By Elina Shatkin, February 19, 2004
Ascent Media is launching a new set of services that allow advertising agencies to work with the world's best post-production talent without leaving their hometown. UP Sessions enables Ascent Media clients to participate in telecine sessions, and other picture critical finishing work, from remote sites in real time while interacting with the artists performing the work. UP Sessions encompasses three different products that facilitate virtual collaboration; UP Satellite, UP Fiber and UP Web.
UP Satellite uses a secure satellite connection, provided by Ascent Media Network Services, to transmit broadcast quality digital video to designated client sites in other cities. Agency creatives, directors, editors and others can then collaborate with colorists at Ascent Media's Company 3, R!OT Santa Monica and Encore Hollywood as if they were in the same room. The service allows clients the creative freedom to work with the post-production artists they choose, while saving the time, cost and inconvenience of traveling to the West Coast.
Among the unique features of UP Satellite is the ability to link multiple parties in different locations around the country
. The system is point to multi-point (as opposed to point-to-point fiber), so it can simultaneously broadcast to agency personnel, directors and other parties who wish to collaborate in a session from different locations.
Dallas editorial house charlieuniformtango is the first company to serve as an UP Satellite facility. Beta testing of the service has been ongoing there since January. During the testing period, several Dallas area advertising agencies have used the service, including Publicis (BMW), GSD&M (Southwest Airlines) and Dieste Harmel & Partners (Gatorade).
In the next few weeks, Ascent Media will be opening UP Satellite sites in several other cities; including Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, Boston, Miami and Atlanta. UP Satellite will also be available soon from Company 3 New York and R!OT Manhattan.
To ensure optimum image quality, UP Satellite employs a digital path from end to end with no NTSC encoding. That avoids the artifacts common to most types of long haul terrestrial transmissions. In addition to digital video transmission, the system could be easily adapted for data transfers as demand for that service grows.
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