NABA – DPP Common File Format Specification

The NABA – DPP Common File Format Specification was created as a result of a survey NABA conducted on the needs and issues that challenged its members in North America.

A further survey of the industry was conducted by a joint initiative of NABA, SMPTE, AMWA, AAAA, Ad-ID, IABM, ANA and the EBU, confirming the ongoing challenges in program delivery as file-based media.

The adoption of commonly defined, standards-based delivery specifications will reduce the number of specifications that have to be supported by the industry as well as reducing inefficiencies, complexity and errors that currently continue to plague media workflows.

Through joint NABA and DPP meetings, eight of the major North American broadcasters – ABC/Disney, Bell Media, CBC/Radio-Canada, Fox, HBO, PBS, TimeWarner and Turner – have agreed to a commonly developed file format, structure and wrapper based on the AS-11 UK DPP specification implemented in the UK in 2014. The outcome is two new technical specifications (first published April 2016) for the delivery of finished air-ready programs for North America.