The Entertainment ID Registry is a universal and unique identifier for movie and TV assets across the global entertainment supply chain, and Mel Lambert takes a look at the growing number of operations that are developing and utilizing EIDR IDs.
Warner Bros is using EIDR to create a streamlined delivery system for online content distribution, a function highly dependent on the use of accurate product IDs and rights information. “To further this goal,” offers Darcy Antonellis, President of Warner Bros Technical Operations, “we’ve invested in several technology initiatives to streamline and automate our interactions with retailers, vendors and consumers. EIDR is a key component of these initiatives, providing a global, unique identifier for content assets as they move from creation to consumption. We are actively integrating EIDR into our content workflow and are working with retailers like Microsoft to incorporate the standard.”
“Our goal is to add EIDR IDs into our data products and, by turn, help integrate EIDR into the global entertainment data ecosystem,” says Amer Saleem, Director of Technology at Baseline, part of the New York Times Company and a provider of film and TV information to the entertainment industry, and currently mapping EIDR IDs to its database. “The notion of a universal ID is an exciting one that we believe can help our consumer-brand clients create a more engaging end-user experience.”
Walt Disney Studios is also using the ID registry as part of its infrastructure that supports multiple digital initiatives. As Arnaud Robert, the studio’s SVP of Distribution Technology, explained in a recent statement: “We have implemented EIDR into our metadata and internal digital workflows. Working with our distribution partners we intend to extend its usage to our various distribution channels. EIDR plays an important role in digital-media distribution.”
“We are anticipating that the use of EIDR labels will greatly assist both distribution channels, on-line retailers and video-on- demand suppliers,” says Kip Welch, EIDR President and VP of Business Development at MovieLabs, a non-profit R&D joint venture tarted by six major film studios, comprising of Paramount, Sony, Fox, Universal, Disney and Warner. “Walt Disney Pictures, for example, plans to use EIDR metadata within its digital distribution infrastructure, and Warner Bros for on-line retail business, while Comcast and CableLabs – plus other cable operators and MVPDs such as Cox, Shaw and Charter – are looking at video-on-demand applications. We see 2012 as the year that marks the beginning of a volume ramp in certain digital workflows” that involve file-based infrastructures.
A founding member of the EIDR initiative, Rovi Corporation has been working behind the scenes to seed the registry with metadata about the various digital assets it handles while developing content databases for clients. “To date we have provided EIDR entries for over 200,000 file assets,” explains Adam Powers, VP of Technology. “Because we spend time attaching metadata to digital assets, we are a strong advocate of a centralized, standardized registry of media labels. It is a time-consuming process, but one that will deliver long-term benefits for the M&E industry – as they say: ‘A rising tide lifts all ships.’
“With the growing popularity of second- screen media that provide additional information [about TV programming and films], EIDR will be an invaluable source tool for attaching specific metadata about each segment,” thereby enabling automated links to “details of music being used, for example, or products appearing in each scene – that degree of granularity will enhance the viewing experience, in addition to offering new monetization opportunities [for content-delivery channels]. Consumers might also be able to search interactive databases to reach related material across a number of platforms. In that respect, EIDR can serve as one of the backbones for the UltraViolet initiative across multiple delivery mechanisms.”
AN INTEGRATED STRATEGY
It can be argued that content providers are in the best position to generate EIDR labels from the first day of production planning, thereby establishing master or ‘parent’ registry entries that can be linked through hierarchical relationships to each of the subsequent assets generated during post production of film and TV shows, extending to foreign- language versions, for example, or versions destined for mobile and tablet delivery.
“In an ideal world, that [title-loaded scenario] makes sense,” Powers agrees, “but we can still work from the delivery end by generating appropriate EIDR tags and then working backwards with the content providers to ensure that we use consistent labels for the various media elements. It will be a trickle-down process, with CableLabs and Comcast utilizing EIDR entries for second-screen material and TV everywhere. And with Warner Bros and Disney continuing their proof-of-concept evaluations while seeding EIDR entries, we have an integrated approach.”
In addition to implementing a continuous seeding process from its program database – by scanning incoming data and registering all previously unregistered records that meet minimum EIDR requirements – Rovi also stores EIDR asset IDs from previous and future runs in its content warehouse, and delivers those IDs within existing data feeds to its data clients. “The seeding process is slated to occur on a monthly basis,” Powers says. “Record types eligible for seeding include movies, series, seasons, episodes and one- time TV programs.” On average, Rovi adds between 10,000 and 15,000 new records each quarter to EIDR; it recently started to work with CableLabs to support the new Video Service ID initiative.
For multi- channel video programming distributors, including cable, direct-broadcast satellite and DSL providers using IPTV, EIDR offers a number of operational advantages. “The most important,” says David Agranoff, a senior architect with CableLabs, “is multi-platform viewing. The same programming can be identified by a customer across a linear-delivery system, a VOD server or maybe a content server streaming media via IP to mobile devices. Then, using EIDR entries to identify the specific file needed for a different platform, the same programs [in different media formats] can be delivered to a living-room TV, for example, and then picked up at the same point on a smartphone or tablet in another location.
“End-user metadata, including reviews, cast biographies and comments from friends, for example, can also be linked to the EIDR labels and delivered interactively to cable customers. Content authorization for TV everywhere – including UltraViolet licensing – could also be a major use of EIDR labels.” Other uses include identifying specific instances within a video stream using standard SCTE 35 cues inserted within the media file, to monitor viewing habits and also offer media- specific messaging about upcoming episodes, for example, as well as dynamic advertising that could be used to deliver contextual and/or viewer-targeted messages.
“EIDR's combination of content and service identification allows cable operators – and other MVPDs – to execute new and exciting use cases,” Agranoff concludes. “But active participation by video supply-chain partners, including programmers, metadata creators and others, is essential for its success.”
At Universal Studios, a member of the Comcast community, EIDR is being evaluated from both content-distribution and content- creation perspectives, with IDs ideally being generated at the green-light stage, and then following the film project through production and post-production into distribution. “EIDR also offers exciting potential for UltraViolet,” confirms Joseph Cates, Universal’s CTO and SVP of Technology. “The recent release of Cowboys & Aliens [co-produced with DreamWorks Pictures] was our first with an UltraViolet capability, in addition to a DVD, Blu-ray and digital copy. We used EIDR to help track assets across UltraViolet and other physical and digital products. With so many different numbering schemes, tracking products and sales is currently too complicated. EIDR will enable content to be identified uniquely and conveniently across all operations.”
“EIDR will definitely reduce the ‘Digital Tower of Babel’,” asserts Eric Iverson, VP of Information Technology at Sony Pictures. “We are actively developing ID entries and, to date, have registered our initial UltraViolet titles. We are currently in the process of matching about 1,500 feature titles as we broaden our registrations. We are actively seeding features so that we can have master titles available for downstream usage and to support the creation of ‘Version’ EIDR records. EIDR is a global media identification mastering solution from ‘Title’ identification to the ‘Version’ (Edit) levels, and can accommodate lower [hierarchical] levels as necessary.
“For example, one of the features from our Men in Black franchise had a number of versions, including the director’s cut, the original theatrical release, and so on – all with slightly different content; this can then translate into hundreds of different SKUs and digital bundles. The EIDR structure is flexible enough to handle a number of different implementation levels as needed.
“As a film company, we believe in starting by accurately registering the ‘Title’ level first, since you cannot accurately register versions if you cannot identify uniquely the title of the original project; how do content types relate to one another? We need to get the structure right – it’s a bit like pouring concrete, since we will all live with the results, and changing master records is not a trivial task once they have been utilized. After all, each studio currently has its own metadata-based asset labelling scheme and has endured the process of ‘getting it right.’ Which is why we are spending time on each key structure for the EIDR registry, and how to populate them. The proof of concept projects are proceeding well; we have resolved the majority of workflow issues.
“Our approach is pragmatic; we need to deal with the practical world, and incorporate real-world experience. Rovi, for example, is doing a great job at the supply-chain end of the delivery pipeline, and we need to agree on labelling criteria. HITS and DEG continue to work in parallel with the EIDR initiative to extend the granularity of the registry entries, and make sure we get it right first time out. The structure of the registry, developed by the content creators, will require 30-40% of our effort; the remaining 60-70% needs to be expended on the implementation structure, or how well we operate the EIDR-based directories. Our approach needs to be systematic.”
Greg Gewickey, VP of Technology with Deluxe Digital Distribution, considers that “EIDR offers a valuable way to facilitate information and make it interoperable between different parties. We need to ensure that we deliver the right movie to the right person, but does it have the correct subtitles? Is it the director’s cut? Does it have the correct language soundtrack?
“We are currently in ‘evangelization mode,’ populating our databases with EIDR information when it is available, and matching assets to known labels. Deluxe provides OTT deliveries for various customers, for example, where we currently use Tribune Media Services’ IDs; mapping these IDs to EIDR would make them more universally usable within our systems. If we know the EIDR label we can begin to implement that,” in addition to the existing labelling schemes.
Regarding alternative metadata labelling schemes, many European media operations are utilizing ISO’s International Standard Audiovisual Number. “ISAN has traditionally been used for licensing and rights management,” Gewickey considers. “But it lacks the depth of labelling IDs for the wide range of file versions we encounter.”
EIDR President Welch agrees: “ISAN primarily targets title-level IDs; it cannot handle transactions at a granular level. Put simply, while ISAN was a good idea, it isn’t deep enough for many commercial applications. EIDR will continue to work with European and other vendors and content aggregators in parallel with ISAN,” which continues to offer rights-issue solutions. “But EIDR offers a richer, more complete ID scheme for broader use within the entertainment industry.”
Welch foresees eight primary advantages being offered by EIDR: Coverage, or its ability to generate unique identifiers for all types of digital AV content; Flexibility, by supporting a wide variety of objects, hierarchies and relationships; Cost- effectiveness, offering economic sense for large volumes; Interoperability with other registries and ID schemes; Scalability, through its ability to handle very large volumes of registrations at production-level SLAs; Extensibility to accommodate new types of future assets; Value-added Services Support to augment a vendor’s ability to offer value- added services and applications; and Accessibility via open search and query access without restrictions on data usage.
“EIDR has resonated with many participants within the digital supply chain,” Welch concludes. “The adoption of EIDR by industry leaders – and the support from DEG and HITS – reflects a need for universally unique identifiers in the supply chain, and the ability of EIDR to meet this need effectively and at low cost.”
In addition to the sources mentioned within this article, Alex Terpstra, CEO of Europe- based Civolution, which provides a range of solutions for identifying, managing and monetizing media content; and Usha Srinivasan, Executive Director of EIDR initiatives at MovieLabs, also provided invaluable insight into EIDR and its application.
WHAT IS EIDR?
The recently unveiled Entertainment ID Registry – EIDR – was designed as a universal metadata labelling scheme for uniquely identifying digital assets that need to be transferred between content- creation and content-delivery companies, and then dispatched to consumers via a variety of on-line mechanisms. It was launched in January 2011 and spearheaded by MovieLabs, CableLabs, Comcast and Rovi Corporation – with expanding support from key players throughout the TV and motion-picture industries, and the international coalition is organized as an industry non-profit governed by a Board of Directors. EIDR is made up of key stakeholders from content owners, video post houses, content distributors, retailers, entertainment services and technology providers, plus firms within the international movie and TV digital distribution ecosystem. Support has also been forthcoming from The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) and Hollywood IT Society (HITS). EIDR is a global B2B registry for unique identifying of movie and TV content that results from an industry collaboration among content owners, distributors and cable operators, retailers and other key stakeholders. It tracks all commercial content down to the product and SKU level, including edits, clips, composites, encodings etc. EIDR is run as an industry non-profit on a cost- recovery basis. It is a universal Digital Object Identifier (DOI) that uniquely identifies an audio- visual object, and is similar to a UPC code used to identify physical packaged goods. EIDR can be used for both physical and digital video objects that are part of the movie and TV supply chain; it is purely functional without any implication of ownership, making it persistent enough to remain the same despite any change in control or ownership of the underlying asset. Its structure consists of a standard registry prefix, the unique suffix for each asset and a check digit.
