Clyde Smith

NABA DPP: Specifications and Standards for Content Delivery

The seemingly simple act of getting content from its producers to major media outlets and then creating versions required to meet technical, geographic, and regulatory requirements for distribution on many platforms is far from simple. Content delivery specifications spanning dozens of pages leave many bewildered and often result in content being delivered in far from an on-air ready state. The North American Broadcasters Association (NABA), in conjunction with the Digital Production Partnership (DPP), has been hard at work fixing this. Through the novel use of both specifications and standards, the NABA DPP effort has resulted in a standardized set of tools that enable simplified and more automated workflow when it comes to delivery of content to those who get it to the consumer. Existing SMPTE standards, such as Interoperable Master Format and Broadcast Exchange Format, have been leveraged to make delivery of Air Ready and Library Masters possible in a way that allows for greater interoperability and automation, resulting in great advances in efficiency and improved quality of these files. We will outline how this approach of utilizing both specifications and standards together results in a whole that is greater than its parts. Through the novel use of both specifications and standards, the NABA DPP effort has resulted in a standardized set of tools that enable simplified and more automated workflow when it comes to delivery of content to those who get it to the consumer.