Chapter 16: Phase I: Media Guide Portal

Overview

In the last chapter, Fabrikam built the compression suite that the Media department will use to capture and encode Windows Media-based content. In this chapter, we will look at the other task the department took on in phase I of the company’s streaming media deployment: organizing the corporation’s sizable store of video content and making it available online.

Right away, Media department planners knew that simply making videos available online wasn’t enough; they would also need to find a way for users to locate the content. The first solution was to keep the system the way it was. The company could announce and distribute Windows Media files the same way it does videotapes. For example, a manager or producer could send out an e-mail message announcing or promoting a video. The URL could be sent in the e-mail message so all recipients could simply click the link and the video would stream to their Player.

Of course, e-mail is a good tool if active promotion of a video is desired. However, e-mail promotion is a passive experience for the user. Users shouldn’t have to sit and wait for an e-mail message to come along in order to watch an important video or presentation. The company needs a system, like a video store or library, for the user who wants to search for a particular video. The solution is to develop a Web site on the corporate intranet that can provide access to a library of video content. The Web site will be a one-stop location for all the end user’s video needs.

With a Web site, access to a video is not restricted to only those employees receiving an e-mail message. Anybody with access to a computer is a potential viewer. By adding security measures, such as digital rights management (DRM) or authentication and authorization, even confidential content could be distributed through this site.

The Media department decides the best way to announce and distribute streaming media content is to build a robust Web site that aggregates all the video content produced in the company, provides security for sensitive material, and provides a quick and easy system for users to locate content. Live content can be represented, as well as the large store of on-demand content. The site will serve as a virtual library, providing a way for users to actively participate in locating material. It will also serve as a portal for announcing and promoting new content and events. Fabrikam calls the site the “Media Guide.”