Taking File-Based Workflows to the Next Level: Project and Timeline Based Integrations

Broadcasters are rapidly adopting file-based media production workflows in their back-end facilities. To a considerable extent, the application of file formats such as MXF for media exchange and AAF for representing edit decisions brings about unprecedented advantages by providing the essential “glue” between different system components. The integration between a central asset management (MAM) system and craft editing suites is a typical, meanwhile widespread practice that reconciles pre- and post-production functional steps based on dedicated MXF rewrapping, EDL to AAF timeline conversion and metadata transformations. By imposing additional constraints on the applied file formats by means of MXF Application Specifications and the AAF Edit Protocol, the baseline for a successful media file and edit interchange between products of different vendors has been established. Concurrently, similar integration solutions based on QuickTime and FCP XML have emerged. — The time is ripe to stretch the outlined paradigm to its next level: the exchange of multiple edit timelines, composite bin structures and other project information between different systems. This extension would clearly accommodate more complex integrated workflows than established to date such as a better structured programme pre-production, temporary archiving of editing projects, mixed craft editing on central storage using different applications and even automatic forwarding of search results to appropriate user bins. — This paper explores state-of-the-art techniques for exchanging project and timeline information with and between major post production suites and pinpoints the present shortcomings and bottlenecks. It reflects on different approaches and candidate formats for bin structure exchange and also discusses the possible role of application interfaces. Finally, the business need is taken into account and considered against the implied complexity. The reflections presented in this paper are valuable for all technical practitioners dealing with the implementation of file-based production workflows.

Published

2009-10

Content type

Original Research

Keywords

AAF, MXF, file-based integrations, post production

DOI

10.5594/M001304

ISBN

978-1-61482-943-0