Archive of the Metadata Category

Inlet Armada automates the digital media workflow process, from analysis to encode to post-encode. Announced at last year’s NAB for shipment in late 2008, the product is now available.

Armada has three processing nodes: Analysis ($6,500), Transcoding ($7,500), and Post Encoding ($12,000) controlled by the Management Server ($14,000). The system is modular, so you can buy a component at a time, and even integrate third-party encoding systems into the workflow. more

When Adobe doesn’t debut new products at NAB, they tend to offer interesting and often far reaching product “previews.” This year, it was Adobe Story, a new online/offline program for collaborative scriptwriting that will debut in “CSNext,” no date announced or implied during our interview with Simon Hayhurst.

Why a screenwriting program? Because most serious productions have a screenplay that contains the dialog and descriptive information about scene location and the associated action. Scripts in Adobe Story get converted to metadata that Adobe can use all the way through to the Flash Player. In online productions, advertisers can buy ads in just the right locations, like auto insurance during chase scenes, or a Bombay Sapphire Gin advert when Bond orders his martini, shaken, not stirred. Basically, Adobe has staked a long term claim on the over-arching value of metadata, and Adobe Story is their latest investment. more

Focus Enhancements sells an assortment of products in multiple markets, so it’s always a fun visit at NAB. The coolest item this year was an upgrade of the company’s popular FS-5 DTE recorder, which includes the ability to create MPEG-4 proxy files after recording for preview on the FS-5’s color LCD. MPEG-4 is a good choice, since you can obviously play the clips on a computer, upload them to a video sharing site or display them on most mobile devices.

Also new is the ability to wirelessly log clip metadata using any WiFi capable device like an iPod. You can even link multiple FS-5 units together and add the same metadata to all units simultaneously. FS-5 version 2.0 should ship in May and will be free to all customers who purchased the FS-5 between February 2009 and June 30, 2009. Otherwise, the upgrade will cost $39. more

The Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California (ETC-USC) has set up a laboratory where manufacturers and content creators can put stereoscopic 3D to the test. In fact, they can test any and all combinations of content (live action vs. animated), display devices, format, distribution paths, and glasses types. Called the Anytime/Anywhere Content Lab (AACL), the arena is a neutral ground that focuses especially on the consumer experience in the home.

At the Digital Cinema Summit at NAB today, ETC executive director David Wertheimer acknowledged that the industry needs to keep its stereoscopic eyes on the prize of the home market. For the entertainment industry as a whole, he said, “Home video is the tail that wags the dog.” (In theaters, the battle has in many ways been won; all major U.S. media markets have at least one 3D-enabled theater for a total of about 8,000, and all DreamWorks releases are now getting a stereoscopic theatrical release.) more

Back from the show. I like taking a day or so after my last postings to look through everything I’ve collected, selecting some last items to include in a final wrapup. While that’s not a lot of time for deep reflection, I am at least far enough away from the hype of the moment to enable a bit of perspective.

At the NAB press office earlier this week I overheard an NAB official talk to the editor of one of the leading trade mags. He was asked about what he thought would be among the most exciting developments of the show. Instead, he begged off answering, stating that as far as he was concerned it was all just a rehash. He could find nothing new or interesting worth commenting on. more

With the increasing use of capable high-end digital cameras, the ability to manipulate data as soon as possible looks to yield great benefits in speeding production as well as ensuring delivery of the directors vision. UK-based FilmLight made a move in this increasingly competitive space–Arri, da Vinci, and LaserPacific are just a few of the companies working on products and proposed solutions–with the introduction of Truelight On-Set at the show.

The company has made a name for itself as one as the leaders in color management technology in post. On-Set takes that capability to the earlier stages of a production, enabling the director and DP to set a look during the shoot that will serve as the foundation for color correction in post. more

After three days of looking at multiple enterprise encoding systems, I decided that I couldn’t meaningfully tell them apart by a features and benefits approach. I had to look at the high level product philosophy. Fortunately, I was meeting with two companies that couldn’t have been further apart. Briefly, Anystream wants to be a soup to nuts provider, while Rhozet wants to provide the best darn encoding tool available, and that’s it.

Note that neither approach is right or wrong, just more or less well suited for what you’re looking for in an enterprise encoding system. Between the two companies, you’ll see the extremes of this type of product offering.

In this post, I’ll discuss Anystream, where I met with Russell Zack, Anystream’s VP of Product Management, and Ken Haren, a technical representative who helped me during a recent review of Anystream Agility. I started the conversation by asking Russell why a customer should choose Anystream over any other system. Check out Rhozet’s pitch more

As HBO’s Christian Wilson urged me to do on Sunday, I stopped by the Aspera booth (SU15509) this morning to learn more about that company’s high-speed file transfer software suite. I was fortunate to run into Michelle Munson, Aspera’s president and co-founder, while I was there, and she filled me in on the company’s story.

While the technical explanation of how Aspera’s “fasp 2.0″ software suite addresses the twin issues of speed and ultra-security for major entertainment clients like HBO, Technicolor, Ascent Media, EFilm, and many others–most of whom are building Aspera, one way or another, into their larger digital asset management suite of tools–is interesting and important, I was most struck by another part of the story Munson addressed. more

The Adobe press dinner is always a lot of fun for me; a chance to hobnob with the product folks I talk to all year round, meet with some of the higher ups and drink really expensive single malt scotch (Lagavulin last night for those who care about such things).

And, of course, you get to hear what the product folks are working on for upcoming versions. One item I can talk about is an audio-to-text capability that I’ll see demonstrated in Adobe’s booth this afternoon at 2:00. I couldn’t help but think about the devastating Doonesbury comics lampooning the handwriting recognition capabilities of Apple’s Newton. But even if the Adobe software only successfully converts 75-90% of speech to text, the implications are immense. more

Back from Avid (see Jan Ozer’s earlier post). And if Dan Ochiva doesn’t fill you in on the new PCI Express-enabled harware upgrades to Mojo and Nitris I will. I didn’t get to ask about the non-future of Xpress Pro, but I’ll try to when I next talk to Avid here at the show they did not attend.

So, by way of segue, Avid certainly gets the metadata concept, and I expect a lot more from them along those lines upcoming. It’s the new black and with good reason.

Metadata is another topic at the Adobe booth–part of their so-called sneak peeks. more