Platform Overview

The Jaman Networks platform is comprised of a hosted server infrastructure, a distributed transcoding farm, and user-facing client applications on a variety of platforms. These client applications communicate with the server infrastructure using industry-standard web services.

The platform itself is composed of various software modules which work together.

The Jaman.com site is itself an example of one of the clients. It is written using PHP and communicates with the servers via XML-RPC. This layered approach, allows Jaman Networks to provide a full range of solutions. Our partners can either build a completely new site using our PHP site as a template or integrate Jaman functionality into an existing site using our XML-RPC server API’s.

Upload and Ingestion

Jaman Networks maintains a staff and a sophisticated process for ingesting premium film content into our system. Assets arrive from our content partners via DVD, mezzanine files on hard drives, secure FTP uploads and a number of other formats.

Using our proprietary, distributed transcoding system, we convert each movie into 7+ formats for playback on various devices. As new requirements for additional playback profiles emerge, we can automatically re-transcode all the managed content on demand.

After automatically importing cinema metadata from several sources, our staff checks each film individually, correcting errors and writing a synopsis if necessary. For premium content, an operator will also check each transcoded file for quality before marking the film as ready to go live.

Metadata

We provide complete movie metadata including Title, Actors, Director, Year, Awards, Synopsis, Runtime, Country and excerpts from Wikipedia and Rotten Tomatoes.

All fields are editable via web interface or server API’s.

All the metadata associated with a file are saved in an internationalized text format. When necessary, the platform can render text using non-latin character systems such as Farsi or Chinese.

Transcoding

We provide in-house transcoding of cinema content to multiple formats for delivery. Each encoding is checked by an operator for quality before the content goes live.

Formats

Jaman encodes each film into 7+ formats. These support auto-selecting, multi-rate streaming in H.264 and DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected files for download to our installable player, TiVo DVR’s, iPhone and other playback devices.

• Super-low: 384x216/344x258 150kbit
• Low: 480x270/420x316 300kbit
• Mid: 640x360/560x420 600kbit
• High: 720x404/640x480 900kbit
• Super-high: 720x404/640x480 1.2mbit
• Download: 720x404/640x480 2-4mbit
• Mobile: 560x316/480x360 500kbit

We’re adding new encoding profiles for new formats all the time and whenever we do so, the Jaman transcoding farm can automatically re-encode previously ingested content to support the new format.

Out entire encoding pipeline is capable of handling HD video and we offer an HD quality viewing experience in our downloadable HD player software for PC’s and Mac OS X.

Catalog Management and Licensing Rules

Unlike many platforms which were built to support web video only, the Jaman Networks platform has always been about feature length film. This requirement led us to develop facilities for managing film catalogs with various license restrictions. For example, some catalogs may restrict viewing to only certain geographic regions or for specified windows of time.

Delivery

Jaman Networks is a platform that extends beyond the web browser. We aim to bring feature length content directly into the users’ living rooms by supporting a broad range of playback experiences on various devices.

Secure, high-capacity delivery infrastructure

Jaman Networks provides a secure, scalable platform for video delivery using both streaming and download. Jaman integrates with multiple CDNs with a worldwide reach. Our infrastructure can support thousands of current viewers in addition to simultaneous download to PC’s, Macs, as well as TiVo’s and other devices.

Flash Player (FMS)

The Jaman Flash Player can be skinned or customized. It enforces licensing restrictions which include checking that the user as a valid license for paid content and enforcing ad playback for ad supported content.

Downloadable Client and Apple TV

The Jaman HD Downloadable Player supports PCs and Mac OS X computers and offers a cinematic quality viewing experience and is capable of supporting full HD. It incorporates Jaman’s proprietary, studio-approved DRM solution to offer full support for off-line viewing.

This player can also be re-branded to match our Partners’ sites.

We also provide a unique side-loading playback experience on the Apple TV device. This software integrates directly with the Apple TV system and provides the same experience as iTunes on Apple TV.

TiVo, Set-Top-Boxes and Mobile Phones

Jaman’s ongoing relationship with TiVo extends the Jaman Networks platform into the living room. We're working with other consumer electronics manufacturers including Motorola and Samsung to reach the broadest range of consumers possible.

iPhone App

Jaman was the first provider to offer an iPhone application for watching feature length films other than Apple itself. As part of any engagement, we can offer a house-branded iPhone application based on this technology.

Social Media and Participation

Jaman has always supported social media and interactive tools as a way to foster community and drive participation online. We believe that these features cannot be added slapdash to what is essentially static content, but need to be woven throughout a site to create a vibrant, convivial online experience.

The Jaman Networks platform provides an array of technologies to integrate our partners into the social media landscape and to provide their users with lively and useful ways of participating

Facebook Connect

Jaman was among the very first sites to implement Facebook Connect. This eliminates the need for new users to sign-up and register on a Jaman powered site. Facebook users can now simply sign-on with their Facebook credentials.

Additionally, as users participate on the site, for example by rating or fanning movies, their activities may also be published to their Facebook feed.

Ratings, Reviews and Fanning

The Jaman Networks API’s support ratings, reviews and fanning for all video content. Our star-rating widget supports in-place rating wherever it is displayed.

Movie Lists

Users can create any number of personal lists of movies. Each list has a description and each item in the list has an optional comment. This lets users create lists like “My introduction to Bollywood” and can be used for celebrity playlist promotions and film education.

Also, each user is assigned one list automatically by the system. This list is called “Favorites” and allows users to bookmark their favorite films.

Movie Mood Ratings

Our Movie Finder system is provided for users who are unfamiliar with a catalog of films and may not know which individual titles they want to watch. It creates a fun and interactive way to explore a landscape of films based on whimsical and internationally recognizable parameters.

Recommendation Engine

The Jaman Networks platform includes a full-fledged recommendation system similar to those used by Netflix or Amazon. It continuously and automatically finds correlations between films based on each users activities and preferences. Unlike similar engines, it is able to incorporate external attributes such as limited time promotions, freshness or awards in addition to user generated attributes like ratings.

Monetization

For most online video delivery platforms, monetization means showing ads. For Jaman Networks, as platform dedicated to feature length film, monetization includes a suite of capabilities. We support ad-supported viewing of embedded Flash video, but we also support Rent (PPV) and Buy (PTO) and models.

Our studio-approved DRM and licensing modules support online/offline viewing and license migration from one playback platform to another.

Ad Supported

The Jaman Flash Player integrates with third party ad networks like Yume and Adap.tv. Based on the licensing rules specified for a given content, the player will require that a pre-roll ad be viewed before displaying the main content.

Rent and Buy

Jaman Networks supports both rental (PPV) and download-to-own (PTO). Once the user has acquired a license by completing the transaction flow, the film can be viewed using any of our supported players – embedded Flash Player, progressive download to a PC or Mac, TiVo, etc.

Payment is either via credit card processing, PayPal, Jaman promotional tickets, or an external payment authentication gateway.

All of our players follow specific content rules for playback, including the length of rentals (e.g. 7 days), the time allowed after starting playback (e.g. 24hrs), how many different devices a user can use for playback (e.g. 7). The Jaman Networks platform ensure that these rules are enforced consistently across all a user’s devices. For example, pressing play in the Flash player will also start the 24 hour rental timer on the user’s other devices

Tickets

Jaman has an internal currency called Tickets. These tickets can be allocated to each users account via our API mechanism. We’re also actively developing a “fill-up” mechanism which we automatically re-charge a user’s account with tickets based on a regular credit card transaction.

Merchandising

The Jaman Networks platform affords a variety way to surface editorial content to drive user activities or promote specific films or events. The current Jaman technology stack includes simple, design driven CMS capabilities but the Jaman Networks API’s can also be integrated directly with a more powerful CMS platform.

Lists

User generated lists are a simply but effective way to power merchandising throughout a Jaman powered site. For example, celebrity playlists or staff favorites provide a personal context for programming selections. Lists can be syndicated and embedded in other sites.

Geo-located Merchandising Modules per Page

Whether a site is built using our PHP powered modules or simply using the Jaman Networks API’s, marketing descriptions and ads can be surfaced based on the geo-location of the user’s browser.

Integration w/ External CMS

Using the API’s, the Jaman Networks platform can be integrated with an existing CMS provided it can make standard web services calls (XML-RPC) out to the Jaman platform. Alternately, a site developed by Jaman can include content from an external CMS as Jaman.com does today.

Partner API's

The Jaman Network API’s follow industry-standard protocols for communication between our platform and our partners. Using the API’s our partners and integrate Jaman functionality into their own sites, build custom players, or build custom back-office tools. These API’s also let us work with third parties to enhance the platform with external functionality.

Hosting, Scalability, and

Jaman Networks provides an extremely robust and secure hosting environment. Our servers are hosted at secure internet peering locations in Silicon Valley (Equinix). We currently utilize 2Gb of direct bandwidth but can handle bursts of much higher demands. We also employ multiple Content Delivery Networks to ensure reliable and fast delivery of both Flash streams and progressive downloads. We also maintain an independent download cache (super-seed) in Europe to support demand for downloadable content for the PC and Mac players.

Currently, we maintain 40TB of redundant storage for feature films. All of which is regularly backed up securely.

The site and services are continuously monitored from more than 15 cities around the world to ensure availability and speedy page load times.