IBC 2014: The first group of companies to have developed file delivery tools that have passed the Digital Production Partnership’s Compliance Programme have been announced.

The DPP has worked with the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) on its testing and certification process that is designed to help users identify products which have been independently assessed and checked against the DPP’s criteria.

The companies whose products met the criteria are Telestream for its Vantage transcoding and file-based workflow software, Root 6’s workflow management and automation tool ContentAgent, Cinegy’s Air Pro and Player playout tools and Dalet’s AmberFin transcoding platform.

More products from other companies are expected to achieve certification in the weeks ahead, the DPP said.

DPP technical standards lead and chief technology officer for broadcast and distribution at Channel 4 Kevin Burrows said: “The Compliance Programme has had a very positive response from the industry.

“This is a great endorsement of the value of the DPP’s standards and guidelines and thanks to manufacturers’ enthusiastic engagement we are expecting many more products to be certified in the coming weeks.”

AMWA’s Brad Gilmer added: “We believe the steps the DPP have put in place, including a rigorous technical specification, independent testing, and certification all work together to increase end-users’ confidence as they move to file-based workflows.”

The shift away from tape

On 1 October file-based delivery will become standard for ITV and Channel 4.

The broadcasters have already been taking file delivery for several weeks and the ramp-up to full file-based delivery is on schedule, the DPP said.

Channel 5 and BT Sport already expect all materials to be delivered to the DPP AS-11 specification.

BSkyB will be adopting AS-11 deliveries from 1 October with a migration planned for completion by end of October next year.

The BBC is phasing in file-based delivery as its preferred method of delivery, beginning with network programmes produced by both in-house and independent suppliers.

UHD spec and storage guidance

At IBC the DPP also announced intiatives to help production firms address the issue of storage.

It has produced the 10 Things You Need to Know About Digital Storage guide to assist production teams and independent companies plan storage for their master files and rushes.

The DPP’s Digital Storage and Distribution Workstream lead Helen Stevens said: “The tricky question of file storage is proving the greatest need for producers as they move to fully digital workflows.

“Our work on file delivery is well advanced, and this guide offers practical guidance on the next stage in the process.”

The guide’s author and DPP project manager Rachel Baldwin added: “This guide, written with input from a fantastic range of industry experts, will be invaluable to production companies.

“It will help them to more quickly understand the complex array of storage options and identify the very best solutions for their business.”

During the next 12 months the DPP will also publish the Ultimate Guide to Digital Storage which it said would be the “definitive and technical guide to storage for the whole broadcast industry”.

As part of its 12 month roadmap the DPP said it would develop common technical standards for Ultra High Definition (UHD) programme delivery and give guidance on production workflows for UHD.

It has also pledged to work with the UK distributors to encourage the adoption of AS-11 DPP as an international distribution standard over the next year.

The DPP said it is “actively engaged” with international studios for the delivery of file-based programmes to UK broadcasters in the AS-11 standard.

DPP chair Mark Harrison said the DPP had been “overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support we have received from the whole industry” as it moves towards full digital delivery.

He said: “We seek to be a rallying point for all who are committed to ensuring that end to end digital working in television is as elegant and cost effective as possible – and that it finally delivers some of the benefits that have been promised for many years.

“The DPP has achieved a great deal in a short period of time, and has announced a further twelve months of ambitious and path-breaking work.

“But everything we do is dependent on all those across the industry who help us – and it’s this next twelve months of collaboration that excites me most of all.”

The Digital Production Partnership (DPP) is a cross-broadcaster group that is led by ITV, BBC and Channel 4 with participation from Channel Five, BSkyB, BT Sport, UKTV, S4C, TG-4 and the independent production and post production sectors.

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