THE SECRET TO SUCCESS IN FILE-BASED WORKFLOWS: MULTIPLE ECOSYSTEM CONNECTIVITY by Paul Turner
Until quite recently, the broadcast industry was a proprietary environment – in the days of tape, certain key technology vendors guarded their IP jealously and were not interested in sharing their secret source. Today, file-based workflows have changed that mentality for good according to Paul Turner, Vice President of Enterprise Product Management at Telestream.
Turner leads Telestream’s global product and market strategy efforts for the company’s enterprise products. With more than 30 years experience in the broadcast and video technology industry, he has seen some radical changes in vendors’ technology strategies. Now, he believes that the user community needs careful guidance and support in harnessing these new strategies.
The days of proprietary systems and closed formats are fading away into a distant memory. Today, third party interoperability is not only appealing: it is an essential requirement of any system. At the same time, there has been a sea-change in emphasis away from hardware-based technology architectures towards software-based production workflows.
It is a well-worn adage but the only constant in today’s broadcast and electronic media market is change, and the speed of that change is showing no sign of relenting. Broadcasters and media organisations are faced with a very different technology landscape – one that offers considerable rewards for the right strategy whilst presenting considerable risks to players trying to implement poorly conceived media approaches.
The concept that one technology vendor can provide a complete end-to-end media transformation solution is totally wrong. In today’s environment, the biggest winners are those companies that combine production tools and systems from ‘best-in-class’ vendors into an integrated workflow that best suits that organization’s needs.
The big question is how do you combine these various workflow components into a cohesive integrated workflow that is fit for purpose today, and will be long into the future? To achieve this you need a trusted technology partner that understands file-based workflows and how to exploit their undeniable advantages in a commercial setting.
Some vendors have developed a new-found passion for file-based workflows but despite their protestations otherwise, they have a track record built around hardware-centric operations. Whilst these are sound companies, they don’t possess the engrained experience in today’s software centric file-based workflows where third-party interoperability is fundamental to success.
Today, interoperability should define your technology partners – not just here and now but over many years. As an industry, interoperability should be central to our collective vision. Technology vendors need to develop products and systems that enable harmony across a range of broadcast ecosystems. Only through specialist knowledge of file-based workflows can vendors help other companies’ progress towards the super connected network-based future.
IBC 2015 will provide a fascinating window on our industry and demonstrate how various companies are succeeding - or not - in achieving these goals. The five days of this international exhibition and conference enable visitors to see beyond the smoke and mirrors that some vendors are so successful in creating. It enables visitors to ask the searching questions and see for themselves what various vendors can really offer, here and now.
BROADCAST BEAT MAGAZINE
IBC Issue September 2015
70