Ascent Media Architects Unique Creative Services Infrastructure for Real-Time Digital Intermediate and Post Production Workflow Collaboration with DataDirect Networks' SGI Storage Solutions

The SGI RM660, based on DataDirect Networks' S2A technology, chosen as storage foundation for real-time 4K, 2K and HD processes at Ascent Media

Los Angeles, CA - March 27, 2007 — Ascent Media Creative Services who's creative talent has won numerous Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, Clio Awards, and Monitor Awards in recognition of their role in the creation of feature film, television, and commercial content has selected SGI's RM660 and Infinite 6700 as the primary storage solution supporting 4K, 2K and HD post production and digital intermediate workflow for their Company 3, Encore Hollywood and RIOT facilities.

Artists, filmmakers, ad agencies and major studios have utilized Ascent Media's innovative and state-of-the-art facilities to create films like Dreamgirls, Pirates of the Caribbean 2; episodic television like CSI NY, House, and Big Love; music videos for Beyonce Knowles and Justin Timberlake; as well as commercials for Dodge, Budweiser, and Boost Mobile.

"We measure our success through the successes of our customers and the efficiencies we can bring to the process," said Phil Mendelson, CTO of Ascent Media Creative Services. "Our passion and ongoing commitment to quality and innovation drives us to provide our customers with more creative flexibility and higher quality delivery options with enabling technologies like SGI's storage solutions.

SGI's RM660 and Infinite 6700 systems are based on DataDirect Networks' (DDN) Silicon Storage Appliance (S2A) technology and is the ideal storage solution for creative environments. The S2A storage solution can help transform high definition post production, digital intermediate, and HD broadcast applications, into all-digital, high-throughput, collaborative production environments streamlined for maximum efficiency and creativity.

Until recently, creating an open real-time storage system that could give filmmakers independent and simultaneous access to native HD, 2K (2048x1556) and 4K (4096x3072) high resolution content had been elusive. The S2A technology, with up to 3GB/s of sustained real-time throughput and up to 960TB of storage capacity, can easily scale to handle the bandwidth and capacity intensive requirements needed in the digital intermediate space, empowering true real-time collaborative workflow in digital post-production.

"After significant due diligence, we chose SGI's RM660 and Infinite 6700 storage solutions for several of our facilities including RIOT, Company 3 and Encore," added Mr. Mendelson. "We found the RM660, based on DDN's unique S2A technology, could support not only high concurrency but read and write performance equally. This unique capability gives us real-time multi-stream access to 4K, 2K, HD and SD content, a strong enabler for collaborative workflow. Incorporating this distinctive technology into our storage network infrastructure uniquely architected for artists and filmmakers allows our customers to create in real-time regardless of file format."

Ascent Media has installed over 150 Terabytes of shared storage capacity between several facilities supporting real-time access from ARRI Scanners, Thomson Spirit 4K DataCine, Da Vinci color correction system, AutoDesk Fire and Smoke editing system, Flame compositing and Inferno visual effects suites along with many other systems. This allows Ascent Media facilities to easily scale their bandwidth and capacity as their customers' needs grow, while empowering real-time collaborative workflow throughout Ascent's digital post-production and digital intermediate processes.

About Ascent Media Group
Santa Monica, California-based Ascent Media Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Discovery Holding Company (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), which through its Creative Services and Network Services divisions, provides creative and technical media services to the media and entertainment industries. Through more than 70 facilities in the regions of Southern California, New York, Atlanta, London and Singapore and at locations throughout the world, Ascent Media Group provides effective solutions for the creation, management and distribution of content to major motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies and other companies that produce, own and/or distribute entertainment, news, sports, corporate, educational, industrial and advertising content. More information about Ascent Media Group is available at http://www.ascentmedia.com

About DataDirect Networks
DataDirect Networks is the world's leading provider of high performance, high capacity network storage solutions. Focused on driving customer-centric innovation, DDN has created the Silicon Storage Appliance as the essential building block for High Performance Computing, Internet-based Services and Rich Media storage solutions. DDN's award winning Silicon Storage Appliance enables the creation of differentiated high performance, high capacity NAS/SAN, cluster computing, production and nearline, and virtual tape library storage solutions. Each solution offers unsurpassed performance, high availability, cost effective scalability and simplified management delivering the industry's best price per performance and best per capacity per square foot solutions.

Launched in 1998 and headquartered in Chatsworth, California, DataDirect Networks has an established global presence with research and development, and operations in the United States, Europe and Asia. For more information, contact DataDirect Networks at (818) 700-7600 or visit www.datadirectnet.com.

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