VBrick Systems Portal Server ETV v4.2 User Manual

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 in some VBrick products. This freely available source code is posted at http://www.vbrick.com/opensource.

About VBrick Systems

Founded in 1997, VBrick Systems, an ISO 9001 certified vendor, is a privately held company that has enjoyed rapid growth by helping our customers successfully introduce mission critical video applications across their enterprise networks. Since our founding, VBrick has been setting the standard for quality, performance and innovation in the 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.

Contents

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

3. Using the Scheduler

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

ETV Portal Server Admin Guide

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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 lowcost 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	provides a brief overview of the Portal Server and includes
	desktop requirements and a description of the home page.
Using the Portal Server	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.
Using the Scheduler	explains how to create scheduled events including live and
	stored broadcasts, conferences, recordings, and scripts.
Using the Remote Controllers	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 Search box to find specific information. Simply enter 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 Search box 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.

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 on the web. Support Services can

ETV Portal Server User Guide

v

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 [e-mail] 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

TTo 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

Chapter 1

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 Fast Forward/ 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.

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.

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Table 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.

TTo 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 hostname or IP address (e.g. http:// mcsservername) in 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 Domain name as well. Contact your system administrator for more information.

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 on page 22.

4	© 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc.

		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.

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5

6	© 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc.

Chapter 2

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 on page 51 for more information.

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

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 Full to go to full screen; press Esc to return to 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

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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 Search. You
		can search by All, Title, Keyword, Description, or any custom fields
		created by an administrator. The results of the search are displayed in a
		new window. To return to the original program listing, click Live
		Broadcasts.
	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	Icon and number assigned to the station. Mouseover the icon to and click
	Number	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.

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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.

Using the Portal Server

Control Buttons

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.

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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 Launch 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 can only record the stream currently displayed in the preview window.

TTo 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 Tile Windows Horizontally or Tile Windows Vertically.

3.When done click Undo Tile.

Recording Live Streams

If you have permission, you can record any live channels being played in the Preview Window. (You cannot record or copy stored videos.) The live channel gets recorded and auto-ingested, 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.

TTo start recording:

1.Launch a live channel.

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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.

TTo 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 Status page to view the status (or cancel) any "record" or auto-ingestion in progress. See Status 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, the Asset Library link on the home page displays a list of content stored in folders and files on the server. Note that you will only see those folders for which you have been given permission. To launch a stored video, simply click on any video and it will 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.