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
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
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...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
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...
28/01/2026
Top L-R: The Liars, Jazz Infernal, Living with a Visionary
Second Row L-R: Paper Trail, The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Crisis Actor
Third Row: The Boys and ...
28/01/2026
Music discovery should feel intuitive and personal. That's why we're continuing to give you more control, so you can ask for what you want, shape what y...
28/01/2026
Today, Charlie Hellman, Spotify's Head of Music, shared the following note on the Spotify for Artists blog that the company paid out more than $11 billion t...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
28/01/2026
As demand for more complex live sports coverage grows, Balkan broadcast specialist MVP has upgraded its flagship HD1 progressive OB truck with the installation ...
28/01/2026
Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Marshall Electronics launches the CV420-27X, its next-generation ultra-high-definition (UHD) IP camera, at ISE 2026 (Stand 4N900). Engineered for modern IP-base...
28/01/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Television Mobiles Ltd. (TVM), one of Europe's leading independent outside broadcast providers, has carried out a major refu...
28/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities
FOR-A is bringing remarkable new technologies to FOMEX, the Future of Media Exhibition (ex...
28/01/2026
Continuing a longstanding collaboration, Riedel Communications and Nordic media technology company Media Tailor have once again joined forces to deliver a state...
28/01/2026
Pebble has appointed Paul Nagle-Smith as vice president for customer fulfilment, strengthening its senior leadership focus on customer delivery and operational ...
28/01/2026
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset has announced that leading Mexican broadcaster, TV Azteca is using Veset Nimbus on AWS as a disaster recovery (DR) playo...
28/01/2026
Ensuring it can keep pace with a rapidly evolving live sports market, Balkan broadcast facility provider MVP Most Valuable Production has upgraded its flags...
28/01/2026
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud solutions provider that powers and protects life online, and Yospace, the leader in dynamic ad insertion tec...
28/01/2026
The renowned Reykjavik City Theatre (RCT) recently underwent a major intercom system upgrade using Clear-Com solutions. This milestone project utilizes Clear-C...
28/01/2026
Luxembourg, January 26, 2026 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading space solutions company, acknowledges the credit rating action announced by Fitch to...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
28 01 2026 - Media release Screen Australia refreshes Market & Audience approach...
28/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonar...
28/01/2026
28 Jan 2026
VEON Notes Kyivstar Group Publication of Selected Full Year 2025 Fi...
28/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host 2026 edition of its online event Demystifying EMC Rohde & Schwarz invites the global EMC community to join a crucial discussion on pre...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
The Wait Is Over: Teaser Trailer Drops for Jo Nesbo's Dete...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case
Entertainment
28 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to ...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Santiago Mitres New Film Starring Ver nica L...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Teaser Trailer for Berlin and the Lady wit...
28/01/2026
Stadtwerke Wolfhagen Modernize Customer Management with AEP.energysuite from Arv...
27/01/2026
Click for Japanese version
Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
January 14, 2026
We are proud to share that 25 Ontario, First Gulf's commercial project located just two minutes from our head office, has been recognized ...
27/01/2026
January 22, 2026
First Gulf is excited to share that a full-building lease has been secured at 625 Bronte Rd in Oakville, part of Bronte Station Business Park,...
27/01/2026
January 23, 2026
First Gulf continues to demonstrate its commitment to high-performance, sustainable real estate with 351 King Street East achieving BOMA BEST ...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
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. 
