14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has applauded the level of support it is offering for what the company referred to as the entire digital content lifecycle. Creating new materials, management tasks and the distribution and delivery of content, requires specialized solutions, and Microsoft has the right tools to get the job done. At the NAB Show 2008, the Redmond company showcased a range of products designed to tailor the needs of media and entertainment companies, from Interactive Media Manager to Virtual Earth, Silverlight and Microsoft Dynamics.
"It's great to see the debate in the industry shift from whether media companies can create profitable businesses in the digital age to how technology can be used and deployed to manage business processes and fully monetize content across multiple distribution channels," stated Gabriele Di Piazza, managing director for the Media and Entertainment Business in the Communications Sector at Microsoft.
The Redmond company introduced an update to its Virtual Earth platform and a new version of Live Maps, even ahead of the NAB Show 2008. Microsoft Interactive Media Manager also got added components. IMM is set up to deal with large volumes of materials and complex and diversified data types or formats. Essentially a collaboration digital asset management, Interactive Media Manager has at its basis Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.
On top of it all, the Microsoft Dynamics AX platform will act as the vehicle of transitioning analog content to digital. A new solution that Microsoft is building with Ascent Media Group will deliver integrated and streamlined media production. And Microsoft is on a roll, promising to keep on offering support and products as an infrastructure for digital content serving.
"The media industry can expect Microsoft to continually develop and deliver the solutions that tackle the unique challenges unfolding as digital media and the Internet take on greater importance in nearly all facets of life," Di Piazza added.