Russia’s VGTRK buys 27 Front Porch Digital DIVArchive systems

Russian state television and radio broadcasting company VGTRK has purchased 27 Front Porch Digital DIVArchive CSM systems, which will be installed for long-term storage in regional stations from Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean to Arkhangelsk on the Arctic Ocean, and from Tomsk in Siberia to Vladikavkaz in the Caucasus.

VGTRK is in the process of upgrading its more than 80 regional stations as a result of Russia’s transition to digital television broadcasting.

“As we modernise all of our stations and replace older equipment in every aspect of the operation, we’re putting LTO archives in place not only to ensure reliable long-term preservation of decades’ worth of content, but also to make the content easier to find and access,” says Ilya M. Lebedev, chief of TV section, regional resources department at VGTRK. “We chose Front Porch Digital because it is the leading CSM supplier in Russia, with a strong reputation, top-notch support, and a product designed specifically for video. DIVArchive will give our various regional stations a professional-grade archiving system and immediate access to archived material from any nonlinear editing station anywhere in the newsroom, which will reduce production time and improve quality.”

With DIVArchive, each VGTRK station will be able to keep its various archived materials — currently stored on a combination of film, BETACAM and DVCAM tapes, DVDs, and on various networks with specialised software — in one central repository with metadata that will make searching quick and convenient. VGTRK will install DIVArchive in a variety of facilities, from small regional stations to a large television complex in Moscow, for use in every aspect of the operation. The systems will integrate with VGTRK’s media asset management and newsroom automation systems, which will further accelerate the workflow.

“VGTRK is one of the largest television companies in the world and will soon represent the largest installation of DIVArchive systems in the world, as well,” says Rino Petricola, senior vice-president and general manager, Front Porch Digital. “VGTRK already uses our SAMMAmigration systems, so its decision to deploy DIVArchive to so many of its regional stations is the next step in what we hope to be a long relationship between our companies.”