Sony and Orbital Data Play Starring Role in IT-Based Movie-Making Process for ``Ultraviolet''; Sony's e-VTR and Orbital Data's TotalTransport Technology Speed Production Workflow and Distribution of Dailies.

PARK RIDGE, N.J. & SAN MATEO, Calif. -- The soon-to-be released motion picture "Ultraviolet" is remarkable not only for its storyline--a subculture of genetically modified humans--but also for its use of Sony's e-VTR and Orbital Data's TotalTransport(TM) technology to streamline the production workflow.

"Ultraviolet" uses the Sony e-VTR's enhanced file transfer capabilities, working with Orbital Data's TotalTransport technology, to speed the backhaul of dailies, allowing data files to be reviewed electronically instead of the more time-consuming process of distributing hard media via physical courier. The results are significant savings in production time and budget.

"On any movie set, time and budget are usually in great demand and short supply," said Steve Wynn, marketing manager for the e-VTR and MPEG IMX(R) products in Sony Electronics' Broadcast and Production Systems Division. "With the e-VTR and TotalTransport, physical tape assets can be directly transferred as data files, eliminating the delay of physically moving content from location to production sites, solving the problem of distribution delays and allowing quicker review and approval."

Sony's e-VTR concept is based on a plug-in board that enables Sony MPEG IMX studio decks to become a device on an IP network. Once physical videotape assets are ingested into the e-VTR, the content is converted into data files on play-out. These files can be remotely viewed, controlled and transferred on any common networked computer using the e-VTR Manager software (in the Windows(R) system) or through third-party applications by virtue of its industry standard FTP and HTTP support.

This capability to move easily between the linear tape-based and IT worlds came in especially handy during the "Ultraviolet" production process since daily video material needed to be sent from the location set in Hong Kong to Los Angeles for review.

Part of what makes the e-VTR unique is the integration of common TCP/IP network protocols, allowing it to take advantage of data acceleration technologies such as TotalTransport, a WAN optimization solution from Orbital Data.

By using TotalTransport in conjunction with Sony's e-VTR, the transfer of video content can be completed in minutes or hours over a network, a significant savings in time and money compared to the process of sending tapes via courier. In the case of "Ultraviolet," the Internet was used to transfer the content from Hong Kong to Los Angeles.

"The days of shipping digital dailies have ended," said Richard Pierce, CEO and Chairman of Orbital Data. "We are proud that our TotalTransport technology working with Sony's e-VTR has made long-distance media file transfers an economic and practical reality."

The e-VTR-based process of daily distribution for "Ultraviolet" begins with multi-angle takes being recorded onto several tapes by two Sony HDCAM SR(TM) decks, for playback in 23.976Hz. The HDCAM SR output (1080/23.976 HD signal) is converted to a 480/59.94 SD signal, and all the takes are copied to MPEG IMX tape for ingest into a non-linear editor via SDI connection.

Once the scenes to be reviewed as dailies are selected, an edit decision list is sent to an e-VTR deck equipped with the e-VTR Manager Application Software and compiled for transfer.

The compiled dailies reel is then sent over a wide area network from an e-VTR in Hong Kong to an e-VTR in Los Angeles, where an identical cloned MPEG IMX tape is created.

Using the e-VTR Manager or a third-party FTP application, multiple clips can be quickly and easily transferred over any local or wide area network to production facilities around the globe.

Editor's Note: For more detailed product information, your readers can visit www.sony.com/professional. To find the nearest Sony authorized dealer or service location, readers can call 1-800-686-SONY. For additional press information and digital images, please visit Sony Electronics' news and information web site at www.sony.com/news.

About Orbital Data

Orbital Data, Corp., headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., is the only company to deliver predictable application response time over wide area networks at any distance. The company's products are built upon its patent-pending TotalTransport(TM) technology, which eliminates user wait time and streamlines workflow operations, dramatically increasing user productivity for enterprises across the world. The company's solutions allow wide area networks to be fully utilized in a transparent manner overcoming the limitations associated with high latency and lossy WAN links. Orbital Data is privately held with funding from Redpoint Ventures and Sevin Rosen Funds. For more information, visit www.orbitaldata.com.