thePlatform’s Video Publishing Solution Chosen by Starz Entertainment Group
Press Release, January 12, 2006
thePlatform’s Video Publishing Solution Chosen by Starz Entertainment Group to Enable Vongo Video Download Service. Allows Vongo Subscribers to Easily Discover and Experience Video Downloads.
thePlatform, a leading provider of digital audio and video publishing solutions, today announced Starz Entertainment Group LLC (SEG) chose thePlatform Media Publishing System(MPS) to deliver subscription and pay-per-view based digital video downloads via its new Vongo(SM) Internet media portal.
With MPS, SEG can efficiently manage movies in multiple genres and deliver them in Windows Media format, in multiple bit rates, to PCs and portable devices. In addition to managing content, MPS makes it simple for SEG to associate rich metadata with content, enabling Vongo customers to easily discover and receive personalized media based on their selected preferences.
Vongo is a new video download application and service for broadband that delivers movies and other video content over the Internet for playback on Windows-based PCs, laptops, and select portable media devices, as well as on a TV. Vongo uses thePlatform MPS to manage the publication process across devices, giving consumers flexibility and control over how they view their desired content.
“thePlatform Media Publishing System makes it easy for us to effectively manage myriad content choices and keep track of how they are consumed,“ said Richard Brownrigg, vice president of technology, advanced services for Starz Entertainment Group. “We selected MPS based on its ability to securely and flexibly manage our content no matter which device consumers use.“
“The world’s leading content providers are recognizing the promise of Internet Protocol-delivered content over broadband and other non-traditional delivery networks,“ said Ian Blaine, co-founder and CEO of thePlatform. “MPS is a proven solution that makes it easy for companies like SEG to capitalize on this trend with high-quality consumer service offerings.“
SEG uses MPS to streamline the entire broadband video publishing process for Vongo in the following ways:
Content Ingest and Management: MPS can import content metadata from media files or producers can add additional metadata to media objects that can store multiple media files in different formats and bit rates. Using the MPS Remote Media Processor (RMP), a Web-services module that lives behind the SEG firewall, metadata is uploaded automatically into MPS.
Content Policy and Business Rules: SEG sets usage rules on its video content via MPS’s built-in support for Windows Media Digital Rights Management 10 (WM DRM). MPS, together with WM DRM, enables SEG to set categories and control the policies for how content is accessed and experienced by subscribers, whether on PCs or portable devices. Using RMP, content packaging and encryption happens behind the Vongo firewall, ensuring the highest level of security on premium media files during the publishing process.
Publishing: MPS automatically publishes content in Windows Media Video 9 for delivery over broadband. Using RMP, media files move directly from the SEG encoding facility to its chosen content delivery network (CDN) provider.
Reporting: Using MPS’s built-in reporting capability, SEG receives detailed reports on the quality of end-user experiences, including which content is most popular. This data enables SEG to test new content genres and programming, and to constantly refine its service offerings.
Integration with Business Systems (BSS/OSS): Through the MPS Software Development Kit (MPS-SDK), MPS integrates with notification services and Vongo’s internal and third-party billing, credit card processing, and authentication systems. Via a powerful set of Web-services based interfaces, MPS automates and customizes all aspects of the media publishing process, facilitating integration through third party tools, including video encoding systems.
About thePlatform
Headquartered in Seattle, thePlatform is an industry-leading provider of digital media publishing solutions. The company’s flagship product, thePlatform Media Publishing System (MPS), is a comprehensive solution for media, entertainment and enterprise customers. With thePlatform MPS, customers can publish digital media anywhere - over any network, to any device. Leading customers include Bank of America, CNBC, Comcast, Court TV, Microsoft, National Geographic,ScrippsNetworks,TheWall StreetJournal Online, and Verizon Wireless. Custom feature enhancements and seamless systems integration are a simple matter using thePlatform’s Web services MPS-SDK.
For more information visit www.theplatform.com.
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