AXMEDIS Object Model

AXMEDIS Object Model

The state of the art of content production, distribution, modeling, composition, formatting, protection and management is grounded on the content formats. Presently, there exist a number of content formats that ranges from the simple files: documents, video, images, audio, multimedia, etc., to integrated content models and packages such MPEG-21, SCORM, MXF, AAF, and WEDELMUSIC. These models attempt to wrap any digital resource in a container to make them ready for delivering by using a large range of business and transaction models and few of them also supporting with some DRM (Digital Rights Management) model (only for MPEG-21 and WEDELMUSIC). More specifically, MPEG-21 is mainly focused on the standardization of the DRM aspects while WEDELMUSIC is mainly focused on Multimedia Music and provided limited DRM flexibility with an effective implementation of tools for digital item collection and distribution. MXF is focused on preparing content aggregation for the broadcasting; SCORM, is mainly focused on packaging collections of digital content/resources/files for educational purpose. There are also a number of formats that allow formalizing the presentation level such as: HTML, SMIL, SVG, LASER, MHP, etc. The integration of packaging, presentation and DRM aspects is fundamental to enable e commerce and control on digital content on the production and distribution life cycles phases.


AXMEDIS has an object model (cross media content model) based on MPEG-21. Any AXMEDIS object is MPEG-21 compliant. It formalizes how a cross media collection/group of digital resources and their metadata are organized to be presented, protected and delivered via downloading, streaming and other means, considering XML and Binary formats.

AXMEDIS formalizes:

• Metadata that are also visible in protected and non protected objects and are certified
  • Identification information, unique ID, distributor ID, any proprietary IDs, any ISxx IDs, ISAN, etc., and the so called AXMEDIS unique ID: AXOID;
  • Classification information also for indexing such as Dublin core, MPEG-7, plus any other format you may be interested to add, formalised in XML and not only;
  • Any descriptors for indexing digital resources, such as MPEG-7;
  • A set of references to value chain actors that have been involved in the creation and distribution of the object: owner, distributor, producers, editor, etc.;
  • Potentially Available Rights, PAR, that can be acquired from that object.
• Digital Resources:
  • Any digital information file: images, doc, txt, video, game, application, file, audio, etc.;
  • Organised as a: hierarchy, list, cluster, nesting levels, or other. An object may contain other objects inside and thus several nesting levels can be created;
  • Included in the object or simply referred with a link.

Once the object is packaged, and its ID registered it can be protected. In that process, Protection Information (Prot-Info) is produced to be used to exploit the rights related to the digital resources: play, print, view, etc. The Prot-Info? is provided to the final user device tool if it has the “rights”. The “rights” are formalized with a license specifically created for that user, or device or group of them, according to eventual conditions such as territorial, temporal, number of times, etc.