Workflow steps to create a digital master format

Abstract

The typical result of an entire digital film production chain are multiple versions of a media file. This constitutes a great challenge in creating and managing for content creators. Especially in post production processes, different versions arise for final distribution of several resolutions, frame rates, languages and subtitles. The Interoperable Master Format (IMF) is a uniform master standard developed by SMPTE to improve interoperability and facilitate automation without requiring diverse distribution copies of content for each distribution company. Some of the largest international providers of video on demand (VOD) services have started to use IMF for content ingestion and are investing heavily in this emerging standard. Existing software and hardware solutions dealing with IMF are often very costly and subject to proprietary rights. In relation to that issue, a prototype of a web-based application was developed to create digital master formats. The prototype offers several web services to provide a better efficiency of working with digital master formats within media postproduction and distribution.