Milestone Smart Client 3.6 User Manual
milestone
XProtect
Smart Client 3.6
User’s Manual
Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Target Audience for this Document
This document is aimed at users of Milestone XProtect Smart Client.
This document provides detailed descriptions of Milestone XProtect Smart Client installation,
configuration, and use. It furthermore provides a number of targeted “how-to” examples, guiding
users through completing common tasks in Milestone XProtect Smart Client.
Note that depending on the type of Milestone XProtect surveillance system you connect to,
depending on your user rights, and depending on your role in your organization, some features in
the Milestone XProtect Smart Client may not be available to you. Ask your surveillance system
administrator if in doubt.
Tip: If you know that your surveillance system administrator has already configured the
necessary views for you, you may skip parts of this manual: After installing (page 12) and logging
in to your Smart Client (page 14), you can proceed straight to this manual’s chapters about
viewing live and recorded video (on page 54 and 71 respectively). Consult your surveillance system
administrator if in doubt.
Information for Milestone XProtect Transact Users
If your organization uses the Milestone XProtect Transact add-on solution for handling loss
prevention through video evidence combined with PoS or ATM transaction data, it will be possible
to view video together with time-linked transaction data in the Smart Client.
Viewing of transaction data in the Smart Client is not covered in this manual. If you require such
information, please refer to the separate documentation for Milestone XProtect Transact available
from www.milestonesys.com
.
SC36-um-4(f1)-060209
www.milestonesys.com Target Audience for this Document
Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Copyright, Trademarks and Important Information
Copyright
© 2009 Milestone Systems A/S.
Trademarks
XProtect is a registered trademark of Milestone Systems A/S.
Microsoft
All other trademarks mentioned in this document are trademarks of their respective owners.
Disclaimer
This document is intended for general information purposes only, and due care has been taken in
its preparation.
Any risk arising from the use of this information rests with the recipient, and nothing herein should
be construed as constituting any kind of warranty.
Milestone Systems A/S reserve the right to make adjustments without prior notification.
All names of people and organizations used in this document’s examples are fictitious. Any
resemblance to any actual organization or person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and
unintended.
®
and Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
www.milestonesys.com Copyright, Trademarks and Important Information
Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Contents
INTRODUCTION.......................................................... 9
What Can You Do with Your Smart Client?............................................ 9
How Can User Rights Affect Your Use of the Smart Client?................. 10
System Requirements......................................................................... 11
INSTALLING THE SMART CLIENT.............................. 12
Download and Installation from Server .............................................. 12
Installation from CD ........................................................................... 13
For System Administrators Only: Silent Installation ........................... 13
LOGGING IN TO THE SMART CLIENT......................... 14
Logging In on Different Computers..................................................... 16
If You Get a Login Error Message........................................................ 16
SELECTING LANGUAGE ............................................ 18
Getting Further Language Versions .................................................... 18
VIEWS EXPLAINED................................................... 20
Difference between Private and Shared Views.................................... 20
How to Check if Views Are Already Available......................................... 21
SETUP OF VIEWS...................................................... 22
Checking which Views You Are Able to Create and Edit ...................... 22
Creating Private Views ....................................................................... 22
Creating Shared Views........................................................................ 24
Assigning Shortcut Numbers to Views................................................ 26
Renaming Views or Groups................................................................. 27
Deleting Views or Groups ................................................................... 27
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
How to Add Content to Views ............................................................. 27
Adding Individual Cameras................................................................. 27
Adding Carousels.............................................................................. 28
Adding Hotspots ............................................................................... 30
Adding Static Images ........................................................................ 32
Adding HTML Pages........................................................................... 32
Adding Matrix Content....................................................................... 34
Adding Other Content........................................................................ 36
Adjusting Camera Properties.............................................................. 37
Camera Name.................................................................................. 37
Image Quality & Keep When Maximized ............................................... 37
Frame Rate...................................................................................... 38
Fisheye Split Mode............................................................................ 38
Maintain Image Aspect Ratio .............................................................. 39
Update on Motion ............................................................................. 39
Sound on Motion Detection ................................................................ 39
Sound on Event................................................................................ 40
Apply to All...................................................................................... 40
Using Your Views on Different Computers .......................................... 41
System Changes May Affect Views...................................................... 41
FURTHER CONFIGURATION ...................................... 42
Customizing Joystick Setup ................................................................ 42
Assigning Custom Keyboard Shortcuts ............................................... 44
Selecting Language ............................................................................ 45
Using an HTML Page for Smart Client Navigation................................ 46
Smart Client Scripting......................................................................... 50
Viewing a List of Possible Function Calls............................................... 50
Startup Scripting .............................................................................. 50
VIEWING LIVE VIDEO .............................................. 54
Live Video Is Not Necessarily Recorded.............................................. 54
Views and their Content ..................................................................... 55
Selecting a View............................................................................... 55
Camera Names and Colored Indicators................................................. 55
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Hotspot Positions.............................................................................. 56
Carousel Positions............................................................................. 57
Matrix Positions................................................................................ 57
Enlarging Camera Positions ................................................................ 58
Camera Shortcut Menus..................................................................... 59
Camera Messages............................................................................... 59
Switching Cameras in Camera Positions ............................................. 60
Sending Video between Views............................................................ 60
Starting Recording when Viewing Live Video...................................... 61
Starting Recording on More than One Camera....................................... 62
How Do I Know if a Camera Is Already Recording?................................. 62
Handling Sound Notifications.............................................................. 62
Audio (Microphones & Speakers)........................................................ 63
Listening ......................................................................................... 63
Talking............................................................................................ 63
Frequently Asked Questions about Live Audio ....................................... 64
Digital Zoom ....................................................................................... 65
Using PTZ ........................................................................................... 67
Point-and-Click................................................................................. 67
Zoom with Mouse Wheel.................................................................... 67
PTZ Navigation Buttons ..................................................................... 67
PTZ Preset Positions.......................................................................... 67
Stopping PTZ Patrolling ..................................................................... 68
Fisheye 360° Images.......................................................................... 68
Manually Triggering Events ................................................................ 69
Manually Triggering Outputs .............................................................. 69
Sending Video to Matrix Recipients .................................................... 70
Copying Single Images ....................................................................... 70
VIEWING RECORDED VIDEO..................................... 71
Views and their Content ..................................................................... 72
Selecting a View............................................................................... 72
Camera Names and Colored Indicators................................................. 72
Enlarging Camera Positions ................................................................ 72
Hotspot Positions.............................................................................. 73
Carousel Positions............................................................................. 73
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Matrix Positions................................................................................ 73
Camera Messages............................................................................. 73
Camera Shortcut Menus..................................................................... 74
Switching Cameras in Camera Positions ............................................... 74
Sending Video between Views............................................................. 75
Sending Video to Matrix Recipients...................................................... 75
Video Browsing Features.................................................................... 75
Timeline Browser.............................................................................. 75
Time Span ................................................................................... 76
Hiding and Showing the Timeline Browser ........................................ 76
Time Navigation ............................................................................... 76
Master Time Area.......................................................................... 76
Browse Buttons ............................................................................ 77
Time Sliders................................................................................. 77
Playback Slider and Buttons ........................................................... 77
Skip Gaps During Playback............................................................. 78
Quick Date and Time Navigation ..................................................... 78
Sequences....................................................................................... 78
Alerts.............................................................................................. 79
Smart Search................................................................................... 80
PTZ Cannot Be Used Retroactively...................................................... 82
Digital Zoom ....................................................................................... 82
Fisheye 360° Images.......................................................................... 84
Navigation by Dragging Inside Fisheye Images ..................................... 84
Navigation Buttons ........................................................................... 84
Defining a Favorite Fisheye Position..................................................... 84
Audio Recorded by Microphones......................................................... 85
Copying Single Images ....................................................................... 85
CAMERA MESSAGE TEXTS ......................................... 86
PRINTING EVIDENCE................................................ 88
EXPORTING VIDEO EVIDENCE.................................. 89
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Exporting in AVI and JPEG Formats.................................................... 89
Exporting in Database Format ............................................................ 91
Frequently Asked Questions about Exporting ..................................... 93
USING MULTIPLE WINDOWS.................................... 94
Sending a View to Primary Display ..................................................... 94
Sending a View to Secondary Display ................................................. 94
Sending a View to a Floating Window................................................. 95
Closing Separate Windows ................................................................. 95
Multiple Windows Are Stored for Next Login ...................................... 96
Frequently Asked Questions about Multiple Windows......................... 96
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS............................................ 97
Using Standard Keyboard Shor tcuts ................................................... 97
Using Custom Keyboard Shortcuts...................................................... 98
LOGGING OUT .......................................................... 99
SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM DIFFERENCES................... 100
REMOVING THE SMART CLIENT .............................. 104
INDEX .................................................................... 105
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Introduction
The Smart Client provides remote users with extremely
feature-rich access to the surveillance system.
The Smart Client must be installed locally on the remote
user’s computer.
What Can You Do with Your Smart Client?
With the Smart Client, you are able to:
• View live videos from cameras on the surveillance system.
• Browse recordings from cameras on the surveillance system with a selection of advanced
navigation tools, including a highly intuitive timeline browser.
• Use two-way audio: From the Smart Client you can listen to live recordings from
microphones attached to cameras, and talk live to audiences through loudspeakers
connected to cameras. This way you can interact directly with your audiences. You can of
course also listen to audio recordings when browsing recorded video. Note that audio is
only available when connecting to selected Milestone surveillance systems; see Surveillance
System Differences on page 100 for more information.
• Create and switch between an unlimited number of views, each able to display images from
up to 64 cameras from multiple servers at a time (depending on the type of Milestone
surveillance system you connect to). Views can be placed in private groups (only accessible
by the user who created them) or in groups shared with other users.
• Use views, private as well as shared, on any computer that has a Smart Client installed.
• Create special views for widescreen monitors.
• Use multiple screens as well as floating windows for displaying different views
simultaneously.
• Quickly substitute one or more of a view’s cameras with other cameras.
• View images from several cameras, one after the other, in a single camera position (a so-
called carousel).
• View images from selected cameras in greater magnification and/or higher quality in a
designated hotspot.
• Receive and send images through Milestone XProtect Matrix.
• Include HTML pages and static images (e.g. maps or photos) in views.
• Control PTZ (Pan/Tilt/Zoom) and fisheye (360° view) cameras.
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
• Use digital zoom on live as well as recorded images.
• Manually activate triggered events.
• Manually activate external outputs (e.g. sirens or lights).
• Use sound notifications for attracting attention to detected motion or events.
• Get quick overviews of sequences with detected motion.
• Get quick overviews of detected alerts or system events.
• Quickly search selected areas of camera images for motion (also known as Smart Search).
• Skip gaps during playback of recordings.
• Configure and use several different joysticks.
• Print images, with optional comments.
• Copy images for subsequent pasting into word processors, e-mail, etc.
• Export recordings (e.g. for use as evidence) in AVI (movie clip), JPEG (still image) and
Milestone surveillance system database formats. The AVI and database formats can include
audio.
• Use pre-configured as well as customizable keyboard shortcuts to speed up common
actions.
• Select between a number of language versions, independent of language used on main
surveillance system.
Note: Some of the above features may require certain user rights. Some of the above features
may only be available if supported by the surveillance system; see Surveillance System Differences
on page 100 for more information.
How Can User Rights Affect Your Use of the Smart Client?
The rights of individual users are specified centrally by the surveillance system administrator. The
rights of an individual user will determine the user’s ability to use the Smart Client’s features.
Basically, the surveillance system administrator is able to restrict a user’s rights to the following:
• Access to the Smart Client
• Access to each of the Smart Client’s tabs: Live, Browse, and Setup
• Ability to use features on the Smart Client’s tabs
• Ability to create views (views determine the way in which images from one or more
cameras are displayed)
• Ability to view images from specific cameras
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
The ability to use various features of the Smart Client may therefore vary considerably from user to
user. Ask your surveillance system administrator if in doubt about your user rights.
System Requirements
Operating System Microsoft® Windows® 2008 Server (32 bit or 64 bit*), Windows
Server 2003 (32 and 64* bit), Windows Vista
64* bit), Windows Vista Enterprise (32 bit or 64* bit) or Windows
Vista Ultimate (32 bit or 64* bit), Windows XP Professional (32 bit or
64 bit*).
* Running as a 32 bit application.
®
CPU Intel
RAM Minimum 512 MB (1 GB recommended for large views, 1 GB
Network Ethernet, 100 Mbit or higher recommended.
Graphics Adapter AGP or PCI-Express, minimum 1024×768 (1280×1024
Hard Disk Space 100 MB free.
Software Microsoft .NET 2.0 Framework, and DirectX 9.0 or newer.
Tip: To check which DirectX version is installed on a computer, click Start, select Run..., and
type dxdiag. When you click OK, the DirectX Diagnostic Tool window will open; version information
is displayed near the bottom of its System tab. If your computer requires a DirectX update, the
latest versions of DirectX are available from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/
Core2™ Duo, minimum 2.4 GHz.
recommended on Microsoft Windows Vista).
recommended), 16 bit colors.
®
Business (32 bit or
.
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Installing the Smart Client
The Smart Client must be installed on your computer before you are able to use it.
Typically, you download the Smart Client from the surveillance system server, then install it on
your computer. Alternatively, your surveillance system administrator may ask you to install the
Smart Client from a CD (see page 13).
In some organizations, your surveillance system administrator will be able to install the Smart
Client on your computer through the network, in which case you will not have to perform any
installation yourself.
Download and Installation from Server
To download and install the Smart Client from the surveillance system server, do the following:
1. Verify that your computer meets the Smart Client’s system requirements (see page 11).
2. Open an Inte rnet Explorer browser (version 6.0 or later), and connect to the surveillance
system server at the URL or IP address specified by your system administrator. When you
are connected to the surveillance system server, you will see a welcome page.
3. On the welcome page, select your required language in the menu in the top right corner.
Then go to the welcome page's Smart Client Installers section, and click the required Smart
Client language version link.
Example: Selecting welcome page language and r equired Smart Client language
version. Number of available languages may be different in your organization.
My welcome page is different, why? The illustration shows the type of welcome
page that most users are likely to see. Other versions of the welcome page also exist:
If you see this type of welcome page, go to the welcome page's XProtect Smart
Client section, and click the Download and Install XProtect Smart Client Locally
link.
If you see this type of welcome page, click the Install the XProtect Smart Client
link.
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
4. Dependi n g on your security settings, you may receive one or more security warnings when
clicking the link (Do you want to run or save this file?, Do you want to run this software? or
similar; exact wording depends on your browser version). When this is the case, accept the
security warnings (by clicking the Run button or similar; exact button names depend on
your browser version).
5. The Sm art Client setup wizard begins. In the wizard, click Next, and follow the installation
instructions.
Installation from CD
To install the Smart Client from a CD, do the following:
1. Verify that your computer meets the Smart Client’s system requirements (see page 11).
2. Insert the surveillance system software CD, wait for a short while, select required
language, then click the Install Milestone XProtect Smart Client link.
Tip: Depending on your security settings, you may receive one or more security
warnings when clicking the link (Do you want to run or save this file?, Do you want to run
this software? or similar; exact wording depends on your browser version). When this is
the case, accept the security warnings (by clicking the Run button or similar; exact button
names depend on your browser version).
3. When the installation wizard starts, click Next to continue the installation and follow the
steps in the installation wizard.
For System Administrators Only: Silent Installation
For surveillance system administrators, it is possible to deploy the Smart Client to users’ computers
using tools such as Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS).
Such tools let administrators build up databases of hardware and software on local networks. The
databases can then—among other things—be used for distributing and installing software
applications, such as the Smart Client, over local networks.
For more information of silent installation (when available), see the separate documentation for
your surveillance system server software.
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Logging In to the Smart Client
Logging in to the Smart Client is very straightforward. So is the initial configuration of the Smart
Client upon your first login; in fact, configuration may in some cases not be required at all.
To log in to the Smart Client, do the following:
1. Double-click the Smart Client shortcut on your desktop.
If no Smart Client desktop shortcut is available, select the Smart Client from
Windows’ Start menu (exactly how you do this is determined by where and
how you have installed the Smart Client on your computer, but you would
typically select Start > All Programs > Milestone XProtect Smart Client >
Smart Client).
2. A splash screen is displayed while the Smart Client loads; this typically takes a few seconds
only.
3. The Smart Client login window appears:
4. Specify your login information in the following fields:
• Server address: Type the URL or IP a
specified by your surveillance system
administrator.
Internet connections may use different ports
for different purposes. Therefore, the URL or
IP address may include a port number
(example: 123.123.123.123:80, where :80
indicates the port number).
Tip: If you have logged in before, you
may simply select the required server from
the Server address list.
• Authentication: Select between different methods of authentication (i.e. the process
of verifying that you are who you claim you are).
Note: Not all Milestone surveillance systems support the use of all three authentication
methods; see Surveillance System Differences on page 100 for more information.
Consult your surveillance system administrator if in doubt about which authentication
method to use.
o Windows authentication (current user) with which you will be authenticated
through your current Windows login, and do not have to specify any user name or
password. This is the Smart Client’s default authentication method, i.e. the method
which is automatically used unless you select another method.
o Windows authentication with which you will be authenticated through your
Windows login, but you will need to type your Windows user name and password.
o Basic authentication, with which you must specify a special user name and
password for accessing the surveillance system. This method can only be used with
selected Milestone surveillance systems.
ddress
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
• User name: Only required if the authentication method Windows authentication or
Basic authentication is selected. If using Windows authentication, type your Windows
user name. If using Basic authentication, type your surveillance system user name as
specified by your surveillance system administrator. The user name is case-sensitive,
i.e. there is a difference between typing, for example, amanda and Amanda.
• Password: Only required if the authentication method Windows authentication or Basic
authentication is selected. If using Windows authentication, type your Windows
password. If using Basic authentication, type your surveillance system password
exactly as specified by your surveillance system administrator.
• Remember password: When using Windows authentication or Basic authentication,
you have the option of selecting Remember password, in which case you can simply
click Connect the next time you want to log in.
Note: Depending on your type of organization and work environment, security
restrictions may apply. Consult your surveillance system administrator if in doubt about
whether it is safe to use this feature.
• Auto-login: If selected, you will automatically be logged in to the Smart Client, when
you log in to Windows. For some authentication methods, the Remember password
check box must be selected in order for the auto-login feature to be available.
Note: Depending on your type of organization and work environment, security
restrictions may apply. Consult your surveillance system administrator if in doubt about
whether it is safe to use this feature.
When ready, click Connect.
Tip: If a problem or other issue occurs during login, you will receive an error message;
see Login Error Messages on page 16 for more information.
5. Only relevant if you have logged in before; if logging in for the first time, move to
step 6. The Smart Client will ask you if you want to keep the view(s) you last used.
Your options are:
• Main View: If the check box is selected, the
view you last used in the Smart Client’s main
window will be restored. If you clear this check
box, no view will initially be displayed, in which
case you must select the required view
yourself.
• Detached Views: Available when connecting to selected Milestone surveillance
systems only, and only if you used views in detached windows the last time you
were logged in on the computer in question (see Using Multiple Windows on page
94 for more information). If you select this check box is selected, the views you
last sent to Primary Display, secondary displays and floating windows will be
restored.
6. After a short wait, the Smart Client window will open. The Smart Client window has three
tabs: Live, Browse and Setup.
The Live tab is used for viewing live video, the
Browse tab is used for browsing recorded video,
and the Setup tab is used for configuring the
Smart Client. Depending on your user rights, you may not be able to access all three tabs.
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
If you have logged in for the first time, you need to determine whether any views exist.
Views determine how video from cameras are displayed in the Smart Client, and are thus
required in order to be able to use the Smart Client.
One or more views may already have been created for you, or you may need to create
views yourself. Read more about views, including how to determine if any views have
already been created for you, in Views on page 20.
Logging In on Different Computers
Your user settings are stored centrally on the surveillance system server. This means that your
login can be used on any computer that has a Smart Client installed.
If You Get a Login Error Message
If a problem or other issue occurs during login to the Smart Client, you will see one of the following
error messages:
Error Message Description
You do not have access to
any part of the application
(live, browse or setup).
Please contact the system
administrator.
Failed to connect.
Maximum number of
clients are already
connected.
Failed to connect. Please
check the server address.
Issue: You currently have no access rights to any part of the
Smart Client, therefore you cannot log in to the Smart Client.
What to do: Consult your surveillance system administrator,
who will be able to change your access rights if required.
Issue: The maximum number of remote access clients
allowed to connect to the surveillance system server
simultaneously has been reached.
What to do: If possible, wait for a while before connecting
again. If access to the surveillance system is urgent, contact
your surveillance system administrator who may be able to
extend the allowed number of simultaneously connected
clients.
Issue: It was not possible to connect to the surveillance
system server at the specified server address.
What to do: Verify that you have typed the correct server
address. Bear in mind that the http:// prefix as well as a port
number is typically required as part of the server address
(example: http://123.123.123.123:80, where :80 indicates
the port number). Consult your surveillance system
administrator if in doubt.
Failed to connect. Please
check the username and
password.
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Issue: It was not possible to log in to the Smart Client with
the specified user name and/or password.
What to do: Verify that you have typed your user name
correctly, then re-type your password to ensure it does not
contain errors. Bear in mind that user names as well as
passwords may be case sensitive (i.e. there is a difference
Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
between typing Amanda and amanda). Consult your
surveillance system administrator if in doubt.
New Client Available.
Update is recommended /
Update is required.
The new version can be
downloaded from ...
Issue: A new version of the Smart Client is available.
This message is typically accompanied by information about
whether an update is recommended or whether it is a
requirement (for example due to recently introduced features
not working in your current Smart Client version).
The message will typically also contain information about
where to download the new version from.
What to do: Follow the advice given in the message. Consult
your surveillance system administrator if in doubt.
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Selecting Language
1. Click the Show Application Menu button in the right side of the Smart Client’s top bar.
2. From the menu, select Language, then the required language.
Tip: If the language you require is not available, you may be able
to install a language pack; see Getting Further Language Versions below.
3. The Smart Client must be restarted in order for the change to take effect. Close your Smart
Client, then log in again to use the new language version.
Getting Further Language Versions
If you would like to be able to select from more language versions in your Smart Client, you will
often be able to install so-called language packs. Example: You have an English-language version
of the Smart Client, but you would like to be able to view your Smart Client in Spanish as well. To
allow this, you install a Spanish language pack on your computer. Typically, you download
language packs from the surveillance system server, and then install them on your computer.
Alternatively, your surveillance system administrator may ask you to install language packs from a
CD.
Note: The language packs option is only available when connecting to selected surveillance
systems; see Surveillance System Differences on page 100. Even for surveillance systems which
support language packs, the choice of downloadable language packs may vary from organization to
organization; some organizations may not provide any language packs for download. Consult your
surveillance system administrator if in doubt.
How to Download and Install a Language Pack
1. Open an Inte rnet Explorer browser (version 6.0 or later), and connect to the surveillance
system server at the URL or IP address specified by your system administrator. When you
are connected to the surveillance system server, you will see a welcome page..
2. On the welcome page, select your required language in the menu in the top right corner.
Then go to the welcome page's Smart Client Language Packs section, and click the required
language pack link.
Example: Selecting welcome
page language and required
language pack. The number
of available languages may
be different in your
organization.
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
My welcome page is different, why? If your organization
uses certain surveillance system versions, the welcome page
looks differently (see small examples to the right). In that case,
language packs are not available.
3. Dependi n g on your security settings, you may receive one or more security warnings (Do
you want to run or save this file?, Do you want to run this software? or similar; exact
wording depends on your browser version). When this is the case, accept the security
warnings (by clicking Run or similar; exact button names depend on your browser version).
4. The language pack is self-extracting: Once the language pack is downloaded, it will extract
and install itself on your computer. When ready, you will see a confirmation dialog in the
required language. In this example, we installed a Spanish language pack:
You can now select the new language in your Smart Client as described on page 18.
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Views Explained
The way in which images from one or more cameras
are displayed in the Smart Client is called a view.
A view may contain video from up to 64 cameras,
depending on the surveillance system to which you
connect. A Smart Client can handle an unlimited
number of views, allowing you to switch between video
from various collections of cameras.
The illustration to the right provides an example of a
Smart Client displaying a view, in this case with video
from six different cameras (view is highlighted in red
frame).
In order to help you maintain an easy overview when
you navigate between various views in your Smart Client, all views are placed in folders called
groups. A group can contain any number of views and, if required, subgroups.
Difference between Private and Shared Views
Views can be private or shared:
• Private views can only be accessed by the user who created them.
• Shared views allow many Smart Client users to share the same views. This is possible since
all views are stored on the surveillance system server. Depending on the type of surveillance
system you connect to, shared views can simply be shared by all Smart Client users, or
access to selected shared views can be given to selected groups of Smart Client users.
Before you create any views, it is important that you are sure about the difference between private
and shared views—not least because a number of shared views may already exist for Smart Client
users in your organization.
If you already know that shared views exist, and that you have access to them,
you can start using your Smart Client straight away. See Viewing Live Video on page
54 and Viewing Recorded Video on page 71 for more information.
When you have access to shared views, creating further views in your Smart Client will not be
necessary unless you want to supplement the shared views with private views of your own.
If you want to create views yourself, for example if no shared views are available in your
organization, the Smart Client’s Setup tab lets you create groups and views, and specify which
cameras should be included in each view. See Setup of Views on page 22 for more information.
Note: The way shared views work varies slightly depending upon which type of Milestone
surveillance system you connect to; see Surveillance System Differences on page 100 for details.
Tip: You can use your views, private as well as shared, on any computer that has a Smart
Client installed. This is because information about your views is stored centrally on the surveillance
system server, as part of your user login information.
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How to Check if Views Are Already Available
Typically, your surveillance system administrator will have told you if you have access to shared
views. Alternatively, to quickly determine whether any shared views are available, do the following:
Note: This method requires that your user rights permit you to access the Smart Client’s Live tab
and/or Browse tab. Most users will have access to at least one of these tabs.
1. Go to the Smart Client’s Live or Browse tab.
2. On the Live or Browse tab, look at the Views section:
Example only; arrow indicates location of Views
section
3. The Views section will always contain a top-level folder called Private. The Private top-level
folder is for accessing private views; its content depends entirely upon which views—if
any—you have created for yourself.
Any other top-level folders in the Views section are for accessing shared views. The names
of such other top-level folders depend entirely upon what has been configured on the
surveillance system server.
The fact that the Views section contains one or
more top-level folders for accessing shared views
does not in itself guarantee that shared views are
actually available. To verify if any shared views are
available under the top-level folders, expand the
folders like in the example to the right.
In the example there is a Private top-level folder
as well as two top-level folders (called Building A
and Building B) for accessing shared views. One of
these, the Building A folder, has been expanded to
reveal that six shared views are available. Note
that the six shared views have been grouped into
three logical groups.
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Setup of Views
You create and manage views on the Smart Client’s Setup tab. Depending on your user rights, you
may be able to create and edit the following types of views:
• Private and shared
• Private, but not shared
• Shared, but not private
• Neither private, nor shared (in which case you simply rely on shared views created by
others)
Typically only a few people in an organization are able to create and edit shared views.
For example, the surveillance system administrator may create and maintain a number of shared
views: When relevant Smart Client users log in, the shared views will automatically be available to
them, and they will basically not need to create further views unless they want their own private
views.
Checking which Views You Are Able to Create and Edit
To quickly determine which types of views your user rights permit you to create and edit, do the
following:
1. Select any of the Smart Client’s tabs.
2. Look at the Views section: You are abl e to create and edit views under the top-level folders
(Shared and Private) if the top-level folders are not marked by a padlock icon.
If a top-level folder is marked by a padlock icon, it is protected: You can still use any views
under the top-level folder, but you cannot create new views or edit existing views under it.
Example only; folders may have different names in
your version.
Consult your surveillance system administrator if in doubt about your user rights.
Creating Private Views
Note: Views are created on the Smart Client’s Setup tab. Particular user rights may be required in
order to access the Setup tab.
To create your first private view, you first create a group under the Setup tab’s Private top-level
folder, then create the required view within the group.
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If you have created private views before, you may create the new view in an existing group, or you
may create a new group for the view.
Creating a Group
To create a group under the Private top-level folder, do the following on the Setup tab:
1. In the Setup tab’s Views section, select the Private top-level folder.
2. Click the Create New Group button:
3. A new group is created. The new group is simply named New Group.
4. Overwrite the default name New Group with a group name of your choice.
You are now able to create a view within the group.
Creating a View within the Group
To create a view in a group, do the following:
1. In the Setup tab’s Views section, make sure the group in which you want to create the view
is selected.
2. Click the Create New View button:
3. Select the required layout for your new view.
You are able to select layouts for displaying up to 64 (8×8) cameras in a
single view.
Tip: Some of the selectable view layouts are marked Wide. These view
layouts are especially suitable for widescreen monitors.
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4. A new view is created under the group you selected. The new view carries the default name
New View plus an indication of the selected layout:
5. Overwrite the default name with a view name of your choice.
You are now able to add cameras to the view.
Tip: For information about adding content (cameras, etc.) to views, see How to Add
Content to Views on page 27.
Tip: A group can contain an unlimited number of views. You may also create any
number of subgroups if required.
Creating Shared Views
Note: Views are created on the Smart Client’s setup tab. Particular user rights may be required in
order to access the Setup tab and in order to be able to create shared views. When creating a
shared view, bear in mind that depending on their user rights not all users may have access to all
cameras on the surveillance system.
Note: Due to the large amount of new features in recent Smart Client versions, views created in
Smart Client version 3.0 or later will not work in previous versions of the Smart Client. If creating
shared views, it is thus important that the users with whom you wish to share the views also use
Smart Client version 3.0 or later.
To create your first shared view, you first create a group under the required shared top-level
folder, then create the required view within the group. If you have created shared views before,
you may create the new view in an existing group, or you may create a new group for the view.
Creating a Group
To create a group under a shared top-level folder, do the following on the Setup tab:
1. In the Setup tab’s Views section, select the Shared top-level folder (in this example, the
required folder is simply called Shared).
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2. Click the Create New Group button:
3. A new group is created. The new group is simply named New Group.
4. Overwrite the default name New Group with a group name of your choice.
You are now able to create a view within the group.
Creating a View within the Group
To create a view in a group, do the following:
1. In the Setup tab’s Views section, make sure the group in which you want to create the view
is selected.
2. Click the Create New View button:
3. Select the required layout for your new view.
You are able to select layouts for displaying up to 64 (8×8) cameras in a
single view.
Tip: Some of the selectable view layouts are marked Wide. These view
layouts are especially suitable for widescreen monitors.
4. A new view is created under the group you selected.
The new view carries the default name New View plus an indication of the
selected layout:
5. Overwrite the default name with a view name of your choice.
You are now able to add cameras to the view.
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Milestone XProtect Smart Client 3.6; User’s Manual
Tip: For information about adding content (cameras, etc.) to views, see How to Add
Content to Views on page 27.
Tip: A group can contain an unlimited number of views. You may also create any
number of subgroups if required.
Assigning Shortcut Numbers to Views
On the Setup tab, you are able to assign shortcut numbers to views. Shortcut numbers allow users
to select views using the Smart Client’s standard keyboard shortcuts (see page 97). To assign a
shortcut number to a view, do the following:
Note: Illustrations used in the following are examples only; top-level folders may have different
names in your version.
1. In the Setup tab’s Views section, select the required view:
2. Specify the required shortcut number in the
Shortcut field, and press ENTER on your
keyboard:
3. The speci f ied shortcut number will now appear in
brackets in front of the view’s name:
This will also be the case on the Live and Browse tabs, allowing users to quickly find a
view’s shortcut number.
4. Repe at as necessary for other views.
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Renaming Views or Groups
To rename a view or group, do the following on the Setup tab:
1. Select the required view or group in the Views section.
2. Click the Rename button:
3. Overwri te the existing group name with a new name of your choice.
Deleting Views or Groups
IMPORTANT: Deleting a group will delete all views and any subgroups within the group as well.
To delete a view or group, do the following on the Setup tab:
1. Select the required view or group in the Views section.
2. Click the Delete button:
You will be asked to confirm that you want to delete the selected view or group.
How to Add Content to Views
Once you have created views (see page 22), you are able to add content to the views. Content can
be video from individual cameras, carousels for viewing images from alternating cameras in a
single view position, a hotspot for viewing selected camera images in high quality, static images
(such as .gif, .jpeg, etc.), HTML pages, or Milestone XProtect Matrix-triggered video.
Adding Individual Cameras
To add a camera to a view, do the following:
1. In the Setup tab’s Views section, select the required view. When you select a view, the
layout of the selected view is outlined in the main section of the Smart Client window.
Layout of selected view is outlined in main section
(indicated in red frame in this example)
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2. In the Setup tab’s System Overview secti on,
click the plus sign
plus sign next to the required server to view a
list of available cameras.
next to Cameras, then the
3. Select the required camera from the list, and
drag the camera to the required position in the
view.
When you have dragged a camera to a position in the view, an image from the camera
will—provided a connection can be established—appear in the selected position. If a
connection cannot be established, for example if the surveillance system’s recording server
is not running, the name of the camera will be displayed in the selected position.
When the camera position is selected, you are able to specify its properties in the Setup
tab’s Properties section; see Adjusting Camera Properties on page 36 for detailed
information.
4. Repe at for each camera required in the view.
Tip: If you want to use all of the cameras under a server, you may simply drag the
required server link to the view; this will automatically place all of the server’s cameras in
the view from the selected position onwards. Make sure a sufficient number of positions are
available in the view.
Tip: You can easily change which cameras are included in your view: Either clear an
individual camera position by clicking the clear button , then drag another camera to the
cleared position, or simply overwrite a position by dragging a different camera to the
position.
Adding Carousels
A carousel is used for displaying images from several cameras, one after the other, in a single view
position. You are able to specify which cameras to include in the carousel as well as the interval
between camera changes.
Note: Fisheye cameras (special 360° view cameras) cannot be included in a carousel.
To add a carousel to a view, do the following on the Setup tab:
1. Drag the System Overview section’s Carousel l ink to the required position in the view.
When you release the mouse button over the required position, the Carousel Setup window
opens.
Tip: Note that the position gets a thin green
border. The green border indicates that the position is
used for a carousel; the green border will also be
evident when using the view on the Browse and Live
tabs.
2. In the Carousel Setup window, specify which cameras
to include in the carousel by selecting required
cameras in the left part of the window, then clicking
the Add button to add the selected cameras to the list
in the right part of the window.
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3. If required, move cameras up and down in the list to determine the sequence in which
cameras will appear in the carousel.
4. Define the amount of time for which each camera should be displayed in the carousel;
either with a common default, or individually for each camera.
5. Click OK to close the Carousel Setup window.
6. Make sure that the required position in the view is selected, then go to the Properties
section in the left part of the Setup tab.
In the Properties section, specify the following settings for the carousel:
• Image Quality: The setting—which will apply for all cameras included in the
carousel—determines the quality of the images when viewed, but also affects
bandwidth usage. If your Smart Client is used over the internet, over a slow
network connection, or if for other reasons you need to limit bandwidth use, image
quality can be reduced on the server side by selecting e.g. Low or Medium.
When selecting a reduced image quality, images are re-encoded on the server to a
JPEG format along the following lines:
o Full: The default setting, providing the full quality of the original image.
o SuperHigh (for megapixel): Re-encoding to an image output wi dth of 640
pixels (VGA) and a JPEG quality level of 25%.
o High: Re-encoding to an image output wi dth of 320 pixels (QVGA) and a
JPEG quality level of 25%.
o Medium: Re-encoding to an image output width of 200 pixels and a JPEG
quality level of 25%.
o Low: Re-encoding to an image output width of 160 pixels and a JPEG
quality level of 20%.
Image height will scale according to the width and the aspect ratio of the original
image.
Your image quality selection will apply for JPEG as well as MPEG. For MPEG,
however, only keyframes will be re-encoded.
Note: When viewing live video, you can double-click a carousel (or any other
camera position in a view) to enlarge it (see page 58 or 72). When you do this,
video from cameras included in the carousel is by default displayed in full quality,
regardless of your image quality selection. This default cannot be overridden for
carousels.
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Note: While using a reduced image quality helps limit bandwidth use, it will—due
to the need for re-encoding images—use additional resources on the surveillance
system server.
• Frame Rate: Lets you select a frame rate for the carousel. Select between
Unlimited (default), Medium, or Low. The setting will apply for all cameras included
in the carousel. The effect of your selection can be illustrated by the following
table:
Effect Unlimited Medium Low
JPEG Send all frames Send every 4th
MPEG (I-frame) Send all frames Send all frames Send all frames
MPEG (P-frame) Send all frames Do not send any
Example: If you set the Frame Rate option to Low in your Smart Client, and your
surveillance system administrator has configured a camera to feed JPEG images at
a frame rate of 20 frames per second, you will experience an average of 1 frame
per second when viewing video from the camera in the carousel. If your
administrator had configured a camera with a feed as low as 4 frames per second,
you would, with Frame Rate set to Low in your Smart Client, experience an average
of 0,2 frames per second when viewing video from the camera in the carousel.
• Maintain Image Aspect Ratio: If check box is selected, the cameras’ original
image aspect ratio will be maintained; this will provide you with non-distorted
images, but may lead to black bars appearing above/below images.
If check box is cleared, images will be stretched to fit the carousel; this may lead to
slightly distorted images, but you will avoid any black bars appearing around the
images. The setting will apply for all cameras included in the carousel.
Tip: If you later want to edit settings in the Carousel Setup window, select the required
carousel position in the view, then click the Properties section's Carousel Setup button.
Tip: You are able to use several carousels in a single view.
frame
frames
Send every 20th
frame
Do not send any
frames
Adding Hotspots
With a hotspot, users will be able to select a camera in the view, and view enlarged and/or higher
quality images from the selected camera in the view’s hotspot.
For the hotspot you would usually select a one of the view’s larger positions, for example the large
position in a 1+7 view:
The fact that you can view enlarged images in the hotspot is not in itself what makes the hotspot
useful; you can enlarge any image in a view by double-clicking the image. What makes the hotspot
useful is that with a hot spot you can use a low image quality and/or frame rate for cameras in the
view’s regular positions and a high image quality and/or frame rate for the hot spot.
Then, only when users select a camera for viewing in the hotspot will it be displayed in high quality
and/or high frame rate. This can really help you save bandwidth on the remote connection.
To add a hotspot to a view, do the following on the Setup tab:
1. Drag the System Overview section’s Hotspot link to the required position in the view.
www.milestonesys.com Page 30 Setup of Views
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