There is no doubt that, with ChatGPT making waves with immediate writing capabilities and stable diffusion enabling creatives to create incredible imagery based on simple prompts, artificial intelligence is the hot topic of the moment. Making sense of it all is quite a challenge, especially for us in the media and entertainment industry.
The talk at the moment is about the “creative” capabilities of AI. But that raises a lot of ethical questions for content producers. Who is in charge of the work? Where are the boundaries between fact and AI generation? What are the intellectual property implications? When AI can create completely convincing images from a brief text description, what is truth, and when does it matter?
These ethical dilemmas can make media businesses a bit uneasy, but let’s not forget that AI can be a lifesaver in some areas. It’s like this: people are great at the fun, creative stuff, while computers excel at the dull, repetitive tasks. AI is just another example of this age-old truth.
It’s all about the metadata
Asset management is the way we find stuff in our content stores. We describe the content using metadata, and the more detailed the metadata, the easier it is to find what we are looking for. Indeed, with really good metadata – and maybe some AI help in the search – we may find content that will take our productions off in a new, unexpected and delightful direction.
At EditShare, we’re all about helping you keep track of your content. Whether you’re producing blockbuster movies or TikTok videos, our FLOW asset management software bundled with our storage systems is the way to go. One fundamental truth with all asset management platforms is the better the metadata the easier it is to find the raw material to tell your story.
The real timesaver: Intelligent software
Completing good, detailed metadata is a time-consuming business and sometimes, it is not an especially rewarding task – which can lead to human fatigue and, in turn, errors. Spending hours or even days in a darkened room manually tagging hours of video can be tough, but it is needed if you want to be sure you can later find the people, places and items you need; to sort the best takes from the OK; to find new and informative B-roll to tell the story.
But computers are good at repetitive tasks, so this is an ideal application for AI. If the software is intelligent enough, it can reliably tag objects, people, locations, and even emotions. It can process audio, transcribe the speech and lock the script to timecode, so that users can quickly jump to the part of the clip they need. Processing audio and video together helps fine tune the script tracking and understanding of emotions.
This all sounds great in theory – a real timesaver at the point of ingest, and throughout the extended life of the content. But can it be done in practice?
FLOW AI for Superhuman Vision
At EditShare the team studied the market, and saw that a start-up based in Berlin had all the right vision coupled with an incredibly powerful technology stack. The company is called Mobius, and their AI platform is called Superhuman Vision, which is pretty much what we wanted to achieve.
Facial recognition
So we have integrated it into our FLOW asset and workflow management system. We call the add-on FLOW AI. It adds yet another layer to our already highly automated environment. FLOW AI can process content for keywords in a scene, automatically tag people based on facial recognition and improve the post environment with intuitive scene and detection algorithms.
One of the operational considerations in AI is that it has to be trained to know what you know. FLOW AI is supplied with a lot of basic knowledge already in its database: as soon as you plug it in it can recognize more than 5000 objects, emotions, actions and even 10,000 famous people. And you can teach it more – you can add people to the database, for instance, and it will index them every time they appear in your archive.
Detailed image analysis
FLOW AI also includes intelligent support when searching for content. User requests can be very specific or quite vague, and the retrieval system will suggest relevant clips beyond the usual, so that stories become more interesting.
Obvious applications are systems with a high throughput of content, like newsrooms and sports broadcasters. Say a golfer hits a hole in one: you can quickly find all the other times this golfer has done it; or it has been achieved on this hole; or even disastrous triple bogeys at the same place.
It is a powerful tool for other users, too. Say you are producing a multi-part drama serial, and you need some cutaways to manage the pace of the story. By framing your request by mood, weather, time of day or people in shot, you can help the editor by offering clips that will match and flow seamlessly. For post houses versioning content for different markets, it can help by identifying the points which may need conformance editing, like nudity or swearing.
The partnership with Mobius is already proving very worthwhile. The algorithms in their software not only save time but offer more accurate, richer results, and as users get into the capabilities of FLOW AI, the benefits continue to grow. Object detection is just one string to our AI capabilities, with other integrations including speech to text and translation, but that’s something for a future blog!
It is said that AI is a powerful tool when used to support human decision-making. That is why we see FLOW AI as a great enhancement for our storytelling platform.
Want to find out more? click here to book a demo, or a chat with your local EditShare team member.
New workgroup permissions, NDI Support, and third-party integrations enhance workflows for admins and video editors
Boston, MA – July 1, 2021 –EditShare®, a technology leader that delivers software to enable collaborative media workflows for storytellers, announced today a number of key enhancements to its EFS and FLOW solutions. As the intelligent media control and management layer for on-premises and cloud, EditShare solutions enable collaborative media production workflows including storyboarding, review and approval, storage management, archiving and distribution.
FLOW Key Enhancements
EditShare customers can watch the FLOW Q2 update video to learn more about the new features and capabilities. NDI and H.265 Scan Support
Support for the growing demand for NDI workflows within FLOW, which is currently in public beta, provides EditShare customers a convenient architecture for distributing video over IP.
Support for H.265 HEVC compression technology widely used in productions around the world offers EditShare customers outstanding picture quality with very low file sizes.
Group Permissions with Support for Projects, Metadata and Channels
Quickly create, delete, and edit groups permissions.
Disable and re-enable entire groups.
Easily promote and track users’ permissions.
Extend permissions on a group basis to projects, metadata templates and ingest channels.
Forced Logout from all FLOW Clients
Disconnect users from FLOW applications to free up licenses, optimizing use for production resources.
Metadata and Mapping
Support for import of .mxf/.r3d file samples for mapping configuration. Key for customers using Avid workflows, reveals internal metadata contained within supported media files, allowing quick configuration of metadata-mapping into FLOW custom fields.
Support for import and mapping of sidecar XML to non-video files, such as still images, enables facilities with large still libraries and other non-video collections to migrate seamlessly to FLOW to be ready for production.
Video Previews Available for Real-time Preview of SDI/NDI
‘Live’ monitoring, configuration, and workflow management.
Support for the preview of live ingest sources in web applications.
Integration with Mobius Vision AI – Facial Recognition
Saves FLOW users time reviewing and tagging content.
Comprehensive database includes thousands of celebrities and public figures.
Ability to augment the database with a custom collection of faces for detection.
Support for the latest Archiware Release
Optimized for large file counts in transfer.
Users can easily archive and restore assets from FLOW tools supporting accurate source path preservation and tape barcode metadata tracking.
EFS Key Enhancements
EFS Control: Advances in our new Web-Based UI with User Groups Support
View user group membership in the sidebar.
View and search media spaces to which each group has been assigned.
Add and remove groups to and from media spaces.
Support for exporting any table view (e.g., the list of spaces and users) as a CSV file.
Active Directory
Support for legacy operation of a single group for all active directory accounts.
Audit and Monitor
View summary of real-time read and write bandwidth data to manage user traffic and prioritize bandwidth for high priority tasks.
EFS Storage Optimization
Default speed for EFS background operations is 20X faster, making the system more efficient when adding a new storage node.
Ability to immediately utilize replication goals for new media spaces without rebooting.
“Our commitment to customer success drives our roadmap,” comments Sunil Mudholkar, vice president of product management, EditShare. “This release of EditShare software enhances support for large-scale installations and complex workflows where customers need greater control without losing the nimble flexibility, making EFS and FLOW even easier to use on a day-to-day basis.”
About EditShare EditShare is a technology leader that enables collaborative media workflows on-premise, in the cloud, or in a hybrid configuration. With customer and partner success at the heart of EditShare’s core values, our open software solutions and robust APIs improve workflow collaboration and third-party integrations across the entire production chain, ensuring a world-class experience that is second to none. The high-performance software lineup includes media optimized shared storage management, archiving and backup, and media management, all supported with open APIs for extensible integration.
Press Contact Cat Soroush Zazil Media Group (e) catherine@zazilmediagroup.com (p) +1 (631) 880-9534
EFSv streamlines production with remote workflow flexibility
Boston, MA – June 8, 2021 –EditShare®, a technology leader that enables collaborative media workflows for storytellers, today announced that public media producer GBH, the largest content creator for PBS, has invested in EditShare’s EFSv cloud solution, hosted in Amazon Web Services, to modernize media workflows across its post-production operations. An early adopter of cloud technologies for its broader IT needs, GBH’s move to EFSv extends video production into the cloud, maximizing operational efficiencies and reducing overall costs. The open EFSv platform facilitates both hybrid and cloud post-production workflows which optimize content access and enhance the user experience for video editors who create critically acclaimed programs such as NOVA, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and for PBS’ WORLD Channel.
“We require adaptable, efficient media systems for all of our clients,” said Tim Mangini, senior director of production technology for GBH. “EditShare’s cloud solution gives our producers flexibility and scalability. They can work wherever they want, with whomever they want, whenever they want, and only pay for the resources they actually use. They upload their media once and work from anywhere as if they were working in any GBH edit suite.”
EditShare’s approach to open platform development, specifically its support for multiple cloud providers and public APIs for integration and workflow expansion, was a key factor in GBH’s decision to select EFSv. Additionally, access to key technologies, such as artificial intelligence and content usage analytics will enable GBH to unleash new media workflows.
“Shifts in video production require more agility and demand the ability to accommodate changing work habits. As GBH embraces those shifts, open and flexible cloud-based solutions enable new workflows while protecting the investments made in on-premise platforms,” comments Tracy Geist, chief marketing officer, EditShare. “EFSv offers GBH as well as our other customers the best of both worlds, providing frictionless storytelling workflows that are flexible and secure, while accommodating change.”
About EFSv Cloud Solution
EFSv redefines the economics of editing in the cloud while significantly enhancing the user experience. The tiered solution approach supports customers at every stage of their journey to the cloud. Offerings include cloud-based backup solutions that serve as the foundation for building cost-effective, distributed cloud editing and seamless proxy editing workflows, up through full production environments in the cloud. EditShare’s cloud innovations offer unparalleled flexibility, allowing customers to easily adapt to cloud or hybrid environments and benefit from a lower total cost of ownership.
EditShare is a technology leader in networked shared storage and smart workflow solutions for the production, post-production, new media, sports, and education markets. Whether you need on-prem, cloud, or hybrid solutions, our products improve efficiency and workflow collaboration every step of the way. They include media optimized high-performance shared storage, archiving and backup software, a suite of media management tools and a robust set of open APIs that enable integration throughout the workflow. Customer and partner success are at the heart of EditShare’s core values ensuring a world-class experience that is second to none.
Press Contact Cat Soroush Zazil Media Group (e) catherine@zazilmediagroup.com (p) +1 (631) 880-9534
Boston, MA – March 23, 2021 EditShare, a technology leader that specializes in collaboration, security, and intelligent storage solutions for media creation and management, announces support for the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media Intelligence (AWS MI) solutions, providing customers with the ability to maximize the value of their content through enhanced metadata and scalable production capabilities. EditShare FLOW, a media management platform, includes API integration with AWS Machine Learning (ML) services that allow the simple addition of robust media capabilities such as transcription, translation and video analysis right into the production pipeline.
AWS MI solutions are a combination of AWS AI-powered services that empowers customers to easily integrate AI into their media content workflows.
The EditShare EFSv and FLOW platforms provide a cloud-based video production environment that supports industry-standard third-party creative tools for video editing and workflow management. These capabilities are now expanded to allow customers to quickly and easily leverage machine learning with the FLOW production asset manager. AWS services like Amazon Rekognition, Amazon Transcribe, and Amazon Translate allow EditShare users to increase the value of their content by unlocking what’s inside of it and making it discoverable. API integration with FLOW provides that environment to make content searchable, reusable and more valuable.
“Increasingly, our customers are pivoting from simple editorial and publishing workflows,” says Stephen Tallamy, CTO of EditShare. “They have significant investments in their video assets and they want to make their media discoverable, structured, and ready for telling their next story. The AWS Media Intelligence solution allows FLOW users to easily enrich their content and make it accessible during the production process and out through the archiving process.”
EditShare continues to build upon its innovation in cloud video production and its focus on building out an extensible, API rich, production environment. Our customers demand openness and flexibility, and EditShare is committed to continually meeting those expectations.
About EditShare
EditShare is a technology leader in networked shared storage and smart workflow solutions for the production, post-production, new media, sports, and education markets. Whether you need on-prem, cloud, or hybrid solutions, our products improve efficiency and workflow collaboration every step of the way. They include media optimized high-performance shared storage, archiving and backup software, a suite of media management tools and a robust set of open APIs that enable integration throughout the workflow. Customer and partner success are at the heart of EditShare’s core values ensuring a world-class experience that is second to none.
