Digital EMA Annual Forum at CESJanuary 8, 2013

Jennifer Lane BurnellSenior Manager/Member Support

EMA

Today’s Agenda1. Opening Remarks2. Other Collaborative Initiatives (DEG/EIDR)3. Metadata4. Mezzanine Files5. Image Files6. Avails7. Closed Captioning8. Next Steps

Thanks to our Supporting Sponsors

Mark FisherInterim President

EMA

Mitch MallonSVP/Digital Sales, Image EntertainmentChair, EMA Digital Steering Committee

Chris FetnerDirector of Content Partner Operations

Netflix

Bill KotzmanPartner Project Manager

Google

Larry WilkVP/Operations & Strategy, Walt Disney Studios

Chair/Media & Content Operations Committee, DEG

Digital Eco-System

CINRAM

Studio Outreach andCollaboration

PurposeDiscuss current state of Digital Entertainment Supply ChainFocus on areas that studios influence to identify cross-industry opportunities for collaboration and improvement

ObjectivesIdentify and prioritize pain pointsShare the following:

What other things are going on? What works?Lessons learnedKPIs/Scorecards

Create the structure for next steps to make it happen – studio, retail & vendor

Broad Participation

Common Pain Points

StudioContent Creation – standards, DAM, transcoding, rights managementFulfillment – # formats, volume, notifications, rightsContract to Cash – reporting, systems, onboarding

VendorQuality Control – bad data/assets, inconsistent info / processesMetadata – avails / title metadata matching, connection to assetsRights – what is available when, delays / changesProduct Requirements – inefficient reuse of assets

RetailerRights Acquisition – email centric, labor intensive, prone to errorMetadata – no unique identifiers (sometimes need to watch!)Content Delivery – # formats, volume, delivery methodsQuality Control – timeliness, quality, network issues (e.g. partial delivery)

3 Task Forces formed as a result of the workshops:Universal Media Identifier Task Force: focus on identification methods that connect internal and external processes, orders, deliveries, avails, financials, royalties, cash, etc.

Standards Task Force: focus on pain points associated with metadata standards, file standards, and package standards of digital files and associated metadata and assets

Reporting Task Force: focus on clarifying financial reporting from digital retailers including POS and royalties, cleansing and processing

Task Forces

Universal Media ID Task Force

Identified need for a universally unique identifier system to support the sale of all digital products

Combined with EIDR to pilot and execute an industry solutionProof of concepts are being developed to improve the ability to match assets and metadata from different databases, service providers or metadata suppliersGovernance

Ensuring the business case continues to be valid

Standards Task Force

Metadata

• Produced a set of industry metadata standards

• Coordinated with vendors and retailers for industry-wide adoption

• Collaborate to develop one standard / multiple applications• EMA• MovieLabs• UltraViolet

• File format and artwork standards

Reporting Task Force

• Produced a set of industry reporting standards

• Validated with vendors and retailers for industry-wide adoption

• Selected multiple options for implementation :• No change – maintain direct unique Retailer / Studio flow• Change from unique to standard XML

• Change to host system• API call to “translator”

• Use DEG supplied Service Bureau (via Media Morph)

• Implementation underway – late Spring completion

Data Flow Options

Retailer Studio

Vendor

Current Proprietary Data

DEG Standard XML

Proprietary Data DEG Standard Format

API

What Do We Need to Do ?

• Approve standards & approach / validate value• Content owners, vendors, retailers• Identify barriers / issues ; resolve

• Participate• UMID – EIDR• Metadata – Common Metadata• Reporting Services

• Incorporate / pilot

Kip WelchVP/Business Development, MovieLabs

Chairman, EIDR

EIDR brings it all together

• Standards drive automation– Media Entertainment Core metadata (MEC)– EMA & DEG driving industry specs for avails & reporting– Specs bound together with one common ID

• EIDR is the glue• Goal = end-to-end automation of the digital supply chain

– Order, ingest, market, upsell, track, report, reconcile, pay– Single ID from start to finish

• Media ecosystem entry ticket– UltraViolet, VOD, online streaming, tablets, smart phones, etc.– Multi-platform, multi-channel, multi-window– Know your number & how it ties to others

1/8/2013

Use Case - Metadata & Sales Enrichment

Comments from Friends

Critic Reviews

Vendor Metadata

Studio Metadata

Related products offers

Cast Bios & Filmography

EIDR

EIDR

1/8/2013

METADATACraig Seidel

Vice President/Distribution TechnologyMovieLabs

EMA Metadata Working GroupChair: Kevin Matheny, Best BuyPresenting: Craig Seidel, MovieLabs

Metadata family

Studios RetailersMedia Entertainment Core (MEC)

Metadata family

Studios RetailersMedia Entertainment Core (MEC)

Avails Metadata

UltraViolet Coordinator& Container

EIDR

UltraViolet Metadata

EIDR Metadata

Metadata family

Studios RetailersMedia Entertainment Core (MEC)

Avails Metadata

UltraViolet Coordinator& Container

EIDR

UltraViolet Metadata

CommonMetadata

EIDR Metadata

Metadata family

Studios RetailersMedia Entertainment Core (MEC)

Avails Metadata

UltraViolet Coordinator

EIDR

UltraViolet Metadata

CommonMetadata

EIDR Metadata

EIDRIdentifiers

2.0 Evolution

• Common Metadata 1.2  Common Metadata 2.0• EMA Metadata 1.2  Media Entertainment Core 

(MEC) Metadata 2.0

• Improvements– Support of DEG requirements– Support Avails– Additional optional Digital Asset information– Structural improvements

2.0 Technical Highlights• Basic Metadata

– DEG additions (Ratings, Work Type, etc.)– Added descriptive information (e.g., version language)– Detailed Content Ratings (broken out)

• Digital Asset– Improved accessibility (e.g., Signed Language)– Improved ‘Interactive’ (for extras, etc.)– Many encoding additions (e.g., colorimetry, sampling)– Improved Containers– Other additions: Cards (e.g., anti‐piracy), Watermark

• Structural– Improved extensibility (e.g., xs:any##other)– Identifiers for cross reference– Structured to allow better validation (redefine)

Status

• Specs completed• Ready for Implementation

For More…• Specs

http://entmerch.org/digitalemahttp://www.movielabs.com/md

• EMA Members should contactJennifer Lane Burnell, EMA(818) 385‐1500jlane@entmerch.org

• Common MetadataCraig Seidel, MovieLabs(650) 224‐0054cseidel@movielabs.com

MEZZANINE FILESColleen Henry

Product Specialist Engineer ‐ Video InfrastructureGoogle

MEZZANINE FILES Technical Goals

• Lower bitrates than MPEG‐2 or ProRes based deliverable for practical storage, transmission  and manipulation of assets 

• Support for compressed or uncompressed audio• Reasonable encoding and decoding speed / complexity• No or low cost to begin creation or acceptance of assets in this spec. • "Creative" decisions are made by content owners or post production stakeholders, 

rather than resellers. 

MEZZANINE FILES Status = Public beta

• Please start testing and / or using it now and provide feedback to the working committee.

• EMA members should submit change/addition requests to Jennifer Lane Burnell at jlane@entmerch.org

• We'll announce when it's considered finished.

MEZZANINE FILES High Level Tech Specs

• H.264 constant quality or multi‐pass VBR video encoding• PCM or AAC audio encoding• .MOV container• Primary language stereo and surround audio streams to be contained within the 

same video file. • SD spec allows for MPEG‐2 for easy legacy support for 4:2:2 encoding of NTSC or 

PAL  content. 

MEZZANINE FILES More In‐depth info available at EMA site.

• www.digitalema.org/committeescouncils/mezzanine‐file‐work‐group• More info includes:

o In‐depth H.264 encoding settingso Example command lines for libav and x264 file creationo Sample fileso Content preparation instructions are included for how to deal with things likeo Mixed media contento Interlacingo Cropping o Etc

MEZZANINE FILES Future

• A future draft will be published for desirable future capabilities, that were left out for current practicality of creation. 

• Examples:o 10 bit color deptho 4:2:2 color spaceo Multi‐language audio delivery

IMAGE FILESAdam Simpson

Content Operations ManagerVUDU

IMAGE FILES Recommended Standard

• Unnecessary costs and the delay of new content as result of image files created for individual retailers.

• Frequently, retailers/distributors will edit and adapt studio‐supplied image files themselves in order to meet their merchandising needs; results in lengthy, cyclic approval process.

• QC issues slow down processes.

IMAGE FILES MOVIES TV

SIZES REQUIRED  • Box Art ‐ 3:4 ‐ Minimum of 1000 pixels wide • Horizontal Image ‐ 4:3 and 16:9 ‐ Minimum of 

2000 pixels wide  

• Box Art ‐ 3:4 ‐ Minimum of 1000 pixels wide • Horizontal Image ‐ 4:3 or 16:9 ‐ Minimum of 2000 

pixels wide • Square Image ‐ 1:1‐ 800x800 pixels 

 FILE FORMAT  • Both a layered PSD file and either a png or 

jpeg need to be available. • PSD files should contain any titles, branding, 

or text in a separate layer. (Key art with title treatment layers removed should not show major gaps in design.)  

 

• Both a layered PSD file and either a png or jpeg need to be available. 

• PSD files should contain any titles, branding, or text in a separate layer. (Key art with title treatment 

• layers removed should not show major gaps in design.) 

 SERIES/SEASON/ Episode Requirements 

N/A  • Required: Series and Season artwork • Option: Episode artwork  

COLOR  • RGB • TV Safe Colors  

• RGB • TV Safe Colors  

 

IMAGE FILES MOVIES TV

IMAGE GUIDELINES  • No Tag lines • No Ratings • No Critic Quotes • No Dates • No Cast/Credits • Image must be recognizable from 10ft away 

on an SD TV that is 38‐40 inches • If key artwork alternative, image provided 

must have one focal point (i.e., not too crowded/busy ‐ 1 ‐ 2 people max.) 

• No Tag lines • No Ratings • No Critic Quotes • No Dates • No Cast/Credits • Image must be recognizable from 10ft away on an 

SD TV that is 38‐40 inches • If key artwork alternative, image provided must 

have one focal point (i.e., not too crowded/busy ‐ 1 ‐ 2 people max). 

• Lower 1/8 of portrait art is clear of important details  

NAMING  • Use EIDR if available • If no EIDR available, please refer to the naming 

conventions agreed upon by the Studio/Network and Digital Distributor 

• Use EIDR if available • If no EIDR available, please refer to the naming 

conventions agreed upon by the Studio/Network and Digital Distributor 

  

IMAGE FILES MOVIES TV

FOREIGN RELEASES  • Need the localized name • Would prefer art used in the local territories   

• Need the localized name • Would prefer art used in the local territories • Use “series” instead of “season’ when applicable  

NO KEY ART AVAILABLE  • Choose an image to be consistent across platforms such as a still frame or images from other promotional materials 

 

• Choose an image to be consistent across platforms such as a still frame or images from other promotional materials 

 ADDITIONAL IMAGES  • Minimum of two stills in each of above sizes 

that are relevant to the audience (i.e., violent vs. conservative image.) 

• Minimum of two stills in each of above sizes that are relevant to the audience (i.e., violent vs. conservative image.) 

 

IMAGE FILES SQUARE (1:1) IMAGE BOX ART (3:4) IMAGE

IMAGE FILES HORIZONTAL (16:9 and 3:4) IMAGES

AVAILSMark Fleming

Partner Operations SpecialistGoogle

AvailsCurrent Issues

• No standards exist across any of the studios or retailers. Avails arrive in a variety of formats that require manual handling, which is labor‐intensive and error prone.

• Entry errors or missed notices result in reduced revenue and/or can negatively impact business relationships.

• Most templates can’t keep up with evolving content/retail strategies.

AvailsRecommended Standard

• Since no two partners or retailers handle avails the same way, a set of formats were created to accommodate everyone.

• Excel – non‐technical, universally accessible, ready now, semi‐automatable • XML – highly automatable, support for future API integration that will 

eliminate need for emails/notices

• Formats were developed with shared elements and structure. Mapping allows for eventual transition from Excel to XML with minimal re‐classification of elements.

AvailsRecommended Standard

• XML – Greatest flexibility for complex offerings. Integrates with greater Metadata standard.  

• Excel – new format adjusts the title‐level focus to offer/SKU‐level focus. • Commonly used: 1:1 Title to spreadsheet row• Proposed: 1:1 Offer/SKU to spreadsheet row Results in more rows, but supports rapidly evolving product and retail strategies (e.g., new avail window types) and reduces confusion.

• Definitions and Mapping – Each field defined, including a direct mapping between Excel and XML

AvailsConclusion

• Proposed standard will• Reduce resource requirements to enter and/or audit data• Eliminate errors caused by manual entry or confusion• Support a constantly changing product and retail strategy• Establish a path toward automation that could be taken at each studio or retailer’s pace

• Next Step• Pilot implementation

AvailsFor more…

• Standard (specs, schema and spreadsheet template)• http://entmerch.org/digitalema • http://www.movielabs.com/md  

• InquiriesJennifer Lane Burnell, EMA(818) 385‐1500jlane@entmerch.org

BACKUP

Data Categories• Disposition: How message is processed• Licensor: Information about licensor• Asset: Identification and description of asset (including metadata)

• Transaction:  Terms associated with Avail (where, when, etc.)

• Metadata

Sample XML<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><avails:Avail xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.movielabs.com/schema/avails/v1.0/avails avails-v1.0.xsd"xmlns:avails="http://www.movielabs.com/schema/avails/v1.0/avails" xmlns:md="http://www.movielabs.com/schema/md/v2.0/md"xmlns:mdmec="http://www.movielabs.com/schema/mdmec/v2.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"><avails:Disposition>

<avails:EntryType>Create</avails:EntryType></avails:Disposition><avails:Licensor><md:DisplayName>My Movie</md:DisplayName><mdmec:ContactInfo>

<md:Name>Ms. Moviemaker</md:Name><md:PrimaryEmail>moviemaker@craigsmovies.com</md:PrimaryEmail>

</mdmec:ContactInfo></avails:Licensor><avails:Asset contentID="md:alid:eidrs-s:26E3-EC69-263F-A03A-D958-X"><avails:Type>Movie</avails:Type><avails:TitleInternalAlias>Top Movie</avails:TitleInternalAlias><avails:Metadata>

<avails:TitleDisplayUnlimited>Top Movie</avails:TitleDisplayUnlimited></avails:Metadata></avails:Asset><avails:Transaction><avails:LicenseType>EST</avails:LicenseType><avails:Description>EST for New Release of Top Movie</avails:Description><avails:Locale>

<md:country>US</md:country></avails:Locale><avails:LicenseRightsDescription>New Release</avails:LicenseRightsDescription><avails:FormatProfile>HD</avails:FormatProfile><avails:OtherTerms>

<md:Name>Contract-Reference</md:Name><md:Value>Contract2904a</md:Value>

</avails:OtherTerms><avails:OtherTerms>

<md:Name>TermsID</md:Name><md:Value>Terms-Group-A</md:Value>

</avails:OtherTerms></avails:Transaction></avails:Avail>

CLOSED CAPTIONING BEST PRACTICES

Dae Kim, Onboarding Engineer, Netflix

Steve Maher, Sales Engineer, TV & Film, YouTube/Google

Why Closed Captioning Best Practices?

• Better Serve Diverse Audiences• Twenty‐First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010

• Conversion Can Be Complicated

Best Practices: Certification• If closed caption file is not provided for IP‐delivered video programming, the video programming owner should include a certification in the avails and the metadata that closed captions are not required and why.

Best Practices: Preferred Formats

• Delivery of closed caption files in SCC format (with .scc file extension) is preferred.

• Also accepted are the following TTML formats:– SMPTE‐TT (RP 2052) (.xml file)– DFXP Full/Timed Text Markup Language (.dfxp file)

Best Practices: Frame Rates• If the content distributor does not require the closed caption data file to be already synchronized to the video, the closed caption file may be submitted in any frame rate in which it was created, so long as the frame rate is clearly indicated.

Digital EMA Annual Forum at CESJanuary 8, 2013www.digitalema.org

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