As sports leagues and broadcast networks invest increasingly in file-based workflows and digitized archives, the question remains: what to do with all those tapes? Their massive tape libraries can date back to the early 20th century. Ingesting hundreds of thousands of hours of video into recently acquired media-asset-management systems takes time, manpower, and - most important - organization. At SVG's Sports Asset Management & Storage Forum last week, experts discussed the most efficient and effective techniques for bringing physical-tape-based libraries into the digital age.
The NHL, for example, currently preparing for its centennial season, must digitize nearly 100 years of assets before it can use those assets in short- and long-form content to celebrate the milestone.
NHL's Greg Notch discussed the logistical challenges of digitizing 100 years of videotapes.
I think it's easy to underestimate the logistical challenges of actually picking up 100,000 videotapes and getting them digitized, said Greg Notch, SVP, information technology and security, NHL. Aside from all of the metadata and the software challenges of the technical digitization effort, taking a roomful of videotapes and dealing with that is quite complicated and requires a lot of handholding.
Logging metadata for hundreds of thousands of hours of video exacerbates the challenge. There's no sense in taking a tape off of the shelf and digitizing if you're never going to be able to find the file that sits in an archive, Notch continued. Finding key ways to make that available is also very challenging.
Brian Staffroni, senior director, media asset management, WWE, stressed selecting the best flavor of video for your content that you can - for both high-resolution content and low-resolution proxies - and sticking with it. WWE currently uses DNX 145 for high-res and H.264 for low-res with the intent that producers can work with the low-res proxies and reduce storage needs.
WWE's Brian Staffroni explained the importance of deciding on a video format and sticking with it.
You've got to weigh quality of video versus how much you want to pay for storage, he said. That doesn't apply to the low-res side of things. I think, for low res, you just really want something that's going to be very compressed but not compressed looking. [We want] our production team to want to work in low res because, if they say, This stuff's offline. I really just want to work in high res,' then you didn't pick a good enough resolution and you have to buy more storage, and that's not good.
Notch echoed the need to work with as few codecs as possible; the NHL now has one standard for SD and one for HD. We standardized on the AVC for HD because our arena recordings for all of our games were already being done in that format. When it came time to backfill our catalog with stuff, we said, let's not introduce any new codecs here. Let's make sure that it works with all of the partial-file-restore workflows that we have.
Selecting codecs that worked well with partial file restore was critical to the way we use our content, he explained. We don't tend to care about an entire game. We care about a moment in that game. We don't actually store anything nearline; everything goes to tape. Even our most current content goes right to tape, and we use the pieces of it that are necessary for the production. That requires partial file restore, so that requires us to pick formats that that works well with.
Speaking from the technology-vendor perspective, VISTA Worldlink Strategic Development Officer Jonathan Feldman stressed the need for sports leagues and broadcast networks to understand not only what they want their content to look like but how they plan to use it in the future.
You look at how often are they going to want to get to the content [and] what are they going to use it for, he explained. You have to consider, again, that the content is findable, that they have metadata, they don't have metadata, how much metadata they want us to create, they want to do a full logging on some of their content. Those are the kinds of conversations that are really critical and also drive the cost of a project.
Of course, each league and network has its unique format and workflow requirements. Crawford Media Services EVP/CTO Steve Davis advocates having a conversation with the client to determine its quality needs, deliverable expectations, and budget constraints.
There's a [client] tendency early on to say, We want the highest bitrate; we want [to digitize] everything that we have. When's that going to be done, and how much is it going to cost?' And then the [client response to the proposal] is, We don't want to do that; we need to adjust the concept a little bit,' said Davis. We try to go right in with that sort of a conversation, just to do a check on [client expectations], and often clients really do know exactly what they want, and it's right on target.
Offering the network's point of view, former HBO Director of Production Networks and Systems Rob Zimmelman reflected on HBO's multiyear effort to digitize its libraries. He suggested that asking content creators to supply a specific video format helped the transition.
It was probably a five-year effort from the first system that we looked at - kicked the tires just to see if it would work - to the eventual 30-some-odd systems that we had in place when I was done with it, said Zimmelman, currently a media and entertainment account executive with Datalink. We also went out to the suppliers of video - folks at the various studios - and recommended that they also give us ASO2 bundles with JPEG2000. A lot of those folks got AmberFin iCR for ingest and sent us LTO tape with LTFS format
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
As sports leagues and broadcast networks invest increasingly in file-based workflows and digitized archives, the question remains: what to do with all those tapes? Their massive tape libraries can date back to the early 20th century. Ingesting hundreds of thousands of hours of video into recently acquired media-asset-management systems takes time, manpower, and - most important - organization. At SVG's Sports Asset Management & Storage Forum last week, experts discussed the most efficient and effective techniques for bringing physical-tape-based libraries into the digital age.
