AWS Partner Network (APN) Blog
How Video Professionals Collaborate More Efficiently With MASV and Amazon S3
By Marc Paquette, Technical Writer – MASV
By Majed Alhajry, CTO – MASV
By Greg Jankoski, Sr. Partner Development Manager – AWS
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| MASV |
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Remote and virtual workflows in media and entertainment (M&E) are no longer in their infancy; rather, they’re used day-to-day. Cloud-based media transfer is a huge part of these workflows—from set to post and from final delivery to either the client or digital cinema package (DCP).
Production schedules often depend on how quickly creatives can access enormous files. At the same time, content security threats are at an all-time high. A breach can cost millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Creatives need easy, fast, secure tooling to get their jobs done. This is the key motivation for MASV, an AWS Partner and AWS Marketplace Seller that’s a specialist in transferring terabytes of data. In 2022 alone, MASV users moved 12.6 petabytes of data through Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3)—a 59% increase from 2021.
In this post, we’ll delve into how MASV harnesses Amazon Web Services (AWS) to bolster the thriving M&E industry. We’ll also showcase how MASV is democratizing Amazon S3 access for everyday users through its Portal file collection technology and automation.
Overview of MASV
MASV is a large file transfer service widely used in the M&E space. Its users can securely send files anywhere in the world without size limits or restrictions.
MASV has an intuitive user interface (UI) designed to be as simple as sending an email. Users can easily send from or save directly to their own Amazon S3 storage, which makes it highly scalable for enterprise-level production studios. They can also send files to an end user or other cloud storage services.
To make collaboration even more convenient, MASV Portals give a simple way for contributors to deliver large media assets to production studios just by dragging and dropping, without the coding or time needed to integrate with S3.
To deliver files securely, MASV encrypts files in flight and at rest. MASV meets these industry-recognized security standards and assessments:
- Compliant with SOC 2 and ISO 27001.
- Media pros can have the confidence to use MASV to share files instantly. MASV completed a vendor assessment by the Trusted Partner Network (TPN), a M&E security initiative led by the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
MASV Integration with Amazon S3
MASV is built on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Amazon S3 is the de facto storage to send and receive large files. In the following video, learn how MASV lets you send and receive large files to and from your Amazon S3 bucket (videos, images, datasets, etc.) without touching a single line of code.
MASV users have the added flexibility to send and receive with a variety of other storage and integrations:
- Contributors can upload local and network-shared files using MASV in the browser, MASV desktop app, transfer agent, or MASV API.
- You can also download to local storage through the MASV API or other cloud service that MASV integrates with, including media asset management (MAM) services like Frame.io, iconik, and MediaSilo.
MASV is designed as a store-and-forward service. It’s able to provide safe, fast, reliable delivery of files thanks to AWS’s security protocols, availability, and high-performance global network of regional data centers.
Here’s how it works:
- Send files: A contributor uses MASV to transfer files to you.
- Store files: MASV stores the files in its own AWS storage in a region close to the contributor. MASV has strict access restrictions to ensure its internal team cannot access these files:
- Only a select few with admin-level permissions can access MASV’s AWS storage.
- All admin login attempts are logged and require a hardware key.
- Admins need the specific package and file IDs to locate the content in the correct storage bucket. MASV cannot openly browse any bucket.
- Manage transfers: MASV coordinates and validates transfers inside the AWS accelerated network.
- Receive files: MASV transfers files from the AWS region that’s close to you.
Figure 1 – MASV transfer workflow.
Store-and-forward with AWS gives MASV the ability to accelerate transfers, which lets customers receive data in less time than other services. You can transfer large files with the S3 storage you’re already using, and you have the added flexibility of incorporating other storage options and integrations to match your workflow.
MASV Portals
An MASV Portal is a core feature which lets you create your own upload form to receive assets from anyone. It’s simple to use and the max upload limit is 5 TB. The uploader doesn’t need to worry about costs or even logging in, as these details are managed by the Portal owner.
Note that MASV has the capacity to upload more than 5 TB at once. It supports 15 TB per file, and you can request an increase to your S3 upload limit through your AWS account manager.
Setting up a Portal takes a few clicks and a couple of minutes. You can share a Portal’s web form with a unique URL or embed it into your own web page. Admins can organize incoming assets from a distributed team, making Portals a convenient way to centralize and view all associated transfer costs.
Simplicity is key with MASV package transfers. For example, a digital imaging technician (DIT) can just drag and drop their assets on an upload pane. You can also design a form to help the technician fill out metadata for your workflow.
Figure 2 – Automated delivery to Amazon S3.
MASV transfers the assets to storage you specify, like your S3 storage, local storage, or one of the other cloud services that MASV integrates with. Or you can set up the Portal to notify other users in your team by email when the assets are ready to download.
By connecting Amazon S3 to MASV, the S3 transfer process is simplified so anyone can contribute, exposing more people to the power of the AWS ecosystem.
Support Your Workflow with Automation
Where MASV reaches the next level of productivity is in its automations. Anyone with a laptop or desktop can set them up with no code and no knowledge of AWS.
A key feature of automations are MASV Watch Folders. In the MASV desktop app, users can select a local or shared folder to trigger uploads. When a user drops a file onto the folder, MASV automatically starts an upload to a predefined destination, either directly to recipients by email or to the destination specified by a MASV Portal.
A perfect use case is an editor who uses a Watch Folder to upload the files exported by their non-linear editor (NLE). Once the NLE completes its rendering, MASV uploads to your S3 in the background.
The MASV desktop app has other features that a web browser can’t provide:
- Resilience against interruptions: Unlike a browser, the MASV desktop app can recover from system crashes or power outages.
- Prioritize and order transfers: Choose which transfers should get to their destination before others.
- Aggregating multiple internet connections: This is especially useful for remote locations, letting you combine wireless, Wi-Fi, and ethernet connections to transfer files by providing aggregate speed and automatic failover.
- Faster transfers: The desktop app is optimized to saturate your network connection. It can take advantage of a 10 Gbps connection if you have it.
Jellysmack Simplifies Its Workflow with MASV
Jellysmack helps creators monetize their audiences by optimizing, distributing, and promoting their videos on multiple social media platforms. Hundreds of influential creators use Jellysmack .
“MASV is simple and efficient. With this new integration, we have a reliable MASV-S3 workflow to send and receive content,” said Nicolas Leroy, Media Asset Manager at Jellysmack. “With AWS’s globally accelerated network, MASV has fast file transfer speeds to quickly get our data from external clients to our production teams. We are happy that MASV continues to expand their S3 integration.”
The Finish Line Increases Productivity
The Finish Line is a full service post-production company based in the United Kingdom. Every year they deliver thousands of hours of programs that are distributed by Amazon Prime and others.
“With the Amazon S3 integration and functionality of sending cloud files directly, MASV continues to blow my mind,” said Zeb Chadfield, Founder and Head of Technology at The Finish Line. “Integrations like this help us to build on our automations and streamlined approach to data management, which is integral to our business. Reducing complexity increases our productivity, and that’s what allows us to always exceed our client’s expectations.”
Conclusion
Media and entertainment (M&E) has emphatically adopted remote workflows. Artists, producers, technicians, and other creatives need tooling that lets them meet production schedules while keeping assets secure. Among those tools, they need an easy-to-use, dependable, secure way to transfer huge files.
MASV is a leader in this space, and with the scalability and performance of AWS services MASV is a sought-after tool for many video professional’s arsenal. Visit the MASV website to learn more, or check out MASV in AWS Marketplace.
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MASV – AWS Partner Spotlight
MASV is an AWS Partner and specialist in transferring terabytes of data. In 2022 alone, MASV users moved 12.6 petabytes of data through Amazon S3—a 59% increase from 2021.