SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - August 6, 2008) - Cisco (
NASDAQ:
CSCO) announced today it has
been selected to provide Internet Protocol (IP) video network
infrastructure and video-encoding solutions to NBC during the network's
coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Aug. 8-24. Cisco's IP video
infrastructure will enable NBC personnel in New York and Los Angeles to
edit video as it is captured in Beijing and deliver it to three screens:
TV, PC and smartphone.
Described as one of the most demanding network environments in the world,
the groundbreaking trans-ocean network powered by Cisco will enable the
transfer of gigabyte-sized files between Beijing, New York and Los Angeles.
In previous Olympics, NBC staff had to work from videotapes to add graphics
and captions to event shots. In one of the single most ambitious media
projects in history, NBC will present more than 3,600 hours of broadcast
coverage during the 17-day event. It would be impossible to use a tape
library to replicate enough video copies for use at eight different
networks as well as NBCOlympics.com. Using a file-based workflow for shot
selection, the network can select shots and distribute them to affiliates
even before an event is finished.
"With the Cisco network solution, we've achieved the Holy Grail of digital
video, which is the ability to perform shot selections on low-resolution
files and extract high-resolution material from those files even as they
are being recorded. That is a huge accomplishment," said Craig Lau, vice
president for Information Technology, NBC Olympics. "Cisco is a trusted
partner, and in the demanding IT environment of the Olympic Games, we
depend on trusted relationships. We have absolute deadlines for when
Olympics coverage begins and ends. Cisco technologies help us exceed
expectations and meet our timetables in an unforgiving environment."
Viewers of NBC's coverage of the Beijing Olympic Games will be able to use
their PCs and laptops to access 2,200 hours of video that they can play
back on demand, as well as 3,000 hours of highlights, rewinds, encores and
scoring results. Individuals will also be able to watch video and view
results on their smartphones.
"We are making broadcast history, executing the creation, management and
distribution of digital video in a way that's never been achieved before,"
said Tony Bates, senior vice president and general manager, Cisco Service
Provider Group. "We are entering the visual-networking era where video
changes everything, especially the way people connect with the Olympic
Games. The Olympics is all about the experience. The next best thing to
being in Beijing is to be able to see the event coverage. This year, not
only are thousands of hours of Olympic coverage being transmitted in real
time, but Cisco's IP video network and encoding technologies are also
giving people the ability to access hundreds of event videos on demand
using their PCs, laptops and mobile devices for an unprecedented Olympic
experience anywhere, anyplace, anytime."
Through the comprehensive Cisco IP video network infrastructure and
video-encoding solutions, NBC was able to address the following technical
challenges:
-- Creating a high-bandwidth, high-performance connection between Beijing
and NBC studios in New York and Los Angeles to give shot selectors and
editors in the United States the ability to edit video as it is being
captured in Beijing.
-- Providing the quality of service (QoS) required to assign priority to
real-time Olympic Games video footage over the trans-ocean network.
-- Encoding and transmitting low-resolution (low-res) video from Olympic
venues for broadband viewing. Low-res video uses far less bandwidth, which
enables NBC to provide Internet coverage of more Olympic sports.
-- Using a single, converged IP infrastructure for a wide spectrum of
services ranging from the video delivery to data-intensive logistics
applications.
About NBC Olympics
NBC, "America's Olympic Network," owns the exclusive U.S. media rights to
the Olympic Games, television's most powerful property, through 2012, which
includes Beijing in 2008, Vancouver in 2010 and London in 2012. From August
8-24, 2008 NBC Universal will present an unprecedented 3,600 hours of
coverage, highlighted by NBC in primetime with live swimming, gymnastics
and beach volleyball. In August 2004, 203 million viewers watched s the
networks of NBC Universal -- NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo, and
NBC's HD affiliates -- offered a then record 1,210 hours of Olympic
coverage from Athens. For additional information, go to NBCOlympics.com, a
year-round destination for fans of Olympic sports, featuring news, Beijing
previews, athlete features, expert blogs, photos, Olympic video from the
NBC archives and social tools enabling users to build communities around
their favorite sports, post comments and blogs.
About Cisco Systems
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partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any
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Cisco
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Cisco
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Cisco
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