olympics everywhere supplement
special report
human touch for a person to make the judgment. It is the sophistication of the AmberFin iCR’s graphical user interface (GUI) that empowers the operator to make these judgments based on the collected data. When transcoding files for delivery
have the potential to create a high quality file-based HD/SD master, provide unique file conversion to multiple formats and implement appropriate levels of automated and manual quality control, all within a single unified software environment. New levels of trust and confidence
in the file/media quality are introduced, freeing staff to focus on other revenue-generating tasks. AmberFin’s intention is that UQC will become regarded as an industry benchmark in media quality control. AmberFin’s Unified QC approach
features the seamless integration of two industry-leading tools - Snell’s Hyperion and Digimetric's Aurora - so that all aspects of QC are now integrated within a single unified timeline to give users an instant and highly accurate visual display of potential quality issues throughout the ingest and transcoding process. Human readable reports with time code and thumbnail references can be created and exported, simplifying the decision-making process, while machine readable XML reports can be exported to DAM, MAM and automation systems. Snell's Hyperion provides real-time
baseband QC on ingest and automatically checks for VTR playback issues and common audio and time code faults. This ensures that users do not spend valuable time capturing hours of material only to find out later that it was faulty. Digimetric's Aurora provides file-
based QC after ingest and checks for common file wrapper anomalies to prevent expensive mistakes. Aurora tools also automatically check for a variety of compliance violations, including container metadata and delivery metrics, thereby reducing the burden on operators.
AmberFin UQC: the system’s elegant GUI displays every element of the ingest and transcoding process. By
combining this with the ability to apply a human touch to the extent required by the user, on this particular project, AmberFin iCR can make the man- machine interface more efficient, resulting in less work requirements on the operator, more efficient work throughout the media facility and the work
performed having a greater financial output.
There is a key issue in terms of
what does a facility do when the feed looks good but the resulting files look bad. The challenge is to use UQC to find out where the data ingest, transcoding and file creation went wrong so that the workflow can be fixed rapidly. In the media world, the tendency is
to QC the file and not the processes that made the file. AmberFin UQC is changing this. By measuring QC at two places and storing the results with the asset, UQC creates knowledge about the media. Since QC requirements vary from
facility to facility and from project to project, each application requires a different level of manual intervention. To that effect, AmberFin has developed new mark-up and annotation tools that allow operators to highlight potential issues, make recommendations and provide information that can be sent on to downstream applications for action.
Applying human touch to QC in a file-based media workflow
AmberFin UQC solves the challenge of blending efficient human intervention and simple representation of the QC process with modern day media tools to make the concept applicable to file-based media workflows. When ingesting media, UQC enables quality control of both the input and the output and to show the metrics graphically. Emphasising the need to display
workflow status, AmberFin has developed a single unified user interface that provides the operator with a feeling of how good the media is. Automated devices continually make measurements but it requires a
34 l ibe l olympics everywhere supplement november/december 2011 l
www.ibeweb.com
to a range of applications, AmberFin UQC implements QC before file ingest, after ingest and after transcoding. Once again, all this data is graphically represented on the GUI. UQC enables the operator to rapidly judge if there is a problem in the process of transcoding as well as in the file itself. The benefit of this process is that if the operator identifies a fault in the process of file transcoding, he/she knows what needs correcting in order to rectify the problem. AmberFin iCR can also detect
problems in system configuration, as well as file quality. In this respect, it can self-correct, saving time and cost downstream. AmberFin UQC contributes to the
process of waste reduction by never doing anything that’s not needed or is wasteful, and never knowingly doing anything that it knows to be wrong. The system’s elegant GUI displays
every element of the ingest and transcoding process. By combining this with the ability to apply a human touch to the extent required by the user, on this particular project, AmberFin iCR can make the man- machine interface more efficient, resulting in less work requirements on the operator, more efficient work throughout the media facility and the work performed having a greater financial output.
Conclusions
The London Games promise to capture the world’s attention with global viewing audiences numbered in their billions. Because of advances in technology, pictures of the event will be viewed on many different types of screen. Broadcasters preparing for their
coverage of the Games would be wise to consider the issue of quality control. AmberFin, an independent UK-based company, has developed a new concept in UQC that gives broadcasters new levels of confidence in the file creation and transformation processes while enabling more efficient and effective decision-making. This in turn has the potential to vastly improve consumers' enjoyment of the event on the widest range of platforms.
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