PEOPLE-READY BUSINESS

Microsoft Brings Integrated Digital Production

Workflows to TV and Film
Optimize Content Workflows, Collaboration with Microsoft Rich Media Collaboration Services

Rich Media Collaboration Services provides a platform for fully integrated collaboration of documents and rich media content.

David Alstadter,

Managing Director, Microsoft Worldwide Media & Entertainment Group

Are your people ready?

To accomplish these goals, broadcast and

throughout each stage of the production

Are your systems ready?

film companies are transitioning from analog

processeven when working with digital

to digital contenta move that is also

fileswhich leads to inefficient workflows.

Your goals: Stay competitive. Streamline

compelling these companies to reexamine

costs. Deliver new services. Realize new

workflow processes and systems. But todays

As broadcast and film companies analyze

revenue. Gain market share. Meet con-

broadcast and film infrastructure doesnt

their processes and systems, a unique op-

sumer demands.

fully support the requirements of producing,

portunity emerges to embrace proven IT

managing, and distributing digital content

products and technologies and revitalize

Your challenges: Once the sole provider of

to multiple device platforms. The digital

their systems and workflows.

entertainment and news content, broadcast

production process involves a series of tasks

and film companies are no longer the one-

that can only be completed through the use

Your future: There is a new service solution

stop-shop for screen-based media. A new

of disparate, disconnected systems. In such

that will provide the additional support and

breed of content providers is providing fresh

an environment, there are many manual

functionality that broadcast and film compa-

and innovative ways for consumers to access

processes that must also be accomplished to

nies need to thrive in the digital world.

traditional content.

transfer content and its associated paperwork

Rich Media Collaboration Services

provides a platform for fully integrated
collaboration of documents and rich media
content, says David Alstadter, Managing
Director of the Microsoft Worldwide Media
& Entertainment Group. For example,
using Rich Media Collaboration Services,
broadcast and film companies can gain
workflow efficiencies and cost savings by
creating a shared workspace for documents,
video and audio content. These companies
can also build a dashboard for production,
sales, and operations executives, providing
real-time project playout and usage information about video and audio content.

Figure 1 Rich Media Collaboration Services user interface.

PEOPLE-READY BUSINESS

At NAB2005, Microsoft demonstrated

back-end production systems, such as Digital

Microsoft Connected Services Framework in

Asset Management (DAM), Digital Rights

a digital production scenario for the broad-

Management (DRM), Transcoding, Schedul-

cast and film industries. Connected Services

ing, and Distribution in addition to other

Framework enables broadcast and film com-

business systems. Rich Media Collaboration

panies to streamline the creation, manage-

Services will also allow customers to build

ment, and delivery of digital content while

on and extend out-of-the-box Web parts to

integrating business systems and analytics.

communicate with other systems.

At NAB2006, Microsoft demonstrates its

In addition to utilizing Connected Services

increased investment in solutions for the

Framework, Office SharePoint Server 2007,

broadcast and film industries with a tech-

Office InfoPath 2007, Windows Workflow

nology showcase of Microsoft Rich Media

Foundation, Business Scorecard Manager, and

Collaboration Services. Utilizing Connected

SQL Server 2005, Rich Media Collaboration

Services Framework, Microsoft Office

Services is built on Resource Description

SharePoint Server 2007, Microsoft Office

Framework (RDF), which is an XML-based

InfoPath 2007 information-gathering

format for describing resources. Rich Media

program, Windows Workflow Foundation,

Collaboration Services also implements

Microsoft Office Business Scorecard Manager

existing industry standards such as MPEG-21

2005, and Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Rich

Digital Item Declaration Language (DIDL)

Media Collaboration Services optimizes con-

and MPEG-21 Digital Item Identification (DII).

tent workflow processes and collaboration,

Because Rich Media Collaboration Services

and provides real-time business informa-

relies on RDF to store metadata, it can also be

tion and insight into project timelines

extended to support additional data structures

and budgets. This enables broadcast and

found in broadcast and film companies.

film companies to create and capture new

revenue opportunities, manage project and

RDF provides us the ability to define custom

budgets more efficiently, and empower

ontologies that fit the needs of different verti-

their people to be more creative. Figure 1

cal applications. It also allows us to support

shows the user interface for Rich Media

hierarchal or graph-based metadata unlike

Collaboration Services.

the flat metadata models that exist in many

current applications today. Finally, it also pro-

Rich Media Collaboration Services:

vides us rich semantic capabilities to support

A Technical Showcase

inferencing in the future, says John Deutscher,

Rich Media Collaboration Services enables

Senior Program Manager at the Microsoft

broadcast and film companies to extend col-

Worldwide Media & Entertainment Group.

laborative workflow processes beyond traditional document scenarios and into scenarios

Rich Media Collaboration Services also takes

that include digital rich media content. As a

advantage of Asynchronous JavaScript and

platform for integration into content creation

XML (AJAX), which is a development tech-

information systems, Rich Media Collaboration

nique for creating interactive Web applica-

Services will be the main collaboration user

tions. Rich Media Collaboration Services also

interface for the content creation process

leverages the cross-browser support intro-

and accessible across multiple divisions,

duced in SharePoint Server 2007, extending

including business, finance, pre-production,

functionality to Windows Internet Explorer 7

production, post-production, and fulfillment.

Internet browser, FireFox, and Safari on

the Macintosh.

Rich Media Collaboration Services will provide a collaboration layer on top of existing

Figure 2 shows how Rich Media Collaboration

business and production systems. Through

Services integrates with Connected Services

Web services, Rich Media Collaboration

Framework to create a digital workflow.

Services will provide an abstraction layer into

PEOPLE-READY BUSINESS

Digital Integrated Workflow

MICROSOFT
RICH MEDIA
COLLABORATION
SERVICES

Figure 2 Rich Media Collaboration Services and Connected Services Framework, working together.

PEOPLE-READY BUSINESS

Provides Rich Front-End Functionality

With Rich Media Collaboration Services, content creators have at their disposal a comprehensive toolset of custom
Web parts to use to facilitate and speed the production process. Table 1 describes in more detail all of the functionality
that Rich Media Collaboration Services delivers to broadcast and film companies.
Table 1. Rich Media Collaboration Services Toolset
Rich Media
Collaboration
Services Tool

Ingest Tool

Description
Enables ingestion of media clips from digital cameras, laptops, and other hardware into a Digital Asset Management (DAM)
system. After the asset is uploaded, a workflow is kicked off using Windows Workflow Foundation that utilizes an InfoPath 2007
form to collect metadata about the asset. Once the InfoPath 2007 form has been submitted, the asset is assigned to the
appropriate project folder(s) in the DAM system for display using the Media Library.

Media Library

Contains all the media clips that a content creator has organized into project folders and has uploaded into the DAM system.
Enables the completion of multiple tasks when accessing a clip through the Media Library, such as editing metadata associated with a clip, annotating, viewing and adding a clip to a rough cut editor. The list of tasks that can be customized and
extended to meet the specific needs of each broadcast and film company.

Annotation Tool

Enables annotation of specific portions of a selected asset. These notes are saved with the asset so anyone with permission
can see them when they access the clip. In addition, using Tablet PCs, written annotations on specific frames within video
assets can be made.

Rough Cut Editor

Allows creation of rough cut video or film segments by combining multiple clips into a timeline and adding notes about specific frames or time codes. This rough cut is exported to an Edit Decision List (EDL) in Avid Log Exchange (ALE) format, which
is supported by a majority of editing platforms.

Media Player

Enables viewing of an entire asset directly on the Rich Media Collaboration Services interface, by using either Windows
Media player or Quicktime. Content creators will be able to view time codes as they view an asset, and step forward/backward buttons will be available when the clip is paused to allow advanced media navigation.

Report Dashboard

Takes advantage of Business Scorecard Manager to provide a centralized location to view reports that capture production
information, such as time to complete the editing process, time to pass information from one system to another, and asset
usage information.

Supports Seamless Workflow Processes

Rich Media Collaboration Services supports a truly collaborative, end-to-end media production process that is automated by using
Windows Workflow Foundation to coordinate workflows and Connected Services Framework to manage business-related services.
For example, the following workflow takes place when a new video or film clip is ingested into the Media Library.
1.

The content creator accesses the Ingest Tool within Rich Media Collaboration Services and uploads the appropriate clip.
This action triggers a notification to Windows Workflow Foundation, which, in turn, initiates an ingest process in Connected
Services Framework.

2.

As the clip uploads, Connected Services Framework manages the workflow to transcode the content for various proxies
(multiple resolutions and formats) and checks the new asset into the DAM system.

3.

When the clip has been uploaded, the producer receives a notification (via e-mail, Instant Messenger [IM], or text message)
that the clip is available and provides a link to an InfoPath 2007 form that collects metadata.

4.

The producer launches the form, fills out the associated metadata, and saves the form.

5.

The metadata is automatically saved with the media asset in the DAM system and will stay with the asset throughout its lifecycle.

6.

Resources assigned to the project that contains the new clip receive a notification (via e-mail, IM, or text message) that a new
clip has been uploaded to the project folder.

Note: Windows Workflow Foundation manages the workflow associated with steps three through six.

2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, InfoPath, Internet Explorer, SharePoint, Windows, and Windows Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.