1. Digital Supply Chain Standards 101
LAES
July 17, 2019

2. Concepts we’ll cover Digital Supply Chain
Digital Supply Chain Alliance
Metadata
Common Metadata
Media Entertainment Core (MEC)
Avails/Title List
Asset Ordering and Delivery
Media Manifest/Media Manifest Core (MMC)
Asset Order, Asset Status, QC Vocabulary, Content Delivery Requirements (CDR)
API

3. MDDF Vision and Landscape

4. What do we mean by “Digital Supply Chain”?
Work is completed
Work is viewed

5. Unmanaged Supply Chain
Multiple Unique Deliverables/Workflows
Multiple Studios
Multiple Platforms

6. Inflight/Hospitality
Business-line view
Digital Cinema
Inflight/Hospitality
EST, PVOD
SVOD, AVOD
D2C
OTT
STUDIO
PLATFORM

7. Deliverables View – Data passed between parties
Business Terms
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
STUDIO
PLATFORM
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC

8. Combined View – lots of duplication
Digital Cinema
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
Business Terms
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC
Inflight/Hospitality
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
Business Terms
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC
EST,PVOD
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
Business Terms
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC
SVOD,AVOD
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
Business Terms
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC
D2C
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
Business Terms
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC
OTT
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
Business Terms
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC

9. The world today Inflight/Hospitality Inflight/Hospitality EST,PVOD
SVOD,AVOD
D2C
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
Business Terms
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC
Inflight/Hospitality
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
Business Terms
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC
Digital Cinema
Inflight/Hospitality
EST,PVOD
SVOD,AVOD
D2C
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
Business Terms
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC
EST,PVOD
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
Business Terms
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC
SVOD,AVOD
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
Business Terms
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC
OTT
Media Files
User-facing Metadata
Promotional Materials
Business Terms
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC

10. Goal
Through standardization, reduce the number and complexity of unique products exchanged between studios and platforms

11. Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC Promotional Materials
Vision
Workflows
Based on
Standards
Business Terms
User-facing Metadata
Media Files
Asset Ordering and Delivery, QC
Promotional Materials

12. Digital Supply Chain Alliance

13. Digital Supply Chain Alliance
The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG), Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) and MovieLabs joined forces to develop de facto digital supply chain standards to promote efficiency, enable new business models and improve consumer experience.

14. MovieLabs Digital Distribution Framework
(MDDF)

15. A solution must include…
Consensus of studios, retailers, streaming platforms, service providers, and more
Movies and TV
All license models: TVOD, SVOD, AVOD, and more
Internationalization/localization and accessibility
Support for organizations of all sizes
Practical technical solutions
Practical adoption roadmap (‘crawl-walk-run’)
Best Practices, tools (validators), examples, etc.
Complementary to other activities (e.g., IMF, EIDR)

16. MovieLabs Digital Distribution Framework (MDDF)

17. Defining Interfaces
MDDF is all about interfaces – what data goes between parties
We try to maintain as much implementation flexibility as possible

18. Key functions
Avails and Title List – Communicates licensing rights/agreements for xVOD (including SVOD)
Status – provides visibility to ensure content goes live when it should
Common Metadata/Media Entertainment Core (MEC) – User-facing metadata
Media Manifest/Media Manifest Core (MMC) – Ties everything together (e.g., trailers with features, bonus),
Asset Ordering/Asset Status/QC Report – tools to support media delivery

19. Focus on three interrelated initiatives
Supply Chain (MDDF)
Next Generation User Experience (CPE)

20. Types of specs Base Specs Core Specs Best Practices
XML schema with extensive written documentation
Common Metadata, Media Manifest, Avails
Core Specs
Defines uses of Core Specs around a class of use cases
Media Entertainment Core (MEC), Media Manifest Core (MCC), Cross- Platform Extras (CPE)
Best Practices
Additional guidance or recommendation on correct usage in specific circumstances
Encoding territories, matching language tags, HDR encoding, pre-sale experience, etc.

21. Specification Relationships

22. Sources of information
-- everything starts here
-- Cross-Platform Extras
-- videos that cover today’s topics and go into more depth
-- a variety of important best practices

23. Where to find the specs Base Specs, Core Specs and Best Practices
/md
/cpe
/md
/manifest
/mec
/mmc
/html
/manifest
/appdata
/appearance
Common Metadata
Common Media Manifest
Media Entertainment Core (MEC)
CPE-HTML
CPE-Manifest
CPE-AppData
Media Manifest Core (MMC)
CPE-Appearance
/avails
/delivery
/api
/profiles
/practices
/practices
Asset Ordering and Delivery
Best Practices
CPE Interactivity Profiles
CPE Best Practices (App and other)
Base Specs, Core Specs and Best Practices

24. Buy/Rent Language entitlements (Avails) Term (Avails)
Other entitlements
Metadata
(MEC)
Trailer
(MEC, MMC, Media)

25. Library page has virtually the same data
No more terms
Metadata
(MEC)
Feature
(MMC, Media)

26. Metadata

27. Metadata permeates everything
Common Metadata provides types for
Virtually every user-facing metadata object
Technical description of each media object
Supply Chain data
All other specs built on Common Metadata
Movies, TV, bundles, you name it
Internationalized
Ratings
Supports latest and greatest
HDR, VR, etc.
Broad usage
Basic Metadata
IDs
Language
Titles
Summaries
Cast
Genres
Ratings
Artwork
Length
Release history
Work type
Country of origin
Related content
Digital Asset Metadata
Video:
codec, bitrate, aspect ratio, color
Audio:
Codec, bitrate, channels, language
Subtitle:
Format, type, language
Supply Chain/Retail Data
Source
Contact info
Company Display Credit
Grouping
Title Alias

28. Common Ratings

29. Common Ratings
Definitive list and encoding of official rating systems worldwide
Covers all official rating systems worldwide (to the best of our knowledge)
Ensures there is only one way to encoding (e.g., “PG-13”, not “PG 13” or “PG13”)
In human-readable for (HTML) and computer-readable (XML) forms
Updated periodically

30. Looks like this (a lot more data below this)
Region
Type
Environ
System
Ratings
Notes & References
ARGENTINA
Film
Trailer
Theater
Broadcast
INCAA
ATP
SAM13
SAM16
SAM18 C
Web Site: 
URI:
Last verified:
AUSTRALIA
DVD
Game
Home
Retail
App
NCS G PG M
MA15
CTC
R18+
X18+ RC
Web Site: 
URI: TV
ACMA P
Web Site: 
URI:
Last verified:

31. Avails and Title List

32. Avails and Title Lists define assets and business terms

33. Entitlement Database+ Library Browse/Fulfill
Avails
Studio
Retailer
Avail
Buy/Rent
Metadata
Entitlement Database+
Fulfillment Metadata
Media Files
Library Browse/Fulfill

34. Buy/Rent Language entitlements (Avails) Term (Avails)
Other entitlements
Metadata
(MEC)
Trailer
(MEC, MMC, Media)

35. Title List Studio Platform Title List Metadata Fulfillment Metadata
Media Files
Browse/Fulfill

36. From an information perspective*…
Metadata
Avail/ Title List
Support Data
Business Terms
Buy/Acquire Buttons
(Avail Only)
Assets
Fulfillment Data
*Applies to both Excel and XML

37. Support Data Identification (ALID) Support Data Publisher Disposition
ShortDescription
Business Terms
Buy/Acquire Button
Assets
Support Data provides information for processing the Avail/Title List
Used by systems to properly process information
Used by humans to review and understand Avail/Title List

38. Asset Identification Title Release History Ratings Caption Runtime
Support Data
Business Terms
Identification
Title
Release History
Ratings
Caption
Runtime
Buy/Acquire Button
Assets
Provides information about Assets
Identification is most essential element of Asset definition
Metadata provides information to support
Rules (Ratings, captions)
Storefront (Runtime, Title)
NOTE: Storefront metadata comes from other sources referenced by Identifier

39. Business Terms Business Terms OFFER License Type (EST, POEST, SVOD, …)
Region
Dates/Times
Start/End
Suppression Lift
Preorder
Languages
Format Profile (SD/HD/UHD, HDR, etc.)
Business Terms
Support Data
Buy/Acquire Button
Assets
OTHER TERMS (mostly Avail-only)
Price terms
Price Type
Price Value (including currency)
Other prices
Rental Terms
Contract reference
Reporting …!
Business terms exist for each applicable permutation of region, time/window, format and pricing.
In Avails, each set of business terms generally corresponds with a “Buy” or “Get” button

40. Fulfillment

41. Entitlement Database+ Library Browse/Fulfill
Fulfillment TVOD
Studio
Retailer
Avail
Buy/Rent
Metadata
Entitlement Database+
Fulfillment Metadata
Media Files
Library Browse/Fulfill

42. Fulfillment SVOD, AVOD, IFE, etc.
Studio
Platform
Title List
Metadata
Fulfillment Metadata
Media Files
Browse/Fulfill

43. Media Manifest
Media Manifest is part of the metadata delivered with media

44. Typical Fulfillment Page incorporates MEC, MMC
No more terms
Metadata
(MEC)
Feature
(MMC, Media)

45. Advanced interfaces use Media Manifest and CPE
Increasing engagement (with any business model) requires moving beyond the simple “product page”

46. Asset Ordering and Delivery specs
A wide range of delivery workflows supported
Pick the pieces that work for your workflow

47. Fulfillment: Media Manifest, MMC

48. The Big Idea
Media Manifest expresses relationships between media objects
Relating movies to trailers, bonus to movies, movies to movies, etc.
Mapping a full user experience down to individual media components
Media Manifest is useful virtually anywhere because relationships are independent of
media type (e.g., TV vs. Movie)
business model (SVOD vs. TVOD)
product structure (e.g., with or without bonus)
We are unaware of anything else that does this

49. A few nuts and bolts
Media Manifest is a ‘base specification’ from which other specifications are built
Fully compatible with Common Metadata, EIDR, etc.
Media Manifest Core (MMC) delivery spec, and Cross-Platform Extras (CPE) interactivity are constrained uses of Media Manifest
Fully Internationalized
Based on a series of abstractions

50. Essence (media files)
Media Manifest doesn’t care what the essence is as long as it can reference it (filename, track number, etc.)
Key objects
Media Tracks: Audio, video, timed/text, subtitles, auxiliary tracks, VARM tracks, etc.
Images
Apps (of any form)
Text objects

51. Inventory of all media objects (components)
This abstraction layer isolates the concepts of a ‘track’ (French 7.1 audio), ‘image’ (Hero art #3), or ‘app’ (mapping) from the media file
Allows applications or products to be designed independently from what media files show up
Only the Inventory worries about where media can actually be found
Media can be delivered once and referenced from multiple Manifests
Supports component-based delivery

52. Grouping things that belong together
Presentation: Tracks that can and should play together (conformed)
Picture Group: Related images
App Group: Apps that do perform same function, but in different evironments
Text Group: Related Text

53. Sequencing
Playable Sequence of video and/or image (e.g., dub cards, ad insertion, etc.)

54. Experience and Timed Events

55. Experience Most powerful construct of Media Manifest
Organizes content in a user-visible way (e.g.) movie, trailer, bonus
Supports Language-specific, Territory-specific and Pre-sale user experience; e.g.,
Territory-specific episode sequencing
Bonus teasers in pre-sale
Supports construction of content navigation (more under interactivity later)

56. Organizes Content Movie with Trailers
Experience organization defines interrelationships
Extremely general—supports most anything (maybe everything)

57. Organizes Content
Movie with
Trailers, Gallery, Featurette,
Game, etc.

58. Organizes Content
TV Series

59. Organizes Content
TV Series with
Galleries, Featurettes, etc.

60. Timed Events
Allows virtually anything to be attached to a Presentation timeline (mostly for interactivity/bonus)
Some examples
Previz sync’d with final
Timeframe of deleted scene
Shooting Location
Actors in scene
Trivia pop-ups
Merchandise associated with scene
Game related to scene

61. Fulfillment: Media Manifest Core (MMC)

62. Media Manifest Core (MMC)
Specific use cases and examples for movies and TV delivery
Based on Media Manifest
Handles simple cases simply, but also supports advanced use cases as needed
Handles features/episodes, trailers, bonus, windows, internationalization, etc.
Compatible with any media file delivery format and method

63. Avails connect directly to Media Manifest
Avails connect to Media Manifest by mapping ALID to Experiences
Avail can assert additional control over what is delivered (e.g., limiting language)
Mapping can be window-specific (e.g., different pre-order or pre-sale experience)

64. Media Manifest Connects Everything
Region specific (anti-piracy)
and language specific (dub)
Cards, without main video redelivery
Track offerings can be
as simple or complex
as desired
Features,
Trailers,
Bonus
Fully described
Media delivered
any way you’d like,
once

65. Thoughts on Media Manifest for Delivery
Efficient – Media files can be delivered once, regardless of how often they are used (“component-based”)
Includes features for real-life ingestion cases (subs and dubs, incremental deliveries, transcoding hints)
Start simple with room to grow
Media Manifest Core (MMC) spec supports basic use cases
More advanced use cases already defined so growth paths supported
Ultimate expression is Cross-Platform Extras (CPE)

66. Fulfillment: Cross-Platform Extras (CPE)

67. Cross-Platform Extras (CPE)
Specification designed to support interactive applications, independent of UI design
Uses same Media Manifest spec as used for delivery—same XML schema

68. CPE-Manifest Workflow
Standard
Playback
Environment
Content Provider
Retailer
CPE
Manifest
Preprocessor
Application Data
Optional
Style
Player Files
Content Streaming

69. 10’ Product page
Merchandising on Product Page & Enhanced Artwork Background 1
“Enhanced” Call-out Bug 2 2
Quick Link to all Extras 3 3 1

70. 10’ Experience 1 1 2 2 Extras Browsing & Access Page
Synched Experience 2 2

71. Mobile Experience

72. Synced Features That Matter
Actor info: Bio, filmography, gallery 1 2
Scene location: map views, area gallery 2 3 3
Scene trivia: bite-sized for a quick read 1 4
Deleted scenes 4 5 5
Scene gallery 6
Prioritize Impact of Connect + Play + Create.
Identify Which Existing Or Planned Services Are Greatest Threat 6
Shop the scene

73. CPE-Manifest – UI Driven by Data
Traditional Extras
plus Apps
Each box is an “Experience”
Main title
Time Sync’d Data
HTML apps can be embedded for devices that support HTML

74. Fulfillment: Asset Ordering and Delivery

75. Identifiers identify things and are used to connect them
Art of identifiers is understanding exactly what you’re identifying
EIDR is a content identifier.
EIDR should always be used for identifying content
EIDR great for connecting workflows
ALID (logical asset ID) is used to identify entitlements.
Entitlements are based on content so ALIDs can often, but not always, be derived from EIDR
Metadata
Fulfillment Metadata
Avail
Media Files

76. Identifier: ALID and EIDR

77. EIDR (Entertainment IDentifier Registry)
EIDR identifies content
A single, globally-unique identifier instance for everything that needs to be identified or disambiguated
The nature of the identified content differs depending on context (Collection, Abstraction, Edit, Manifestation)
Unique EIDR Identifiers unambiguously distinguish each object
Abstraction EIDR
Edit EIDR
Manifestation EIDR
Feature
(Theatrical Edit)
(EST HD)
(Director’s Cut)
(EST UHD)
(Censorship Edit)
Trailer 1
IsPromotionOf
Light Weight Relationship (LWR)

78. EIDR identifier encoding
EIDR content IDs look like this
Based on ISO Standard: Digital Object Identifier (DOI - ISO 26324:2012)
EIDR identifiers can be encoded other ways (e.g., URN, short, extended, etc.)
e.g., urn:eidr: :xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-c
EIDR can be embedded in other IDs
e.g., md:alid:eidr-s:xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxx-xxxx-xxxx-c
EIDR can be extended to identify related objects via the EIDR+ format
e.g., :xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-c-12345
The identifier Registry ensures EIDR IDs are unique
Resolve an ID at dx.doi.org / Search the EIDR Registry at ui.eidr.org
/ XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-C
Standard DOI prefix
for EIDR Content IDs
Unique suffix
for each asset
Check
character

79. EIDR in use EIDR is the best alternative to manual title matching.
This makes EIDR particularly suitable for connecting systems that weren’t originally designed to connect (in an automated fashion)
EIDR Content identifiers identify content; not everything is content
Although most everything we deal with relates to content, EIDR Content IDs are specific to content. Items related directly to content (e.g., ALID) can be identified via EIDR+. Unrelated items require a different identifier.
It’s useful to carry EIDR in avails, metadata, and other objects even when other identifiers are primary. This is particularly important for QC.
A separate EIDR ID space (with a different DOI prefix) identifies video services/delivery channels (broadcast, cable, satellite, VOD, etc.):
e.g., /FA or /EE82-FEB2

80. ALID Concept ALID = Logical Asset ID
Identification for all assets (single or set) associated with an entitlement
Single objects (movie, TV, short, etc.)
Internally grouped objects (season, miniseries, etc.)
Arbitrarily group objects (referenced recursively using ID)
Fulfillment associated with ALID can be defined in MMC or CPE

81. Key elements of an Avail
Assets
Business Terms
Buy/Acquire Button
Support Data
Fulfillment
(MMC)
ALID

82. Entitlement Database+ Library Browse/Fulfill
Fulfillment TVOD
Studio
Retailer
Avail
Buy/Rent
Metadata
Entitlement Database+
Fulfillment Metadata
Media Files
Library Browse/Fulfill
ALID
ALID

83. Fulfillment SVOD, AVOD, IFE, etc.
Studio
Platform
Title List
Metadata
Fulfillment Metadata
ALID
Media Files
Browse/Fulfill
ALID

84. ALID in Avails
XML

85. ALID in Manifest

86. ALID between Avails and Manifest

87. ALID Key Principles
Entitlement must correspond exactly with what studio is entitling
ID scheme must allow Entitlements to be as specific or non-specific as required
Must accommodate wherever studios are now, while providing path forward to best practices
Entitlement generally consists of the following:
ALID – references what (ideally defined in MMC or CPE)
Media Profile (SD, HD, UHD, etc.)
Window/Timeframe
Territory – where

88. Products/Entitlements
Decomposition
Scope
Entitlement* could be almost anything
“Star Trek TOS Movie Bundle”, movie only, any edit, any language
US Theatrical Edits, any language
English-only
English-only, any edit
“Star Trek, The Search for Spock”, any edit, any language
US Theatrical Edit
“Star Trek, The Search for Spock”, with bonus, any edit, any language
Arbitrary Collection (e.g., Bundle)
Feature-only
Intrinsic Collection (e.g., Season)
Bonus
(audiovisual, games/apps, etc.)
Feature
(Movie, TV)
Static/Evolving
(new episodes, fresh content)
Feature Edits
*Terms “Product” and “Entitlement” are used informally here. The intuitive definition is “What the consumer gets”, but
not when or for how much.
Informality is addressed later.
Edit Variants
(i.e., language)

89. ALID proxy for all assets associated with Avail
Movie/TV
(all edits)
Movie/TV
(particular edit)
With Bonus
Without Bonus
Season
Bundle
“Logical Asset”

90. Product Decomposition and EIDR
Arbitrary Collection (e.g., Bundle)
Abstraction/Compilation
Intrinsic Collection (e.g., Season)
Abstraction/Series
Abstraction/Season
Abstraction
Feature, Episode
(Movie, TV)
Abstraction/TV
Abstraction/Movie
Abstraction/Supplemental
Feature Edits
Performance/TV
Performance/Movie
Performance/Supplemental
Performance or Edit
Manifestation/TV
Manifestation/Movie
Manifestation/Supplemental
Edit Variants
(i.e., language)
Manifestation
Encodes are also Manifestations, but probably not Avail’d

91. Product Scope and EIDR
EIDR can do this, but that would require registry of every permutation
EIDR-x is used to create identifiers based on EIDRs that have additional properties; e.g.,
EIDR-s
md:alid:eidr-s: D5-9D24-CC5F-H
EIDR-x
md:alid:eidr-x: D5-9D24-CC5F-H:with_bonus
md:alid:eidr-x: D5-9D24-CC5F-H:no_bonus
Feature-only
Bonus
(audiovisual, games/apps, etc.)
Static/Evolving
(new episodes, fresh content)

92. Manifest/MMC Delivery and CPE
Avail
Preferred
Media Manifest (MMC)
CPE-Manifest
ALID
ALIDExperienceMap
ALIDExperienceMap
ContentID
Avail/Asset
Experience
Experience
Metadata
(MEC)
Presentation
Presentation
Media
Inventory
Inventory
Transitional
Workflows
(Delivery/Ingestion)

93. Asset Ordering and Delivery

94. Asset Ordering and Delivery and MDDF
Addressing workflows and data associated with the ordering process (purple lines)
Complementary to Avails, MMC, MEC, Reporting and other MDDF data
Not addressing media file formats (out of scope)

95. Progress Summary
Chartered to address data exchanged in asset ordering and delivery
Created workflow model
Drafted Content Delivery Requirements
Established general model for referencing content (both physical and abstract)
Drafts of
Asset Order
Asset Status Manifest
QC Report
Product Status
Spun off three topics to Avails WG: Avails Status, Avails Defaults and Avails Confirmation
Currently focused on Product Status and QC Report

96. Model represents multiple superimposed workflows
Avail or Title List – defines license
Acknowledgement of agreement
(Avails only)
MEC/MMC/CPE
Audio, video, images, etc.
(in whatever form is agreed upon)
Anomaly reports
Detailed Asset Status

97. Simple example Avail or Title List – defines license
Acknowledgement of agreement
(Avails only)
MEC/MMC/CPE
Audio, video, images, etc.
(in whatever form is agreed upon)
Anomaly reports

98. Another example Avail or Title List – defines license
Request for asssets
(can be very general)
MEC/MMC/CPE
Audio, video, images, etc.
(in whatever form is agreed upon)
Anomaly reports
Detailed Asset Status

99. API

100. Digital Supply Chain API
MDDF API Concept
Studios and vendors
Retailers and vendors
Avails
Orders
Exceptions
Status
Reports
Digital Supply Chain API
Media Manifest Core, Asset Status (delivery)
Media Entertainment Core
(metadata)
Cross-Platform Extras
(interactivity)
Security Framework (Authorization, Authentication, Confidentiality, Auditing, etc.)

101. Conclusion and Next Steps (discussion)

102. Thank You!

103. BACKUP SLIDES