Physical Shipment Guidelines

Shipping Vendor Recommendations

Process for Iron Mountain

Preparing Physical Assets for Iron Mountain (IM)

Shipping Vendor Recommendations

When shipping physical assets such as LTOs and Hard Drives containing Original Camera Files (OCF) and Original Production Audio (OPA), extra care needs to be taken. Netflix recommends utilizing specialized vendors who understand the time and security-conscious nature of transporting Netflix Post Production assets. For delivering archival materials via LTO to Netflix, please refer to the 'Process For Iron Mountain (IM)' instructions below.

Risks and limitations of using mainstream vendors such as FedEx, DHL, UPS, and TNT

Due to the sheer volume of packages that these vendors handle:
- It can take an extended amount of time for their service representatives to troubleshoot if there are issues or delays
- In the event of a lost package, back-tracking capabilities are limited

Benefits of utilizing specialized vendors

Flexibility to accommodate special requests (such as early/late pickup and delivery windows, specific entry or handoff instructions, etc.)
Access to problem-solving in the event of any issues or delays (speaking with logistics experts, not just service representatives)
Shorter response times, greater sense of urgency, and an overall more boutique approach to customer service

If you have any questions or are in need of further assistance, please reach out to your Netflix representative.

Process for Iron Mountain (IM)

Alert your Netflix Representative that you’re ready to ship LTO tapes.
You’ll be given your title’s Movie ID (MID) and sent a digital form to fill out.
Netflix Studio Logistics will arrange pick up/delivery (and provide proof of delivery).

Preparing Physical Assets for Iron Mountain (IM)

Only LTO tapes and physical film deliverables should be sent for long term storage. If you‘d like to ship paper deliverables or hard drives, ask your Netflix Post Rep for guidance.
We strongly suggest LTO tapes be made in duplicate. The primary copy ships first. The secondary copy is held until the first copy is confirmed as received. The primary and secondary must be arranged in separate shipments at different times, with each requiring its own separate shipment entry and manifest.
If shipping multiple shows at once, they must be arranged in separate shipments.
Please use sturdy boxes with plenty of packing materials (avoid packing peanuts). Your Post Rep can help you procure boxes and packing supplies if you don’t have access. Be prepared to measure and weigh the boxes.
LTO tapes must be packed standing on edge, not flat. To prevent tapes from falling on their side during transport, include enough packing material to keep them upright and insulated from drops.
This LABEL can be used on the outside of the box. Please do not write “Netflix” or the title of the show anywhere on the exterior of the box.
A manifest will be required both printed (for inside the box) and digitally (to upload). If you don’t have a manifest, a template will be provided.

LTO Specification

LTO 6, 7, 8, 9
LTFS Format: v2.0.0 (or later)
No LTO hardware compression
Error Correction enabled
Checksums required. Please read the Data Management article for more information.

Barcodes

A unique LTO barcode on the spine of the tape is required for use in LTO robots. Note that there are specific requirements for barcodes (e.g. number of characters allowed and the format designation). Please do not use generic barcodes as they make it difficult for barcode readers to scan/identify.

Some online options for ordering barcode labels:

Proxmox LTO Barcode Label Generator
LTO Barcode Label Generator

Use the labels below as examples of what should be on the spine of the actual tape, NOT on the flat side. Replace “LTO” with a three-letter show code, chosen by you.

For LTO 6:

For LTO 7:

For LTO 8:

Example LTO Tape: correctly barcoded on its spine, with the flat side blank.

LTO CASE LABEL

The following information should be included on a label that affixes to the external case, not on the tape itself. Note that if a security title exists, it must be used here.