The implementation of iMediaflex has been seamless and the user interface is easy to use. It’s modern, fast, responsive and can be used in any web browser with no installations necessary.
Mediaflex-UMS champions, Discovery Europe (DNE), have recently implemented the latest version of iMediaflex, the Mediaflex-UMS browser-based UI, across the operation. This move was undertaken to meet the ongoing demands for enhanced UX (User Experience), content management efficiencies and to meet the growing consumption of Discovery’s content across all distribution channels.
Up until now, the video proxy format used to view content has been .wmv with proprietary extensions that required software to be installed on the Windows desktop and proprietary encoders and transcoders to create the files. With the move to a more modern web friendly proxy format the use of the iMediaflex environment can be extended to most user on devices running all modern web browsers.
To produce the new proxy content DNE’s Mediaflex-UMS platform was configured with new automated workflows to transcode the hi-res content, held in AWS S3 Cloud Object Storage, to the new format. The transcoding is carried out in AWS and the new content files stay there and can be streamed directly from S3 to the iMediaflex player. Thus, reducing both the storage capacity required on-premise and negating the need to transfer any content between DNE and the AWS platform. All of this orchestration configuration was carried out by DNE personnel using the Mediaflex-UMS Workflow Composer, a graphical application for creating and modifying workflows without the need for scripting or developers.
One operational area that has benefited from the enhanced features is that of content production. DNE teams edit a large volume of content for various platforms and international markets with the Producers being responsible for ensuring everything coming out of post is on point, fits the market and is up to the required standards. The challenge here was making browser-based video streaming and playback up to the standard expected by professional users. Resolution, frame accuracy, performance and functionality are all incredibly important to the task of approving/rejecting hundreds of hours of content a day. iMediaflex tackles these challenges with ease. By utilising the native HTML 5 player and adding some TMD expertise and extra features (including multiple audio tracks, timed text and graphical overlays) TMD are able to make iMediaflex a feature rich, ultra-reliable and responsive UX (User Experience).
Another operational area to gain from the enhanced platform is QC. Previously, the teams were reliant on specialised, costly video servers and SDI monitors. Now, all that is needed is standard IT equipment and good quality screens. The workflow orchestration task management functionality displays a task for a specific user or group of users to perform. The operator opens the task and everything needed to carry out the process, is immediately presented in the iMediaflex UI, significantly improving operational efficiency.
“Mediaflex-UMS is a huge part of our Discovery Europe Headquarters. It’s the heart of all the media preparation for all our Europe based distribution” said Olly Henshell, Supervisor – Media Technology at Discovery Networks Europe. ”The implementation of iMediaflex has been seamless and the user interface is easy to use. It’s modern, fast, responsive and can be used in any web browser with no installations necessary.”
These capabilities enhance the user experience of the Mediaflex-UMS platform in its entirety, as well as improving the usability of workflow tasks.