Media Qc Delivery

Media QC and delivery

Use this skill at the finish line of media production: after creative approval or near-final assembly, before the files are sent to a client, platform, publisher, broadcaster, streamer, localization vendor, or ad operations team.

Do not invent universal export specs. Delivery is governed in this order:

1. The signed client/platform/broadcaster delivery specification.
2. The campaign media plan, insertion order, distribution platform, or localization brief.
3. Official public platform specs verified for the current date.
4. A conservative house mezzanine plus platform-ready derivatives, clearly labeled as a production heuristic.

If the destination is unknown, ask for it. If the user needs a fast default, deliver a high-quality mezzanine plus common web/social derivatives and state that the package is provisional until the destination spec is confirmed.

Evidence labels to use in every QC decision

Separate the basis for each QC call:

• Documented fact: Comes from a client spec, official platform doc, standards body, or file probe. Cite or name the source and verification date for volatile platform requirements.
• Empirical observation: Comes from watching/listening to the asset, reading scopes/meters, test-upload behavior, automated QC output, or a comparison render. Say how it was observed.
• Production heuristic: A practical default used when no binding spec exists. Label it as a heuristic, not a rule.

Example evidence language:

Documented fact: YouTube upload guidance, verified 2026-07-10, recommends uploading at the same frame rate as recorded and lists H.264 High Profile, progressive scan, CABAC, closed GOP, variable bitrate, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, and audio codec options including AAC-LC, Opus, or Eclipsa for upload encodes.
Empirical observation: ffprobe reports the delivered file is 29.97 fps CFR; visual review shows no cadence judder in the 00:00:07-00:00:12 pan.
Production heuristic: For an unspecified 1080p web review file, H.264 MP4 with AAC-LC stereo at 48 kHz is a low-friction review encode, but it is not a broadcast master.

Delivery triage

Before exporting or judging a file, write a delivery intent in plain language:

• Destination: platform, broadcaster, streamer, ad network, client DAM, ecommerce PDP, app store, cinema/event screen, archive, localization vendor, or internal review.
• Deliverable role: master, mezzanine, platform upload, proxy, thumbnail, caption file, audio stem, open-caption burn-in, localization text package, ad variant, legal archive, or source package.
• Audience and playback environment: phone feed, connected TV, desktop web, cinema/event projection, broadcast, in-app ad unit, assistive technology, noisy retail floor, or internal review.
• Mandated specs: codec/container, raster, aspect ratio, frame rate, color space/HDR, loudness, channels, captions/subtitles, file-size limits, slate/handles/bars/tone, naming, metadata, manifest, checksum, and due date.
• Authority: exact spec document or platform help page; if none, say "house heuristic."
• Risk level: low-risk review asset, paid ad trafficking, regulated/broadcast, streamer delivery, legal/rights-sensitive, or public crisis-sensitive.

High-risk deliveries require a second human or independent automated QC pass. Generated-media deliveries require an explicit provenance and rights pass even when the technical file is clean.

Source-of-truth facts to keep in mind

Use these as anchors, not as a replacement for the current destination spec.

Documented facts

• YouTube uploads: Official YouTube upload guidance, verified 2026-07-10, recommends progressive scan, H.264 High Profile, CABAC, 2 consecutive B-frames, closed GOP, variable bitrate, 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, audio codecs including AAC-LC, Opus, or Eclipsa, and uploading at the same frame rate as the source recording. It lists common frame rates including 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, and 60 fps, while noting that other frame rates are acceptable.
• TikTok Auction In-Feed Ads: TikTok Ads Manager guidance, verified 2026-07-10, lists vertical 9:16 as recommended, with at least 540 x 960 px; horizontal 16:9 at least 960 x 540 px; square 1:1 at least 640 x 640 px; video formats including MP4 and MOV; duration up to 10 minutes; and maximum file size of 500 MB for the referenced in-feed unit.
• Meta ads: Meta Ads Guide and Help pages are placement-specific and volatile; verify in Ads Manager, the current Ads Guide, or the client media plan at delivery time. Public Meta pages checked on 2026-07-10 showed placement-specific requirements in search/help snippets (for example, MP4/MOV/GIF on some video placements, 16:9 recommendations for in-stream video, and 9:16 recommendations for some Audience Network placements), but some pages were login-gated or temporarily blocked during review. Do not use one Meta placement's spec for all Meta placements.
• Google Ads: Google Ads specs pages, verified 2026-07-10, vary by campaign type and asset. Common image sizes include 1200 x 628 and 1200 x 1200, but video ad delivery must be checked against the specific campaign and YouTube ad format.
• IAB digital video/CTV ads: IAB Tech Lab guidance defines cross-screen ad file specifications such as resolution, bitrate, frame rate, aspect ratio, color space, and multi-file delivery for intelligent selection and CTV/ad-serving workflows.
• IMF: SMPTE describes Interoperable Master Format, ST 2067, as a file-based media format for delivery and storage of audiovisual masters across multiple territories and platforms. It is suited to componentized, multi-version professional delivery, not casual social upload.
• AS-11 / DPP: AMWA AS-11 UK DPP HD defines an MXF file format for finished HD program delivery to UK DPP broadcasters. Use AS-11 only when the broadcaster/client asks for it or the receiving workflow is known to support it.
• HLS: Apple HLS authoring guidance includes constraints for variant streams; for VOD, peak bitrate should be no more than 200% of average bitrate, and variants may use different frame rates. HLS delivery requires playlist/package validation, not just a playable MP4.
• Loudness measurement: ITU-R BS.1770-5 specifies algorithms for program loudness and true-peak measurement. EBU R 128 recommends loudness normalization and true-peak measurement for broadcast workflows. Client/platform targets differ; measure to the target the receiver specifies.
• Accessibility: WCAG and Section 508 guidance treat captions, audio description, and synchronized media access as accessibility requirements in many contexts. Captions are not the same as subtitles: captions should include speech plus meaningful non-speech audio and speaker identification when needed.
• WebVTT: W3C WebVTT is a timed-text format for captions/subtitles and related time-aligned text tracks with HTML media.
• Fixity: IETF RFC 8493 BagIt defines a packaging convention with payload manifests and checksums. NIST lists SHA-2/SHA-3 families as approved hash algorithms; SHA-256 is a sensible default for delivery integrity when no client algorithm is mandated.
• Provenance: C2PA Content Credentials store provenance information in a manifest that can include origin, modification assertions, and hashes. Provenance metadata supports transparency but does not by itself clear rights, releases, music licenses, or platform policy.

Empirical observations worth recording

Record empirical evidence when it affects acceptance:

• Playback on target devices or players.
• Automated QC results and tool versions.
• ffprobe/MediaInfo metadata.
• Loudness meter output and algorithm/version.
• Visual scopes for luma/chroma/HDR, if used.
• Caption spot-check notes.
• Test-upload warnings, transcode results, or platform rejection messages.
• Human review timecodes for artifacts, hallucinated details, lip-sync drift, UI-safe-zone collisions, or rights-sensitive content.

Production heuristics when no spec exists

Use these only after labeling them as defaults:

• Keep a mezzanine master separate from compressed delivery files. A mezzanine can be ProRes, DNxHR, high-bitrate intra-frame, or image sequence plus WAV depending on the workflow.
• For web review and many platform uploads, MP4/H.264 plus AAC-LC at 48 kHz is broadly compatible, but it is not a substitute for broadcast/streamer specs.
• Preserve source frame rate unless a destination explicitly requires conversion. Avoid mixing 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, and 59.94/60 fps without an intentional cadence plan.
• Keep text, logos, captions, and product UI inside platform-safe zones; test vertical, square, and landscape variants separately.
• Export derivatives from the approved master or timeline, not from an already compressed social file.
• Leave at least 1 dB true-peak headroom for generic web/social delivery when no loudness target is specified; use the mandated loudness target for broadcast/streaming.
• Prefer SHA-256 checksums for manifests; include MD5 only when the receiver requires legacy MD5.

QC workflow

1. Intake and spec lock

Create a short delivery sheet before export:

Block delivery if the sheet lacks destination, deliverable role, or authority for a paid/public/high-risk delivery.

2. Pre-export timeline checks

Check the timeline before rendering:

• Sequence raster, pixel aspect, frame rate, and color management match the intended output.
• Source clips are not scaled beyond acceptable quality unless intentionally stylized.
• Generated images/video do not contain visible watermarks, prompt artifacts, malformed text, distorted hands/faces/product geometry, unsafe brand claims, or unintended copyrighted characters/logos.
• Text overlays are legible at target device size.
• Legal supers, disclaimers, prices, dates, and offer terms match the approved copy.
• Captions/subtitles use approved language, line breaks, reading speed, timing, speaker IDs, and non-speech audio cues.
• Audio stems, music, VO, SFX, and M&E are routed correctly.
• No orphaned mute/solo tracks, disabled effects, offline media, wrong proxy, hidden guide layers, or temporary slates remain unless required.
• If exporting multiple aspect ratios, each crop is composed independently; do not assume center-crop is safe.

3. Export

For each file, state why the export settings match the destination. A useful export note includes:

• Filename and version.
• Source sequence or approved master.
• Container and codecs.
• Resolution/aspect/pixel aspect.
• Frame rate and whether CFR/VFR.
• Color space, transfer function, HDR metadata, and bit depth if relevant.
• Audio sample rate, channel layout, codec, bitrate, loudness target, measured loudness, and true peak.
• Caption/subtitle sidecars or burn-ins.
• Timecode start, slate, bars/tone, handles, and act breaks if required.
• Export tool/version and date.

Never rename an old file to simulate a new export. Re-export or copy with a new checksum and manifest entry.

4. Automated technical inspection

Use available tools proportionate to risk. Common local checks:

ffprobe -hide_banner -show_format -show_streams -print_format json "deliverable.mp4"
ffmpeg -hide_banner -i "deliverable.mp4" -filter_complex ebur128=peak=true -f null -
ffmpeg -hide_banner -i "deliverable.mp4" -vf blackdetect=d=0.5:pic_th=0.98 -an -f null -
ffmpeg -hide_banner -i "deliverable.mp4" -af astats=metadata=1:reset=1 -f null -

Use the output to verify, not merely to decorate notes. Flag mismatches between target specs and actual stream properties: wrong raster, wrong frame rate, interlacing, unexpected variable frame rate, wrong channel count, missing audio, wrong sample rate, wrong color tags, missing timecode, extreme bitrate, or unexpected duration.

For high-risk broadcast/streamer/ad trafficking, use the client's required automated QC tool or vendor portal when available. If the required tool is unavailable, note that the pass is preliminary.

5. Perceptual review

Watch the final exported file, not only the timeline. For short assets, review the whole file. For long assets, review the whole program when risk is high; otherwise do structured spot checks plus all transitions, all generated shots, all title/legal cards, first/last 30 seconds, and all known trouble timecodes.

Check:

• Video: dropped/frozen frames, judder, banding, macroblocking, aliasing, flicker, flash risk, bad cadence, visible masks, broken alpha, color shifts, wrong levels, crushed blacks, clipped highlights, bad deinterlace, unsafe crop, illegible text, UI overlap, dead pixels, repeated frames, incorrect slate.
• Generated imagery: anatomy, product geometry, brand marks, UI text, medical/legal/financial claims, culturally sensitive symbols, likeness issues, watermarks, obvious model artifacts, prompt leakage, unsafe photorealism claims.
• Audio: clipping, distortion, noise, plosives, sibilance, phase cancellation, bad downmix, channel swap, lip-sync, music ducking, M&E completeness, abrupt edits, loudness outliers, true-peak overs, silence where audio is expected.
• Captions/subtitles: timing, sync, reading speed, line length, spelling, names, numbers, units, speaker IDs, non-speech sounds, translation fit, text safe area, contrast, overlap with lower thirds.
• Localization: language/locale code, translated graphics, VO/subtitle consistency, date/currency formats, cultural or regulatory changes, text expansion, no burned-in source-language captions unless intended.
• Accessibility: captions available for speech-bearing media, audio description considered for visual-only meaning, sufficient contrast for text, no critical information conveyed by color alone, flash-sensitive content flagged.
• Rights/provenance: asset ledger complete; sources, model/tool versions, music licenses, releases, font licenses, stock IDs, and AI-use disclosures are present where required.

6. Acceptance, rejection, and waiver rules

Reject or hold delivery for:

• Wrong file, wrong version, wrong language, wrong market, wrong duration, or missing required deliverable.
• Codec/container/raster/fps/audio/caption/package mismatch against a binding spec.
• Missing or failed checksum for final delivery package.
• Corrupt file, playback failure, decode errors, bad duration, missing audio/video, or missing required sidecar.
• Legal, brand, medical, financial, political, or rights issue not approved by the accountable owner.
• Generated content that misrepresents a real person/product/place, includes unauthorized IP, or contains visible artifacts that harm the promised quality.
• Captions/subtitles materially out of sync, incomplete, mistranslated, unreadable, or missing when required.
• Loudness/true peak outside the required target/tolerance.
• HDR/SDR mismatch, missing color metadata where required, or obvious color transform error.
• Platform upload/ad portal rejection.

Allow with written waiver only when:

• The issue is visible/audible but accepted by the client or accountable owner.
• The file intentionally deviates from the spec for a documented reason.
• The destination portal accepts the file and the residual issue is not legally/accessibility/rights critical.

Never waive missing rights, missing required accessibility deliverables, or an unplayable/corrupt master without explicit written authority.