thePlatform Showcases New Release of Media Publishing System & Previews Windows Media Video HD Download Manager at NAB 2005
Films Media Group Join List of Leading Customers Who Select thePlatform
Press Release, April 18, 2005
SEATTLE, WA. thePlatform, a leading provider of digital audio and video publishing solutions, announced today the release of thePlatform Media Publishing System (MPS) 5.0. thePlatform MPS is the most comprehensive digital media publishing solution, enabling content owners, aggregators, and enterprises to manage their digital media content once, and deliver it anywhere. At NAB, thePlatform will show significant enhancements for digital media content management and publishing, and will preview a Windows Media Video 9 (Microsoft's implementation of VC-1, the proposed SMPTE standard) HD-based client-side download manager that enables content owners and service providers to deliver video via subscriptions with their own branding and content offerings.
Films Media Group is the one of the latest customers to select MPS. "thePlatform's Media Publishing System offers us the tools to effectively manage our vast library of digital video content," said Frank Harms, executive vice president of marketing and sales at Films Media Group, the leading source of educational media products in North America. "MPS allows us to make our high quality videos available online for our customers to view quickly and easily, while providing a way to monitor usage and ensure security of our number one asset -- our content."
MPS 5.0 includes many new features for enhanced publishing workflows and compliance scenarios. Key features include:
Notifications. When updates to media are made in MPS, the application can now automatically communicate these changes to external systems, such as third party asset management tools or compliance recording systems. This further helps automate publishing workflows.
Customizable Permissions. Customers' account administrators now have fine-grained control over how media managers work with media files and MPS features.
Content Restrictions. Content owners have an additional level of control over the time window during which media can be made available to end-users, as well as the permitted methods of delivery, and access control enforcement. For example, content can be streamed or downloaded for a period of one month from air date, but only when protected with Windows Media DRM.
Enhanced QuickTime file support. QuickTime files are automatically verified and metadata is extracted upon upload.
"We are continually innovating and extending our comprehensive media publishing solution so we can help enable the vision of manage once, deliver anywhere," said Ian Blaine, co-founder, president and CEO of thePlatform.
In addition to improvements in the MPS core, thePlatform announced two new add-ins to the system. The Remote Media Processor (RMP) allows processor and bandwidth intensive tasks such as file transfer, verification, and digital rights management (DRM) packaging to happen behind client firewalls. Customers can utilize MPS as an application service (ASP), an internal deployment behind their firewalls, and now in hybrid scenarios via the RMP.
The most exciting new component is the MPS Download Media Manager (DMM). The MPS DMM is thePlatform's "white-label" client-side application that enables content owners, aggregators, and distributors to offer a customized, turnkey end-user video service that reflects their own branding. The DMM enables end-users to manage and download more secure, personalized digital media to PCs and devices via subscriptions. It provides the ultimate in end-user control, and is tightly integrated with thePlatform MPS. The DMM has been designed to handle WMV9 (VC-1) -formatted widescreen (16:9) content streams or downloads from premium content providers using Windows Media DRM 10. thePlatform will showcase the first public preview of the DMM at NAB.
"With the unveiling of MPS Download Media Manager, thePlatform continues their tradition of providing innovative solutions for video delivery," said Kevin Unangst, director of the Windows Digital Media Division at Microsoft Corp. "Their support of Windows Media high definition content will ensure service providers are ready for the ever-increasing demand for digital media delivery to PC's and devices."
Attendees of the annual National Association of Broadcasters convention (April 18-21) will be able to experience the new MPS features first-hand at thePlatform's booth, SL 3322 and in the Microsoft/NAB Digital Media Theater, SL 332.
About thePlatform
Headquartered in Seattle, thePlatform For Media, Inc. is an industry-leading provider of digital media publishing solutions. The company's flagship product, thePlatform Media Publishing System (MPS), is a comprehensive solution for media, entertainment and enterprise customers. With thePlatform MPS, customers can publish digital media to any device. Custom feature enhancements and seamless systems integration are a simple matter using thePlatform's the Web services MPS-SDK. For more information visit www.theplatform.com.