File-Based Workflows Research Articles

Automating the Exchange of Video Files with BXF and Enabling Further Process Automation in File-Based Workflows

Automating the Exchange of Video Files with BXF and Enabling Further Process Automation in File-Based Workflows

Report from the Standards Vice President: Standards for File-Based Workflows

Report from the Standards Vice President: Standards for File-Based Workflows

File delivery automation: The final frontier?

This paper examines one of the final areas desperately in need of automation – the delivery of content files by those who produce and distribute them, to media organisations. This paper addresses developing solutions to current problems and issues that impact interoperability in file-based workflows, issues coming to the industry that are driving a need for scale and automation, as well as future needs that will increasingly introduce complexity and threaten interoperability in existing workflows. It also describes work currently being undertaken by a technical committee consisting of members of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, the North American Broadcasters Association, the Digital Production Partnership and other industry partner organisations to resolve them.

Addressing Issues in File-Based Workflows: The Joint Task Force on File Formats and Media Interoperability and the World of Advertising

Addressing Issues in File-Based Workflows: The Joint Task Force on File Formats and Media Interoperability and the World of Advertising

Fearless cloud security for media: Why people can trust in the public service model

With file-based workflows now standard across the media industry, using cloud technology to implement network-based workflows is an accelerating trend. Storing media as files enables a whole new class of cloud solutions for media, from media transfer to asset management. Public cloud technologies, in particular, have eliminated the need for speculative up-front capital investments and enabled rapid response to changes in demand, making media businesses that embrace public cloud more agile than ever before. In spite of these obvious advantages, concerns still exist around security of the public cloud. This paper gives an introduction to cloud service and cloud deployment models, addresses the concerns over public cloud security and explains the perspective that is needed on security today.

Leveraging the Cloud for File-Based Workflows

Leveraging the Cloud for File-Based Workflows

Tablet/Smart Phone Accelerated File-Based Broadcast Production

While there has been wide acceptance of file-based workflows in the consumer marketplace, professional production practices have been slow to follow. With an inherent distrust of all things computer-based, getting production companies to trust file-based acquisition and fully realize its potential has required a multifaceted solution to persuade people to embrace this new technology. This paper describes a real-world example of how these different facets of file-based acquisition can be brought together in a “perfect storm” with key new technologies to allow the broadcaster to fully embrace the file-based advantages. With metadata being key in realizing the full value of assets, the ability to put the creation of that metadata in the hands of operators who generate the asset is vital in ensuring that metadata is correct and comprehensive. By embracing new smartphone and tablet technology, we show how custom software allows the outside broadcast (OB) operator to quickly tag clips using Wi-Fi-based applications that fully integrate not only the onsite infrastructure, but also the end customers' archive and post-production facilities.

Joint Task Force on Networked Media: SMPTE, EBU, and VSF [Report from the Standards Vice President

In March, the Video Service Forum (VSF) invited representatives from SMPTE, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), various supplier industries, and users from around the world for a summit to discuss the next-generation of infrastructures in the B2B media domain. After two days of hard work, use-case definitions, and brainstorming, it was decided that the time is right to set the direction for a full networked media environment. It was agreed that the transition to file-based workflows for nonrealtime applications is well under way, however, the important functionality of realtime high-reliable exchange of content via networks was still missing. In addition, it was agreed that a purely technological approach was not suitable, but rather, business-driven requirements must be determined, before technologies are considered.

Digital Storage in File-Based Workflows

The development of digital workflows have freed creative work from the capacity limits of any one physical storage media (such as silver halide film) and come close to commoditizing the basic operations of content creation. Today's best digital cameras can capture finer details, at higher speeds, than was ever before possible. Today's special effects can effectively mimic or convincingly distort reality. Post-production equipment is now available allowing faster production of complex stereoscopic content and more effective sharing of resources, including digital storage, for content creation. Digital storage is the nexus of file-based media workflows, since in digital workflows storage devices and systems are the home of this content.

Migrating a broadcast facility to a file-based workflow: Five tips for a successful MAM implementation

When moving to a new facility in 2008, Sportsnet implemented file-based workflows and launched a production system that comprised integrated ingest, production and playout servers. The system did not provide for long-term archival storage however, so they needed to find a media asset management (MAM) solution that enabled users to share content simultaneously while giving them the same desktop access to archival footage as they had to production footage. The end result is a MAM system that includes an integrated scheduling and transmission module and provides an umbrella view of all media assets on both the production and MAM servers. It has been seamlessly integrated with a sports logging tool that clips highlights from approximately 250 hours of live sports each day. The system has been up and running for more than a year and has enabled more than 250 users to perform much of their work from their desktops. It has almost entirely eliminated the use of videotape. This paper will cover how, as a result, members of staff are more efficient, with instant and simultaneous access to media as soon as it has been ingested.

Story-Centric Workflows in the Cloud

After the transition to file-based workflows, broadcasters and production companies are facing new technological challenges. New business opportunities encourage programmakers to tell their stories on multiple distribution platforms, but they typically lack tools and platforms to do so efficiently. Furthermore, production platforms should embrace the flexibility offered by consumerization and cloud paradigms. VRT-medialab proposes a cloud-hosted autonomous media production (CHAMP) platform that brings innovative production workflows to the cloud. CHAMP is a technology platform on which software and media infrastructure can be offered as a service. For programmakers the platform provides fit-for-purpose cloud web apps to collaborate on a multiplatform story, using consumer devices such as tablets. In this paper a set of innovative platform web apps are discussed that support a real-life documentary use case. To provide interoperability a flexible story-centric data model is defined. Also public and private cloud concepts are applied to enable high-resolution workflows.

File-Based Workflows Update

It is no longer the “wild west.” File-based technologies have matured a great deal and the march towards fully file-based workflows proceeds apace. At this point, there are almost no facility designs that should not be done with file-based technologies as a primary part of the system. Many facilities are appropriate to design as fully file-based with the realtime “edge” being pushed out exclusively to the very borders of the workflow.

Digital Archiving Progress in 2011

With the adoption of file-based workflows, interest in digital archiving has grown significantly in 2011. The broader information technology community has well-established standards and practices for digital archiving, which should be considered by the media industry. Current hot topics in digital archiving of media, including SMPTE standards efforts, are reviewed.

File-Based Workflows: Key Challenges in Real-World Facilities

In past years, broadcasters adopted file-based workflows to enable faster-than-realtime and concurrent media processing, thereby improving production efficiency. This introduction turned out to be highly challenging, in particular with respect to the integration of different file-based islands into an optimized end-to-end workflow. Now that most issues are solved, time is ripe to assess the accomplishments of current implementations and identify the key future challenges. From a distant perspective, the main promises of working file-based seem to be fulfilled, but taking a closer look reveals that the majority of the implemented workflows are still very linear. System integrations could be taken to a higher level, especially concerning metadata, multiple-level format exchangeability, and truly collaborative production workflows. In addition, recent trends such as the consumerization of media production require adapted or novel workflows to handle the proliferation of formats and to provide a less strict, collaborative way of working.

On-set Generation of Color-corrected Dailies in Digital Cinema Production

The amount of time between shooting a scene and being able to view dailies to evaluate the results has decreased from a matter of days on film productions to almost instantaneous on video productions. With the introduction of file-based workflows, this time has again increased because of the need for post-processing of the raw image data. New developments in file-based workflows now allow for the creation of dailies on the set during production—rather than overnight at a post-production facility—providing rapid feedback for the cinematographer and director. Creating dailies becomes an integral part of a file-based workflow, including data management and backup, color correction, dailies production, editorial proxy generation, and color metadata creation.

File-Based Sports Production

File-based workflows have revolutionized news production, even migrating from the on-air server to the camera. Nonlinear editing features taking advantage of this trend, found to be as powerful in dramatic production and electronic cinematography, continue to claim more production credits. Additional file-based tools have emerged as higher quality file-based imaging and post-production has become commonplace. Live sports production may have been considered distinct from scripted programming in all skill sets, but although the management of many live streams of media remain an integral element of the live broadcast, diverse applications involving recorded media insertions continue to grow far beyond instant replay, driven by the speed and flexibility of file-based recording. Daily 24-hour sports highlight coverage and retrospective sports production has grown in parallel with the live broadcast, and the repackaging of gripping game footage day by day or season by season has become an integral part of sports broadcasting. Here, the advantages of file-based production have already been realized. As broadcast and dramatic production tools have merged and the speed of data networks have even surpassed that of streaming media; the distinctions between broadcast and dramatic production have become more logistical than technical. This paper examines the innovations and possibilities of file-based sports production. The concepts and implications of moving from real-time to faster than real-time content transfer is also examined. As broadcasters seek to offer viewers ever more viewing options, ready availability of alternative content is always a tempting proposition.

Implementing Networked File-Based Workflows

The history of television production and technology has been a continuing process of change and improvement. Changes in technology and the production processes span the time from the early days when programming was either live or film-based, continuing through the changes to videotape, color from monochrome, from analog to digital through to today's solid state storage and high-definition production processes. Throughout most of this change and innovation, the production process was primarily a linear, serial process and the consumer experience largely consisted of a push-based process, involving “appointment” viewing on a single type of viewing device. The current transition to networked, file-based workflows promises to achieve greater flexibility and efficiency to address changes in business and consumer expectations in the media space.

Integration and workflow: Their impact on ROI in broadcast media asset management projects

For broadcasters migrating from traditional linear tape-based operations to non-linear file-based workflows, media asset management (MAM) has a key role to play. By enabling widespread, simultaneous access to media, and by supporting collaborative workflows, MAM provides an essential tool to broadcasters in the digital age. However, many such projects have failed to fully deliver the benefits promised by the vendor, and anticipated by the broadcaster. The author proposes that there are two key indicators of future success in broadcast MAM projects: Understanding the customers' specific workflows, and integrating with the customers' legacy systems. This paper explores this proposition, and provides case study evidence to support the claims.