Unique OEM Product Suite from Pleora Allows Post-Production Video Applications to Run on Standard PCs and IP/Ethernet

Innovative EtherCast™ IP Studio products drive down post-production costs by replacing routing switchers, VTRs, and video capture cards with standard PCs and IP/Ethernet gear

OTTAWA, CANADA, April 11, 2006: Pleora Technologies today unveiled the industry’s first suite of OEM hardware and software products for developing high-performance post-production video applications with standard PCs and IP/Ethernet gear. Pleora’s innovative EtherCast IP Studio suite gives integrators, VARs (value-added resellers), and manufacturers the building blocks needed to create digital video products that slash post-production overhead by greatly reducing the need for specialized equipment.

Today, to manage increasing volumes of high-quality digital video and audio, post-production studios have little choice but to deploy specialized video networks. These networks are expensive, difficult to integrate, and costly to maintain and upgrade. With Pleora’s EtherCast IP Studio products, equipment suppliers can quickly develop more affordable, less complex solutions that leverage the widely deployed, low-cost PC/Ethernet platform.

The four-product EtherCast IP Studio suite allows almost any application that distributes, captures, records, archives, and/or plays back digital video to be implemented using standard PC and Ethernet hardware. PCs can be used, for example, as video recorders, playback machines, and servers, eliminating the need for costly video capture cards. Similarly, Ethernet switches can be configured as routing switchers, and Ethernet networks can support real-time workgroup collaboration.

“It’s only a matter of time before digital video applications in post houses follow the other broadcast sectors that are migrating to IP networks,” said George Chamberlain, President of Pleora Technologies. “Our EtherCast IP Studio products speed time-to-market for systems integrators and OEMs that are targeting this lucrative opportunity, allowing them to gain early market advantage.”

Affordable set of four elements

Pleora’s EtherCast IP Studio suite is an affordable set of four elements. The first piece is the PL1453A EtherCast Video IP Engine™; a palm-sized OEM board set that converts SD-SDI (Standard Definition – Serial Data Interface), SDTI (Serial Digital Transport Interface, or SMPTE 305M), and/or DVB-ASI (Digital Video Broadcast – Asynchronous Serial Interface) digital video to IP and streams it in real time over managed Ethernet LANs/WANs (local- and wide-area networks). At the receiving end, there are two options: return the video to its original SD or ASI format using another PL1453A engine, or stream it into PC memory using the EtherCast Driver.

In all scenarios, video quality is superb. The engines do not compress the video. Jitter is low, transfers are lossless, and internal engine latency is small and predictable. On-board buffers can handle the latency of most networks, even multi-hop connections spanning long distances. The EtherCast Driver is a ground-breaking software application that runs under Windows on standard Ethernet NICs (network interface cards/chips), eliminating the need for PC video capture cards. It creates a full-duplex, real-time video path between PC memory and an Ethernet LAN/WAN. It uses only a small fraction of the CPU capacity, leaving most of the PC’s power available for higher-level applications, such as NLE (non-linear editing) or VTR-like storage and playback. The driver does not monopolize the NIC. Regular LAN functions, such as email and web browsing, proceed as usual.

Advanced SDK and configuration utility

Pleora’s third EtherCast IP Studio element is an advanced C++ SDK (software development kit) for capturing real-time video streams, storing them to disk, accessing them from higher-level applications such as NLE packages, and streaming them back over the network. The fourth element, the EtherCast Configuration Utility, is a PC-based Windows application for detecting PL1453A engines on a network, checking their status, assigning them names and IP addresses, setting packet timeouts, and other functions. The EtherCast IP Studio suite is available now. See it demonstrated at NAB2006, the world’s largest electronic media show, in Las Vegas from April 24-27. Pleora’s booth is at C4814 in Central Hall.

About Pleora

Pleora Technologies is a leading global supplier of Ethernet connectivity solutions. Pleora’s iPORT™ and EtherCast product families transport imaging and/or video data over low-cost Gigabit Ethernet networks with very high performance, while giving systems long-distance reach, flexible networking, and unmatched ease of use. Pleora is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. For more information, visit www.pleora.com.

iPORT, EtherCast, and Video IP Engine are trademarks of Pleora Technologies Inc.