Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Illuminate Hollywood Manages Modern Data Loads with AJA D...

01/04/2024

With a project portfolio as rich as its history, Illuminate Hollywood has provided production, post, and technology services to major Hollywood studios, TV networks, digital platforms, and indie producers and distributors for nearly three decades. Since the boutique shop opened its doors in 1995, it has done scanning, editorial, color correction, digital intermediate, VFX, 2K/4K distribution, audio conform and layback work for episodic and feature film productions spanning Sons of Anarchy to Gone Girl. As production and post processes have grown more complex with growing adoption of high resolution, high dynamic range workflows, CEO Jim Hardy and President Sandy Crawford have evolved the studio's workflow to keep pace, adopting new technology like AJA Diskover Media Edition data curation and management software to manage an ever-increasing volume of data.

We re a small company competing against organizations with massive technological and staffing backbones, so we try to stand out for our innovation and top-notch service. That means we're continuously evaluating and adopting emerging technology like AJA Diskover Media Edition, while also developing proprietary tools, shared Crawford.

Hardy added, We re a technology-first company, which has led us to develop some cool in-house tech that gives us an edge over other vendors. All our work is also done in-house, which is key to maintaining quality control.

Building proprietary solutions to manage a heavy project load

Many clients come to Illuminate to remaster television shows from uncut negatives, which means the team must ensure they have all the correct physical film assets from the client. Using its proprietary technology iConform , Illuminate is able to take uncut dailies negatives and scan them in 4K 16-bit DPX files across multiple projects.

We have to replicate exactly what was done with the original broadcast master, so there s no cutting corners for us. It's part of the reason we're working with petabytes of data, explained Crawford. The volume of work that we go through on a weekly basis to meet the deadlines is astounding. A project passes through 12 different departments from film scanning to color correction and final creation of the master file that s going to be reused for all the platforms. Our tech is essential for enabling us to produce six 60-minute shows a week.

In addition to iConform, Illuminate has also developed SmartREzIT+ , a solution that combines proprietary software and techniques with other third-party software to upres SD masters to HD, 2K and 4K. It extracts more detail and resolution than traditional methods, which makes for superior image quality with little to no artifacts. The company envisioned the technology while working on older TV shows shot on uncut film negative.

We knew we might encounter missing film, which meant we needed a process to replicate the quality so that it didn't impact the viewing experience, Hardy explained. Our conversion solution isn't real-time, which helps us create an end-result that looks as if the image originated in HD, 2K, or 4K.

Keeping projects on track with smarter data management

Across projects, Illuminate manages a massive load of data stored across its Aberdeen and XStor storage systems, which requires well organized files and data, and an easy way to access them. To streamline this work across departments, it adopted AJA Diskover Media Edition. Data operators leverage the software to gauge how many files the facility has across all of its volumes and servers. They can type a keyword into the search and see all the information in the user interface. On the administrative side, Hardy and Crawford use Diskover to get a holistic view into Illuminate's data; if a client wants to know what they have in house for a file or title, they can pull it up, versus having to check with operations first. The technology has also reduced file clean up, as they can flag files for removal if the client no longer needs them.

AJA Diskover Media Edition has also enhanced the studio's quality control (QC) pipeline. Using the CineSys CineViewer Player Plug-in, the Illuminate team can review rejected or questionable files flagged by the QC operator, instead of having to visit a bay or separate facility to review. We can look at it ourselves, take a screenshot, and send it to each other, which saves us a lot of time, versus having to visit a QC or color bay, Crawford noted.

With direct and timely insight into any issues, the Illuminate team can share more information with clients. They re also able to easily put in work orders if they need the operator to work from a specific file because the file path is more accessible with Diskover. And, they can easily confirm the file and aspect ratios available, as long as they're properly identified, which Crawford said has saved the team hours. Without AJA Diskover Media Edition, our team would have to search through volumes of data and could easily get lost. The software makes our work so much easier and efficient, she noted.

Hardy added, It's great that we no longer have to ask and wait. We can search and find what we need. It helps for asset management and keeping track of files we may not need anymore.

AJA Diskover Media Edition also allows Illuminate to grant team members unique access permissions and see the file sizes on a moment's notice, ensuring they only see the files they need to see in a timely manner, without jeopardizing their integrity, which Hardy explained is paramount. It's so helpful, he explained. And, I love that we can see how many copies of the same files we have parked on different servers; we can better determine what needs to be purged. We've already seen such a boost to our workflow and we haven't even begun to explore the ful
LINK: https://kitplus.com/news/illuminate-hollywood-manages-modern-data-load...
See more stories from tvbay

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

12/02/2026

Spectrum News Acquires New England Cable News

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Vizrt Unveils Campus Stadium Production Bundles

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Hulu + Live TV Adds Fubo Sports Network to Channel Line-up

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

FCC To Hold Open Commission Meeting on Feb. 18

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Ralph M. Oakley to Receive NAB's Chuck Sherman TV Leadership Award

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

February 11, 2026

TIME100 Health list features Scripps Research Professor Darrell Irvine Irvine is recognized for his work in empowering the immune system to fight disease, which...

11/02/2026

FYI: Phone Support Maintenance

FYI: Phone Support Maintenance One thing we pride ourselves on here at Utah Scientific is our 24-hour support included with our signature 10-year hardware warra...

11/02/2026

Bitmovin Appoints Ian Baglow as Co-Chief Executive Officer

Leading provider of video streaming solutions, Bitmovin, has appointed Ian Baglow as Co-CEO alongside existing CEO and Co-Founder Stefan Lederer. Under this str...

11/02/2026

Paramount and CBS Partner to Air UFC 326

Paramount and the CBS Television Network will partner to air UFC 326: HOLLOWAY vs. OLIVEIRA 2 live on Saturday, March 7, from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, mar...

11/02/2026

MLB.TV Launches on ESPN Beginning February 10

Beginning February 10, fans can buy MLB.TV on ESPN, a new milestone in one of sports media's longest-standing partnerships. ESPN becomes the new streaming h...

11/02/2026

Fubo Sports Network Launches on Hulu + Live TV

Fubo Sports Network is available to Hulu's Live TV subscribers in the core $89.99 a month subscription plan, which also includes full access to the entire H...

11/02/2026

Rai Selects Imagine Selenio Network Processor for IP Migration

Following a competitive public tender process, Rai (Radiotelevisione Italiana), the national public broadcasting company of Italy, has awarded Imagine Communica...

11/02/2026

MLB Makes In-Market Streaming Subscriptions for 20 Clubs Available to Fans

Major League Baseball is making in-market streaming subscriptions for 20 Clubs available today for fans. Subscriptions for the following Clubs are available vi...

11/02/2026

5G Broadcast Trials Return to the Olympic Stage at Milano Cortina 2026

Building on successful demonstrations during the Paris Olympics 2024, Italian public service broadcaster Rai and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are condu...

11/02/2026

ESPN and Disney Launch We're Going, the First Marketing Campaign for ESPN's Inaugural Super Bowl

Following Sunday's Super Bowl LX, ESPN and Disney unveiled We're Going,...

11/02/2026

Stats Perform: 2026 Super Bowl Latency Report

Delayed streams are a growing source of frustration for sports fans. During the 2026 Super Bowl, some streams lagged up to 62 seconds behind the action on the f...

11/02/2026

NASCAR Channel and FloSports to Simulcast 16 Races Live

NASCAR and FloSports announces an expanded slate of racing events that will bring FloRacing coverage live throughout the 2026 season to the NASCAR Channel, furt...

11/02/2026

Manifold Expands Sales Presence in Europe

Manifold technologies GmbH announces the appointment of Nick Tucker as Sales Manager for Europe, reinforcing the company's continued growth across broadcast...

11/02/2026

Genies and MLB Players Inc. Team Up to Create AI Characters of MLB Players

Genies, the AI avatar technology company powering the next era of interactive digital identity, entered into a landmark collaboration with MLB Players, Inc., th...

11/02/2026

ICC, Google Partner for the First-Ever AI-Powered ICC Men's T20 World Cup fuelled by Gemini & Pixel

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Google have joined forces for an AI-...

11/02/2026

Dolby Highlights From First Ever Super Bowl LX Innovation Summit

Dolby's CEO Kevin Yeaman and Giles Baker, SVP of Dolby Cloud Solutions, shared how the brand's latest innovations - Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby...

11/02/2026

Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings Enter Broadcast Partnership with MLB

Ilitch Sports + Entertainment has entered a first of its kind partnership with Major League Baseball, which will provide broadcast support to both the Detroit T...

11/02/2026

A Changing Landscape: MLB Local Media Brings Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels Into the Fold; ESPN Begins Distribution of MLB.TV

Broadcasts of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings will also be produced by the leagu...

11/02/2026

DAM Los Angeles

Video moves fast can your DAM keep up? Join Blue Lucy in LA for the West Coast's leading Digital Asset Management event as we explore, celebrate, and acc...

11/02/2026

Super Bowl LX Delivers 124.9 Million Viewers

NEW YORK - February 10, 2026 - An estimated 124.9 million viewers watched Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, according to Nielsen's Big Data Panel measu...

11/02/2026

Scripps Selling Court TV to Jellysmack

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Schulze-Brakel Introduces Wireless Clip-On Branding For Mics

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

LiveU To Showcase Expanded IP-Video EcoSystem at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Clear-Com Powers TEDNext 2025 with Gen-IC Virtual Interco...

Clear-Com provided an advanced, IP-based communications infrastructure for TEDNext 2025, supporting production, media, and editorial teams with a highly flexib...

11/02/2026

Astera Releases QuikBeam - Versatile 200W Equivalent LED...

Astera introduces QuikBeam, the newest addition to its acclaimed Quik family of focusing LED Fresnels. This ultra-compact spotlight combines the equivalent powe...

11/02/2026

Rai Selects Imagine Selenio Network Processor for IP Migr...

Following a competitive public tender process, Rai (Radiotelevisione Italiana), the national public broadcasting company of Italy, has awarded Imagine Communica...

11/02/2026

DoPchoice to Intro SNAP RABBIT Octa 5 SNAPBAG

With Convertible Mount for NL Bowens & Aputure A Mounts See it at BSC Expo Stand #133 LCA DoPchoice continues to refine light shaping tools for professional LE...

11/02/2026

ZEISS Aatma -Contemporary Full Frame Primes with a Soulfu...

World Premiere at BSC Expo, Booth #319 Oberkochen/Germany, 10 February 2026 ZEISS introduces the new Aatma, set of nine high-end full frame T1.5 cinema primes ...

11/02/2026

NUGEN Audio Plug Ins Help Nick Fry Navigate the Demands o...

As Re-recording Mixer and Head of Sound at The Farm, one of UK's leading post-production facilities, Nick Fry has built his career on making stories sound a...

11/02/2026

iSpot Introduces Agentic AI Platform iSpot SAGE

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

NBC Sports Regional Sports Networks Taps Sportradar for NBA Coverage

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

MLB.TV Launches on ESPN

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Super Bowl LX Attracts Nearly 125 Million U.S. Viewers

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Graduate Spotlight: Gabrielle Rodriguez

Graduate Spotlight: Gabrielle Rodriguez The educator, who grew up in the Philippines, shares how shes bringing what she learned at Berklee back home. Februar...

11/02/2026

Sky brings together Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu into one single subscription, exclusively on Sky

Wednesday 11 February 2026 Sky brings together Netflix, Disney , HBO Max and Ha...

11/02/2026

Netflix Confirms Production of Love O'Clock' From the Writers of Business Proposal' and True Beauty' Director

Back to All News Netflix Confirms Production of Love O'Clock' From the...

11/02/2026

Investing in Belgian Stories: A Commitment to Culture and Choice

Back to All News Investing in Belgian Stories: A Commitment to Culture and Choice From left to right: Undercover, Ang le, Rough Diamonds, Into the Night, John...

11/02/2026

Lisbon 2026

At the end of January, ICG headed off to the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, for our annual conference. An early flight gave us plenty of time to start exploring s...

11/02/2026

ABS Strengthens Ku-Band Capacity and Expands Regional Reach Through Strategic Partnership with Horizon Teleports

ABS Strengthens Ku-Band Capacity and Expands Regional Reach Through Strategic Pa...