Primestream Launches Xchange Media Cloud Platform on Microsoft Azure

Primestream (Booth SL10216) has released Xchange Media Cloud using Microsoft Azure. The new software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering brings Xchange Suite v3.0 digital-asset–management software to broadcast and video professionals as a subscription-based service.

Xchange Suite is a Web-based, enterprise-ready software platform that offers single- and multiple-site operations global access to content and workflows. Footage can be stored, shared, edited, reviewed, approved, archived, and prepared — all in the Xchange Media Cloud.

“Building upon the success of Xchange 3.0, we are now excited to offer our first SaaS solution built on Microsoft Azure,” says Primestream President/CEO Claudio Lisman. “With Xchange Media Cloud, customers will now benefit from a decreased upfront cost on investment, improved speed of deployment, and increased collaboration and productivity.”

Xchange on Azure facilitates collaboration, efficiency, creativity and immediacy, without the complexities required by an in-house deployment. Producers and editors can view and upload media, edit metadata, add markers, sort content, and execute actions directly from remote locations. Content, metadata, and markers can be downloaded from Xchange and imported into leading non-linear editors, such as Apple Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro CC. Additionally, Xchange enables the high-speed transfer of media among multiple Xchange sites via browser-based downloads. Users see direct benefits through ease of operation, increased quality of service, increased speed of workflow, and added functionality in remotely connected environments.

“Primestream’s Xchange Media Cloud on Azure gives professionals an efficient and economical option for accessing, managing and producing content,” says Vibhor Kapoor, director of product marketing, Microsoft Azure. “Azure can quickly scale up or down to match demand, so you pay only for what you use. This will benefit both Microsoft and Primestream customers, who can now quickly deploy a digital-asset–management solution.”

Features and capabilities include the following:

• Xchange uploader — allows users to submit raw or finished packages directly Xchange.
• Xchange downloader — allows users to download source content in order to edit final packages locally, with the ability to choose among multiple qualities to download.
• Xchange partial-file download — enables users to download sections of media, allowing faster download workflows and eliminating the need to download entire media.
• Xchange fast start — enables users to begin working while media is processed in the background.
• Smart Bins — preset query fields that automatically organize media.
• Multiple video resolutions for video playback — allow users to play back and select among multiple qualities of video to accommodate network conditions.
• Social-media publishing (optional) — tightly integrated using industry-standard APIs, enabling users to send finished media to social-media sites, such as Vimeo and YouTube, directly from Xchange

Xchange Media Cloud on Azure will also be demonstrated at Microsoft’s booths SL6605 and SL6610.