Sample Digital

Television and Cable Networks

D3 Increases Efficiency and Improves the Bottom Line

Today’s Television and Cable Networks are facing a global challenge of managing complex and collaborative workflows across multiple time zones, as well as around town. This increasing demand for audio-visual and rich media content and documentation drives an ever-spiraling set of expenses associated with collaborating and managing the production and distribution process – not only for the production team, but the support organizations that make it happen.

D3 for TV has been developed for content creation situations where real-time efficiency and quality assurance are critical factors in decision-support. D3 accelerates production and provides a highly secure and centralized online environment that manages all audio-video production elements. D3 was designed to speed delivery of production elements, like dailies, visual FX, Electronic Press Kit elements and rough cuts. D3 streamlines workflow and collaboration, and incorporates full media asset management capabilities to ensure the highest levels of security and user access controls, getting creative materials in front of those who need them as quickly as possible.

D3 removes the risks, dangers, and inconveniences of email or FTP and reduces the costs and delays of DVD or tape duplication and couriers. D3’s workflow and collaboration tools streamline the creative and approval process and the D3 system manages the access, distribution and security.

Access to production content is a common need shared by multiple business units such as production, post-production, on-air promo production, standards & practices (clearance), and publicity. Now easily manage every step from casting reels, dailies, rough cuts, on-air promos to storyboard revisions and unit photography through a single user interface.

Step 1

Production dailies and elements can be accessed via any Mac or PC connected to the internet, or via D3’s secure content delivery network utilizing Edge Accelerators (edge servers) and set top boxes deployed at production companies, television and cable networks. Edge Accelerators and set top boxes enable viewing and collaboration on video such as dailies from a desktop or Digital Dailies® Set Top Box in both SD and HD qualities. Instant access to dailies encoded at telecine means off-set editors and production executives are no longer 3 days behind the film schedule waiting for tapes to arrive. Editors and creatives can collaborate on assembles immediately.

Step 2

At the networks, the system is configured to deliver creative materials to designated executives first, who can select takes or clips that can then be released to other members of the network team. Programming and Development Executives can review creative selects or whole dailies reels, and users can create and name playlists, organize takes in a sequential order, re-shuffle takes, and add notes and comments associated to SMPTE time code.

Step 3

Once dailies materials are approved, they can be released to production, development, programming, on-air promo, casting, publicity, product placement, and business affairs so they can start their work on on-air promotional and publicity materials such as commercials and EPK materials. Producers can collaborate with visual FX houses as the Set Top Box allow high resolution content display with tools like frame-by-frame advancement, backwards and forward, as well as the ability to mark takes as favorites. The system is more secure and accessible than DVD.

On-Air Promo Departments can start making selects of their own by assembling playlists for promo postproduction. Choosing selects through D3 allows users to assemble and submit an EDL of desired takes or time-code accurate clips. Post ops can then quickly create Avid or Final Cut Pro files of only what they need – meaning assembles and rough cuts get cut quicker. Beyond dailies and rough assembles or edits, the system can also distribute elements to creative agencies. They can view content approved by the marketing department and order or import chosen selects or sections in native Avid or Final Cut Pro formats the same way. D3 even incorporates unique watermark identifications for each creative agency to ensure the highest levels of security. This process saves huge expenses in duplication of physical media, watermarking, encoding, transcoding and media services, while speeding time of delivery and time to decision.

Publicity can also use the system for full Electronic Press Kit development. All EPK dailies can be distributed through the system – behind the scenes, director and actor interviews, bio materials and more can all be wrangled through the system in the same way a regular television project does.

Product placement can do screen grabs of product shots and securely make available to product sponsors and partners.

Standards & Practices can review, approve and provide feedback for cuts to production teams.

Casting can monitor performances and storylines.

Production can even use the system as a stock footage library – housing music or 2nd unit footage for re-use and re-purpose on other productions.

All these departments are mission-critical areas that require minimized risk, investment protection and enhanced business velocity. D3 simplifies storage and filing, removes logistical complexities and excess media charges, manages and streamlines workflows – realizing substantial hard and soft cost savings. The Sample Digital team will even sit down with you or your accounting department and structure an ROI analysis to show you first hand where the savings exist.

Simplified and centralized asset storage form the core of a collaborative environment for the exchange of ideas and approvals between network personnel in all departments and divisions. Simply put, D3 is a universal command center for managing all production assets – providing faster time to market, reduced operating costs and a significant contribution to a company’s bottom line.

Learn what creative leaders like ABC, Fox Broadcasting Corporation, Lifetime, Showtime, TNT, A&E and AMC already know – let the creative process become more about creative and less about process. Call us today for a demo or to find out what D3 can do for you - 323.993.8840