As home video studios begin the process of developing their own digital delivery supply chains, lessons can be learned from a wide range of sources -- many of which don't necessarily involve delivering full-length movies via the web directly to the home.  In fact, one of the most advanced digital supply chains in home video comes from Seattle-based Screenplay Inc., which specializes in distributing promotional trailers for the studios and their home video divisions to a network of over 300 sites. 

There is no doubt that the consumer is reacting positively to digital delivery of home video content if Screenplay's numbers are any indication; the company went from 10 million people viewing content per month a year and a half ago to 250 million views per month last month.  For the past five years Screenplay has been managing promotional trailers for the studios to both web sites and in-store locations, providing distribution services as well as campaign reporting and content management. 

On the front end, their experience in matching all content to leading metadata and show time sources are similar to that being experienced by post houses that are preparing videos for online distribution; however, ScreenPlay has done it for over 15,000 titles and adds between two and three hundred new ones per month -- so many formats, too little time. 

"We've learned that you don't need to get hung up on the format.  When it comes to digital delivery of content the issues are the same whether you are dealing with promotional videos or the full-length feature," explains Screenplay President and CEO Mark Vrieling.  "When a video is played on a website you are playing inside somebody's player.  If your video spec is different then the player spec of the website, it is not going to play right. From a specification stand point it was easy when the studios were all sending tapes to the customers because the customer could transcode them into the specific spec that fit their player.   When studios started sending their content digital, everyone started screaming because they were sending them at studio specifications rather then the sites specification; they were talking directly to their customers and didn't understand that there are still no standards out there and that steps need to be taken to properly prepare the files individually for every different destination.  That is were ScreenPlay comes in, we have set up systems to take the tape in from the studio, transcode it the specific codec and specifications of the website and send the site a link to the content rather than the content itself, so control is maintained by the studio through us”

 The Internet provides an unprecedented level of control for the studios.  "How do you control a DVD once it is out in the market?  You can't," Vrieling adds.  "However, from a centralized database with the appropriate business rules you can track and control the product all the way to the end user, which provides tremendous opportunities but still requires that tremendous attention be paid to the details of managing the various aspects of the digital supply chain. 

"Once the home video business is online it's all about building more and more sophisticated databases and tracking and control methods. It becomes less about the physical management of the content and more about getting the right controls, business rules and analytics in place." 

As such, Vrieling adds that his system has been developed to control many aspects that were very difficult to control in the physical world. Situations like take down of an asset for legal reasons, or roll-overs, whereby details like "coming soon" are changed to "now available" or a price change can be instantly enacted at all outlets via a simple business rule set by Screenplay or the content owner can make a change themselves from a secure website linked to the Screenplay database. Rights management can also be controlled automatically as well as the management of theft and illegal posting of content on unauthorized sites.  

"With great capabilities come great responsibilities," he says.  "It is a different world...it is a different world, but it is an exciting one and one with so much possibility that I am thrilled to be a part of it."