Leading Media Players Hit a Home Run with Sun's New Blueprint for Broadcasting Digital Television

Leading Media Players Hit a Home Run with Sun's New Blueprint for Broadcasting Digital Television

Open Architecture Developed by Sun in Conjunction With WGBH and Artesia Manages More Video Faster for Major Media Companies Worldwide

LAS VEGAS, NAB Conference, Apr. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ:SUNW) today publicly launches a complete update of its already-successful Digital Asset Management Reference Architecture. Recent deployments of Sun's Digital Asset Management Reference Architecture Version 2.0 by large media organizations, such as Major League Baseball Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), has transformed the way baseball video and audio are managed and delivered to large audiences. The collaboration between Sun and MLBAM fuels a powerful Website (MLB.com) that offers fans faster access to more game highlights than any other sports league worldwide utilizing Sun's DAM Reference Architecture.

What's New in 2.0?

A Sun Reference Architecture can be thought of as a blueprint to help companies build end-to-end solutions to meet specific business needs such as reducing risk of deploying new technology while staying competitive. The new Digital Asset Management Reference Architecture Version 2.0 introduced by Sun is designed to save companies even more capital and operational dollars by providing an open, end-to-end digital asset management system. The new Reference Architecture is able to seamlessly manage video and rich media content including HD and SD video, photos, audio, and Flash animation.

"Our job is to put a mark in the sand that says we're committed to the media and entertainment industry and this Reference Architecture is a great way to do that," said Glenn Edens, senior vice president media and entertainment for Sun Microsystems. "This blueprint will help set a new standard for digital multimedia streaming, video management and data storage which is a testament to the strength of our storage and systems business."

Sun's new enhancements include VITA, an open Java(TM) technology application that accommodates a large number of standards-based ingest (digital conversion) tools. Other enhancements include more media file type support such as MXF and DV, as well as contract rights management to track licensing and distribution parameters for program materials. The Reference Architecture expands video server integration with leading broadcast video server vendors including Thompson Grass Valley and Omneon. The Reference Architecture also integrates the latest features of broadcast automation and traffic systems by industry leaders Harris Corporation and Myers Protrack.

MLB.com Hits another Grand Slam with Sun

The MLBAM Digital Asset Management Reference Architecture System customized and powered by Sun, streamed 650 million videos and delivered more than one billion media accesses to more than one billion visitors in 2004 alone. The site recently broke records with 90 million page views in a single day. With the new enhancements from this Reference Architecture, MLB.com expects to feature as many as 15 live games daily and more than 6,000 audio-streamed games during the 2005 season.

"Because it provides the complete content management functionality we need, Sun's Digital Asset Management Reference Architecture was a key factor in our decision to work with Sun to meet our fans' expectations," said Joe Choti, chief technology officer, Major League Baseball Advanced Media. "With the reduced system complexity, high scalability and reliability, and faster time-to-deployment provided through Sun's technologies, we've hit a grand slam in our quest to take the action from the fields to our fans and from the bleachers to their desktops."

WGBH and Sun, An Alliance Worth Broadcasting

The Reference Architecture was developed in accordance with Sun's iForce(TM) WGBH (Boston), the public broadcasting producer, and Artesia Technologies, an Open Text Corporation. WGBH uses the system to manage the assets of Frontline, one of its leading prime-time productions. A key component of the Reference Architecture is its integrated Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM) system, which automatically enables use of various storage architectures. Its built-in scalability allows storage capacity to increase as digital content is added. WGBH plans to apply the Reference Architecture features to more of its public programs when production moves to new facilities in early 2006.

"This improved Digital Asset Management Reference Architecture will transform the way we manage media assets across our enterprise and throughout the PBS system," said David Liroff, vice president and chief technology officer, WGBH. "By using this solution, we will be able to improve the quality and efficiency of broadcast production, reduce development cycles for new media services and capitalize on the full potential of our significant library of digital assets."

"Sun Microsystems established the vanguard in proven Digital Asset Management solutions with the Digital Asset Management Reference Architecture 1.0 at NAB in 2003. Through customer successes, core product enhancements and a broader footprint, Sun has set the bar higher with the new version of this Reference Architecture," said Michael Barros, vice president of Business Development for Artesia Technologies. "We look forward to migrating our systems to Solaris(TM) 10 OS to maximize the impact of this architecture."

Others using the Reference Architecture include TV4, Sweden's second largest broadcasting channel. This Reference Architecture can also be used by industries including publishing, government, and education. Sun Reference Architectures can be configured and integrated on systems at Sun prior to shipping through the Sun(SM) Customer Ready systems program or by its iForce partners worldwide. Customers can also leverage Sun's iForce Solution Centers to build a proof-of-concept system to help reduce risk and speed time-to-solution implementation, further accelerating application deployment.

Sun regularly releases Reference Architectures based on organized technical insight, careful documentation and extensive experience with other customer deployments. These Reference Architectures dramatically reduce customer risk when deploying complex and integrated systems.

More information about Authorized iForce Solution Center for Digital Asset Management can be found on the World Wide Web at: http://sun.com/iforce and at http://daminfo.wgbh.org/iforce.html . Additional information about Reference Architecture and CRS is available at http://www.sun.com/products/architectures-platforms/ .

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer(TM)" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com/ .

NOTE: Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun Logo, Solaris, Java, iForce and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All SPARC trademarks are used under license and are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.

CONTACT: Aaron Cohen of Sun Microsystems, Inc., +1-415-294-4207, or aaron.cohen@sun.com.

Source: Sun Microsystems, Inc.

CONTACT: Aaron Cohen of Sun Microsystems, Inc., +1-415-294-4207, or aaron.cohen@sun.com

Web site: http://sun.com/

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