The television industry is quickly becoming file based when it comes to advertising and programming distribution. Syndicators and program providers are moving away from the distribution by tape, and into automated digital IP-based multicasting to deliver content in the form of MPEG-2 files stored in local edge servers. This process does however create challenges for the broadcaster. Since the file arriving on the edge server is usually incompatible with standard in-house format, stations have to convert the content back to tape. This is a time consuming process that leaves room for human error. Masstech Group has developed a solution that is a part of our Workflow Productivity Enhancement product grouping. MassMedia Box (MMBTM*) is an integrated broadcast content processing system which facilitates end-to-end digital metadata and content delivery. With direct interfaces to satellite and terrestrial digital delivery services, MMB is a powerful tool enabling “direct to broadcast” control over content. MMB supports the entire digital media lifecycle from ingest to delivery, through preparation, format conversion and seamless synchronization to play to air on automated systems.

The New Approach to Digital File Ingest

When an asset arrives on your edge server MMB is notified immediately. Once it recognizes the content’s presence metadata is automatically extracted creating a segment data which resides in the MMB database. Metadata includes information about the asset such as segment name, duration, start and end timecode, ISCI, and other content that could be beneficial to the operator and playout automation. Metadata is then transmitted to the automation database within the facility. The MPEG content is delivered to the systems cache storage where it is trancoded to the stations compatible format. After transcoding to the video server format a lowbit rate proxy is made. The content can be immediately delivered to the on air video server or reside in the cache until automation calls for it to be transferred.