Marquise Technologies Takes a First Look at IMF-TV with ProRes
Marquise Technologies believes that television today is not just about receiving content for transmission, but also about producing and selling content worldwide. Exchanging and managing the multiple versions of programming needed for this expanded business model must be done efficiently, both technically and financially.
The advantages of IMF workflows are well documented in theatrical post-production, but IMF adoption in television has been very limited so far. Broadcasters have very different distribution paths and often work on tighter schedules. Furthermore, many broadcasters currently use ProRes for both long-term conservation and as a mezzanine format.
Therefore a new IMF Application - more oriented towards the specific needs and workflows of broadcasters - is needed.
Last year, the European Broadcast Union (EBU) started an IMF-TV workgroup, led by Andy Quested from the BBC. This group studies the applicability of IMF for the main broadcaster use cases. “There was no need to reinvent the wheel,” Andy Quested said. “IMF already closely aligns with broadcasters’ needs for mastering and versioning for international exchange. Also many of the new proposals are a 1:1 fit with broadcaster requirements. What we want to do is literally sit the IMF workflows on top of our existing content infrastructures, which is why we are looking at a new Application.”
The EBU's Hans Hoffmann, Head of Media Fundamentals and Production Technology, also said, "We are very supportive of IMF as a mastering format. The principles developed in the cinema industry are equally applicable to broadcasting, and this is what the the EBU IMF-TV group is working toward."
Marquise Technologies, a member of the IMF-TV work group, will demonstrate these new IMF-TV workflows, from mastering an IMF package in ProRes to the creation of multiple deliverables, including AS-11 DPP and iTunes packages, at the 2017 NAB Show.
“We are supporting the implementation of IMF for mastering and QC solutions, not only by adding the latest specifications for the Studio Profile or the Cinema Mezzanine Apps, but also by being the first to support .OPL source files and sidecar metadata files,” said Laurence Stoll, CEO of Marquise Technology. “We know how critical it is for a film lab, a studio or a broadcaster to manage multiple versions, such as intermediaries and finals, of content, and we see the IMF not just as another format, but also as a protocol. Working with the EBU on using IMF for broadcast workflows and extending IMF implementations with ProRes support are the continuity of our work in that domain.” www.marquise-tech.com
