Sony United Kingdom Limited

Sony Europe B.v.

Matthew Brian Spencer

Jonathan Richard Thorpe

Michael John Williams

Mark John McGrath

Paul Edward Prayle

Andrew David Kydd

Timothy Stuart Roberts

Barney Govan

John Edward Hodgkins

A system for facilitating production of information material comprises a plurality of metadata nodes operable to process metadata describing the content of information material, and a data communications network for providing a facility for communicating the metadata between the metadata nodes. The metadata is represented as metadata strings describing the content or attributes associated with the information material. The metadata string includes a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) providing an address of a storage location of an associated metadata resource. The metadata string is communicable separately from the information material via the network and the associated metadata resource is accessible via the network using the resource identifier. The metadata string can be arranged to provide an indication of parameters describing the information material and identifiers such as UMIDs or the like which facilitate navigation of the information material. The associated metadata resource can be arranged to provide any further metadata having a substantial volume. By describing the associated metadata resource with a URI contained within the metadata string, the metadata resource is accessible from, for example a web browser. Accordingly the metadata resource does not need to be communicated with the metadata string, thereby substantially reducing a bandwidth requirement or data communications traffic required on the data communications network.

System for facilitating protection of information material and method for producing the information material

An application programmer's interface provides a facility for accessing metadata describing the content or attributes of information material. The application programmer's interface comprises a signalling protocol processor operable to receive a metadata string which includes a resource identifier providing an address of a metadata resource, and a file transfer processor operable to provide access to the metadata resource in accordance with a request from the application program. The signalling protocol processor provides an efficient facility for communicating the metadata string. The metadata string may be in the form of a mark-up language such as XML. The metadata resource may be for example a proxy version of the information material, such as a video proxy if the information material is video. Accordingly, the file transfer processor is arranged to provide efficient access to the video proxy using the address provided with metadata string. The address may be a Uniform Resource Identifier address allowing access to the resource from any network linked via the World Wide Web. The application programmer's interface therefore provides a standard interface format for making metadata and metadata resources available to application programs.

Interface

Growing community of inventors

Southampton, United Kingdom

Matthew Brian Spencer