Format Conversion & Encoding

Format conversion and encoding bridges a finished Italian production and the dozens of release points it must reach. Those points span cinema servers, Rai and Mediaset master ingest, Sky Italia playout, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video Italy CDNs, the Apple TV+ store, regional VOD sites, festival exchange screeners, and social-cut master delivery.

Our encoding pipeline runs through partner sites at Cinecittà DI, Lumiq Studios, EM srl Roma, and FrameByFrame Roma. These sites carry large transcoding farms that run Telestream Vantage, Harmonic ProMedia Start, and Beamr encoders. They write ProRes 4444 XQ, DNxHR 444, H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP9, AV1, IMF JPEG 2000, and MXF AS-11 outputs at each resolution from SD to 8K UHD.

Each encoding run starts from a verified master, with settings matched to the target's stated profile. That means Rai-issued AS-11 OP1a MXF for terrestrial delivery, Netflix IMF SMPTE 2067 for OTT, DCI JPEG 2000 for theatrical, and social-sites H.264 MP4 for promotional cuts. HDR-to-SDR tone mapping runs in Dolby Vision-certified or HDR-10 PQ-aware suites under colourist watch, not blind machine mapping. That way the SDR version keeps the creative intent of the first grade.

Each output is verified against Interra Baton or Venera Pulsar automated QC. An operator also checks the first and last frame and any added graphics. Every file ships with a checksum manifest, so receiving sites can confirm it is sound on ingest. Batch workflows scale up to whole back-catalogue moves when TV networks refresh their playout standards.

Turnaround is set against your delivery calendar, not a fixed queue. A single feature master can convert to a full broadcast and streaming set within a day or two. Whole library moves are scheduled in stages. Urgent titles ship first, while the back catalogue runs alongside. Rush lanes stand ready for festival cut-offs, broadcaster slot changes, or a same-week streamer launch across Italy.

Source masters and deliverables move under a secure handling chain. We ingest from encrypted drives or managed transfer, never open links. Each file is logged on a chain-of-custody record. Working copies sit on access-controlled storage at the Rome and Turin sites. They are purged once delivery is confirmed. The checksum manifest then lets the receiving site prove the file arrived whole.