Common MEtadata, Media Manifest, Avails and other Best Practices

This area includes best practices for implementing MovieLabs Digital Distribution Framework (MDDF).

MDDF is a family of specifications. For a full description, see the main MDDF page.

Best practices are currently in the following categories:

Metadata And Delivery Best Practices

The most comprehensive Best Practices are

Encoding Best Practices

Descriptive Metadata

  • Dates and Time, November 22, 2017 (PDF)
  • Encoding and Matching Language Tags, May 23, 2017 (PDF)
  • Encoding Region and ExcludedRegion, May 24, 2017 (PDF)
  • When to use Region, @language or Both, September 18, 2018 (PDF)
  • Encoding special WorkType values, November 1, 2018 (PDF)
  • A video explaination of the Language Metadata Table is here
  • Encoding data related to the Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive information, January 19, 2022 (PDF)

Technical Metadata

  • HDR/WCG Metadata Encoding Best Practice, November 1, 2018 (PDF).
    • This practice defines how to encode High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Wide Color Gamut (WCG) metadata values such as Mastered Color Volume, MaxFALL and MaxCLL. It also covers encoding metadata related to dynamic metadata.
  • Encoding Audivisual Type and Subtype, especially for Bonus material, December 12, 2019 (PDF)
  • Track Selection encoding and interpretation, July 27, 2017 (PDF)
  • Encoding Atmos files in Media Manifest, June 26, 2020 (PDF)
IdentiFier Best Practices

Best Practice for Constructing Identifiers, May 31, 2017 (PDF)

There are numerous best practices for encoding EIDR at http://eidr.org/technology

Delivery Best Practices

Image Delivery

This practice provides several mechanisms for delivering images without delivering a full MEC and MMC. It is primarily focused on metadata images, but also provides guidance for other images (e.g., cards delivered as images)

  • Image Delivery, Options for image file delivery, December 8, 2020 (PDF)

Cards (dub, rating, anti-piracy, heath, etc.)

This practice defines how to encode cards, such as anti-piracy cards, rating cards, health cards and dub cards.

  • Cards: Encoding Best Practice, December 8, 2020 (PDF)

Selective Display of Teaser Bonus Content

This practice defines how to selectively show content based on @condition. For example, how to indicate what content is ‘locked’ content in a pre-sale experience.

  • Selective Display of Teaser Bonus Content, December 8, 2020 (PDF)

Best Practice for Localization Updates

This practice defines how to send updates for localization includinge metadata and/or localization tracks.

Best Practice: Localization Updates, July 26, 2017 (PDF)

    This presentation was given at the EMA xEco meeting April 25, 2018 (PDF)

Best Practice for File Delivery

These best practice describes approriate usage of Avails, Media Manifest and File Manifest for deliverying files through distribution to a retailer. These are intended for studios; post production companies providing distribution services; and for retailer or any other party receiving media files and/or metadata. Many of the other practices have been drawn from this spec--that process will continue.

Using Media Manifest, File Manifest and Avails for file Delivery (Best Practice),

    BP-META-MMMD, v1.2, October 13, 2015 (PDF)

    version showing differences from v1.1 (PDF)

Best Practices for using Media Manifest with Interoperable Master Format (IMF)

The following document describes how to use Media Manifest with Interoperable Master Format (IMF) as described in the in the SMPTE ST 2067 family of standards. This is useful in conjunction with File Delivery desribed above.

Using Common Media Format with Interoperable Media Format

    BP-CMM-IMF, v1.0, August 3, 2017 (PDF)

Using File Manifest

File Manifest is a lesser known feature of Media Manifest. File Manifest contains file delivery information that is often useful for tracking file delivered via FTP or a proprietary system such as Amazon S3 or Aspera.

Guidance for File Delivery using File Manifest, v1.0, May 25, 2017 (PDF)


Under Development

These best practices are in various stages of development. Most are completed but require more review before publication. PLEASE PROVIDE FEEDBACK.

Playlists

This practice defines the method for describing a Playlist in Media Manifest. Playlists are sequences of distinct works that play back-to-back, such as a promo followed by a recap followed by an episode.

  • Playlists, Encoding Best Practice, BP-MDD-PLAY, DRAFT, February 17, 2023 (PDF)

Conform

This practice defines how to adjust timelines within a Presentation when track timecodes are either not present, conflict (e.g., dropframe vs. non-dropframe), or are otherwise not aligned.

  • Guidance for Conforming Track and Referencing Them, Encoding Best Practice, BP-MDD-CONF, DRAFT, January 18, 2023 (PDF)

Pseudo-Assets through Controlled Well-known IDs

There are certain items such as color bars, slate, commercial black, and countdown that appear frequently. Rather than requiring these be delivered as assets, this practice defines a means to reference these well-known objects in a Media Manifest. This is done through a mechanism we call Controlled IDs.

  • Referencing special image, video, audio, and audiovisual, Encoding Best Practice, BP-MDD-MDID, DRAFT, January 18, 2023 (PDF)

Episode Ordering

This presentation was given at the EMA xEco Meeting, April 25, 2018 (PDF)

Advanced Use Cases for Avails, ALID and Media Manifest Delivery

Best Practice: Avails, ALIDs and Manifest Delivery Use Cases, July 27, 2017 (PDF)


COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS

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