Metadata
Metadata is the new buzz word around the industry – data that describes data that in turn describes content from video, audio, graphics, text, data etc. Everywhere you look you will see the future distribution of content dependent on the rich metadata that describes it. As well as identifying and labelling iTV services and elements therein broadcasters are looking at a range of personalisation technologies that can generate profiles based on metadata that is attached to content a viewer has expressed an interest in, whether manual or automatic. These profiles can then be used to allow them to promote and suggest other content to viewers. TV producers need to work closely with media planning and other departments to develop strategic thinking in this area.
In iTV metadata is central to all areas of content management, platform play-out and earlier in the production process. Some broadcasters are active in projects that describe the data that can be added during filming and editing ready for play-out and much of this descriptive data can be used in EPG’s or in profiling services included in Personalised Digital Recorders. A key component of metadata work is having an industry standard to describe what type of interactive service is – some of this work is already happening in TV-Anytime.