Spot & Spin Media Services

Spot and Spin offer a range of services for the ingest of tape based material – focused primarily around fully automated ingest processes capable of being scaled to process huge libraries, but also including bespoke low volume rare format ingest of tape as well as film. Designed and operated by specialists from the industry with decades of experience specifically on and around the challenges of digitisation, Spot and Spin draws on that experience combining it with strong focus on efficiency and accuracy through automation and orchestration. The net result is a refreshing new service offering for clients, no matter if you are simply digitisation 10 tapes or 100,000.

We have a team of experienced VT operators with years of experience for both the operational and technical aspects of tape handling, as well as secure facilities for tape storage during the digitisation process. Our systems for bulk ingest are configured with industry standard Sony Flexicarts and Encoders that are directly controlled by our Automation and Orchestration system to offer configured workflows to meet your requirements. Our systems allow for completely customised workflows for each client that work right from the order / first barcode scan all the way through to content delivery / publishing, with excellent levels of reporting and transparency throughout. This could include such actions as notifications, review and approve links, transcodes, multiple publishing points and more.

All of our tape ingest, whether it be bulk or rare formats, is always provided complete with our own secure portal – providing the ability for you to track assets / projects through the workflow, view proxies, enter metadata / content tagging and even begin trimming / editing online. This ability to understand precisely and easily where content is in workflow, what the predicted ETA for delivery is, as well as any feedback from our operations teams – combined with our other online features allows you to start preparing your job onward use of the content as early as possible in the process.

All of our proxies are frame accurate, and are also suitable for use within NLE environments. As part of our workflow configuration, we can specify specific “devaluations” for the proxies to maintain their security – including logos / branding, BITC, watermarking, content IDs and more. These can be configured either on a global basis for your digitisation project, or based around rules for content types, etc.

Our bulk ingest service is deployed at our secure site in North West London, complete with dedicated 1Gb high speed connectivity – complete with fully integrated services such as Aspera and CubixUDT, as well as cloud storage such as Amazon Glacier, Google Nearline and more. These technologies allow for the widest range of delivery and onward publishing methods possible.

Taking this level of flexibility further, we also offer a number of different deployments of the platform;

Direct Service at our Facility

This is the primary offering where we facilitate the processing and digitisation of you content at our secure facilities. All content is kept within our secure rooms / media network – and then can be replicated as required, with “devalued” online proxies available.

Deployment of platform and equipment at your facility on a rental basis

We can also offer a “fly-away” kit type approach, where the equipment and platform are provided on a rental basis as a contained environment, which can then either deliver directly to your local network storage, or can deliver back into our core platform within our facility. Staff can be provided to operate this within your facility, or we can offer training course to allow your own staff to operate the platform.

Sale of the platform and equipment for you to operate directly

We also offer the sale of the required equipment and software for this proven, reliable and scalable solution for you to purchase and operate directly – complete with all training and documentation required.

Bulk Ingest – with a difference

Bulk Digitisation can be done via a number of different methods depending on the content type – either working on a fixed timecode basis, or by simply capturing what is present on the tape from the head to the end of video / timecode. We can then offer trimming services that occur post ingest to ensure only the relevant elements are delivered, or in the case of multi-element assets – easily trimming them into individual files.

We also have native support for our monetisation portal, allowing for content to be digitised, augmented with metadata and displayed directly into your own branded client-facing portal. Users are then able to login, search and work with the content (including editing and sharing of bins) – and then request for fulfilment to a wide range of output formats and mediums. The portal includes full e-commerce integration and full “lights out” automation for the delivery process.

Looking further still, if you have your own instance of the Cubix asset management and orchestration platform – either in your facility or the cloud – Spot and Spin Media Service can integrate directly, making the workflows and associated media appear live within your Cubix and allow for onward processing directly by your Cubix.

Basically it’s as if work was being permed right next door! This seamless integration provides the best of both words when it comes to “outsourcing without outsourcing”.

Spot and Spin Media Services truly offers a different service than the market does today for bulk digitisation – in summary, here are some of the key features and USPs that the service provides

Highly Scalable ingest solutions

Scales as required, suitable for any size library or digitisation project.

Frame accurate and channel condition monitored

All ingests are frame accurate, and we provide full channel condition monitoring for those formats which support it. This is provided as metadata alongside the assets, and workflows can be configured around what to do in different scenarios.

Fully customisable workflow

You can define the workflows as you require for you content, with no charge for this service. This enables the maximum efficiency for your particular use case.

Real time monitoring and transparency

Across every element of the workflow, you can see and track live online precisely what’s occurring in real time, as well as being provided live predicted ETA’s for key milestones in the workflow.

Built for maximum efficiency and accuracy

The entire technology and operational set up is built around best practice for quality, but also for efficiency and accuracy. The net consequence of that the cost savings can be passed on to you, without impacting quality or performance.

Ability to import order lists quickly and easily

Our platform can easily import Excel documents in your own internal format for “digitisation lists” if you have such documents in existence that you want to use to triggers the processes.

Proxies by default

Spot and Spin Media services does not charge for online proxies, and provide these if required alongside the mezzanine file if required. These can be configured and devalued according to rules as required. We also provide multi-channel audio proxies, allowing for the QC of content online;

Integration with other cloud services

Our platform is natively integrated with many online solutions for transcoding / standards conversion, file based QC and storage. Blended rates are also available for these on request.

Monetisation Portals

Spot and Spin Media Services also offers highly configurable “off the shelf” monetisation portals, allowing for your digitised content to be easily augmented with metadata, and then published directly for online viewing, ordering and fulfilment. All our solutions also include full e-commerce integration.

Rate Card

The Spot and Spin Media Services rate card is designed to be simple and transparent, with no hidden fees or setup costs.

1-100/hours
  • Digibeta Variant £18
  • HDCAM £18
  • HDCAM SR £20
100-500/hours
  • Digibeta Variant £17
  • HDCAM £17
  • HDCAM SR £19
500-1000/hours
  • Digibeta Variant £16
  • HDCAM £16
  • HDCAM SR £18
1000-2000/hours
  • Digibeta Variant £15.50
  • HDCAM £15.50
  • HDCAM SR £17
2000+/hours
  • Digibeta Variant £15
  • HDCAM £15
  • HDCAM SR £16

These costs are on the per finished hour (on the assumption that based around the provision of a SD / HD Mezzanine file in one of a wide range of formats, as well as access to the online portal and proxy – and delivery via an IP based medium such as Aspera or Cubix UDT.

Additional fees apply for export to hard drive / LTO-5 / LTO-6 medium.

A “trimming” fee of 50p per asset applies for any trimming requirements (e.g. where a single tape contains n elements.