How open source can help to decrease the cost of basic tasks
Jérôme Martinez
MDN workshop 2020
Basic tasks
Not all is the core of your business
No added value (no monetization) to keep such code for yourself
You could share the development cost of this code (and its maintenance)
You could buy a non open source software, sure, but...
You are no more tied to only one vendor
- YOU decide of the new features
If you don’t like anymore what your supplier does, just change, YOU decide - For small projects usually one developer, but YOU can fork if it does not go as you want; or just contribute
- For bigger projects, YOU may decide between different competitors for new development or support.
Reusability of existing solutions
- Free choice of (local) support/suppliers
- No black-box
- Common tools/codebase = larger userbase
- Less "forced" upgrades
Support
Open source does not mean lack of professional support:
- Support contracts
- Paid installation/integration
- Developers can be hired
Quality of tools
- Chicken and egg: if everyone waits, nothing happens
- We start with needs easy to handle and we create dedicated open source tools
- Tools become bigger, step by step, when more people join
- YOU can decide about participating in lowering the overall cost, for all so for you
Benefits of paying for open source software
- Better support/updates
- Pooling resources
- Designed for your use-cases
- Overall better cost-effectiveness
Funding
- Driven by user requests
- Most of tools were funded after a need is detected by users
- Why paying for something you don't control? (is your current choice future proof?)
- Everyone (you included) can develop or sponsor a development
- You can propose your own version if you think you have a better idea than others
Availability
Not all is available off the shelf.
You can start a project for yourself then probe if some other entities are interested in it
Some examples of open source software
Linux
Well... Do we need to present it?
Replaced HP-UX, Solaris... Everywhere
No more tied to an unique vendor, which control who can get it and how = you are now able to buy cheaper hardware
FFmpeg
Tool for manipulating A/V files
Very versatile
Lot of formats supported
Lot of possibilities to manipulate A/V files
Lot of developers can be hired for this software
ffmprovisr
FFmpeg has a steep learning curve
ffmprovisr helps users through the command generation process so that more people can reap the benefits of FFmpeg
Maintained by users like you
ffmprovisr
VLC
Multimedia player and framework that plays most A/V files
Very versatile
Lot of formats supported
Netflix Open Source Software Center
Lot of different libraries about big data, build and delivery tools, content encoding, security...
They don't do it for giving you cheap solutions
They expect communuity feedback and improvements
Also a way to hire the best developers ;-)
MediaInfo
Convenient unified display of the most relevant technical and tag data for video and audio files.
Graphical interface or command line or software library
https://MediaArea.net/MediaInfo
MediaInfo and new features
EBUCore output was needed, let's go, just another output format; was done by the main developer, but could have chosen someone else if the main developer was not willing to do it
Can extract information from old (DV?) to newest formats (HEVC, AC-4, MPEG-H 3D Audio...)
Development sponsored by users (individual or companies), format supporters...
MediaConch
Implementation checking on FFV1, Matroska, LPCM (due to sponsoring source)
Policy checking on lot of formats
Based on MediaInfo
Not yet adapted to broadcasters, but what if adaptation of this tool is cheaper than bigger non open source products?
(looking for sponsors for a MXF implementation checker)
https://MediaArea.net/MediaConch
BWF MetaEdit
Embedding, validating, and exporting of metadata in Broadcast WAVE Format (BWF) files
Supports the FADGI Broadcast WAVE Metadata Embedding Guidelines
Initial sponsoring by the Library of Congress
Further sponsoring by users, for a small cost
BWF MetaEdit
QCTools
Helps users analyze and understand their digitized video files through use of audiovisual analytics and filtering
Based on FFmpeg
Not yet adapted to broadcasters, but what if adaptation of this tool is cheaper than bigger non open source products?
RAWcooked
Encodes RAW audio-visual data (DPX/TIFF) into a losslessly compressed file (no more unplayable TAR!)
Metadata accompanying the RAW data are preserved (reversiblility)
Sidecar files, like MD5, LUT or XML, are in container attachments
RAWcooked
Developed by MediaArea
https://MediaArea.net
With financial support from:
- AV Preservation by reto.ch
- CNA (National Audiovisual Centre of Luxembourg)
- Nasjonalbiblioteket (National Library of Norway)
- IFI (Irish Film Institute)
- British Film Institute
- New-York Public Library
- Elements.tv (new sponsor, EXR support + speedup)
- And more, see https://MediaArea.net/RAWcooked
DVRescue
DV tapes are dying
Transfering from DV tapes to LTO is not so easy (lot of DV dump errors)
No satisfactory solution found (cost of the offer, adaptation to the need...)
Not only 1 entity needed that
Sponsoring found, project started
Open source software company focused on digital media analysis. We work (different levels of involvement) on:
- MediaInfo
Convenient unified display of the most relevant technical and tag data for video and audio files - MediaConch
Implementation checker, policy checker, & reporter - QCTools
Helps users analyze and understand their digitized video files through use of audiovisual analytics and filtering - BWF MetaEdit, AVI MetaEdit, MOV MetaEdit
Embedding, validating, and exporting of metadata - DVRescue
Checking presence of technical errors in DV captures
Stay in touch
MediaArea: https://MediaArea.net, @MediaArea_net
Jérôme Martinez: Jerome@MediaArea.net
Slides: https://MediaArea.net/Events
License: CC BY