M6 Simplifies Multiplatform Media Delivery With NETIA Hypercast Warehouse
For M6, delivery of content from physical media to different platforms requires specific transcoding capability, as content is first encoded into MPEG-2 format and then to other, more compressed formats for different devices. The process was manually intensive and required extensive technical expertise.
To simplify and automate media handling and delivery to viewers through the M6 Web Internet and mobile sites, the company turned to NETIA's ManreoTM Hypercast media asset management and encoding software. M6 has used NETIA's news transcription and streaming solution in other applications and, after extensive consultation by both editorial and technical teams, chose to work with the French company's software solutions once again. M6 officially took NETIA Hypercast Warehouse live at the beginning of March.
Using Hypercast Warehouse, M6 staff can centralize, share, and view audio, image, and video archives and broadcast those assets across multiple distribution channels, such as Web portals, mobile devices, ADSL, etc. The software references all types of objects, files, and physical media (audio, video, and still images); identifies all copies of a given video or image, whatever the version, format, or location; manages transfer to storage; and automatically converts source files into various formats for viewing and distribution.
M6 has integrated the Hypercast solution into its operations to allow any editorial staff to manage transcoding. Staff use the software along with M6 web's content management system to gain a view of content and then mix still and video content within a template. The content is created in Hypercast Warehouse, previewed through the JCMS template, and then posted to the Web site directory.
"NETIA's Hypercast allows our editorial team to update the Web site and mobile site through simple interfaces with minimal intervention," says Stéphane Agneray, Video Manager at M6web. "As a result, we've already seen improvements in efficiency and quality."
Repurposing content for the Internet and mobile services is made easy through profiles that define the appropriate transcoding for any platform. Hypercast automates the publishing of stored media or files and defines broadcast targets and publication rules. Integrated templates ensure that published media is fully compliant with M6's graphic guidelines.
Before bringing the Hypercast software online, staff members at M6 web were required to transcode material multiple times for multiple formats and platforms. Now just one template can be used to launch this process automatically, with tremendous productivity benefits as a result. Because the publishing of media is now a more highly automated process, it also is a more standardized process, with specifications set and adhered to for all outputs. Thus, the quality of Internet and mobile media also has been enhanced through this new workflow.
"Our main purpose was to find a way to cope with the growth of our services and ensure better updating of different sites and services," adds Stéphane Agneray. "Now we can ingest from different physical media or directly from the output of post-production. We've been able to increase our processing capacity, as well as the quality of video, and we're now equipped to handle further growth and an even larger volume of media." Most of the M6 web content moving through Hypercast is transcoded to Windows Media format for video-on-demand over the Internet and as a basic format delivered to M6 mobile partners for further transcoding. M6 web also uses NETIA's Hypercast to provide MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 content for its Internet IPTV platform.
While this solution has made a significant impact on the workflow at M6 web, the training period for the NETIA Hypercast-based system took just a couple of hours. M6 web continues to refine its use of its new NETIA software, but the broadcaster already has met its original goals in deploying the system.
About M6
M6, part of the RTL Group, is among France's most popular channels and has substantial interests in nine theme channels, as well as various media-related business, ranging from publishing, music delivery, and mobile services to rights acquisition and film distribution. Like other leaders in the media industry, M6 is moving an increasing amount of video and audio to viewers through its online presence and mobile service, M6.fr and M6 Mobile by Orange.
About NETIA
NETIA is a leading provider of software solutions for managing and broadcasting television and radio content. The company's four product ranges Radio-AssistTM (audio), ManreoTM (video), OpenNetTM (audio and video), and Media LoggingTM (audio and video) allow content holders to manage all of their processes--from capture to multichannel broadcasting--over terrestrial channels, the Internet, mobile devices, and other channels. Netia's products are used worldwide in over 40 countries by over 200 prestigious customers, including RFI, Radio France, BBC, British Sky Broadcasting, ABC, TF1, Canal+, France Télévisions Interactive, e-TF1, LCI / Orange, RAI, Radio Vaticana, HRT, SRTC, RTM, VOV, MOI South Africa, Mediacorp, RTBF, Lifetime TV, SBS, RTL, FR3, and many others. NETIA has its headquarters in the south of France, with offices in New York City, Paris, and Rome.