MXF proxy workflow for broadcast
XDCAM, P2, and Sony XAVC MXF handling with cloud originals and DNxHR proxies.
Broadcast MXF libraries are relentless
MXF is a container, not a codec, and broadcast throws every flavour at you: XDCAM as MPEG-2 Long GOP, P2 as DVCPRO or AVC-Intra, Sony XAVC as H.264 or H.265, Avid's own OP-Atom MXF with video and audio in separate essence files. A daily news or magazine show produces hundreds of these per episode, and over a season the archive crosses 50 TB. Local storage cannot keep up, and an Avid Nexis shared-storage licence is a heavy recurring cost just to hold rushes most of which never make air.
Editorial does not need the whole MXF library on fast shared storage. It needs a light proxy to cut, and the original MXF only at the finish.
Scale-out MXF archive without Nexis
Sanbila stores the MXF intact in the cloud with an automatic backup copy, whatever the flavour, so the broadcast essence and metadata are preserved. The proxy is a DNxHR LB encoded on the Sanbila cloud, and Sanbila writes it into the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1/ structure Avid Media Composer indexes automatically as managed media, so the proxies link cleanly without a manual relink.
You cut on the proxy, and at the finish Smart Relink reads the Avid AAF (or a Premiere XML, FCPXML or EDL), and streams only the MXF clips in the conform back from the cloud over a virtual drive, switching the timeline clips to the originals for a full-quality master. A season-long archive past 50 TB lives in the cloud instead of on a Nexis, and the Enterprise plan holds 25 TB with $20/TB/month overage for the long tail, so a broadcast post house scales storage without buying another shared-storage node.
Every MXF flavour intact
XDCAM MPEG-2, P2 DVCPRO or AVC-Intra, Sony XAVC, Avid OP-Atom MXF are all kept in the cloud with an automatic backup copy, never transcoded.
Avid MediaFiles layout
The DNxHR LB proxy is written into the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1/ structure Media Composer indexes automatically as managed media, so it links without a manual relink.
Finish on the originals
Smart Relink reads the AAF and switches the timeline clips to the real MXF streamed from the cloud for a full-quality master.
Scale past a Nexis
A season-long archive over 50 TB lives in the cloud; Enterprise holds 25 TB with $20/TB/month overage, no extra shared-storage node.
Sanbila by the numbers
Real specs from the live Sanbila product, not marketing claims.
Frequently asked questions
Which MXF types does Sanbila accept?+
Broadcast MXF of every common flavour: XDCAM MPEG-2 Long GOP, P2 DVCPRO and AVC-Intra, Sony XAVC H.264 or H.265, and Avid OP-Atom MXF. The original is uploaded intact, never transcoded.
Do the proxies link automatically in Avid Media Composer?+
Yes. Sanbila writes the DNxHR LB proxy into the Avid MediaFiles/MXF/1/ structure Media Composer indexes automatically as managed media, so the proxy links without a manual relink.
How does finishing work on a broadcast Avid project?+
Smart Relink reads the AAF, finds the MXF clips in the conform, and switches the timeline clips to the real originals streamed from the cloud for a full-quality master. Unused clips stay as proxy.
Is this cheaper than Avid Nexis for a season of shows?+
The archive lives in the cloud with an automatic backup copy instead of a Nexis node. The Enterprise plan holds 25 TB with $20/TB/month overage, so a 50 TB plus season scales without buying more shared storage.
Scale your MXF archive without hardware
Enterprise plan with overage billing for broadcast post houses.
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