As of this past Tuesday, “File Delivery Day,” file transfer in the UK has been changed dramatically. Thanks to the Digital Production Partnership (DPP) in the UK, all television programs are now delivered to broadcasters in a single, regulated package. Paul Turner, Telestream’s Vice President of Enterprise Product Management, takes a moment to reflect on the changes, and how Vantage can facilitate the delivery of a new standard for broadcasters.
Fast and Easy DPP File Creation with Vantage
You may have heard that as of October 1st, the UK public broadcasters have standardized upon DPP files as their interchange formats. Because of this, content owners and producers who supply those companies must deliver them in the DPP format. DPP files must observe the correct timeline structure: they must contain the correct metadata, and they must be encoded to exacting standards with the highest possible quality. Without Vantage, the DPP file creation process can involve several disparate systems, hand-crafted XML files, and extensive editing to ensure that slates, bars and tones are executed correctly… costing time and money. Vantage significantly simplifies the process by offering a complete, automated and easy-to-use solution for creating DPP files quickly and effectively. Operators simply enter metadata and mark program segments. After that, Vantage automatically assembles the timeline with slates, bars and tones in the correct places, and program segments aligned accurately. Vantage also integrates with common QC systems to perform Harding FPA (Flash and Pattern Analysis). Vantage then encodes the output AS-11 file with its award-winning full 16-bit video processing and optional GPU acceleration, while simultaneously inserting the metadata. Vantage can also automate delivery to the final destination, allowing you to quickly scale your DPP file production with a minimum of manual labor.
Metadata Entry
Using the Vantage Workflow Portal, operators simply enter DPP metadata and mark program parts in an easy-to-use interface. System administrators configure data entry rules, choosing which fields should be read-only for the operators (such as “Distributor” or “Contact information”), choosing default values, and restricting choices as desired. Operators can then quickly focus upon their data entry task, and Vantage will validate the XML prior to job submission.
For multi-part programs, operators can also use a proxy viewer to identify program segments from one or more input files. Parts may all come from a single file, or may be spread across multiple files – Vantage allows complete flexibility. Original content can be virtually any file format, including any common editing platform, broadcast or archive format; Vantage will automatically transcode and convert without requiring manual intervention. Vantage will then assemble the DPP metadata XML and time line according to the operator program part selection.
Once the file has been encoded, automated delivery rules can also be established. Delivery can be done using HTTP, S3, FTP, Aspera, Signiant, and a variety of other protocols. Only Vantage offers so complete a solution, where an operator can quickly assemble a DPP file, with rendering, transcoding, and delivery completely automated.
Complete Flexibility
Vantage allows you to pick and choose which components you want in your DPP workflow. If you already have assets with the correct DPP time line or your own slates, Vantage will allow you to simply enter the DPP metadata and directly transcode the file to the final format. Alternatively, if you already have DPP XML files, Vantage can automatically validate them using Vantage Analysis, and then perform a final transcode directly.
A quick interview with Paul at last month’s IBC in Amsterdam
Really helpful information. Thanks Telestream!