Microsoft and Sample Digital Announce First Major Motion Picture Produced Using Windows Media Powered Digital Dailies Solution

REDMOND, Wash., and SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Microsoft Corp. andSample Digital Inc. announced that Sample Digital's Digital Dailiesapplication powered by Microsoft Windows Media Video and Digital RightsManagement was used for the first time on a major studio filmproduction. Sniper II, an upcoming release from Columbia TriStarHome Entertainment, used Sample Digital's Digital Dailies solution tosignificantly streamline the film production process. By using WindowsMedia Video, Digital Dailies makes it quick, easy and inexpensive forfilm and television directors, producers, and studio executives toreview and collaborate around the world on time-sensitive "dailies" -footage of the latest day's shooting - via the Internet and otherdelivery options.

Earlier this year, Sniper II became the first major studioproduction to use Sample Digital's Digital Dailies solution duringproduction in Budapest, Hungary. Los Angeles-based executives viewedSniper II Digital Dailies in Windows Media Video on PCs,streamlining the process of reviewing daily rushes by up to 75 percent,saving precious time and money for the filmmakers of SniperII.

"Digital Dailies radically streamlines the review and approvalprocess during production. This is particularly crucial when shootingand processing outside of Los Angeles," said Gilbert Dumontet, seniorvice president of production at Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group."This allows us to collaborate - both across the country and even theworld - by watching streamed or downloaded video and using aninteractive Web-based tool."

Dailies are an integral part of the filmmaking, television andcommercial production process. Traditionally, videotape dailies areduplicated and shipped out via messenger and/or airborne delivery, cancost many thousands of dollars per project, and usually lag behindshooting by at least a day. Such delays can add hundreds of thousandsof dollars to reshoot costs. Traditional dailies often lack usable timecode, simple audio and advanced metadata. As a result, the creativedecision-making process becomes difficult and time consuming for allinvolved. Using Windows Media Video and Digital Rights Managementtechnology combined with broadband Internet connections, DigitalDailies fundamentally transforms the film production process byencoding in real time to Windows Media Video and distributing thecontent across IP networks.

"Windows Media enables the Digital Dailies application to providesecure collaboration for film and movie creators and significantlystreamlines the movie and television production process," said DaveFester, general manager of the Windows Digital Media Division atMicrosoft. "Whether the collaboration is across hallways or acrosshemispheres, Digital Dailies can shrink the review and approval processthat can take four days or more down to just a single day."

"Our Digital Dailies solution built using Windows Media allowscreative professionals to function free of the constraints of time andlocation within a secure, structured environment," said Josh Kline,president of Sample Digital. "It's better, cheaper and faster. DigitalDailies is the natural progression of technology in the productionprocess - no less dramatic a change than what the fax meant totraditional mail."

Sample Digital's Digital Dailies includes a feature called clipcollaboration that allows creative professionals to review dailies andenter comments tied to a particular clip, and then share with editorsor directors on location or in editing facilities. The clipcollaboration feature also reduces the likelihood of reshoots caused bylag time between shoot and review. Digital Dailies includes userauthentication and Microsoft Windows Media Digital Rights Management toprevent unauthorized access to unreleased movie or television contentas it travels across public networks such as the Internet.

About Windows Media

Windows Media is the leading digital media platform, providingunmatched audio and video quality to consumers, content providers,solution providers, software developers and corporations. Windows Mediaoffers the industry's only integrated digital rights managementsolution and the most scalable and reliable streaming technology testedby independent labs. Windows Media Technologies includes Windows MediaPlayer for consumers, Windows Media Services for servers, Windows MediaTools for content creation and the Windows Media software developmentkit (SDK) for software developers. Windows Media Player, available in26 languages, is the fastest-growing and now leading media player. Moreinformation about Windows Media can be found athttp://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/.

About Sample Digital

Sample Digital - leading provider of digital media services for themedia and entertainment industries - built Digital Dailies usingWindows Media Video and Digital Rights Management technologies andMicrosoft Visual Studio.NET. Digital Dailies can be delivered across avariety of channels - including broadband Internet, proprietarynetworks or satellite-based IP. Sample Digital provides a full spectrumof digital media services, from digitization to asset management anddistribution. More information on Sample Digital solutions can be foundon http://www.sampledigital.com/.