SelenioFlex™ File

File-to-File Transcoding

SelenioFlex file-to-file media processing solutions seamlessly blend transcoding and workflow capabilities, supporting a comprehensive range of formats with superior quality for applications from post production and archive to multiscreen distribution. Built on the Imagine Communications Zenium™ workflow manager — an agile software engine that enables customizable foundational architectures — SelenioFlex File delivers a dynamic system management environment, allowing ready access to a catalog of features, functionalities and licenses that are required at run-time. This decision-based media processing workflow facilitates intelligent automation and exceptional scalability, and is easily managed from a single, intuitive and consistent interface.

As broadcasters and media companies look to streamline operations and maximize their resources and content assets across a variety of platforms, the distributed processing flexibility inherent in a SelenioFlex solution is a definite advantage. Offering cloud-like reconfiguration capabilities within a system, or across geographically disparate facilities, SelenioFlex File, powered by Zenium, allows resources to be grouped, scheduled and managed virtually for optimal efficiency and control. For the ultimate in future-proofing, an investment in SelenioFlex file-based software solutions ensures adaptability to changing workflow requirements, license updates and technology advances.

Detail

Beyond Transcoding

SelenioFlex File media transformation software and its underlying Zenium workflow platform go beyond standard transcoding processes, offering tremendous new levels of efficiency, agility, scalability, manageability and workflow design flexibility.

Here are examples of the many things you can do:

1. Reduce your watch folders: Are you managing multiple watch folders to handle different combinations of input characteristics – UHD, HD and SD frame sizes, varying aspect ratios, etc.? Zenium’s automated decision-making detects source properties and metadata to adapt your workflow accordingly, minimizing the number of watch folders you need. (This logic branching can also be combined with scripting to make decisions based on external data sources.) Fewer watch folders means easier management and less chance of mistakes.
2. Repackage without recompressing: With Zenium-based engines, you can repackage (rewrap or transmux) media between many container formats without recompressing the video or audio. Migrating archived media assets from a legacy server format to a modern container (e.g., LXF to MXF)? Segmenting and packaging Transport Stream files into HLS outputs for adaptive streaming? Remapping audio channels or updating metadata? Repackaging without re-encoding preserves quality and maximizes efficiency.
3. “CALM” your audio levels: Even beyond regulatory requirements in various countries, ensuring consistent perceived audio levels provides a more enjoyable experience for your audience, increasing their engagement. Loudness correction options from companies such as Dolby are available for Zenium-based engines, offering compliance with ATSC A/85 (U.S. CALM act), EBU R128 and ITU-R BS.1770-2 specifications, and more.
4. Convert your captions: Zenium-based engines further expand our robust Closed Caption capabilities (which already includes advanced features like creating CEA-708 captions from 608-only sources) with expanded SMPTE Timed Text support per SMPTE RP2052 and CEA-708 Closed Caption parsing, pass-through and retiming for frame rate conversion (in addition to our existing similar CEA-608 capabilities).
5. Take control of your workflows: The included Zenium Workflow Designer lets you visually design exactly the workflows you need, from basic video and audio processing to complex, multi-stage workflows. You can combine core functions and workflow steps in your preferred order – unencumbered by typical pre-defined, linear structures – while the ability to ‘probe’ data and preview results at any point of the workflow eases testing and refinement.
6. Manage rich metadata: All of the data available in the input source (such as timecode, captions and metadata) is accessible and maintained throughout your workflow. Available data sources are visible during workflow design and testing, and any metadata or source properties – not just a limited selection of common types – can be used to configure tasks, trigger automated decision-making or be transformed for output.
7. Adapt continuously: Zenium’s ability to automatically adapt workflows isn’t limited to just one-time analysis – content and metadata are continuously analyzed on a frame-by-frame or sample-by-sample basis, enabling processing to automatically adjust to changing characteristics even within a single source file (such as mixed audio types, mixed AFD aspect ratio management codes and more).
8. Upgrade more easily: Zenium’s flexible, component-based architecture and dynamic, repository-based deployment model make it easy to upgrade without interrupting operations and to update individual features, functions and Zenium engines while leaving others unmodified (e.g., upgrading to a new HEVC or H.264 encoder version while keeping MPEG-2 as-is; or taking advantage of enhancements on select projects while leaving others untouched). This significantly streamlines upgrades and gives you far more control – ideal for scenarios such as when your clients ‘certify’ your outputs based on specific versions.
9. Deploy flexibly: Zenium’s deployment dynamics also include floating licenses, letting you purchase and provision Zenium-based engine and component (features such as codecs) licenses based on how many you need to run concurrently, without locking them to specific host systems. Licenses – even on a feature-by-feature basis – can be redeployed onto different systems across your enterprise automatically based on project demands, and can be managed across multiple distributed locations from a single centralized server. Adding new features or more engines is as simple as updating your central license package.
10. Group processes into stages: One of the powerful efficiencies of Zenium is that various steps in a workflow graph may be processed simultaneously in parallel. For scenarios in which you want groups of these processes to be serialized (e.g., if you want an entire output file to have been generated before delivering it to external recipients and notifying them by email) you can combine multiple graphs into multi-stage workflows, in which each graph stage is completed in its entirety before moving on to the next.
11. Mix-and-match best-of-breed technologies: Zenium’s flexible architecture and rapidly expanding ecosystem of third-party technology partners let you ‘mix and match’ components from ourselves and our partners to create the optimal workflows for your needs. From alternative codec implementations to partner offerings like automated inline Quality Control, the choices are in your hands.

Specifications and designs are subject to change without notice

SelenioFlex File – Format & Feature Reference
A choice of engine configurations for SelenioFlex File lets you choose the combination of formats and features best suited to your needs. Web Engines include most online and web formats, and meet the majority of processing needs. Studio Engines include professional formats for editing, archive, and broadcast.

All Zenium-based engines and bundles support the rich workflow capabilities of the Zenium platform (such as adaptive, automated decision-making) plus the latest advanced processing capabilities.

Zenium Engines

I = included, O = optional

1. Supported via free third-party decoders from Apple or Avid.
2. Additional container modules (e.g. MXF) may be required for complete input/output of some listed targets.
3. Supports QuickTime system filters (not included).
4. Container (wrapper) support. Additional modules may be required for encoding or decoding the media essence within the container.
5. Powered by OpenCube technology.