Movie Rentals

The primary business of the Contoso Movies Online site is renting movies. End users come to the site, select a movie they want to view, pay for the rental, and then either download or stream the movie with Windows Media Player.

The Contoso team decided early on that they would strive to provide the best user experience. To that end, they decided to use Windows Media 9 Series throughout their process. With Windows Media 9 Series Audio and Video codecs, the playback quality can exceed that of VHS, and can approach DVD quality, depending on the bit rate of the encoded movie. In addition to the codecs, Windows Media 9 Series features help ensure a high-quality stream, and Windows Media Rights Manager provides the necessary security. By encrypting the movie files, the online movies team can be confident that users will not be able to view them without paying.

After the end user enters valid payment information, a Windows Media Rights Manager license is downloaded. Then, when the Player accesses the movie file, either by streaming it from the server or playing it locally after it has been downloaded, the Player searches the computer for a valid license. If a valid license exists, the Player can begin rendering the movie.

In order for a license to be valid, a number of parameters in the license must match those in the encrypted file. Also, the license can only be used on the computer for which it was issued. If a user copies the Windows Media file to another computer, it will not play unless the user on that computer pays for another license. In addition, the times and dates must be valid.

The Contoso Movies Online site will place a time limit of 48 hours on the rentals. After that time, the license will expire. An end user can keep a downloaded movie without a license, or copy it and give it to friends. But if he or a friend attempts to play the file, Windows Media Player will automatically take him to the Contoso Movies Online site where he can pay the rental fee again and receive a new license.

To implement movie rentals on the site, we will need the following components:

• Encrypted movie files

• Windows Media hosting service

• E-commerce system

• License service provider

Encrypted Movie Files

As a movie is being encoded as a Windows Media file, it will also be encrypted. The encrypted file behaves just like any other file. For example, you can copy, move, rename, or download it. The only thing you cannot do is play it unless the computer you are playing it on has a valid license.

Windows Media Hosting Service

All movies on the site will be available for download or streaming. Files created for download will be hosted on a Web server, and streamed files will be hosted on a Windows Media server.

E-commerce System

After a user chooses to download or stream a movie, user information (such as a credit card number and e-mail address) will be gathered and processed through an e-commerce system. Such a system includes Web pages and software to communicate with the user and handle the purchase process, and a secure database that holds customer account information. The system will hook into third-party systems that authorize the purchase, adjust the user’s account balance, and issue payments to Contoso. At the end of the e-commerce process, the system returns authorization information to the license provider or informs the user that payment has been denied.

Licensing Service Provider

During the encoding process, licensing information is entered into a license database owned or run by the license provider. Then, when an end user requests a license, the information is retrieved and used by a license server to generate a license. A business can maintain their own license server or contract with a third party. In our scenario, Contoso Movies Online will contract with a license service provider. To implement a license server, you need the Windows Media Rights Manager 9 Series Software Development Kit (SDK) and the Windows Media Encoder 9 Series SDK. You also need expertise in creating Web-based applications.

Running their own license server would give Contoso more direct control over the licensing process, but it would require extra staff to maintain the database and license properties for each movie title. At this early stage in the life of the company, it is more cost-effective to contract with a service to handle licensing. As the business grows, the licensing process can be brought internally by expanding the title acquisition team.

In this scenario, the license will be sent to an end user prior to downloading or streaming the content, so the end user is not even aware of the license process. If an end user attempts to play a downloaded file after the license has expired or on another computer, the Player opens the user’s browser to a license acquisition URL, which is contained in the encrypted file. At that point, the user can choose whether to rent the movie again. In this scenario, the URL will point to a rental page on the Contoso Movies Online site. When the rental process starts, e-commerce and licensing processes will be initiated to fulfill the purchase.