Repackaging shows for distribution
Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) is the fastest growing market in streaming, giving movies and shows the opportunity to find new life on channels like Mubi, Pluto TV, Freevee and the Roku channel. International distribution is another way shows can find new audiences. In short, opportunities exist for those with shows to sell. But shows created to fit one set of delivery specifications might need to be remastered to take advantage of these opportunities.
Henninger Media Services has years of experience in exactly this kind of technical work. We got our start repackaging international shows for PBS, a process that involved mitigating any objectionable material, adjusting show run times, and converting programs from PAL to NTSC for air in the United States.
The Process
- Determine the work required to repackage the program
The first step in repackaging a show for a new distribution platform is taking a look at the specifications the show will need to meet. In some cases, the process of meeting new specs may be as simple as transcoding files. In other cases, a greater amount of work may be required. - Conduct a detailed quality control (QC) review
Some streaming platforms have particularly stringent standards. For those platforms, our goal is to eliminate or lessen as many problems as possible, even those that are “inherent to the source.” For projects that need to meet strict guidelines, each program is reviewed by an experienced quality control (QC) technician and a report is generated listing any technical issues. - Tackle each concern with a skilled editor and consult experts in audio, color correction and engineering as needed
After identifying issues, an experienced editor tackles each concern one-by-one. Our audio, color correction and engineering teams can assist when needed.
The remastering process might include things like changing the frame rate or resolution of a show, adjusting the length or reformatting the credits. In some cases, we’ve been able to help producers create elements like audio splits, even without the original masters. For example, to create the elements needed for language customization, our experienced in-house audio team can leverage new tools powered by AI to separate music from voice.
The repackaging process is easiest when the original non-linear edit (NLE) and source media is provided, but we’ve also competed projects for which our only source was a flattened QuickTime file. The list below includes some of the issues we regularly tackle during the remastering process:
- Frame rate conversion
- Illegal colors levels, gamut errors
- Stutter, jitter, dropped, blended or repeated frames
- Aliasing, flicker and strobing
- Interlacing artifacts, field order
- Shot stabilization
- Color shifts in image
- Noise in image
- Image blanking
- Problems with transitions, dissolves
- Shot replacement
- Audio sync
- Audio splits needed
- Audio dial norm
- Specific audio and video file format needed for delivery
Fast-growing platforms like Mubi, Freevee and Pluto TV will continue to seek out existing content to build up their catalogs and satisfy viewers. Our team of specialists can help remaster your content so that it meets new delivery specifications and finds new audiences.
For a free consultation about repackaging your movie or television show, please contact us!