File Based Workflows
Pebble Beach Systems has reacted to today's needs to manage file based workflows with the development of its Anchor Media Manager. Offered as an optional component of Neptune, Anchor provides the necessary mechanisms to construct an end-to-end workflow to manage content through its various stages from initial ingest to being ready for transmission.
At the heart of this workflow is a system wide SQL database where the location and status of all content is tracked. The updating of content status will automatically trigger its movement according to operational rules - configurable to suit each customer. This could for instance see ingested content pass a QC process before being moved to archive, or content required for playout restored to video servers prior to being required on-air.
The flexibility of Anchor's device interfaces allows for systems to be designed that make use of hierarchical solutions, including video server storage, near-line disk based systems and direct control of data tape libraries - even content delivered by 3rd parties using FTP can be detected and metadata extracted to update Neptune's database.
Low resolution proxy files can be created using transcoders or real time encoders and media can be presented to a large number of operators via our Razorfish application. Users can review and reversion content, update its associated metadata to trigger movement or manually restore the associated high resolution content from archive.
Anchor has been deployed at many sites and is proven in controlling archive solutions as large as 1.5PB using multiple tape drives. It supports data tape library systems from Sun (Storagetek), Quantum (ADIC), Spectra Logic and Sony.
