SMPTE and Avid have published a new standard for the VC-3 codec in IMF.
Provided under Avid’s DNx brand, the VC-3 standard is a primary production code in global use for broadcast functions including capture, editing, rendering, base transcoding and long-term archive. SMPTE ST 2067-70 is a new standard specifying an application of the Interoperable Master Format (IMF) framework for VC-3 usage as specified in SMPTE ST 2019-1.
Simplifying storage of all audiovisual content needed to create different versions for distribution across different territories and platforms, the IMF family of SMPTE standards (SMPTE ST 2067) is an international media standard for providing a single interchangeable master file format and structure. The package can be used for content exchange between owners, post facilities and distribution platforms.
The new 2067-70 standard covers VC-3’s usage with IMF, enabling delivery on VC-3 codecs that aim to ensure maximum quality for future distribution/reversion and archive, enabling broadcasters to deliver content assets in high quality. It also provides the option to use a constant bit rate (CBR) codec profile for predictability in storage and transport. By eliminating th need for transcoding into a different format, quality degradation of encoded content is minimised.
Shailendra Mathur, VP of technology at Avid, said, “For many of Avid’s customers, the DNx family of codecs, VC-3, is used in their productions as a mezzanine format to maximise quality while obtaining superior editing performance on common off-the-shelf desktop and server platforms. This newly published standard will ensure that the same mezzanine-quality codec used in production can now be passed through to the IMF mastering stage for distribution.”
With membership across the media supply chain including technology providers and production companies, the DPP (Digital Production Partnership) approached SMPTE and Avid as co-proponents to develop the standard. DPP technology strategist, David Thompson, said, “It has been great to support the collaboration between Avid and SMPTE to enable the use of VC-3 codec within the IMF framework. This addition meets a clear business need for companies who use VC-3 as their primary production codec and wish to adopt IMF for distribution and archiving.”
