
There are probably more cloud-based services providing functional capability for media operations than for any other commercial sector. These services range from simple format conversion (transcode) to complex AI services which can automatically create temporal logs that describe' content based on object or other recognition models. The aggregate of even a small selection of the available services is extremely powerful. Cloud-provided service functionality has the capability to transform the efficiency of production and content supply chain operations. Aside from the breadth of functionality available in the cloud' the structure and fabric of cloud provides direct benefit for media businesses:
Scale, infinite scale for material storage and processing.
Resilience, at a fractional incremental cost.
Security, cloud affords greater security and auditability than on-prem storage.
Access, global access to content enabling remote and collaborative operations.
Economical, almost universally costs are on a consumption basis.
Interoperability, through standardised control interfaces*.
*A very welcome development in the broadcast and media industry.
Whilst there has been a significant increase in the use of cloud for production and content preparation workflows, broadly take-up has not been as rapid as it might have been. Aside from the migration issues relating to file size, covered here, the key reasons cited by media companies distil into three headlines: visibility, cost, and control.
These are genuinely held concerns; below are some real-world statements from media operators and details of how BLAM's functionality answers the issue.
Visibility & Discovery we recently put over a petabyte of media into the cloud as a backup / safety copy but now cannot see what we have without restoring it
This is a simple one for BLAM. The BLAM UI makes all media objects visible and playable'. For video assets, BLAM creates a full resolution browse / proxy version of all material that is brought into the platform so that it may be played within a standard web-browser.
The browse / proxy file is typically encoded at 2Mb/s (this is configurable) so the file stored on disk is between 0.5-4% of the original / master file size. If you are using AWS S3 storage, this means that only the small browse / proxy file is required to sit' at Standard Class. The much larger broadcast or mezzanine format may be archived to the Deep or Glacier class in AWS parlance.
The ability to see media and the relationships between media in this way means that cloud storage and services may be used in an extremely cost-effective way.
Content accessibility is enhanced with discovery tools - principally this means search. BLAM supports accessibility of media through a fast and sophisticated search capability underpinned by advanced metadata management for structured and unstructured data. BLAM provides:
Metadata synchronisation with live systems such as traffic or rights management.
Connectors to a range of legacy platforms for bulk data migration.
Generation of temporal metadata generation using AI and other services.
A powerful search capability to support simplified discovery.
Asset relationship management capability.
Cloud storage tagging tools to persist data at the object level.
With all the promise of scalability, our operation still suffers bottlenecks but, in the cloud, ironically, it is more difficult to see where .
Another form of visibility that has been designed into BLAM is real-time workflow monitoring. BLAM provides real-time status information for all processes that it is orchestrating - both for internal processes, such as checking technical data on a file, or long-running processes, such as transcoding. BLAM provides a single interface through which multiple services from multiple vendors (i.e. multi-cloud) can be monitored and managed. Crucially, BLAM supports the management by exception paradigm through alerts in the case of error. Such alerts provide specific detail so corrective action may be enacted quickly.
Cost It is extremely difficult to calculate how much as specific asset or job has cost us, particularly as we use the services of multiple providers
The fundamental of finance control, when using a consumption-based model, is to understand the aggregate cost of performing a specific function. This calculation is complex when using the services from several vendors - the multi-cloud problem. BLAM tracks fixed and variable costs based on transactions across all services, regardless of provider, and can compute these to provide meaningful management information.
Finance in BLAM is based on transaction units which are calibrated as time (seconds) or size (bytes) although these can be customised. Rates are manually set or applied to transactions dynamically through a service API. Calculating costs is then as simple as multiplying the rate by transaction units (which are tracked within each BLAM Workflows BLidget). Tracking transaction units at the BLidget level means that BLAM records data at the most granular level possible. Cost data may then be presented in an entirely customisable way, be it in a graphic form in a BLAM dashboard or in an Excel-based financial report. A common requirement in the content supply chain context is to see the cost of delivering a media package which includes a breakdown of all the services involved so that this may be recharged. An equally common request is to see the total cost of ownership information. BLAM now displays this as standard in the Media view.
It's the egress costs, that is where they catch you out
The fact is that storing large media files in AWS S3 at Standard class is expensive. It is also a fact that egress costs for large files are not trivial - although this aspect is under increasing
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
04/07/2025
By Lucy Spicer
Editor's note: We are deeply saddened by the passing of Robe...
04/07/2025
The Summer Reading Challenge has inspired children across the U.K. to embrace a ...
04/07/2025
Introducing CVP Auctions: Trusted Tech, At Auction-Only Prices
Brie Clayton July 4, 2025
0 Comments
A New Destination for Film and Broadcast Gear at U...
04/07/2025
Unveiling China's Ecological Wonders with URSA Mini Pro 12K
Brie Clayton July 4, 2025
0 Comments
Nature Documentaries Freeze Epic Momentsin Extrem...
04/07/2025
Create Any Planet in After Effects
Graham Quince July 4, 2025
0 Comments
The Advanced 3D renderer in After Effects makes it really easy to import 3D o...
04/07/2025
Custom Gradient Colorize for Resolve Fusion
Simon Ubsdell July 4, 2025
0 Comments
Digging into the theory of the gradient colorize process to build ou...
04/07/2025
Watching live sports on TV these days is a delicate balance for broadcasters how much information is too much?...
04/07/2025
WASHINGTON As Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr works to achieve his goal of a very busy, productive summer at the FCC, the agency has rele...
04/07/2025
Other World Computing Launches OWC Guardian USB-C Hardware-Encrypted Portable SS...
04/07/2025
CANAL Brings MotoGP to Vision Pro with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton July 3, 2025
0 Comments
Experience MotoGP like never before as CA...
04/07/2025
Friday 4 July 2025
Watch the trailer here https://youtu.be/Od5WpvWmDr8
Further...
04/07/2025
The Pitch comes to RT Radio 1 airwaves this Sunday at 7pm. The Pitch is a brand...
03/07/2025
For our Vario-Jib, as well as for a repertoire of weights, we now have carts that make transport easier...
03/07/2025
One of our latest innovations: Slider Drive Unit!
Our Vario Slider not only comes with improvements and new features, but also with its own drive unit!
Our i...
03/07/2025
The 360 EVO lives up to its name: 360-degree rotation not only on the pan axis, but also on the roll axis, enables filmmakers to take their creative visions eve...
03/07/2025
What a buzzing few days at BSCExpo in London!
We were thrilled to connect with so many talented professionals from the world of cinematography.
A huge thank ...
03/07/2025
ADOLESCENCE - Shot with Panther Tower"The whole rig had to be detachable mid-episode
Netflix limited drama series Adolescence has been gaining attentio...
03/07/2025
To achieve a true level of decisive overmatch, communication systems must be as ...
03/07/2025
The Broadcasters Foundation of America has named Ray Hopkins, president of U.S. distribution at Paramount Global, to its board of directors....
03/07/2025
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. In his first major policy speech, Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr outlined his Build America Agenda for the agency'...
03/07/2025
As the industry is making a major push to transition to NextGen TV and develop new businesses that will fund the next generation of broadcasting, TV Tech's ...
03/07/2025
Despite enabling its subscribers to watch films and TV shows in the highest possible resolution, Netflix has revealed it is taking things old school with the in...
03/07/2025
WASHINGTON In response to news that Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit by President Donald Trump, Democrats and other administra...
03/07/2025
WUPPERTAL, Germany Riedel Communications today launched RefSuite for professional sports workflows....
03/07/2025
WEITERSTADT, Germany LYNX Technik, a provider of modular signal processing solutions, has announced that founder and longtime CEO Winfried Deckelmann is steppin...
03/07/2025
WASHINGTON Representatives from six trade groups representing tech, pay TV, broadband, LPTV and other sectors recently met with Federal Communications Commissio...
03/07/2025
PLYMOUTH, Wis. Dan Whealy has acquired Heartland Video Systems and will be its new owner and president, the systems integrator said....
03/07/2025
Acclaimed filmmaker, educator, and industry veteran Jay Holben has released his most ambitious work to date: The Director's Guide to Everything a sweeping...
03/07/2025
For Los Angeles-based photographer Scout Pruski, documenting the annual Dyke Day LA is a way to honor and give back to the city's legacy queer community and...
03/07/2025
Modular, Travel-Ready Solution Matthews Studio Equipment launches the new Chimera V-Flat Panel Frame Kit, the lightweight and modular, ultra-durable alternativ...
03/07/2025
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the release of Dalet Flex 2025.6 LTS (long-term support), introdu...
03/07/2025
Lightware's LARA Wizard makes it quicker and easier than ever to set up audio-visual (AV) room automation and control configurations, ensuring anyone, from ...
03/07/2025
Alfalite, the only European manufacturer of LED screens, has obtained both the NCAGE Code (NATO Commercial and Government Entity) and TAA (Trade Agreements Act)...
03/07/2025
nxtedition is implementing a new solution for WIN Network, based in its headquarters in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The nxtedition integrated platfo...
03/07/2025
ORS Group and Insys Video Technologies today announce the launch of a new joint brand identity: Big Blue Marble. The move reflects the evolution of a long-stand...
03/07/2025
Evergent, a global leader in customer lifecycle management and monetization solutions for subscription-based businesses, today announced the successful results ...
03/07/2025
LYNX Technik, provider of modular signal processing solutions today announces an executive leadership transition, effective July 1, 2025. Markus Motzko has been...
03/07/2025
Chaos Releases V-Ray for Blender
Brie Clayton July 2, 2025
0 Comments
Production-Proven Renderer V-Ray Arrives Natively in Blender for the First Time;...
03/07/2025
Calvin University Adds Blackmagic Replay to Broadcasts and Streams
Brie Clayton July 2, 2025
0 Comments
Replay workflow joins 14 Blackmagic Design cam...
03/07/2025
Berklee's Gospel Performance Program Welcomes Jonathan Nelson as the Herb Al...
03/07/2025
Back to All News
Get ready for even more action! Netflix has confirmed the thir...
03/07/2025
In today's fragmented media landscape, advertisers expect more than just reach - they want seamless cross-platform campaigns that deliver measurable results...
03/07/2025
** MEDIA ALERT ** Shonen Jump Store Hosting Los Angeles Pop-up During Anime Exp...
03/07/2025
Thursday 3 July 2025
David Harewood and Matthew Broome in Mozart: Genius for Hi...
03/07/2025
The Sky WNT Fund supports Womens National Team players with a 30,000 bursaryThursday 3 July 2025
Sky Ireland has announced the four recipients of the 2025 Sky...
03/07/2025
The forecast this month is showing a 100% chance of epic gaming. Catch the scorching lineup of 20 titles coming to the cloud, which gamers can play whether indo...
02/07/2025
Hege Wik and Odin appear in FOLKTALES by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institut...
02/07/2025
(Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival)
By Patty Consolazio
This one's for any person who's ever felt put down, left out, marginaliz...