File Formats in Television Archiving and Content Exchange

Abstract

As broadcasters migrate to digital file-based acquisition, production, distribution and archiving, questions about the selection as well as the operational use of file formats in television continue to arise. What is the best file format for my overall operation? Should I use embedded descriptive metadata, and if yes, where and which? Which benefits and penalties are associated with a certain file format selection? Are there interoperability issues when exchanging content between systems or enterprises? This paper attempts to answer some of these questions and provide guidelines for the decision-making process, by first reviewing file format-related requirements for archiving and file exchange. Embedded metadata is discussed for archiving and file exchange, and an opinion is given on the usefulness of descriptive embedded metadata in these scenarios. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of using MXF vs. QuickTime as an archive and file exchange wrapper are discussed and a proposal is made when to use what. The paper concludes with a summary set of recommendations for selecting file formats and using embedded descriptive metadata.