Windows Media and Web Distribution for Broadcasters September 2007
Microsoft® Windows Media® is the platform of choice for broadcasters delivering live or on-demand audio and video over the Internet. Leading broadcasters including ClearChannel, MSNBC, and NPR all use Windows Media.
Windows Media 9 Series improves digital audio and video for broadcast:Lower costs New technology enables the same video quality at lower bitrates reducing bandwidth costs
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Windows Media 9 Series Features For Broadcasting:Lower Cost - Unmatched Audio and Video Quality at Any Bitrate
New codec technology provides big benefits for digital broadcasting less cost and time spent on encoding, storing, and broadcasting digital media to the consumer. Windows Media Audio and Video 9 Series codecs provide compression improvements of 20% for audio and 15 - 50% (most dramatic improvements seen at higher bitrates) for video compared with the previous Windows Media version. This means that Windows Media Audio 9 can deliver consumer CD quality at less than 1/20 the size of a CD original, and a Windows Media Video 9 file is typically only half the size of an MPEG-4 file of comparable quality.
Windows Media 9 Series is the highest quality, most comprehensive digital media platform available, and nowhere is this better reflected than in the Windows Media Audio and Video 9 Series codecs the highest fidelity audio and best quality video at any bitrate from dial-up to broadband, for streaming or download-and-play delivery.
Dynamic Content Programming and Comprehensive Advertising Support
Windows Media Services 9 Series dynamically supports streaming advertising by allowing ads to be inserted or changed at any point during a broadcast without interruption. This means that all types of insertions including gateways, bumpers, trailers and interstitial ads can occur without stopping the broadcast and disconnecting the audience. Additionally, advertising can be developed from digital video and audio and html. Windows Media Services 9 Series helps maximize advertisement reach and increases the opportunity for providing additional targeted advertising options.
In addition to offering flexible advertising placement, broadcasters must also be able to measure usage in order to fine-tune the effectiveness of their ads and provide reporting back to advertisers. Windows Media Services 9 Series provides the advanced usage reporting necessary to ensure broadcasters ability to accurately and effectively track and report on advertisement reach.
Dynamic Content Programming Server-Side Playlists
Windows Media Services 9 Series provides the capability to automatically program and update digital media content on the fly. By being able to dynamically add bumper/trailer and interstitial advertisements, Windows Media Services 9 Series provides comprehensive support for Internet Radio/TV business models.
Server-Side Playlists
For both on-demand or live streams, Server-Side Playlists also enable a Radio/TV Program Director level of functionality with the unprecedented ability to dynamically change the content within the playlist seamlessly change the order of clips, insert a new clip, add a public service announcement or breaking news, insert an ad, etc.during broadcasts without interruption to the viewer. This is a great improvement from the past, when changes could only occur if the broadcast was stopped which would disconnect the audience.
Professional Content Production
Authoring content for digital media distribution is similar to that of television production. There are two types of content - live or on-demand.Live content, such as the Webcast of a live concert event, is normally done using traditional television broadcasting tools, such as cameras and a production facility. However, instead of the output going to a television antenna, the content is compressed using a pc machine running the Windows Media Encoder 9 Series that is dedicated to encoding the content into Windows Media Audio and Video 9 Series. On-demand content is content that is created and assembled before playback using professional video editing tools. From there, the finished program or film is encoded using Windows Media Encoder 9 Series, and is stored on disk until it is requested for playback or distribution via Windows Media Services 9 Series.
In addition, leading content creation tools have taken advantage of the capabilities of the Windows Media 9 Series SDK to add Windows Media content creation and editing to their products.
Professional content creation is even better when combined with the other Windows Media Services 9 Series components, which can allow for secure content delivery, personalized content experiences, and an Instant-on, Always-on streaming experience that is unmatched by any other digital media platform.
Enhanced Support for Digital Rights Management (DRM) Delivering Content Securely
Windows Media, the industry leading DRM solution, offers new improvements.
Live DRM - Live event broadcasts often contain digital media that needs to be protected from unauthorized viewing or copying. Secure content distribution for either live or on-demand streamed content is possible through the Windows Media Encoder 9 Series. In a live event, content captured from an attached device is protected on the fly. This also works for doing live broadcasts of pre-encoded content. If youre doing a real-time broadcast of a file, the encoder can apply DRM during the broadcast. In either case, your content goes to precisely the audience youd intended. Windows Media Encoder 9 Series includes complete integrated support for third-party license server providers allowing content owners to easily define rights and distributed uses for their content.
Device DRM Windows Media is emerging as the universal format for digital media. There are more than 120 consumer devices (i.e. DVD players, car stereos, portable music players, wireless devices) that support Windows Media today. To secure the media content that is on these types of devices, Windows Media DRM 9 has enhanced DRM implementation to make it easier for chip and consumer electronics manufacturers to include DRM on their consumer devices. This DRM enhancement makes it possible to keep your content secure throughout the distribution chain.
Customize the Windows Media Player 9 with Your Brand
Enhance the viewing experience of your content by customizing the look of the player. The Windows Media Player 9 Series "Now Playing" window provides a powerful portal for providing contextual information about the content that is being viewed. In Windows Media Player 9 Series, this portal is highly customizable, so you can build your own user experience with branding, advertising, or custom links right into the rich media view. New player capabilities include a rich HTML view and better integration of HTML and JPEG content in either an embedded or standalone player.
With the introduction of new features in Windows Media 9 Series - such as support for all ad types in the player, an HTML view in the player to create persistent experience across websites, reduced or eliminated buffering, seamless ad transitions, professional quality audio and video, increased codec efficiency, live and on-demand DRM - you will be able to provide TV-like experiences for your customers all at a lower cost and with new revenue opportunities via advertising.
Archive Quality Lossless Audiophile Audio and High Definition Video
Windows Media Audio 9 Pro Lossless is a new mathematically lossless audio codec that delivers the ultimate audiophile performance. Capable of compressing CD audio without any information loss into 1/2 to 1/3 its original size, the listener will enjoy exactly the original sound quality, bit-for-bit. Its the ultimate "archival" codec for your music library!
Windows Media Video 9 Pro is a mode of the Windows Media Video 9 codec that brings the capability of ultra-high, home theater-like video quality to the digital media platform. This new technology enables storage and delivery of a complete, full-length movie at 720p resolution with 5.1 digital discrete channel surround sound, on a single standard DVD disc. Such a resolution can be supported on a high end PC today with software decoding. In the near future, hardware acceleration of Windows Media Video 9 decoding by graphics cards will also make playback of 1080p content possible, which is approximately up to 6 times the resolution, in pixels, of todays DVDs!
Windows Media Encoder 9 Better Control Yields Better Video
When broadcasting digital media, it is critical to maintain the same quality level as the content source. Using the Windows Media Encoder 9 that includes the Windows Media Video 9 codec, you can be assured that the quality will be maintained. In addition, the Windows Media Encoder 9 also provides many new control features:Camera and Device Control For More Efficient Encoding Directly control capture devices and IEEE 1394 camera. This means that you can conveniently start recording, playback, and fast-forward and rewind your tapes from within the encoder. This feature also makes it possible for the user to set up Edit Decision Lists (EDLs) that specify discrete segments of a tape for encoding in advance. Then the user hits start and can walk away while the encoder directs the tape to the right segments, encodes them, and then moves on to the next section. Common Audio and Video File Support Converts many common audio and video file types, including pulse code modulation (PCM) WAV files to Windows Media Audio and/or Windows Media Video files. (If your PC has an MPEG-2 decoder installed, then it will also convert MPEG-2 files.) This ensures that the most common production tape and digital file sources can be encoded. Improved Live Event Source Switching New source switching options allow even greater control over live-event content production and delivery, enabling users to switch between live and pre-recorded input sources. Live events often involve multiple camera angles, insertion of stock footage, and shots from multiple locations. Windows Media Encoder 9 Series is designed to enable this scenario from the ground up. Frame Accurate Time Code Data Windows Media Encoder 9 captures the original source time-code information to enable much more accurate seeking and editing of Windows Media filesa requirement in high-end production environments. Multiple Bit Rate (MBR) and Resolution Support When sending digital video over the web, you never know what connection speed your audience will have; it ranges from high speed access down to dial-up. In the past, you had to encode your video several times to cover all connection types. Windows Media Encoder 9 together with Windows Media Services 9 Series (a feature of Windows Server 2003) is the only technology that can create streams containing multiple bitrates (MBR) that includes multiple resolutions. A single encoding can now create one file with multiple streams optimized for each type of connection speed. The result is that your audience receives the best quality video for their connection. In addition, Windows Media Encoder 9 can create optimized interlaced content and work with those display devices to deliver superior video optimized for television or set-top box scenarios.
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