One of the problems with talking about and collecting metadata is that it can mean different things to different people at different stages in a programme’s lifecycle. A finished asset, for example, could contain broadly three layers of data: technical (frame rate, frame size, com mercial break, bit rate); descriptive (summary, actors, director, reviews); and contextual (what objects are in the scene, what is happening). The first is a requirement to deliver a quality video service regardless of the delivery channel and the second is important to search and recommendation. According to Chuck Parker, chairman of the US-based Second Screen Society, “the third is critical for any higher value experiences (e-commerce, contextual and second screen advertising, discovery of new content). It’s the most valuable and the hardest to collate.”Automated content recognition technologies like audio water marking can already trigger second screen applications by identifying that the user is watching, say, Friends, but next generation applications will be able to recognise exactly which scene you are watching. On the one hand, this means playalong second-screen games, like The Walking Dead iPhone/ iPad app Kill Count, or more purely commercial options. “This information can be used to push additional targeted advertisements, for example: ‘Do you want to buy the dress which Rachel wears at this moment’,” says


A Broadcast supplement


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12