Metus MAM is a client server based system made up of several types of clients and server side components. For small systems, all of the server side components can be installed on a single server. For medium or larger scale systems, each of the server components get their own server, or multiple servers. The components that make up a Metus MAM solution are:
CLIENT SIDE components
Desktop Client
This is the “business end” of Metus MAM which the users see and interact with. It is used generally by power users who wish to use all of the functions of Metus MAM, like transcoding, cutting, joining, editing clips in addition to basic functions like importing, browsing, searching. Users with admin rights also configure and administer the system from the Desktop Client. The Desktop Client also includes the Media Asset Viewer, which is a customized player application used to play the assets in normal, fast, slow, reverse speeds, mark points and regions on the assets with metadata, choose and mix between audio channels, mark in and out points. Metus MAM Desktop client is a Windows desktop application and runs on the same local network with Metus MAM server components.
Please see Desktop Client - 4.0.0.0 for more information
Metus MAM Web Client
In addition to the Desktop Client, Metus MAM can also be accessed and used by web client that can run inside all popular web browsers and from all operating systems. This lightweight client, while lacking all features of the desktop client, still allows users to import video files, enter metadata, browse the archive and play the proxy files and more features.
Please see Web Client - 3.7.1.0 for more information
Metus MAM NLE Plug-ins
Metus MAM has plugins for Grass Valley EDIUS™ and SONY Vegas™. These are opened from within the NLE interface and allow the user to search and browse the MAM project as if he/she were using the Desktop clients. Found assets can be played inside the plugin, and dragged and dropped into the timeline. By default, what goes to the timeline are the proxy versions of the files, so that they can be played from a networked storage without glitch. After users finish their editing on the NLE, a control on the plugin switches the files on the timeline with their high-res versions. Then, after the render is performed, the rendered file is imported back into the MAM.
Please see NLE Plug-ins for more information
Metus MAC Client
Metus MAC Client is a desktop client that runs on MacOSX to search and browse the archive from MAC computers, and interface with Final Cut Pro. Selected videos can be played on the user interface and dragged to FCP interface, upon which their proxy versions, together with marker metadata are added to the FCP timeline. The users, after finishing their edit on the interface, then can switch the proxy versions of the videos with the hi-res versions with a control on the FCP Client. The files rendered from the timeline can be ingested automatically back into the MAM. The features provided with the MAC client are limited with above.
Please see Mac Client for more information
SERVER SIDE components
Metus Archive Server
MAS is the server side component that is the glue that holds the system together. It manages the storages that are defined in the system. It sits between the clients, the database, and the other server side components and regulates the media and data traffic. It manages media traffic, in accordance with the security levels of the assets and access rights of the users. It handles the archiving process (of moving and distributing the imported files between defined storage/s) and delivers the file path to the client, with the necessary access level enabled. This file access mechanism prevents MAS from becoming a bottleneck in the system. MAS also handles the media life cycle of assets according to pre-set rules, and shuffles the archived files between the various online and nearline storages. And, it can function as a backup for other servers.
Metus Archive Server is a software that runs on 64bit version of Microsoft Windows 2008 Server. Multiple storages or any type (NAS, SAN, DAS) be defined on a single MAS. Multiple MAS servers can be installed in a project for load balancing during archiving, and/or for redundancy purposes.
Metus Process Server
If MAS is the brain, then MPS is the engine under the hood of a Metus MAM system. It handles all the multimedia processing that goes on inside a MAM system. Some of the things that MPS does are the following
- Transcode between the file formats supported
- Create low resolution proxy copies of assets for network and web based playback
- Trim files and retrieve cut sections
- cut and join between files and sections of files
- Audio channel mapping, remapping and embedding
- Packaging to TS and adaptive bitrate VOD formats
- And many more video processing options
Metus Process Server is a software that runs on 64bit version of Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 Server, or Windows 7 Professional. The number of jobs that MPS can handle in parallel, is defined inside the MAM administration. A large number of jobs can be handled by MPS by putting them in a queue and executing them in order. Progress of MPS jobs are reported in real time to the users via the Desktop Client. Multiple MPS servers can be installed in a Metus MAM project for increasing the total video processing power available. In this case all incoming jobs are distributed by MAM among the MPS servers according to their individual workload, creating load balancing.
Please see Transcode - 4.0.0.0 for more information on transcoding features of Metus MAM.
Database Server
Metus uses Microsoft SQL for database management.
Metus Web Server
Web Server is the web server module that hosts the web client and communicates with the MAS to stream and deliver the requested assets. It runs on Windows2003 or 2008 Server.
Metus MAC Gateway
MAC Gateway is the server side module which works as an interconnection point between Windows and MacOS. It runs on Windows Server OS.
Metus Image Matching Server
MIMS is the engine that performs image matching search in Metus MAM. Please see Image Matching - 3.7.1.0 for more information.