Creating a Specification for the Media Guide

The Media Guide Web site will be the main portal that Fabrikam employees can use to access the rich store of on-demand and live content available to them. The Media department will develop the site, and will be responsible for design changes and updates. Production assistants working with the production scheduling team will maintain the content and manage daily operation of the site. Because the site will be run by production people who are not Web designers, it needs to be easy to update and require low maintenance.

The Media Guide will include the following minimum functionality:

• On-demand content list, search, and links. Users will be able to locate on-demand content by browsing for Windows Media files and Producer presentations in a hierarchical list view or by performing a keyword search. When users locate the content they want to view, they can click the link on the page to start playing the content.

• Live content calendar, search, and links. Users will be able to locate a broadcast by browsing through a calendar or by performing a keyword search. Users can click the link to view the event (or a lobby page if the event hasn’t begun).

• Announcements. Production assistants will be able to add or edit announcements, which will appear on the Media Guide home page. For example, the announcement feature can be used to promote a special live event or on-demand file, such as a speech by the CEO, or give users special instructions or information.

• Information. The guide will provide users with additional information. One immediate use for the information feature is a help system, which will describe how to use the site. The Producer mini-studio documentation will also be included, as well as instructions on how to schedule live events and production resources. They may also produce a video guide using Producer.

• Production requests. Employees can use the site to request production resources. Online forms will be used to collect information. The information can then be used to book time in the studio or remote production assistance. Users can also request live event coverage and to have their on-demand content made available on the site.

• Content upload. Site administrators will have access to the Media Guide admin-istration site. From this location, they can configure the site and upload files.

• Windows Media Player downloads. The Media Guide will also serve as the primary location from which users can download and install Windows Media Player. The company can use the Enterprise Deployment Pack to create a custom Player download package. This allows Fabrikam to configure the Player to take advantage of features such as progressive download of content and faster seeking within videos. They can also use this functionality to pre-install codecs. The IT department will create the package and host it on the Media Guide site. The package will ensure that everyone in the company has the same version of the Player, and that it is configured properly.