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AMWA, EBU, SMPTE Announce Groundbreaking Collaboration To Drive Future Media Standards & Interoperability Across Digital Media Ecosystem

Plans to formalize AMWA/EBU Framework for Interoperable Media (FIMS) effort also unveiled

Atlanta, GA; Geneva, Switzerland; White Plains, New York – With the digital media ecosystem remaking business models and putting a greater premium on operational efficiency than ever, the industry’s leading advocates for user-requirements identification, business-driven solutions, and worldwide standards – the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA), the European Broadcast Union (EBU), and the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE) – announced that they will work together to accelerate their respective efforts at driving interoperability and delivering efficient media workflows.

Senior managers from the three bodies plan to meet regularly to exchange information and identify areas of potential cooperation. They will also collect user input in a more formalized way – and launch a pilot initiative to gather specific input regarding media workflows and media services. They will then share that information with their members and with industry leaders.

“This unprecedented cooperative effort is striking because of the critical and unique influence each group has on the processes and tools that are rapidly remaking the digital media ecosystem,” said Pete Ludé, SMPTE president. “As more media organizations rely on rapidly developed software-based tools, it is particularly important that standards-development processes meet these fast-paced needs.”

As a user organization, the EBU identifies common operational requirements and has a keen interest in harmonized industry approaches. The AMWA develops practical, business-driven solutions that meet user requirements using existing standards wherever possible. SMPTE is the worldwide leader in standards and education for the communications, media, and entertainment industries.

“It just makes sense that these three organizations would work closely together,” said AMWA Executive Director Brad Gilmer. “AMWA is business driven, and we appreciate the user input we receive from the EBU and others – in fact, we cannot achieve our goals without it. We also value the critical due-process review that SMPTE offers.”

“As a user organization we play an important role in formulating our requirements, but ultimately we want to see them implemented in commercial products and backed by standards, so the cooperation with the AMWA and SMPTE is vital to reach our goals,” said EBU Technical Director Lieven Vermaele.

“SMPTE relies on user input to ensure that the standards we develop reflect what the industry needs,” said Dr. Hans Hoffmann, SMPTE Vice President of Engineering. “The cooperation between these three organizations is a milestone in driving the adoption of efficient architectures for future media production and distribution systems.”

FIMS Task Force Output Moving Toward Formalization
The EBU and the AMWA also announced today that the output of the Framework for Interoperable Media Service (FIMS) Joint Task Force will be submitted to SMPTE after formalization by AMWA and EBU. The organizations formed the task force in 2009 to address system integration issues in modern and complex TV production environments and recently demonstrated some early capabilities this effort at IBC 2011.

About the AMWA
The Advanced Media Workflow Association is a user-focused industry body dedicated to the promotion, development and adoption of open, accessible standards and specifications relating to file-based workflows (including AAF, MXF and other formats), Service Oriented Architectures, and Application Specifications as they apply to the areas of content creation, production, post-production, rich media authoring, archiving and distribution. AMWA members include Adobe Systems, Ad-ID, Avid Technology, BBC, Cinegy, Harmonic, IBM, PBS, and Turner Broadcasting. Visit the AMWA at www.amwa.tv.

About the EBU
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is the largest association of national broadcasters in the world (75 active Members in 56 countries, 43 associate Members in 25 countries further afield). The EBU helps public service broadcasters to deliver unique high quality programming to their audiences. It offers Members technical, operational and legal services, and coordinates a growing supply of quality content for radio, television and new platforms. It provides Members with information and analysis on media trends, and training designed to meet their needs. The EBU works to secure recognition of the crucial role of public service broadcasters in the digital audiovisual landscape. Visit the EBU at: www.ebu.ch.

Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin
Judith Rubin ([email protected]) is a leading journalist, content marketing specialist and connector in the international attractions industry. She reports on design and technical design, production and project management, industry trends and company culture. From 2005-2020 she ran communications and publications for the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). In 2013, she was honored with the TEA Service Award. She was development director of IMERSA and publicist for the Large Format Cinema Association, and has contributed to the publications of PLASA, IAAPA and the International Planetarium Society. Judith joined World’s Fair magazine in 1987, which introduced her to the attractions industry. She joined InPark in 2010. Judith earned a BFA from Pratt Institute. She has lived in Detroit, New York, Oakland, and now Saint Louis, where she is active in the local arts community.

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