Cuts can be delivered in a variety of ways in Content Hub. This guide will take you through each possible method:
- Flexible Cut Delivery via the Media Library page
- Locked Cut Delivery via the Delivery to Netflix page
- Locked Cut Delivery via submission on the Workspace page
Preparing for Cut Delivery
- If you are accessing Content Hub for the first time, please find instructions here to get you started.
- Content Hub allows for the delivery of several different types of cuts, with Locked Cuts being the most common. Regardless of the cut type, you must follow this detailed editorial turnover creation guide -- this guide will also help address any questions you may have about file specifications when preparing a cut for delivery to Netflix.
- Before you begin your delivery, it is important to note that all assets must be uploaded at the same time for each episode or standalone.
Flexible Cut Delivery via the Media Library
The Media Library page offers a much more flexible experience when it comes to delivering cuts in Content Hub. From this page, you can deliver the following cut types:
- Locked Cut
- Netflix Cut
- Producers Cut
- Preview Cut
- Directors Cut
- Editors Cut
- Rough Cut
- Other
Uploading the Cut
Select Cuts from the left hand menu.
Figure A
Here you can start an upload in one of two ways.
First, you could select Upload located above the asset table.
Figure B
Or if a previous version of a cut has already been uploaded, you can select the Upload button (up arrow) from the asset in List View (Figure C) or Grid View (Figure D).
Uploading in this way will auto-select the episode and the cut type for you in the upload prompt.
Figure C
Figure D
In either case, a new Upload prompt will open with a step-by-step instructions list on the left hand side. In this example, we will be using an episodic project where step 1 is to Select Episode (Note: for a standalone project, this step would be skipped.)
Select the Episode dropdown and choose the episode for which you are delivering a cut. Then, select Delivery Details to move on to the next step.
Figure E
In step 2, you will indicate the cut type and version you are delivering from the production. First, select the Cut Type from the dropdown and select your cut type.
Next, you can optionally enter a Cut Version number. This field allows you to enter any version number you choose -- regardless of how Content Hub’s underlying system might version that cut. This will allow the cut to show up in Content Hub in a way that is more consistent with how you and your partners at the Netflix Studio might be talking about the cut. (Example: Content Hub might consider a cut to be version 6 in the way that it keeps track on the backend, however, it might just be version 5 but with subtitles added and that is how you and your partners have been talking about it.)
Once your Delivery Details are set, you can advance to the next step by selecting the Add Files button.
Figure F
In step 3, you can add the necessary files for this cut version and confirm the metadata.
You can Drag and Drop files (Figure G) directly into the window or click Select Files (Figure H) to select the files you want to upload from your computer.
Figure G
Figure H
In either case, once your files have been added, Content Hub will automatically recognize the file type (based on file extensions) and will apply the File Type metadata for you. Generally speaking, video files will get tagged as Proxy and audio files will get tagged as Temporary Audio.
Figure I
Please double check that your metadata looks correct. If everything looks good, select the Review and Upload button to move on to the final step.
Figure J
In this final step, this is your last chance to confirm all delivery details and add a note before the upload of the cut files is initiated.
To add a Note, click in the text box where you can add any additional information about this cut delivery for the Netflix Studio team. Once uploaded, any notes added here will be included in the email notification and be visible wherever the cut appears in the Media Library of Content Hub.
Once everything looks good, select Start Upload.
Figure K
Tracking Delivery Progress
Your files are now uploading and you can now monitor the progress of your upload through Aspera Connect. You will also notice that there is a clear visual indicator that there is an upload in-progress in both Grid View (Figure L) and List View (Figure M).
Figure L
Figure M
When your upload and delivery is in progress, you can see live updating progress indicators to see exactly where your cut is in the process. Select the View Details (info icon) button, which will open a side panel. From the side panel, select the Deliveries tab.
Figure N
Each version of the cut is documented here and you can click the caret icon (>) to expand more details about any version’s upload
Figure O
As one part of the process completes, Content Hub will dynamically update to keep you up-to-speed. Eventually, if all steps complete, you will have successfully delivered a cut - with green being the color indicator.
Note: this processing on average takes three times the run time of the cut that has been delivered. The cut will only be playable within Content Hub once all steps are complete.
Figure P
If there is an issue along the way, it will appear as red and the progress indicator will let you know exactly where the error occurred, as well as surfacing an error message.
Email Notifications
You should always double check your email notification settings in Content Hub. Depending on your settings, your experience may vary.
Upload Started
Once you have selected Start Upload from the upload prompt, this system-generated email will be sent to you.
Figure Q
Delivered
Once your upload has completed all the processing steps, this system-generated email will be sent to notify you that the upload has finished and the cut has successfully been delivered.
Figure R
Upload Warning
If your upload stalls or never starts for some reason, this system-generated email will be sent to notify that something has gone wrong.
Figure S
Upload Failed
If your upload fails, this system-generated email will be sent to notify that something has gone wrong.
Make sure you check the error message provided as it should provide helpful context as to what you need to correct before trying to upload and deliver again.
Figure T
Locked Cut Delivery via the Delivery to Netflix page
Before you begin your delivery, it is important to note that:
- While you have more flexibility on cut type when delivering via the Media Library page, the only cut type that can be delivered into the Delivery to Netflix page is a Locked Cut. This is because the metadata is auto-applied for you when delivering with this method. (Your assets will automatically be tagged as Locked Cut. If you wish to utilize a different metadata tag you will have to upload via the Media Library page instead.)
- You CANNOT upload your Locked Cut assets in a folder and must upload all of your files at once.
- If you need to upload a new Locked Cut, you must clear any previously uploaded files before attempting to deliver a new version.
- You can learn more about the Delivery to Netflix page here.
Uploads via Drag and Drop
Drag and drop your files on top of the row of the deliverable request. In this case, uploading a locked cut for episode 1.
Figure U
Review the files you have selected. If you need to add any additional files, select the Upload additional files button and follow the prompts.
Figure V
Then select Start Upload.
Figure W
Your files are now uploading and you can now monitor the progress of your upload through Aspera Connect.
Figure X
After the upload is complete, Content Hub will validate the files and start processing. This processing on average takes three times the run time of the locked cut. Once complete, the locked cut will be playable within Content Hub from the Media Library page.
Uploads via your File Browser
Select the caret to the left of the deliverable request name.
Figure Y
Select the text Or use the file picker.
Figure Z
Navigate and select the files you wish to upload.
Figure AA
Review the files you have added. If you need to add any additional files/folders, select the Upload additional files button and follow the prompts.
Figure BB
Select Start Upload.
Figure CC
Your files are now uploading and you can now monitor the progress of your upload through Aspera Connect. After the upload is complete, Content Hub will validate the files and start processing. This processing on average takes three times the run time of the locked cut. Once complete, the locked cut will be playable within Content Hub from the Media Library page.
Email Notifications when Delivering Locked Cut via the Delivery to Netflix page
While you will still receive similar email notifications to when you deliver a cut through the Media Library page, they will look a little different.
Reminder: you should always double check your email notification settings in Content Hub. Depending on your settings, your experience may vary.
Media Uploaded Successfully
Once your upload has completed all the processing, this system-generated email will be sent to notify you that the upload has finished and the cut has successfully been delivered.
Figure DD
It is at this point that you should expect the cut to be ready for playback within the Media Library page in Content Hub.
Problems with your delivery
If your upload stalls or has some other issue, this system-generated email will be sent to notify that something has gone wrong.
Make sure you check the error message provided as it should provide helpful context as to what you need to correct before trying to upload and deliver again.
Figure EE
Delivery Processed
Once your cut has been uploaded and submitted, it undergoes some processing like validation and encoding. When the processing has completed successfully, this system-generated email will be sent to notify you and let you know what comes next.
Figure FF
Locked Cut Delivery Via Submission on the Workspace Page
Before you begin your delivery, it is important to note that:
- While you have more flexibility on cut type when delivering via the Media Library page, the only cut type that can be delivered via submission on the Workspace page is a Locked Cut. This is because the metadata is auto-applied for you when delivering with this method. (Your assets will automatically be tagged as Locked Cut. If you wish to utilize a different metadata tag you will have to upload via the Media Library page instead.)
- While you can upload your Locked Cut assets in a folder to the Workspace page, it is recommended that you select the files within the folder before submitting to a Locked Cut request. This ensures a better experience later on the Media Library and Asset Playback pages once the assets have finished processing.
- If you need to upload a new Locked Cut, you must clear any previously uploaded files before attempting to deliver a new version.
- You can learn more about the Workspace page and how to use it here.
Selecting Workspace Files for Submission
Once your files have been uploaded to your My Workspace section, select all files by holding SHIFT + clicking each file. When multiple files are selected, a blue action bar will appear towards the top of the page, which allows you to confirm the number of files selected.
Figure GG
Note: You can repeat this exact same process from the Shared with me section provided that the Locked Cut files were shared with you with Edit permissions.
From the blue action bar, select Submit. This will open the submission prompt with a step-by-step instructions list on the left hand side.
Step 1 is where you can review the files you have selected to submit to Netflix Studio. If everything looks good, select Next to move onto the next step.
Figure HH
Step 2 is where you can choose which Request you would like to submit these files to. From the drop-down, you can start by searching for “Locked Cut” as a key word. In this example, we will be using an episodic project, so make sure you are selecting the Request from the correct episode.
Once you select a request, a “Clear existing files?” toggle will appear. If a previous version of this cut has been delivered, then you must ensure that this is toggled on or the submission will fail. Once ready, select Next to move on to the final step.
Figure II
The final step is where you can make sure you have the correct files and Request chosen for submission. If everything looks good, select Submit.
Figure JJ
Email Notifications when Submitting Locked Cut Delivery from Workspace
You can expect to receive the same set of email notifications as delivering a locked cut to the Delivery to Netflix page.