Table of Contents
Complete IMF Delivery
Watch the 3 minute video below for a complete workflow overview, or continue reading for a step by step user guide.
Add filters to the search bar, then select the “magnifying glass” icon to conduct a search for Source Requests.
In this example we are filtered by “Fulfillment Partner” and “Package ID”.
Select the “chevron” icon to expand the Source Request results.
Hover the cursor over a Source Request to reveal action buttons.
Select the “upward arrow” icon to Deliver to a Source Request in an "Open" state.
The Delivery UI will open in a new browser tab.
Click and drag the entire contents of the IMP either directly onto the Source Request Card or into the File Bin at the bottom of the page to prepare them for delivery.
If files are dropped directly onto the Source Request Card, the CPL will be automatically selected for Delivery. The single CPL selection will reference and apply to any valid Source Requests in the package.
If files are dropped into the File Bin, the CPL will need to be manually selected from the drop-down menu on the Source Request Card. The single CPL selection will reference and apply to any valid Source Requests in the package.
NOTE - This guide will continue using an automatically selected CPL as the example.
When the contents of an IMP are dropped into Backlot, our Photon validation checks will run. If there are any errors, they will be presented to you here, otherwise, when the Asset Map, Packing List (PKL), and Composition Playlist (CPL) are confirmed, you can click "Continue Delivery" to proceed.
With a CPL either automatically or manually chosen, Backlot validates and displays the statuses of each track that is in the package in a table on the Source Request Card.
All tracks for a Complete IMF delivery should have the status of “New” but there are four statuses that can display on a track that help ensure the correct file is being delivered.
- New: track has never had a previously processed version
- Modified: track is different than the previously processed version
- Unmodified: track is identical to the previously processed version
- Error: track failed validation with 1+ errors
Next, select the checkbox next to the Source Request to activate the “Deliver” button.
Select the “Deliver” button. Aspera Connect will launch and begin the upload process to Netflix.
The delivery progress can be monitored via a status bar and Aspera Connect.
With the file successfully delivered, the delivery status will change to “Pending Inspection.”
Any further information will be available on each track's newly created Source Request Details pages which are linked from the table on the Source Request Card.
Supplemental IMF Delivery
Supplemental IMPs can be used to fulfill Redelivery Requests where maybe just a few frames or a shot in the video essence needs correction or perhaps an audio error is flagged, but the video is approved. For these examples, you would make the necessary changes to your complete IMF package and generate a supplemental package.
The supplemental package will contain only those frames and/or audio files that were corrected as well as a new set of instructions that refer back to the primary IMP delivered at an earlier date. Upon delivery to Netflix, we will use the unique identification codes (UUIDs) in the primary and supplemental packages to pair up the new video and/or audio with the IMF that was previously delivered.
Note: If you are using a supplemental IMP to deliver a non-branded, branded, or textless version, the first upload will be made against a new, single AV (Muxed) request. For details on the steps involved, please reference the 'Uploading a Complete IMF package to a new Backlot Request' section above.
Add filters to the search bar, then select the “magnifying glass” icon to conduct a search for Source Requests. To deliver a supplemental package to fulfill a Redelivery Request, simply select any valid Source Requests that are acceptable for IMP delivery - Video, Audio 5.1, Audio 2.0, or Audio (Dolby Atmos).
In this example, we are filtered by “Package ID."
Select the “chevron” icon to expand the Source Request results.
Hover over a Source Request and select the “upward arrow” icon to Deliver to the Source Request. In the example below, corrections are needed to be delivered to the rejected Video and Audio (Dolby Atmos) Source Requests.
When the Delivery page loads in a new browser tab, there will be a single IMP Source Request entry to deliver against.
Click and drag the entire contents of the supplemental package either directly onto the Source Request Card or into the File Bin at the bottom of the page. In this example, the supplemental package contains new, fixed Video and Audio essences as well as a new set of XML files.
If files are dropped directly onto the Source Request Card, the CPL will be automatically selected for Delivery. The single CPL selection will reference and apply to any valid Source Requests in the package.
If files are dropped into the File Bin, the CPL will need to be manually selected from the drop-down menu on the Source Request Card. The single CPL selection will reference and apply to any valid Source Requests in the package.
NOTE - This guide will continue using an automatically selected CPL as the example.
When the contents of an IMP are dropped into Backlot, our Photon validation checks will run. If there are any errors, they will be presented to you here, otherwise, when the Asset Map, Packing List (PKL), and Composition Playlist (CPL) are confirmed, you can click "Continue Delivery" to proceed.
With a CPL either automatically or manually chosen, Backlot validates and displays the statuses of each track that is in the package in a table on the Source Request Card. In this example you can see that the Video and Audio (Dolby Atmos) tracks are given the “modified” status in the "Track Status" column, meaning that they are different versions than the tracks that currently exist in the package.
Often, supplemental IMF deliveries do not require replacing every track. In those cases, other statuses can show in the "Track Status" columns.
The available Track Statuses are:
- New: track has never had a previously processed version
- Modified: track is different than the previously processed version
- Unmodified: track is identical to the previously processed version
- Error: track failed validation with 1+ errors
- See the following section, IMF Validations, for information on errors.
When you are ready, select the IMP Source Request with the checkbox on the left side of the Source Request Card and click the "Deliver" button in the top right corner of the page. At this point, every track referenced in the CPL will be inspected at the same time, and if any essence or track fails inspection the entire IMP delivery will be rejected.
The delivery progress can be monitored via a status bar and Aspera Connect.
Any further information will be available on each track's Source Request Details page which are linked from the table on the Source Request Card.
Backlot IMF Validations
Backlot will run IMF validations once a CPL is selected. These validations can trigger errors prior to delivery to ensure that the proper files are being delivered. There are several errors that you may encounter, all with clear explanations that lead to a resolution, but here are two examples.
The validation below prevents the delivery of a CPL with unmodified tracks if the source requests are expecting redelivery.
The validation below prevents the delivery of a CPL that is missing a previously processed track.
IMF Ingest Inspections
All IMF deliveries, regardless of whether it is a complete or a supplemental, will run through three stages of inspections - Photon, Backlot IMF Validations, Inspection as a Service, then Automated QC.
1. Photon
Photon is an Open Source Software for SMPTE IMF package validation developed by Netflix. Unlike the command line version available on GitHub, or the version that is built into some IMF authoring tools, the version that is integrated with the Backlot Delivery UI reviews the XMLs alone to verify SMPTE App#2e compliance. The MXF tracks are reviewed in the two subsequent inspection stages.
If your package fails at this stage you will not be able to start the upload.
2. Backlot IMF Validations
2. IMF Validation
Once a CPL is selected, Backlot will perform a series of validations against it to ensure it can be delivered to its corresponding source request(s). These validations provide a fail-fast approach that can detect and prevent IMF packaging and delivery issues before they happen.
3. Inspection as a Service (IaaS)
IaaS is a set of inspections used to verify that an asset meets the Netflix technical requirements. Some examples of what an IMF MXF could fail for are channel mapping or too much audio silence detected.
A failure at this stage will leave the Source Request in an "Open" state so partners can troubleshoot and redeliver without requiring any intervention from Netflix. Some of the errors that are flagged in IaaS are warnings that can be overridden, while others are blockers that will require users to fix and re-upload.
4. Automated QC
Once the package has passed all IaaS inspections, it will run through Netflix-developed automated QC checks. These inspections are reviewing files for issues such as corruption or audio drop outs. For IMF, the MXF header metadata is compared against the encoding parameters outlined in the CPL. For example, if the Essence Descriptor List of the CPL contains color metadata that is not included in the MXF header metadata, it will fail at this stage. The most common Automated QC failure for IMF is IMF_CPL_ERROR.
Automated QC failures leave the requests in a failed state which means a Netflix Representative will need to re-open the request before the partner can attempt redelivery.
Support
If for any reason you experience issues and need to revert back to the legacy experience, you can do so by selecting the "square with an arrow" icon at the top right of the page.
If you require technical support, open the menu in the top right corner by selecting the “person” icon.
Select “Help Center” to be taken to the Partner Help Center which has additional support articles and a link to open a ticket with our support team.
Change Log:
8/28/2023 - The “Blue Target” button to auto match files to Source Requests has been removed from the Delivery page. We’ve heard feedback from our users that this feature didn’t always work as expected and was often found to be a hindrance. We will be reviewing the value of developing a better solution, but in its absence, we hope that the ability to directly drag assets onto the Source Request Card will assist you with your auto-selection needs.