Migrating a broadcast facility to a file-based workflow: Five tips for a successful MAM implementation

Abstract

When moving to a new facility in 2008, Sportsnet implemented file-based workflows and launched a production system that comprised integrated ingest, production and playout servers. The system did not provide for long-term archival storage however, so they needed to find a media asset management (MAM) solution that enabled users to share content simultaneously while giving them the same desktop access to archival footage as they had to production footage. The end result is a MAM system that includes an integrated scheduling and transmission module and provides an umbrella view of all media assets on both the production and MAM servers. It has been seamlessly integrated with a sports logging tool that clips highlights from approximately 250 hours of live sports each day. The system has been up and running for more than a year and has enabled more than 250 users to perform much of their work from their desktops. It has almost entirely eliminated the use of videotape. This paper will cover how, as a result, members of staff are more efficient, with instant and simultaneous access to media as soon as it has been ingested.