British company Pharos Communications, a developer of software architecture for broadcast process management, will introduce five new systems to the US market at this year's NAB exhibition, which takes place in Las Vegas from 24-27 April 2006.

UK, March 15, 2006 (XTVWorld.Com) -- The new items are the Mediator Enterprise media asset manager system; the Exception alarm monitoring system; the Reflection browse system; the Transcoder file converter; and the Rewrapper MPEG2 processor.

Mediator Enterprise has been developed from the Mediator media management system and integrates media asset management, browsing and workflow control. It can perform automated ingest and transfer, automated transcoding and low-resolution previewing under Web browser control. According to the company, it has a greatly expanded ability to link disparate systems, to audit library content bookings and tape movements, and to handle the distribution of content for multi-channel multi-language services.

The Exception alarm monitoring system is designed for use in television production studios, MCR environments, post production facilities or playout centres. It provides flexible notification of alarm monitoring signals from third party equipment.

Reflection is an MPEG4-based browse system which is claimed to have a wide range of applications in programme production, scheduling, compliance and transmission. Designed to operate in tandem with a video server, it creates MPEG4 copies of all stored clips and any new incoming video files.

The Pharos Transcoder is claimed to enable video files to be converted quickly and easily between a wide range of file formats. Applications include down-converting broadcast -quality content for Internet-based distribution, up-converting Internet-delivered ENG feeds, and a wide variety of file-format interchange tasks in programme production, post-production and playout.

Rewrapper is said to enable MPEG2 metadata to be matched precisely between different video servers. It is claimed to be ideal wherever a mixed family of video servers is in use, such as a television post-production house or broadcast playout centre, or where full MPEG2 file interchange is required between servers and edit stations or graphic suites.

Pharos Communications (1) is one of ten British companies exhibiting at NAB in a group presentation organised by Trade Fair Support (2), on behalf of the sponsors Intellect (3) and BKSTS (4), with the backing of UK Trade & Investment, the United Kingdom''s export promotion and inward investment body. Five other British companies are exhibiting independently.

Intellect is a trade association representing over 1,000 companies in the information technology, telecommunications and electronics industries.

BKSTS, the moving image society, exists to sustain, educate, train and represent all those involved - creatively or technologically - in the business of providing moving images and associated crafts in any form and through any media.

Subtitles and prompters
Screen Subtitling Systems (5) says it provides sub titling systems covering everything from off-line PC-based subtitle preparation systems to multi-language multi-channel fully automated transmission solutions. At NAB the company will show its subtitling capability in high definition (HD) TV, claiming to be the only supplier currently offering a full range of subtitling solutions in HD format. Key products on show will include the G5000, which inserts logos as well as subtitles from one box, and the new M3500 MPEG processor, which enables the insertion of subtitles and logos directly into an MPEG stream without the need for encoders and decoders.

A company that claims to have developed the first computer prompter in the UK in the early 1980s, Portaprompt (6) will feature a number of new items at NAB. A new version of its WinDigi prompting software has been specifically written and designed to interface with ENPS's Media Object Server (MOS) communications protocol. This, says the company, enables ENPS to control all the features of the WinDigi prompter automatically. Using the MOS Active X implementation, WinDigi is claimed to be able to remotely access any run-order or start at any story in the run-order. Also demonstrated will be a new range of Quasar on-camera teleprompting units, and the Nano prompter for hand-held field use.

Other exhibitors
Independent exhibitor Sonifex (7) has manufactured professional audio equipment for radio and television for more than 37 years. Products manufactured include analogue and digital audio interfaces, distribution and matching amplifiers, telephone hybrids, audio loggers, talkback units, a portable flashcard recorder, mixers and complete radio studios. New Redbox products on display will include a stereo microphone and line level limiter, a mix-minus generator, a stereo audio delay synchroniser, a dual stereo phone RIAA gram amplifier and a combined A/D & D/A converter, 24 bit 192kHz.

A.R.G. ElectroDesign (8) will launch the latest member of its ASI to telecom circuit adapters, the 1915. According to the company, one of the most popular applications for the 1915 will be in upgrading existing network links to add the bandwidth necessary to handle HD video feeds at bit rates up to 140Mbps. By supplying enough bandwidth to handle both high-quality SD and HD signals on a single circuit, the 1915 eliminates the need to set up and manage parallel networks for different signals.

IdeasUnlimited.tv (9) will launch a new TV compliance/logging recorder (CRE2000) at NAB which, it claims, will reduce entry level costs by 50%. According to the company, the CRE2000 offers a number of special features. These include instant rewind and automatic input signal monitoring, and real-time fault alerts via SNMP, e-mail, GPI or SMS messages.

TransMedia Dynamics (TMD) (10) will introduce new features at NAB to its Mediaflex Media Asset Management (MAM), workflow and resources solution. These are said to be new ingest functionality for greater operational efficiencies, a new approach to error-free and cost-effective captioning and, what is claimed to be, the world's first integrated MAM solution for entertainment, new and sports.

F.B.B.T. (11) develops, sells and supports Matador, which it claims is the first operational support system (OSS) for broadcasters, cable and satellite providers which provides dynamic monitoring of quality and costs across an entire enterprise. The company says that its strategy is to apply the concept of an OSS, as developed and utilised by the telecommunications industry for more than 15 years, to the broadcast industry as it becomes more business centric.

Adder Technology (12) will feature its range of keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) switches, extenders and IP products. The company says that its technology enables users to reduce the complexity and improve control of their networks.

An independent supplier of video browsing technology, IPV (13) will highlight its SpectreView suite of products which, it says, can be used for news, asset management, subtitling, automation and wherever broadcast professionals need exact access to manage and manipulate content.

NAB: Las Vegas, 24 -27 April 2006

Contact:
Key to companies and organisations mentioned in the text:

1. Pharos Communications, 83-85 London Road, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom RG1 4QA. Contact: Hannah Trimble. Tel: +44 118 950 2323. Fax: +44 118 950 2525.
E-mail: sales @ pharos-comms.com Web site: www.pharos-comms.com

2. Trade Fair Support, Trade Fair House, 2 West Court, Enterprise Road, Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom ME15 6JD. Contact: Noleen Willis. Tel: +44 1622 754200. Fax: 1622 203048.
E-mail: noleen @ tradefair.co.uk Web site: www.tradefair.co.uk

3. Intellect, 20 Red Lion Street, London, United Kingdom WC1R 4QN. Contact: Noleen Willis. Tel: +44 20 7395 6700. Fax: +44 20 7404 4119.
E-mail: info @ intellectuk.org Web site: www.intellectuk.org

4. BKSTS, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom SLO 0NH. Contact: Wendy Layborn. Tel: +44 1753 656656. Fax: +44 1753 657016.
E-mail: wendy @ bksts.com Web site: www.bksts.com

5. Screen Subtitling Systems, The Old Rectory, Church Lane, Claydon, Ipswich, Suffolk, United Kingdom IP60EQ. Contact: Laura Albins. Tel: +44 1473 831700. Fax: +44 1473 830078.
E-mail: sales @ screen.subtitling.com Web site: www.screen.subtitling.com

6. Portaprompt Ltd, 1 Spearmast Industrial Park, Lane End Road, Sands, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom HP12 4JQ. Contact: Jim Keating. Tel: +44 1494 450414. Fax: +44 1494 437591.
E-mail: info @ portaprompt.co.uk Web site: www.portaprompt.co.uk

7. Sonifex Ltd, 61 Station Road, Irthlingborough, Northants, United Kingdom NN9 5QE. Contact: Marcus Brooke. Tel: +44 1933 650700. Fax: +44 1933 650726.
E-mail: sales @ sonifex.co.uk Web site: www.sonifex.co.uk

US Agent: Independent Audio. Contact: Fraser Jones. Tel: +207 773 2424. Fax: +207 773 2422. E
-mail: info @ independentaudio.com Web site: www.independentaudio.com

8. A.R.G. ElectroDesign Ltd, Querns Business Centre, Whitworth Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom GL71RT. Contact: Dave Cheng. Tel: +44 1285 658501. Fax: +44 1285 885376.
E-mail:dave.cheng @ arg.co.uk Web site: www.arg.co.uk

9. IdeasUnlimited.tv, 5 Mead Lane, Farnham, Surrey, United Kingdom GU9 7DY. Contact: Glyn Powell-Evans. Tel: +44 870 162 7200. Fax: +44 870 162 7201.
E-mail: glyn @ ideasunlimited.tv Web site: www.ideasunlimited.tv

10. TransMedia Dynamics Ltd (TMD), Suite 4, Tower House, High Street, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom HP20 1SQ. Contact: Amanda Bennion. Tel: +44 1296 745080. Fax: +44 1296 745 055.
E-mail: info @ tmd.tv Web site:www.tmd.tv

11. F.B.B.T., Alexander House, 17a Ormeau Ave, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom BT2 8HD. Contact: Rick Bolin. Tel: +44 2890 317993. Fax: +44 2890 330124.
E-mail: RB @ fbbt.co.uk Web site: www.fbbt.co.uk

12. Adder Technology, Technology House, Trafalgar Way, Bar Hill, Cambridge, United Kingdom CB3 8SQ. Contact Lawra Joseph. Tel: +44 1954 780044. Fax: +44 1954 780081.
E-mail: sales @ adder.com Web site: www.adder.com

13. IPV Ltd, Mount Pleasant House, 2 Mount Pleasant, Cambridge, United Kingdom CB3 0RN. Contact: Nigel Booth. Tel: +44 1223 477000. Fax: +44 1223 506282.
E-mail: sales @ ipv.com Web site: www.ipv.com