Phoenix VCM was specifically designed to support video content management for production video workflows. It manages video data and tracks all of its metadata and associated files. It recognizes and supports data from today’s leading video editing solutions, including Final Cut Pro, Avid, and others. Phoenix VCM also recognizes other standard video formats, such as mpg, wma, mov, and more. Once video file assets are ingested and cataloged within the federated Phoenix Information Repository, user-configurable policies then migrate and replicate the video assets to less-costly secondary storage, immediately generating a greater return on investment of storage resources.

Many video files contain extractable context as well as content file-specific metadata that can be used to identify a particular file or group of files. The video and entertainment industry has evolved it own set of additional context metadata, such as shoot and edit dates, closed caption information, frame rate, lab references, edit decision lists, clapper board information, shot markings, subtitling, and more, and Phoenix VCM incorporates that metadata in the post-production process to allow for the rapid search and retrieval of needed assets. Once in the Phoenix Information Repository, metadata information follows actual video file assets as they move from the primary storage resources to subsequent storage locations.

As video data is ingested into the Phoenix Information Repository, Phoenix VCM creates thumbnail representations from frames within the video as well as a low-resolution “proxy” version of each file. A simple click on a thumbnail launches the low-resolution proxy file in the Phoenix Media Player, making it easy to determine whether the correct file has been located as well as the desired sequence within a file. The Media Player enables the user to view files at variable speeds, search metadata content, navigate to a particular point in a file, and clip particular parts of files for export. Thumbnails and low-resolution proxies also enable the user to search video files that have been moved off-line.

Once identified, requested video files are exported into the Export Queue, where further details concerning how the files are to be processed and exported can be defined. If data is needed for further production processing, for example, it can be retrieved to any network location. Other options include sending the data to a transcribing or publishing system, ftp site, or network storage location. The operation of these and other operations within Phoenix are as easy as point, click, drag, and drop.

These tools provide the organization with the ability to significantly increase the re-purposing and utilization of digital video assets. Phoenix gives you control.