Automating Production of Cross Media Content
for Multi-channel Distribution

AXMEDIS aims to meet the challenges of market demand by (i) reducing costs for content production and management by applying Artificial Intelligence techniques to content creation, representation (format) and workflow; ( ii) reducing distribution and aggregation costs in order to increase accessibility with a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) platform at Business-to-Business (B2B) level, which can integrate content management systems and workflows; (iii) developing and providing new methods and tools for innovative and flexible Digital Rights Management (DRM), including the exploitation of MPEG-21 and overcoming its limitations, and supporting different business and transaction models.

The AXMEDIS consortium (consisting of leading European digital content producers, integrators, distributors and researchers) is to create the AXMEDIS framework to provide innovative methods and tools to speed up and optimise content production and distribution, for production-on-demand, for leisure, entertainment and digital content valorisation and exploitation in general. The AXMEDIS format can include any other formats and it can exploit and expand MPEG-4, MPEG-7, MPEG-21, as well as other de facto standards.

AXMEDIS is to organise and realise several demonstrators, which are managed by the project partners, to bring different types of digital contents (such as music, video/film, educational materials, documents, images, programmes, etc) via different distribution channels (such as the Internet, mobiles, PDA, PC, i-TV, satellite, etc). These demonstrations will further highlight the innovative results from the AXMEDIS platform in a variety of activities including content production, automated formatting and distribution (protected or unprotected), via i-TV, mobiles, kiosks, Internet for PC through mechanisms of Business-to-Consumer (B2C, Client Server) and Peer-to-Peer (P2P). Furthermore, the AXMEDIS platform, AXEPTool, will be developed to distribute P2P protected contents at B2B level. At a later stage, the AXMEDIS consortium will grant the sum of 1 million Euro to companies and research institutions interested in developing real solutions by exploiting AXMEDIS technologies (this is referred to as take up actions).

It is easy and beneficial for all to gain access to the AXMEDIS technologies. Some didactic events will be organised to provide better understanding of the AXMEDIS technologies with further information about the potentialities of AXMEDIS. Business delegates could attend these events so as to take part in the project and bring AXMEDIS technologies to their company. Special trainning sessions and courses will be held for managers, content managers, content producers and integrators, and digital content distributors. Workshops and courses will be organised in several venues in Europe. To provide better understanding of the new solutions, AXMEDIS is providing a forum for discussion, with technologiests and experts who are ready to assist with any AXMEDIS related problems and concerns. Futhermore, with the AXMEDIS portal, access is provided to a substaintial pool of information and examples of technical solutions, digital contents, software components and systems, which are provided by the project partners from the very beginning of the project (mainly in Open Source, but also including some proprietary formats). For further information on how to join AXMEDIS, please visit the website at www.axmedis.org.

Technical Objectives and Further Details

The main objectives of the AXMEDIS project are:

• To reduce the costs of cross media (Multi-media) production by accelerating the production process with Artificial Intelligence techniques for:
  • identifying possible solutions to increase efficiency in content production, together with the validation of such solutions;
  • composing, integrating, synchronising, indexing, aggregating and formatting digital contents, according to simple rules or complex styles;
  • defining and activating automatic rules or customised ones, in order to compose, integrate, synchronise, index, aggregate and format digital contents;
  • integrating computer systems for content management (Content Management System, CMS) with the distribution system and the workflow management by automating the communication of content and information between the two systems;
  • Managing the workflow, both internally and externally, for the production of digital contents;
  • By automating this process, the realisation of on demand content production will become possible, in real time and upon request;
  • Protecting and controlling the use of digital contents, in a scheduled and automated manner;
  • Supporting the standardisation process and contributing to the development of MPEG21.
  With the "automatic content" and on-demand production approaches, it is estimated that the reduction of production costs will be around 30%. It is expected that the AXMEDIS solutions will be adopted by producers, aggregators and distributors with recognised, well known expertise and background.
• To reduce the costs of cross media distribution at the Business-to-Business (B2B) level (e.g. among editors, content producers, aggregators and digital content distributors, small and independent market actors, professional organisation, companies for Digital Right Management, etc.), as well as, at the Business-to-Consumer (B2C) level (e.g. between distributor and end-user). This is to be achieved through:
  • an infrastructure for distribution at B2B level. The distribution platform is based on a more complex model of P2P (Peer to Peer) (being supported by a set of software instruments and a front-end called AXEPTool). The platform could grant the distribution and exchange of digital contents in a verified form. AXMEDIS with its AXEPTool is the ideal environment for activities like research, integration and production of complex digital contents.
  • content distribution for the general public (B2C) through a multi channel system such as i-TV, Internet, mobiles, PDA, kiosks, P2P, etc.
  • quick and easy access to cross media collections and related technical information for the commercial exploitation of contents, including format information, legal information, Digital Rights Management (DRM), costs, accessibility, integrative, capability (integrability) etc.
  • access to trial versions of digital contents for demonstration and/or promotional purposes and for testing their usage with other digital products.
  • defining models for the production and the automatic re-distribution of contents.
  • managing and monitoring of workflow using the AXMEDIS Workflow Management tool, related to the contents within the AXMEDIS environment.
  Each and every actor in the production and distribution chain (value chain) of digital contents can benefit from taking part in the management and sharing of contents through the AXMEDIS AXEPTool.
• To search for and integrate objects and components through a query support system using technical parameters such as costs, licence type, file type, duration, format, watermark, fingerprint, language, the level of protection provided, content information, classical metadata, etc. Research can be integrated within the following areas:
  • client content management systems (CMS);
  • AXMEDIS complex objects;
  • client archives made of AXMEDIS objects;
  • archives of AXMEDIS objects belonging to project partners and being connected to one another via the AXEPTool;
  • a part of the client AXMEDIS objects' archive, being made available to end-users for content on demand.
• To manage and monitor distribution through
  • Formal models of contracts in terms of Digital Rights Management (DRM), using MPEG-21 or some other possible AXMEDIS evolution; content exploitation reporting in an integrated way, always consistent with the client models;
  • Digital material protection through DRM models and their integrative capability (for instance: MPEG-21, ODRL, Windows Media, etc.), using techniques such as watermarking, encryption, fingerprinting, etc.;
  • Continuous tracing of any operation performed on contents (for example: printing, copies, play, etc.), regardless of the distribution model used, and yet integrated within it, based on markers and control engines, to understand better how such AXMEDIS contents are being used by others;
  • Registration and certification of distribution and fruition tools, monitoring the access to the contents, watermarking models and encryption systems, integrated within all distribution models.
  The AXMEDIS objectives are to be achieved by producing and integrating research results, algorithms and tools for content production and distribution, thus supporting the adoption of the new AXMEDIS technologies by major companies and SMEs. The AXMEDIS platform will be available from the very beginning of the project, for industrial groups and research institutions. These new technologies will be easy to access and will offer a higher level of integrative capability with other standards in the market to allow exploitation in different production and distribution chains.