Patent Publication Number: US-11388367-B2

Title: Methods and apparatus for automatic media file transcoding

Description:
FIELD 
     The field relates generally to techniques for transcoding media files from an input format to one or more output formats. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the field of video production and distribution, the volume of information to be processed is increasing at an outstanding pace. The ever increasing popularity of videos on the Internet, allied to the recent advances in networking, are drastically changing video consumption habits. In parallel, the proliferation of electronic devices, such as smart phones, watches, tablet, desktops and laptop computers, being used to consume video content from the Internet is increasing at exponential rates. 
     Features and support often vary greatly from device to device, such as image ratios, maximum resolution, and supported encoders, decoders, and file types. In addition, the variations in bandwidth availability often require that the same content is provided with multiple resolutions. 
     Thus, content distributers are faced with the challenge of transforming and distributing media in several different formats. The Android® operating system, for example, supports H.263, H.264 AVC, H.265, MPEG-4 SP (Moving Picture Experts Group), VP8 and VP9 video formats (among others). In addition, the H.264 codec, for example, offers two versions of standard definition video resolution, as well as a high definition video resolution, each having associated frame rates, bitrates, audio codecs, audio channels and audio bitrates. 
     A need therefore exists for methods and apparatus for automatically transcoding media files. 
     SUMMARY 
     Illustrative embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatus for automatically transcoding media files. In one exemplary embodiment, a method comprises obtaining at least one input media file having an input file format and encoded with a codec of a first type; automatically determining one or more output media file formats for transcoding the one or more input media files based on statistics of previously transcoded files and statistics of one or more trending media formats for previously downloaded files over a given period of time; and transcoding the one or more input media files into one or more transcoded output media files using a codec of a second type to obtain the determined one or more output media file formats, wherein at least one of the output media file formats is a different file format than the input file format. The method may include generating metadata for each of said plurality of transcoded output media files, wherein said metadata is stored in memory as a media catalogue separately from said one or more transcoded output media files. The metadata may include historical information for a given one of the plurality of transcoded output media files. The said historical information for said given transcoded output media file may include one or more of: a previous format; a type of encoder used for said transcoding; an encoding time; an indication of whether said transcoding applied parallelization; and a number of cores used in said parallelization. The separate media catalogue may be accessible via a content delivery network and the plurality of transcoded output media files may be accessible via a network file system. The statistics of previously transcoded files comprise, for example, a popularity measure of each media format used to transcode the previously transcoded files. 
     In one or more embodiments, the output media file formats for transcoding the one or more input media files are automatically determined by (i) assigning a weight to a set of popular media file formats selected based on the popularity measure and a weight to a set of the trending media file formats; and (ii) combining the weighted media file formats into a single list. 
     In at least one embodiment, transcoding algorithms for transcoding the input media files into the determined output media file formats are automatically selected using an unsupervised technique for grouping similar objects that identifies an algorithm used to transcode one or more proximally similar files as the one or more input media files from the previously transcoded files. In one exemplary embodiment, the input files to transcode are dynamically prioritized based on a complexity rating of the determined one or more output media file formats and a ranking of the selected transcoding algorithms. 
     Advantageously, illustrative embodiments of the invention provide improved techniques for automatically transcoding media files. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary automatic media transcoding system, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of an automatic media transcoding process, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of the automatic output format selection process, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates exemplary pseudo code for combining the trending and popular formats identified by the exemplary automatic output format selection process of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of the transcoding algorithm(s) selection process, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates the collection of profile information for the exemplary input file of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates exemplary pseudo code for clustering similar files by the transcoding algorithm(s) selection process of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of the resource allocation and queuing process, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of a metadata annotation process, according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIGS. 10 through 12  illustrate exemplary user interfaces, according to various embodiments of the invention; and 
         FIG. 13  is a system diagram of an exemplary computer system on which at least one embodiment of the invention can be implemented. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Illustrative embodiments of the present invention will be described herein with reference to exemplary communication, storage, and processing devices. It is to be appreciated, however, that the invention is not restricted to use with the particular illustrative configurations shown Aspects of the present invention provide methods and apparatus for automatically transcoding an input media file into a plurality of output media file formats for distribution to various devices. Various optional aspects of the invention (1) identify and create a dynamic list of relevant (e.g., popular and/or trending) output formats; (2) profile and identify efficient transcoding algorithms for a given input media file; (3) manage and allocate compute resources; (4) manage a job queue; (5) annotate output files to facilitate search and recovery; and (6) automatically create a media catalogue. 
     As used herein, “transcoding” means to convert a media file from one form of coded representation to another form of coded representation, such as for video data files (e.g., PAL (Phase Alternating Line), SECAM (Sequential Color with Memory) and NTSC (National Television System Committee) video formats), audio files (e.g., MP3 (MPEG-2 Audio Layer III), WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) audio formats), or character encoding (e.g., UTF-8 (defined by Unicode), ISO/IEC 8859 (International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission 8-bit character encoding format)). 
     In one or more embodiments, the media transcoding techniques disclosed herein employ one to many (1:N) transcoding of media files. Thus, one original media file is received and is transcoded into a plurality of output formats. The selection of the desired N output formats can be done (1) manually (e.g., with the aid of a user interface that allows users to manually select the desired output formats); or (2) automatically to propose a ranked list of suggested formats (e.g., with the aid of an algorithm that crawls the storage system to identify existing formats, trends in the transcoding process, popularity (of downloaded files), and potentially also consults external sources). 
     One aspect of the invention observes trends in the popularity of chosen formats. As media technology (and video technology, in particular) is constantly evolving, it is common that the market swings its preferred platform choice from time to time. In the recent past, for example, popularity has moved from RealNetworks™ technology (e.g., RealVideo™ format and RealMedia™ format), to Microsoft Windows Media™ formats, followed by Adobe&#39;s Flash™ technology, with a future that points to a possible adoption of the HTML 5 standard. 
     Of course, each of these technologies defines a set of associated formats, codecs and transport protocols. Switching video platforms will likely require transcoding contents to new formats, codecs, as well as server migration. It is, therefore, very important to be aware of market preferences, so as to quickly adapt to changes, and focus on the most relevant (preferred) formats. 
     Once a list of output formats is obtained, one or more embodiments of the invention profiles the media file to be transcoded. As it relates to existing (typically, open source) algorithms for file transcoding, there is a tremendous list to choose from. It has been found that the success of the transcoding process, measured in both the efficiency of the process, as well as the quality of the final product, is often related to the choice of transcoding algorithm(s) made. A media file profiling technique is employed that identifies contextual information about the input file, and correlates the contextual information to similar files stored in the file system (and the processes used in transcoding them), to gather intelligence around choices made with respect to files, algorithms used in the transcoding process and their final outcomes. In one or more embodiments, results are “learned” (e.g., incorporated using machine learning techniques) and used to refine future uses of the media file profiling algorithm). 
     The output formats and the particular transcoding algorithm(s) to be used in the transcoding process are determined before the transcoding begins. Efficient media transcoding is computationally expensive, and can be done in parallel. The resource allocator balances between the effort required to process the file and overall load of the transcoding system to determine the resources allotted to processing of a new media file. 
     A resource allocator component, as discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 8 , takes into consideration the attributes of the media file in question (e.g., size and encoding) and contextual data (as per the particulars of its submission and additional information obtained from its metadata, including provenance data and information about the file itself such as creation date) and estimates the necessary effort to process the input file into all the desired formats, as informed by the resource allocator. This process may be aided by the use of predictive techniques, based on the original file media format, the size (e.g., duration of the video content) of the file, and the original encoding used. 
     The nature of the media transcoding process typically demands that each file is transcoded into several different formats, some more relevant than others. In the presence of different input files to process, a queue, as discussed further below in conjunction with  FIGS. 1, 2 and 8 , organizes the jobs in such way that the most relevant (popular) formats are processed first, even if it means postponing the processing of transcoding an older file (to a less used format) in favor of a newly arrived file (to a very popular format). 
     Transcoding is often a very time sensitive process, for the ability to make some content (e.g., breaking news) readily available to consumers gives a significant competitive edge for media distributers. Thus, in one or more embodiments, the resource allocation process is highly dynamic, and re-evaluated at constant intervals. 
     Once the transcoding has occurred, the exemplary media transcoding process  200 , as discussed further below in conjunction with  FIGS. 2 and 9 , provides additional information regarding these newly created files. Media files typically provide information about the file system in which they reside, including directory names and paths, and usually some system information, e.g., creation date and time stamp. One or more embodiments of the invention enrich the metadata by suggesting the use of standard schemas, such as the Multimedia Content Description Interface Standard (MPEG-7-ISO/IEC 15938), at the same time allowing for user input by providing additional “free style” fields for comment and annotations. Suggestions are made using a machine learning approach to an entity suggestion (e.g., those in MPEG-7 and other standards), based on the profiling of the media file made in an earlier stage of this process  200 . 
     The annotated metadata is then optionally stored in a separate repository, typically much smaller in size than the file system that contains the actual media files. Thus, one aspect of the invention optionally separates media files and metadata (e.g., in a catalogue with enriched metadata and pre-computed indices) to allow for differentiated architectures (the smaller catalogue can be stored in memory, thereby improving search performance) and the catalogue can optionally be made available as a content delivery network (CDN), to support multiple, geographically distributed, concurrent accesses to the catalogue. The actual media files can be stored separately and made accessible through a Network File System (NFS). The benefits are that media files and metadata can each be stored and indexed in an optimal way. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary automatic media transcoding system  100 , according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the exemplary automatic media transcoding system  100  receives one or more input files  110  to be transcoded. A hot folder  120  serves as a file system directory that is monitored to detect the input file  110 . The hot folder  120  automatically provides the input file  110  to one or more transcoding processes  200 , discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 2 , and stores a copy of the input file  110  in a video repository  130 . 
     As discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 2 , the transcoding processes  200  generate a list of output formats  140  that the input file  110  should be transcoded into. The job is stored in a queue  150  that performs dynamic resource management. The input file is eventually transcoded into the output formats  165  designated in the list  140 . The transcoded output files are annotated with metadata at stage  160 , as discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 9 . The transcoded output files are persisted into the video repository  130 . The enriched metadata is optionally stored separately in a media catalog  170 . 
       FIG. 2  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of an automatic media transcoding process  200 , according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the exemplary automatic media transcoding process  200  receives the input file  110  as input. 
     A test is performed during step  210  to determine if the user has selected an automatic or manual selection of the desired output formats (for example, using an interface  1000 , discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 10 ). If it is determined during step  210  that the user has selected a manual selection, then the user chooses the desired output format(s) during step  220  (for example, using an interface  1100 , discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 11 ). If, however, it is determined during step  210  that the user has selected an automatic manual selection, then an automatic output format selection is made during step  230 , using an automatic output format selection process  300 , discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 3 , and an interface  1200 , discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 12 . In at least one embodiment, the automatic output format selection process  300  crawls the storage system to identify existing formats, trends in the transcoding process and a popularity of downloaded files. 
     A ranked list  140  of desired output formats is obtained during step  240 . 
     The transcoding algorithm(s) to be used to generate the desired output formats are selected during step  245 , using a transcoding algorithm(s) selection process  500 , discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 5 . It is noted that, depending on the list of desired media format outputs, more than one transcoding algorithm may be used. In at least one embodiment, the exemplary transcoding algorithm(s) selection process  500  employs a media file profiling technique that identifies contextual information about the input file  110 , and correlates the contextual information to similar files stored in the file system (and the processes used to transcode them), to gather intelligence around choices made with respect to files, algorithms used in the transcoding process and their final outcomes. 
     A resource allocation and queuing process  800 , discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 8 , is executed during step  250  to balance between the effort required to process the input file  110  and the overall load of the automatic media transcoding system  100  to determine the resources allotted to processing of a new media file. In at least one embodiment, the exemplary resource allocation and queuing process  800  considers attributes of the input file  110  in question (e.g., size and encoding) and contextual data (as per the particulars of its submission and additional information obtained from its metadata, including provenance data and information about the file  110  itself such as creation date) and estimates the necessary effort to process the input file into all the desired formats, as informed by the resource allocator. 
     The input file  110  is then transcoded during step  260  into the desired output formats in the list  140 , using the transcoding algorithm(s) selected during step  245 . 
     The transcoded file(s) are then annotated during step  270 , using an annotation process  900 , discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 9 . Generally, the annotation process  900  enriches the metadata associated with the transcoded file(s). The output files  280 - 1  through  280 -N are annotated with the enriched metadata. The enriched metadata is optionally stored in a separate repository, shown in  FIG. 2  as the media catalogue  170 . Thus, the exemplary automatic media transcoding process  200  optionally separately stores the output files  280 - 1  through  280 -N and the enriched metadata. 
       FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of the automatic output format selection process  300 , according to one embodiment of the invention. As noted above, the exemplary automatic media transcoding process  200  makes an automatic output format selection during step  230 , using the automatic output format selection process  300 , and an interface  1200 , discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 12 . In at least one embodiment, the automatic output format selection process  300  crawls the storage system to identify existing formats, trends in the transcoding process and a popularity of downloaded files. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the exemplary automatic output format selection process  300  receives previously stored (and transcoded) videos  305  as input. During steps  310  and  320 , the exemplary automatic output format selection process  300  computes popular formats and a popular index (Pop F ). In one or more embodiments, the popular index (Pop F ) is computed, as follows: 
               Pop   F     =       total   ⁢           ⁢   number   ⁢           ⁢   of   ⁢           ⁢   video   ⁢           ⁢   files       total   ⁢           ⁢   number   ⁢           ⁢   of   ⁢           ⁢   files   ⁢           ⁢   of   ⁢           ⁢   format   ⁢           ⁢   F             
where F is the video file format.
 
     The popularity-based results are ranked during step  330 , and a list of popular formats  345  is generated during step  340 . 
     During steps  350  and  360 , the exemplary automatic output format selection process  300  computes trending formats and a trending index (Trend F ). In one or more embodiments, the trending index (Trend F ) is computed, as follows: 
     
       
         
           
             
               Trend 
               F 
             
             = 
             
               
                 number 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 of 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                   added 
                   / 
                   downloaded 
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 files 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 over 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 P 
               
               
                 number 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 of 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 files 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                   added 
                   / 
                   downloaded 
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 of 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 format 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 F 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 over 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                     
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 P 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     where P is the period in time and F is the video file format. 
     The trending-based results are ranked during step  370 . A cutout threshold (TS) is optionally determined during step  380 . In one or more embodiments, the cutout threshold (TS) is defined, as follows: 
     If TS&gt;Trend F , format F is selected; 
     else, if TS≤Trend F , format F is not selected. 
     The threshold can be manually defined, but should be initialized with a default value. A number between 0.05 and 0.10 can be employed, for example. 
     A list of trending formats  395  is generated during step  390 . 
     The trending and popular format lists are combined during step  397 . An exemplary technique for combining the trending and popular formats is discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 4 . A list of output formats  140  (1-N) is generated during step  398 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates exemplary pseudo code  400  for combining the trending and popular formats identified by the exemplary automatic output format selection process  300 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the exemplary pseudo code  400  defines weights for popular (Wp) and trending (Wt) formats; applies the weights as a percent cut to their respective lists; and combines the remaining items of both lists to form the combined list. 
       FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of the transcoding algorithm(s) selection process  500 , according to one embodiment of the invention. As noted above, the exemplary automatic media transcoding process  200  selects the transcoding algorithm(s) to be used to generate the desired output formats during step  245 , using the transcoding algorithm(s) selection process  500 . In at least one embodiment, the exemplary transcoding algorithm(s) selection process  500  employs a media file profiling technique that identifies contextual information about the input file  110 , and correlates the contextual information to similar files stored in the file system (and the processes used to transcode them), to gather intelligence around choices made with respect to files, algorithms used in the transcoding process and their final outcomes. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the exemplary transcoding algorithm(s) selection process  500  receives input file  110  and the list of output formats  140  as input. The transcoding algorithm(s) selection process  500  profiles the input file  110 , as discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 6 , during step  510 , and scans the repository of previously stored videos  305  for similar files during step  520  (for example, using machine learning techniques). A similarity metric can consider, for example, shared file features between files, such as file size, resolution, encoding and producer. 
     A test is performed during step  530  to determine if any similar files are identified. If it is determined during step  530  that similar files are not identified, then existing transcoding algorithms are used during step  540 . If, however, it is determined during step  530  that similar files are identified, then unsupervised learning is used during step  550  to cluster the similar files, as discussed further below in conjunction with  FIG. 7 . The input file  110  is then placed in a cluster during step  560 , and the best algorithm is selected during step  570 , based on proximal similar files. 
     The exemplary transcoding algorithm(s) selection process  500  then produces a list  585  during step  580  of Output_Format/Selected_Algorithm Pairs for all N items in the output format list  396 . Thereafter, program control proceeds to the exemplary resource allocation and queuing process  800  ( FIG. 8 ) ( 590 ). 
     As noted above, the transcoding algorithm(s) selection process  500  profiles the input file  110  during step  510 .  FIG. 6  illustrates the collection  600  of the profile information for the input file  110 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , in at least one embodiment, the following data is collected about the input file header and metadata (when available): time stamp; date of creation; format; codec; location; and content metadata. A content metadata example  650  is also presented in  FIG. 6 . 
     It is noted that in the example of  FIG. 6 , the use of provenance metadata is illustrated to capture information about previous history of the file (e.g., whether the file was transcoded from a different format, algorithms used, and the performance of the process). This information may not be available for pre-existing files, but it is provided by the automatic media transcoding process  200 . 
     As noted above, when similar files are identified by the transcoding algorithm(s) selection process  500 , unsupervised learning is used during step  550  to cluster the similar files.  FIG. 7  illustrates exemplary pseudo code  700  for clustering similar files. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the exemplary pseudo code  700  defines a number of clusters n; chooses a centroid based clustering algorithm; computes the clusters; places the input file  110  in a cluster; and selects a transcoding algorithm by evaluating the ones used by (for example) three closest files to the input file in the cluster. 
       FIG. 8  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of the resource allocation and queuing process  800 , according to one embodiment of the invention. As noted above, the resource allocation and queuing process  800  is executed during step  250  of the automatic media transcoding process  200  to balance between the effort required to process the input file  110  and the overall load of the automatic media transcoding system  100  to determine the resources allotted to processing of a new media file. In at least one embodiment, the exemplary resource allocation and queuing process  800  considers attributes of the input file  110  in question (e.g., size and encoding) and contextual data (as per the particulars of its submission and additional information obtained from its metadata, including provenance data and information about the file  110  itself such as creation date) and estimates the necessary effort to process the input file into all the desired formats, as informed by the resource allocator. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the exemplary resource allocation and queuing process  800  receives the list  585  of Output Format/Selected Algorithm pairs and the input file profile  600  as inputs. During step  810 , for each new output format/selected algorithm pair, the exemplary resource allocation and queuing process  800  estimates the necessary resources. For example, the resources can be estimated using a linear utility function that considers the size of input file and the complexity of selected algorithm. The job is then appended to the end of transcoding processing queue  150  during step  820 . Program control then proceeds to step  830 , discussed below. 
     In addition, the exemplary resource allocation and queuing process  800  also receives the list of popular formats  345  and the list of trending formats  395  as inputs. The resource allocation and queuing process  800  then defines a ranking criteria during step  860 . For example, the ranking criteria may include one or more of the following: prioritizing the top three trending formats over any file; alternating between most popular and most trending formats; and processing smaller files in the same format first, if (for example) the file size exceeds 45 Mbytes. 
     The list is then ranked during step  830 , based on the ranking criteria defined in step  860 . The jobs are then sent from the queue  150  to the transcoding performed in step  260  of  FIG. 2  during step  840 . 
       FIG. 9  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary implementation of the annotation process  900 , according to one embodiment of the invention. As noted above, the transcoded file(s) (1-N) generated by the transcoding step  260  ( FIG. 2 ) are annotated during step  270 . Generally, the annotation process  900  enriches the metadata associated with the transcoded file(s). 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , the exemplary annotation process  900  receives the transcoded file(s) (1-N) generated by the transcoding step  260  as inputs. The following metadata tags are created during step  910  for each transcoded file: previous format (of input file  110 ); encoder (selected algorithm used for the transcoding process); encoding time (total duration of the transcoding process); parallel indicator; and core number (number of cores used in parallelization, if parallelized). 
     The metadata is then applied to the transcoded files, for example, by inserting new “key=value” line(s) to the text file during step  920 , to create the output files  280 - 1  through  280 -N. In addition, the metadata entry is optionally copied during step  940  to the separate media catalogue  170 , as discussed above. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates an exemplary user interface  1000  that allows the user to specify whether an automatic or manual selection of the desired output formats should be performed. As shown in  FIG. 10 , the exemplary user interface  1000  includes panels  1010 ,  1020  and  1030  for indicating files that are waiting to be processed, currently running and ready (complete), respectively. 
     In addition, for the files that are waiting to be processed, the user can click a file to open a dialog box  1040  allowing the user to specify whether an automatic or manual selection of the desired output formats should be performed for the selected file. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates an exemplary user interface  1100  that allows the user to make a manual selection of the desired output format(s). As shown in  FIG. 11 , the exemplary user interface  1100  includes panels  1110  and  1120  to allow the user to specify the extensions and codec for the input and output files, respectively. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates an exemplary user interface  1200  that includes a panel  1210  that allows the user to specify the extensions and codec for the input file  110 , and a panel  1220  that lists the automatically selected output format(s). 
     CONCLUSION 
     Among other benefits, one or more embodiments of the invention provide methods and apparatus for automatic transcoding of media files for consumption in mobile (phone, tablets, smart watches), as well as other electronic devices with access to the Internet, such as laptops and desktop computers. The disclosed techniques combine a series of mechanisms to support one or more of the following tasks: automatically or manually defining a list of relevant (e.g., popular and/or trending) output formats: profiling and identifying the most efficient transcoding algorithms for any given input file: managing and allocating compute resources: managing the job queue: annotating output content to facilitate search and recovery; and automatically creating a media catalogue to support search and facilitate managing the media inventory. 
     Moreover, other forms and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification and drawings. It should therefore be understood that in other embodiments different arrangements of additional or alternative elements may be used. At least a subset of these elements may be collectively implemented on a common processing platform or each such element may be implemented on a separate processing platform. 
     Also, numerous other arrangements of computers, servers, storage devices or other components are possible in an exemplary distributed computing environment. Such components can communicate with other elements of an exemplary metadata storage environment over any type of network or other communication media. 
     Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products, according to embodiments of the invention. It is to be appreciated that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     As further described herein, such computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. Accordingly, as further detailed below, at least one embodiment of the invention includes an article of manufacture tangibly embodying computer readable instructions which, when implemented, cause a computer to carry out techniques described herein. An article of manufacture, a computer program product or a computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals, such as electromagnetic waves. 
     The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, component, segment, or portion of code, which comprises at least one executable instruction for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should be noted that the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. 
     Accordingly, the techniques described herein can include providing a system, wherein the system includes distinct software modules, each being embodied on a tangible computer-readable recordable storage medium (for example, all modules embodied on the same medium, or each modules embodied on a different medium). The modules can run, for example, on a hardware processor, and the techniques detailed herein can be carried out using the distinct software modules of the system executing on a hardware processor. 
     Additionally, the techniques detailed herein can also be implemented via a computer program product that includes computer useable program code stored in a computer readable storage medium in a data processing system, wherein the computer useable program code was downloaded over a network from a remote data processing system. The computer program product can also include, for example, computer useable program code that is stored in a computer readable storage medium in a server data processing system, wherein the computer useable program code is downloaded over a network to a remote data processing system for use in a computer readable storage medium with the remote system. 
     As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “module” or “system.” 
     An aspect of the invention or elements thereof can be implemented in the form of an apparatus including a memory and at least one processor that is coupled to the memory and operative to perform the techniques detailed herein. Also, as described herein, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied thereon. 
     By way of example, an aspect of the present invention can make use of software running on a general purpose computer.  FIG. 13  is a system diagram of an exemplary computer system on which at least one embodiment of the invention can be implemented. As depicted in  FIG. 13 , an example implementation employs, for example, a processor  1302 , a memory  1304 , and an input/output interface formed, for example, by a display  1306  and a keyboard  1308 . The term “processor” as used herein includes any processing device(s), such as, for example, one that includes a central processing unit (CPU) and/or other forms of processing circuitry. The term “memory” includes memory associated with a processor or CPU, such as, for example, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), a fixed memory device (for example, a hard drive), a removable memory device (for example, a diskette), a flash memory, etc. Further, the phrase “input/output interface,” as used herein, includes a mechanism for inputting data to the processing unit (for example, a mouse) and a mechanism for providing results associated with the processing unit (for example, a printer). 
     The processor  1302 , memory  1304 , and input/output interface such as display  1306  and keyboard  1308  can be interconnected, for example, via bus  1310  as part of a data processing unit  1312 . Suitable interconnections via bus  1310 , can also be provided to a network interface  1314  (such as a network card), which can be provided to interface with a computer network, and to a media interface  1316  (such as a diskette or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) drive), which can be provided to interface with media  1318 . 
     Accordingly, computer software including instructions or code for carrying out the techniques detailed herein can be stored in associated memory devices (for example, ROM, fixed or removable memory) and, when ready to be utilized, loaded in part or in whole (for example, into RAM) and implemented by a CPU. Such software can include firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. 
     As noted above, a data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code includes at least one processor  1302  coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements  1304  through a system bus  1310 . The memory elements can include local memory employed during actual implementation of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during implementation. Also, input/output (I/O) devices such as keyboards  1308 , displays  1306 , and pointing devices, can be coupled to the system either directly (such as via bus  1310 ) or through intervening I/O controllers. 
     Network adapters such as network interface  1314  (for example, a modem, a cable modem or an Ethernet card) can also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. 
     As used herein, a “server” includes a physical data processing system (such as system  1312  as depicted in  FIG. 13 ) running a server program. It will be understood that such a physical server may or may not include a display and keyboard. 
     As noted, at least one embodiment of the invention can take the form of a computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied thereon. As will be appreciated, any combination of computer readable media may be utilized. The computer readable medium can include a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Examples include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, RAM, ROM, an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, an optical fiber, a portable CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, and/or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More generally, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
     Additionally, a computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms such as, for example, electro-magnetic, optical, or a suitable combination thereof. More generally, a computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
     Program code embodied on a computer readable medium can be transmitted using an appropriate medium such as, for example, wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, radio frequency (RF), and/or a suitable combination of the foregoing. Computer program code for carrying out operations in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention can be written in any combination of at least one programming language, including an object oriented programming language, and conventional procedural programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on a user&#39;s computer, partly on a user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on a user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). 
     In light of the above descriptions, it should be understood that the components illustrated herein can be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, or combinations thereof, for example, application specific integrated circuit(s) (ASICS), functional circuitry, an appropriately programmed general purpose digital computer with associated memory, etc. 
     Terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. For example, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless clearly indicated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of another feature, integer, step, operation, element, component, and/or group thereof. Additionally, the corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. 
     Also, it should again be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration only. Many variations and other alternative embodiments may be used. For example, the techniques are applicable to a wide variety of other types of communication systems, storage systems and processing devices. Accordingly, the particular illustrative configurations of system and device elements detailed herein can be varied in other embodiments. These and numerous other alternative embodiments within the scope of the appended claims will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.