Years ago, content meant word processing files, spreadsheet documents, or other text-based documents. However, more recently content can include formats such as video and audio files. Unlike text-based files that are relatively small at 100KB or 250KB, audio and video files run from 35MB or even into the hundreds of megabytes in size. With the amount of storage demanded by these types of files, organizations can no longer simply place these files on file servers for users to access and save. The files need to be stored and managed by media servers, where the bandwidth demands are controlled to minimize overtaxing the bandwidth availability of the organization's network. Microsoft provides a series of tools to help users and administrators manage video and audio content. For the server component, the Microsoft Windows Media Service that comes with Windows Server 2003 provides an organization with the capability to capture and publish video and audio content. Microsoft provides two major tools, both of which are freely downloadable, that perform media conversion (Windows Media Encoder) as well as content customization for presentations (Microsoft Producer for PowerPoint 2003). This chapter covers both the server component of Windows Media Services, as well as the downloadable tools that provide editing and publishing support for users and administrators. |