Rikei Corporation (hereinafter called “Rikei”; Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Tetsuo Kuroda) announces that Nihon VTR Inc. (hereinafter called “Nihon VTR”; Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Toshiyuki Muroi), a company engaged in the editing and copying of video, has adopted the FileCatalyst software suite marketed by Rikei. Nihon VTR will use the software for its new high-speed file transfer services.

Background to the introduction

The video industry is shifting from media such as tapes to electronic files for handling video and audio data. With the widely available services that use shared FTP, however, it takes too much time to transfer large video files. As a result, such files are saved on portable HDDs or similar, and are transferred by carrying them by hand or using motorcycle delivery services in many cases. These methods are also problematic when the destination is some distance away, because they cost a lot of time and money.

As the first step in creating a system to solve these problems and enable the extensive provision of video-file-related services in the future, Nihon VTR has adopted FileCatalyst, which enables the development of infrastructure for the high-speed transfer of large files.

Overview of FileCatalyst

FileCatalyst is software for high-speed file transfers based on UDP*. It has a variety of scheduling and management functions. By enabling high-speed transfers of gigabytes of data, it significantly reduces the time taken to transfer data. It also has a function that synchronizes data between multiple locations. This provides another advantage in that the software enables clients to share the latest versions of files constantly as they work, in addition to simply transferring files.

* UDP (User Datagram Protocol): This is one of the protocols that are used as standard protocols for a layer that is a level higher than that of the IP in a network such as the internet. It does not guarantee the order of packets or the absence of packet loss, but it reduces the burden and enables high-speed transmission.

Features and key points

• Use of the unique, UDP-based protocol enables the maximum utilization of bandwidth capability for file transfers, even on a satellite circuit or cross-border terrestrial network with long delays.
• It has a maximum transfer speed of 10Gbps.
• The Delta File Transfer enables the transfer of only the parts of a file that have changed.
• Where UDP cannot be used, it multiplexes the TCP session to transfer files at high speed.
• It enables various schedules to be set in accordance with the time of the day, speed, day of the week, time and date, etc. of the upload or download.

Future development

Taking advantage of the adoption by Nihon VTR, Rikei will suggest and promote FileCatalyst to companies in various industries, including those related to satellite communications or broadcasting, telecommunications carriers, manufacturers, and game development companies, thereby contributing to the further improvement of their productivity.

About Nihon VTR Inc.

Since its establishment, Nihon VTR Inc. has provided video technologies, including those for editing, copying, and distributing videos. The company has now extended its area of focus to cover video data, encoding, and other functions, and plans to expand its perspective (the range of its initiatives) even further.

About Unlimi-Tech Software Inc.

Unlimi-Tech Software, Inc., the developer and distributor of FileCatalyst, is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The company develops and distributes web applets for file transfer and UDP-based software for high-speed file transfers.

About Rikei Corporation

* Product names and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.