SDI Media, A+E Networks team on lockdown localisation
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Editor
| 23 April 2020

Leading localisation provider SDI Media has embarked upon a project with and A+E Networks UK to address the challenges of local language formatting arising from country lockdowns during the Covid-19 crisis.

The firms said the partnership endeavoured to address specifically what they said was a critical need to continue the delivery of Hungarian voice over dubbing. Led by country manager Nicolette Szabo, SDI Media Hungary identified almost 150 actors who have all been tested and approved for remote recording. So far, they have delivered 40 titles to A+E Networks UK for the April schedule, recording up to five voices, and are working on the same volume for their May schedule.

SDI Media identified SessionLinkPRO as the optimal technology provider with whom to establish an effective workflow. The SessionLinkPRO browser-based technology delivers encrypted audio and video for secure streaming, with both studio and talent able to record audio sessions. All key talent (artist, director and sound engineer) can be involved in the sessions, with the recording engineer taking the lead. This mirrors the normal workflow used in SDI recording sessions.

In addition to remote recording, A+E Networks UK took the bold move to generate subtitles for its second channel, H2 where capacity was too limited to turn around voice over dubbing as is the norm. The companies conceded that embarking on remote recording to observe social distancing protocols presented its challenges – primarily inconsistency of audio due to recording in non-treated rooms (early reflections, reverberation, room modes, etc.), recording sessions can take longer depending on internet connectivity and more time can be required for editing and mixing.

These issues notwithstanding, SDI Media has subsequently rolled out remote recording throughout its key locations in Europe and the Americas. SDI has trained and tested the SessionLinkPRO solutions in 15 countries and is doing live productions in nine of them, both for voice over and lip-sync dubbing. This solution is seen as key in helping to fill the gap in dubbing production due to the closure of offices and will likely stay in place in some form as countries gradually emerge from the Covid-19 lockdowns despite which SDI said it was still 100% operational for subtitling and able to fulfil all of its 5.1 mixing requirements.

Commenting on the project and the results obtained, SDI Media CEO Mark Howorth said: “SDI Media has focussed on supporting all our clients’ needs while adhering to local laws around coronavirus as well as customary talent practices. We are proud to have been able to deliver the quantity and quality of remote recording that A+E Networks UK requires, by utilising the best technology in the industry along with SDI’s expertise.”

Jan Hendrik-Hein, director of media operations at A+E Networks UK, added: “We are delighted to have been able to offer our viewers the quality of language localisation they expect, even in these challenging times.”