Ci: A Platform Where Teams Can Work on Media Content
Sony built the Ci Media Cloud platform to help customers unify and streamline siloed media workflows. Ci (“see”) empowers teams to work faster, smarter, and more collaboratively from anywhere in a reliable and secure environment.
Why Ci Offers So Much Functionality
Ci is the only media platform that offers content acquisition portals, real-time collaboration, automated transcoding, high-speed file transfer, QC, logging, and archive functionality in a single SaaS offering.
Rather than duplicating content across disparate systems, Ci brings media processes to content already stored in the cloud. This aligns with The 2030 Vision whitepaper issued by MovieLabs® and our mission to enable internal and external stakeholders to work together seamlessly while maintaining security and reliable access.
An On-Ramp to the Cloud
Building a central cloud repository is a prerequisite of the MovieLabs 2030 Vision. Teams can upload content to Ci from browsers and cameras regardless of location. Ci has supported camera-to-cloud since 2016 as well as live streams. Ci’s recent integration with Teradek expands camera to cloud capabilities to any camera allowing productions to securely upload footage directly from on-set encoders with just a simple 8-digit code for configuration.
Limitless Collaboration
Collaboration and feedback are core to creative processes, which is why Ci lets you collaborate how you want. With no user or project limits, your team can comment on files in-app, or host a virtual screening room experience with real-time synchronized playback and annotations. Share links allow you to send files for preview and if needed, built-in Aspera download enables fast file transfers to keep the review process flowing.
Built-in Archive
Amazon Web Services (AWS)® customers can bring their own AWS S3 bucket to Ci and leverage the power of Ci without moving the content. Ci provides simple storage management policies to allow content to automatically move between storage tiers to maximize cost savings.
Frontloaded Transcoding
As soon as files and live streams arrive, Ci begins transcoding. This automatic process lets stakeholders instantly preview, clip, reformat, and render files into formats they need without downloading or moving the files to a separate file processing system.
Hands-free VFX Pulls
By combining Ci’s file processing power with workflow automation, post-production teams can simplify and speed up VFX pull workflows. With Ci, VFX editors can automatically deliver VFX frames to vendors or artists by simply uploading an edit decision list (EDL) file. Original Camera Files (OCF) can remain securely stored in place because we can bring processing to the files uploaded to Ci.
Ci Into 2030 and Beyond
As cloud-native solutions become standard in media workflows, the eminent challenge is eliminating unnecessary file duplication and movement. Ci is best positioned to help unify workflows at every stage of the media lifecycle. Today, Ci Media Cloud lets you capture, backup, review, run post-production workflows, transform, and deliver files. Every month, we are introducing new functionality that will help teams work faster, smarter, and cost-effectively without compromising flexible access or peace of mind that content is safely stored in the cloud. Contact the Ci team to book a demo or learn more at cimediacloud.com.
Enhancing Capabilities, Flexibility and Workflows in the Cloud
By Jennifer Wolfe
Designed to boost remote cloud production capabilities, flexibility, and workflows for broadcast, cinematic and live event content creation, Sony has continued to build on its suite of cloud services with the development of infrastructure and live production tools.
Ci 3.0
Allowing for an efficient transition from on-premises to cloud, Sony’s Ci Media Cloud Services is an ecosystem of cloud-based applications built for organizations to manage media assets across the entire production lifecycle. Ci 3.0 includes four new apps that expand beyond desktop experiences, a whole new way to gather files and collaborate in Ci, localization support, and enhancements to live streams.
For post-production, Ci’s Workflow app provides functionality for a secure, automated VFX pull workflow by simply submitting an edit decision list (EDL) to Ci. Other benefits of the app include increased speed and lower operational costs, as well as helping to solve common ownership and accessibility challenges.
Ci’s improvements for collaboration, which can benefit editors and live sports production teams, among others, include in-app commenting, clipping and live streams, which simplify the way creative teams review and collaborate on content and allows for quicker publishing to social media. Ci also integrates with Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology to receive live streams from sports venues, allowing officials to review, mark up and collaborate on decisions in nearly real-time, regardless of location. This workflow also makes content readily available to licensees and rights-holders.
Additional enhancements to Ci include a Ci mobile app, “Ci: View & Share Media,” on iOS and Android for viewing content and a tvOS app for screening content on Apple TV 4K, as well as six times faster live stream ingest and Japanese localization.
Watch Sony’s Hugo Gaggioni and Michael Potts talk about the latest developments in Ci Media Cloud at the 2022 NAB Show:
C3 Portal: Camera-Connect-Cloud
Camera-to-cloud capabilities enable more freedom and flexibility for efficient productions from the field or front lines. Sony’s next-generation camera-to-cloud solution, C3 Portal, offers cost-effective file operations by tightly integrating Sony acquisition devices and remote operations.
C3P provides remote camera control, remote file access and secure, efficient transfer of files to Ci or any other destination. C3P’s new mobile app enhances the file transfer process. Flexible metadata workflows support custom and automated metadata tagging of camera clips, resulting in simplified search and identification for fast content retrieval.
Learn how the C3 Portal enables news and production teams to live stream, control, and copy camera clips from the field to the cloud using a smartphone — even while recording: