U-Share is a network management system for content contribution or occasional broadcasts, automating the exchange of video and audio data from a source site to one or several destination sites.

Designed for broad-casters and/or Telecom operators, U-Share is a software package designed in a modular fashion.
U-Share uses the latest transmission technologies: the computer transport network IP (in asynchronous mode: FTP) and/or video (DVB Digital Video Broadcast in synchronous mode). The user-friendly interface of the U-Share system workstations ensures fast and efficient handling by users.

Acquisition

The U-Share video acquisition module automatically digitizes all types of feeds. U-Share remote- controls the various channel equipments (coder, decoder, VTR, server, grid, time code generator, and so on).

• Automatic scheduled or immediate feed acquisition.
• Digitization from VTR, an SDI source or ASI source.
• Video server control.
• Integrated simple video editing tool (Clean Cutter).

Scheduling

U-Share's exchange scheduling module allows the scheduling (Booker) of each exchange from a site to one or more receiving sites (source site, destination sites, start date/time, duration, and so on).

• Permanent display of video resources of all networked sites.
• Three transmission modes: live (priority transmissions), sequential mode (fixed latest transmission time and duration) and remote loading (overnight transfer).
• Immediate flexible modification or cancellation of transmissions at any moment.
• Automated exchange and acquisition scheduling.
• Instantaneous reservation of transmissions.

Exchange

During an exchange (or transmission), all equipment for the sites involved in the exchange (transmitting site, receiving sites) is auto-matically piloted at the beginning of the exchange, during the exchange and at the end of the exchange.

• Multipoint and point-to-point transfers.
• Live transmission of events.
• Temporary exchanges from mobile production units (SNG).
• Transport in synchronous (DVB) or asynchronous mode (FTP).

Bandwidth management

U-Share optimizes the exchange of video and audio content through autonomous and automatic management of its transport network. For each transfer request in a given time slot U-Share offers the best solution considering network congestion, thus considerably reduces transfer costs.

• Display of all past and future transmissions.
• Modification of transmission timing by simple drag & drop.

Flexibility

Thanks to the use of the IT standard and its architecture based on a database engine, U-Share is modular and upgradeable.

• Easy integration with existing systems.
• Easy connection with other applications (Integrator).
• Adaptability to all types of material.
• Adaptability to all types of transport networks (satellites, ATM, radio relay links, ADSL, and so on).
• Possibility of adding new equipment.

Protection

• Control and maintenance of equipment (VTR, player, recorder, grid, coder, decoder, modulator, demodulator, commutator, TimeCoder).
  
• Access rights for each user, each site in the same contribution network.
  
• Operation in Normal / Backup / or Safe Mode.

Minimum system configuration

Server :

• Operating system : Windows 2000 Server
  
• SQL 2000

Client workstation :

• Operating system : Windows 2000
  
• Computer: P IV 2GHz or equivalent
  
• RAM: 256 MB minimum