VBrick Systems Portal Server ETV User Manual v4.2
VBrick
EtherneTV Portal Server
ETV v4.2 Portal Server
User Guide
December 14, 2007
4410-0097-0008
Copyright
© 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
12 Beaumont Road
Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, USA
www.VBrick.com
This publication contains confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information. No part of this document may be
copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any machine-readable or electronic format without
prior written permission from VBrick. Information in this document is subject to change without notice and
VBrick Systems assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies. VBrick, VBrick Systems, the
VBrick logo, StreamPlayer, and StreamPlayer Plus are trademarks or registered trademarks in the United States and
other countries. Windows Media is a trademarked name of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other
countries. All other products or services mentioned in this document are identified by the trademarks, service
marks, or product names as designated by the companies who market those products. Inquiries should be made
directly to those companies. This document may also have links to third-party web pages that are beyond the
control of VBrick. The presence of such links does not imply that VBrick endorses or recommends the content of
any third-party web pages. VBrick acknowledges the use of third-party open source software and licenses
VBrick products. This freely available source code is posted at http://www.vbrick.com/opensource.
in some
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
delivery of live and stored video over IP networks—LANs, WANs and the Internet. With thousands of video
appliances installed world-wide, VBrick is the recognized leader in reliable, high-performance, easy-to-use
networked video solutions.
VBrick is an active participant in the development of industry standards and continues to play an influential role in
the Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA), the MPEG Industry Forum, and Internet2. In 1998 VBrick
invented and shipped the world's first MPEG Video Network Appliance designed to provide affordable DVDquality video across the network. Since then, VBrick's video solutions have grown to include Video on Demand,
Management, Security and Access Control, Scheduling, and Rich Media Integration. VBrick solutions are
successfully supporting a broad variety of applications including distance learning and training, conferencing and
remote office communications, security, process monitoring, traffic monitoring, business and news feeds to the
desktop, webcasting, corporate communications, collaboration, command and control, and telemedicine. VBrick
serves customers in education, government, healthcare, and financial services markets among others.
Portal Server v4.2 User Guide
Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
Font Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
Printer-Friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi
1. Introduction
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Desktop Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Downloaded Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Portal Server Home Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Login Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
2. Using 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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Editing Playlists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Logout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Contents
3. Using the Scheduler
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
ETV Portal Server Admin Guide iii
Schedule Privileges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Viewing the Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Scheduling an Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Recurrence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
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
iv Contents
Portal Server v4.2 User Guide
This Portal Server User Guide is written for anyone who will be using or evaluating the VBrick
EtherneTV Portal Server. This includes system administrators, software developers, network
technicians, and end users in a variety of business environments. The EtherneTV Portal
Server is a web-based portal for accessing and managing video assets including both live or
stored audio and video files. The ETV Portal Server is a key component in VBrick's
EtherneTV Media Distribution System. The ETV Portal Server provides a simple, intuitive
interface that easily discovers available media assets in your network. Key components in
VBrick's EtherneTV solution include:
• EtherneTV-VOD Video-on-Demand Servers – Provides all standard video-on-demand
(VOD) features including support for MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and Windows
Media for maximum flexibility.
• EtherneTV Digital IP Receivers – Leading edge digital set top boxes that provide a low-
cost standalone decoder for DVD-quality MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and Windows
Media video assets.
• VBrick Hardware Encoders/Decoders – Rugged, reliable video appliances that can
reside anywhere on your network to provide either distributed or high-density centralized
encoding/decoding of MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and WM (Windows Media) video.
Organization
Introduction
Using the Portal Server
Using the Scheduler
Using the Remote Controllers
provides a brief overview of the Portal Server and includes
desktop requirements and a description of the home page.
explains how to use all of the major functionality in the
ETV Portal Server. It includes an Introduction and an
overview of Desktop Requirements and step-by-step
procedures that guide you through the entire application.
explains how to create scheduled events including live and
stored broadcasts, conferences, recordings, and scripts.
explains how to use the remote controllers for the Portal
Server and for the Amino set top box.
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
one or more words in the box and press Enter. The search results will return pages that have
all of the words you entered—highlighted in yellow (Internet Explorer only). The
is not case-sensitive and does not recognize articles (a, an, the), operators (+ and – ), or
quotation marks. You can narrow the search by adding words.
Search box to find specific information. Simply enter
Search box
If you can't find the information you need from the online help, or from your certified
VBrick reseller, you can contact VBrick Support Services
ETV Portal Server User Guide v
on the web. Support Services can
usually answer your technical questions in 24 business hours or less. Also note that our
publications team is committed to accurate and reliable documentation and we appreciate
your feedback. If you find errors or omissions in any of our documents, please send e-mail to
documentation@vbrick.com and let us know. For more information about any VBrick
products, all of our product documentation is available on the web. Go to www.vbrick.com/
documentation to search or download VBrick product documentation.
Font Conventions
Arial bold is used to describe dialog boxes and menu choices, for example: Start > All
Programs > VBrick
Courier fixed-width font is used for code elements (C++, HTML) as well as
filenames, directories, etc.
Black Courier fixed-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 in the online help system.
ETV Portal Server User Guide
ETV IPR Receiver Admin Guide
ETV STB Admin Guide
ETV STB Quick Start Guide
ETV NXG Server Quick Start Guide
ETV VOD W Server Quick Start Guide
ETV VOD WM Server Admin Guide
VBPresenter User Guide
Printer-Friendly
Click on the following link to print a hard copy of this document.
ETV Portal Server User Guide
T To save or print a PDF document:
1. Click once to open the PDF document in Acrobat Reader.
2. To save or print a PDF document, right-click and select
Save Target As or Print Target.
vi Preface
Introduction
Topics in this chapter
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Portal Server Home Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Overview
The VBrick EtherneTV Portal Server is a web-based portal for accessing Live and OnDemand audio and video files. A key component of VBrick’s EtherneTV Media Distribution
System, the ETV Portal Server provides a simple interface to easily locate available media
assets from Windows PCs, Apple Macintoshes, and Set Top Boxes. Upon accessing the main
portal page, users can navigate or search for specific videos, select the video, and immediately
begin viewing television quality video. For on-demand videos, users can
Rewind and Seek to specific points in the video. Details on the specific functionality are
included later in this document. The EtherneTV Portal Server can be accessed by Windowsbase 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 Macintosh or a Set Top Box. For example, the Macintosh client can be configured to use
QuickTime Player (or the VBrick Player) to display video. With QuickTime, the player
window will look different from the screen shots provided here.
Chapter 1
Fast Forward/
Desktop Requirements
The following requirements show what is required on each end user desktop in order to run
the Portal Server interface. The user interface in the ETV Portal Server is designed for
viewing at a screen resolution of 1024x768. Lower screen resolutions may not display
properly. Note that the Admin Console runs only on Internet Explorer.
ETV Portal Server User Guide 1
Tab le 1 . Desktop Requirements
PC Type Requirements
Windows PCs • Windows 2000, XP (Service Pack 2), or Vista.
• 300 MHz Pentium II processor for MPEG-1 streams.
• 500 MHz Pentium III processor for MPEG-2 streams.
• 500 MHz (minimum), 750 MHz Pentium III processor (recommended)
for MPEG-4 streams.
• 128 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 Explorer on a Macintosh is not supported.
Linux PCs • Red Hat Fedora Core 3.
•FireFox 1.0.
• 512 MB RAM.
Table 2. Supported Operating Systems and Browsers†
Operating System Browser†
Windows 2000 Internet Explorer 6.0, Firefox 1.0
Windows XP Internet Explorer 6.0, Firefox 1.0
Windows Vista Internet Explorer 6.0, Firefox 1.0
Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther) Safari 1.2, Firefox 1.0
Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) Safari 2.0, Firefox 1.0
Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) Safari 3.0, Firefox 1.0
Linux Red Hat 9.0 Firefox 1.0
Linux Fedora Core 3 Firefox 1.0
Linux Fedora Core 4 Firefox 1.0
† Use version shown or higher.
Downloaded Components
For Windows PC users, the ETV Portal Server uses VBrick StreamPlayer software-based
components to decode video streams on the desktop. Depending on how your system is
configured, the Portal Server may need to download components to your computer the first
time you access the server. No download is necessary for subsequent access. You must
2 © 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Introduction
answer Yes to security requests when prompted to download components. The ETV Portal
Server may require the installation of up to five components. If you check the box Always
trust content from VBrick Systems Incorporated
, any required components will be
automatically downloaded the next time they are needed. After a download, you don’t have to
restart your computer—just close the browser.
Firefox users will also be prompted to install additional components the first time you launch
a stream—if you are configured to receive these download components. Links for the
appropriate stream types (MPEG-1/2/4 and/or WM) will be displayed in the area where the
embedded player is normally displayed. These additional plugins must be installed. You will
also be required to install an additional plugin when you use
Add Video for the first time (if
you have permission).
For Macintosh PC users, the Portal Server may need to download components to your
computer the first time you access the server. If so, the Home page (see Figure 1) displays a
link prompting you to download components that are appropriate for your computer. If you
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 Portal Server Home page is automatically displayed when you logon with a valid
Username and Password. All ETV Portal Server functionality and commands are available
from this page but you may not have access to all features and functions depending on your
user privileges. For example, you may not be able to access certain live broadcasts or VOD
servers. Note that after three unsuccessful logon attempts, you will need to close the window and start
again.
T To launch the ETV Portal Server Home Page:
1. Open a browser that is appropriate for your operating system Supported browsers for
Windows, Macintosh, and Linux are shown in Table 2.
2. Enter the ETV Portal Server
the address bar.
3. Log in with a valid
User Name and Password to launch the Portal Server (Figure 1). If
your site uses multiple authentication servers, you may need to select a
well. Contact your system administrator for more information.
hostname or IP address (e.g. http:// mcsservername) in
Domain name as
ETV Portal Server User Guide 3
4. Depending on how your system is configured, the Portal Server may need to download
additional components the first time you access the server. If prompted to download
components, you must answer Yes to the security requests.
5. Use the navigation bar at the bottom of the page to access other Portal Server pages. All
Portal Server features and functions are briefly described below and explained in detail
later in this guide. Remember that depending on your privileges you may not have access
to some functions in which case these items are not shown on the navigation bar.
Home Page
There is no specific Portal Server "home" page. When started, the Portal Server displays the
Live Broadcasts, Asset Library, or 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 network. See Asset Library
on page 14.
Scheduling View or create scheduled broadcasts of live or stored content. See
Using the Scheduler
on page 31.
Status Shows the status of any videos currently being added or recorded.
See Status
on page 20.
Emergency Broadcast Launch a previously-defined emergency broadcast that preempts
all other content. See Emergency Broadcast
on page 21.
Add Video If you have publishing permissions you can publish an MPEG or
WM video that you recorded using a VBStar or StreamPlayer Plus.
See Add Video
4 © 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc.
on page 22.
Introduction
Presentations Launches a page from which you can access legacy rich media
presentations that were published to an earlier version of the
Portal Server. See Presentations
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 page 29.
ETV Portal Server User Guide 5
6 © 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Using the Portal Server
Some Portal Server functionality may be restricted to certain users. If you are not authorized
to launch an Emergency Broadcast or Add Video, for example, those menu items will not be
displayed on the navigation footer on the Portal Server home page as shown in Figure 2.
Your system may also have a hand-held remote control device. The VB-PC Remote is a handheld infrared device that can be used to control (stop/start/pause etc.) any stream running
on the Portal Server. After you manually start a stream using the Portal Server interface, you
can use the VB-PC Remote to control it. The remote controller has a line-of-sight range of
approximately 40 feet. See Using the VB-PC Remote
Topics in this chapter
Live Broadcasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Asset Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Scheduling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Emergency Broadcast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Add Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Logout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
on page 51 for more information.
Chapter 2
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 column
to the left of each live stream. To launch a live broadcast or a presentation, simply click on
any live channel and it will launch in the "preview window" on the right. The preview window
has standard video controls. For example, click
preview. If you receive a message indicating the broadcast exceeds the maximum number of
concurrent viewers, contact a system administrator. The Live Broadcasts page may include
some or all of the following items:
•Custom Stations (created by ETV administrators)
• TV Stations (provided by a third-party vendor)
• VBrick SAP live streams
• Manually-entered stream URLs
• Active scheduled stored broadcasts
• Rich media presentations
ETV Portal Server User Guide 7
Full to go to full screen; press Esc to return to
Channel Guide
The Live Broadcasts page has a list of streams and stations. The "Channel Guide" is simply
the list of stations (both custom stations and TV stations) shown at the top of the list.
Custom Stations are defined by an administrator at your site. TV Stations already have
program information provided by a third-party content provider. Other auto-discovered
streams on your network may be displayed but these do not include "programming" data and
are not considered to be part of the Channel Guide. The message "Program Unavailable" in
the Channel Guide means there is no programming data associated with the stream. It does
not mean the 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
Note VBrick has partnered with a leading content provider, to provide news, information,
and entertainment content on the Portal Server. This is optional service that requires a
license and may not be supported at your site.
Figure 2. Live Broadcasts (Channel Guide)
Note A red Record image in the Channel Guide is a visual cue that indicates a recording is in
progress or scheduled. You use the Record pushbutton below the preview window to
record a live stream or the Record Program option on the popup menu to record (or
schedule a recording of) a program
8 © 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Using the Portal Server
Find Find content using specific search criteria. Enter characters or text, for
example type "CNN," in the text field on the left and click
can search by
All, Title, Keyword, Description, or any custom fields
Search. You
created by an administrator. The results of the search are displayed in a
new window. To return to the original program listing, click
Broadcasts
.
Live
Date/Time Box
Use to display programming for a different date and time in the Channel
Guide. You can also enter the values manually as long as you use the
same format. Alternately, you can use the left and right arrows to
advance to the next hour.
Icon and Channel
Number
Icon and number assigned to the station. Mouseover 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 "Program Unavailable" means there is no programming data
associated with the stream. It does not mean the stream is unavailable. You
can still click on the stream to launch it in the preview window. This
popup also has options that let you record a program in progress or
schedule a future recording.
• Record Program – Use to start or stop a recording of the video
currently playing in the preview window.
• Schedule Options – Opens the Scheduler in order to schedule a
future recording. See Record
on page 43 for more about scheduled
recording.
ETV Portal Server User Guide 9
Icons The Live Broadcasts page shows stations and streams that can be
requested and played. Each item has its own icon and is preceded by a
channel number.
Custom icons can be assigned by an administrator to each station.
A station may, or may not, have programming data.
This icon denotes standard live streams. For example TV channels,
without programming data, may have this icon.
This icon denotes rich media presentations (those that have both
video and PowerPoint slides, for example). See the VBPresenter
User Guide for more about rich media presentations.
This icon denotes live streams from a DVD, VCR, or other device
(for example 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 table of available videos allows the user
to scroll up or down through the entries. You can also scroll up or down
through the entries by using a mouse wheel or standard keyboard keys
such as Page Up and Page Down.
Preview Window The embedded video player area at the right side of the window. In
certain instances where the video links to a non-MPEG video file, an
external player, such as Windows Media Player, Real Player, or
QuickTime Player, may launch.
10 © 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Control Buttons
Using the Portal Server
The icons on the bottom of the Preview Window control the video. (Note
that the controls shown here for live broadcasts are different from those used for
stored videos.) The buttons shown are for the Windows-based player.
(Macintosh users may see the QuickTime Player buttons.) Mouseover
each button to see the tool tip title.
Seek – Slider at top. Not used with live video.
•
•
Play – Starts the video stream if it was previously stopped.
•
Pause – Not used with live broadcasts.
•
Stop – Stops the video from playing. Does not stop recording.
•
Record – Records the video to the VOD server. Depending on your
user permissions you may not have the ability to record. Press once to
start recording; press 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
launched, subsequent selections will play in the external player. The
launched window can be moved or resized. Closing the main ETV
Portal Server window leaves the smaller player on the screen. The
viewer can be resized by dragging from the corners or sides. The
player can also be configured by an administrator so that multiple
streams can be displayed in separate windows. See Viewing Multiple
Streams on page 12.
•
Time Counter – The time counter displays the amount of time elapsed
since the viewer began running the currently selected video.
ETV Portal Server User Guide 11
Messages The Messages area under the control panel displays any Global Message
entered by the administrator; it will also display additional information
about the selected video if it was customized by an administrator. The
video title is shown above the Preview Window.
Viewing Multiple Streams
The video player can be configured by an administrator so that you can view multiple
streams in separate windows. Click on any live or recorded stream and then click the
External Player
button below the preview window. If this feature is enabled, you can repeat
this step to launch multiple streams in separate windows. This feature is particularly useful in
security and surveillance applications. Note that the number of streams you can view display
depends on the resources of your computer. Note also that when multiple windows are
displayed, recording and bookmarking on the external windows is disabled. You c a n o n l y r e c o r d
the stream currently displayed in the preview window.
T To tile your screen as shown below:
1. Right-click in an empty area on the Windows taskbar at the bottom of your screen.
2. Then select
3. When done click
Tile Windows Horizontally or Tile Windows Vertically.
Undo Tile.
Launch
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, usually into an assigned folder on the VOD server. The default recording
length is defined by an administrator but you can stop recording at any time. See "Control
Buttons" described above for a description of all the controls in the Preview Window.
T To start recording:
1. Launch a live channel.
12 © 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Using the Portal Server
2. Press the red "record" button under the preview window. A message will note that a
recording is in progress. Optionally, you can mouseover the program name and select
Record Program. A red ball in the Channel Guide (Figure 2) indicates that a recording is
in progress.
T To stop recording:
1. Press the red "record" button again. A message will note that the recording has been
stopped.
2. If necessary, go to the
auto-ingestion in progress. See Status
Status page to view the status (or cancel) any "record" or
on page 20 for more about this page.
Customizing Live Streams
Note End users cannot customize live streams. Administrators can customize live streams by
changing the name, channel number, and adding keywords, custom fields, etc. Live
streams are broadcast by VBricks and auto-discovered by the Portal Server. They
cannot be added or removed except at the VBrick layer using the IWS (Integrated Web
Server) program.
Live streams can only be customized by administrators as explained in the ETV Portal Server Admin
Guide. Live streams that have been customized will display a View Info hyperlink when you
mouseover the stream icon on the
Live Broadcasts page. This 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, DVDs, VCRs, and other devices can be controlled
remotely using a graphical control panel on the screen. For example, you can start, stop,
rewind, or fast forward a DVD player using the control panel associated with that device on
the
Live Broadcasts page. Once a device has been defined, it is available to all users (with
ETV Portal Server User Guide 13
access to that device) unless it is reserved for a scheduled event. If reserved for a scheduled
event and in order to avoid conflicts, only the user who created the schedule can access the
device. (Mouseover the hyperlink for a schedule event to see the owner.) Once defined, you
can control a device using a graphical control panel. On the
Live Broadcasts page, any stream
originating from a control device is distinguished by a special icon. Click on the icon to
launch the stream and the control panel for the device. The control panel you see will vary
depending on the actual device. Click on the arrow icons on the right 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,
Asset Library link on the home page displays a list of content stored in folders and files
the
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 launch in the
Preview Window. Note that video content may be limited to a specific number of viewer. If
you receive a message indicating the stream exceeds the maximum number of concurrent
viewers, contact a system administrator. You can use the following keyboard shortcuts to
work with streams if you first click on the player.
Table 3. Keyboard Shortcuts
Shortcut Description
Ctrl+P Play
Ctrl+S Stop
Ctrl+Shift+F Fast Forward
Ctrl+Shift+B Rewind
14 © 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Loading...