It includes
the opportunity to put those skills to practical use by visiting
an agreed market. Advisors at East of England International
(EEI), which delivers UKTI’s services in the region,
will then keep in touch to make sure businesses stay on the
right track.
Tony Blake said:
“Through the programme we were able to focus on our
product offering for export, identify the best markets and
think about ways of maximising the chance of success. We identified
North America as our target and I attended a major tradeshow
in Las Vegas to get an overview of the market, competition,
potential partners and customers. This trip was match-funded.”
Cambridge Imaging Systems then applied for an Export Marketing
Research Scheme (EMRS), which helps with market research.
This lead to another, intensive, trip to the USA - in just
one week Tony Blake met with 28 contacts from New York City
to Washington DC.
Tony Blake added:
“Overall, Passport to Export made us focus on if and
how we should export, how we should present ourselves, and
which markets to target. The programme was easy to access
with the minimum of red tape and everyone was helpful and
efficient. The knowledge we gained gave us confidence and
the support made several processes and decisions much easier.
I couldn’t recommend it too highly.”
Mike O’Malley, Regional International Trade Advisor,
ICT Sector said:
“Tony Blake took a considered and thorough approach
to his company’s export thrust and developed a plan
that utilised many of UKTI’s services. To maximise overseas
business opportunities, they also met delegates on Inward
Trade Missions from a diverse range of countries as well as
exhibiting at UKTI’s Technology World 2006 business
partnering event where they were able to make 1:1 appointments
with any one of more than 100 overseas delegates representing
all the major markets across the world.
“As a result, Cambridge Imaging Systems has succeeded
in gaining business with The News Market in New York with
a contract to provide their Imagen Ingest Suite worth more
than £50k and another hardware contract with Hi-Vision
in Montreal, Canada worth £35k. Cambridge Imaging Systems
is an excellent example of a company that has benefited from
the full range of services and support available from UKTI.”
Note to Editors
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the lead government organisation
that provides support for UK companies looking to develop
international business. It also provides support for overseas
companies wishing to invest in the UK. UK Trade & Investment
has a wide range of services, backed-up by a network of trade
advisors worldwide who can provide market intelligence, advice
on regulations, sales leads, and financial and practical support.
In the East of England UK Trade & Investment services
are delivered through East of England International.
East of England International (EEI) is the official regional
organisation that provides business support to companies seeking
to trade internationally and assists foreign-owned businesses
looking to invest in the East of England. EEI is funded by
and works in partnership with the UK Government, the East
of England Development Agency (EEDA) and a wide range of businesses
and partners in the region.
East of England Development Agency (EEDA) is the driving
force behind sustainable economic regeneration in the East
of England: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire,
Norfolk and Suffolk. Its vision is to create a leading economy,
founded on a world-class knowledge base, creativity and enterprise
to improve the quality of life for all who live and work here.
For further information on the above organisations visit:
www.exporteastofengland.org.uk
www.eeia.com
www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk
www.eeda.org.uk
Issued on behalf of UK Trade & Investment by
Government News Network East
For more media information contact Timma Ramos on
01223 372798; timma.ramos@gnn.gsi.gov.uk
TVP Archive announces Strategic Partnerships
News Release Issued 5/9/06
Extensive research by FIAT/IFTA, FIAF, FOCAL and PrestoSpace has confirmed the Archive sector’s requirement for end to end solutions. In order to meet this demand three established and respected companies have formed a new alliance, namely Cambridge Imaging Systems, Moving Media and TVP Group. The new alliance will trade under the existing TVP Archive brand and creates the first full-service platform for archives.
TVP Archive, whose parent company TVP Group owns the West London video facility JCA.tv, is now able to reach beyond its traditional film and video facilities. TVP Archive will now provide project assessment, specialist restoration, optimized hardware, middleware and DAM solutions for digitizing and encoding projects along with scaleable electronic storage and delivery.
Cambridge Imaging Systems is best known for its software systems, supplying DAM solutions to the BBC, British Pathe and MoD among other blue-chip clients. Moving Media is known for its advanced data centre in Dublin. The alliance under the TVP Archive brand therefore creates an integrated full-service package for archives, from restoration to a digital infrastructure and their valuable content.
Simon Factor of Moving Media, who is heading operations for the alliance, said: “Our partnership with TVP and CIS will enable us to deliver end-to-end solutions to content owners seeking access to new digital markets. As demand for digital media products increases, traditional media libraries and archives can modernize their assets to access new audiences through an ever increasing number of channels. We have the technology and ability to work with obsolete and delicate media formats, we encode this material and can make it available to our customers from our world class data storage facility.
“New business models will incorporate utility based billing and storage which will compete with the cost of tapes on shelves. We will also look to partner the archive owners to find new digital markets for content, thus reducing the financial exposure.”
Background information on each company is available at:
Press contact:
John Foster 01473 652195 foster.rowsell@btinternet.com
New Directors at Cambridge Imaging Systems
News Release Issued 25/8/06
Cambridge, August 2006 – Ian Mottashed and Tim Jobling have been appointed directors of digital asset management company Cambridge Imaging Systems.
Both joined the company five years ago, Ian as a web designer and Tim as technical co-ordinator. Ian’s role has developed to project manager and he has been involved in prestigious projects such as developing on-line archive management systems for British Pathe, ITN and Homeserve. Other projects have included Newsfilm Online, the £2.5 million project run by the British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFC) to deliver advanced e-access to one of the largest television newsfilm libraries in the world.
Tim Jobling has been a key member of the development team, working on both hardware and software systems architecture and providing ‘back room’ support for the company’s innovative project solutions. These include the Imagen large scale video and stills asset management system, BoB (Box of Broadcasts) and RECLAIM (Remote Equipment for Combining Locally Acquired Images and Metadata) which is used by the MOD to manage essential image archives.
For further information:
John Foster 01473 652195 foster.rowsell@btinternet.com
A short step for Cambridge Imaging Systems marks a major leap forward
News Release Issued 24/4/06
Cambridge Imaging Systems has expanded its digital archive management systems business and moved into new offices. Although the new headquarters is only a short distance from the company’s former offices in the fenland village of Willingham, the move marks a significant improvement in facilities and capability.
The new offices are at The Grange, in the centre of the village. Cambridge Imaging Systems has purchased the freehold of the building and carried out an extensive restoration and conversion programme. While maintaining the historic appearance of the former house, the interior has been configured to accommodate a high tech business and allow the company to expand and develop.
An environmentally-controlled server room has been created to enable the company to multicast from the site and communications have been upgraded. This includes the installation of high capacity broadband on a par with the systems currently being installed in the City of London. The company, which develops software and hardware for the management of both civil and military film, picture and TV archives, can therefore handle larger volumes of information more quickly.
The new building also offers a more pleasant working environment for the team.
Paul McConkey of Cambridge Imaging Systems said:
“This move is much more than just a physical transfer of the business. It has allowed us to build the sort of advanced and integrated IT network that we need and has provided a creative working environment in which the team can develop new ideas for our national and international client base.”
For further information please contact:
John Foster 01473 652195 foster.rowsell@btinternet.com
Faster
photo filing from Cambridge Imaging Systems
client: MOD
News Release Issued 28/2/06
Cambridge Imaging Systems has won a major contract to supply
the Ministry of Defence with an advanced, second generation,
image management system.
RECLAIM (Remote Equipment for Combining Locally Acquired
Images and Metadata) is a laptop based unit enabling MoD personnel
to organise, describe and classify digital camera images to
standard format. Selected pictures can be categorised using
predefined drop-down fields and ‘free-text’ entry,
so that each image is classified by fields such as date, location
and description. Users can also zoom in for closer inspection
and add annotations to mark areas of special interest.
Downloading images from the camera to a laptop is fully automatic
and pictures can be selected or discarded at a glance. At
the end of a session image files and descriptions are recorded
to CD. The data saved to disk includes an HTML version which
can be viewed with any web browser. JPEG versions of the images
are copied to a RTF document with their descriptions, for
use with standard word processing software. Other versions
– including XML and CSV – are also saved. These
can be imported into many database and spreadsheet applications.
There is also an import file for easy integration with IMAGEN,
Cambridge Imaging’s archive management system.
“Photography is obviously an important intelligence
resource and as new information is collected it needs to be
made available to relevant personnel as quickly as possible.
We are pleased to have been selected to provide this system
which we are confident will be a valuable tool in developing
an effective database,” said Paul McConkey of Cambridge
Imaging Systems.
For further information:
Tony Blake at Cambridge Imaging Systems 01954 262000 tony.blake@cmgroup.co.uk
Or John Foster at Media Matters 01473 652195 foster.rowsell@btinternet.com
Serving the
World's media
client: The Newsmarket
NEWS RELEASE Issued 18/10/05
Cambridge Imaging Systems has completed the installation
of an advanced archive management system at the New York offices
of The NewsMarket, the leading platform for aggregating and
distributing broadcast-standard video over the internet.
The NewsMarket, which serves journalists at more than 5000
media outlets in over 140 countries worldwide, has also recently
adopted a Cambridge Imaging Systems video archive management
system at its London offices. The New York system is Cambridge
Imaging Systems’ first overseas installation.
The management system, Imagen, comprises a number of modules
which work together to minimise the amount of manual intervention
required, although in this instance only the ingest and output
capabilities of Imagen were required. These are used to encode
video clips which are subsequently converted to popular digital
file formats including QuickTime and Windows Media.
Imagen has a VideoOutput module that is designed to link
to an automated ordering system. Orders can be sent directly
from a website to the VideoOutput server which will retrieve
the source video files and record them to tape with very little
user intervention.
Once the video files have been retrieved, they are played
out and recorded on tape. The clips can have title and inter-title
screens that can be generated from the metadata that refers
to the clips.
“The Imagen ingest process is designed as far as possible
on the premise that operator time must be reduced to a minimum.
The server software is also very fast and flexible. In its
multi user guise managing an Internet accessed DAM we have
recorded instances of 30,000 users per day accessing the database
with no problems,” said Paul McConkey of Cambridge Imaging
Systems.
At The NewsMarket Matthew Thomson agrees that speed and high
capacity are essential, as demand is growing rapidly. Many
high profile organisations including Nokia, DaimlerChrysler,
Roche, adidas and BMW use The NewsMarket to manage their broadcast
media relations.
“We are the only video archive and distribution platform
that enables journalists from around the world to find, preview
and download free broadcast standard video on demand over
the Internet. Imagen is proving to be a robust part of our
system at our European headquarters in London and we expect
equally good results in New York,” he said.
Tony Blake at Cambridge Imaging Systems 01954 262000
tony@cmgroup.co.uk
Or John Foster at Media Matters 01473 652195
foster.rowsell@btinternet.com
New OEM agreement
provides World sales opportunity
client: HaiVision
News Release Issued 28/10/05
Cambridge UK, 24 September 2005 – Cambridge Imaging
Systems has signed an agreement with HaiVision Systems Inc.
of Montreal under which the UK company is appointed exclusive
OEM manufacturer for a range of IPTV products. The agreement
also gives HaiVision the exclusive rights worldwide to sell
Cambridge Imaging Systems’ related products.
The new products include hardware decoding engines for both
MPEG-2 and H.264. Cambridge Imaging Systems and HaiVision
cooperated on the specification of hardware specifically for
the IP TV market, and have designed their products to address
the ubiquity of IP video. The decoders, marketing by HaiVision
as the hai210 series, provide extremely low power and reliable
platforms suited to single unit deployments (perhaps hidden
behind a presentation screen). Alternatively, by leveraging
the unique mini-blade architecture, they can support up to
21 decode channels within a single, compact rack mounted chassis.
HaiVision is now shipping the first result of this collaboration,
the hai210D compact decoder supporting MPEG-2. The companies
are currently collaborating to release an H.264 (MPEG-4 part
10) compatible device in the same form factor in the very
near future.
“The hai210D is a solid state, flexible and cost effective
way of turning digital video back into analogue format. With
up to 21 blades installed in a single 4U 19” chassis,
bridging between existing analogue distribution networks and
new digital sources becomes easy. The product that we are
working on now will have all of the features of the hai210D
but with the addition of H.264,” said Paul McConkey
of Cambridge Imaging Systems.
“The new agreement opens important international markets
to this sector of our business and is a significant step in
our development strategy,” he added.
For further information:
Tony Blake at Cambridge Imaging Systems 01954 262000 tony.blake@cmgroup.co.uk
Or John Foster at Media Matters 01473 652195 foster.rowsell@btinternet.com
Editors Note:
HaiVision is a leading supplier of high quality, broadband
interactive video communications equipment to telecom carriers,
service providers and video systems integrators worldwide.
The company supplies high performance networked video systems
for distance education, boardroom video conferencing, telemedicine,
IP television, and security, surveillance, and monitoring.
Big BoB boosts brainpower in Bournemouth
client: Bournemouth University
NEWS RELEASE Issued 01/12/05
Cambridge, England, December 2005 –
Students at Bournemouth University may get a second or even
a third chance to catch up on missed lectures and other learning
material thanks to a state-of-the-art off-air recording and
distribution system developed by Cambridge Imaging Systems.
An extension of the company’s Box of Broadcasts
system, or BoB, when complete the
new system will make any form of recorded material available
in an easily accessed format. This could be a filmed lecture,
a TV documentary recorded off-air under the terms of the ERA
licence, or archive film footage. The material could be used
in lectures or the lecturers themselves could access material
for use in their presentations.
The system is designed to archive digital video broadcast
TV, continuously archiving up to 6 TV channels and multiple
radio channels simultaneously. Entire programmes are held
in digital file form on hard disk in a rolling archive. Each
file can be transcoded into Windows Media format.
All the material is indexed and the transcoded film can be
saved to CD or accessed via the University network and run
from any PC or laptop.
“Encoded video files offer the teaching profession
a manageable means of embedding moving pictures and sound
in the everyday resources they might apply in learning, teaching
or research such as websites and Powerpoint presentations”,
said Ian Mottashed of Cambridge Imaging Systems.
For further information please contact:
Tony Blake at Cambridge Imaging Systems 01954 262000
tony@cmgroup.co.uk
Or John Foster at Media Matters 01473 652195
foster.rowsell@btinternet.com
Newsfilm Online Ready
to Roll
client: BUFVC
NEWS RELEASE Issued 3/10/05
Digital media management company Cambridge Imaging Systems
has just completed the final testing of the systems needed
to operate Newsfilm Online, a £2.5 million project run
by the British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFC)
which will deliver advanced e-access to one of the largest
television newsfilm libraries in the world – ITN/Reuters.
CIS has used Imagen, its large-scale video and stills asset
management software, to create a robust system capable of
handling 3000 hours of new footage on line, in addition to
existing film and stills.
Comprising a suite of applications designed mainly for Windows
NT/2000/XP, Imagen modules provide encoder, transcoder and
decoder functions, creating MPEG-2 files which are automatically
transcoded to different formats for access on the internet.
These formats include the commonly used QuickTime and Windows
Media Player files.
Metadata is added to the Imagen archive either as individual
records or in batches. Once it has been imported, records
are added to the database enabling quick and easy searches
by the end user. Transcoded files can have graphics added
to the visible image for logos, time codes or watermarks.
Jeff Hulbert, BUFVC’s project manager of Newsfilm
Online said:
“Having completed our ‘road test’ on the
system we are confident the Imagen system will live up to
our expectations. We already have over 30 hours of scoping
study material for potential users to familiarise themselves
with the system. Over the next 17 months of the project we
will be selecting, editing and cataloguing the main body of
clips.”
Cambridge Imaging Systems has already provided an Imagen-based
system for the British Pathe archive, now incorporated within
the ITN newsfilm archive, and a stills archive for ITN. Imagen
is also used by the MOD.
The Newsfilm Online project required additional research/solutions
and new software has been developed to enable the Newsfilm
Online cataloguers to edit longer newsreel programmes into
smaller clips. By accessing full length MPEG-2 encoded news
programmes on their desktop PCs they can now create new data
records and news clips which are automatically transcoded
to lower bit-rate Windows Media Video and QuickTime files.
This initiative has made a significant improvement to the
selection and editing process and allows the cataloguers to
take full control of the material available.
The system also allows cataloguers to avoid presentation
of restricted content remaining in third party ownership.
Paul McConkey of Cambridge Imaging Systems said:
“Our systems are well proven but are also sufficiently
flexible to allow updating or adaptation to new requirements.
With Newsfilm Online we have obviously had to take account
of both the large volume of material to be archived and also
the expected high usage level. This is an exciting project
and we are sure it will be very heavily used.”
For further information please contact:
Tony Blake at Cambridge Imaging Systems 01954 262000
tony@cmgroup.co.uk
Or John Foster at Media Matters 01473 652195
foster.rowsell@btinternet.com
Note for editors:
Funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JIC),
managed by the British Universities Film & Video Council
in partnership with ITN and Reuters, Newsfilm Online aims
to bring to the UK Higher and Further Education community
access to 3000 hours of news film taken from the ITN and Reuters
archives. It will provide a mix of iconic stories, everyday
news coverage and unbroadcast footage to give historical insights
and help provide an understanding of developments in news
coverage. Sample encodings can be viewed at www.bufvc.ac.uk/itnstudy
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