LONG BEACH, Calif., June 20, 2001 — Today at Streaming Media West 2001, Microsoft Corp. together with key digital content solution vendors The Bulldog Group Inc., eMotion Inc., Mediasite Inc., BitCentral and Jaguar Consulting Inc. unveiled how their solutions incorporating Microsoft® Windows Media™ Technologies, Windows® 2000, SQL Server™ 2000 and BizTalk™
Server 2000 are helping change the way the media and entertainment industry manage digital media assets such as music, film, news feeds and digital dailies. Companies such as EMI Music Distribution, CBS Newspath, Lions Gate Entertainment are already using a variety of innovative solutions with Windows Media Audio, Video and DRM technology in such diverse scenarios as distributing digital music and video catalogs to Internet retailers, distributing video news feeds to television affiliates, and managing film and TV asset distribution.
“As EMI has rapidly embraced digital distribution of music, we discovered it was critical to have a digital warehouse and begin to deploy the systems to enable us to pick, pack and ship our music and videos to Internet retailers,”
said Richard Cottrell, president of EMI Music Distribution.
“As promotion agreements are made with online music retailers, EMI now has the systems to take that content, convert it into digital form, secure it using Windows Media DRM technology, and manage content licensing.”
Converting and managing entertainment and news assets for digital distribution requires sophisticated software to create, manage, distribute, syndicate, protect and track those assets. PC-based technology is transforming what was a labor- and paper-intensive process done primarily by hand and transported via mail into a more streamlined and integrated Web-based delivery system. Digital asset management solutions convert traditional music, video or film content into digital form and help manage all the phases of a distribution process, helping traditional media and entertainment companies capitalize on new business with greater speed, achieve rapid distribution using Internet-based technologies, and improve the efficiency of labor-intensive licensing and royalty-management processes. New comprehensive digital asset management solutions have emerged via a wide range of developers running on Windows 2000 Server, SQL Server 2000 and BizTalk Server 2000 supporting Windows Media Audio and Video and Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology. Microsoft Consulting Services Media and Entertainment Practice, and key technology providers such as Bulldog, BitCentral, and Jaguar Consulting, are helping these key companies thrive in a digital distribution world.
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EMI Music Distribution has created an integrated digital fulfillment system to manage its catalog of more than 6,000 CDs’ worth of digital content that can be previewed using Windows Media and distributed online to Internet retailers using Windows Media. Based on a digital asset management system from the Bulldog Group, this system also manages a vast collection of music videos and digital forms of album cover art. As a result EMI MDG now has a single system to take its content, covert it into digital form, secure it using Windows Media DRM technology, and manage the licensing and distribution. This provides a complete digital warehouse for EMI’s assets and rapid distribution as business deals are completed.
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CBS Newspath is the world’s largest satellite news-gathering system, providing 24-hour news service to more than 200 CBS stations and affiliates. Using a browser-based PC application developed with BitCentral Inc., each CBS affiliate news producer can browse an intranet of news stories, and preview them using Windows Media Video. News stories are purchased for use on air are then downloaded into digital servers at each affiliate station via a one-way digital satellite transmission.
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Lions Gate Entertainment working with Jaguar Consulting created a license- and royalty-management system for major film and TV productions. This integrated system is using Jaguar’s System 7 Universal Rights Management together with Windows Media Video and DRM technology and Microsoft BizTalk 2000 Server to distribute Lions Gate programming assets. Now Lions Gate can distribute its key content from theater chains all the way to the Internet, including new consumer services such as CinemaNow, which is distributing full-length major motion pictures using Windows Media Video and DRM technology.
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Sample Digital, a service provider in Santa Monica, working with Microsoft Consulting Services, has co-developed a new solution using Windows Media Video and DRM technology to deliver daily rushes of film and TV productions for producers, directors and production managers in digital form. Key decision-makers, often located across the country or across the world, can now collaborate online while watching streamed or downloaded video and provide comments using an interactive Web-based tool for providing written comments, on-screen annotation, and direction in the film post-production process. This solution can also be used on a mobile device such as a Pocket PC and is now rolling out for use by major studio productions.
Solution Scenarios Demonstrated at Streaming Media West
At Streaming Media West in Long Beach, Microsoft , working with eMotion, Jaguar and Mediasite, will demonstrate examples of integrated digital asset management, video on demand, digital dailies, and digital fulfillment systems built using Windows Media, Windows 2000, SQL Server 2000 and BizTalk Server 2000. These demonstrations will be in the Windows Media Booth 819 in the Long Beach Convention Center.
About Microsoft Consulting Services — Media and Entertainment Practice
The Microsoft Media and Entertainment Practice, based in Los Angeles, Calif., focuses on the delivery of digital content solutions using Microsoft’s Windows Media Technologies, Windows 2000, SQL Server 2000 and BizTalk Server 2000 together with other third-party technology solutions. Key areas of expertise include integrated solutions focusing on integrated digital asset management, video on demand, digital dailies and digital fulfillment systems.
About Windows Media
Windows Media is the leading digital media platform, providing unmatched audio and video quality to consumers, content providers, solution providers, software developers and corporations. Windows Media offers the industry’s only integrated rights-management solution and the most scalable and reliable streaming technology tested by independent labs. Windows Media Technologies includes Windows Media Player for consumers, Windows Media Services for servers, Windows Media Tools for content creation, and the Windows Media Software Development Kit (SDK) for software developers. Windows Media Player, available in
26 languages, is the fastest-growing media player. More information about Windows Media can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/ .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, Windows Media, Windows and BizTalk are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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