12
NEWS & VIEWS
MAM in 2016:
Agile workflows,
smart
orchestration
& seamless
delivery
Let’s start with a loaded question: Is it
possible to agree on a single definition for
Media Asset Management (MAM)? While
all vendors more or less agree on the main
goal of a MAM — to allow media professionals to make more and better programs
with fewer costs involved — the way that
this translates into MAM functions change
over time, because technology is continually shifting both the realm of possibility
and the cost equation.
Let’s take a step back and quickly review
how the concept of MAM evolved over
time. Below is a summary of the evolution
of media asset data models in MAM systems, which highlights four eras of MAM:
n The “Dark Ages of MAM”, when
our operations were almost exclusively
tape-based, and there was no real MAM
system in place.
n The “Stone Age”, which debuted with
the introduction of file-based workflows,
allowing the development of the first
proper MAM systems.
n The “Iron Age”, when more recently
things got a bit more complex. We no
longer had a singl e file attached to a metadata record. We needed multiple versions
of that media asset, in multiple formats;
let’s say, one version for proxy viewing,
and a few different versions for archiving,
distribution to FTP or websites.
n The “Industrial Age”, when things
became even more advanced. The asset
was not just a single media file anymore; it
became a combination of many individual
building blocks, with a master video track,
individual audio tracks for multiple languages, caption or subtitle files, and even
secondary video files and still images.
So here we are: the Industrial Age! The
advanced data models described above allow us to automate production and delivery
workflows in an efficient way, by building
media production factories for delivering
standardised multilingual, multi-platform
content packages.
Today, MAM systems streamline complex transformations to send content where
it needs to go, in the correct language and
in the correct format, to systems such as
video-on-demand (VoD), over-the-top
(OTT) and social media platforms, thanks
to advanced metadata tagging and strong
API integrations. Functions included
in modern MAM systems such as Dalet
Galaxy, namely track stacking capabilities,
workflow orchestration tools and context
Raoul Cospen
General Manager, APAC
Dalet
mapping, have become much easier to
manage. Similarly, the management of
complex media workflows with a wide
variety of assets related to one other, such
as subtitles, language tracks and multiple
versions, is more fluid in today’s MAM
solutions.
To deliver on the promise of the “Industrial Age”, however, one needs the tools to
efficiently run the factory. This means that
a modern MAM system is now expected to
enable some key additional aspects:
n Support an agile business infrastructure that can scale easily, both in terms of
supported platforms and integrations.
n Optimise workflow by orchestrating
the combination of automated tasks and
user operations.
Being the core of the content preparation and distribution chain, MAM systems
need to provide full visibility on operations
to help management teams trigger the right
technical and business decisions.
The good news is that through methodologies such as Business Process Modelling
(BPM), organisations today have the ability
to sequence system processes alongside human tasks, providing advanced reporting
and detailed analytics on the effectiveness
of the designed workflows, and exposing
measurable business benefits.
Organisations can replicate editorial
success based on reports of content usage,
tap into new revenue streams based on
consumption analytics, better use talent
based on information about productivity,
and enhance technical infrastructure with
technical information gathered.
In the end, MAM projects become
workflow-focused projects with business
intelligence (BI) at their heart. Today,
these projects present the opportunity to
drastically streamline human operations
and foster collaboration. This is a radical
change in the approach that used to be
more focused on the technical aspects.
BPM enables this approach, making the
system design more agile and scalable. In
addition, it provides incredible new capabilities in the back office to answer today’s
challenges that are technically much more
complex. q
September 2016
Alibaba Cloud ties up
with HTC to advance
VR development
BEIJING – Alibaba Cloud, the cloud comput
ing arm of the Alibaba Group, has announced
a strategic partnership with HTC Corporation.
Leveraging Alibaba Cloud’s cloud com
puting technology, the companies will focus
on developing “breakthrough, innovative
solutions” to tackle bandwidth allocation,
data transmission and data processing needs
in areas such as virtual reality (VR) video
production and broadcasting. Also in the
pipeline is the development of a VR cloud
ecosystem, while Viveport, HTC’s VR app
store, will be extended to Alibaba Cloud’s
cloud computing platform.
Ge Jin, business architect director at
Alibaba Cloud, said: “Cloud computing has
continuously broken the boundaries of what
we thought possible, accelerating the rate
of innovation. The partnership between
Aliababa Cloud and HTC will bring two of
the world’s most disruptive technologies
together to bring more value to businesses
looking to leverage VR and cloud.
“This partnership will accelerate the de
velopment of VR technology in China and
encourage widespread, global adoption.”
Aliababa Cloud and HTC believe that
cloud computing and VR technology
complement each other on commercial
applications. According to the companies,
the algorithm capacity and infrastructure
provided by cloud computing technology
can enhance the VR experience by increasing
definition, minimising system crashes and
conserving bandwidth.
The development of VR technology also
requires “powerful and flexible” infrastruc
ture support from the backend to supply
visually rich and interactive content to audi
ences, the companies added. In this respect,
they believe cloud computing technology
can further improve efficiency and lower
operation costs.
The new partnership is a “landmark colla
boration” between the VR and cloud comput
ing industries, declared Alvin Wang, China
regional president of Vive, HTC. “By leverag
ing computing expertise and the developer
ecosystem built on Aliababa Cloud, HTC Vive
will provide more reliable, stable services to
VR solution developers with better access to
the China market,” he concluded.
Vive is a “first-of-its-kind” VR
system developed in partnership by
HTC and Vive. Designed from the
ground up for room-scale VR, Vive
allows true-to-live interactions and
experiences, thanks to an adjustable
headset displaying graphics, two
wireless controllers with HD haptic
feedback and 360˚absolute motion
tracking. As part of a new strategic
partnership with Alibaba Cloud,
Viveport, HTC’s VR app store, which
is being rolled out globally, will be
extended to Alibaba Cloud’s cloud
computing platform.
Indian viewers have access
to almost 900 TV channels
NEW DELHI – With the Indian government
granting approval for three new satellite TV
channels to broadcast in India in June this
year, there are now 892 channels broadcast
ing in the country.
Of these, 403 channels cover news and
current affairs, with general entertainment
channels (GECs) accounting for 489, as
of June 30 this year. The three new chan
nels comprise two news channels — Total
Haryana and Total Rajasthan — run by Total
Telefirms, as well as MAAS TV, which is owned
by Gokann International Media.
Twenty channels, including seven news
channels, have been permitted to uplink
from India but not downlink within the coun
try, according to the latest data from India’s
Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
A total of 776 channels, of which 395 are
GECs, are allowed to uplink and downlink
in India. A further 96, including 81 GECs,
are uplinked from overseas but allowed to
downlink into Indian TV homes.
In a separate development, Indian public
service broadcaster Doordarshan has been
given the all-clear to air 32 direct-to-home
(DTH) TV channels. The project, known as
Swayam Prabha, is an initiative to provide
high-quality educational content to students,
teachers and citizens in general. Expected to
be launched this month, the programmes will
be broadcast primarily in English.