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

"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 (DMG) network of servers, and represents a giant leap forward for the television industry.

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 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.

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."

Source