Question:

The current approach assumes that AXMEDIS would constitute the foundation of automated content and metadata production as well as digital rights management. If adopted, this would be a major contribution. Other strategies such as interoperability with other DRM systems needs also to be considered.

Answer:

Yes we agree. Regarding DRM interoperability AXMEDIS is strongly supports it. AXMEDIS support both MPEG-21 and OMA as DRM. The AXMEDIS content processing platform for automated content production, protection and multichannel distribution is completely DRM agnostic. Multiple channels and DRM can be freely used.

Question:

AXMEDIS is adopting, more or less all the major available, proposed and de facto standards. By doing this, it doesn’t provide an effective contribution to standardization processes. Moreover the above mentioned huge number of standards makes the architecture very complex and difficult to be adopted.

Answer:

AXMEDIS is scalable, depending on your application you can take only what you need. For example you can create a media player without MPEG-4, you can create a solution for the automated content production without MPEG-21, etc.

AXMEDIS is NOT ONLY MPEG-21 content and tools. AXMEDIS is:

Question:

What about the usage of the MXF format.

Answer:

In short time, it would be possible to reach MXF files and convert them in AXMEDIS/MPEG-21 objects automatically, including synchronizations. The MXF is an interchange format mainly. The AXMEDIS format is MPEG-21 and can be used as interchange and delivering format. In fact, the AXMEDIS/MPEG-21 format support DRM and protection. MXF does not support the DRM at all.

In addition,

• an AXMEDIS object may include a MXF file while the opposite is not possible.

• any MXF format/file can be converted into an AXMEDIS/MPEG-21 object, while the opposite is not possible

Question:

What about at the DRM content where the license had been lost?

Answer:

There is not problem if the license is lost for a content in the AXMEDIS based DRM. The license is in the hands/device of the final user if the license is stored into the local secure cache to allow using the content without an on-line connection. If the license stored locally is lost a new instance of the same license is obtained at the next connection. In fact, the DRM license is hosted in the AXMEDIS PMS (a licensing server). The licensing servers can be connected each other to create fault tolerant, high performance servers. In any case the license can be reissued identically to the initial license from the distributor according to its data.

Question:

In the last years digital media industry has evolved significantly and I would have preferred to see more reference to new models of content production and distribution that are evolving. In particular the trend towards user-generated content deserved more attention. How AXMEDIS technology could be used to exploit such activities would have given the tutorials a more cutting edge feel.

Answer:

AXMEDIS framework can be easily exploited to create a solution for collecting content from final user and automatically redistribute it on multichannel such as P2P, satellite, internet, etc.

In effect this kind of application has been already developed by and Affiliated partner of AXMEDIS, that is SIAE. The solution is also accessible into the AXMEDIS Framework.

What will happen at the AXMEDIS framework and tools after the end of the AXMEDIS project in the August 2008?

Answer:

The AXMEDIS framework is accessible in Open Source or via the Affiliation as stated above. After the conclusion of the project phase of AXMEDIS, the AXMEDIS consortium plus the affiliated partners will be invited to make a joint venture. The costs of using the AXMEDIS framework and its access would not going to change for the partners that would be Affiliated before the August 2008, even after the establishing of the joint venture. If the group of partners (that is now comprised of more than 35 entities) will fail to set up a joint venture, the whole AXMEDIS Framework will become Open Source even for industries and business partners.

Question:

Which is the business model of AXMEDIS ?

Answer:

The AXMEDIS framework is accessible via the Affiliation. The affiliation costs 5000 Euro per year. The affiliation allows you to access at the AXMEDIS Framework source code. The whole source code of AXMEDIS is open source for non profit organization, while it is accessible for industries via the Affiliation. The Affiliation does not include the payment of patent licensing. All the innovations introduced by AXMEDIS are not covered by patents, while some formats are covered by third party patents. For example the MPEG-4 player into AXMEDIS player is covered by patent, but the image, video and audio players not. The AXCP platform is not covered by patents, etc.

AXMEDIS partners are interested in helping any other partners that would like to joint the consortium with the Affiliation Programme. Some companies and research centers involved in AXMEDIS are at the disposal of new Affiliated partners that would like to establish some new project. The affiliation can be paid only by signing an official Affiliation Agreement with an Active Core Partner of AXMEDIS. They are spread in all the Europe, you can have the list from the AXMEDIS portal and from the coordinator This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Question:

One slight risk is on the decline in use of DRM (i.e., an acceptance of non-DRM formats by content owners) may diminish the perceived value of the project. Many record labels are experimenting with non-DRM formats and some analysts see this as the future of digital content.

Answer:

AXMEDIS is NOT ONLY focused on DRM content. AXMEDIS is:

Question:

One of the objectives of AXMEDIS is to reduce the cost of content creation and distribution. Although this may provide a long-term increase in the profit margin available to content owners, distributors and retailers, it is at the expense of what could possibly be a significant technology investment and carries a high risk of arriving too late to market.

Answer:

This is not true. Since AXMEDIS provides the reduction in the automatisation of content production, protection and distribution disregarding the content formatting and DRM. The reduction of costs and the automatisation is obtained by using the AXCP that is not constrained to the MPEG-21 technology and that is not constrained to provide huge investment. The AXMEDIS AXCP is a ready to use technology with a very low investment for its exploitation.

Question:

The use of peer to peer technology at a B2B level may attract significant cultural resistance from content owners, who (rightly or wrongly) associate it with a lack of control over who can access their content.

Answer:

From our point of view the P2P is only a modality of distributing content. The control is into the DRM model. The concept that the P2P may lead to the lack of control depends on the false believe that is derived from the usage of the CAS (Conditional Access System). Today the CAS technology is not any more valid and it is becoming rapidly obsolete. In the P2P you cannot control the access so that the CAS has no sense for P2P. In many cases, the industries see the CAS as the only solution to protect their content.

The advantage of using the P2P is to see the content distributed and shared in the network without the involvement of distributor server for the same amount of bytes. This is an advantage for the distributor. If the content is protected there is no risk of losing the control since the users can download the content from P2P but cannot use them without license. So that they will be interested in getting a license from the distributor to open the content and play it.

Thus, it has no sense to protect the access if you would like to have superdistribution, that is to involve the end users in the content distribution and sharing of content for you.

With AXMEDIS you have superdistribution, content protection, P2P control and monitoring and thus you have only the advantages of all solutions.