Last week’s three-day (10/21-23) Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) 2014 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition delved into myriad topics, among the most prominent being workflow and storage of digital assets.
Presentations at the SMPTE confab in Hollywood included an overview of a survey conducted by Coughlin Associates on storage in professional media and entertainment. Presenter Tom Coughlin shared key findings, which included cloud storage playing an increasing role in enabling collaborative workflows. In 2014, 25.6 percent of facility respondents said they used cloud-based storage for postproduction as compared to 24.7 percent in 2013 and 15.1 percent in 2012. Additionally, in 2014, 28.1 percent of respondents had 1 TB or more storage capacity in the cloud vs. 23 percent in 2013 and 26.7 percent in 2012.
Eric Diehl, formerly VP, security systems and technologies at Technicolor, presented a paper titled “Is the Future of Content Protection Cloud(y)?” He divided the cloud into data centers, community cloud, private cloud and public clouds–all of which need to build trust among users if they are to be successful. Trust is built over the viability, reliability and security of such components as hardware, OS/VM, administration and access. These components were most trustworthy for data centers and private clouds whereas there’s more marketplace concern over the security of the public cloud. Yet no matter what kind of cloud, Diehl cautioned that “rule number one of security” is that “attackers will always find a way.” Shared technology vulnerability is inherent in the cloud so steps must be taken for protection to guard against data breach, data loss and data tampering. “Some architectural choices and new technologies may mitigate the risks,” said Diehl, affirming that new MPAA guidelines are needed.
Brian Campanotti, CTO of Front Porch Digital, made a presentation on Archive eXchange Format (AXF), a universal standard for the wrapping, storage, transport and preservation of file assets. He said that AXF applies to all data tape, Flash media as well as large-scale storage. “We started deploying AXF three years ago on a range of AXF certified technologies,” reported Campanotti. “In terms of a use case, we’re able to replicate data between our sites, using cloud storage. We have immediate access to our content without re-formatting.” SMPTE recently published the AXF Part 1 Standard (ST 2034-1:2014).
In a session titled “Addressing Issues in File-Based Workflows,” a presentation was made by several–including Clyde Smith, sr. VP of new technologies for FOX Network engineering and operations–on the work of the Joint Task Force on Film Formats and Media Interoperability. The task force is a joint venture of the North America Broadcasters Association (NABA), the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA), European Broadcasting Union (as an observer), SMPTE, The International Association of Broadcast Manufacturers (IABM) and Ad-ID, representing the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). The task force’s Specification Working Group is in the process of finalizing a report based in part on user stories/case studies and addressing such areas as identification and metadata, file formats and metadata, and AD-ID related issues, as well as the assessment of some 20 different technologies. The final report will include recommendations and is scheduled to be finished by Thanksgiving.
Centennial campaign
The Walt Disney Company, Panasonic, and Dolby Laboratories have made contributions totaling $1 million to the SMPTE Centennial Celebration Campaign’s Next Century Fund. These gifts, formally recognized on the concluding day of the SMPTE 2014 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition, are the largest financial commitments in the Society’s history.
“It is our great pleasure to lend our support to SMPTE, both in terms of leadership and financial support, as the Society prepares for its Centennial Celebration,” said Vince Roberts, executive vice president of Global Operations and chief technology officer, Disney/ABC Television Group. “For almost 100 years, SMPTE has played a critical role in advancing the art, science, and craft of the moving image and its sound. We are proud to partner with SMPTE as it continues its groundbreaking work in moving-imagery education, engineering, and research.”
“We can’t think of any organization more worthy of our support than SMPTE,” said Kunihiko Miyagi, director, Professional AV Business Unit, Imaging Network Business Division in Panasonic Corporation’s AVC Networks Company. “The ongoing role the Society plays in advancing standards and technical education for our industry is absolutely critical to our success, and to that of all SMPTE members. Panasonic salutes SMPTE as it enters its second century of advocacy and advancement for the field of moving imagery.”
“SMPTE has made a remarkable and long-standing commitment to education and to the development of standards that support ever-greater creative and technical achievements in the field of motion imaging and sound,” said Pat Griffis, executive director of technology strategy, Office of the CTO, Dolby Laboratories. “The Society’s centennial celebration is an ideal opportunity to recognize this work and its enormous influence on our industry.”
The SMPTE Centennial Campaign has been established in recognition of the Society’s 100-year anniversary in 2016. The campaign is led by an advisory committee consisting of Wendy Aylsworth and Chuck Dages (retired) of Warner Bros.; Peter Fannon of Panasonic; Richard Friedel of Fox; Charles Jablonski of SMPTE; Peter Ludé of RealD; William Miller of Miltag Media Technology; Chuck Pagano (retired) of ESPN; Bob Ross of CBS; and Larry Thorpe of Canon.
“Without question, SMPTE’s next hundred years will be very different from the first. As our industry evolves, new developments are challenging every aspect of the media workflow — from technology tools to business models,” said Barbara Lange, executive director of SMPTE. “With their generous gifts, The Walt Disney Company, Panasonic, and Dolby Laboratories are providing a tremendous boost to the Society’s ongoing expansion and evolution across our three pillars of activity: standards development, membership development, and education programs.”
The Next Century Fund will support specific SMPTE standards activities that speed the development, adoption, use, and understanding of new industry standards, as well as creating tools such as a repository for test materials that are crucial for certifying new IP-based workflows. In the area of membership development, SMPTE’s goals include international Section expansion as well as improving programming and networking for students. In education, the Society will focus on creating educational programs that support rapidly changing industry needs; establishing regular conference events throughout the world; and developing and deploying educational programs that serve all levels of membership.
