The Media Department Plan


The Media department will provide support for content creation and the Media Guide, and producers in the department intend to work with the training department to create the training series.

Planning for Content Creation

The Media department will provide content creation support for the streaming media system. Their primary tasks were to design a system for transitioning away from videotape and to provide support for live production. The initial design addressed those basic requirements. It consists of a workstation for encoding on-demand content, and four computers dedicated for live encoding, which will be located in the Media department’s small studio.

The design team knows that the basic systems will not be enough. They know how important PowerPoint presentations are for communication, and they know that users can make their presentations available to a wider audience with Microsoft Producer. They also know employees want to originate live broadcasts from more locations than the Media department’s studio. So with all this in mind, the Media department designers came up with five solutions:

Compression Suite

In phase I of the deployment plan, a compression suite will be built. The suite will be located in the Media department and operated by an employee of the department who
has expertise in audio and video production, computer-based editing, and sound design. The suite will be integrated with the department’s professional production environment. The equipment and wiring used in the suite will be broadcast quality. Broadcast-quality equipment and infrastructure not only result in higher-quality sounds and pictures, but are designed for durability.

Live Studio Production

In phase II of the deployment plan, two encoding computers will be added to the equipment rack in the Media department’s studio control room. The encoders can be configured to provide a number of concurrent live streams. The streams can provide multiple bit rates, fault tolerance, or a combination of both. For example, a typical configuration will provide two bit rates, such as 56 Kbps and 300 Kbps, and a backup for each. Users will be able to connect to either stream through the Windows Media server. If an encoder stops working, the publishing point on the server will automatically roll over to the backup stream and the Player will continue with only a momentary pause for buffering.

Remote Rack

In phase II of the deployment plan, a portable system will be built that includes all the equipment needed to encode live presentations and events. The system consists of various hardware devices mounted and wired in a short equipment rack contained in a large shipping case. The rack contains all of the equipment necessary to capture audio and video and encode it to a live stream. The case can be shipped to remote sites pre-wired. All the production team will have to do is plug in one or more cameras and microphones, and then connect the rack to AC power and the corporate network.

Producer Mini-studio

In phase II of the deployment plan, a mini-studio will be completed that employees can use to record Producer presentations. Rather than take the time to give the presentations multiple times to multiple groups, employees can create presentations and record them in the self-service studio. Then individuals or groups can stream the recorded presentation. The Media department decided a small investment in a Producer production studio up front would enable employees to make better use of their time, therefore saving the company money in the long run.

User Information

In phase II of the deployment plan, documentation will be created that gives users information about how to use the Producer mini-studio. The information will be posted in the studio. The same information will be available online on the Media Guide site.




Microsoft Windows Media Resource Kit
Microsoft Windows Media Resource Kit (Pro-Resource Kit)
ISBN: 0735618070
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 258

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