VBrick Systems ETV v4.2 manual

ETV v4.2 P or tal Ser v er User Guide December 14, 2007 4410-0097-0008 VBric k Ether neTV P or tal Ser v er[...]

Copyright © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc . All rights reser v ed. 12 Beaumont R oad W allingf ord, Connecticut 06492, USA www .VBric k.com This pu blication contains confidential, pro prietary , and trade secret infor mation. No par t of this document m a y be copied, photocopied, re produced, translated, or reduced to any machine-readable or ele ctr[...]

ETV P ortal Ser v er Admin Guide iii Contents P or tal Ser v er v4.2 User Guide Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

iv Contents Schedule Pri vileg es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 Viewing the Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Scheduling an Ev ent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

ETV P or tal Server User Guide v P or tal Ser v er v4.2 User Guide Thi s P or tal Ser ver User Guide is written for anyo ne who will be using or evaluating the VBrick Ethern eTV P ortal Ser ver . This includes system administrators , softw are developer s, netw ork technicians , and end users in a variety of business environments . The Ether neTV P[...]

vi Preface usually answer your tec hnical questions in 24 busin ess hours or less . Also note that our publications team is committed to accurate and reliable documentation and w e appreciate your feedback. If y ou find er rors or omissions in any of our documents , please send e-mail to documentation@vbrick.com and let us know . F or more infor ma[...]

ETV P or tal Server User Guide 1 Chapter 1 Introduction Topics in this chapter Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 P ortal Ser ver Home P age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]

2 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. Ta b l e 1 . Deskto p Requi rements T able 2. Suppor ted Operating Systems and Browsers† Downloaded Components F or W indows PC users , the ETV P or tal Server uses VBrick StreamPla yer softw are-based components to decode video st reams on the desktop . Depending on how your system is configured, the P ortal Ser v[...]

Introducti on ETV P or tal Server User Guide 3 answer Yes to security requests when prompted to download components . The ETV P or tal Ser v er may require th e installation of up to fi ve com ponents . If you c heck the box Always trust content from VBrick Systems Incorporated , any required components will be automaticall y downloaded th e next t[...]

4 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. 4. Depending on how yo ur system is configured , the P ort al Server may need to download additional components the first time y ou access the ser ver . If prompted to download components , you must answ er Yes to the security requests . 5. Use the navigation bar at the bottom of the pa ge to access other P ortal Ser[...]

Introducti on ETV P or tal Server User Guide 5 Presentations Launches a page from whic h y ou can access legacy rich medi a presentations that were publishe d to an earlier v ersion of the P ortal Ser v er . See Presentatio ns on page 28. If you hav e no have legacy p resentations, th is hyperlink is not sho wn. Playlist Opens the Playlists page fr[...]

6 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc.[...]

ETV P or tal Server User Guide 7 Chapter 2 Using the P or tal Ser v er Some Portal S er v er fu nc tionality ma y be restrict ed to cer tain users . If y ou are not authorized to launch an Emergency Broadcast or Add Video , for example, those me n u items will not be displayed on the na vig a tion footer on the P or tal Ser ver home page as shown i[...]

8 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. Channel Guide The Live Br oadcasts page has a list of streams and stat ions . The "Channel Guide" is simply the list of stations (both cust om stations and TV stations) sho wn at the top of the list. Custom Stat ions are defined by an administra tor at y our site. TV Stations already ha ve program infor mat[...]

Using the P or tal Server ETV P or tal Server User Guide 9 Find Find content using specific search criteria. Enter characters or text , for example type "CN N ," in the te xt field on the left and clic k Search . Y ou can search b y All , Title , Keyword , Des cription , or any custom fields created by an administrator . The resu lts of t[...]

10 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. Icons The Live Broadcasts page shows stations and streams that can be requested and played. Eac h item has its own icon and is preceded by a cha nne l num ber. Custom icons can be assigned by an administrator to eac h station. A station may , or may not, hav e prog r amming data. This icon de notes standard liv e st[...]

Using the P or tal Server ETV P or tal Server User Guide 11 Control Buttons The icons on the bottom of the Preview Window control the video . ( Note that the contr ols shown her e for live br oadcasts ar e differ ent from those us ed for stor ed videos . ) T he buttons sho wn are for the Windows-based player . (Macintosh users may see the QuickTime[...]

12 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. Viewing Multiple Streams The video player can be configured by an administrato r so that you can view multiple streams in separate windo ws . Click on any liv e or recorded stre am and then click the Launch External Pl ayer button below the preview window . If this feature is enabled, you can repeat this step to lau[...]

Using the P or tal Server ETV P or tal Server User Guide 13 2. Press the red "record" button under the pr eview window . A messag e will note that a recording is in progress. Optionally , you can mouseo ver the prog ram name and select Record Program . A red ball in the Channel Guide ( Figure 2) indicates that a recording is in progress. [...]

14 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. access to that device) unless it is reser v ed fo r a scheduled event. If reserved for a scheduled eve nt and in order to av oid conflicts , only the user wh o created the schedul e can access the device . (Mouseov er the h yperlink for a schedule ev ent to see the o wner .) Once defined, you can control a device us[...]

Using the P or tal Server ETV P or tal Server User Guide 15 Figure 3. Asset Librar y Title The title of the video cli p is displayed af ter the icon indicating it is a video clip . A a thumbnail which provides a visual pr eview as to what is in the clip . Search Find videos using search crit eria. Enter characters or text, for example type "CN[...]

16 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. Content The Asset Librar y folders hav e stream s that can be requested and played. Eac h listing displays either a defaul t file icon or a thumbnail imag e of the clip (see Creating Thumbnails on page 19), as well as infor mation about the clip suc h as duration and keyw ords . This icon denotes standard video cont[...]

Using the P or tal Server ETV P or tal Server User Guide 17 Customizing Stored Videos Users ( with Content Publishing per mission ) and adm inistrators can cu stomize or delete st ored videos; they can change the name, the folder , keyw ords , etc . All stored videos ha ve an Info hyperlink button t hat displays additional infor mation (if availabl[...]

18 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. T T o delete a stored video: 1. Click on the Info button to the right of any stored v ideo . 2. Click Delete Video and confirm. T his will per manently remo ve the vi deo from the P ortal Ser ver . T T o customize a store d video: 1. Click on the Info button to the right of any stored v ideo . 2. Click Modify Info t[...]

Using the P or tal Server ETV P or tal Server User Guide 19 Creating T humbnails Y ou can create thumbnails for all videos stored in the Asset Librar y that w ere r ecorded on the P ortal Ser ver. If giv en pu blishing per mission s , you can replace the generic vi deo clip icon with a snapshot of the video o r with any .jpg or .gif image you c hoo[...]

20 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. 3. T o edit the p laylist, go to MyMedia , mouseover the playlist y ou just created, and click Edit Playlist . 4. Y ou can change the n ame, folder, duration, etc . using the editing options explained below . Viewing Closed Captions The ETV P ort a l Ser ver s uppor ts cl osed capt ions . Captions can be turned on o[...]

Using the P or tal Server ETV P or tal Server User Guide 21 Click the Cancel icon to the left of eac h to cancel a reco rding or ingestion in prog ress . This also cancels the recording on the Li ve Broadcasts page. Emergency Broadcast An emerge ncy broadcast can be launched b y any ETV P ortal Ser ver user wit h appropriate per missions . It broad[...]

22 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. 2. Click a previously-defined te mplate name . 3. Set the broadcast Duration in minutes (or click No Limit (Stop Manually) . 4. Click Start Emergency Broadcast and confir m. (A messag e will indicate the broadcast is in progress. Any streams currently in prog ress will be preemp ted and re placed b y the emergency b[...]

Using the P or tal Server ETV P or tal Server User Guide 23 T T o add a video: 1. Click Add Video on the navig ation bar . 2. Browse to a Source File for the video content. 3. Select a Destinati on folder . Y ou can add the video to any folder sho wn in the dropdown list. 4. Enter a required Name and optional Keyword and Description . (T he name wi[...]

24 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. Suppor ted Stream T ypes Y ou can add any of the video types show n belo w in T able 4. Note that the P ortal Ser ver supports MPEG-2 video delivered as a transpor t stream only . It does not suppo r t video deliv ered as a prog ram stream. If y our MPEG-2 co ntent fails to ingest and play (and y ou hav e the right [...]

Using the P or tal Server ETV P or tal Server User Guide 25 Playlists Playlists are sav ed in the Asset Library . A playlist is a mec hanism to consolidate multipl e video files , or video file se gments , reg ardless of format, into a virt ual file . A playlist is a list of video streams, or parts of streams , th at can be played as if they were a[...]

26 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. Creating Playli sts T T o create a playlist from the Playlists page : 1. Click Playlists on the navigation bar at the bo ttom of the page. 2. Mouseo ver any video from the folders yo u have pe r mission to access an d select Add to Playlist . This adds the selected stream to the ne w pla ylist. By default, it star t[...]

Using the P or tal Server ETV P or tal Server User Guide 27 4. T o add additional items to a pla ylist, mouseov er any file in the Available Content list and click Add to Playlist. Info Each playlist has its o wn search able metadata. Y ou can add/change the name, the folder , keyw ords , etc . Fo r example you can add a description or keyw ords th[...]

28 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. Presentations This launches a page (see below) from whic h you can acce ss leg acy rich media present ations that were publish ed to an earlier version of the P or tal Server . If y ou have no ha ve le gacy presentations, this hyperlink is not shown on the navigation bar . Liv e or recently published presenta tions [...]

Using the P or tal Server ETV P or tal Server User Guide 29 Logout This command logs you out of the application an d lets you l og b ack i n as a di ffer ent use r . This may be nece ssar y to gain access to cert ain functionality . For ex ample, some users may not be allowed to create thumbnails an d you may want to login as a user who has the per[...]

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ETV P or tal Server User Guide 31 Chapter 3 Using the Sc heduler Topics in this chapter Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Liv e Broadcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [...]

32 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. down and modify a sc hedule they "own" (i.e . one th ey created). Mouseo ver any scheduled event on the calendar pag e to view the o wner . T able 5. Schedule Privi leges Viewing the Schedule Anyone can view sc heduled events but only t hose users wh o hav e been g ranted per missions can actually "sc[...]

Using the Scheduler ETV P or tal Server User Guide 33 from anywhere in the application. Any sc heduled prog rams currently in progress wil l display a TV icon and can be launched b y clicking the icon or from the Live Broadca sts pag e . (T hey can also be viewed from a PC if VBrick's StreamPlayer is installed) The first steps in cr eating a s[...]

34 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. 3. Enter a Schedule Name and complete the Start and End fields . (T o av oid for mat er ror s, click in the date and time fields and use th e calendar and dropdown list respectively .) Depending on the view you se lected abov e, these fie lds may be pre-filled. Recur rence 4. Create a Recurrence schedule if appropri[...]

Using the Scheduler ETV P or tal Server User Guide 35 5. Select a Schedule Type . Each sc hedule type has a different wizard as explained o n the following pages but basically , you select the source and destinati on targ ets (for li ve and stored broadcasts), the VBricks (for a video conference), the li ve program you will record, or the script or[...]

36 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. When done, the named schedule is added to the calendar page of scheduled ev ents . Any scheduled links use color -code d text as shown in T able 6. T able 6. Color-coded Sc heduled Events Adv anced Settings Advanced Settings are a vailable t o configure VBricks an d STBs with exceptional configurati on parameters—[...]

Using the Scheduler ETV P or tal Server User Guide 37 Create Schedule The final step in crea ting a schedul e is to review and confir m the se ttings . If yo u are satisfied with the schedule and/or the recur rence pattern, click Create Schedule . If not click Modify and change the settings as neces sary . Note that if you schedule a recording with[...]

38 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. T T o schedule a live broadcast: 1. Select a schedule nam e , date s , and (optionally) recur rence pattern (see Scheduling an Event ). 2. F or Schedule Type , select Live Broadcast and click Next . 3. In Select Video Source , c hoose one of the follo wing and clic k Next . T To u s e a VBrick as the Video Source : [...]

Using the Scheduler ETV P or tal Server User Guide 39 3. Select t he destination VBrick(s) or STB(s) that will receiv e the video and clic k Finish . 4. V erify the infor mation and click Create Schedule to add the new schedule to the calendar . T To u s e Enter Manually as the Video Source. 1. Select Ente r Manually and click Next . 2. Enter the S[...]

40 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. 3. Select t he destination VBrick(s) or STB(s) that will receiv e the video and clic k Finish . 4. V erify the infor mation and click Create Schedule to add the new schedule to the calendar . Stored Br oadcast Use these ste ps to create a schedule for broadcas ting a sto red video . This means that at th e scheduled[...]

Using the Scheduler ETV P or tal Server User Guide 41 3. Select the source of the stored broadcast. It can be either a VBrick VBStar (with a hard driv e) or a V OD ser ver . Each has a differ ent icon. T T o use a stored video on a V OD server: 1. Select a se rver by IP address and navigate to a video that will be the source of the broadcast. 2. Se[...]

42 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. Conference Use these st e ps to create a video co nference betwee n two e ncoders/decoder pairs a t different locations . This means that at the schedu led date and time a video conferenc e will automatically be launched using tw o specified VBricks—one at each end. T T o schedule a video conference: 1. Select a s[...]

Using the Scheduler ETV P or tal Server User Guide 43 Record Use these steps to create a schedu le that will initiate the recording of li ve content. This means that at the scheduled date and time the liv e co ntent will be recorded, optionally ingested and FTP ed, and made available on the Asset Libr ary page to authorized users for viewing . T T [...]

44 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. Record to NVR T To u s e a n NVR to save the recording: 1. Select NVR and click Next . Use the tabbed wi ndo ws expl ained below to define specif ic attributes for the recording . Some of these attributes (e.g . Custom Fields and Links ) wil l be displayed on the Info pag e for th e recording on the Asset Library pa[...]

Using the Scheduler ETV P or tal Server User Guide 45 2. When done click Finish , then verify th e infor mation an d click Create Schedule to add the new schedule to the calendar . Record to VBrick T To u s e a VBrick (MPEG-2 or WM VBStar) to save the recording: 1. Select VB rick and click Next . Field name Shown only if cu stom fi elds are define [...]

46 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. 2. Select a VBric k ServerName . This is the MPE G-2 or WM VBStar that will save the recording . T hen click on the Advanced ta b , and complete the followin g . 3. When done click Finish , verify the info r mation, and click Create Schedule to add the new schedule to the calendar . Record by Man ual Entr y When the[...]

Using the Scheduler ETV P or tal Server User Guide 47 3. Select and define MPEG-1 , MPEG-2 , MPEG-4 , or WM as the recor d source and click Next . MPEG-1 Ent er a Prog ram Na me or IP Address and P ort number . MPEG-2 Ent er a Prog ram Na me or IP Address and P ort number . MPEG-4 Enter a Prog ram Name or URL. If URL, use VBHTTP or RTSP in followin[...]

48 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. 4. Use the tabbed windows to define specific at tributes for the recording . These are the same fields described abov e in Reco rd by Program Name . 5. When done click Finish , then verify th e infor mation an d click Create Schedule to add the new schedule to the calendar . Script Scripts and Sc ript Devices are cr[...]

Using the Scheduler ETV P or tal Server User Guide 49 special icon on the Live Broadcasts page indicates that you ca n control a stream from the device using a g r aphical control panel similar to the one shown here . This panel is displayed wh en you lau nch t he s tre am an d you ca n use it for suppor ted functions lik e Start , Stop , Fast Forw[...]

50 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. 4. Select the dest ination VBricks t hat will receiv e the video and cl ick Finish . 5. V erify the infor mation and click Create Schedule to add the new schedule to the calendar .[...]

ETV P or tal Server User Guide 51 Chapter 4 Using the R emote Controllers Topics in this chapter Using the VB-PC R emote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Using the Amino STB R emote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52[...]

52 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. T able 7. VB-PC Remote Control Functions† † Only the buttons listed here are ope ratio nal on the VB-PC R emote control. R emember that your computer has the pr imar y v olume contro ls . Y ou can use the Vol+ or Vol- buttons on the remote control but y ou can't g o any higher th an the computer setting . F[...]

Using t he Remo te Controller s ETV P or tal Server User Guide 53 T able 8. Amino Remote Control Functio ns Using the Amino Menu Click on MENU at the botto m of the window , or press the MENU butt on on the remote control, to access other P ortal Ser ver functionality . (Note that some P ortal Ser ver functions , e.g. Add Video , are not a vailable[...]

54 © 2007 VBrick Systems , Inc. viewing the menu, clic k MENU ag ain. Note that y ou must hav e a wireless keyboard in order to use the Search command. T able 9. Amino Menu Commands Using the WM IPR Remote Y o u ca n us e the IR ( inf rare d) Remo te C ont rol i n P o rt al Se r ver m ode and i n Loc al m ode ; it i s non-functional in Local-Fulls[...]

Using t he Remo te Controller s ETV P or tal Server User Guide 55 Guide Got to fullscreen; exit fullscreen. Menu T oggle the Menu on or off in P ortal Ser ver mode. V ol Adjust the audio up or down. F1–F4 R eserved for future use. P age Mov e toward to p or bottom of cur rent page. Live Portal Ser ver mode. Go to Live Broadcast s page. V OD P ort[...]

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