Filming is done. Teams have wrapped, the footage is shot, and it’s time to get it to the editors for the initial cuts. In due time, they’ll be polished to an excellent viewing experience. But how does the video go from those cameras into that editing software?
What Is Video Ingest?
In the world of video, video ingesting refers to the process of taking raw footage from a camera and getting it into your editing system. It’s not just about getting your content from point A to point B — it’s also about ensuring everything is digitized properly while preserving its original quality. This also means capturing all the metadata that comes with every video file your company produces.
In a broader context, video ingest can also refer to sending a video to a data center, server, or cloud storage system. The forms of ingest can vary widely, and can include:
- Conventional video
- Compressed data streams
- Data files
- Multimedia data
Ingest can be done in real-time or as a batch process, depending on your needs. For example, ingesting live footage involves capturing what you’re seeing onscreen and saving it to disk so that you can use it later. Ingesting recorded content involves importing files from external sources such as hard drives and DVDs or even uploading them directly from other computers.
Transcoding, which refers to the process of converting video files so they’re optimized for editing, can also be an integral part of the ingest process. In the context of streaming, ingest might refer to getting video data into encoding or video storage services. An illustrative example would be when you submit a request to a service like Mux to create an Asset, including the URL to a video file, and Mux then ingests that video file.
Why Is Video Ingestion Important?
Cataloging and storing all of the digital media your company produces is imperative. This is incredibly important for maintaining good records and copies of all the media your company creates and manages.
While capturing all of the data from your company is essential in its own right, it becomes even more critical to have that additional data when archiving it or just for faster searches when the time comes. Without a good video ingestion process, your content management can quickly become a disorganized mess, which will be a problem when auditing or archiving data in the future.
Perfecting Video Ingestion with Cloudinary
Ingesting video is an essential part of your workflow. You can use it to save time and money when editing and ensure you have the best quality footage possible. The more efficient you are with your editing process, the better!
Cloudinary can help you bring the most out of your digital assets too. With our Digital Asset Management, you can accurately store and manage all your files – including video ingestion. And our platform also comes with intelligent automation, helping your video ingestion process become as smooth as possible.
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