The Advanced Authoring Format ( AAF ) is a file format for professional cross-platform data interchange , designed for the video post-production and authoring environment. It was created by the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA), and is now being standardized through the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).
16-725: AAF was originally created by the AMWA, formerly the AAF Association Inc., a trade association created to develop and promote adoption of specifications and technologies, such as AAF, Material Exchange Format (MXF), and Service-oriented architecture (SOA), to facilitate the deployment and operation of efficient media workflows. Technical work of the AMWA is through projects that aim to improve compatibility between AAF, Broadcast Exchange Format (BXF), MXF and XML . The current projects fall into three categories: data models, interface specifications, and application specifications. AAF
32-518: A result). Material Exchange Format Material Exchange Format ( MXF ) is a container format for professional digital video and audio media defined by a set of SMPTE standards. A typical example of its use is for delivering advertisements to TV stations and tapeless archiving of broadcast TV programs. It is also used as part of the Digital Cinema Package for delivering movies to commercial theaters. MXF, when used in
48-685: A simple timeline of a video editing program. MXF has full timecode and metadata support and is intended as a platform-agnostic stable standard for future professional video and audio applications. MXF was developed to carry a subset of the Advanced Authoring Format (AAF) data model, under a policy known as the Zero Divergence Directive (ZDD). This theoretically enables MXF/AAF workflows between non-linear editing (NLE) systems using AAF and cameras, servers, and other devices using MXF. From 2004 onwards, MXF
64-554: Is "mxf ", including a trailing space. This list represents some examples of free and open source products that support the MXF standard: SMPTE's top standards page has information, for the ordering of CD-ROMs, which would hold formal copy of the SMPTE standards. Judging by SMPTE's index, all of the standards, referenced above, would be contained on those CD-ROMs, as available from SMPTE . IRT Test Center contains up-to-date information on
80-737: The AAF specification include: AAF is designed to be a data representation of works in progress, as compared to Material Exchange Format (MXF), which is for exchanging finished media products. While MXF uses a Key Length Value (KLV) format for storage, AAF uses the Microsoft Structured Storage system. MXF was developed as a subtype of the AAF data model, under a zero-divergence policy, which allows for workflows that mix AAF and MXF. Specifically, all MXF metadata can be understood by AAF, but not all AAF metadata can be understood by MXF (and would be filtered out during encoding as
96-602: The AAF specification include: AAF is designed to be a data representation of works in progress, as compared to Material Exchange Format (MXF), which is for exchanging finished media products. While MXF uses a Key Length Value (KLV) format for storage, AAF uses the Microsoft Structured Storage system. MXF was developed as a subtype of the AAF data model, under a zero-divergence policy, which allows for workflows that mix AAF and MXF. Specifically, all MXF metadata can be understood by AAF, but not all AAF metadata can be understood by MXF (and would be filtered out during encoding as
112-518: The MXF file extension. Without advanced tools, it was impossible to distinguish these incompatible formats. Some of the incompatibilities were addressed and ratified in the 2009 version of the standard. MXF is used as the audio and video packaging format for Digital Cinema Package (DCP). It is also used in the STANAG specification documents. The file extension for MXF files is ".mxf". The Macintosh File Type Code registered with Apple for MXF files
128-515: The creative decisions that are made, AAF tries to improve workflow and simplify project management. AAF's rich data model combining metadata and various types of essence has led to its use in non-broadcast applications as well. For example, AAF has been adopted by the DoD/IC Motion Imagery Standards Board (MISB) for their Aerial Surveillance and Photogrammetry Applications standard (ASPA). The core elements of
144-419: The creative decisions that are made, AAF tries to improve workflow and simplify project management. AAF's rich data model combining metadata and various types of essence has led to its use in non-broadcast applications as well. For example, AAF has been adopted by the DoD/IC Motion Imagery Standards Board (MISB) for their Aerial Surveillance and Photogrammetry Applications standard (ASPA). The core elements of
160-585: The eVTR, Avid NLE systems, and broadcast servers using MXF in coordination with AAF are now possible. Long- GOP MPEG-2 material interchange between video servers is possible, as broadcasters develop application specifications they expect their vendors to implement. As of autumn 2005, there were major interoperability problems with MXF in broadcast post-production use. The two data-recording camera systems which produced MXF at that time, Sony 's XDCAM and Panasonic's DVCPRO P2 , produced mutually incompatible files due to opaque sub-format options obscured behind
176-438: The form of "Operational Pattern OP1A" or "OPAtom", can be used as a container , wrapper or reference file format which supports a number of different streams of coded " essence ", encoded in any of a variety of video and audio compression formats , together with a metadata wrapper which describes the material contained within the MXF file . Other "Operational Patterns" can contain or reference multiple materials, just like
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#1732793710353192-574: The status of the SMPTE documents. Advanced Authoring Format The Advanced Authoring Format ( AAF ) is a file format for professional cross-platform data interchange , designed for the video post-production and authoring environment. It was created by the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA), and is now being standardized through the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). AAF
208-436: Was created to help address the problem of multi-vendor, cross-platform interoperability for computer-based digital video production . The AAF Object Model is now being standardized through SMPTE, including a better definition of the mapping between MXF and AAF essence. Capabilities of AAF include the following: There are two kinds of data that can be interchanged using AAF: By preserving source referencing, and abstracting
224-436: Was created to help address the problem of multi-vendor, cross-platform interoperability for computer-based digital video production . The AAF Object Model is now being standardized through SMPTE, including a better definition of the mapping between MXF and AAF essence. Capabilities of AAF include the following: There are two kinds of data that can be interchanged using AAF: By preserving source referencing, and abstracting
240-467: Was in the process of evolving from standard to deployment. The breadth of the standard was subject to lead to interoperability problems, as vendors implement different parts of the standard or interpret misleading parts of the standard differently. MXF is fairly effective at the interchange of D10 (IMX) material, mainly because of the success of the Sony eVTR and Sony's eVTR RDD to SMPTE. Workflows combining
256-599: Was originally created by the AMWA, formerly the AAF Association Inc., a trade association created to develop and promote adoption of specifications and technologies, such as AAF, Material Exchange Format (MXF), and Service-oriented architecture (SOA), to facilitate the deployment and operation of efficient media workflows. Technical work of the AMWA is through projects that aim to improve compatibility between AAF, Broadcast Exchange Format (BXF), MXF and XML . The current projects fall into three categories: data models, interface specifications, and application specifications. AAF
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