CBS Television Stations to Utilize Telestream FlipFactory to Automate Pitch Blue Syndication and Spot Delivery Workflows

NEVADA CITY, Calif., April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Telestream and the CBS Television Stations group today announced that Telestream's FlipFactory® product is being integrated into workflows at CBS's 29 owned and operated (O&O) stations.  CBS chose FlipFactory for integration of Pitch Blue-delivered HD content into its syndication workflows and for integration of loudness control into its spot delivery workflows.

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FlipFactory automates the way content delivered by Pitch Blue and spot delivery services is ingested at the station and transcoded for direct file transfer to the on-air server.  This automation reduces the amount of manpower required to get syndicated program content and commercial spots to air, which results in cost savings for the CBS stations.  It also provides CBS automation with all the required metadata necessary for full tracking of the content.  Integration with CBS' internal automation system was a primary consideration when evaluating solutions, along with the ability to quickly transcode HD video, preserve all captioning information and decode Dolby E audio for a full-HD quality, surround sound experience. 

The recent addition of audio loudness measurement, per the International Telecommunication Union ITU-R BS.1770 specification, has allowed the CBS Stations to quickly and easily comply with the ATSC's recent Recommended Practice that established a loudness target for commercial advertising and program content (ATSC A/85 – Techniques for Establishing and Maintaining Audio Loudness for Digital Television).  Telestream's loudness option fits within the automated workflow, enabling loudness levels to be set for each spot as it is delivered to the broadcast server with no manual intervention.

"This important project represents another step in our long-standing relationship with CBS," said Dan Castles, CEO of Telestream.  "We appreciate the trust that this major broadcaster places in our company and products to help them achieve greater operational efficiency in these challenging times."

Telestream workflow automation systems are not new to CBS.  Over the past several years, Telestream's TrafficManager systems were installed at the 29 CBS O&O stations to provide tapeless, automated ingest of spots received from digital delivery services and file transfer to the stations' playout servers.

Telestream support for the Pitch Blue file delivery system provides fast, efficient ingest of multiple HD and SD program feeds.  HD feeds are quickly transcoded from the HD H.264 source file format into the format of choice for the on air server.  Dolby E audio is decoded and all caption information is preserved.  MPEG-2 SD feeds can be rewrapped for immediate delivery to an on-air server while preserving all caption information. 

FlipFactory is a powerful server-based software system that automates transcoding between all major video and audio file formats and transfers media and metadata files between all major professional systems.  FlipFactory provides greater flexibility and reliability for more customers worldwide than any other enterprise-class workflow automation or video transcoding product.

Telestream FlipFactory Pitch Blue syndication and other workflow automation solutions are being demonstrated at next week's NAB Show™ in Las Vegas, Nevada at Telestream booth SL3614. FlipFactory is available through Telestream's worldwide direct sales and resale channels. More information is available at www.telestream.net.

About Telestream (www.telestream.net)

Telestream provides world-class live and on-demand digital video tools and workflow solutions that allow consumers and businesses to transform video on the desktop and across the enterprise. Many of the world's most demanding media and entertainment companies such as CBS, BBC, CNN, FOX, CBC, Comcast, Direct TV, Time Warner, MTV, Discovery, and Lifetime, as well as a growing number of users in a broad range of business environments, rely on Telestream products to streamline operations, reach broader audiences and generate more revenue from their media. These companies choose to work with Telestream as they know they will get a trusted and highly skilled technical partner.

Telestream products span the entire digital media lifecycle, including capture and ingest; live and on-demand encoding and transcoding; playout, delivery, and live streaming; as well as management and automation of the entire workflow. The company also partners closely with the industry's leading digital media companies across the entire digital media lifecycle, from consumer to enterprise. Telestream corporate headquarters are located in Nevada City, California. The company is privately held.

About CBS Television Stations (www.cbslocal.com)

CBS Television Stations consists of 29 owned-and-operated stations, including 16 that are part of the CBS Television Network, nine affiliates of The CW Network, three independent stations and one MyNetworkTV affiliate. Among its stations are WCBS-TV (New York), KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV (Los Angeles), WBBM-TV (Chicago), KYW-TV and WPSG-TV (Philadelphia), KTVT-TV and KTXA-TV (Dallas-Ft. Worth), KPIX-TV and KBCW-TV (San Francisco), WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV (Boston), WUPA-TV (Atlanta), WWJ-TV and WKBD-TV (Detroit), KSTW-TV (Seattle), WTOG-TV (Tampa-St. Petersburg), WCCO-TV (Minneapolis), KCNC-TV (Denver), WFOR-TV and WBFS-TV (Miami), KOVR-TV and KMAX-TV (Sacramento), KDKA-TV and WPCW-TV (Pittsburgh), WJZ-TV (Baltimore), WGNT (Norfolk), as well as WCCO-TV's satellite stations KCCO-TV (Alexandria, MN) and KCCW-TV (Walker, MN).

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SOURCE Telestream