BBC Post Production invests in new non-linear equipment to support tapeless workflows for BBC Sport

August 2007: BBC Post Production, part of BBC Resources Ltd, has invested in new non-linear equipment to support its customers in BBC Sport as they move towards a tapeless workflow in a fast-turnaround environment. The first production to benefit from the investment will be Match of the Day, which starts this month.

Building on its experience at the FIFA World Cup last year, where it pioneered HD tapeless workflows from ingest to playout, BBC Post Production is installing new powerful editing platforms, upgrading its EVS network and server to deliver long-term logistical benefits and potential cost-savings to production.

It is introducing two further Avid Adrenaline suites and adding a fifth Avid Airspeed ingest system, which enables live events to be edited whilst they are still being recorded. The Avid shared storage system is being upgraded to Unity 5, utilising Interplay for media management. The entire EVS compliment is being upgraded to the latest XT2 versions to support the delivery of output across new platforms and the installation of an Avid Transfer Manager system will allow easy transfer of media to the EVS network.

Lead Editor, Chris Groom says: “The new EVS LSM system offers better integration with Avid and can publish straight to air, enabling production to turn material around really quickly in a live environment. The upgraded network will also support a greater number of file formats, allowing us improved flexibility and enhance our compatibility with a greater number of systems.”

BBC Post Production is also installing two additional Final Cut Pro systems, for BBC Sport, giving customers an even greater range of editing platforms and workflow solutions.

The upgraded EVS servers can be further upgraded to HD and the Avid upgrades form part of a managed migration from linear to nonlinear working. There is also the ability to add a variety of logging solutions, including EVS IP Director, which has already been trialled by BBC Sport. The new investments ensure that BBC Post Production is well placed to service emerging desktop logging needs and to respond to HD requirements as they arise.

Clive Hodge, Head of Operations, BBC Post Production, says “This investment gives us the flexibility to align ourselves with our customer’s present needs and meet their future technological and logistical aspirations. It gives improved scope for creating new workflows and expands the portfolio of services we are able to offer.”


About BBC Post Production
BBC Post Production, a division of BBC Resources Ltd, offers award-winning creative solutions using the latest technology. BBC Post Production facilities are the largest of their kind in the UK. Located in London, Bristol and Birmingham its extensive range of services include editing, audio and telecine. Further information can be found at: www.bbcresources.com/postproduction

About BBC Resources
BBC Resources Ltd is one of the largest production facilities in the UK. The company consists of three core businesses, BBC Studios, BBC Outside Broadcasts and BBC Post Production. The size and depth of the company’s resources enables it to handle even the largest-scale projects. Major broadcast events BBC Resources has facilitated include Wimbledon, Children In Need, The FIFA World Cup, Glastonbury and the Winter Olympics. With a focus on innovation, BBC Resources continually looks to produce technological ‘firsts’ from ground-breaking cricket stump cameras and the world’s first ‘HD Plunge Cam’ to virtual reality capability and real-time HD media transfer between remote sites.

The sale process for BBC Resources Ltd has begun. This comes as a result of the BBC’s commercial review (December 2004), which concluded it should only own commercial businesses that export or exploit the BBC brand and content – BBC Resources is a facilities and services provider so doesn’t fit this profile. The BBC believes that under new ownership – as with the successful sales of BBC Technology to Siemens and BBC Broadcast to Macquarie – BBC Resources has opportunities that have not been available whilst owned by the Corporation; it will also retain the stability of on-going contracts with the BBC.

For more information visit www.bbcresources.com

For further information, please contact:
Georgie Hollett, PR and Communications Manager, BBC Resources
Tel: +44 (0)20 8624 9495
Mobile : +44 (0) 783484 5612
Email : georgie.hollett@bbc.co.uk