German media producer rt1.tv worked with Qvest to guarantee the connection between its locations, optimise its storage and workflows storage and centralise its data management.
rt1.tv is a major German media production company in the field of satellite-based live broadcasts, and in film and video production. The company has entirely modernised its headquarters in Augsburg with a design and installation carried out by systems integrator Qvest. While broadcasting operations continued uninterrupted, intelligent workflow modules from the Avid MediaCentral Cloud UX system were integrated into the existing infrastructure of six Avid editing suites.
The result of the project is a significant increase in the efficiency of the company’s content creation and editing workflows. It follows a modernisation project that Qvest completed at the rt1.tv production studios in Berlin in 2023.
Integrated Production Management
Qvest’s implementation in Augsberg was based on previous consultation and development with rt1.tv that had involved closely analysing their requirements and making corresponding proposals for a new system infrastructure. Specifically, rt1.tv wanted to be able to guarantee into the future its connection to the other locations, and set up fast, convenient storage systems. The company is also interested in AI integration, centralised data management with access through multiple clients, faster workstations and other performance improvements.
By integrating an Avid MediaCentral Cloud UX (MMCUX) system at rt1.tv, its production teams now have numerous options for realising and managing productions more securely and efficiently. Various modules can also be integrated into a straightforward interface to expand workflows and develop new collaborations – Publisher, Collaborate, Acquire and others.
By integrating the MMCUX and Avid’s creative software Panel, for example, it is now possible to search through content stored on the Avid Interplay and use it directly in editorial, without having to save and export the material multiple times. This means that rough cuts and shot lists can be created in advance without tying up a Media Composer workstation and editor.
Ingest and Metadata Creation
As well as MMCUX, Woody IN2IT has been integrated as a central ingest point for importing video and audio material into a cloud or server-based system. rt1.tv uses IN2IT to bring content into the Avid environment, either file-based or from cameras, in predefined codecs and resolutions. Journalists and ingest operators can browse, preview and select content in a few steps, and meanwhile, most technical decisions are made automatically in the background, avoiding mistakes.
rt1.tv’s administrator team defines the custom metadata, naming conventions and organisation rules themselves, as ingest profiles, and these are then integrated into the user interface. This process makes content easier to find in the MAM or on the central storage.
Editorial staff now have the option of viewing raw material, setting markers and creating raw sequences or viewing existing, simple sequences. Again, this eliminates the need to access data via a Media Composer workstation. All new functions are also available to editors remotely via VPN access. Because devices and profiles are managed centrally by the rt1.tv team, transfers to production environment are very quick.
NEXIS Storage
Qvest also implemented an Avid NEXIS storage system and migrated the existing data to optimise the storage network infrastructure. The NEXIS file system virtualises all of rt1.tv’s storage resources into a single shared pool, which allows the team to automate such tasks as dynamic capacity reallocation, bandwidth optimisation and drive rebuilds. Now, up to hundreds of users can connect and access media simultaneously with real-time, or close to real-time, interactivity.
Sebastian Wutschik, Managing Director of rt1.tv said, "The upgrades in post-production and the storage system, and the creation of new media workflows are essential as groundwork for our ability to scale our processes more easily in the future. The robust networking of the two locations in Augsburg and Berlin will enable our employees to work collaboratively on a shared platform, regardless of location."
Together, rt1.tv and Qvest were able to successfully integrate the new components into the existing IT infrastructure and premises during ongoing broadcasting operations, helping to achieve a smooth upgrade. www.qvest.com
