IMF End-to-End Workflows in Media Asset Management Systems

Interoperable Master Format (IMF) is becoming a reality for content distribution due to the benefits of cost reduction and straightforward processing. The generation of IMF packages for masters, localized versions, and editorial versions to manage and optimize the media exchanged. But adopting IMF in Media Asset Management (MAM) systems to implement true end-to-end workflows has several implications that must be handled to efficiently map the incoming IMF packages into a logical structure representing the title as interconnected objects without media replication while making it ready for delivery. It is important to understand that MAM systems need to be able to deliver IMF packages that were never received, i.e., a new combination of languages (audio/subs), new editorial versions, etc., so the challenge is not only to ingest the IMF packages as they arrive but also to be able to generate new ones according to the SMPTE specifications.