What is FIMS?

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FIMS work moves to a new phase! After several years advocating for service based architectures, FIMS has achieved its original goal. The work is being continued in the EBU Media Cloud and Microservice Architecture (MCMA) project with a current focus on Artificial Intelligence (MCMA-AI). MCMA is concentrating on REST interfaces, combined with the production of open source libraries to facilitate the wide range of workflows developed under the FIMS project. Using lessons learned from FIMS, the emphasis will be hands-on deployment of such workflows, using MCMA. Further information is available at https://tech.ebu.ch/home/groups/pnp.html and the first point of contact is Jean-Pierre Evain, EBU Principal Project Manager, [email protected].

The Framework for Interoperable Media Services (FIMS) is a project to define standards which enable media systems to be built using a Service Orientated Architecture. This will provide flexibility, efficiency and scalability that have previously been impossible to achieve with traditional architectures. FIMS is a Task Force managed jointly by the AMWA and the EBU.

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How the FIMS Process Works Current Participants Organizations Using FIMS Why Get Involved in FIMS Events Calendar Participation Agreement (pdf) FIMS Terms of Reference (pdf) More Resources

Why the media industry needs a new approach to system architecture.

MEDIA CONSUMERS HAVE CHANGED

The electronic media industry faces many challenges today. Consumers of content are continually becoming more sophisticated, both in their expectations of what will be available and also in the means by which they consume it. The number of delivery channels is increasing and the content itself is getting more complicated, while at the same time income from consumers and advertising is frozen or even falling.

This puts great pressure on those who create and deliver that content. Media systems have moved a long way from a traditional “broadcast” structure and have to handle multiple versions of a “program”. This usually requires multiple versions of the program components, including video, languages, surround sound, subtitles, etc. These all have to be delivered cost effectively in an environment that has to combine the valuable creative aspects with factory efficient processes.

Media systems must be:

Efficient in their use of human and electronic resources, Expandable to add new channels, Flexible in their ability to accommodate as yet unknown requirements

while at the same time ensuring that the best creative tools are available to the program makers.

This is a challenging list of business requirements. The move to file based workflows has been one important step. But the next innovation, provided by FIMS, promises to liberate system architects and operational staff from the constraints of traditional processes.

TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING

Until today, each process in the program chain has been hard wired to the next, to build up the complex set of activities needed to craft and deliver the final program. In past “broadcast” systems this was the only approach that technology could deliver. However, an initiative by the AMWA and the EBU is preparing for a new world, where each process is considered to be a “service” which can be called upon when necessary and released for others to use when not.

This initiative is the Framework for Interoperable Media Services (FIMS).

FIMS sets out to provide a solution which is

Flexible Cost effective Reliable Expandable Enables best of breed products to be employed Futureproof Enables integration with media Business Systems

Please use the links on this page to learn more about this exciting project!