The production community does not fully appreciate the extra demands that the shift from tape to file will place on delivery, according to an expert panel at this week’s BVE trade show.

Speaking during a session that addressed how the move to tapeless would affect the post-production sector, Crow TV head of post Andy Briers said some production firms were unaware of the additional work required to deliver a programme that complies with the Digital Production Partnerships file specification.

From October, the new spec will be the only delivery standard accepted by Channel 4 and ITV.

Briers said: “Sometimes production firms think we tell them off and make them jump through hoops for the sake of it.

“With file-based delivery, there are extra steps in the chain so more discipline is needed. To export, render and QC a file can take two or three times longer [than with tape].

“Some production companies have fully adopted file-based workflows for archive and international sales; others think you are trying to pull the wool over their eyes.”

Envy head of operations Jai Cave agreed that the additional processes were a concern and said the extra time required to create an AS-11 file means scheduling is a key consideration for production firms:

“If something goes wrong, time to fix it needs to be built in.”

DPP technical standards lead Kevin Burrows said the crossbroadcaster group was engaging with the production community. “Ultimately, everyone needs to work together. The October deadline should focus minds,” he said.

Cave added that over the past month, more production firms had enquired about file-based delivery than in the previous four.