So I’m talking with our CEO, and in walks our receptionist. “I have a call from South America, and they are asking if anyone speaks Spanish. Can you talk with them?”

Those who know me are aware that I have been diligently working on a life-long goal to become fluent in Spanish. I’ve been taking classes, conversing with my very patient Latino friends and listening to the several Spanish radio stations in our area while I drive. I’d say that I am about 75% fluent at the present time. (I know, pretty pitiful when you consider how some people in the world know three or four languages by the time they are young adults . . . oh well, at least I am trying).

Anyway, turns out this call was from a South American production television production company that needed to get their latest documentary program to DC for a private viewing later that evening.

The production company, as is Video Labs, is an affiliate of the Telestream network. http://www.telestream.net/

Telestream is a California-based company that started in 1998 with the goal of delivering video via internet protocol.

They offer proprietary solutions to achieve that goal. In 1999 they marketed ClipMail Pro. A large entertainment company or small production company, a post house or a media replication firm like Video Labs can buy one of Telestream’s encoding/decoding units and join their network. And once an affiliate, one can search for the name and location of other affiliates around the world.

Fortunately my Spanish — (and their patience) — was sufficient to work out the details of this particular inquiry, and about ten hours later we had received their half-hour program at full resolution, had made DVD copies and were rush-couriering them to downtown DC.

(left) ClipMail menu

Were there options other than Telestream for this particular order?

Well, of course there is satellite. But as a veteran producer and director of satellite videoconferences myself, I know it is not inexpensive, if even possible, to acquire last-minute time for an international satellite feed. Plus, transmitting over regular satellite is not secure. Unless encrypted (not your everyday task) a satellite transponder can be viewed by numerous downlink sites. When transmitting via Telestream, it is an IP connection just between the sites involved. In this particular instance, their program had not been broadcast yet, so they wanted to keep this last-minute “preview” in DC truly private.

That is just one example of how we have used our Telestream “box” at Video Labs. You can imagine how this has been a very popular service with several of our advertising and politcal ad agency clients who need to get quick approvals of spots.

One of the positive features of the Telestream system is that it allows us to transmit and receive at a variety of compression levels. The program for the above example needed to be sent in full-screen high quality video, and it took about four hours to encode, transmit and recieive the program. For other projects, a lo-rez picture is sufficient, which can involve a lot less turnaround time. A lo-rez strategy might be employed for sending a first draft rough cut, or perhaps to assist with a voiceover narration or music mixing session. It could also be employed when working with a transcription or captioning vendor.

The bottom line is this. If you need to get your media from here to there, and overnight delivery just isn’t soon enough, consider using our Telestream system. Give me a call, 301-217-0000 x104, and let’s talk through your options. Or e-mail me at dryan@videolabs.net I am confident we can provide your with a cost-effective solution.

Got any Telestream anecdotes to share? Would love to hear them. Write in the comments space below. Thanks – David