Tag Archive for: AI

How the Council of Europe is embracing the future using new agile AI-enabled digital management toolbox

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The Council of Europe recently invested in what they claim is no ordinary run-of-the-mill digital asset management system. The powerful platform is called Profuz LAPIS, developed by specialist systems integrator Profuz Digital.

The Council chose Profuz LAPIS for every part of the workflow, from content ingest and storage to advanced media searches. It’s used for extensive archiving and interactive database support and can streamline workflows in the Cloud with LAPIS, allowing numerous speaker session recordings in several languages, at various resolutions in real-time. Public access of information at the Council is allowed through LAPIS, which includes parliamentary sessions where MP’s speeches are recorded for example. Video file content is regularly required to be shared promptly across social media networks, allowing journalists and the media to gain immediate access to download, edit, cut down and report on the material.

The Council’s head of innovation, Alain Mielle, along with technology partner Audry Sales from French Value-Added Reseller SAV were recently at Europe’s largest broadcast trade event IBC in Amsterdam to discuss this agile technology at the Profuz Digital stand.

Overview of how challenges were solved

From the outset, Alain Mielle was looking for a digital asset management system that would be “future-ready” and be able to support their European customers including being able to accommodate the media and professional journalists and reporters.

The Council has thousands of hours’ worth of data and footage of recorded meetings, sessions, events that date all the way back from 1949. The idea was to find an easy-to-use solution that allowed the team at the Council to be able to add features as they went along, day to day or month to month as they worked on various projects.

Alain said he did a call to tender, and that’s when he was introduced to the Profuz LAPIS system through Profuz Digital’s technology partner SAV – a French Value-Added Reseller. He went on to describe LAPIS as not just an ordinary asset management solution, but as a useful toolbox in effect. Alain said the response he received from SAV won him over because he knew this system could truly deliver what he wanted, and it was future-proof. Alain felt that particularly with respect to AI, the LAPIS technology was the most powerful choice as it would be able deliver features such as Speech to Text, AI Translation, Face Recognition and many other upcoming AI features that would help reduce costs thereby cutting down on unnecessary time-consuming processes as well.

Alain said the system was really good and he’s has been using LAPIS now for 2 years. After receiving user feedback, modifications in certain areas have been made and refined, step by step to further enhance the system to suit the Council’s specific requirements.

What was so unique about this system?

Alain confirmed that the key advantage of having LAPIS at the Council of Europe is that it is really straightforward to manage. The interface is easy to navigate making searching effortless. In addition, the editing process has been simplified, making it efficient and painless – for example when a journalists interviews a member of parliament, Profuz LAPIS allows them to access that footage which can then be edited using LAPIS, then cut and promptly downloaded, ready to be instantly shared across social media networks without delay.

Another point to note he said is that all the intelligence behind the workflow such as calendars, voice recognition features and so forth are really the beginning of their AI services and it’s a good starting point from which to expand on to further in this area within LAPIS.

How they all got together in the first place

Alain worked closely together with tech partner SAV to implement LAPIS. From the point of implementation to delivery, it took a year, and it was a great success.

Value Added Reseller and technology partner of Profuz Digital Audry Sales at SAV explained what happened from the very first call he received from Alain. Audry said it was an advantage that Profuz LAPIS is actually an innovative toolbox effectively with many useful tools. Furthermore, it allows room for many new tools to be added later on and modified as and when required.

So when Audry went to see Alain and understood Alain’s requirements, he knew that the LAPIS system was perfect for him. Notably regarding AI, LAPIS would provide him with the flexibility and added benefit of being able to put different tools together to fit his requirements. Alain was very impressed by the sheer power of LAPIS and the fact it could move things around and offer versatility on a vast scale.

Audry said that when he won the tender, he made sure from the start that the LAPIS engineering team and Alain were in constant communication with one another throughout the process which established a solid communication link between us all. Profuz Digital developed and customised the LAPIS solution along with SAV’s vital input to make sure that integration took place successfully. “Everything went so smoothly, the solution is on air being used at the Council right now, and everyone is happy, and we’ve done training.” Audry noted.

Audry said it is important for the system to grasped fairly quickly by both AV and non-AV professionals alike. The trick is that in LAPIS, the complexity is hidden, and that the visible user interface is designed to be “user-friendly” and easy to navigate. A bit like a car, Audry remarked, that if you’re driving a sports car, you don’t want to see how the engine works, you literally just want to be able to drive it with ease and make it perform at its best.

“Our relationship with Alain at the Council and with Profuz Digital is strong and we will continue working together going forward for the long-term, the link between the Value-Added Reseller and the editor using LAPIS is very important and it is essential to maintain high levels of communication between ourselves so that nothing is missed and to make sure everything happens.” Audry confirmed.

The Council of Europe upholds human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe, and is renowned for pioneering new standards, which have progressed to become global benchmarks. It is the role of the Council of Europe to ensure that human rights, democracy and the rule of law are protected and promoted in the digital environment including AI.

Head of Innovation at the Council of Europe Alain Mielle said, “We have been very impressed with the functionalities and performance of Profuz LAPIS as our media asset management platform. In our opinion it is the “Rolls Royce” platform of this industry sector, offering a competitive and attractive price tag. It is not a run of the mill digital asset AV management system, as it offers so much more in terms of functionality and features, and we have seen significant productivity gains and positive user feedback.”

Alain added, “The LAPIS system is easily accessible, and its search capabilities are exemplary, enabling universities and research groups to access the Council of Europe’s information. We envisage exploiting its AI capabilities in the future – for example permitting journalists and broadcasters to be able to look up past speeches made by world presidents… Companies such as Profuz Digital are well placed to tackle the challenges ahead as we all face the coming AI revolution in this new digital age.”

Organisations already adopting Profuz Digital’s technology include the likes of the Council of Europe, Canal Plus France and Myanmar, London’s Wilco Media, Euro Media Group Belgium, Tarjama in the UAE, Polsat, Bulgarian National Television, Bulgarian National Radio, IT Pros Italy, Digitalmeister GmbH, Leinhäuser Language Services GmbH, University of Warsaw, Ghent and KU Leuven University in Belgium and others. Further information can be found at Profuz Digital’s website here www.profuzdigital.com

AI BLOG – AI Sound-off with Profuz Digital

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With AI dominating the headlines, from OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman as well as the recent AI summit held in the UK last month hosted by the British Prime Minister on regulation, the Profuz Digital Blog reporter decided to find out industry opinion on all things AI and how it will influence them.

The first person we approached to share insights on this important topic is developer Kamen Ferdinandov – CTO of Profuz Digital and creator of SubtitleNEXT, Profuz LAPIS and NEXT-TT.

We sat down with Kamen to find out his thoughts:

Q&A on AI with CTO Kamen Ferdinandov from Profuz Digital.

Question 1: What are your thoughts on AI right now and the direction it is moving in generally?

Kamen’s response: AI is not a trend, it is here to stay and will advance.

Artificial Intelligence has been around for a very long time, in fact for the past 50 years. I have personally been working with AI for over ten years already. It started to become a hot topic due to the Large Language Models that have drawn mainstream media attention such as the likes of ChatGPT and so forth. It reflects how we are starting to see the quality of large language models improving dramatically now and picking up pace in these areas.

AI is also making progress in image recognition and so many other areas. AI excels at its speed to search data – using it in practice in our industry, it can cut down on manual and laborious functions that tie people down from getting on with the creative work they could be focusing on.

AI is actually a very broad term and is the outer shell definition of many technologies that include machine learning, deep learning, large language models and more. It’s important to differentiate AI from humans and to remember that AI is not human – it doesn’t have empathy, it can’t walk and it can’t learn by itself as humans can. Although we know AI can be self learning, this means it is learning existing patterns or information it can access, unlike how humans learn and experience and learn from experience of life. In the large language models (LLM) domain, it appears we can communicate with AI, and it seems to provide fairly good info and copy.

AI can play a major role, and already does, in the area of statistics – it can assess patterns and analyse data faster than any human can manage in the same time-frame.

Question 2: Do you have any security concerns about AI – could it get out of and decide to exterminate us as Elon Musk says could happen?

Kamen’s response: No, I am not concerned that AI will do something against humanity all by itself. The reason there is fear, is people do not understand the technology.

I do, however think it is wise for regulation of AI and this is good. However in terms of could AI become a weapon for example as a worst case scenario? I foresee that it could be possible, but that it is probably no different to what a human can do.

Question 3: Do you think AI will replace humans or do you see it being a co-pilot assistant role and helping humans work better?

Kamen’s response: The way to look at AI, is that it will be business-driven, and essentially the question to ask will be what do businesses need – what is the purpose and what is driving AI? How will AI enhance businesses?

As with any new revolution or technological change that happens, businesses either adapt or disappear. If we read history, we can see that it is no different to any other revolution we have encountered such as the industrial revolution and with training and correct regulation, AI can be a positive tool.

If AI is not trained to handle copyright materials, for example, this course can be an area of concern, however, the same applies with human beings at work and security measures will be applied to reinforce security breaches that could happen, as they can now already.

How I see it is that AI needs to be embraced because it is not going away and it will help us complete many tasks a lot faster and with accuracy. If we look at how technology has affected us historically, we can see that working together with tech, helps us accomplish a lot, faster, together. I don’t believe AI is going to replace human jobs as such, however some jobs will inevitably dissolve as new technologies evolve, and this is what happens in technological revolutions, but those people will find other jobs.

On the one hand, many people right now in the industry are afraid and threatened by AI possibly taking their job away because this will also mean employers don’t have to pay wages, so it lowers outgoing costs. On the other hand, businesses require quality results which AI might not be able to do without human QC or intervention. For example, small TV studios that have to adhere to mandatory regulations to air captions with all their shows, might find it more profitable to use AI, however quality could be inferior compared to human subtitling professionals at the helm. Therefore having both makes more sense.

The motivation for businesses using or not using AI will vary in the years to come. I think businesses that choose not to embrace AI, will eventually disappear. Some businesses will adopt AI purely because they are doing what they are seeing others doing and want to maintain a competitive edge. Others will take a risk and use new technologies and innovations from the start and will exploit AI for their advantage and will evolve.

These are just my thoughts on AI generally at this current stage, however we have a great deal of respect for our customers and their concerns are our priority. We listen to what they want to suit their specific requirements. We are proud of our innovative approach and offer customised technology that helps to future-proof an organisation to help them work more efficiently in a cost-effective manner. Although we advise, we don’t dictate to our customers and we work with them to find solutions that work in their unique environment, whether it involves AI in future or not at all, is their prerogative.

Kamen’s forward-thinking Profuz LAPIS digital asset management technology has caught the attention of many high profile organisations including most recently, the Council of Europe that went on to invest in the system, along with many other companies that use LAPIS technology. The Council is a body designed to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe, and is renowned for pioneering new standards, which have progressed to become global benchmarks. It is the role of the Council of Europe to ensure that human rights, democracy and the rule of law are protected and promoted in the digital environment including AI.

Other organisations that have already adopted Profuz Digital’s technology include London’s Titles-On, EMG, Tarjama in the UAE, IT Pros Italy, Digitalmeister GmbH, Leinhäuser Language Services GmbH, Polsat, Kino Polska, The Bulgarian National Radio, Belgium’s Max Live Media Access, Biovisjon, Doli Media Studio, Cube Cinema Technologies, Tring TV, Bulgarian National Television, Canal Plus, AMC, HD Media, KU Leuven University of Leuven, Belgium, University of Rome Tor Vergata, University of Warsaw, University of Ghent, European School of Translation, Hellenic American College of Greece, the Complutense University of Madrid, and many others.

Many of these companies will be able to take advantage of Profuz LAPIS and SubtitleNEXT’s AI capabilities in the future as they are added to the system as and when required.

Visit Profuz Digital at www.profuzdigital.com to find out more.

If you would like to contribute to this topic, please email info@profuzdigital.com and we will interview you and share your responses in our upcoming blog series.

Profuz Digital features Cloud and Hybrid Media Workflows at IBC 2023

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The Complete Media Lifecycle Management with AI workflows – from Planning to Archiving, from News Gathering to Social Media Publishing, from Pre-Production to Localisation at Stand 8.A03


15 – 18 September 2023 – Stand 8.A03 – IBC – RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre

For immediate release – 24 July 2023, Sofia, Bulgaria – Profuz Digital, the specialist systems integration developer behind bespoke software solutions SubtitleNEXT, NEXT-TT and Profuz LAPIS platforms, will underline how these latest technologies boost quality and efficiency for broadcasters, production and post production at IBC 2023 (Amsterdam RAI, 15-18 September, stand 8.A03). Demonstrations will highlight how creative professionals can seamlessly work anywhere by accessing tools they rely on.


New for IBC2023 in Profuz LAPIS

The ability to use media asset management system Profuz LAPIS is central to project management, distribution and archiving, and allows complex projects and processes to be reshuffled as required between media management and various editing environments that creative teams need to use at the time. Recently adopted by the Council of Europe, Profuz LAPIS provides a central, powerful dashboard from which to search, review, interact and process media and data which is held across a wide range of local, remote and cloud-based storage systems.

LAPIS allows connectivity through APIs and protocols to various data sources such as RSS, News Feeds, third party MAMs, Amazon S3, Google Drive, Dropbox, plus others, and can be deployed on physical, virtual or cloud environments such as AWS. Adding such an efficient single and system-agnostic interface for both existing and future storage infrastructures and data sources, ensures an all-embracing comprehensive management approach of media and data, while maintaining user-interface consistency, which leads to improved accuracy and reduced user burden.

As Profuz LAPIS is an open, cloud-native system, that can scale instantly and connect to any other open technology, it makes it a practical platform to integrate with other existing systems and can be used as an advanced, dynamic content engine, providing archiving and database functionality within a company’s existing management business process infrastructure. Users of LAPIS can organise and find content instantly, using an intuitive filter structure tailored to the very specific requirements of this high-volume, high-pressure system. LAPIS includes extensive permissions architecture, involving workgroups, to ensure users see only assets relevant to them, and eliminates the risk of unapproved content being published within an organisation.

The LAPIS system can be used for every part of the workflow, from content ingest and storage to advanced media searches. It uses AI to further accelerate creative workflows and ensures that the user experience is always tuned to expectations, even at the very large scale involved. It streamlines workflows by automatically updating and reassessing assets, seamless integrating data into the content engine and avoiding manual processes.

The LAPIS system is a native web application, which means qualified users can interact with data and archives from any location. The open LAPIS software ensures companies can build future-proof workflow infrastructures that are capable of virtually unlimited expansion.

The latest enhancements in Profuz LAPIS across it’s MAM, News Management and Project Management modules for IBC2023 include upgraded AI capabilities for automatic speech-to-text and machine translation, advanced planning and scheduling capabilities, complex media assets, and audio and video chunks. Other features include storage capacity monitoring, the ability to publish content to social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn, weekly and monthly program templates, channels’ time zone settings, subtitling and dubbing process management, news feed imports from external news agencies and much more. (Refer to a comprehensive list of new features here https://profuzlapis.com/downloads/)


New for IBC2023 in SubtitleNEXT

Designed to create real-time and prepared subtitling and captioning across all media formats, version 5.12 of Profuz Digital’s SubtitleNEXT introduces a range of enhancements to support text in all directions including vertical subtitle writing for East Asian languages.

Available in both desktop and cloud environments, SubtitleNEXT supports writing text in all directions (from right to left, left to right, top to bottom, and bottom to top) in all languages. It also introduces emphasis (boutens) and rubies which are used in Japanese and other East Asian languages. The new version enables import and export of subtitles with the above features in the traditionally used formats such as LambdaCap, as well as in TTML, WebVTT and SRT. Other new features include the ability to export subtitling error lists in CSV files and adds more error checks for teletext and closed captions.

SubtitleNEXT version 5.12 will be demonstrated at the Profuz Digital stand, together with other subtitling modules for broadcasters. These include the SubtitleNEXT Live Manager for live collaborative work; the SubtitleNEXT Central automation of subtitles – airing in multiple languages and formats; and the SubtitleNEXT DVB Muxer for multiplexing subtitles with video.


New for IBC2023 in NEXT-TT

SubtitleNEXT, when combined with business management system Profuz LAPIS, transforms into the powerful hybrid localisation platform NEXT-TT, giving operators the best of both worlds – to work on the desktop and Cloud environments. New features in SubtitleNEXT have been made available to all SubtitleNEXT users of both the desktop and SubtitleNEXT LAPIS versions, used in conjunction with the NEXT-TT hybrid platform. NEXT-TT also boasts a new “tree view” of projects, tasks and other folders, including advanced filtering upgrades and customised filters, enhanced layout, customised filters, quick searches and more.

Ivanka Vassileva, CEO of Profuz Digital confirms, “We are passionate about providing leading-edge resources for both freelancers and organisations of all sizes to help them navigate the complex mediascape, while armed with the best technology. Our goals are to continually refine AI capabilities in our media asset management system Profuz LAPIS by automatically transcribing recordings to provide full-text metadata, which will make searching ever more powerful. Our team is also looking at using AI in other ways across SubtitleNEXT and NEXT-TT, to give customers further control. SubtitleNEXT’s new version brings game-changing feature enhancements that further enriches the

user experience. IBC provides the perfect space to showcase these exciting advancements, and we look forward to welcoming people to our stand to show them how our software can benefit them, now and in the future.”

Several high-profile organisations have adopted SubtitleNEXT and NEXT-TT’s technology including many universities. Some of the organisations that are using Profuz Digital’s technology include Council of Europe, London’s Titles-On, EMG, Tarjama in the UAE, IT Pros Italy, Digitalmeister GmbH, Leinhäuser Language Services GmbH, Polsat, Kino Polska, Max Live Media Access, Biovisjon, Doli Media Studio, Cube Cinema Technologies, Tring TV, Bulgarian National Television, Bulgarian National Radio, Canal Plus France and Myanmar, AMC, HD Media, KU Leuven University in Belgium, University of Rome Tor Vergata, University of Warsaw, University of Ghent, European School of Translation, Hellenic American College of Greece, the Complutense University of Madrid, and others.

See Profuz Digital on stand 8.A03 at IBC2023. For more information on Profuz Digital’s solutions, visit https://profuzdigital.com/ibc-2023-demo-request/ to get in touch or to book a meeting/demo.

For more information about IBC, go to www.ibc.org


Discover the power behind Profuz LAPIS here www.profuzlapis.com;
Find out more about SubtitleNEXT at www.SubtitleNEXT.com;
Explore the NEXT-TT platform further at https://subtitlenext.com/product-line/platform/

About Profuz Digital
Profuz Digital develops and provides performance-leading solutions for customisable engineering system integration to empower content providers, broadcast, production, and post-production professionals to operate efficiently at the forefront of an ever-evolving digital environment. Profuz Digital’s primary focus is flexibility, futureproof customer-driven product innovation, fast deployment, along with committed teamwork. Creators of the advanced real-time and offline captioning and subtitling software platform SubtitleNEXT and Profuz Digital’s digital asset workflow management platforms, Profuz LAPIS, designed to efficiently centralise processes and data all under one roof. The NEXT-TT system combines SubtitleNEXT’s functionalities with Profuz LAPIS into an all-in-one powerful hybrid technology-base that provides media professionals with a versatile backbone for enhanced localization services. NEXT-TT can be customised to produce targeted management and efficient workflows. It manages subtitles, dubbing and localization services for media content including the coordination of teams of translators, subtitlers, AV professionals, creative freelancers, while providing users with powerful toolsets in a secure workspace environment.

www.profuzdigital.com

SubtitleNEXT makes a major localization breakthrough with transformative vertical video and text capabilities impacting content creators

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For immediate release – 17 May 2023, Sofia, Bulgaria – Profuz Digital, the established developer of software technology in localization and digital workflow asset management for global content creators, has made a significant impact in the latest version of SubtitleNEXT, by unleashing its ground-breaking vertical video and text capabilities.

SubtitleNEXT is currently the only subtitling system to provide such an extensive vertical text feature, including improved vertical video support that allows for smooth aspect ratios settings.

Its new vertical writing proficiency accommodates East Asian languages such as Chinese, Korean and Japanese, and offers comprehensive support of vertical text in every possible direction – from right to left, left to right, top to bottom, and bottom to top – along with all the attributes contained within every single language that exists on earth. Emphasis (boutens) and rubies which are the annotations used in Japanese and other East Asian languages that define the pronunciation of a word are fully supported too.

SubtitleNEXT also enables the import and export of subtitles in the all-embracing LambdaCap format which is one the most widely used subtitling formats in Korean, Chinese and Japanese languages.

Other feature highlights in the new SubtitleNEXT 5.12 version include the ability to export subtitling error lists in CSV files; Teletext issue checks and closed captioning processing times; including the addition of a “Quick Styles” toolbar that can speedily set to Default, Raised or Top styles when required.

These remarkable new features in the new version 5.12 have been made available to all SubtitleNEXT users of the SubtitleNEXT desktop version and SubtitleNEXT LAPIS version used in conjunction with the NEXT-TT hybrid platform.

CEO of Profuz Digital and systems integrator PBT EU Ivanka Vassileva states, “Our dedicated team continues to serve customers as demonstrated in this exciting software release. With every new feature developed in response to user feedback, SubtitleNEXT’s new version brings game-changing advances that enhance functionality and user experience. We are proud to offer customers our unique innovative vertical video to text capabilities that can easily be repurposed according to different screen aspect ratios.”

SubtitleNEXT is a popular timed-text platform that produces accurate and fast subtitling and captioning results in real-time and offline across all media formats. Many blue-chip organisations have invested in SubtitleNEXT’s technology including studios and companies of all shapes and sizes, including universities. Some of the organisations that have already adopted Profuz Digital’s technology include London’s Titles-On, EMG, Tarjama in the UAE, IT Pros Italy, Digitalmeister GmbH, Leinhäuser Language Services GmbH, Polsat, Kino Polska, Max Live Media Access, Biovisjon, Doli Media Studio, Cube Cinema Technologies, Tring TV, Bulgarian National Television, Canal Plus Myanmar, AMC, HD Media, KU Leuven University in Belgium, University of Rome Tor Vergata, University of Warsaw, University of Ghent, European School of Translation, Hellenic American College of Greece, the Complutense University of Madrid, and many others.

Discover the power behind Profuz LAPIS here www.profuzlapis.com;
Find out more about SubtitleNEXT at www.SubtitleNEXT.com;
Explore the NEXT-TT platform further at https://subtitlenext.com/product-line/platform/

 

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About Profuz Digital
Profuz Digital develops and provides performance-leading solutions for customisable engineering system integration to empower content providers, broadcast, production, and post-production professionals to operate efficiently at the forefront of an ever-evolving digital environment. Profuz Digital’s primary focus is flexibility, futureproof customer-driven product innovation, fast deployment, along with committed teamwork.

Creators of the advanced real-time and offline captioning and subtitling software platform SubtitleNEXT and Profuz Digital’s digital asset workflow management platforms, Profuz LAPIS, designed to efficiently centralise processes and data all under one roof. Proven technology already adopted by the likes of Canal PLUS, Jornal do Centro, Council of Europe, Bulgarian National Radio and many other organisations.

The NEXT-TT system combines SubtitleNEXT’s functionalities with Profuz LAPIS into an all-in-one powerful hybrid technology-base that provides media professionals with a versatile backbone for enhanced localization services. NEXT-TT can be customised to produce targeted management and efficient workflows. It manages subtitles, dubbing and localization services for media content including the coordination of teams of translators, subtitlers, AV professionals, creative freelancers, while providing users with powerful toolsets in a secure workspace environment.

Many organisations have already adopted Profuz Digital’s technology including Titles-On, EMG, Tarjama in the UAE, IT Pros Italy, Digitalmeister GmbH, Leinhäuser Language Services GmbH, Polsat, Kino Polska, Max Live Media Access, Biovisjon, Doli Media Studio, Cube Cinema Technologies, Tring TV, Bulgarian National Television, Canal Plus Myanmar, AMC, HD Media, KU Leuven University of Leuven, Belgium, University of Rome Tor Vergata, University of Warsaw, University of Ghent, European School of Translation, Hellenic American College of Greece, the Complutense University of Madrid, and many others.

Dubai’s Tarjama embraces SubtitleNEXT and NEXT-TT for Localization Services

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Leading MENA language tech firm chooses NEXT-TT for secure cloud-based subtitling


For immediate release – 3 November 2022, DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Well-established technology developer, Profuz Digital is thrilled to announce that leading language solutions provider Tarjama, has selected the SubtitleNEXT and NEXT-TT platforms to optimise subtitling, translating and localization services, along with further reinforcing security.

Founded in 2008, Dubai-based Tarjama is a pioneering language technology firm that offers a wide variety of linguistic services that includes translation, localization, content creation, transcription, subtitling and strategic advisory.

SubtitleNEXT is a sought-after timed-text platform that offers real-time and offline subtitling and captioning for all media formats. Profuz LAPIS is an integrated web-accessible digital workflow asset management system that powerfully executes total desktop and cloud-management through browser functionality.

NEXT-TT combines SubtitleNEXT’s functionalities with Profuz LAPIS, into one powerful hybrid technology-base. The unique NEXT-TT platform provides an adaptable and multipurpose foundation for delivering enhanced localization services.

Tarjama adopted SubtitleNEXT and NEXT-TT to further boost their automatic voice recognition and machine translation services in order to manage costs.

Founder and CEO of Tarjama Nour Al Hassan says, “Tarjama uses a hybrid model that controls the speed of our innovative proprietary technology. Paired with the accuracy and creativity of expert linguists, it enables subtitlers to deliver quality content to companies at phenomenal speed, and efficiency. The fact that the Profuz LAPIS technology within NEXT-TT allows companies of all shapes and sizes to access projects at any given time, from anywhere, and facilitates collaboration among clients and staff, was a major draw. NEXT-TT can also be customized to produce targeted management and efficient workflows.”

Profuz LAPIS’s capabilities within NEXT-TT brings Tarjama many other advantages. It plays a central secure role, and controls the organisation’s processes seamlessly, from acquisition, classification, storage, search, post-production, to media content distribution. Data-files ranging from audio, videos, images, subtitles/captions, documents, news, projects, and more, are managed through its multi-platform content delivery capabilities that extensively synchronise the entire content production workflow and distribution chain.

Security is also of paramount importance to Tarjama and was a vital factor in their decision-making process. Nour Al Hassan confirms, “After extensively researching many cloud-based subtitling and workflow management platforms, we made the decision to invest in Profuz Digital’s SubtitleNEXT and NEXT-TT platforms as they fulfilled all our requirements, and “ticked all the right boxes”. As a company, we opted to pivot from single-license desktop subtitling applications to more accessible cloud-based subtitling tools. So, not only does this shift bring convenient benefits, but more crucially, security.”

“Particularly when employing freelance linguists,” Nour added, “it is imperative that we ensure security for our clients, many of whom entrust us with sensitive material that might not yet have been aired or hit cinema theatres yet. So therefore, the possibility of security breaches would have disastrous consequences, and it’s a risk we are never willing to take. That’s why we chose SubtitleNEXT and NEXT-TT as trusted technologies that we can safely rely on in this area.”

CEO Nour Al Hassan founded Tarjama to meet the growing demand for excellence in translation services that cater to the unique multicultural environment of the Middle East. By tapping into an undervalued network of exceptional and talented women, she challenged conventional norms and went on to excel in the translation and localization fields. Under her stunning leadership, Tarjama has set new standards in the industry through the company’s commitment to quality, speed, and extraordinary linguistic value.

Nour affirms, “SubtitleNEXT and NEXT-TT have proven to be the solution that caters for all our technical needs and is the most cost-effective of all the other solutions that we had researched. Working in a fast-paced world of subtitling that comes with extremely tight deadlines and air dates, we also find the Profuz Digital and PBT EU teams to be very helpful and responsive. Their fast and effective support is essential to our business continuity, and we are extremely pleased to have the perfect support-system now in place, with Profuz Digital and PBT EU at the helm as our technology partners.”

Ivanka Vassileva, CEO and Managing Partner of Profuz Digital and PBT EU concludes, “Tarjama has an excellent reputation in the MENA region and delivers first-rate subtitling projects for incredible clients that use cutting-edge technology and span across a multitude of verticals, such as VOD, cinematic theatre releases, e-learning, corporate and government videos, in-flight entertainment and so much more. All of these areas demand their own set of specific requirements, challenges, and workflows, and Tarjama’s aim is for all of these projects to now go through SubtitleNEXT and NEXT-TT systems. We are absolutely delighted that Tarjama has chosen SubtitleNEXT and NEXT-TT technology as they continue to serve their customers and expand their offering, and we very much look forward to supporting them for the long-term.”

Discover the power behind Profuz LAPIS here www.profuzlapis.com;
Find out more about SubtitleNEXT at www.SubtitleNEXT.com;
Explore the NEXT-TT platform further at https://subtitlenext.com/product-line/platform/

 

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About Profuz Digital
Profuz Digital develops and provides performance-leading solutions for customisable engineering system integration to empower content providers, broadcast, production, and post-production professionals to operate efficiently at the forefront of an ever-evolving digital environment. Profuz Digital’s primary focus is flexibility, futureproof customer-driven product innovation, fast deployment, along with committed teamwork.

Creators of the advanced real-time and offline captioning and subtitling software platform SubtitleNEXT and Profuz Digital’s digital asset workflow management platforms, Profuz LAPIS, designed to efficiently centralise processes and data all under one roof. Proven technology already adopted by the likes of Canal PLUS, Jornal do Centro, Council of Europe, Bulgarian National Radio and many other organisations.

The NEXT-TT system combines SubtitleNEXT’s functionalities with Profuz LAPIS into an all-in-one powerful hybrid technology-base that provides media professionals with a versatile backbone for enhanced localization services. NEXT-TT can be customised to produce targeted management and efficient workflows. It manages subtitles, dubbing and localization services for media content including the coordination of teams of translators, subtitlers, AV professionals, creative freelancers, while providing users with powerful toolsets in a secure workspace environment.

Some of the many organisations, that have already adopted Profuz Digital’s technology include Titles-On, EMG, Digitalmeister GmbH, Leinhäuser Language Services GmbH, Polsat, Kino Polska, University of Rome Tor Vergata, the University of Warsaw, University of Ghent, European School of Translation, Max Live Media Access, Biovisjon, IT Pros Subtitles, Doli Media Studio, Cube Cinema Technologies, Tring TV, Bulgarian National Television, Canal Plus Myanmar, AMC, HD Media, Hellenic American College of Greece, European School of Translation, the Complutense University of Madrid, and many others.

www.profuzdigital.com

About Tarjama
Tarjama is a language technology and services provider helping companies scale rapidly with multilingual content of every format and language. With a mission to help companies realize their potential for global growth, Tarjama is committed to delivering language solutions that meet international standards of quality, speed, and cost-efficiency. To find out more about Tarjama, visit www.tarjama.com

NEXT-TT forms the technology backbone of unique PixelSub platform

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NEXT-TT forms the technology backbone of unique PixelSub platform

For immediate release – 4 June 2020, Dubai  – Profuz Digital  is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with leading post-production, localization, and entertainment company, Linxstream Media. The partnership launches with the creation of Linxstream Media’s PixelSub;  a cloud-based platform for managing localization, dubbing and timed-text services.

We provided the underlying technology to power PixelSub by integrated business management software Profuz LAPIS  with timed-text application SubtitleNEXT. Together, the resulting hybrid platform (“NEXT-TT”) provides a technology base which can be highly customized to produce precisely targeted management and localization workflows.

Linxstream Media then applied their unique localization knowledge to the base technology to create PixelSub, which is a product aimed at helping enterprises, collaborators and single users monetize and streamline localization projects efficiently, while combining the advantages of the cloud and desktop.

The PixelSub platform features the management of order creation, invoicing, project coordination and collaboration while providing multi-tier protection of content with private workspaces and a wide suite of tools designed to support the industry’s largest content creators, distributors, and studios. The PixelSub platform additionally offers other advanced features such as automatic speech recognition (ASR) and machine generated subtitles that convert text into multiple languages. These operations all incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies (MLT) into the localization services. This way, users can benefit from using a single platform in order to prepare automatic, semi-automatic and human written subtitles and captions for audio-visual content.

Machine translation and transcription are tools for automatic speech recognition (ASR) and are key functions within Profuz Digital’s NEXT-TT platform.  NEXT- TT includes automatic translation of text from one language to another and automatic transformation of actors’ voices into captions and subtitles.  All of these advanced features from NEXT-TT are now made available in PixelSub by incorporating third party engines which activate these automatic processes.

By virtually connecting to localization platform PixelSub, users can gain access to proprietary tools, technologies, and delivery capabilities that provide breakthrough client results. With Profuz Digital’s deep technology and engineering expertise, the collaboration represents a step-change in the way both businesses address the needs of the localization and subtitling market.

As part of the strategic alliance, Linxstream Media is authorized to resell products and services from Profuz Digital in the Middle East.

CEO of Profuz Digital Ivanka Vassileva stated, “We are delighted that Linxstream Media, along with their expertise of the media localization business and their presence in the Middle East, have become one of our most respected regional partners to serve the sector. Through this strategic partnership, we have essentially expanded our NEXT-TT platform offerings that will now allow users in the Middle East to benefit from a localized version of our powerful NEXT-TT solution backed by reliable local systems integration, onboarding and continuous technical support services. Working together and joining hands with Linxstream Media as one of our key partners will enable us to deliver an integrated and optimal experience for our customers in the region.”

Profuz Digital’s CTO Kamen Ferdinandov and developer of the NEXT-TT platform said, “Our hybrid NEXT-TT platform which was created by combining both our LAPIS and SubtitleNEXT functionalities, provides a versatile backbone to power-focused localization services. Linxstream Media has demonstrated this with PixelSub. The main advantage of our technologies is that they are highly adaptable to each client’s specific requirements, allowing a wide range of different configurations and UI experiences. This project with PixelSub demonstrates that our distributor PBT EU openly welcomes ideas from companies of all sizes to share their unique vision and understanding of the localization processes which we can adapt to form a specialised bespoke solution.”

Founder of Linxstream Media Rafiq M. Sarwari confirmed, “PBT EU and Profuz Digital helped build the remarkable cloud-based multi-layered PixelSub platform based on Profuz Digital’s NEXT-TT solution. One of the key factors that we took into consideration when we first approached them about collaborating, was whether we were willing to invest in each other’s vision and commitment to develop a product that would be truly unique and innovative, and also be able to simplify the arduous localization tasks. So, together we developed a mutualistic linkage and a shared way of working together that serves both of our clients’ interests. Working with PBT EU was simply the right choice. From the start it was clear that the team was willing to roll up their sleeves and get things done and deliver on their promises.”

Rafiq expanded, “The partnership between Linxstream Media and PBT EU has provided us with a localization and subtitling platform that truly is a one stop shop for our clients. PBT EU’s understanding of complex digital product development, its deep engineering expertise and collaborative approach is uniquely complimentary to how a Linxstream team works. With presence in Europe, North America, Canada, India and the Middle East, and the added capabilities of over 7,000+ global freelance translators, this partnership will allow us to drive far more business impact for our clients.”

“In summary, both PBT EU and Linxstream’s combined years of experience and expertise, and our shared willingness to be open and agile, have contributed to the creation an advanced platform that not only solves many problems but simplifies daily tasks. Simply said, excellence speaks for itself!” concluded Rafiq.

 

To find out more about NEXT-TT, visit https://profuzdigital.com/next-tt/

To find out more about PixelSub, visit https://www.linxstream.com/services/pixelsub/

SubtitleNEXT Version 5.6 features new Smart Text Assist

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New Smart Text Assist in SubtitleNEXT provides efficiency for text editing and live subtitling



We are delighted to announce the release of SubtitleNEXT Version 5.6, with the focus on a brand new centralised Smart Text Assist feature designed for editing and live subtitling scenarios.  Live subtitling helps increase global outreach for broadcasts, live events, online meetings, streaming video and audio and is a great tool to remove language barriers.

The new Smart Text Assist feature in SubtitleNEXT significantly speeds up and simplifies the entire text-altering process. It combines all of the text-altering tools in one place so that they can be easily accessed. This provides a reliable and consistent framework for busy subtitlers to achieve fast results. Text-altering refers to changes in text constructs or meaning, such as date or time formats, units of measurement, replacement phrases, translations, corrections, and the reorganisation of text. (Watch the Smart Text Assist in action here via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFDA49JohO4&t=1s)

SubtitleNEXT enables users to connect to broadcast feeds, webinars, Skype, Zoom, AV desks, live streams, or any live audio source.  The translated subtitles are then delivered back to the screen, laptop, tablet, or smart phone in real time. Subtitles are the simplest and most efficient way to share content in any language and the Smart Text Assist helps to significantly speed up text altering in SubtitleNEXT 5.6.

Developer of SubtitleNEXT Kamen Ferdinandov of Toronto-based Profuz Digital says, “To put the new Smart Text Assist feature in context, most text editing programs don’t have all the tools readily available for users to easily access, as they are usually a separate tool that has to be activated within the system they are using, or they have to open an external program. Overall, the process is time-consuming and entails multiple commands (clicking, typing, key-pressing) in order to get a result. With the new Smart Text Assist, we have eradicated these hassles. Now users only have to select the portion of text they’re interested in changing, and in just one to two clicks, the required results will be instantaneous with the text replaced. We enjoy interfacing with customers to find out how we can continue to keep introducing new tools like this in SubtitleNEXT that deliver results.”

SubtitleNEXT is a powerful application that creates both subtitles and captions.  It is used for same language translation, transcribing, adaptation (SDHH), dialogue and other audible or visible text and commentaries, with efficiency at remarkable speed and accuracy. It provides users with a multi-file synchronous browsing editing feature with an “editor-like” experience that adapts to all the up to date language rules and adjustments. SubtitleNEXT can run on major operating systems such as Windows, Linux and MAC OS, and is primarily aimed at subtitling and captioning professionals, through to Language Services Providers, production, post-production companies and broadcasters.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SMART TEXT ASSIST FEATURE IN SUBTITLENEXT VERSION 5.6

SubtitleNEXT  supports non file-based media and direct video signals such as analogue, digital, and streaming which makes it perfect for all types of live shows and events such as festivals, live gigs, the Opera, theatre, presentations, conferences, seminars and so forth.  Its “automation for airing” feature is also useful for live shows and events with prepared subtitles. The full set of digital cinema and TTML format features are also fully supported in SubtitleNEXT, including text positions, effects, sizes and colours, styling, looks including user configurable screen layouts that can be personalised to suit the project and user’s convenience.

Advantages of the new Smart Text Assist feature in SubtitleNEXT 5.6 include: –  quick access to vocabulary, automatic translation, thesaurus and dictionary support, spell checking, Unit and RegEx conversions, including Time and Date Formatting, outlined in more detail below:

Vocabulary function – this allows users to quickly access their collection of phrases, names, locations, and so forth, from one central place.

Automatic Translation function –  allows subtitlers to configure and choose from one or more translation engines such as Google and Microsoft, to provide parallel variants of a translation.

Thesaurus and Dictionary Support –  supports Libre Office/OpenOffice dictionaries.

Spell Checking – verifies proper word usage and spelling.

Unit Conversions – automatically converts to other units such as mass, length, area, temperature, based on the selected text (For example, for 12 lbs, suggested conversions will include 5.44kg, 5443 g, and 192 ounces).

RegEx Conversions – “RegEx” engine allows advanced text manipulations with unlimited functionality for altering text. All valid user-configured RegEx filters will be offered. For example, users can fix capitalisation if a word begins with more than one capital letter in a sentence, including the ability to swap words, remove repeated words, profanity filtering, and so forth.

Date and Time Formatting  – automatically suggests various formats for both European and American date formats (for example, if the selected text is 12.3.20, suggestions will include 12/03/20, 12/03/2020, and 12 Mar 2020).

PBT EU’s CEO Ivanka Vassileva adds, “With successful businesses increasingly investing in subtitles and captions to boost viewer engagement, the new Smart Text Assist is a timely addition in SubtitleNEXT which centralises the multiple alternative text assistants which can then enable users to export in either format of choice. Subtitling does not add any large expense to the overall budget. Filmmakers, production companies, broadcasters, through to individual professional subtitlers working from home, all need to view subtitling as an affordable “add-on” that increases product value, adheres to accessibility rights, and gives a competitive edge. Live subtitles are everywhere and aid communication efforts – it’s the future and a feature like Smart Text Assist helps accelerate processes phenomenally.”

To order the new version SubtitleNEXT 5.6, shop online at https://shop.profuzdigital.com/

To find out more about SubtitleNEXT visit www.SubtitleNEXT.com