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Ascent Media Group Selects Harmonic s Rhozet " Transcoding Technology for Viia " Digital Media Services Platform

^{Published on 2008-12-08 08:09:11 - Market Wire}
 

SUNNYVALE, CALIF.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Harmonic Inc. (NASDAQ:HLIT) today announced that its Rhozet™ universal transcoding technology has been selected by Ascent Media Group (AMG) for its Viia™ media services platform. AMG's Viia services platform with Rhozet transcoding technology enables media companies to digitize content once, then store, manage, re-purpose and distribute it globally in multiple formats and languages to numerous providers simultaneously.

"Rhozet provides the critical media transcoding piece of the Viia solution in an efficient and effective manner," said Morgan Holly, Vice President, Digital Services at Ascent Media Group. "With its strong automated workflow capability, broad format support and quality output, Rhozet's transcoding technology is a valuable asset for our customers who have a high volume of content and custom transcoding requirements. We're also impressed with the ease in which we have been able to integrate Carbon Coder's capabilities with Viia's core engine."

AMG's Viia suite of services reduces time-to-market significantly, facilitates new revenue streams for existing assets, and can be implemented as a fully outsourced services platform or as individual managed services. Viia allows customers to meet the growing consumer demand for entertainment content on broadband, mobile, and other digital outlets and devices.

"Ascent Media Group's Viia platform is an important technology to enable major Hollywood studios to archive, repurpose and distribute content digitally through a variety of media channels," said David Trescot, Vice President of the Rhozet Business Unit at Harmonic Inc. "Rhozet transcoding technology enhances the Viia platform by providing a more efficient workflow while maintaining image quality, effectively addressing two key issues for movie studios – quality and production time."

Harmonic's Rhozet transcoding solutions are offered in both off-the-shelf and customized software configurations. The company's acclaimed Rhozet Carbon Coder™ universal transcoding application facilitates the transfer of media between a variety of platforms, including acquisition, editing, playout, archive, the Internet and mobile devices. Carbon Coder can run as a stand-alone application or as part of a multi-node, fully-automated rendering farm. Carbon Coder provides high-performance, scalable and cost-effective transcoding for a broad range of business environments, from specialized studios to enterprise-scale installations.

About Ascent Media Group

Santa Monica, California-based Ascent Media Group, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ascent Media Corporation (Nasdaq:ASCMA), which provides creative and technical services to the media and entertainment industries. Through more than 40 facilities in regions of Southern California, New York, Atlanta, London and Singapore, Ascent Media provides effective solutions for the creation, management and distribution of content to major motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies and other companies that produce, own and/or distribute entertainment, news, sports, corporate, educational, industrial and advertising content.

About Harmonic Inc.

Harmonic Inc. is a leading provider of versatile and high performance video solutions that enable service providers to efficiently deliver the next generation of broadcast and on-demand services including high definition, video-on-demand, network personal video recording and time-shifted TV. Cable, satellite, broadcast and telecom service providers can increase revenues and lower operational expenditures by using Harmonic's digital video, broadband optical access and software solutions to offer consumers the compelling and personalized viewing experience that is driving the business models of the future.

Rhozet, a business unit of Harmonic Inc., is dedicated to providing accelerated high-quality media transcoding solutions. The Rhozet solutions are offered in both off-the-shelf and customized software configurations for the production and content delivery markets. For more information about Rhozet technology please visit [ www.rhozet.com ].

Harmonic (NASDAQ:HLIT) is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with R&D, sales and system integration centers worldwide. The Company's customers, including many of the world's largest communications providers, deliver services in virtually every country. Visit [ www.harmonicinc.com ] for more information.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27(A) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21(E) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements related to: growing consumer demand for entertainment content.

Our expectations and beliefs regarding the capabilities of Rhozet's universal transcoding technology and its benefits for AMG and its customers may not materialize, and actual results could differ materially from those projected. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in Harmonic's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its recent Reports filed on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Harmonic does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements.

EDITOR'S NOTE – Product and company names used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.