![[PANEL] IMF: Current and Emerging Practices](https://www.imfug.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/social-media-banner-720x510.png)
Join a panel of industry experts at the SMPTE MTS on October 14, 2025 to explore current and future IMF practices, including cloud-first implementations and open-source software for at-scale media processing.
Moderator: JoAnne Kim, Panelists: Carlos M. Carmona, Brandon Heaslip, Brian Holter, Wolfgang Ruppel
Category: Announcement
The Interoperable Master Format (IMF) standard has been awarded a Technology and Engineering Emmy®!
The IMF User Group thanks the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) for recognizing the impact that IMF has had in the transition from tape-based to file-based workflows and in enabling modern large-scale content fulfillment. IMF was the first professional open media format to support immersive sound, HDR video and worldwide subtitles and captions, and continues to be updated to meet the evolving needs of the media and entertainment ecosystem.
The IMF User Group joins SMPTE
After many years under the steadfast stewardship of the Hollywood Professional Association, we will now be operating as the first, of hopefully many, user group under the umbrella of SMPTE, the home of the Interoperable Master Format (IMF) standard.
Our mission and activities remain unchanged: to make IMF responsive to the needs of the community.
IMF Plugfest (13-14 December 2023)
You are invited to participate in our upcoming hybrid plugfest. This is a unique opportunity to gain implementation experience with IMF and network with the members of the community.
The registration closed on December 1. Please contact Pierre-Anthony Lemieux (pal@sandflow.com) [IMF UG chair] with requests or questions.
Hybrid participation
- Two physical locations for in-person participation
- Scheduled breakout sessions with remote participation
- Shared online storage (S3)
Physical locations
- Walt Disney Studios, Burbank. CA, USA
- RTL, Cologne, DE
Program
December 13
Plugfest in Europe (Part I) (10 AM until 6 PM CET)
- 10 AM – noon: setup (participants with equipment only)
- Noon: Lunch
- 2 PM – 2:30 PM: Breakout session (remote participation)
- 4 PM – 4:30 PM: Breakout session (remote participation)
- 5 PM: Upload of results to S3
Joint breakout session with remote participation (6 PM until 7 PM CET | 9 AM until 10 AM LAX)
Plugfest in US West Coast (10 AM until 6 PM LAX)
- 10 AM – noon: setup (participants with equipment only)
- Noon: Lunch
- 2 PM – 2:30 PM: Breakout session (remote participation)
- 4 PM – 4:30 PM: Breakout session (remote participation)
- 5 PM: Upload of results to S3
December 14
Plugfest in Europe (Part 2) (9 AM until Noon CET)
- 9 AM: Download of US West Coast results from S3 and analysis
- 11 AM – 11:30 AM: Breakout session (remote participation)
- Noon: Lunch and upload of results to S3
Plugfest in US West Coast (Part 2) (8 AM until Noon LAX)
- 9 AM: Download of Europe results from S3 and analysis
- 11 AM – 11:30 AM: Breakout session (remote participation)
- Noon: Lunch and upload of results to S3
Topics
- App 2E (HTJ2K)
- ISXD
- App ProRes – Lossless re-wrapping from MOV to MXF, and deduplication from MOV versions to IMF
- ADM – S-ADM (ST 2067-203) and ADM (ST 2067-204) Virtual Tracks
Open to all
The plugfest is open to members and guests, with guests being subject to the IMF UG participation rules, including a duty to keep the contents of the meeting confidential. Any result made available publicly will be anonymized.
Contacts
- Mike Krause (Mike.Krause@disney.com) [Plugfest co-chair (Los Angeles)]
- David Gageos (david.gageos@rtl.de) [Plugfest co-chair (Cologne)]
- Pierre-Anthony Lemieux (pal@sandflow.com) [IMF UG chair]
Workshop @ IBC 2023: QC for IMF
The IMF UG invites you to apply to a workshop at IBC 2023:
Topic: Quality control for the Interoperable Master Format (IMF)
When: September 16, 2023 from 13:00 to 17:00
Where: Eye Museum, Amsterdam
This unique event will bring together decision makers from the user and supplier communities to discuss the state of the art and future of QC for IMF across the supply chain, from the perspective of veterans and newcomers.
The workshop will be organized around short presentations and interactive discussions. A report summarizing the conclusions of the workshop will be published.
A response to your application will be provided on August 4, 2023.
Workshop @ IBC 2022: using IMF in broadcast workflows
The HPA IMF UG hosted a workshop at IBC 2022 where 34 stakeholders from the broadcasting community, representing both users and suppliers, explored using the Interoperable Master Format (IMF) as the source content format in broadcast workflows.
Read our report now!
Report: IMF State of the Union (Fall 2021)
Download our fall 2021 report on the state of the Interoperable Master Format (IMF), covering announcements, new specifications, upcoming events, open source…
Report: IMF State of the Union (Summer 2021)
Download our summer 2021 report on the state of the Interoperable Master Format (IMF), covering announcements, new specifications, upcoming events, open source…
![Best practices: Packaging and Delivery [new edition]](https://www.imfug.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/social_media_image-825x510.png)
Best practices: Packaging and Delivery [new edition]
The UG has published a revision to its best practices on Packaging and Delivery.