VBrick Systems Portal Server ETV v4.2, User Manual

Page 1: ...ETV v4 2 Portal Server User Guide December 14 2007 4410 0097 0008 VBrick EtherneTV Portal Server ...

Page 2: ...osted at http www vbrick com opensource About VBrick Systems Founded in 1997 VBrick Systems an ISO 9001 certified vendor is a privately held company that has enjoyed rapid growth by helping our customers successfully introduce mission critical video applications across their enterprise networks Since our founding VBrick has been setting the standard for quality performance and innovation in the de...

Page 3: ...ng the Portal Server Live Broadcasts 7 Channel Guide 8 Viewing Multiple Streams 12 Recording Live Streams 12 Customizing Live Streams 13 Controlling Live Streams 13 Asset Library 14 Customizing Stored Videos 17 Creating Thumbnails 19 Creating Bookmarks 19 Viewing Closed Captions 20 Scheduling 20 Status 20 Emergency Broadcast 21 Add Video 22 Supported Stream Types 24 Playlists 25 Creating Playlists...

Page 4: ... Create Schedule 37 Delete Schedule 37 Live Broadcast 37 Stored Broadcast 40 Conference 42 Record 43 Record by Program Name 43 Record by Manual Entry 46 Script 48 Control Device 48 4 Using the Remote Controllers Using the VB PC Remote 51 Using the Amino STB Remote 52 Using the Amino Menu 53 Using the WM IPR Remote 54 ...

Page 5: ...o Organization Getting Help If you need help or more information about any topic use the online help system The online help is cross referenced and searchable and can usually find the information in a few seconds Use the tree controls in the left pane to open documents and the up and down arrows to page through them Use the Search box to find specific information Simply enter one or more words in ...

Page 6: ...d width font is used to indicate user input in keyboard commands scripts etc Folder names and user examples are displayed in this sans serif font Folder names and user input are displayed in this bold sans serif font Italics are used to emphasize specific words or phrases Related Documents The following documents describe key components in the EtherneTV Media Distribution System They are included ...

Page 7: ...erneTV Portal Server can be accessed by Windows base PCs Macintoshes or by the EtherneTV Set Top Box STB For the most part the operation of the Portal Server is the same from a Windows based PC an Apple Macintosh see note below or an STB but there are some subtle differences The majority of this document is written from a PC perspective so certain screen shots may be slightly different on a Macint...

Page 8: ... MB RAM SVGA video card 640x480 256 colors video card acceleration recommended Minimum 10 MB hard disk space for installation Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 0 or higher Microsoft Windows Media Player 9 0 or higher Firefox 1 0 or higher DirectX Media Version 8 1 and higher Macintosh PCs Mac OS X with Safari 1 0 or higher Firefox for Macintosh 1 0 4 or higher QuickTime Player 6 0 or higher Internet E...

Page 9: ...agree these components are automatically installed and no additional download is necessary for subsequent access For Linux PC users the Portal Server may need to download components to your computer the first time you access the server This can only be performed by a system administrator See Installing Linux Components in the Portal Server Release Notes Portal Server Home Page Login Window The ETV...

Page 10: ... Scheduling page depending on which page you last accessed All of the options on the navigation footer are explained below the following screenshot Figure 1 Live Broadcasts Page Live Broadcasts View live streams for example TV channels currently available on the network See Live Broadcasts on page 7 Asset Library View pre recorded content available from the VOD Video on Demand servers on your netw...

Page 11: ...ations on page 28 If you have no have legacy presentations this hyperlink is not shown Playlist Opens the Playlists page from which you can create and manage playlists See Playlists on page 25 Help Get help for any Portal Server feature or function See Getting Help on page v Logout Always log out when done The system will automatically log you out if idle for more than a few minutes See Logout on ...

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Page 13: ...ists 25 Presentations 28 Help 28 Logout 29 Live Broadcasts The Live Broadcasts page lets you view live streams TV stations and rich media presentations available on the network The list of available streams is determined by the VBricks or other encoders in your network The administrator can assign a channel number an icon and other data to a live video stream The channel appears as a number in a c...

Page 14: ...stream itself is unavailable You can still click on the stream to launch it in the preview window You can perform all of the following tasks from the Channel Guide Navigate and view program information Play programs and record programs Schedule program recording View recording information View station information Figure 2 Live Broadcasts Channel Guide Note VBrick has partnered with a leading conte...

Page 15: ...ouseover the icon to and click View Info to display additional information about the station Program Name The program name or stream name for the current time period Use the right or left arrows or search using the Date Time search box to display a different time slot Mouseover the program name and click Info to display any custom program data entered by an administrator Note that the message Prog...

Page 16: ...e a satellite receiver that can be controlled from the Portal Server See Controlling Live Streams on page 13 for details Selection To select a video to preview move the cursor over the desired entry and click once using the left mouse button This launches the video in the Preview Window the embedded video player area at the right side of the window Scroll Up Down The scroll bar on the right of the...

Page 17: ...ress again to stop recording Click on Status to see the progress of recording Full Selecting the icon changes the view to Full Screen To exit Full Screen press Esc on the keyboard Volume Use slider to adjust volume Mute Click to mute volume CC On Off Turn closed captions on or off Launch External Player Launches the player in another browser window along with the control buttons Once the window is...

Page 18: ...n as shown below 1 Right click in an empty area on the Windows taskbar at the bottom of your screen 2 Then select Tile Windows Horizontally or Tile Windows Vertically 3 When done click Undo Tile Recording Live Streams If you have permission you can record any live channels being played in the Preview Window You cannot record or copy stored videos The live channel gets recorded and auto ingested us...

Page 19: ... page is used to display additional information about the stream For example it may have a description or keywords that can be used for searching as well as links to external web sites and desktop files like PowerPoint presentations You must have the appropriate application for example PowerPoint installed locally in order to open these files Controlling Live Streams If defined by an administrator...

Page 20: ...side of the panel to show or hide the panel Asset Library If the ETV Portal Server installation includes one or more VOD Video on Demand servers the Asset Library link on the home page displays a list of content stored in folders and files on the server Note that you will only see those folders for which you have been given permission To launch a stored video simply click on any video and it will ...

Page 21: ...n search by All Title Keyword Description or any custom field created by an administrator The results of the search are displayed in the program listings area the main area of the window To return to the program listing click on Asset Library Folders This information is obtained from the VOD server s The folders are listed in alphabetical order by default and may contain subfolders These folders a...

Page 22: ...ample See the VBPresenter User Guide for more about rich media presentations This icon denotes documents PDFs Word documents etc that were manually entered by an administrator This icon denotes content PowerPoint presentations Flash demos etc that was manually entered by an administrator Scroll Up Down The scroll bar on the right of the table of available videos allows the user to scroll up or dow...

Page 23: ...rward MPEG 1 MPEG 2 and WM only Full Selecting this icon changes the view to Full Screen To exit full screen press Esc on keyboard You can also double click on any video to go fullscreen and double click again to close Volume Use slider to adjust volume Mute Click to mute volume CC On Off Turn closed captions on or off Mark Use to bookmark a stream This creates a playlist in MyMedia with one bookm...

Page 24: ...ck on the Info button to the right of any stored video 2 Click Modify Info to display the customization page 3 Change the Name or Folder and add a Description and Keywords as appropriate For video Name use any combination of alphanumeric characters and the following special characters _ 4 Click Add New link to create a link to a web page or a file a Enter a Link Title and Link Type b Click Add Lin...

Page 25: ...and click Upload Image 3 Click Upload again to close the window Creating Bookmarks You can quickly bookmark any location in a stream playing in the preview window using the Mark button This basically creates a playlist in MyMedia with one bookmark To add additional streams or perform other editing functions open this bookmark from the Playlists page T To bookmark any point in a stream playing in t...

Page 26: ...or MPEG 4 content For all other content the closed captions are superimposed on the video as shown here The actual placement of the closed captions will vary depending on encoding options Scheduling The Scheduling page let you create or view a schedule of future VBrick events These include scheduled broadcasts of live or stored video video conferences auto recording of future broadcasts and the ex...

Page 27: ... whose start times occur during an emergency broadcast are discarded It is not subject to copyright restrictions or expiration dates When done or manually stopped all preempted schedules automatically resume Emergency broadcast templates are pre defined in advance by administrators as explained in the ETV Portal Server Admin Guide T To launch an emergency broadcast 1 Click Emergency Broadcast on t...

Page 28: ... MPEG 4 or WM video content saved on your PC you can publish this content to the VOD server using the Add Video page Content acquired by recording with VBrick StreamPlayer Plus or a VBrick VBStar will always ingest and play at a consistent high quality content acquired from third party vendors or elsewhere may not See Supported Stream Types below for more details Template Name Pre defined template...

Page 29: ... on the size of the file Click Status on the navigation bar to see the status of the ingestion When done the video will be added to the Asset Library in the folder you selected Source File Browse to the folder on your PC or a network drive that have the video you wish to add Destination Choose a folder you would like to publish the video to Only the folders you have permission to publish to will b...

Page 30: ...ypes Additional Info A window similar to this is shown only if an administrator has added Custom Field s It can be used to provide additional descriptive information about a video Reference Links Use this window to add or delete related web page links on the Info page associated with a video Advanced Shown only if you have Expiration Privileges Use to set expiration date viewing period and copyrig...

Page 31: ...g Bookmarks on page 19 Note that if the computer you are using to access a playlist does not support a certain encoding type a bookmark to that item in the playlist will not be displayed Playlists are saved by default in the MyMedia folder A MyMedia folder is automatically created for each defined user and is available and viewable only to the user who is currently logged in If Access Control is e...

Page 32: ...ists below for more details 5 Enter a title for the playlist and select a folder where it will be stored the default is the MyMedia folder of the user who logged in Note that only those folders for which you have publish access are displayed 6 Click Save Playlist and you are done Editing Playlists T To edit an existing playlist 1 Navigate to any existing playlist or bookmark Playlists have a speci...

Page 33: ...n page 17 Up Move clip up one position in playlist Down Move clip down one position in playlist Remove Use to delete individual clips from the playlist If the deleted clip is the last item in the playlist the playlist itself will be removed Start Sets the bookmark start time default beginning of file There are two ways to set Start time 1 Launch the clip in the preview window and click Start at th...

Page 34: ...ormation you need To navigate in the help window use the tree controls on the left to expand a topic and the navigation buttons at the top to move to a different page See Getting Help on page v for more information End Sets the bookmark end time default end of file There are two ways to set End time 1 Launch the clip in the preview window and click End at the point where the clip will end Use the ...

Page 35: ... you log back in as a different user This may be necessary to gain access to certain functionality For example some users may not be allowed to create thumbnails and you may want to login as a user who has the permissions to do this The Logout hyperlink is only shown when Access Control is enabled by an administrator ...

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Page 37: ... scheduled event including one that s running click on the event on the calendar page then click Modify or Delete When using the Scheduler be aware that all VBrick encoder decoder resources must be available at the date and time of the scheduled event When creating a schedule the ETV Portal Server verifies that the resources are currently present on the network but there is no way to determine if ...

Page 38: ...no Add button Mouseover a scheduled event as shown below to see schedule details The schedule details include the dates recurrence pattern and owner Figure 4 Scheduling Page without Add Permissions Scheduling an Event The available content for creating a scheduled program include live streams from a VBrick encoder or stored files on an VOD server or a VBStar You can access the Scheduling page User...

Page 39: ...reating a schedule are the same for all types of schedules T To schedule an event 1 Click Scheduling on the Portal Server home page to display the calendar page shown below This pages uses special icons to indicate recurring events or events currently in progress Switch to the view Month Week Day you prefer The Month view is shown here Figure 5 Scheduling Page with Add Permissions 2 Click Add on t...

Page 40: ...iate This feature uses an intuitive interface that makes it easy to schedule recurring events If a Recurrence schedule is in effect the Remove Recurrence button will be displayed at the bottom of the window and a recurrence icon will be shown on the calendar page Schedule Name Alphanumeric no special characters must be unique Maximum 128 characters Start Use the calendar and the dropdown menu resp...

Page 41: ...ify the information and click Create Schedule when prompted see Create Schedule below If you need to make changes click Modify and adjust the schedule as necessary Schedule time Set start end and duration Duration cannot exceed 24 hours Recurrence pattern Use the radio buttons and check boxes to set a Daily Weekly or Monthly recurrence pattern A recurring event is shown on the scheduler with a spe...

Page 42: ...settings In all cases you can safely ignore these settings and use the defaults provided by the Portal Server The available settings depend on the device characteristics For example the following window shows advanced settings for an MPEG 4 encoder See the VB4000 5000 6000 Admin Guide for more about these device settings Text Color Description Red Expired The scheduled event is over Yellow Future ...

Page 43: ...e d t mp4 Delete Schedule To delete a schedule simply click on the scheduled event and click Delete This removes the schedule and all future recurrences To change a schedule without deleting it open the schedule click Modify and page back to the item you want to change then page forward to Finish In this manner you can change the devices recurrence pattern or other details in a schedule without de...

Page 44: ...ation and click Create Schedule to add the new schedule to the calendar T To use a Program Name as the Video Source 1 Select Program Name as the Video Source 2 Select one Program Name and click Next VBrick Select a live stream by VBrick name Program Name Select a live stream by Program Name from all available Enter Manually Enter an MPEG source Note If you create a server schedule whereby a unicas...

Page 45: ... calendar T To use Enter Manually as the Video Source 1 Select Enter Manually and click Next 2 Enter the Schedule Start Options and click Next The options vary as follows depending on the Source device type Source MPEG 1 MPEG 2 or MPEG 4 IP Address Destination multicast IP address that will receive the broadcast Range 224 0 0 0 239 255 255 255 Port Destination port number that will receive the bro...

Page 46: ...tname of a VBrick encoder managed by the Portal Server the availability will be verified IP Address Host Name must include Slot number if dual encoder decoder and Management Port URL use VBHTTP or RTSP format For example vbhttp MPEG4Unit1 vbs1d1 sdp rtsp 172 2 3 4 vbrickvideo1 SDP on Flash read the onboard SDP file to make a connection Enter the path to where file resides on the VBrick decoder not...

Page 47: ... Schedule to add the new schedule to the calendar T To use a stored video on a VBStar 1 Select a VBStar and navigate to a video that will be the source of the broadcast 2 Select a video and click Next 3 Select the destination VBricks or STBs that will receive the video and click Finish 4 Verify the information and click Create Schedule to add the new schedule to the calendar This icon denotes a VO...

Page 48: ... and click Create Schedule to add the new schedule to the calendar VBrick 1 VBrick at one end of conference For MPEG 4 RTSP conferencing the RTSP ports must be set to 554 the default on each VBrick In IWS go to Configuration System Security RTSP Server Port Private Limited to the specified participants Configure for Unicast using the Advanced Settings Public Available to any participants Configure...

Page 49: ...select Manual Entry See Record by Manual Entry on page 46 Record by Program Name When the Record Source is Program Name you can Record To an NVR Network Video Recorder or to a VBrick as explained below T To use a Program Name as the record source 1 Select a live stream from the list of Program Names 2 Go to Advanced Settings Record To and select NVR or VBrick Program Name Select a live stream by P...

Page 50: ...ice Type If you schedule a recording with a recurrence pattern the filenames are automatically appended with the date and time VOD Ingestion Check to automatically ingest to VOD server Title Title to be shown on VOD server No special characters or embedded spaces Can be the same or different from Filename above If you append d or t to title it will include the date and time in mmddyy and hhmm form...

Page 51: ...t Max Concurrent Viewers Set the maximum number of concurrent viewers Default unlimited Enter a value or select the default Advanced Delete File After Ingestion Check to delete file from the Portal Server after ingestion to VOD server Overwrite File On Save Check to overwrite a file on the VOD server with the same name Batch Enable Batch Use to divide the recording into the specified number of bat...

Page 52: ...eam from the list of Program Names 2 Go to Advanced Settings and select Manual Entry Filename Filename of new recording If you append d or t to filename it will include the date and time in mmddyy and hhmm format For example if you enter the record filename as history d t mpg the recorded file will be history0608051105 mpg if the recording started at 11 05 AM on 06 08 05 If you schedule a recordin...

Page 53: ...ord source and click Next MPEG 1 Enter a Program Name or IP Address and Port number MPEG 2 Enter a Program Name or IP Address and Port number MPEG 4 Enter a Program Name or URL If URL use VBHTTP or RTSP in following format vbhttp MPEG4Unit1 vbs1d1 sdp rtsp 172 2 3 4 vbrickvideo1 WM Enter a Program Name or URL ...

Page 54: ...from the Portal Server A script device must be physically connected to the network and must be available at the runtime of a scheduled event See the Portal Server Admin Guide for a discussion of how to define script devices and create scripts T To schedule a script execution 1 Select a schedule name dates and optionally recurrence pattern see Scheduling an Event 2 For Schedule Type select Script a...

Page 55: ...l panel similar to the one shown here This panel is displayed when you launch the stream and you can use it for supported functions like Start Stop Fast Forward etc T To schedule a control device 1 Select a schedule name dates and optionally recurrence pattern see Scheduling an Event 2 For Schedule Type select Control Device and click Next 3 Select a device and click Next ...

Page 56: ...50 2007 VBrick Systems Inc 4 Select the destination VBricks that will receive the video and click Finish 5 Verify the information and click Create Schedule to add the new schedule to the calendar ...

Page 57: ...PEG 2 MPEG 4 and WM and has a line of sight range of approximately 40 feet After you manually start a stream using the Portal Server interface you can use the VB PC Remote to control it The VB PC Remote includes an IR Remote Control and an IR Remote Receiver that has a USB connector at one end T To use the remote control 1 Launch the Portal Server and manually start any stream using the mouse poin...

Page 58: ...grated with the Portal Server and with certain exceptions e g you cannot Add Video provides access to most Portal Server functionality You use the Amino remote control or the wireless keyboard to navigate through the application and select streams The buttons and functionality on the hand held remote are explained in Table 8 starting at the top See the AmiNet110 User Guide that was shipped with th...

Page 59: ... CH Increase decrease channel number Menu Display the list of menu commands Mouse controls Use blue arrow buttons and OK to navigate web pages Shortcut buttons Red not used Green toggle stream information on off Yellow toggle mouse pointer on off Blue change screen transparency Rewind Stored streams Play Stored streams Pause Stored streams Fast Fwd Stored streams Record Live streams Pg Up Live or ...

Page 60: ...e a wireless keyboard to use this function Live Broadcasts View live streams or rich media presentations on the network Video Library View pre recorded content from VOD servers on the network Scheduling View or create scheduled broadcasts of live or stored content Status View the status of any videos currently being added or recorded Settings Read only view of current network settings Logout Alway...

Page 61: ...rtal Server mode Go to Asset Library page Sched Display scheduled streams available for viewing Search Portal Server mode Display the search window Press Search again to exit window Space Enter a space when using the number keypad for text entry Mark Use to create a bookmark on the Portal Server 0 9 Portal Server mode Enter a PIN or enter a search string using the text keypad for entry Del Deletes...

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Page 64: ...VBrick Systems Inc 12 Beaumont Road Wallingford Connecticut 06492 USA ...