Launched in 2016 under the auspices of the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA), the Interoperable Master Format (IMF) User Group (UG) is a worldwide forum for end-users and implementers of the IMF family of SMPTE Standards. The group has now linked directly with SMPTE for its future work.

The IMF UG brings together content owners, service providers, retailers, and equipment/software vendors to promote the use of IMF. The group hosts member meetings, organises public events including workshops and plugfests, and publishes best practices. Members have the opportunity to contribute to the long-term roadmap of IMF.

‘HPA is proud to have been the home of the IMF UG and its important work for the past nine years,’ HPA Executive Director Phil Kubel. ‘As it takes this next natural step, we look forward to seeing the exciting work ahead for the group and our colleagues at SMPTE.’

IMF is a family of SMPTE Standards (SMPTE ST 2067) that simplifies the storage of all the audio-visual content needed to create different versions for distribution to multiple territories and platforms in one package. The IMF package itself can be used for B2B content exchange between content owners, post facilities, and distribution platforms. IMF is an essential component of modern, high-scale content fulfillment and has enabled the building of simplified delivery and processing systems for versioning. IMF played a critical role in the transition from tape-based to file-based workflows in television and streaming. It is now the preferred UHD media delivery format for multiple content providers.

‘IMF is a true example of how a standard was developed in one organisation, deployed into the industry and then gathered a community of users via the HPA and now SMPTE,’ says SMPTE President Renard T Jenkins. ‘As a long-time member of the UG and SMPTE, I am excited that the user group and the standards community are coming together to continue its growth and further its development.’

More: www.imfug.com