digital asset management at wgbh amy rantanen

Digital Asset Managementat WGBH

Amy RantanenDirector, Information Technologyand Asset Management Systems

Agenda• Digital Asset Management Defined• WGBH Corporate, Content and Group Goals• WGBH/Sun Partnership• Digital Asset Management Reference Architecture• Target Vertical Markets• Customer Benefits• Center for Digital Asset Management at WGBH, an

iForcesm Solution Center• WGBH Workload• Digital Asset Management’s Future• Summary

Here’s what I plan to cover today.

The process of effectivelyorganizing and using the content

we create is called:“Digital Asset Management”

The video about WGBH you just saw showed you the legacy of the content WGBH hasproduced over the past 50 years - our institutional dowry. Digital asset management is themeans by which WGBH will manage, preserve and leverage that content across multipledistribution platforms.

Digital asset management, often abbreviated by the letters DAM, is a specialized database forcollecting, managing and distributing rich media assets from a centralized repository, as wellas automating many labor-intensive tasks associated with reusing or repurposing pre-existingcontent, for distribution across any platform.” Michael Moon, from the company GISTICS,gave a similar description in the May 2003 CIO Insight publication.

Digital assets are stills, graphics, text, video and audio, and they can be an entire program orelements thereof.Artifacts include rights contracts, transcripts, and production notes. To facilitate desktopsearch and retrieval, all materials are described in the system using metadata, which is astandardized label of information about the asset.

WGBH Goals

Economize Asset Re-Use:• Streamline production/post-production• Enable storage and preservation of our archival

assets even as we migrate to changing media andmedia formats

• Simplify and centralize access to 50 years worthof content

• Facilitate new content partnerships

Content will be organized, preserved and maintained so that it will be available now and in thefuture.

Digital Asset ManagementContent Goals

• Realize the maximum value of the editorialcontent you create and acquire!

• Content will be organized, preserved andmaintained so that it will be available nowand in the future

Targeted Group Goals

• Producers will have access to all content createdby all productions at any time, after its release

• Educational users should be able to accesseditorial content

• General users should be able to access editorialcontent

• Enable collaboration

• Producers• Support consistent content for broadcast, distribution, publicity, and promotion• Simplify access• Facilitate concurrent production for various media by various production teams

• Educational users• Include information in a variety of formats— streaming video from the broadcast

series and selected outtakes including interviews and interview transcripts,animation, archival and field photographs gathered during production, as well asexcerpts from significant print sources (articles, books, journals) used in researchfor our series.

• General users• On a variety of delivery platforms• At user-specified levels of quality• In a user-specified format• At a user-specified time

Build distribution efficiency so material can reach users through the Internet, broadband, &DTV.

If you look at the proliferation of personal viewing and listening devices (mp3, PDAs, Tivo)it’s “All about Me!”

WGBH/Sun Partnership• WGBH Selects Artesia TEAMS

– DAM Software provider selected• WGBH Develops Metadata Model

– Multi-year effort• Sun Services Project Inception

– Eight week phase duration– April – May 2002

• WGBH/Sun/Artesia/Sony Elaboration– Sixteen plus week phase duration

– August 2002 – January 2003

The Reference Architecture evolved from WGBH’s relationship with Sun; WGBH had a need,and went to Sun Professional Services. The reference architecture grew from Sun’sresponsiveness to WGBH’s specific needs. Sun had the infrastructure; WGBH providedintellectual property and experience on the broadcast side, which helped developed the firstReference Architecture to handle high bandwidth video.

The Digital Asset ManagementReference Architecture

Provides a robust test suite, as well as a loading,balancing and scaling documentation which

defines the range of component and system testprocedures that were used to benchmark the

reference system.

The digital asset management end-to-end reference architecture is an innovative hardware andsoftware solution developed by WGBH and its technology partners, that provides multimedia-focused businesses and other vertical industries with a comprehensive specification for thedesign and deployment of a complete content management system, enabling the transformationof legacy platforms into next-generation digital asset management systems. The referencearchitecture is the first of its kind to handle high-bandwidth video.

Our objectives in collaborating with our technology partners to develop the first digital assetmanagement reference architecture for multimedia-focused businesses and other verticalindustries, are to:

ßEnsure the current and future integration of best-of-breed vendors, whose productdevelopment has met WGBH’s needs, and will meet the requirements of many.

ßProvide a comprehensive, thoroughly tested, open-standards system so that specificcomponents can be traded out without breaking the existing architecture

ßEnsure alignment in the public broadcasting system, with major national and regionalprojects, and with other member stations.

This is the reference architecture for broadcast and cable. In the following slides, first I’llshow you the components of it that we’ve completed, then I’ll show you how thereference architecture works for other vertical industries beyond broadcast and cable.

Storage Installation & Configuration: - Online, Nearline complete - Offline (In Process) - “Tuned” for hi-performance R/W of large files

Integrate Metadata Model - Add WGBH Metadata Model to Artesia TEAMS - Tested with ~500,000 records

Video Asset Infrastructure - Ingest DV and SDI Video (25 and 270Mbs) - Log asset (capture key frames with Virage) - Create proxy (MPEG-4) - Wrap with QuickTIme

- Deliver proxy to “desktop”

- Deliver essence to “desktop”

- Select a “chunk” of proxy or essence and deliver to “desktop”

Non-Linear Editing Integration - Final Cut Pro

- Avid - API’s to provide additional functionality to complete effort

Transcode Proof-of-Concept- Integration of Telestream Flip Factory - Identify other hardware alternatives - Identify open source alternatives

Video Server/Automation Integration - Integration of Harris Automation - Deliver programs through Telestream to GVG

For Rich Media & Broadcast

Target Vertical Markets forDigital Asset Management

• Multimedia and Broadcast• Rich Media Education/Publishing• Rich Media for Web• Research Education/Publishing• Web-only Research Education/Publishing• Government

The reference architecture aligns with other markets as well; these are just examples. We’vealready met with a government agency in Australia, and the Ministry of Education from Japanand Mexico. We’re a recognized leader in the field, with other public broadcasters ready tofollow our lead.

As I mentioned, this diagram represents the components required to handle multi-media forTV and radio broadcast and cable, but the reference architecture’s components can beinterchanged to meet the needs of many other different businesses, as you’ll see in thefollowing slides. I want to stress that the reference architecture is not just tied to broadcast andentertainment - it’s layered to accommodate specific verticals. In addition to major motionpicture studios and cable networks, examples of other companies implementing digital assetmanagement include Major League Baseball and the NBA, Coca-Cola, Martha Stewart LivingOmnimedia, DaimlerChrysler and General Motors, ad agencies and publishing houses. CIOInsight publication noted in its May 2003 issue that companies from finance topharmaceuticals are getting in on the act. Potential prospect: Any company that can reducedistribution costs for physical content.

This version represents the components required to handle rich media for the education andpublishing businesses. As you can see, the components for broadcast traffic automation aren’trequired here.

This version represents the components required for rich media for the Web.

As you can see, there’s no need for the traffic automation and editing components.

These are the components needed for Web-only Research, Education, Publishing.

These are the components required for Government.

Reference Architecture

What it means to be a customer• Conduit for knowledge transfer• It's free• It's comprehensive and thoroughly tested• It's open so that specific components can be traded out

without breaking the existing architecture• Helps with complexity issues, risk and cost reduction• Decision-making is compressed

The value of the Reference Architecture to a customer:•Cost avoidance: a lot of professional services have already been completed, so the customerdoesn’t need to engage/pay. Knowledge transfer aspect is extremely important to WGBH - andwe assume it’s important to other customers. We couldn’t go with a vendor who had to do allthe work after - we had to be able to maintain the system after Sun P.S. is gone. It’s a priorityfor WGBH, and the Reference Architecture provides the opportunity to keep costs down.•Provides the ability to go to market more quickly•Solutions are proven•Vendors who have previously been proprietary now align with open standards, and newversions have to be tested within the Reference Architecture•Limits risk•Lower entry cost

Center for Digital AssetManagement at WGBH

• Customers see proposed solutions perform using the latesttechnologies

• Allows for integration of best-in-class and vendors ofpreviously proprietary solutions

• Prior to purchase, customers can test different products toensure integration

• Customers want to talk with other customers who aredealing with new technologies and associated changemanagement challenges

I felt it was important to have an iForce Center for Digital Asset Management here at WGBHto allow us to drive best-in-class vendors’ product development to meet WGBH and otherorganizations’ needs with a comprehensive, thoroughly tested, open-standards solution. Itprovides an opportunity for us to test these applications and their integration. We’d have to dothe testing on our own, and Sun has provided professional services and equipment. Savingsand incremental revenues can be redirected to furthering our mission, or to finding new waysto monetize our digital assets.Because WGBH is a flagship public broadcasting member station, it’s an extension of ourmission to help educate. As a customer ourselves, we know that customers want to talk toother customers, and we recognize that we can serve as a source of information for otherprospective customers. What we’ve learned, and what I want to share with you today, is theneed to understand that the digital asset management reference architecture represents a bigcustomer investment that comes with a long sales cycle. Change management challenges areequal to, if not greater than challenges posed by the advent of new technologies.

WGBH Workload

• Archives 10,000 hours of source materialper year

• An average bit rate of 40 megabits persecond = 630 terabytes of ingest

• On average, we’d ingest 2 terabytes per day

This is how we exercise the Reference Architecture - this is what we’re handling from acontent perspective.

Current Tape-Heavy National Production Content Lifecycleand Workflow

With inefficiencies and various departments digitizing content as needed, for examplepublishing program-related content to the Web, departments are waiting for information andcontent, so there’s a hang-up in workflow.The current workflow consists of many Redundant, Manual, Realtime Processes including:Tape duplication (Dubbing), Content Digitization, and Tape distribution (Shipping). Note:these are all the red icons.

A great deal of time in the current workflow is spent performing tasks that do not add value,and performing the same tasks over and over again. A great deal of money in the currentworkflow is spent on tapes, tape decks, maintenance, shipping, and on coordinatingmanual processes.

The time consuming aspects of the current workflow preclude certain opportunities including:distribution on additional platforms which requires: more editorial/creative work; repackagingof content (interactive TV, DVD, Web, promotion); coordinated marketing of content acrossdistribution channels; and reuse of content (e.g., e-learning). Note: right now, we do what wecan afford to do in many of these areas, not necessarily what we prefer to do.

Tapeless National Production Content Lifecycle andWorkflow

With single digitizing, everyone has access. Collapse of time, how much quicker we canproduce content. Customers can increase their efficiency TODAY - digitize once and publishto any format. Rich media is not just for broadcast and entertainment.Facts: Redundant and non-value processes are eliminated. Highly efficient, scalable, reliable,secure system replaces silos.Content and editorial input move in two directions. Content flow across the organizationbecomes: simultaneous in many directions, and asynchronous (non-serialized, non-linear). Inother words, with the proper authorization, creative input to (editorial work on) multipleplatforms can occur simultaneously without the overhead of dubbing, shipping, delivering, etc.

Other value-added, contemporaneous benefits: We are preserving: catalog information, and hi-resolution and low-resolution versions of the content. This dramatically reduces the cost ofreuse and preservation. (no more RE-digitizing). Content reuse, repacking, preservation, is amatter of choice no longer precluded by unknown quantities like "is there anything there?""how much will it cost to migrate?" "can we get in touch with the person who rememberswhere we shot that footage?" Going forward, these questions become answerable oranachronistic.

There is a new choice, a new opportunity: increase the quantity or the quality of product.Overall we'll do both. In other words, more efficiency means more time. How we choose tospend that time is a choice, because we'll have time, and we'll also have more money, becauseit won't be wasted on shipping, tape stock, and equipment maintenance, etc.

Efficiencies

• Streamline business processes in NationalProduction, National Promotion, andCreative Services

• Key benefits from centralized storage andsingle digitization

We need to analyze - and where necessary re-design - our legacy work flows to work moreefficiently and effectivelyWe need to recognize that - in the long term - the content we create “belongs” to theFoundation, not to individual projects and departments.

At WGBH, our Creative Services department, which is responsible for on-air promotion, willbe able to meet an expanding workload without additional resources, such as the ability toprovide more radio promos for little additional time and expense beyond what’s already beingproduced for TV promos. Digital asset management also provides improvements tothe workflow efficiency of co-producing with multiple agency production partners.

Program producers will be able to decrease Edit Suite use for digitizing; Frontline reports anaverage of 100-500 hours of low-resolution content per program, and one content hour takes 6hours to re-digitize, plus 3-4 days for color correction. Production assistants will spend lesstime researching tapes; they currently spend an average of 7 hours from material requestthrough shuttling through content and batch digitzing. Interns spend 25% of their time lookingfor tapes. Program producers will be able to electronically ship programs between co-production partners, saving shipping costs: It costs $1500 per program hour to ship fromEngland to WGBH in Boston. Producers in different locations will be able to review the sameproduction content without the time and expense of travel.

Centralized storage will allow our National Promotions department to revolutionize programdistribution for the press and other publicity/promotional opportunities, by eliminating theneed to provide thousands ofprogram copies. Resulting savings are realized in personnel time,tape stock, shipping, and outsourcing charges.

Our Archives department will spend less time circulating and re-shelving tapes. As anexample, in the two months following September 11, Frontline and Nova’s requests for tapesequaled 10% of all of the previous year’s requests. And, with digital asset management, thecontent is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

These are just examples related to the content lifecycle and workflow, and don’t represent theenterprise-wide solution for workflow. All of these efficiencies will help increase revenuesfrom the sale of programs, segments, footage and stills. We can also quote you some industrystatistics on efficiencies that have been documented. Digital asset management users spend:

•36% less time transferring files

•28% less time reorganizing files

•14% less time locating files

•13% less time tracking multiple-version files

These statistics are from GISTICS, an independent research company, quoted in“Return on Investment Analysis for Media and Entertainment Companies” -- ArtesiaTechnologies

Summary

The Digital Asset ManagementReference Architecture prepares WGBH

for converging business environmentsthat demand new efficiencies and spawn

new roles and business models

Call to Action

• Identify your customers who would benefit fromdigital asset management

• Learn about the Digital Asset ManagementReference Architecture and the Center for DigitalAsset Management at WGBH

• Understand the impact of change management inregards to digital asset management and yourcustomers

Push digital asset management in your vertical markets - we’ve talked today about howWGBH is preserving its dowry; help your customers preserve theirs. Understanding changemanagement is even more important than recognizing the challenges brought on by newtechnologies.

Digital Asset Managementat WGBH

[email protected]

daminfo.wgbh.org

I hope you’ll feel free to contact me at the e-mail address listed on screen. I also invite you tovisit our Web site for digital asset management, where you’ll find more information aboutWGBH’s digital asset management initiative, this and other presentations, and a wealth ofresources such as white papers, and industry articles.

Thanks for your time today.

digital asset management at wgbh amy rantanen

Documents