VS Publishing
VS Publishing is built on the company's video-application platform, which is already used by customers in media and entertainment, enterprises, government, and education to create branded, personalized video sites for fans, viewers, and customers. The new turnkey publishing solution offers a streamlined work flow with simple editorial control and greater Web site programming capabilities. This allows content owners to publish more content with fewer resources. VS Publishing is available from Virage as either in-house software or as a hosted service.

"We're pleased to announce an out-of-the-box solution that simplifies and automates rich-media Web publishing," said Dave Girouard, Virage's senior vice president of products and services. "In recent years, we've crafted dozens of unique Web publishing solutions for market leaders such as CNET, PBS, and Bell Globemedia Interactive. With VS Publishing, content owners can now get the benefits of best-in-class Web publishing practices in one product."

According to the announcement, VS Publishing provides content owners with all the production and programming tools needed to create and deliver dynamic, rich-media programming to one or more Web sites. The Virage solution gives producers, editors, or Webmasters an easy-to-use, Web-based interface for selecting, building, and posting content highlights from an archive or recently broadcast event onto any part of a Web site in a matter of minutes.

According to the announcement, VS Publishing enables the construction of highlight reels of sporting events, news stories, or entertainment pieces tailored to specific topics without having to re-edit and re-encode each new piece. The straightforward interface of VS Publishing allows users of all levels to assemble and deliver content. Any of the content can also be made available directly to viewers in a personalized, branded, and browsable format. VS Publishing can be customized to suit any work flow and is fully compatible with advertising and commerce strategies, allowing the commingling of Virage-based media with other types of content. VS Publishing features allows users to do the following:

• Search for, preview, and publish clips from archived or recent events
• Publish a single clip or build a playlist from multiple clips
• Edit the in and out times for accurate publishing
• Include a low-resolution preview image or related information
• Publish to an HTML editor, content management system, or site-management tool
• Add, edit, delete, or share playlists
• Auto-publish new clips throughout a site based on keyword or topic
• Transform content in real time and dub-segmentation via the SmartEncode process
• Utilize a Web-based interface for remote, distributed content access
• Manage content via the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
• Password-protect content for security and content organization

"VS Webcasting provides a cost-effective solution for any organization that wishes to produce live Webcasts for internal or external corporate communications," said Girouard. "Our solution not only improves the management and delivery of the live event but also automates the process of turning each event into a valuable, searchable repository of corporate knowledge. With VS Webcasting, you get both live and on-demand corporate content without the hassle of having to re-purpose your media. It's ready to go."

VS Webcasting provides administrators with all of the necessary tools to schedule a live Webcast, notify attendees, and manage an event. According to the announcement, real-time management tools offer complete control during the event to ensure maximum audience participation and high-quality information delivery. Audience members are provided with an integrated, interactive viewing experience for accessing information and participating in the event. From their desktops, they can watch the live event, review associated PowerPoint slides and other data, respond to surveys, and ask questions.

VS Webcasting uses the proprietary Virage SmartEncode process to automatically encode and index the video during the live event. This process extracts information from the PowerPoint slides to create a table of contents and keyword index. Other information, such as speaker names and locations, can also be added to this index. The resulting archive enables audiences anywhere, at any time, to find and watch any part of the presentation.

Source: Virage, Inc., San Mateo, CA, 650/573-3210; http://www.virage.com.