Executive Summary
This document specifies the contents and format of contribution linear source media being provided from origination to a recipient for processing into a distribution format. This document defines a standardized ingest specification for linear content to be distributed across either IP/CDN or QAM delivery platforms. The goal in all included scenarios is to deliver the highest quality video available based on the originally produced content type, bit rate, and codec.
Scope
This specification has the goal of providing a consolidated set of requirements for content essence and related information from a content provider to a processing facility for subsequent delivery to a Content Delivery Network (CDN) or a QAM distribution plant. The formats are defined to obtain the best resultant quality across a number of distribution methods. This specification will initially only define the contribution linear feed.
This document specifies contribution formats. This document covers linear content and related components preparation for ingest. From the ingest point, content in this format can be used in multiple ways which are covered in other specifications. This document does not specify operational processes such as notifications and content delivery. Where notifications are expected in this document, it is expected other process-oriented documents will address this.
Benefits
With the use of this document, content providers can reduce the number of mezzanine linear source media versions of their content which can be ingested by multiple recipients while adjusting to each individual recipients’ network infrastructure. Without this document, content providers may need to provide many more versions of the contribution linear source media to reach a similar number of recipients.
Intended Audience
Content providers providing contribution linear media feeds to MVPD recipients intended for processing into a distribution format.