Quality control is an optional but often valuable element in file based ingest, contribution, post-production, archiving, and delivery. Textronix's Aurora supports checking video file container semantics, audio and video coding, and last but not least, audio and video content correctness.

This component for Signiant's Workflow Manager drives either a single Tectronix Aurora machine or a farm for Aurora machines via its API. Based on the check results, subsequent workflow steps can be controlled or it causes a switch to workflow branches. Furthermore, it makes returned PDF reports available to other systems or operators.

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Within the area of file based ingest, contribution, post-production, archiving, and delivery, file formats that are often processed can potentially include viruses. This applies especially to so called "consumer formats". In case such sources are not transcoded right away at the beginning of the processing chain, viruses could make their way into the processing chain or even into the long-term archive. A check with AVGs virus scanner can help here to ward off danger.

This component for Signiant's Workflow-Manager drives AVG's virus scanner for this purpose via its command line interface. You will pass lists of files to be scanned to the component. It then calls the scanner with the filename as a parameter. Here you can specify what should happen in case of a virus being found. Most often, the file would be moved to a quarantine. In any case, the component provides the test result for further decisions on what is to happen in the workflow and for reporting.

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Nowadays, in post-production environments, source footage gets delivered as files already, but needs to be transcoded, re-wrapped, or checked for quality prior to its use in editing.Typically, a workflow system manages this processing chain. The usual last action is to hand over the footage to the Production Media Asset Management System.

This component for Signiant's Workflow Manager performs the checkIn of video clips to Avid Interplay PAM. In addition, it adds basic technical and descriptive metadata.

The component is based on our development partner Woody Technologies "Check-In" product-a well designed and tested service for Microsoft Windows that connects to Avid's Interplay PAM API. A variation that performs a re-wrap to generate the required video and audio essence files, as well as the AAF metadata file, is available as well.

Transcoding is a basic element in file based ingest, contribution, post production, archiving, and delivery. Capella Systems' Cambria FTC transcoder supports the most common formats in all such areas of business. As it's a modern but also mature software, it targets the needs for high-quality processing as well as multi-language audio and subtitle handling. Its internal architecture supports 4k resolutions and 10 bit formats. Due to the 64 bit multi-threaded implementation, it makes best use of hardware made available to it.

This component for Signiant's Workflow Manager drives either single FTC machines or FTC Cluster farms via its API. This enables all individual encoding and processing parameters. For instance, the ability to stitch and cut the sources, and select and assign audio tracks and channels are available. Furthermore, all filters for video and audio manipulation are accessible. That way, graphic and subtitle overlays or loudness correction are made available. Transcoding jobs can be controlled and monitored.

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The iCR transcoder from Amberfin (now part of Dalet) is dedicated and optimized for video file transcoding in post-production environments. Its especially high quality standard conversion, de-interlacing, and scaling in software makes it the tool of choice to harmonize source footage into the house standard, or transcode the finalized clips into the customer's preferred format.

This component for Signiant's Workflow Manager controls Amberfin's iCR transcoder via its API to start, manage, and monitor transcoding jobs. The API control individually defines parameters when the source files are getting queued for transcoding. Multiple iCR machines can be controlled to build a scaling and redundant transcoding farm.

Factsheet

The legacy Rhozet/Harmonic Carbon transcoder and today's farm software, WFS, are one of the most widely used products in post-production and stream delivery. The broad base of supported formats, the many features including audio and video processing to subtitling, and the large number of plug-ins make these products so attractive. As part of the WFS architecture, an HTTP segmenter, packagers, and an encrypter are available. Thus, the products are very flexible and often part of file-based video processing chains.

This Signiant component is designed as a functional replacement for the legacy Signiant "CarbonCoder" component. The Standard Version of this component can create a job on the Harmonic Workflow Controller for each input file in the Source Filelist.

The Component will wait until each job is finished while displaying the overall progress on the Signiant Manager and/or Media Exchange Interface. When all jobs are done, a job summary containing a list of files that could not be processed on the WFS side can be found within the Signiant job log.

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Manual

This Signiant component (actually, it's a set of components) is designed as a functional replacement for the legacy Signiant "CarbonCoder" component. The difference from the Standard Version, the PRO version of this component is designed to submit simple as well as complex tasks to a WFS. The definition for a complex task within Rhozet is found in the Rhozet ComplexSource definition document.

Simple Rhozet Task:

• One Input File - One Output File with the same duration as Input
• Output can only be manipulated using Rhozet Video or Audio Filters and exporter settings

Complex Rhozet Task:

• Multiple Input Files - One Output File
• Multiple Complex Input Files (Audio and Video from different Files)

The Component will wait until each job is finished while displaying the progress on the Signiant Manager and Media Exchange Interface. When all jobs are done, an HTML Job Summary containing a list of files that could not be processed on the WFS side (including Error Messages) and all success files will be made available.

Other special Features of the Pro Version

• WFS HA Support
• WFS Complex Sources (A/V track combinations from different files, stitching etc..)
• Cutting and/or joining multiple Source Files

Factsheet

Manual

Audio processing often suffers from a shadowy existence. Up to a certain degree, transcoding software covers the needs in downmixing as well as volume and loudness correction. Furthermore, upmixing, compression, R128 loudness correction, and sophisticated audio processing require the use of additional specialized software. Also, some audio coding algorithms like Dolby E decoding and encoding are not available in usual transcoding software.

This component for Signiant's Workflow Manager loops sub-workflows from Minnetonka's Audio Tools Server into file-based production environments. That way, partly or fully automated end-to-end file processing workflows can be set up without abandoning the highest quality audio handling or functionality that other tools do not offer at all.

As the component drives Audio Tools Server's API, any aspect in audio processing that is offered by Minnetonka's product line can be used for an individually orchestrated job. In addition, jobs can be controlled and monitored as well as processing status feedback can be reported back to the main workflow. This can drive further processing steps or force automatic decisions in the overlaying workflow.

Factsheet

This product is an Agent Component for Signiant's Workflow Engine that integrates seamlessly. It adds a re-wrapper engine for MXF video formats to Signiant-based workflows. In addition, it allows to concatenate source files. This said, it's a functional extension to the standard Signiant Workflow Engine.

This product allows to re-wrap MXF video files from one MXF flavour into another. So it makes video files compatible with software that do not support a wide range of MXF flavours.

Its stitching functionality can be used, for instance, to concatenate the individual shots from a physical camera storage media into just one MXF file. This simplifies the treatment of footage within file based production and archiving environments.

Last but not least, the re-wrapping can correct errors in the MXF container structure of sources without touching the correct audio and video essences.

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The Snell Alchemist OD Software is the consequent continuation of the famous Alchemist hardware, which is known for its processing quality. It offers the highest quality in video standard conversion, de-interlacing, and scaling by using Nvidia's GPU computer hardware for a limited set of source and target formats. That way, Alchemist OD allows to minimize quality losses especially in the areas of post-production and archiving.

This component for Signiant's Workflow Manager controls the Alchemist OD software via its API. Here, jobs for standard conversion, de-interlacing, and scaling in the highest quality can be started, managed, and monitored. By making use of the API, job-individual different settings can be used. Also, multiple Alchemist OD machines can be managed in parallel and scaling as well as redundant processing farms can be built.

Factsheet

Quality control becomes a more and more important task in video production, contribution, file delivery, playout, distribution, and archiving. Vidcheck's software, Vidchecker, is European-wide, one of the most popular softwares in this space. It checks for file metadata compliancy and the audiovisual content for quality issues or standard violations.

This component for Signiant's Workflow Manger allows to control Vidchecker via its API. Quality control jobs can be started, managed, and monitored that way. Additionally, the check results are made available for further workflow control. A decision is then made on how to process the files, based on the check results. For instance, HD material can be distinguished from SD but also additional audio or video processing can happen only if required.