How does File-based workflow, MXF, SOA, fits together and slowly bring you to Web 3.0

1. Introduction for File-based
Workflows
MJ Drouin, VSF meeting
October 4th 2011, Atlanta

2. Who Am I?
• Director with 15 years of Media experience, I lead technical teams of up to 30 people and 3 managers to
deliver most aspects of the business - Operations, Customer Services, Information Technologies, Project
Management, Engineering, and Procurement. I developed expertise in managing cable, wireless, satellite,
transmission, engineering and software development. I worked at Bell, Teleglobe, Intelsat, CBC and as a
expert consultant.
• Professional Engineer, Masters in Technological Management, ITIL foundation, PMP
• I have extensive experience in speaking since the 90's (ouf!), subjects were always a mix of technologies,
commerce and management.
– Past engagements included: Cloud computing training for Content Providers (2011), My video is a file, now what?
(2010), DVB-H: Video over IP goes wireless (2010), Service Oriented Architecture (SOA): Tutorial for the Broadcast
Community (2010), Pitfalls of SW development: What every executive should know (2009), 8 weeks on Twitter: I love
it! (2009), The Future of Broadcast Archive Systems (2008), DVB-H: Video over IP goes Wireless (2006), HDTV
distribution (2005), Video over IP (2004) and, Several broadcast technical training (1994-1998): Video 101, Digital
Video and Compression 201, Video testing techniques 301.
• http://www.linkedin.com/in/mjdrouin
• http://twitter.com/mjdrouin
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4. Agenda
• Traditional vs File-based Workflow • FIMS: Phase 1 objectives
• Implementation of File-based – SOA
Workflows – Broadcast workflow in small services:
– Roadblocks Cloud Computing?
– Pains • What’s Next?
– Facilitators – Paper, hand-made, multi-interface
unrelated environment
• MXF: The Basics – Linking Open Data Project
– Advantages
– The rest of the world is moving: Web
– SMPTE MXF standards 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0
– Partition pack – Linked data: Creating new things
– Played Material vs Saved File
– Operational Patterns
– MXF on your HDD: AS-02
– Types of MXF files
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5. What is this all about:
Traditional broadcast workflow
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6. Theoretical file-based broadcast
Workflow
Low-res
Proxi
Archives
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7. Roadblocks for its Implementation
• Skills
• Split IT & Broadcast departments
• Requires – again – a brand new infrastructure
• Lack of standards, interoperability
• Mostly specialized broadcasters who really do it
• Metadata management not integrated, yet
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8. File-based Broadcasting concerns
Archiving
Post &
Persistence
Auto- Edit
Content
fill To air
Metad Re-use
ata Vendor File
compatibility
Consumer vs File-based
Professional Production
Stds Workflows
Standards
Asset
Mngmt
File multiple DRM Q.A.
format AMS
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interop

9. Pains during its Implementation
• Ingress • Video on computer vs on
• Egress screen
• Equipment flexibility and • Quality of source not
age easily separated from
• Not-really standard encoding & file transfer
standards such as AVI • OU Data circuits
• Scheduling &
Automation: Yet again, • Software offering = only
other software needed to large systems – not yet as
make it work… services
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10. Facilitators
• More than 1000 pages of standards (SMPTE/AMWA/FIBS/EBU)
• Economics
• Non-real-time transmissions
• Bandwidth growth in Telecom and Public internet
• Mobile tools: Intelligent phones & Tablets
• Content creators pushing for ubiquity
• MXF …
 Hybrid environment is here to stay a little longer…
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12. Advantages MXF
• Shared essence • But…
• Everybody that works on • What’s real, today?
it builds metadata
content
• Open standard –
independent of platform,
OS, vendor, etc
• Create a web of linked
essence/data
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13. SMPTE & MXF
Base documents
• SMPTE 377M: The MXF File Format Specification (the overall master document)
• SMPTE EG41: MXF Engineering Guide (A guide explaining how to use MXF)
• SMPTE EG42: MXF Descriptive Metadata (A guide explaining how to use descriptive metadata in MXF)
Generic containers
• SMPTE 379M: Generic Container (the way that essence is stored in MXF files)
• SMPTE 381M: GC-MPEG (how to store MPEG essence data in MXF using the Generic Container)
• SMPTE 383M: GC-DV (how to store DV essence data in MXF using the Generic Container)
• SMPTE 385M: GC-CP (how to store SDTI-CP essence data in MXF using the Generic Container)
• SMPTE 386M: GC-D10 (how to store SMPTE D10 essence data in MXF using the Generic Container)
• SMPTE 387M: GC-D11 (how to store SMPTE D11 essence data in MXF using the Generic Container)
• SMPTE 382M: GC-AESBWF (how to store AES/EBU and Broadcast Wave audio essence data in MXF using the
Generic Container)
• SMPTE 384M: GC-UP (how to store Uncompressed Picture essence data in MXF using the Generic Container)
• SMPTE 388M: GC-AA (how to store A-law coded audio essence data in MXF using the Generic Container)
• SMPTE 389M: Generic Container Reverse Play System Element
• SMPTE 394M: System Item Scheme-1 for Generic Container
• SMPTE 405M: Elements and Individual Data Items for the GC SI Scheme 1
Operational patterns
• SMPTE 390M: OP-Atom (a very simple and highly constrained layout for simple MXF files)
• SMPTE 378M: OP-1a (the layout options for a minimal simple MXF file)
• SMPTE 391M: OP-1b
• SMPTE 392M: OP-2a
• SMPTE 393M: OP-2b
• SMPTE 407M: OP-3a, OP-3b
• SMPTE 408M: OP-1c, OP-2c, OP-3c
Metadata, dictionaries and registries
• SMPTE 380M: DMS1 (a standard set of descriptive metadata to use with MXF files)
• SMPTE 436M: MXF Mappings for VBI Lines and Ancillary Data Packets
• SMPTE RP210: SMPTE Metadata Dictionary (the latest version is available here: http://www.smpte-
ra.org/mdd/index.html )
• SMPTE RP224: Registry of SMPTE Universal Labels
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14. MXF – The basics: Partition Pack
Physically
Divides File
Identification Audio/video
Operational Pattern Time to
Storage Information /metadata
Package & Track Structure bytes offset
- EDL structures and
Timecode
Essence Description
- Codecs, channels,
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Descriptive Metadata MXF wrapper
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15. Played material/saved material/timecodes
Audio
Tracks Video Material Package
Time Code
Audio
Video
Time Code 1
Time Code 2 File Package (using SMPTE UMID)
Metadata Audio
Metadata Video
Metadata Content Position bits vs
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timecodes

16. Operational Patterns
• How to use and
reconstruct
• MXF files
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17. AS-02: MXF files on your HDD
AS02_clips
- alice
alice.mxf
alice_v2.mxf
- media
alice_v0.mxf show_format.doc
alice_a0.mxf certificate.xml
alice_a1.mxf QC_report.xml
alice_vbi0.mxf thumbnails
alice_vanc0.mxf thumb0.jpg
- thumb1.jpg
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18. 7 Types of MXF files … Already!
• Op-1a – Single interleaved file (MPEG2 + some VANC/VBI + uncompressed
audio)
• XD-CAM HD – Single interleaved file (MPEG2 @ specific bitrate + 2-8 mono
AES)
• OP-Atom (AVID & AAF) – AAF synchronised component file (post)
• OP-Atom (Panasonic P2) – XML synchronized component file + constrained
by format & codec (cameraedit)
• dCinema – xml synchronized JPEG X’Y’Z component file (cinema
workflows)
• AS-02 – MXF synchronized MXF component files with manifest and shim
for interop  good for reading
• AS-03 – MXF synchronized MXF interleaved files (very strict for playout
servers)
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19. And still… pretty complex
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21. FIMS Framework – Specification #1
2011-10-04 * From
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v1.0

22. Service Oriented Architecture
XML, Web Services, MXF
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23. Now that you split the workflow in
Services…
• You can outsource it and grow utilisation of 3rd
party ressources … on demand?
• Cloud computing?
Could be another Operational Model for MXF?
May make it easier for Broadcasters to invest/or
not in the required additional infrastructure…
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24. Standards for Media Workflow = Enabler for Cloud Computing
Video Encoding, Video Storage, Security, Access,
Image processing Metrix, Elasticity multi-screen
conversions
3rd party services – on-demand
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25. But… What’s next?
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26. This is still our world …
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27. Possible to look more like that?
• Don’t you think
it will look more
like that than
pure SOA with a
super-centralized
enterprise bus &
Servers?
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28. The rest of the world is…
• Web 1.0 = content to all
• Web 2.0 = bidi web, content from users as well as
producers (read / write) web
• Beyond? Web 3.0
– web = services
– Intelligent data = Structured info = Links and filters
– Beyond PC: Mobile, IPTV, etc
– Web of things: Machines sending info on the web
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29. Isn’t it what a lot of people do at
Broadcasters?
• Linked Data enables data to be opened up and connected so that people can build
interesting new things from it. (via Tim Berners-Lee) Linked Data is Blooming;
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