Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The Automation Paradox Part 2

19/10/2020

In my recent post The Automation Paradox I highlighted the risks associated with developing a workflow orchestration platform in-house'. Cloud based services are very easy to get started with - intoxicatingly so but building and supporting an enterprise class workflow orchestration platform is a resource hungry undertaking.

As a business which provides a cloud-based production and content supply chain platform as a service we would take that view wouldn't we? nonetheless BLAM has been built to fulfil a burgeoning operational and business need. Our industry has suffered with some high-profile media management projects having suboptimal outcome. BLAM was developed in response to these so that media operators could benefit from the cloud quickly and without risk.

RAD BLAM provides a low-code / no-code approach to workflow development through a self-service drag and drop' workflow builder. It enables media operations professionals to quickly access the benefits of cloud-based services without needing to directly write any software. The BLAM user interface provides a workflow blueprint development tool that removes the need for a software development function between the cloud services and the operational business.

Connecting the workflow orchestration capability directly with the operational expertise shortens the capability development cycle and delivers focused outcomes, quickly. This is a code free Rapid Application Development (RAD).

//b||1342177279>>=1)c =c;return a};q!=p&&null!=q&&g(h,n,{configurable:!0,writable:!0,value:q});var t=this;function u(b,c){var a=b.split(.),d=t;a[0]in d||!d.execScript||d.execScript(var a[0]);for(var e;a.length&&(e=a.shift());)a.length||void 0===c?d[e]?d=d[e]:d=d[e]={}:d[e]=c};function v(b){var c=b.length;if(0=c.offsetWidth&&0>=c.offsetHeight)a=!1;else{d=c.getBoundingClientRect();var f=document.body;a=d.top (pageYOffsetin window?window.pageYOffset:(document.documentElement||f.parentNode||f).scrollTop);d=d.left (pageXOffsetin window?window.pageXOffset:(document.documentElement||f.parentNode||f).scrollLeft);f=a.toString() , d;b.b.hasOwnProperty(f)?a=!1:(b.b[f]=!0,a=a=a.length e.length&&(a =e)}b.i&&(e=&rd= encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify(B())),131072>=a.length e.length&&(a =e),c=!0);C=a;if(c){d=b.h;b=b.j;var f;if(window.XMLHttpRequest)f=new XMLHttpRequest;else if(window.ActiveXObject)try{f=new ActiveXObject(Msxml2.XMLHTTP)}catch(r){try{f=new ActiveXObject(Microsoft.XMLHTTP)}catch(D){}}f&&(f.open(POST,d (-1==d.indexOf(?)??:&) url= encodeURIComponent(b)),f.setRequestHeader(Content-Type,application/x-www-form-urlencoded),f.send(a))}}}function B(){var b={},c;c=document.getElementsByTagName(IMG);if(!c.length)return{};var a=c[0];if(!(naturalWidthin a&&naturalHeightin a))return{};for(var d=0;a=c[d]; d){var e=a.getAttribute(data-pagespeed-url-hash);e&&(!(e in b)&&0=b[e].o&&a.height>=b[e].m)&&(b[e]={rw:a.width,rh:a.height,ow:a.naturalWidth,oh:a.naturalHeight})}return b}var C=;u(pagespeed.CriticalImages.getBeaconData,function(){return C});u(pagespeed.CriticalImages.Run,function(b,c,a,d,e,f){var r=new y(b,c,a,e,f);x=r;d&&w(function(){window.setTimeout(function(){A(r)},0)})});})();pagespeed.CriticalImages.Run(/mod_pagespeed_beacon,https://bluelucy.com/the-automation-paradox-2/,8Xxa2XQLv9,true,false,UsEhmQDiUZw); //]]> The no-code approach to developing workflows in BLAM uses a drag-drop-connect model. More than 200 functional blocks, Blidgets, are available

Experienced Based Platform BLAM is the product of six years of development, including a full ground-up release and 20 years of building and implementing automation and media management systems with tier one broadcasters and distributors. The platform is trusted by media operators ranging from independents producing a few hundred hours a year to a company like Banijay, the largest international producer and distributor in the world. We believe there is genuinely no need to embark on a self-build project no matter how big or complex your current operation.

Extensible A case for the self-build is often made on the basis that a workflow or operating model is specific to a given media organisation and as such no off-the-shelf platform will meet our business needs . Indeed, many of the functions and workflows may be particular to a given business model but these tend to be nuances which represent a fraction of the overall workflow.

It is also the case that some development work may be needed for a specific integration such as to a legacy system which holds useful data.

In situations where there is no alternative but to develop additional functionality, BLAM supports hybrid models through a fully featured SDK - Blue Lucy can also provide the professional services directly or through partners to develop the software. Our SDK is for the development of BLidgets so any new software that is developed will run in the BLAM workflow runner alongside our own component. This is significantly more powerful than simply calling an API - it is effectively extending the capability of the core platform in a safe and supportable manner.

So, even in cases where development is necessary, BLAM will get you to 80 % functional coverage off the shelf and close the gap with bespoke code that runs in a warrantied framework. Truly the best of both worlds.

Financial Context A small self-build project can rapidly grow into a significant operational cost in the DevOp (Development Operation). Whether this cost is placed above or below the COGS (cost of goods sold) line is immaterial, the cost is fixed and difficult to meaningfully reduce. As such build or buy is a conundrum for many operators and includes questions as to whether a media organisation should become, even in part, a technology organisation. Ultimately it comes down to a question of money, so to wrap up here is some financial context based on BLAM:

Th
LINK: https://bluelucy.com/the-automation-paradox-2/...
See more stories from bluelucy

More from Blue Lucy Media

11/04/2024

BLUE LUCY EXPANDS SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM

Blue Lucy, has hired accomplished industry expert Alison Pavitt as chief marketing officer. Pavitt's appointment into the newly created role concludes a per...

06/08/2023

Cloud Ground Canal: Blue Lucy at IBC 2023 6.C29

I was quite pleased to be asked recently by a Canadian colleague what our theme would be for the upcoming IBC. For me, theme reflects the ethos of the Blue Lu...

06/08/2023

Cloud Ground Canal: Blue Lucy at IBC 2023

I was quite pleased to be asked recently by a Canadian colleague what our theme would be for the upcoming IBC. For me, theme reflects the ethos of the Blue Lu...

13/06/2023

Media Companies are now paying for RFP's

Media technology suppliers have been complaining about the tendering and Request for Proposal (RFP) process for a long time. Many of their grievances have been ...

17/03/2023

BLUE LUCY LAUNCHES NOTHING NEW AT NAB 2023

Blue Lucy announced today that they will not be launching any new products at NAB 2023, April 16-19, at the Las Vegas Convention Centre. The company will, howe...

17/03/2023

BLUE LUCY LAUNCHES..NOTHING NEW AT NAB 2023

Blue Lucy announced today that they will not be launching any new products at NAB 2023, April 16-19, at the Las Vegas Convention Centre. The company will, howe...

17/03/2023

BLUE LUCY LAUNCHES NOTHING AT NAB 2023

Blue Lucy announced today that they will not be launching any new products at NAB 2023, April 16-19, at the Las Vegas Convention Centre. The company will, howe...

24/08/2022

IBC '22

The balloon cloud installation at IBC 2018, the cloud in the Rai, as it was known at Blue Lucy Towers, was intended to mark the end of Blue Lucy's participa...

20/07/2022

Six Steps to Successful Service Delivery

On reading our recent article on the Blue Lucy implementation at A E Networks UK, available here, I was reminded that the project was extremely well received by...

06/04/2022

The Media Supply Chain is not enough

Here at Blue Lucy towers, we are constantly intrigued by industry buzz phrases, particularly how even the helpful ones are devalued by overuse and misappropriat...

15/01/2022

The cloud is not enough

Cloud native, software defined, the metaverse; the media technology sector is awash with buzz phrases. And, as with all popular terms which are used too libera...

06/12/2021

The Case Against Consumption Based Pricing

Imagine if TV companies charged consumers by the minute to watch a football match. Or if your office rent increased when you had a particularly busy month. S...

06/12/2021

The case against consumption-based pricing models

Imagine if TV companies charged consumers by the minute to watch a football match. Or if your office rent increased when you had a particularly busy month at w...

09/03/2021

Delivering Efficiency and Precision through Automation

There has been widespread discussion of new, fully digital and cloud based content supply chains, in the media industry since about 2016. Some innovators have p...

27/11/2020

Orchestrating the Cloud

There are probably more cloud-based services providing functional capability for media operations than for any other commercial sector. These services range fr...

24/11/2020

Transform Your Media Supply Chain with Ateme & Blue Lucy

As the complexity of media supply chain operations increases, the requirement for an integrated, business focused approach is vital. ATEME and Blue Lucy expert...

19/10/2020

The Automation Paradox Part 1

The need for content distributors and broadcasters to deliver media to an ever-growing range of consumer platforms has led to a significant rise in the number o...

19/10/2020

The Automation Paradox Part 2

In my recent post The Automation Paradox I highlighted the risks associated with developing a workflow orchestration platform in-house'. Cloud based servi...

15/10/2020

The Automation Paradox

The need for content distributors and broadcasters to deliver media to an ever-growing range of consumer platforms has led to an exponential rise in the number ...

07/09/2020

Automated Content Supply Chain Management in the cloud. Completely in the cloud

Off the Fence (OTF), an award-winning producer and distributor of factual television and feature-length theatrical documentaries, has recently migrated their co...

04/09/2020

Automated Content Supply Chain Management In the cloud, completely in the cloud

Off the Fence (OTF), an award-winning producer and distributor of factual television and feature-length theatrical documentaries, has recently migrated their co...

07/05/2020

Life in the Fast Lane

One of the key requests from our operational focus groups during the early design phase of BLAM-3 was the ability to prioritise workflows, particularly delivery...

30/04/2020

Snowballs, buckets and bill shock

If your content catalogue isn't already in the cloud, you're probably wishing it was right now. Despite the dramatic growth in the media industry's...

07/04/2020

Bring Your Own Bucket

The use of cloud-based storage in the media industry has seen dramatic growth in recent years; more recently the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is driving the ...

07/04/2020

HOW MUCH??? Controlling Budgets in the SaaS Age

Tracking costs, ideally in real time, is an increasingly important consideration for operators in the era of software-as-a-service. While the ability to use hi...

25/03/2020

Snowballing

Content Catalogue too Big to Migrate to Cloud? Try Snowballs, Really One of the principal perceived barriers to migrating a content catalogue to the cloud...

06/12/2019

Outsource Insource

The changing face of service provision in the broadcast & media business. As another production and media content supply chain operator files for bankruptcy and...

06/12/2019

Outsource to Insource

The changing face of service provision in the broadcast & media business. As another production and media content supply chain operator files for bankruptcy and...

06/12/2019

Outsource - Insource:

The changing face of service provision in the broadcast & media business. As another production and media content supply chain operator files for bankruptcy and...

06/11/2019

Technology Special: BLAM Behind the (Beautiful) UI

As an organisation Blue Lucy tends to focus on the business of media operations. The BLAM platform is operationally focused and every function of the platform ...

06/10/2019

IBC 2019 : A visiting vendor's perspective

As we covered in our pre-show blog, this year we decided against taking up our usual spot in Hall 7 of the RAI in favour of attending IBC 2019 as a visiting ven...

28/08/2019

Taking a stand at IBC 2019

It's that time of year again, the late bank holiday is just behind us and thoughts turn to the city of Amsterdam, particularly beautiful in the early autumn...

06/12/2018

TVT & Blue Lucy integrate to create efficient content supply chain workflows

Global content services provider, TVT Media, has integrated Blue Lucy's BLAM Adobe Premiere plug-in into their media management service and software platfor...

25/10/2018

Calling First Rate Developers and Test Engineers

We are recruiting for software developers and test engineers to help us grow the capabilities of our market leading cloud based media operations management plat...

06/07/2018

6 Key Questions for Assessing MAM

MAM remains one of the top investments that media operators make each year. As we have blogged previously we do not think that MAM, as an acronym or concept is...

24/05/2018

New BLAM features for BroadcastAsia2018 increase creative productivity

Blue Lucy has enhanced their BLAM plug-in for Adobe Premiere with new features focused on reducing administrate overhead for creative operators. The new functio...

06/04/2018

Think about MOM as you head to NAB

Its NAB time again. As you make your way to Las Vegas this year spend a little time thinking about your MOM. No really. You may be planning to assess Media Ass...

05/04/2018

New BLAM Features for NAB 2018

New BLAM features allow media businesses to create bespoke operational management systems. Blue Lucy's media operations management software, BLAM, is under...

06/02/2018

Successful Service Launch

To the joy of delivery managers everywhere, media technology and agile development methodologies have reduced the need for hard launches and enabled lower risk ...

05/12/2017

Autumn Internationals

Like national rugby teams we too have been international this Autumn having taken in a beautiful new cloud in Frankfurt and the ins, outs and round-abouts of as...

05/12/2017

BLAM for Banijay Rights

Blue Lucy's recent project with Banijay Rights is featured in the MAM Supplement of December's TVB Europe. A PDF version also available. Banijay is the...

04/12/2017

BLAM for Banijay

Blue Lucy's recent project with Banijay Rights is featured in the MAM Supplement of December's issue of TVB Europe. PDF version also available. Banijay...

25/10/2017

Blue Lucy wins BAFTA, project

Blue Lucy announced that the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is using the Blue Lucy Asset Manager (BLAM) to manage their content archive and...

05/09/2017

Pebble Beach Systems partners with Blue Lucy to announce Beluga.

Weybridge, UK and Broomfield, CO., USA, March 6th, 2017 - Leading automation and integrated playout specialist Pebble Beach Systems today announced that it has ...

11/07/2017

BLAM-in-a-Can and a New Workflow Runner for IBC 2017

Continuing their theme of quick and easy implementation for MAM, the Blue Lucy team will launch a range of pre-packed entry level solutions focused on specific ...

15/06/2017

BLAM @ IBC 2015 Hall 7.G07

In our 6th year exhibiting at IBC Blue Lucy will have a full, end-to-end demonstration of the Blue Lucy Asset Manager the BLAM. BLAM is a 3rd generation asset...

15/06/2017

Blue Lucy to demonstrate media operations management capabilities at NAB2017

BLAM provides media organisations with an affordable, scalable solution to their asset and operations management needs - delivering workflow efficiencies and bu...

28/03/2017

Blue Lucy to demonstrate media operations management capabilities at NAB07

BLAM provides media organisations with an affordable, scalable solution to their asset and operations management needs - delivering workflow efficiencies and bu...

11/07/2016

New BLAM Plug-Ins & Easy Integration focus @ IBC 06

At IBC 2016 the Blue Lucy team will demonstrate how the BLAM Core product meets a broad range of business and operational requirements in the end-to-end media p...