ITV opts for AmberFin QC to accelerate tapeless push

AmberFin’s iCR Unified Quality Control (UQC) system checks content during and after ingest.

It is being used to make sure files created within ITV’s tapeless workflow are fit for purpose, and for the distribution of ITV series including Emmerdale andCoronation Street.

ITV director of technology strategy Andrew Ioannou said the pilots were part of a long-term strategy in which the broadcaster will “refresh the way we share, manage, distribute and exploit content throughout ITV’s operations”.

ITV’s file-based workflow allows episodes shot in HD to be shared between its London, Leeds and Manchester sites, as well as with service partners such as ITFC and Technicolor.

Content management firm ITFC is developing a new web-based compliance tool for ITV that uses AmberFin technology to process changes made to acquired content.

ITFC senior operations director Lesley Marr said the tool’s integration with ITFC’s media asset management system, known as The Core, sets it apart from off-the-shelf solutions.

She said the new system would “bring efficiencies to both sides”, and be a vast improvement on the days when “compliance teams used to view VHS tapes and send paper notes to edit suites”.

Compliance teams will be able to open a web page to view the programme which will be stored within the Core,which includes technical and editorial metadata displayed on the same screen.

When users tick ‘pass’, The Core uses Active Vos to the drive the workflow which controls Amberfin ICR, Episode Engine, FTP Poller and Mediaflex processes to deliver the content to transmission in the correct format.

Testing is taking place at the moment.