--- title: IMAX StreamAware™ On-Demand: Pixel-Perfect Quality Control for VOD publisher: "IMAX" description: "AI-Golden Eyes assure quality throughout your workflow. Fix issues faster. StreamAware™ empowers direct-to-consumer streamers. " canonical: "https://www.imax.com/streamaware-on-demand" --- [STREAMING AND CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY](/sct) ========================================= **StreamAware™ | ON-DEMAND** [Tech Specs](#techspecs) [System Reqs](#systemreqs) [_Advantage_](#advantage) All-in-one solution for compliance and quality control. ------------------------------------------------------- #### StreamAware On-Demand automates video quality monitoring and advanced quality checks, improving end-to-end visibility and increasing operational efficiency. [Download product brochure(opens in new window)](https://assets.ctfassets.net/c4ucztjx9pmu/6oqvzegIGrwVcQnG0zBqgq/5b5563126147da63c4229d128962f08b/IMAX_StreamAware__OnDemand_ProductBrochure.pdf) Improving accuracy, speed, efficiency, and compliance. ------------------------------------------------------ ### 50% Reduction One major streaming service cut manual quality assurance interventions in half. ### 33.6B Minutes Across streaming partners, 33.6 billion minutes of video were assured for quality and compliance in 2023. ### 85% Less A top streaming service reduced Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) by 85%. Why IMAX StreamAware? Why now? ------------------------------ ### Increases efficiency Automates video quality checks, increasing efficiency and saving time and resources. ### Simplifies workflows All-in-one QC and QA software platform eliminates need for multiple tools and platforms. ### Improves viewing experience One objective measure of quality throughout the workflow ensures a consistent, high-quality viewer experience. [Contact us(opens in new window)]() #### Business Advantage IMAX StreamAware™ | ON-DEMAND is more than perceptual quality — it’s a unified, cost-efficient solution for compliance and quality control. This platform offers: Efficient operations Reduce redundancy with one tool for video quality verification and must-have element checks. Gain better visibility of your video supply chain. Cost-effectiveness Streamline operational efficiency with automated excellence, reducing manual checks and improving efficiency. Increased profitability Customize compliance to meet industry standards and unique viewer experience requirements. Accept, reject, or flag assets based on the trusted IMAX quality metric. #### The IMAX Difference Quality assurance Trust in IMAX VisionScience for unparalleled perceptual checks recognized by experts. Rely on IMAX’s automated QA/QC, the industry benchmark, assuring billions of viewing minutes each month. Comprehensive quality checks Industry standard and user-defined quality checks include macroblocking detection, color volume difference for both HDR and SDR, content complexity scoring to assess encoding difficulty, comprehensive noise, and gamut analysis and more. Future-ready The QA/QC installation lays the foundation for effortless activation of dynamic optimization, ensuring optimal encoding and pre-emptive quality assurance from the start. [Contact us(opens in new window)]() #### Containers / Codecs / Formats Support Containers IMF, MXF, MOV, MP4, MPEG-TS, AVI, M4V, MPG, V210, WebM, YUV Video Raw, Image Sequence (EXR, DX, Targa, TIFF, PNG) ProRes, JPEG 2000, DNxHD, H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, VP9, AV1, MPEG-2, EVC, LCEVC Audio PCM, MPEG-2, MPEG-3, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3), AAC, HE-AAC Closed Captions CEA-608/CEA-708 in Line 21 video HDR Formats HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision #### Perceptual Video Quality & Video Analysis IMAX ViewerScore (XVS) **No-reference**: IMAX ViewerScore (NR XVS) evaluates video quality without needing reference material. It's highly accurate, strongly correlates with SSIMPLUS® reference-based scores and Mean Opinion Scores (MOS), and employs deep neural networks (DNN) for assessment, making it a reliable no-reference metric. **Full Reference**: IMAX ViewerScore (FR XVS) evaluates the perceptual quality of an output in relation to a degraded or pristine source. It considers both source quality (NR XVS) and encoder performance (EPS) and accounts for information loss during encoding, making it a combination of source quality, full-reference quality EPS, and psychovisual effects in the model. IMAX Encoder Performance Score (XEPS) Evaluates encoder or transcoder performance by comparing its output to a pristine source, focusing on encoding-related degradation. EPS correlates with perceived quality, aligns content across resolutions and frame rates, computes Quality and Saliency Maps, and adapts to device and viewing conditions. IMAX Banding Score (XBS) The IMAX Banding Score (XBS) is a measurement of the amount of color banding that is present within the asset. Banding, otherwise known as color contouring, is a common artifact of the video compression process and due to the quantization introduced by the video codec. It is most obvious in areas where the content calls for the rendering of smooth gradient regions, such as the sky, water or ground. In these regions, pixel values that are meant to be represented uniquely so as to provide a gentle transition from one shade or color to another are, instead, aggregated into a much smaller set of values creating discrete bands of colors. Color Volume Difference (CVD) Color Volume Difference is a metric for color quality assessment that supports both HDR and SDR content. The metric provides a visibility map that helps to quickly identify areas with significant perceptual color differences​. IMAX Content Complexity Score (XCCS) Content Complexity Score is a measure to describe how difficult it is to encode an asset/any piece of content. Content Complexity is one of the most important metrics when making decisions about encoding configurations like bitrate allocation, resolution, etc. Physical Noise Physical Noise measures the standard deviation of camera/sensor noise. Visual Noise Visual Noise measures the standard deviation of noise considering contrast masking behavior of the underlying content. Color Gamut Analysis Analyzes pixel values and determines the gamut coverage of each frame. For HDR/WCG content, this helps content providers identify the portion of content that adheres to Rec 709, P3, or Rec 2020 color standards, providing valuable information about color representation. Luminance Analysis XVS assesses luminance values for each frame, MaxFALL, and MaxCLL to help content providers maintain creative intent despite display limitations. Viewer Modes Typical Viewer Mode Expert Viewer Mode Studio Viewer Mode Frame Viewer App XEPS Quality Map IMAX Banding Score (XBS) IMAX Banding Map Color Difference Map #### Quality Control Features File Properties Frame Rate, Scan Type, Resolution, Resolution Name, Codec, Codec Profile, Chroma Subsampling, Dynamic Range, Dynamic Range Format, Pixel Format, Storage Aspect Ratio, Time Base, Timecode, Bit Depth, Horizontal Resolution, Vertical Resolution, Stream Index, Avg. Bitrate (Mbps), Min. Bitrate (Mbps), Max. Bitrate (Mbps), Color Primaries, Color space, Color transfer characteristics, MXF/QuickTime/MP4/3GPP related metadata. Container Compliance Checks MXF (Op1a, AS10, AS11) QuickTime/MP4/3GPP Freeze Frames Check Black Frames Check Color Bars Check SMPTE, EBU SDR, HDR Media Time and SMPTE Timecode Support Score Checks User-defined threshold and duration quality checks for: IMAX ViewerScore - XVS IMAX Encoder Performance Score (XEPS) IMAX Banding Score Color Volume Difference - CVS Luminance Content Layout Detection Analyze and identify the arrangement and structure of elements such as black screens, frozen frames, solid color backgrounds, moments of silence, and color bars within content. Active A/V Layout Detection Identifies content segments with user-defined audio and video conditions, aiding in accurate subtitle alignment validation by highlighting moments of concurrent audio and video activity within the content. HDR Metadata Color Primaries, Color space, Color transfer characteristics, MaxFALL, MaxCLL. IMF Master Display Metadata Mastering Display Maximum luminance, Minimum Luminance, Mastering display primaries, Mastering display whitepoint. Missing Closed Captions Check CEA-608 & CEA-708 Cadence Analyzes the frame structure and sequence in a video stream. It detects cadence patterns, fields, frames, and is essential for processes like deinterlacing, frame rate conversion, and quality control to ensure accurate video playback and quality preservation. Cadence Validation Cadence validation detects cadence patterns that fall outside the user-defined acceptable patterns or sequences. Broken Cadence Detection Detection of frames that are out of order or missing within the expected cadence sequence. PSF Validation Progressive Segmented Frame detection. Frame-rate Validation Verifies that the frame rate falls within the user-defined acceptable range of frame rates. IMF Master Display Metadata Mastering Display Maximum luminance, Minimum Luminance, Mastering display primaries, Mastering display whitepoint. Frame-rate Cross-Validation Checks that the frame rate information derived from both the container and the bitstream matches. Silence Detection All channels except LFE. Photosensitive Epilepsy Test SDR, HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision (Master Display). Dolby Vision Metadata Validation Embedded and Sidecar. Maxfall & Maxcll Cross-validation Checks that the MaxFALL and MaxCLL information obtained from the container, IMF/CPL, and Dolby Vision Metadata corresponds accurately to the measured values in the actual content. Audio Loudness Standards: ITU-R BS.1770-1/-2/-3/-4 Measurements: True Peak Level Integrated Loudness (Program Loudness) Momentary Loudness Short-Term Loudness Loudness Range Audio Clipping Audio clipping identifies when audio signal surpasses the maximum amplitude threshold of a recording or playback system, causing distortion and a harsh auditory experience. This distortion results from the flattening of the audio signal's waveform at its peak points. Audio Clicks and Pops This feature is designed to identify and flag instances of audible clicks and pops in audio tracks. These unwanted artifacts often occur due to discontinuities or irregularities in the audio signal and can be highly distracting to listeners. Audio Sidecar Support Support of audio analysis and QC checks on audio sidecars. Audio Phase Mismatch Audio phase mismatch detection identifies and flag discrepancies in the phase alignment of audio signals: Front Left / Front Right Side Left / Side Right Back Left / Back Right Phase mismatch occurs when audio channels or components are not synchronized correctly, leading to phase cancellation and altered audio quality. Job Analysis Templates Customizable templates for automated submission of Job analyses. Quality Control Dashboard and Reports QC status page Customizable dashboards Report Export (PDF, csv, json and others). #### Deployment Types Fixed scale: As an EC2 instance on AWS using the IMAX Stream On-Demand Platform AMI. As a virtual machine instance using an OVA or QEMU image. Elastic/dynamic scale: On AWS EKS as a hosted SaaS instance (deployed in an IMAX account by IMAX). On AWS EKS as a managed service (deployed in the customer account by IMAX). #### System Requirements Minimum requirements: 16vCPU/16 GB RAM [Contact us(opens in new window)]()[Follow us on Linkedin (opens in new window)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/imaxsct)