Vector 3 Celebrates 1,000th Customer Installation

Aug. 5, 2010 - PRLog -- Barcelona, Spain – August 5, 2010 – Vector 3™, leading developer of IT-based graphics and playout solutions for the master control room celebrates its 1,000th customer installation.

Thanks to their long experience working with both conventional broadcast playout solutions and IT-based technologies, Barcelona-based Vector 3 was one of the first in the industry to correctly predict the inevitable technology revolution that would occur inside master control rooms. Vector 3 leads the market in the development of cutting-edge IT-based solutions for the master control room. With 1000 installations and a large number of channels controlled by their systems worldwide, Vector has also helped drive the change, educating the market regarding the reliability and benefits of IT-based solutions.

Vector 3 launched the first IT-based frame-accurate automated playout system on the market in 1988, going head to head with proprietary systems prevalent at the time. After successes in Denmark, India and Spain, Vector 3 continued to further develop its IT-based solutions for the Master Control Room and in 1994 launched the first-ever video server with integrated graphics and transition capabilities.

In 2001, Vector 3 launched the first codec-agnostic player on the market – a video server capable of playing video files in any compression format even in the same playlist. In 2003, after the long discussion amongst vendors for a standard in video file "wrappers" or "containers," Vector 3 once again led the market, being the first to offer a wrapper-agnostic video server, capable of playing any file type available. Today, even SD files can be played in HD playlists and vice versa.

As Vector 3 expanded into Russia, Sweden, Holland and Asian markets, broadcasters became aware of the multiple advantages of having a fully networked solution, offering full connectivity over Ethernet or Fibre Channel, with support for the SMB protocol. The large amounts of data required for branding can also be easily received in real time and from a variety of different data sources, and operators have full visibility of all devices on the network, unlike with proprietary systems.

Vector 3 customers were also quick to realize the significant benefits in terms of redundancy options of the IT-based master control room. The flexibility of the LAN, the modularity of the components and the solution's distributed architecture enable any piece of equipment to provide a backup for another of its kind. With only two main types – video server and automation system – redundancy becomes both simple and affordable. With a range of options available, broadcasters can adopt the configuration that best suits their requirements.

The distributed philosophy of Vector 3's Vector MultiPlay enables the additional back up of automation processes with the added advantage of easy connectivity via Internet for control and monitoring from remote locations.

In 2006, Vector 3's sale to TSA (Europe's Largest Communications Providers) of a distributed multi-channel solution, represented an important milestone – the consolidation of 24 different channels into three straight forward file-based workflows. This installation proved the acceptance and maturity of Vector 3's solutions, providing master control room, production, graphics, channel branding and universal file format workflow capabilities within a distributed IT-based platform.

"The debate between the IT-based master control room and proprietary systems is over. The winner has been clear for many years," said Roman Ceano, Vector 3 General Manager. "Nowadays with the computing power of even standard PCs, the mere discussion seems illogical. Our 1000th installation is a milestone indicating the widespread international acceptance of the flexibility, reliability and scalability of IT-based automation and playout solutions. Proprietary video servers will take the path of many other devices, and for many of us will bring back fond memories of the technologies of our youth."

This press announcement replaces the July 20, 2010 press announcement about Vector 3's 1000th installation.

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The Vector 3 team commands over 25-years of experience in developing leading graphics and playout solutions for broadcast. Boasting an impressive client list of over 1000 broadcasters worldwide, Vector's legendary solutions for playout are world-renowned for their unparallel reliability, tremendous scalability and outstanding performance.

Since its launch in the mid 1980's, Vector 3 has focused its research and development on IT technologies for the broadcast industry. Their long-standing experience with process timing over computer platforms has given them exceptional expertise in developing on-air solutions that deliver broadcast timed playout with stunning image quality and active station branding.

The range of Vector 3 solutions and applications are implemented by today's premier System Integrators, serving stations from the small one channel operation to the multi-site, multi-channel broadcaster. For more information, please visit: http://www.vector3.tv.