Pathfire and Warner Bros. Create First Ever File-Based High Definition (HD), Long-Form, Syndication Delivery Service

LOS ANGELES and ATLANTA, April 13  /PRNewswire/ -- Warner Bros. Technical Operations and Pathfire have teamed up to create a full-service, end-to-end HD Programming distribution network, capable of delivering content to over 1,400 broadcast facilities.  This partnership enables Warner Bros. to deliver High Definition (HD) Syndication via Pathfire's Digital Media Gateway(TM) (DMG) network of servers, and represents a giant leap forward for the television industry.

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The service was launched on April 11, 2007 when Warner Bros. delivered long-form programming encoded at its Los Angeles-based Global Digital Media XChange facility (GDMX) to WSB-TV in Atlanta.  The station, an ABC affiliate, is owned by Cox Television, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises. The delivery utilized the existing Pathfire infrastructure to enable the satellite delivery of the programming.  The content arrived on the Pathfire DMG Server located at WSB, and was transferred to a Grass Valley Group K2(TM) Media Server via Pathfire's DMG HD Server Connect for Programming.  This strictly file-based process enables stations to benefit from a streamlined workflow by cutting the time and hands required to get a program ready for air.

"An HD store-and-forward delivery platform capable of delivering long-form programming is a first for our industry.  This is a tremendous accomplishment for Pathfire and our partners," said Mike Eckert, Pathfire's Chairman and CEO. "We continue to hear a growing demand for HD programming and ads from the stations we serve.  Today's announcement demonstrates that we are listening and delivering a solution that is ready for the ever-increasing appetite for HD content."

"Global Digital Media XChange is proud to highlight our ability to distribute long-form syndicated programming along with ads via the Pathfire DMG platform," said Paul Saccone, Senior Vice President and General Manager of GDMX.  "Our customers are looking for a way to efficiently and affordably deliver HD programming and our GDMX facility can provide the required service. We're pleased to be working with Pathfire in this area.  This test served as a proof of concept and we will continue to work with Pathfire in order to maximize our HD/SD work flow processes."

Utilizing the Pathfire DMG HD delivery network, GDMX delivers file-based HD content on-demand, virtually without delay.  Pathfire provides end-to-end technology to enable this delivery all the way to the station's play-to-air server, providing delivery confirmation to the providers.  Pathfire enables native integration into play-to-air servers, as well as providing transcoding to either 1080i or 720p to match a station's infrastructure.

Pathfire's DMG HD product line has been shaped, developed, and released with guidance from the industry's top technology leaders.  The Pathfire-led, HD Conclave -- comprised of senior level experts from Content Providers, Content Distributors, and Broadcast Groups -- has provided Pathfire with industry validation in the form of technical guidance for the Pathfire DMG HD product roadmap. The successes so far in HD distribution are a direct result of the industry working together to create a standard platform for HD distribution. The Conclave's efforts enabled a superior solution for the complex challenges associated with HD content distribution.

Sterling Davis, VP of Engineering at Cox Television and Cox Radio added, "Warner Bros. has delivered pristine, broadcast quality HD content to WSB-TV. File-based delivery of all content types brings us closer to our group-wide vision of digital ingest and processing of content throughout all production areas of our stations."

Pathfire will be demonstrating the DMG HD end-to-end content delivery suite at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Convention, Booth SU 7405.  NAB is April 16-19, 2007 in Las Vegas, NV.

About Pathfire, Inc. (http://www.pathfire.com/)

Pathfire, headquartered in Atlanta, is the leading provider of Standard and High Definition digital content distribution and management solutions for the broadcast, media and entertainment industries, supplying innovative digital solutions, from distribution to air, for broadcasters, news organizations, television networks, Hollywood studios and other media companies. Pathfire's Digital Media Gateway (DMG) is an advanced digital IP store-and-forward platform, delivering news stories, electronic press kits, syndicated programming, advertising spots, infomercials, and video news releases to 1,400 local broadcasters, broadcast networks, and cable networks throughout North America.

About Warner Bros.' Global Digital Media XChange

Global Digital Media XChange is a valued member of the Warner Bros. family and delivers a vast array of digital services, while continuing to set the pace in the ever-changing technological landscape. GDMX's four divisions provide world-class services for Warner Bros. and other clients in:

  -- Broadcast Origination
  -- Syndicated Program Distribution (the first facility to distribute long
     form content via Pathfire's Digital Media Gateway)
  -- Advertising Distribution
  -- Digital B2B Distribution
  -- Video On Demand Compression and Distribution
  -- SD DVD, HDDVD and Blue Ray Compression and Authoring

  About Cox Enterprises (http://www.coxenterprises.com/)


Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises is one of the nation's leading media companies and providers of automotive services, with 2006 revenues of $13 billion and more than 80,000 employees. Major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications, Inc. (cable television distribution, telephone, high-speed Internet access and other advanced broadband services); Cox Newspapers, Inc. (newspapers, local and national direct mail advertising and customized newsletters); Cox Television (television and television sales rep firms); Cox Radio, Inc. ([NYSE: CXR] broadcast radio stations and interactive Web sites); Manheim (vehicle auctions, repair and certification services and web-based technology products) and Cox Auto Trader (automotive publications and a majority stake in AutoTrader.com). 

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DATASOURCE: Pathfire, Inc.



CONTACT:  Shea Stanback, Marketing Manager for Pathfire, Inc.,

[phone], or , or Craig Hoffman, Director,

Corporate Communications for Warner Bros. Technical Operations,

[phone], or 



Web site:  http://www.pathfire.com/

http://www.coxenterprises.com/ 

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