Innovative Use of MXF in Creating Mezzanine Files for the National Film Board of Canada Audiovisual Digitization Plan

Abstract

The digital revolution has changed how audiences use and interact with audiovisual media. The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has been preparing for this inevitable revolution for several years, developing partnerships and carrying out research on image and sound processing, innovative transfer techniques, accessibility, and distribution to facilitate the transition to digital technology. In recent years, the technical and operational infrastructure has undergone significant upheavals. The NFB has taken up the gauntlet. The new digital reality is more sophisticated than past technologies but also more open and promising. Our aim is to exploit the full potential of these new and constantly evolving technologies. — Today, the NFB is at a crossroads of innovation, bringing its tradition of trailblazing to the multiplatform, 21st-century digital universe. The challenge: Making its collection available to everyone on the platform of their choice while preserving this priceless audiovisual legacy for generations to come. To ensure fast and efficient access to its collection, the NFB will implement material exchange format <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1–2</sup> standards and protocols for the creation of a mezzanine file for each title that includes its various versions (length, language, subtitling, etc.). On demand, a specific version will be assembled from this mezzanine file package to produce all required deliveries for that specific version.