Video: Mark Harrison, DPP

Harrison explained how a few years ago SMPTE defined the IMF standard which has since been employed in the movie industry.

He said: “The DPP is working with SMPTE to define a version for broadcast and online.”

IMF provides a way for content providers to create one single master with additional variants which may have small but specific changes to the original.

Harrison explained that the implementation of the IMF means instead of making a brand new master the variants are held together as a collection of assets and served up as each individual customer requires. 

”The benefit is the saving and storage, it is absolutely colossal,” Harrison said.

“It hugely reduces storage costs and a is much better way to automate processes; you have a single asset set to work with and automate and you can also create all those versions so much faster.

”It is much cheaper, much simpler and much quicker.”