ASTRA CMS

 

Content Management Systems

The ASTRA CMS content management system enables site-wide or multi-site desktop management for all your high-res and low-res content. The ASTRA CMS database links to all your other storage devices to provide a central point for media management. A rules-based transfer engine automates transfer and operations between multiple systems to simplify day-to-day operations.

ASTRA SUITE OF TOOLS

At its core, the ASTRA CMS content management system provides a common database and a set of tools for all ASTRA applications. Having all your tools tightly integrated around a common content management system enables lower costs, better interoperability, and simpler workflows.

ASTRA CMS Database

The ASTRA CMS database contains metadata about content regardless of where it resides or how it was generated. It does not replace other databases, but rather provides a common location for all your content´s metadata enabling facility-wide media management to be done through the ASTRA CMS interface. This includes:

  • File purging (from all systems)
  • Metadata entry, updating, and viewing
  • Archiving
  • Transcoding

ASTRA CMS monitors your production systems, NLEs, videoservers, and archive for new content and records its location and metadata.

 

 

File Transfer Rules Engine

A rules-based transfer engine automates many day-to-day functions. Using specific metadata fields, ASTRA can automate file transfers between systems or sites including automated transcoding and archiving. For example, videoserver files can automatically be moved to a near-term NAS after two weeks and then to a long-term tape archive after eight weeks. Files can be identified for automatic repurposing for mobile phones based on content in a metadata field.

Comprehensive Security System

Various levels of security can be assigned to users, groups, or sites to ensure only the appropriate people can access specific material´s metadata. Additional rights are needed for editing, archiving, and purging of content. This level of security is expecially important for multi-site operations to prevent unauthorized use.

ASTRA CMS DATABASE

The ASTRA CMS resides locally for standalone systems or externally on ASTRA BackOffice for distributed systems. For every large systems, it can reside on a dedicated, fully redundant database server. An open interface enables applications to easily import/export data.

ASTRA Browse System

ASTRA CMS has three options for low-res proxy support:

  1. Scavenge Mode – Proxies are generated from existing high-res content

  2. File Mode – Work with existing proxies generated by NLEs, file-based cameras or videoservers

  3. Real-time Mode - Proxies are generated at the same time as the high-res content is being encoded in the videoserver

Metadata Support

Default metadata is automatically generated by ASTRA on ingest.  This includes unique IDs, names, kill dates and categories.

Metadata can be imported from remote systems via MOS, XML, or other interchange formats.

Users can view, edit or enhance a clip’s metadata while viewing the high-res or low-res material from the desktop anywhere on the network (with appropriate security rights).

24/7/365 Redundancy

ASTRA is unique in its core design.  Built on a powerful Real-Time Operating System (RTOS), it is not impacted by viruses that threaten most PC-based systems. Hardware and software module failures can be protected with complete mirroring.  An “N+1” model offers a cost-effective playout solution that in most scenarios provides seamless failover. The ASTRA database is automatically backed up and optionally protected by full redundancy.

  

 

  

  

 

 

  Key Features

  • Centralized content management for all assets used
    in MCR or production
  • File-based workflows are enabled with a powerful
    rules-based transfer engine
  • Centralized and Hub & Spoke operations are
    supported
  • Web-based tools enable desktop management of
    content
  • Comprehensive security rights assigned to users,
    groups or sites
  • Browse system enables proxy viewing for local and
    multi-site operation
  • Low-res content can be trimmed in the proxy EDL
    editor and EDL generated for high-res material
  • Built on a robust Real-Time OS used for
    military/medical/avionics applications
  • On-line expansion and upgrades with no or minimal downtime

 

 

 

 

 

Content Purge

To keep your operation legal and manage your disk space, ASTRA CMS can purge content automatically, manually or a combination in which the system recommends what to purge but a user does the actual purging (with appropriate security rights).  Content may be purged from the entire system regardless of how many copies or versions exist in various locations or purged just from specific storage systems.

 

 

Archiving

ASTRA CMS works with third-party archive management systems or can archive directly to any disk storage or networked device.  In addition, it can also archive directly to video tape for a low cost option. 

  

 

Proxy Editing

Content can be viewed and edited from your desktop or from anywhere on the network. With ASTRA SpyGlass an asset can be viewed, metadata updated or new metadata created.  Clips can also be trimmed or with ASTRA’s Proxy EDL editor (Figure 1), new clips can be built
from segments of other clips.  This generates an EDL that is then used to conform the high-res material on an NLE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ASTRA’s Proxy EDL Editor 

 

 

 

 

 

Multi-Site Operation

For organizations with multiple sites, news stories, graphics or other content can be easily shared.  Low-res proxies can be reviewed remotely and the high-res content then transferred over the network for use at that site.  All content can be security protected to prevent unauthorized use.