SGI Somnigroup International Inc

SGI Selected to Implement Phase One of Complete Integrated Digital Broadcast Workflow MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and MUNICH, Germany, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Seeking greater workflow efficiencies and reduced production costs, Saarlandischer Rundfunk (SR), a public broadcaster in southwestern Germany, has awarded Silicon Graphics (NYSE:SGI) the contract for Phase One of its transition to a complete, integrated digital workflow for TV programming production and play out and archiving of TV and radio material. To produce regional news programs and magazine shows as well as deliver occasional news coverage -- such as the Tour de France -- and other programming for ARD (a cooperative association of German public broadcasters), SR's facility in Saarbrucken has purchased a full complement of SGI(R) broadcast servers, online editing storage and SGI software that optimizes editing for faster time-to-air. The system, integrated by Silicon Graphics Broadcast Europe, will also be used to archive the regional news and magazines plus audio from SR's three radio stations. Trial operation is expected to commence in July 2006. SR analyzed their workflow and considered how they would like to work in the future. Their goals included the improved time-to-air of an all-digital ingest, editing and play out process and interconnectivity between television and radio materials in an easily available archive. After considering several other systems providers and integrators, SR selected SGI. "In addition to having robust and reliable servers and storage that can expand with our needs, which will quickly grow, SGI's expertise in integration is known to be very dependable: their top people are with you all the way," said Peter Wirtz, head of Technical Department and deputy director of Administration and Operation, SR. "SGI networked editing software was a big factor in our decision as well. In the traditional workflow, there are many annoying wait times because a lot of the process is sequential. SGI parallelized several steps, and material can be edited while it is still being ingested and recorded, and the edited material can start to play out to air while the rest of the feed is still coming in. This is critical for streamlined news production editing. And, an archive of both radio and television news material was essential so that our radio producers or television magazine producers can efficiently access each other's materials for repurposing of assets. SGI understood what we needed, and more importantly, because they are not strangers to European broadcasting, they understood why we needed it, and how to make it happen." In June, SR ordered four SGI Media Server(TM) for Broadcast systems, an SGI(R) InfiniteStorage NAS system with 22TB total storage for online/editing storage consisting of three SGI(R) InfiniteStorage TP9700 systems, 27TB of near-line and tape-based storage managed by SGI(R) Data Migration Facility (DMF), upgradeable to 65TB in Phase Two, and SGI networked editing software for efficient video editing workflows to shorten time-to-air. The SGI hardware and software will integrate with SGT media management and automation software, a Dalet OpenMedia newsroom computer system, and six Pinnacle Systems liquid blue non-linear editing (NLE) systems; an additional six editors are planned for the second phase. For Phase One, only two Pinnacle NLEs will be network-attached because prior to the SGI installation, SR editors used standalone NLEs and VTRs. The remaining four NLEs will be used for training and testing, especially during the first few months after initial installation. "SGI is experiencing great success in Europe because we can point to existing digital workflows at top broadcasting clients who are extremely satisfied that we have delivered what we promised: streamlined workflows for efficient ingest, editing and play-to-air, at speeds never available before, and rock-solid, scalable storage and networking," said Stephan Schindler, general manager, Silicon Graphics Broadcast Europe. "We also take great pride in integrating our partners' easy-to-learn and easy-to-use editing and media management systems. We invite all ARD members and European Union broadcasters to watch closely and consider how SGI's expertise is painlessly transitioning southwestern Germany, and broadcasters around the world." SILICON GRAPHICS | The Source of Innovation and Discovery(TM) SGI, also known as Silicon Graphics, Inc., is a leader in high-performance computing, visualization and storage. SGI's vision is to provide technology that enables the most significant scientific and creative breakthroughs of the 21st century. Whether it's sharing images to aid in brain surgery, finding oil more efficiently, studying global climate, providing technologies for homeland security and defense or enabling the transition from analog to digital broadcasting, SGI is dedicated to addressing the next class of challenges for scientific, engineering and creative users. With offices worldwide, the company is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and can be found on the Web at http://www.sgi.com/. NOTE: Silicon Graphics, SGI, the SGI cube and the SGI logo are registered trademarks and SGI Media Server and The Source of Innovation and Discovery are trademarks of Silicon Graphics, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries worldwide. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners. MEDIA CONTACT Lisa Pistacchio 650-933-5683 Milva Naguib +39-3356267644 SGI PR HOTLINE 650-933-7777 SGI PR FACSIMILE 650-933-0283 DATASOURCE: SGI CONTACT: Lisa Pistacchio, +1-650-933-5683, or , or Milva Naguib, +39-3356267644, or , or SGI PR HOTLINE, +1-650-933-7777, or SGI PR FACSIMILE, +1-650-933-0283, all of SGI Web site: http://www.sgi.com/

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