Case Study: File Based Workflow from Acquisition to Air

WGBH is one of the largest Public Television operations in the US producing more than one third of the programs seen nationally on PBS. Program distribution platforms include; over the air broadcast channels, Cable TV, Satellite, DVD and web streaming. On the horizon is broadcast to mobile handheld devices through ATSC M/H. Over the years technological advancements moved the facility infrastructure from analog to digital but the production workflow was essentially the same as it had been for many years, a linear process involving movement of physical media from one step to the next toward the final deliverable. In late 2008 an analysis of the current production practices was undertaken with an eye toward moving to a file based workflow. In early 2009 the first phase of a transition from a largely tape based linear production workflow to a file based process took place. This paper describes the system as implemented, which is based on a SAN (Storage Area Network) architecture that ties studio ingest, edit and final packaging for air.

Published

2009-10

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/M001303

ISBN

978-1-61482-943-0