Singpore’s MediaCorp Moves Into Second Phase of Dalet Media Asset Management Installation

Singapore national broadcaster MediaCorp is now advancing onto the second project of its Dalet Digital Media Systems-driven enterprise Media Asset Management (MAM) installation.

DaletWith the first deployment, MediaCorp was able to achieve with Dalet end-to-end content preparation and distribution workflow. The second project will see the entirety of the MediaCorp content archive managed within Dalet and feature the powerful Dalet Workflow Engine for even greater operational efficiencies. The landmark MAM design and implementation will allow MediaCorp to realize its long-term vision of creating the ultimate agile ecosystem that integrates systems and sub-systems across the entire workflow.

Spearheading the innovative project is business partner and broadcast systems integrator Qvest Media Pte. Ltd, who are working closely with Dalet throughout all phases of the MediaCorp design, implementation and management.

Since early 2014, MediaCorp has been running the Dalet MAM for program preparation, archiving and production as the lead solution in a major project called Integrated Content-centric file-based Exchange System (ICE). This involved the migration of the facility’s entire studios, video and audio post production and transmission systems to a fully file-based workflow, taking content from ingest to preparation and playout to air, as well as onward for distribution to the broadcaster’s multiple VoD and online platforms. “Under the ICE project, Dalet allowed us to automate many processes and achieve better efficiencies across many aspects of our operations,” states Joe Igoe, chief technology officer of MediaCorp. “The success of the implementation and consequent uplift in productivity gives us confidence to use Dalet again as the enterprise media asset management platform for our next project that coincides with the build-out of our brand new media complex scheduled for late 2015.”

Since inception, ICE has resulted in more than ten million operations performed on the system, including user tasks and back office functions such as file conversion. The mass digitization of 60,000 archived tapes held on four Sony Flexicarts is on-going under control of Dalet MAM. Up to 200 simultaneous users of Dalet web clients have the ability to QC, log, search, browse and preview content.

The second project of the broadcaster’s ambitious MAM strategy, the Content Media eXchange (CMX), will take MediaCorp to the next level in multi-media ingest and file-based efficiencies. The CMX program is designed to standardize ingest of material across 20 ports of the Dalet Brio servers, as well as harmonize the archive workflow for the entire MediaCorp facility under command and control of the Dalet Galaxy platform. CMX is further intended to enhance the broadcaster’s enterprise-wide workflow with all the functionality of the latest Galaxy tools.

The project takes advantage of being built from the ground-up at MediaCorp’s New Media Complex, a brand new plant at Singapore’s One North technology park, to which it is relocating from the Caldecott Broadcast Centre. A key objective of the project is to exploit the broad experience Dalet has in multi-site collaboration and workflow to ensure a smooth migration to the new site and decommissioning of the old system.

“Dalet is proud to have the trust and confidence of MediaCorp in leading this important project,”says Raoul Cospen, general manager Asia Pacific at Dalet. “Built on open standards with SOA-compliant Web Services APIs and several data exchange protocols, Dalet Galaxy unifies multiple, complex systems for broadcasters to produce streamlined workflows and increased productivity.”

The Dalet Workflow Engine will be at the core of the new MediaCorp installation. Tight integration with Orchestrator by Aspera (an IBM company) gives MediaCorp control over a pool of shared resources to manage transcoding, QC and HSM services while open, extensible framework of the Dalet Galaxy platform supports other key third-party systems like Avid Interplay. Transparent integration via Dalet Xtend with Adobe Premiere facilitates the exchange of video, shotlists, EDLs and non-destructive metadata in support of new workflows such as streaming (proxy) server-side rendering with Adobe Anywhere.

Dalet OneCut, the versatile multimedia editor, will be used to edit content for compliance and voice-over workflows as well as to finesse audio adjustments for mastering. A video editor can select shots from ingests or finished products in Dalet, and send them with metadata to the Interplay working environment. The finished product can then be checked back into Dalet. A unique set of tools in Dalet Track Stacking can manage program preparation using audio, subtitling and video track stacking for multiple distribution platforms and in multiple languages. Sophisticated subtitle processing enables MediaCorp to more efficiently manage versions and delivery to playout. Dalet On-the-Go mobile application for Android and iOS will provide editorial staff with access to content from anywhere for story contributions, preview and approvals.

All assets and metadata, including archived items, are immediately available for fast production and multiplatform distribution. The Dalet Galaxy unique central content catalogue includes customized and contextual metadata forms, as well as indexation tools that ensure content is better referenced, making searches of the content catalogue and archives more efficient.

The CMX is being designed, implemented and overseen by Dalet, partnered with systems integrator Qvest. Dalet Professional Services is also responsible for training MediaCorp’s staff and providing 24/7 support services, which will track the evolution of the system and help maximize creative and technical efficiencies.

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