Media Asset Management (MAM)
As a studio's footage library grows, finding the right clip becomes a problem of its own. A MAM solves it by cataloguing every asset with metadata, like project, date, tags, and rights, so anyone can search and locate media without remembering which drive it lives on. Larger systems track versions, approvals, and where each asset has been used, turning a pile of files into a searchable library.
MAM matters most for teams and broadcasters with deep archives, where the same footage is reused across many productions. The line between storage and MAM blurs in the cloud, since a system that already holds all originals online is well placed to add search and tracking on top. For a small team, clear naming and a shared cloud may cover the same need without a full MAM.
Examples
- •A broadcaster searches its MAM for archive clips by tag and date
- •A studio tracks which assets are approved and where they were used
- •A team reuses last year's footage by finding it in a catalogued library
In Sanbila
Sanbila keeps all your originals online in one place with project structure and search, covering much of what a small team needs from a MAM without running a separate system, while integrating with your NLE for the edit itself.
Frequently asked questions
How is Sanbila different from the proxy generator built into my NLE?+
Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro and Avid all generate proxies locally, but they keep the original full-resolution files on the same SSD — so the disk fills up twice. Sanbila stores the originals in the cloud (Cloudflare R2) and keeps only the lightweight proxies on your machine. At export, Smart Relink streams the originals back via a local WebDAV mount, so you finish at full quality without ever downloading the source files.
Does Sanbila work offline?+
Yes for editing — once a proxy is cached on your SSD, you can cut, trim, color and arrange your timeline without an internet connection. You only need network access for the initial import (uploading originals to the cloud) and for the final export (streaming originals back via WebDAV).
How much cloud storage does the free plan include?+
The free plan includes 5 GB of cloud storage and one project, with no credit card required. Paid plans start at $49 per month for 2 TB and 50 projects, going up to 25 TB on the Enterprise plan with overage billing for teams that need more.
What upload speed do I need to use Sanbila?+
Any broadband connection works for the initial upload — Sanbila chunks files into 50 MB parts and uploads in parallel, so a typical 100 Mbps fiber line uploads 1 hour of 4K H.264 footage in about 6 minutes. After upload, day-to-day editing happens on local proxies, so your connection speed only matters again at export time when originals are streamed.
Which video formats does Sanbila support?+
Sanbila handles 22+ formats out of the box: MP4, MOV, MXF, R3D (RED RAW), BRAW (Blackmagic RAW), ARRI proxies, ProRes, DNxHR, DNxHD, H.264, H.265, plus WAV and AAC for audio. Both 4K and 8K sources are supported up to 200 GB per single file (URL imports have no size limit).
Related terms
Sources
- Media asset management overview · SMPTE
- Cloud workflows for media · Backblaze