You Secured a Deal … Now What?
Once a title has been acquired, ingested, pitched to a buyer and then accepted, it must be delivered. Depending on the title’s end destination, the content will likely need to be processed in a lab to meet specific requirements, like adding FBI warnings for a CD, transcoding to a different file format, closed captions and other language options, or manual QC. Then a package containing the transcoded file, and/or the master file, metadata, and any other associated media like trailers or poster art, will need to be created and sent. Without Molten Cloud this presents several challenges. In all likelihood a package will consist of more than one title, with more than one file per title, so the sheer size of the package makes delivery a complex, time consuming and expensive task.
The Intricacies of Lab Services and Delivery
File delivery is more than just transferring files; it's about ensuring the content meets the specific requirements of its end platform. This could mean adding legal disclaimers, transcoding to a particular file format, embedding closed captions and alternate language options, and executing a thorough quality control check. Once these tasks are completed, the next step is to assemble a comprehensive package that includes the processed or master file, metadata, and any supplementary media such as trailers or poster art. This package is the final deliverable, ready to be sent to its new home.
Traditionally, managing this delivery process has been anything but straightforward. It involves multiple entities, from producers and distributors to film labs or post-production houses, which could range from an in-house team to external contractors. These service providers tackle the myriad tasks required to prepare content for delivery, yet they often face hurdles like limited storage space, complex file management, and the logistical challenges of transferring large files.
Conventional Delivery Challenges
Historically, delivering content, whether managed in-house or outsourced to a lab, has been laden with obstacles. Opting for cloud services, while convenient, can be prohibitively expensive. In-house teams might find themselves bogged down by the sheer volume of data, with uploads stretching over days, reliant on a consistent internet connection. On the other hand, film labs that offer end-to-end services, encompassing both transcoding and delivery, still grapple with the cumbersome and costly process of handling and transmitting large files.
Molten Cloud: A Paradigm Shift in Content Delivery
This is where Molten Cloud comes into the picture, offering a revolutionary solution that simplifies the delivery process. By leveraging pointers to content, Molten Cloud enables instantaneous actions like moving, renaming, and deleting files. This system allows for the creation of packages—a collection of files or folders associated with multiple titles, ready for delivery—without the need for time-consuming uploads or additional costs. Importantly, incorporating the same video across numerous packages doesn't lead to redundant storage costs or duplication.
Molten Cloud facilitates various methods for package transfer. Options range from browser downloads, FTPS, and use of thick clients like Filezilla or Cyberduck, to direct deliveries to platforms such as Tubi or Roku, cloud-to-cloud transfers, and UDP protocol-based deliveries like Aspera. It even includes direct delivery to preferred labs and programmatic integrations, ensuring that content reaches its destination quickly and efficiently, often at gigabit-per-second speeds.
Moreover, Molten Cloud enhances package management, enabling users to track distribution events with ease. Whether it's monitoring which platform a title is delivered to (Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, etc.) or tracking the distribution stage (pitched, availed, accepted, rejected, delivered), Molten Cloud provides invaluable metadata. This functionality allows users to efficiently manage their content's lifecycle, from pitching to delivery, ensuring a smooth and streamlined process.
If you often use lab services, Molten Cloud has also got you covered. We have a partner network of film labs who offer a variety of services. If you have a preferred partner, we can also connect with them to service your files. The workflow for selecting which files go to which labs for which services is built into the system and incredibly easy. In fact, it’s just a few clicks. After the film lab updates the files, Molten Cloud takes over, associating the files with their final destinations and monitoring their status to promptly address any issues. The platform boasts an intuitive workflow, facilitating easy management of lab services.
Media RSS Feeds & Streamlining Distribution
The adoption of Media RSS (MRSS) feeds by streaming platforms marks a significant trend in content distribution. Platforms like Xumo, Roku, Amazon, and Samsung TV are increasingly relying on MRSS feeds—a format that extends Really Simple Syndication (RSS) based on XML—for ingesting metadata and files. While MRSS feeds simplify script parsing, their creation and maintenance pose challenges, requiring continuous updates akin to website management.
Molten Cloud addresses these challenges head-on, enabling users to generate MRSS feeds from their content packages. This automated process takes into account the unique specifications of each distribution platform, pulling relevant file and title metadata to generate and host an MRSS feed, all without additional charges beyond data transfer costs. This automation not only streamlines the process but also significantly reduces the time needed to update feeds, from days to mere minutes.
Deliveries Made Easy
At Molten Cloud, we help our customers build & complete deliveries every day. Depending on how complex your package is, it can take from seconds to minutes. Don’t worry if you’re surprised, that’s a normal reaction. We didn’t know it could be done until we did it.
Here’s a sample of what a package may look like. If you’re interested to see it in action, book time with us here.
