Panasonic bb-hnp15 Operation Manual

Operating Instructions

Network Camera Recorder

with Viewer Software

Model No.

Please read this document before using and save this document for future reference.

BB-HNP15A

Operating Instructions

1 Product Introduction ....................................................7

1.1 Looking at Installation Procedure .................................................. 7

1.2 Starting or Closing This Software ................................................. 8

1.2.1 Starting Operation Window ....................................................................... 8

1.2.2 Closing Operation Window ....................................................................... 9

1.2.3 Closing This Software ............................................................................... 9

1.3 Performing License Registration ................................................. 10

1.3.1 Registering a New License ..................................................................... 10

1.4 Changing the displayed language ............................................... 12

1.5 Setting Recording Environment .................................................. 13

1.5.1 Setting a Folder to Save Recorded Images ............................................ 13

1.5.2 Setting a Proxy Server ............................................................................ 18

2 Software Operation ....................................................20

2.1 Registering the Camera .............................................................. 20

2.1.1 Creating New Camera ............................................................................ 20

2.1.2 Setting Cameras ..................................................................................... 24

2.2 Network Camera Recorder Window ........................................... 38

2.2.1 About the Application Windows .............................................................. 38

2.3 Monitoring the Camera ............................................................... 50

2.3.1 Multi-Monitoring Page ............................................................................. 50

2.3.2 Using the Camera Operation Bar ........................................................... 53

2.4 Recording the Image ................................................................... 56

2.4.1 Recording Method .................................................................................. 56

2.4.2 Recording All Images .............................................................................. 57

2.4.3 Motion Detection Recording ................................................................... 58

2.4.4 Alarm Recording ..................................................................................... 59

2.4.5 Timer Recording ..................................................................................... 60

2.5 Playing the Recorded Images ..................................................... 67

2.5.1 Display the Recorded Images ................................................................. 68

2.5.2 Searching the Recorded Images ............................................................ 70

2.5.3 Confirm the Recorded Image on the Playback Screen ........................... 72

2.5.4 Playback Recorded Images on the Multi-Playback Page ....................... 74

2.6 Application Window Operation .................................................... 77

2.6.1 Selecting Camera ................................................................................... 77

2.6.2 Multi-Monitoring Page Settings ............................................................... 78

2.6.3 Setting Playback Volume ........................................................................ 86

2.6.4 Multi-Playback Page Settings ................................................................. 87

2.6.5 Recorded Images Page Settings ............................................................ 90

2.7 Editing Recorded Images ............................................................ 92

Operating Instructions

2.7.1 Converting the Recorded Images ........................................................... 93

2.7.2 Copying the Recorded Images ............................................................. 101

2.7.3 Deleting the Recorded Images ............................................................. 103

2.7.4 Changing the Keyword of the Recorded Images .................................. 104

2.7.5 Copying Display Screens ...................................................................... 105

2.7.6 Displaying the Recorded Image Information ........................................ 107

2.8 Use Remote Access Functions ................................................. 108

2.8.1 Configuring the Settings ....................................................................... 110

2.9 Other Features .......................................................................... 121

2.9.1 Audio Transmission ............................................................................... 121

2.9.2 Exporting/Importing the Camera Information ....................................... 122

2.9.3 Copying Camera Images ...................................................................... 124

2.9.4 Deleting the Registered Cameras from the List .................................... 125

2.9.5 Deleting the Timer Setting .................................................................... 127

2.9.6 Checking the Recording Capacity and Remaining Time ...................... 129

2.9.7 Executing Restore Program and Log Analysis ..................................... 131

2.10 Specifications ............................................................................ 136

2.11 Troubleshooting ......................................................................... 139

2.12 Error Message List .................................................................... 141

2.13 Default Setting List .................................................................... 160

Operating Instructions

Main Features

Full Screen Display (see page 38)

New full-screen display function. You can expand the window to cover the entire desktop.

Display Recorded Images as a Chart (see page 68)

You can view the list of recorded images as a chart. The camera name, recording time and recording mode can all be checked from the chart.

Simultaneous Playback (see page 74)

On the multi-playback page you can simultaneously play the recorded images from a maximum of 4 cameras.

Customize the Camera Screen-layout (see page 81 and 85)

You can register up to 64 cameras. You can enlarge a camera display and rearrange the order of camera screens on the multi-monitoring page.

Convert in Several Image Formats (see page 93)

You can convert recorded images to several audio and video formats. (MPG/JPG/WAV/ASF/AVI) The converted images can be played back with Windows® Media® Player.

Recording Modes (see page 56)

10 timers can be set for each camera. In addition, alarm mode*, which starts recording after detecting an action such as

doors or windows being opened and closed, is available.

Audio Transmission (see page 121)

Using this software, you can transmit audio to a camera that supports transmission.

Remote Access (see page 108)

Using the recording software on a separate PC (Personal Computer), you can view the recorded images from a Panasonic Network Camera connected to a PC (remote server) registered with the recording software.

Multiple Language Support (see page 12)

The default languages are Japanese and English. (2009/1 present)

* To set alarm recording, an outside sensor need to be attached to the camera.

See “Operating Instructions” for your camera for details.

Operating Instructions

Screen shots in this document

Screen shots in this document were taken running this software on Windows XP. The screens displayed when using a different operating system may differ slightly.

Trademarks

• Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista, Internet Explorer, and Windows Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

• Adobe Reader is registered trademark or trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

• Intel, Pentium and Intel Core are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

• ATI Radeon is trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

• Screen shots reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.

• All other trademarks identified herein are the property of their respective owners.

Operating Instructions

System Requirements for your PC

The following technical specifications are recommended for this software to work properly with your PC and network.

Items Description

Operating System

Microsoft® Windows Vista Microsoft® Windows® XP

Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003

Resolution 1280 x 1024 pixel or higher

Web Browser Internet Explorer 6.0 or later

File System NTFS (NT File System)

Audio

Audio output feature (Speaker or Headphones) Audio input feature (Microphone)

When using a camera that supports audio.

Note

• The recommended number of cameras that you can register, monitor and record simultaneously differs depending on the specifications of your computer. See page 136 for details.

• The approximate size of the recorded image can be calculated from the recording method and the number of days to record. Change the hard disk capacity considering [Calculated disk capacity to record] (see page 25) and file size shown on page 16.

1 Product Introduction

1.1 Looking at Installation Procedure

You must perform the following steps to use this software.

Read the End-User License Agreement (see attached leaflet).

You cannot install this software if you disagree. (The legal agreement is required when installing this software.)

Install this software (see Important Information).

Performing License Registration (see page 10).

To use this software, the license registration is necessary. (The attached registration code stickers are required.)

Setting Recording Environment (see page 13).

• Setting a folder to save recorded images.

• Setting the proxy server when using one.

Operating Instructions

Configure the camera (see page 20).

Monitoring the camera (see page 50). Recording the image (see page 56). Playing the recorded images (see page 67).

Operating Instructions

1.2 Starting or Closing This Software

This software starts automatically when you boot up the PC.

• is displayed in the notification area while this software is running.

PC screen

Start

Displayed in the notification area.

notification area

Note

To not start this software automatically when booting up the PC, right-click and uncheck [Start on bootup] from the menu.

1.2.1 Starting Operation Window

Double-click on the desktop to start this software.

• Operation window of this software is displayed.

Note

• You can also start the operation window through the following procedures.

• From the [Start] menu, select [All Programs] → [Network Camera Recorder

with Viewer Software] → [Network Camera Recorder with Viewer Software].

• From Explorer, double-click [ncr3.exe] in the location where the software was

installed.

• These softwares cannot work at the same time. Use only a software.

• To use this software, perform the license registration. If no license has been registered when the operation window is started,

[Register the license key] will be displayed. Follow the steps on page 10.

Operating Instructions

1.2.2 Closing Operation Window

Click [File] [Exit] on the menu bar or select on the toolbar.

Note

Even when the operation window is closed, will not be removed from the notification area.

When is displayed in the notification area, the timer recording function is operating.

1.2.3 Closing This Software

1. Right-click in the notification area and select [Exit].

2. Click [Yes].

Note

• When you exit this software, will be removed from the notification area.

• When you exit this software, any timers that you have set stop operating.

Operating Instructions

1.3 Performing License Registration

If no license has been registered when the operation window is started, [Register the license key] will be displayed. Follow the steps below.

1.3.1 Registering a New License

1. Select [Help] [License Registration] on the menu bar.

2. Enter the registration code and license key, and click [OK].

3. Click [OK].

Note

• The registration code and license key are shown on the attached registration code stickers. Characters are case sensitive, so enter them exactly as printed.

• If the registration is complete, [License Registration] on the menu bar is grayed out.

Operating Instructions

Note

• If the following window is displayed, the registration code or license key is incorrect. Confirm them, and enter them again.

• Keep the registration code and license key in a safe place where you will not lose them. Lost codes and keys cannot be reissued.

Operating Instructions

1.4 Changing the displayed language

You can change the displayed language.

1. Select [Language] on the menu bar.

2. Select the language that you want to display.

• In the default setting, you can choose from the following languages. (2009/1 present)

English or Japanese

3. Click [Yes].

• The displayed language will be changed after restarting the software.

Operating Instructions

1.5 Setting Recording Environment

1.5.1 Setting a Folder to Save Recorded Images

This software records camera images to the hard disk on your PC. The folder can be changed. After you have changed the destination folder, the recorded images will be saved in the folder that you specified.

• If the destination folder is not specified, the recorded images are saved into the [ncrdata] folder in the folder where this software is installed.

• You can change the destination folder to another folder or external hard disk drives.

1. Select [Window] [Settings] on the menu bar.

2. Click [Preferences].

After you click [Preferences], the [Basic Settings] page is displayed.

3. Configure the settings in the [Basic Settings] page and click [OK].

Note

When you change a setting, a mark is displayed on the icon for the item that you changed. The setting is applied when you click [OK] or [Apply]. See page 45 for details on the settings icons.

Operating Instructions

Basic Settings Page

Setting Description

Destination Folder

Destination Hard Disk Space

Limit the destination recording capacity

Connection method to the camera

Specify the destination folder to save recorded images (see page 15).

Set enough capacity as your destination disk to prevent the system from getting unstable. (100 MB (Default) to 50,000 MB).

To specify the limit of how much data can be recorded on the destination disk, select [Limit the destination recording capacity] and enter a value in [Destination Recording Capacity Limit]. Select [Stop all the recordings] or [Delete old files and keep recording] (by 1 minute) when the capacity is full.

When normal recording is often used, according to the conditions of use, it is necessary to limit the Destination Recording Capacity Limit value to approximately 70 % of the total of the Drive capacity minus the Guaranteed Destination Hard Disk Space.

Set the connection method to use for audio and video when the camera’s data format is set to JPEG (see

page 25). If you monitor and record camera images with audio over the internet, the audio may be interrupted due to the network environment. If this is the case, select [Images and audio are connected separately].

There is a limit to the number of connections to the same camera using this software (including BB-HNP11). If you select [Audio and images are sent using one connection], do not make more than 4 connections to the same camera. If you are making more than 4 connections, select [Images and audio are connected separately].

Operating Instructions

Note

• You can also specify the destination folder for individual cameras (see page

23).

• If you select [Delete old files and keep recording] and change the destination recording capacity limit to a value smaller than the current capacity, the old images will be deleted. (Example: if you change the destination recording capacity limit to 2 GB when you recorded images up to 3 GB, 1 GB old images are deleted.)

• You can also limit the recording capacity of individual cameras (see page 27). [Limit the destination recording capacity] (preferences setting) and [Limit the

recording capacity] (individual camera setting) cannot be used simultaneously. When [Limit the recording capacity] is set, the following window is displayed. The recording capacity limitation of individual cameras is disabled by clicking [OK].

• Audio interruption may be reduced by lowering the maximum bandwidth of the camera, reducing the image resolution, or lowering the image quality.

Change the destination folder

1. Click [Browse...] in [Destination Folder] in the [Basic Settings] page (see page

14).

2. Select the destination folder, and click [OK].

• Create the folder in advance.

Operating Instructions

Note

• The drive containing the destination folder must have more than 100 MB of free space.

• Do not move, change or delete the files and folders in the destination folder. Doing so can cause the program to behave unexpectedly.

• The path of the destination folder must be under 128 characters in order to prevent the system from becoming unstable.

e.g.

D:/Camera Recorder_HNP15/HNP15_Images

under 128 characters

• File sizes of recorded images listed below can be used as a baseline. [1 frame size (Image only)]

Data format: JPEG

Resolution Items Favor Clarity Standard Favor Motion

1280 x 1024 File Size About 100 KB About 77 KB About 60 KB

640 x 480 File Size About 50 KB About 35 KB About 27 KB

320 x 240 File Size About 25 KB About 16 KB About 10 KB

192 x 144 File Size About 10 KB About 7 KB About 5 KB

160 x 120 File Size About 7 KB About 5 KB About 3 KB

• Recording capacity can be calculated by Size (KB) x Frame Rate (images per second) x time (second).

Example: 640 x 480 resolution, Favor Clarity and 5 images per second for one hour: 50 (KB) x 5 (images/s) x 3,600 (s) =900,000 KB (About 879 MB). If the audio is attached, add 4 KB per second. 900,000 (KB) + 4 (KB) x 3,600 (s) = 914,400 KB (About 893 MB).

[Image size per second (Image only)]

Data format: MPEG-4

Resolution Items MPEG-4 Bit Rate

640 x 480 File Size 768 Kbps

320 x 240 File Size 384 Kbps

192 x 144 File Size 128 Kbps

Operating Instructions

• Recording capacity can be calculated by MPEG-4 Bit Rate (Kbps) ÷ 8 Bit x

time (second). Example:

640 x 480 resolution, MPEG-4 Bit Rate 768 Kbps for one hour: 768 (Kbps) ÷ 8 (Bit) x 3,600 (s) = 345,600 KB (337.5 MB) If the audio is attached, add 4 KB per second. 345,600 (KB) + 4 (KB) x 3,600 (s) = 360,000 KB (About 352 MB)

* The MPEG-4 Bit Rate is dependent on the value of "MPEG-4 Bit Rate" in

"Video Streaming" in the camera settings.

Operating Instructions

1.5.2 Setting a Proxy Server

You need to set the following settings to monitor the camera on the Internet you using a proxy server. (You cannot connect to the camera without the proxy settings.) If you do not use a proxy server, this setting is not required.

1. Select [Window] [Settings] on the menu bar.

2. Click [Preferences] [Proxy Server Settings].

3. Check [Use a proxy server] on the [Proxy Server Settings] page.

Click [Proxy Server Settings].

Check [Use a proxy server].

• If you have already registered the camera, the following confirmation window will display when you select the [Use a proxy server] checkbox.

4. Click [Yes].

• If you click [Yes], the [Use a proxy server] setting in the [Camera Settings] page for all registered cameras is selected.

(However, a check mark will not be displayed for cameras registered with an IPv6 address.)

Click [No] if you want to configure proxy server settings for individual cameras (see

page 23).

5. Set the parameters and click [OK].

Proxy Server Settings Page

Setting Description

Operating Instructions

Proxy Server Address and Port

Enter the IP address of proxy server and port number. Enter them after asking your administrator.

• Enter the alphanumeric characters. (Enter only the numeric character for port number.)

• Proxy server does not support IPv6 connection. Set the IPv4 address or URL that you registered by IPv4 domain name service.

Proxy User Name and Proxy Password

Enter the user name and password for the proxy server, if required. Enter them after asking your administrator.

• Enter the alphanumeric characters.

Note

Normally when the camera cannot access a proxy server, an error message is displayed (see displayed with a proxy server error. In this case, the camera’s image is displayed as a connection error (default is blue; see page 83).

page 21), but there are cases when an error message is not

Operating Instructions

2 Software Operation

2.1 Registering the Camera

Before you can view or record images, each camera must be configured on this software.

Note

• When registering a camera, make sure that the camera is connected to a power outlet and to your network.

• The camera information can be imported and exported (see page 122).

• Monitoring stops while the settings page is displayed.

2.1.1 Creating New Camera

1. Select [Window] [Settings] on the menu bar.

2. Click [Add] (Camera) on the [Settings] page.

When you click [Add] from underneath “Camera”, a [New camera] item is added.

The configuration window of the item that is selected on the left is displayed.

[Search] Button

[Add] Button

Operating Instructions

• If a camera is configured to the same network as the software, you can also click [Search] to add a camera. Click [Search], select the desired camera and click [OK].

3. Configure the settings in the [Camera Settings] page.

4. Click [Camera Function Check].

• When the check has finished, [Confirmed] is displayed.

• The software will connect to the camera and confirm the resolution and data format. If the camera does not support the set values, they will be changed automatically, and a mark will be displayed on the icon for the items that were changed (see

• If you cannot access the camera, the following windows are displayed. Confirm the camera's connection, IP address, port number, user name and password.

page 45).

5. C l i c k [ O K ] o r [ A p p l y ] .

• If you click [OK], settings page will close. If you want to register another camera, click [Apply].

• The new camera will be displayed in the multi-monitoring page.

Note

• See page 45 for details on the [OK], [Apply], and [Cancel] buttons.

• The default camera name is “New camera”, followed by a number. The number is generated automatically. Default values are used for the other settings.

Operating Instructions

Camera Settings Page

Setting Description

Enable/Disable You can enable or disable cameras. If you disable the camera,

the monitoring window for that camera is not displayed and manual recording and timer recording cannot be operated.

• If you disable a camera, the monitoring window for that camera is displayed as gray. You can change the background color of disabled cameras (see

page 79).

• If you disable the camera, manual recording and timer recording is stopped.

• If you enable the camera, timer recording starts again.

• You can play recorded images even from disabled cameras.

Camera Name Enter the camera name. (Maximum 250 characters.)

To display the camera name in the multi-monitoring page, select the [Display the camera name] check box in [Preferences]

→ [Multi-Monitoring] (see page 78).

Comment Enter the information of the camera such as a location.

(Maximum 128 characters.)

Operating Instructions

Setting Description

Camera Address Enter the IP address (or domain name) (Up to 256

alphanumeric characters).

• Enter the alphanumeric characters.

• An IPv6 address is divided in to 8 groups of hexadecimal digits divided by “:” (colon). Consecutive groups of “0” can all be shortened to “::”.

Surround an IPv6 address with square brackets [ ] to distinguish it from an IPv4 address.

Example: [201:2:3:4::5]

• If the camera supports SSL, enter https:// followed by the IP address to create an SSL connection. When connecting the camera through https, set HTTPS setting of the camera to [Use HTTPS].

Por t Enter the port number. (1 to 65535 numeric characters.)

• You must enter the port number. The default is 80.

User Name/ Password

If the camera has security settings enabled (authentication setting), enter the administrator user name and password for the camera.

• Enter the alphanumeric characters.

• 4 to 15 characters.

• If you set a general or unregistered user name and password, this software may not work properly.

• Password is saved in encryption.

Use a proxy server This option is enabled if you selected [Use a proxy server] in

the proxy server settings. (See

page 18). If the camera uses a proxy server, configure the proxy server settings and select [Use a proxy server]. Cameras that are registered using an IPv6 address cannot be used with a proxy server.

Destination Folder

Specify the recorded image’s destination folder for individual cameras. The default is specified in the preference’s [Destination Folder]

Monitoring

Click the [OK] or [Apply], when the registration is completed, the monitoring image will be displayed.

Operating Instructions

2.1.2 Setting Cameras

You configure the settings for registered cameras individually.

1. Select [Window] [Settings] on the menu bar.

2. Configure the settings for the individual cameras and click [OK] or [Apply].

• If you click [OK], settings page will close. If you want to configure other settings, click [Apply].

Setting the image data information

Configure the settings for image data information.

Image Settings Page

Operating Instructions

Setting Description

Data Format Select the data format for the camera. [JPEG (Default),

MPEG-4]. (If the camera does not support the MPEG-4 format, this option will be disabled.)

Image Quality Select the image quality for the camera when using the JPEG

format. [Favor Clarity, Standard (Default), Favor Motion]. (If using the MPEG-4 format, this option will be disabled.)

Audio Recording

Select to record the image with audio or only images.

Settings

Resolution Select the resolution of the image.

The resolutions that are available depend on the camera and data format. Default is 320 x 240.

Recorded Frequency

Set the interval at which to record images when using the JPEG format. [Not Specify, Specify (Record images at specified interval)] If you record images as they are set on the camera, set to [Not Specify]. If you select [Specify], [Display the error message if the program does not work in the specified frequency] will be enabled. Select this option if you want to display the error message (see page 26). (If using the MPEG-4 format, this option will be disabled.)

Calculated disk capacity to record

The estimated amount of necessary disk space is calculated based on the number of days of recorded that is specified. [1 to 60 days. Default is 30 days]

Recording images Select whether to display an error message when, during

recording, image data cannot be obtained for 1 minute.

Note

• If you select the MPEG-4 format, CPU usage will be higher. To reduce CPU Specify

usage, select [ and set the frame rate to a low value.

• If you selected the MPEG-4 format, the following confirmation window will be

displayed.

the frame rate] from [Preferences] → [Multi-monitoring],

Operating Instructions

• If you have set the recorded frequency or the alarm recording, the following window will be displayed when you click [OK]. Disable the settings and select MPEG-4 again.

• If you have set motion detection recording as the timer recording method, the following window will be displayed. Disable the settings and select MPEG-4 again.

• If you select the JPEG format, there is a limit to the number of connections that can be made to the same camera with this software (including BBHNP11).

If you select [Audio and images are sent using one connection] on the basic settings page

(see page 14)

, do not make more than 4 connections to the same camera. If you are making more than 4 connections, select [Images and audio are connected separately].

• If you select the MPEG-4 format, image display will be smoother even if bandwidth is lower. If you select the JPEG format, frame rate will be reduced, but image quality will be higher.

• If the camera disables setting changes, resolution or image quality settings may not work properly.

• Due to the network environment, you may not record images at the set intervals or max. bandwidth.

• If you selected [Display the error message if the program does not work in the specified frequency], the following window will be displayed when the program does not work at the specified recording frequency. In this case, set the recorded frequency to a higher value.

Limiting the recording capacity

You can limit the recording capacity of individual cameras.

Recording Capacity Limit Page

Operating Instructions

Setting Description

Limit the recording capacity

Calculated recording time from the limited capacity

To limit the recording capacity of individual cameras, select [Limit the recording capacity] and enter a value in [Recording Capacity Limit]. Select [Stop recording] or [Delete old files and keep recording] (by 1 minute) when the capacity is full.

If the recording capacity is limited, the available recording time is calculated based on the values above.

Note

• If you select [Delete old files and keep recording] and change the capacity limit to a value smaller than the current capacity, the old images will be deleted. (Example: If you change the capacity to 200 MB when you recorded images up to 250 MB, 50 MB old images are deleted.)

• You can also limit the recording capacity in the basic settings page (see page

14).

Operating Instructions

[Limit the destination recording capacity] and [Limit the recording capacity] (individual camera setting) cannot be used simultaneously. When [Limit the destination recording capacity] is set, the following window is displayed. [Limit the destination recording capacity] in the basic settings page is disabled by clicking [OK].

Operating Instructions

Setting the motion detection level

You can set the level at which to start motion detection recording. Motion detection recording only operates when the JPEG format is selected.

If the MPEG-4 format is selected, change the format to JPEG (see page 25).

Motion Detection Page

The cell where motion

was detected is displayed

Motion detection monitoring window

You can monitor the progress of motion detection.

in red.

Setting Description

Non Motion Detection Operation

If you check the box, the motion is not detected during the pan, tilt or zoom operation of the camera. (If the camera does not support the MPEG-4 format, this is grayed out.)

Motion Detection Analysis Frequency

Sensor deactivation time

Threshold to Start Recording

Set the interval for comparing images. By increasing the interval, you can better detect slow-moving objects, and by decreasing the interval, you can better detect fast-moving objects.

To limit unnecessary continuous detection, set the deactivation time between detections.

The image is divided into 100 cells. If the number of cells that detect motion exceeds the threshold, recording starts. A lower threshold is more sensitive to small amounts of motion.

Operating Instructions

Setting Description

Cell Sensitivity Set the sensitivity in a cell.

Before or After Detection

Executing Commands for Detection

Specify the number of seconds to record before and after the motion is detected.

You can specify commands that execute for motion detection. You can configure commands in [Detection Commands] page (see page

34).

Note

• Check motion detection by using the motion detection monitoring window, and adjust the settings accordingly.

• You can center the camera image on the desired point by right-clicking in the motion detection monitoring window (see page 52).

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