16 TVBEurope MAM Forum 2013 Managing the unmanageable


Broadcasters are awash in a sea of assets, some essential for creation of content, some with real potential for monetisation, and some with no known use...yet. But without proper management, the asset sea can become a swamp. In the first of our two Forums this month, Philip Stevens leads an investigation into MAM systems.


FILE BASED WORKFLOWS are widespread throughout the industry, and there continues to be an abundance of providers of MAM systems to organise that data. But do users get the most from such systems? Are mini-MAMs viable? What questions should a potential customer ask to ensure the right package is purchased? We convened a new


Forum to explore the issues in further detail. Participating (in alphabetical order) are Warren Arenstein, SVP business development, Primestream Corporation; Brian Campanotti, chief technology officer at Front Porch Digital; Ed Casaccia, Grass Valley’s senior director, Solutions Marketing; Raoul Cospen, Dalet’s director of marketing and business development; Craig Dwyer, senior director, of Avid’s global centre of excellence; Petter Ole Jakobsen, chief technical officer at Vizrt; Karl Mehring, senior product manager, Snell; Pavel Potuzak, managing director, Aveco; Patrice Rosay, Netia Solutions architect and bid manager; Mike Shaw, managing director IBIS MAM, Orad Hi Tec Systems, and Julian Wright, co-founder and general manager, Blue Lucy Media.


How does a MAM help improve quality of broadcast output?


Arenstein: It helps in so many ways throughout a production workflow that it is not easily quantifiable. But to put it in its most basic terms, having access to content and relevant descriptive metadata allows producers to make more informed choices and tell better stories. All users benefit from being able to find the right shot at the right time. Campanotti: The ability to


access, browse, and query file-based archives easily via a simple, unified desktop interface enhances the overall creative process. It does this by minimising the complexities of underlying formats and high- resolution file storage locations, and provides a multitude of ways to search and locate content easily. Most MAM systems allow direct desktop shot list creation, and some facilitate simple, frame-accurate cut editing by leveraging the functionality of the backend content storage management or archive solution. With this desktop access, creative staff


Warren Arenstein, Primestream


can better manage, easily repurpose, and truly drive the nonlinear creation process. Casaccia: A MAM system, considered separately from actual production tools, can certainly contribute to the quality of broadcast output since it is the means by which the best and most compelling audio and video involved in the production can be ascertained and accessed. Cospen: With direct access to content from production and archives, users can easily and quickly find entire media


spaces and archives, selecting the most compelling material. And because it is easier and faster for users to locate the best possible material, the organisation as a whole has more time to assemble a higher quality finished package for air. Dwyer: MAM can improve


broadcast output in many ways. For example, having a consistent way to describe assets makes them easier to find, and leads to greater reuse opportunities which, in turn, can release budgets for new material. A MAM system can reduce or remove many manual tasks often eliminating time consuming and repetitive housekeeping activities. This improves a media organisation’s operational efficiencies by freeing up staff to concentrate on creating more valuable and inspiring creative content. Jakobsen: In general, file-


based workflows also make it easier to introduce new tools or codecs — which allows more aggressive use of the latest technology. Quality comes from


consistency — and here a MAM allows implementing fine-grained control into the production process to improve consistency and thereby quality. Mehring: MAM has the


ability to improve both quality and variety of broadcast output by ensuring that potentially complex workflows can be automated in an elegant and repeatable manner, minimising the chance for errors introduced by otherwise manual processes. Rosay: If a MAM is to


improve the quality of the broadcast output, it must be at the heart of the information system. Deployed as a central part of the broadcast system, the MAM solution serves as a backbone that enables greater efficiency in producing content. Offering a straightforward and ergonomic GUI, the MAM system simplifies the tracking, management, and optimisation of content life cycles, enabling greater productivity and delivery of a better end product.


What efficiency savings are possible through the use of a MAM?


Arenstein: Efficiencies are immediately found when content is ingested and/or digitised once — then made available to all users everywhere for immediate editing and distribution, instead of making multiple copies of material. Tape should no longer be a major operational cost. Efficiencies can be increased by adding an automation engine to the MAM, like automatic input


of descriptive metadata – or conditional actions based on metadata entry. Cospen: MAM offers


efficiencies across the entire workflow, but there are a few key capabilities that stand out with regards to efficiency. The ‘while’ scenario — example, the ability to edit while recording — is a must for fast-paced productions. Asset-centric production is another.


Jakobsen: The main efficiency


saving is via simpler tools. This means more staff can do more types of jobs. A typical example is getting producers and journalists to do more rough cutting or pre-editing themselves. With simple tools from your desktop, you don’t need to reserve a specialised seat and you don’t have to run back and forth in your facility as much.


Potuzak: A tapeless


environment eliminates the cost of physical storage of tape, cost of tape itself, cost of erasing and recycling tapes, etc. A MAM usually includes a workflow manager to automate many day-to-day activities such as transcoding a file into multiple formats and distributing content. This can all be automated with a checkbox rather than manually by one or more people.


www.tvbeurope.com December 2013


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