A new international coalition, led by MovieLabs, CableLabs, Comcast and Rovi Corp. launched the Entertainment Identifier Registry (EIDR), a nonprofit global independent registry, which provides a uniform approach to cataloging movies, television shows, and other commercial audio/video assets with unique identifiers (IDs).
Backed by a broad group of industry players, including Deluxe, Universal Pictures, Neustar, Paramount Pictures, Sonic Solutions, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Motion Picture Association of America Inc., Civolution and others, the registry is set up as an industry resource to help streamline digital commerce and simplify consumer transactions. The consortium is actively looking to expand with new partners and participants internationally.
Each year, millions of new entertainment assets from many sources and distribution channels are being added to the massive amount of content available in the marketplace. With the growth of digital and other alternative distribution channels, keeping track of all of these content products is becoming an increasingly complex task for many businesses in the entertainment supply chain. EIDR has been developed to address a critical need for a universal ID system for all types of audio/video assets in the entertainment industry, making it easier for businesses to search, track rights and report revenue based on an asset’s unique ID. The expected results are increased accuracy of information flowing to consumers, and lower cost and more efficient back-office processes.
Members of EIDR will have open access to the registry and/or be able to supply their content to the registry for identification. For content distributors, access to unique IDs will help eliminate confusion between assets with the same name or different cuts of the same video, helping to ensure that the right products are being distributed to the consumer. For content producers, the ability to register all of their assets will help simplify their post-production process and potentially lead to greater distribution of their products. Other companies in the supply chain can benefit from a streamlined communication process between their suppliers and distributors.
The IDs within EIDR will function similarly to UPC codes that are used to identify physical packaged goods and the ISBN code for books. The registry will catalog and assign a single, unique unit of identification to movies and TV assets—from entire movies down to clips and composites—and can be used for both physical and digital video media that are part of the movie and television supply chain.
The registry is expected to be available to members in early 2011. More information about EIDR can be found at www.eidr.org.
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