Eurofins Signs Exclusive, Global Licensing Agreement with the Institut für Rundfunktechnik (IRT) to Develop new IMF Solutions Built on IRT’s Proven Technology

Eurofins Digital Testing, a global leader in end-to-end quality assurance (QA) and testing services, announced it will offer software solutions to help studios, post-production companies, broadcasters and distributors adopt the Interoperable Mastering Format (IMF), aimed at streamlining associated workflows and reducing costs.

IMF is a Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) standard for providing a single, interchangeable master file format from which tailored versions of the same piece of content can be rendered for different audiences, which incorporates the Material Exchange Format (MXF) container format.

Based on an exclusive, global licensing agreement with the Institut für Rundfunktechnik (IRT), the joint research centre of the German, Austrian and Swiss public service broadcasters, Eurofins will build upon proven technology from the IRT to develop new solutions that combine technical media validation with production and distribution workflow business intelligence. Specifically, Eurofins’ IMF solutions will be derived from IMF and MXF Analyser products developed by the IRT. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. IMF and MXF solutions will be available directly from Eurofins beginning September 2019.

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“The market for media content is global, which means that several different versions of every media title must meet the technical requirements for many different distribution channels and localized applications,” said Johan Craeybeckx, Business Line Director at Eurofins. “IMF is the solution to versioning and localizing at scale—enabling faster workflows and reductions in storage costs. Eurofins’ solutions for IMF will enable studios, post-production houses, distributors and broadcasters to optimize their IMF quality assurance processes at every stage in the content supply chain.”

“At IRT, our mission has always been to explore, observe and develop new technologies that adapt broadcasting to new market environments and needs,” said Michael Hagemeyer, Managing Director of IRT. “The IMF format plays a significant role in the future of broadcast and OTT media, and we are confident that Eurofins, a proven-leader in quality assurance, is ideally placed to carry this mission forward and lower the barriers to adoption of the standards at this critical point for the digital media industry.”

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Eurofins’ IMF solutions will provide quality assurance of IMF packages to support global business and flexible distribution for broadcast, cinema, in-flight entertainment, mobile content, OTT, VoD, and more. Eurofins will showcase its IMF and MXF solutions, along with its suite of automated test tools, cyber security testing services and more, during the upcoming IBC Conference in Amsterdam in Hall 5, stand B45.

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