The modern broadcast facility typically processes huge amounts of data on a daily basis, from ingest through editing and QA to final transmission and storage. Media Asset Management (MAM) systems keep track of each clip, so that the clips required for the all-important transmission are in the correct place and in the correct state.

In order for MAM systems to keep up-to-date information on the whereabouts and the status of clips, the MAM must be able to communicate with all areas of the broadcast facility. This includes the central storage and the deeper archive. To this end, SGL have worked alongside the major Asset Management vendors to integrate SGL FlashNet with their MAM solutions.

Integrated Asset Management systems, such as those offered by Blue Order, Konan Technology and TransMedia Dynamics, are now able to make calls to the SGL FlashNet-managed archive via the FlashNet API. This allows the MAM software to determine the location of a clip within the archive, and to restore previously archived clips to the playout server for transmission as and when required, automatically and without user intervention. The archive is thus transparent to the Asset Management software, and becomes an extension of the online storage centrally available to all aspects of the broadcast facility