Axmedis


AXMEDIS is a set of European Union digital content standards, initially created as a research project running from 2004 to 2008 partially supported by the European Commission under the Information Society Technologies programme of the Sixth Framework Programme. It stands for "Automating Production of Cross Media Content for Multi-channel Distribution". Now it is distributed as a framework, and is still being maintained and improved. A large part of the framework is under open source licensing. The AXMEDIS framework includes a set of tools, models, test cases, documents, etc. supporting the production and distribution of cross media content.

Summary

The AXMEDIS framework supports the whole content production 'food chain' for cross media content creation, aggregation, adaptation, repurposing, protection and multichannel distribution, with a strong focus on automation.
The market for digital content is rapidly changing. Users are becoming more interested in using more interactive and intelligent content, that example can:
These new forms of content and content usages can be fully exploited for digital content distribution, and are opening paths for a larger set of new applications and markets beyond the limitations of the physical media. With AXMEDIS the combinations of digital content formats and digital distribution channels are creating new applications including: user content, shared content, IPTV, DVB, VOD, POD, WEBTV, etc., for PC, PDA, mobiles and STB/PVR. Recent distribution models have been enabled by a set of new technologies grounded on content formats, content processing and adaptation capabilities, content protection models and solutions, hardware capabilities, and new solutions for Digital Rights Management, DRM.

Aims

According to the official AXMEDIS website the main aims are to:
These objectives are being pursued by integrating research results, algorithms and tools.
AXMEDIS is a powerful cross media format, in which any kind of content can be hosted for its direct access. It has been derived extending MPEG-21 format with a powerful binary file format based on ISOMEDIA, and several metadata, descriptors and tools.

Objects and their file format

An Axmedis object is an MPEG-21 multimedia object which can virtually contain any kind of multimedia resource, metadata and rights-related information supporting the MPEG-21 "Rights Expression Language".
AXMEDIS content format supports from simple files to complex collections of multimedia for a large range of applications, from business to business to personal and/or global scale production, protection and distribution, with and without DRM. AXMEDIS format and solution can be used:
The above-mentioned scenarios and many others can be realised thanks to AXMEDIS technology and tools of: AXMEDIS content format, DRM, controlled P2P, and Content Processing.

Main Tools

The AXMEDIS framework consists of a set of tools, accessible also in source code, plus documentation, test cases, specification, content for validation, workflow procedures, examples, grid rules, etc. Following is a overview of major tools.
These tools enable the manual editing of AXMEDIS MPEG-21 objects, while the automated production can be performed by using AXCP tools.
These tools are needed to play axmedis cross media objects. There are various flavours of the players for different devices for PC, mobile, PDA, set top box.
These tools are used for the automatic creation, aggregation, processing and distribution of multimedia content with the AXMEDIS format. This is done via scripts written in enhanced JavaScript. These tools include a JavaScript Integrated development environment, a scheduler and a GRID environment, and a visual designer for AXCP JS rules.
AXMEDIS AXCP can be used to automate your content production, protection and distribution as stated above and in more details into the AXCP Technical Note. solution and tools is presently free of charge for any no profit institution. In addition, the full source code is provided to those institutions that are interested to join the development community of the AXCP.
The AXCP offers functionalities to support and set up integrated activities of:
The AXEPTool is a BitTorrent based legal P2P client for sharing AXMEDIS content. AXMEDIS P2P Controlled Network, for content distribution via P2P. It utilises BitTorrent Technology with query support and cataloguing servers, for protected or non-protected content. It has capabilities of automating content publication, controlling P2P network, and extracting statistical data and reports. The AXMEDIS P2P solution allows to control the network by means of control nodes that can be geographically distributed.

DRM, MPEG-21 DRM

AXMEDIS DRM which adopts MPEG-21 DRM, including servers and licensing tools and allowing DRM, detection of attacks, black list management, collection of actions logs containing traces about the rights exploitation, tools for administrative management, etc.

Cross Media Finder

AXMEDIS Cross Media Finder: an integrated portal for demonstrating AXMEDIS content and distribution: A Mobile Medicine Social network has been developed on this basis.

Object finders for mobile devices

They are a set of tools developed by to acquire and collect AXMEDIS content on mobile devices. AXMEDIS Object Finder is available for iPhone/iPod/iPad and Windows Mobile devices. They van be obtained from the Mobile Medicine portal.
See also ECLAP collected library for performing arts and best practice network , APREToscana agency for promoting tuscany research into European commission projects, facilitating the partner matching , IUF.CSAVRI.org a portal to support formation and training of new teams under preincubation, startups and spin-off at the University of Florence incubator.

Consortium

The AXMEDIS project gathers many partners consisting of leading European digital content producers, integrators, archives, distributors and researchers.

Project partners

Since 2005, the AXMEDIS consortium has been organising international conferences about cross-media and digital-media content production, processing, management, standards, representation, sharing, protection and rights management interoperability.
AXMEDIS framework is continuously maintained and distributed, this news is from the February 2010.
DISIT lab has produced compatible players with the AXMEDIS framework for iPhone and iPad.