User Guide for Cisco Digital Media Manager 5.0

Application Administrator Contact Email

The e-mail address that receives help requests from users. This field is read only in DMM-VPM, and it contains the e-mail that is specified for the superuser account in DMS-Admin.

Deployment CC Email Recipient

The e-mail address that receives a copy of every deployment and notification message that DMM sends to any user.

Tip Use an e-mail alias to send notifications to multiple recipients.

Password Retrieval Email

The e-mail address that receives requests to retrieve and restore lost passwords from Video Portal users.

Note If you use embedded authentication, we recommend that you enter an e-mail address to provide a password management option for users who have only Video Portal User level access. For information about Video Portal user accounts, see the "Using Features Under the Users Tab" section.

Metadata Checkout Duration

The duration (in minutes) that a user can lock metadata for editing.

Scheduled Deployment Interval (minutes)

The interval (in minutes) between automated cycles when DMM checks whether there are any scheduled deployments that it should process. This setting pertains only to scheduled deployments; immediate deployments start immediately.

Default Content Provider

The content provider name to assign, by default, to any new program upon  its creation. For example, you might enter the name of your organization.

E-mail Server

The DNS-resolvable hostname or routable IP address of the SMTP server through which DMM sends deployment and approval e-mail messages automatically.

Application Server Base

The lowest-level HTTP URL (including the TCP port number) that points to your DMM appliance. For example: http://dmm.yourdomain.com:8080. To confirm that the URL is reachable, click Check.

Upload URL

 The HTTP URL (including the TCP port number) that points to the subdirectory where you keep uploaded binary files temporarily on your DMM appliance. For example: http://dmm.yourdomain.com:8080/DMM/temp/video_portal/asset. To confirm that the URL is reachable, click Check.

Upload Path on Local File System

The complete file system pathname (starting from the root directory) that points to the subdirectory where you keep uploaded binary files temporarily on your DMM appliance. For example: /dm2/apache-tomcat/webapps/DMM/temp/video_portal/asset. To confirm that the path exists, click Check.

Preview URL

The HTTP URL (including the TCP port number) that points to the private staging area on your DMM appliance. To confirm that the URL is reachable, click Check.

Preview Path on Local File System

The complete file system pathname (starting from the root directory) that points to the staging area subdirectory on your DMM appliance. For example: /dm2/apache-tomcat/webapps/DMM/temp/video_portal. To confirm that the path exists, click Check.

DMM version

Shows the release number for the DMM-VPM version that is installed on your DMM appliance.

Java

Shows the release number for the Java version that installed on your client system.

Database

Shows the release number for the MySQL version that is installed on your DMM appliance.

Tomcat uptime

Shows the total number of days, hours, and minutes since the most recent time that you restarted your DMM appliance.

Video Portal Login Prompt

The text that users see when they log in to the Video Portal; there is a 25-character limit.

Video Portal FQDN

Exactly the same DNS-resolvable hostname¹ for your Video Portal appliance that you defined on your:

•DNS server.

•Video Portal appliance, in its version of AAI.

Video Portal Instance

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Caution You must not use Cisco as the instance name. We reserve and use the Cisco name for other purposes. All of your deployments will fail if you use Cisco as the instance name.

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Exactly the same instance name that you defined for your Video Portal appliance in its version of AAI.

Video Portal Password

The password that is currently in effect for the administrative account in AAI on your Video Portal appliance. Any time that you change that password on your Video Portal appliance, you must also enter exactly the same updated password value here.

Video Portal Web Server Base

The top-level HTTP URL of the server on which your audience can find your Video Portal. To confirm that the URL is reachable, click Check.

The URL to the live video portal

The HTTP URL that points directly to your public Video Portal.

If you click Check, you see one of these messages:

•"URL is blank." — You have not entered any URL.

•"Server was not found." — You entered an invalid URL.

•"URL exists." — The URL that you entered points correctly to a Video Portal.

Default Audio Only Image

The SWF or non-progressive JPEG image to show as the thumbnail for every audio file. You must specify a file that is 100 pixels wide and 75 pixels high (or uses any proportional multiple of those dimensions, such as 400 x 300). The file must be in the same directory that you specified as the Upload Path on Local File System when you completed the "Configuring Administrative and Network Settings" section.

Note This option applies to you only if — when you or an administrator used AAI to set up your Video Portal appliance — you selected FLV as the only supported file type and Flash/Sorenson as the only supported format for encoding. For more information, see Task 10 in the "Setting Up and Configuring a Video Portal Appliance" chapter in Appliance Administration Guide for Cisco Digital Media System 5.0 on Cisco.com.

Default Preview Image

The SWF or non-progressive JPEG image to show as a placeholder thumbnail  image when no other preview image is available for a video file. You must specify a file that is 100 pixels wide and 75 pixels high or use any proportional multiple of those dimensions.

Supported Media Formats

The formats to support. Select any combination of Flash Video, Windows Media, and MPEG4/H.264 (QuickTime).

Media Preferences by Browser

The order in which the Video Portal and embedded video players attempt to play a video.

Video Portal URL with Plugin Detector

The HTTP URL that activates the plugin detector on your Video Portal so that it automatically selects the format to use when it shows media to Video Portal audience members.

Video Portal URLs by Individual Supported Media Formats

The HTTP URL that bypasses the plugin detector on your Video Portal so that it show only one media type to your Video Portal audience members whether or not they have the required plugin to see that media type.

Ensure that users have installed the correct plugin on their systems; otherwise, they may experience technical difficulty when accessing a video by using this URL.

¹ Do not use underscores or any other special characters in hostnames. DNS standards do not support these characters. Use only letters, numerals, and hyphens.

Connection type

The protocol or method for file transfer (the options are FTP, SFTP, and SCP).

No matter which protocol you use, the connection timeout is 10 seconds on this page and 30 seconds during an actual deployment.

Host address

The DNS-resolvable hostname or routable IP address of the remote server where you will deploy files of the relevant filetype.

Login name

A user account name that has the required privileges to access the remote server.

Login password

The assigned password for the login name that you specified. If you select the SFTP  option for deployments to your Video Portal appliance, the password that you enter must be exactly the same as your Video Portal admin password.

Root file directory

The absolute directory path to files that you will deploy. If you click Check, you see one of the following messages:

•"Field is blank" — You have not entered any path.

•"File Path Does Not Exist" — You entered an invalid path.

•"File Path exists" — The path that you entered points correctly to a valid file.

Root URL Path

The absolute URL, where the Video Portal will host and reference your files. If you click Check, you see one of the following messages:

•"URL is blank"  — You have not entered any URL.

•"Server was not found"  — You entered an invalid URL.

•"URL exists" — The URL that you entered points correctly to a valid file.

First Name

The given name of the user for this account.

DMM-VPM greets the user by this name when the user logs in. DMM-VPM also includes this name when it sends approval requests and e-mail notifications.

Last Name

The surname of the user.

DMM-VPM includes this name when it sends approval requests and e-mail notifications.

Company

The company for the user.

Department

The department association for the user.

Email Address

The e-mail address for the user. DMM-VPM uses this address to send approval requests and notifications.

Phone Number

The phone number for the user.

Login User Name

The assigned username of the user to log in to DMM-VPM, Video Portal, or Video Portal Reports.

Module Access Type

Lists the categories of access that you can assign to a user account. The access types are the following:

•Administrator — Manages users, passwords, and permissions.

•Category Manager — Creates, edits, or disables categories.

•Approver — Approves content items.

•Video Portal User — Views content on the Video Portal.

•Author — Creates, edits, or disables programs, videos, video parts, and lineups.

•Designer — Edits aspects of the Video Portal graphical user interface for audiences, including its templates, logos, background images, and links.

•Configuration Manager — Accesses the DMM application configuration.

•Video Portal Reports User — Uses Video Portal Reports in DMM-VPM.

Add New {Program | Video | Video Part}

Shows the Add New {Program | Video | Video Part} page.

Archive Selected

Moves the content objects that you selected from the Active table to the Archive table.

Note If you archive a program, the videos and video parts within it remain active. You can deploy them in a playlist, and your audiences can use a keyword search to find them on your Video Portal.

Delete Selected

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Caution If you delete a program, the actual effect of the deletion differs if the program is part of a playlist or is not. If you delete a program that is part of an active and deployed playlist, your audiences can still find, see, and use the program, its videos, and its video parts on your Video Portal. However, if you have not included the program in any playlist, DMM-VPM immediately deletes the program, its videos, and its video parts. They are not available for any purpose in DMM-VPM or on your Video Portal, and you cannot undo the deletion. However, VOD files are available through direct portal links until you delete the files from their content storage locations.

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Shows the Delete Confirmation page. See the instructions on that page that tell you how to delete the disabled or archived content objects that you selected.

Activate Selected

Moves the content objects that you selected from the Archive table to the Active table.

Select a Program Provider to Filter On

Lists the program providers. Select a provider name to filter the list of programs and display only the programs the are associated with that provider.

columns

Untitled check box — One of the following:

•Marks a content object that you will disable, if selected, in the Active table.

•Marks a content object that you disabled and that you will restore or delete, if selected, in the Archive table.

Name — Shows the name or title for the content object that the corresponding row describes, shows the Modify () button, and sometimes shows the Preview () button. Values in the name column are the basis by default for how DMM-VPM sorts the rows, but you can click the heading in any other column to re-sort the rows by the values in that column. If you click the Modify button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can edit content object metadata, such as the title and description for a program.

Provider — Programs only. Shows the provider who produced the program that one row describes, as specified in the program metadata.

Last Modified — Shows the date on which the content object was last edited.

Active Videos — Programs only. Shows the Active Videos () button and the Add New Video () button. If you click the Active Videos button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can add videos to the program that the corresponding row describes or mark videos to remove from that program. If you click Add New Video, DMM-VPM loads the page where you can enter metadata for a new video.

Active Categories — Programs only. Shows the Active Categories page for the program that the corresponding row describes. From the Active Categories page, you can select and add categories to associate with the program, or you can select and delete category associations from the program.

Active Video Parts  — Videos only. Shows the Active Video Parts () button and the Add New Video Part () button. If you click the Active Video Parts button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can add video parts to the video that the corresponding row describes or mark video parts to remove from the video.

Release Date — Video Parts only. Shows the release date.

Length — Video Parts only. Shows the playback duration of the video part in days, hours, minutes and seconds.

Active Related Items — Video Parts only. Shows the Active Related Items page for the video part that the corresponding row describes. If you click the Active Related Items button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can add items, such as links to web sites or files, to the video part that the corresponding row describes or mark related items to remove from the video part.

Approval Status — Video Parts only. To request an approval for the video part that the corresponding row describes, click Request Approval, select an approver from the list in the popup window, and then click Request Approval and Close. For information about approvals, see the "Approvals for Video Parts" section.

{Add New Program | Modify Program}

The metadata attributes that define the program. Enter or select the metadata after you click Add New Program or after you click the Edit button for a program. To save your work, click Save.

Program Name — The title for the program that your audiences see on the Video Portal when they click the Program Guide tab. Only the first 25 characters that you enter will be visible on the Video Portal.

Program Description — The description that your audiences see on the Program Guide tab, next to the corresponding program name. In addition, this description is visible in the Video Portal "More Info" text for any video that this program contains.

Program Status — If you select Active, the program is visible to your audiences after you populate, save, and deploy it. If you select Archive, the program is not visible to your audiences.

Program Provider — The name of your company, organization, or department. You use this information to manage and administer content; your audiences do not see it. The default provider name is whichever one you chose under the Setup tab.

Program Categories — Your audiences can use the program guide or search feature on your Video Portal to find this program in the categories that you select. You can add or remove category associations at any time. To understand categories, see the "Creating and Working with Content Categories" section.

{Add New Video | Modify Video}

The metadata attributes that define the video. Enter or select the metadata after you click Add New Video or after you click the Edit button for a video. To save your work, click Save.

Video Title — The title for this video, which your audiences see on your Video Portal when they use its playlist, program guide, or search features. Only the first 33 characters are used.

Video Status — If you select Active, you can add the video to a program that you create. If you select Inactive, you cannot add the video to any program unless you reactivate it.

Video Description — A description for your reference. Your audiences do not see it.

{Add New Video Part | Modify Video Part}

Physical and logical attributes of the file that you use as a video part. Enter or select the attributes after you click Add New Video Part or after you click the Edit button for a video part.

Show Direct Portal Link — Shows the Video Portal URL for this video part.

Note When you archive or delete a video part, the direct portal link is removed from the Video Portal listing but continues to access the VOD file from the original deployment location. We recommend that you remove the file from its content storage location to make it inaccessible.

Video Part Description — The description that your audiences see on your Video Portal in its preview pane and in the "More Info" text under its Overview tab. Do not enter more than 72 lines of text or more than 48 characters per line. This element is visible only when you are adding or editing a video part.

Type of Video — If VoD, the source is a file; if DME Live Event or Non-DME Live Event, the source is an encoder.

Note The Non-DME Live Event option enables you to publish a live stream URL to the Video Portal and control event visibility, but you cannot control the encoder. The VoD option is available for non-DME live events, but you cannot control event visibility on the Video Portal by using this option.

{Flash | Windows Media | QuickTime¹ } Video (video or audio) — Shows a filename that you enter or that DMM-VPM enters automatically after you click the link to upload a new VoD file. Restrictions: The maximum supported file size for uploads is 2GB² . If you enter the filename manually for a VoD, special requirements apply³ , ⁴ , ⁵ to each supported file type.

DMM-VPM saves uploaded VoD files to the deployment location that you specified under the Setup tab. The file formats that you see are exactly the ones that you selected to support when you set up your Video Portal. You must enter or upload one file apiece for each format that your Video Portal supports. We recommend that you encode all files to be 400 pixels wide and 300 pixels high.

Note Closed captioning requires Windows Media. For more information, see the "Closed Captioning" section.

If you selected the DME Live Event option⁶ as the video type, you see the following additional options:

•Encoder — Lists all of the encoders that you have configured DMM-VPM to use. Select the encoder that is the source of the live stream.

•Use Default Streaming Settings — Use the DMM-VPM settings exactly as they are.

•Advanced Settings — Configure this stream to use settings that differ from the default. Select the encoding or transcoding format⁷ , publishing method (push or pull)⁸ , video input method⁹ , audio input method¹⁰ , video input standard¹¹ , whether to save a copy of the live stream as a file for later viewing as a VoD — and possibly also the DME 2000 input channel to use (  or  ), if your encoder is a DME 2000.

If you selected the Non-DME Live Event option as the video type, you see the following additional options:

•Event Status—Shows Pending, Live, or Stopped, corresponding to whether Video Portal access to the event is turned on or off.

•{Start | Stop | Re-Start} Live Event—Enables you to turn on and turn off Video Portal access to the event.

Play Order in Video — Shows when the video will play this video part, relative to the playback sequence of all the video parts in the video.

{Release | End of Life} Date/Time — Click  to pick the date, select options for the hour and minute, and then select AM or PM. The release date is by default today.

•DME Live Event and Non-DME Live Event: If you are setting up a live event, you must explicitly enter the End of Life Date/Time value. DMM-VPM does not obtain it automatically from the Release Date/Time value. If you do not enter an End of Life Date/Time value, the event will not be visible in the Encoder table; you will not be able to start the event; and the event will not be visible on the Video Portal.

To modify the release date for a DME Live Event, see the "Modifying the Scheduled Times for DME Live Events" section.

•VoD: The EoL/Date field is a placeholder to denote in DMM-VPM when content should be archived.

Tip Use the Archive function for the video part page in the DMM-VPM to specify that you want to remove video from the Video Portal. Then, create a new deployment to remove it.

Duration — Describes the playback duration of the video part in hours, minutes and seconds. Use the format HH:MM:SS. If you enter only seconds, DMM-VPM corrects your entry.

•DME Live Event and Non-DME Live Event: You can use the scheduled length of a live event as the duration of its corresponding stream. The duration that you enter does not stop your Video Portal from delivering the whole stream if the actual event runs past its scheduled time to stop; the stream continues to play in your Video Portal until you stop it or it is no longer available.

•VoD: You must manually enter the duration for Windows Media and QuickTime video files, but this information is provided automatically for Flash video files.

Access restrictions—Enables content-level viewing security, so the Video Portal displays only the content that users can view.

Note Authentication must be enabled in DMS-Admin to enforce access restrictions.

•None (Viewable to all user groups)—Specifies that all Video Portal users can see information about the video part and watch it.

•Viewable only to select groups— Specifies that only user groups with permissions can see information about the video part and watch it. Click Choose Group to display the groups that the administrator created or to create or edit a group. For more information, see the "Managing User Accounts and Authentication Settings" section on page 2-4 section.

Preview Content File URL — The location of a SWF file or nonprogressive JPEG¹² file (100 pixels wide and 75 pixels high, or any proportionate multiple of those dimensions) that your Video Portal should show as the preview image for this video part. To select and upload a local file, click Upload new preview video file. If you use a SWF file, we recommended that you program it to pause after 10 seconds and not loop.

{Pre-Event | Post-Event} JPEG URL — Upload the JPEG image12 to show {before | after} the live event.

Enable Questions from the Audience — Click {On | Off} to enable or disable support for questions. For more information, see the "Understanding the Live Event Module" section.

Slide Show — Select and upload the SWF file or ZIP¹³ archive of slides to show next to the video stream.

Preview Description — A text description that your Video Portal shows to your audiences but truncates after 160 characters. If you do not enter a preview description, your Video Portal shows the first 160 characters from the video part description instead.

Keywords — Descriptive words to make this video part searchable on your Video Portal¹⁴ .

Embedded Video—Provides the necessary HTML code to embed and display the live or on-demand video inside a custom website without the Video Portal interface.

Embedded video requires an active Video Portal because the code checks the encoded video type and opens the correct supporting decoder software before displaying the video and basic playback controls to viewers. However, because viewers to do not log in to the Video Portal, usage statistics for this video are not available in Video Portal Reports.

Note Because the code provides direct access to the video, do not assign access restrictions in the Video Portal. We recommend that you manage access by implementing security measures on the website or through the application that publishes the code.

Tip Video Portal users can also share videos by sending direct Video Portal URLs to other users, who can watch the videos if they have permissions to access. For information about URL sharing, see the User Guide for Cisco Video Portal 5.0 on Cisco.com.

{Add New Related Item | Modify Related Item}

Links to web sites, video parts in other programs on your Video Portal, or files for your audience to download and use. Your audience sees the related items for a video part on your Video Portal if they click More Info during playback.

Click Add New Related Item, select the type of link, and enter the metadata. Alternatively, click the Edit button for a related item, and modify the metadata. To save your work, click Save.

Download—Provide files for users to download.

Note For proper download, video files must be inside a ZIP archive.

Web Link in New Default Browser — Provide a URL that opens in a standard browser.

Web Link in New Custom Browser — Provide a URL that opens in a browser you customize in DMM-VPM.

Related Video — Provide a link to another video part.

¹ We use the terms MPEG-4, QuickTime, and H.264 interchangeably in DMM-VPM. These formats coexist.

² You cannot upload any video part that is larger than 2GB. To work around this limitation, post the file to a public webserver, and enter the corresponding HTTP URL instead of entering a filename.

³ You must use HTTP to point to any remote Flash file that you will upload. Flash files must use {FLV | FLA} for their filename extension. You cannot select Flash as the media format for a live event because Cisco Video Portal does not support Flash video streaming.

⁴ You must use {MMS | RTSP} to point to any remote Windows Media file that you will upload. Windows Media files must use {WMV | WMA | ASF} for their filename extension.

⁵ You must use {HTTP | RTSP} to point to any remote QuickTime (or H.264) file that you will upload. These files must use {MOV | MP4 | M4V | MP4V | M4A} for their filename extension.

⁶ When you point to a live stream, a filename is not necessary. In most cases, you point instead to a directory on the streaming server. If you are unsure about the configuration that your organization uses, ask your systems administrator for details. Streaming options are available for Windows Media, but not for Flash video.

⁷ Encoding format options are 1.5M, 350K, 50K, and 768K. Transcoding format options are 1.5M, 2M, 350K, 50K, and 768K.

⁸ See Managing Push Configurations.

⁹ One of these:
  ·    Composite/RCA
  ·    S-Video

¹⁰ One of these:
  ·    Unbalanced (RCA)
  ·    XLR Balanced

¹¹ One of these:
  ·    NTSC_M (US)
  ·    NTSC_M_J (Japan)
  ·    PAL_B
  ·    PAL_D
  ·    PAL_H
  ·    PAL_I
  ·    SECAM_B
  ·    SECAM_D
  ·    SECAM_G
  ·    SECAM_H
  ·    SECAM_K
  ·    SECAM_K1
  ·    SECAM_L
  ·    SECAM_L1

¹² Your Video Portal cannot display progressive JPEG images.

¹³ The ability to upload a slide presentation to a VoD is used for VoDs that were created from a live events. The ZIP archive that you upload must contain JPEG files that you exported from PowerPoint (or similar software), whose sequence of filenames is numbered correctly to preserve their natural order. See the "Generating and Importing the Slides to Be Synchronized" section.

¹⁴ There is no reason to enter commas, semicolons, or other word separators; your Video Portal ignores them if you do.

a. Select Encoders > Encoder Dashboard.

b. In the list of encoders, find and click the icon () for the encoder that your live event will use.

DMM-VPM shows ad-hoc streaming controls for the encoder that you clicked.

c. Click View Audience Questions.

a. Select Video Portal > Programs.

b. Click the Active tab.

c. On the Active Programs page, click the Active Videos () button that corresponds to the relevant program.

d. On the Active Videos page, click the Active Video Parts () button that corresponds to the relevant video.

e. On the Active Video Parts page, click the Modify () button that corresponds to the relevant live event stream.

f. For more information, see the "Working with Programs, Videos and Video Parts" section.

g. Scroll to the bottom of the displayed page, then click Review Audience Questions.

Questions tab

Shows a scrolling list of the questions that audience members have submitted. The list is updated in real time whenever new questions arrive.

{Show | Hide} Filters — Toggle that shows or hides options for configuring and applying text string filters to the list of active questions. There are two filter types:

•Show Questions — Click On to enable, or click Off to disable, filtering against a text string that you enter. While enabled, the filter constrains the list so that it includes only the questions that contain your text string.

•Auto-remove Questions — Click On to enable, or click Off to disable, filtering against a text string that you enter. While enabled, the filter constrains the list so that it excludes all questions that contain your text string.

Note If you enable both of the filters and enter the identical text string for both of them to use, the filters become mutually exclusive. In this case, all questions are moved under the Removed Questions tab. To restore them to the list of active questions, click Removed Questions, and then click Reactivate All.

Export Questions — Creates a delimited text file that contains all the questions and other data, including timestamps, that are visible in the list of active questions. If you have configured your browser correctly to use helper applications, the file will open automatically in your preferred software for editing spreadsheets.

Columns — Information about the questions is sorted into the following columns:

•Question — The literal text of the question, exactly as it was submitted.

•Time Asked — The date, hour, minute, and second when the question was submitted.

•Actions — Buttons for moderating the corresponding question. You can highlight it, send it under the Presenter View tab, or move it under the Removed Questions tab.

Removed Questions tab

Shows a scrolling list of the questions that you have hidden, at least temporarily, from the presenter. The list is updated as you add questions to it manually and as your filters remove questions automatically from the list of active questions under the Questions tab.

Reactivate All — Moves all questions back to the list of active questions under the Questions tab.

Columns — Information about the questions is sorted into the following columns:

•Question — The literal text of the question, exactly as it was submitted.

•Time Asked — The date, hour, minute, and second when the question was submitted.

•Actions — Buttons for moderating the corresponding question. You can highlight it, send it under the Presenter View tab, or move it under the Removed Questions tab.

Add New Playlist

Shows the Add New Playlist page.

Archive Selected

Moves from the Active table to the Archive table the playlists that you selected.

Delete Selected

Shows the Delete Confirmation page. See the instructions on that page that tell you how to delete the archived playlist that you selected.

Activate Selected

Moves from the Archive table to the Active table the playlists that you selected.

columns

Untitled check box — One of the following:

•Marks a playlist that you will disable, if selected in the Active table.

•Marks a playlist that you disabled and that you will restore or delete, if selected in the Archive table.

Name — The title of the playlist that the corresponding row describes, the Edit () button, and the Preview () button. Values in the name column are the basis by default for how DMM-VPM sorts the rows, but you can click the heading in any other column to re-sort the rows by the values in that column. If you click the Edit button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can edit metadata, such as the title and description, for the playlist that the corresponding row describes. If you click the Preview button, your Video Portal shows to you the playlist that the corresponding row describes.

Publish Dates — The range of dates when which the playlist is valid between the release date and the end of life date.

Last Modified — The date on which the content object was last edited.

Active Video Parts — Shows the Active Video Parts () button and the Add New Video Part () button. If you click the Active Video Parts button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can add video parts to the playlist that the corresponding row describes or mark video parts to remove from the playlist.

Current Status — Describes the approval status and helps you to request playlist approval from a DMM-VPM user with approver permissions. To request approval for the playlist that the corresponding row describes, click Request Approval, select an approver from the list in the popup window, and then click Request Approval and Close.

Deployment Choice — Says whether the playlist that the corresponding row describes is the default playlist for deployments.

{Add New Playlist | Modify Playlist}

Metadata attributes that define the playlist. Enter or select the metadata after you click Add New Playlist or after you click the Edit button for a playlist.

Name — The title for this playlist.

Status — Active or Inactive. If you select Active, the playlist is visible to your audiences after you populate, save, and deploy it. If you select Inactive, the playlist is not visible to your audiences. The default is Active.

Description — Enter a description that is meaningful to you. The description is optional and is only for your reference.

Make this lineup default choice for deployments? — Yes or No. To use this playlist by default in every deployment, select Yes. Otherwise, select No.

Release Date — This date is optional and is only for your reference.

End of Life Date — This date is optional and is only for your reference.

{Add New Video Part | Modify Video Part}

Select a video part to add in the playlist that the corresponding row describes. To save your work, click Save.

Video Part Link — The title of the video part that you selected. DMM-VPM enters the title automatically after you select the video part.

Select Video Part — Opens or reopens a popup window where you can select a video part to add to the playlist. Select a program from the Program list, then select a video part from the Video list. The popup window then closes automatically. If you select the wrong video part, try again.

Play Order Position — Select a playlist position for the video part, relative to the position of other video parts in the playlist.

Status — Active or Inactive. The default is Active.

Add New Category

Shows the Add New Category page.

Archive Selected

Moves from the Active table to the Archive table the categories that you selected.

Delete Selected

Shows the Delete Confirmation page. See the instructions on that page that tell you how to delete the archived category that you selected.

Activate Selected

Moves from the Archive table to the Active table the categories that you selected.

columns

Untitled check box — One of the following:

•Marks a category that you will disable, if selected in the Active table.

•Marks a category that you disabled and that you will restore or delete, if selected in the Archive table.

Name — The name of the category that the corresponding row describes and the Modify () button. Values in the Name column are the basis by default for how DMM-VPM sorts the rows, but you can click the heading in any other column to re-sort the rows by the values in that column. If you click the Edit button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can edit metadata, such as the name and description, for the category that the corresponding row describes.

Last Modified — The date and time when the category was last edited.

Date Added — The date and time when the category was created.

# of Programs — Shows the Active Associated Programs () button. If you click the button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can associate programs with the category that the corresponding row describes or mark programs to disassociate from the category.

{Add New Category | Modify Category}

Metadata attributes that define the category. Enter or select the metadata after you click Add New Category or after you click the Edit button for a category. To save your work, click Save.

Category Name — The name for this category. Your audiences see this category name on your Video Portal when they use its the Program Guide tab to browser by category.

Category Status — Active or Inactive. If you select Active, the category is visible to your audiences and you can associate programs with it. If you select Inactive, the category is not visible to your audiences, and you cannot associate programs with it. The default is Active.

Associated Programs — Lists all programs, so that you can select any of them to associate with the category or deselect any of them to disassociate from the category. You must associate each category with at least one program, but there is no upper limit to the number of programs that you can associate with any category. You can add or remove category associations at any time.

Category Description — Enter a description that is meaningful to you. The description is optional and is only for your reference.

Add New Category

Shows the Add New Interstitial page.

Archive Selected

Moves from the Active table to the Archive table the interstitials that you selected.

Delete Selected

Shows the Delete Confirmation page. See the instructions on that page that tell you how to delete the archived interstitial that you selected.

Activate Selected

Moves from the Archive table to the Active table the interstitials that you selected.

columns

Untitled check box — One of the following:

•Marks an interstitial that you will disable, if selected in the Active table.

•Marks an interstitial that you disabled and that you will restore or delete, if selected in the Archive table.

Name — The Modify () button, the name of the interstitial that the corresponding row describes, and the name of the video part that the interstitial contains. The interstitial name in this column is the basis by default for how DMM-VPM sorts the rows, but you can click the heading in the Length column to re-sort the rows by duration. If you click the Edit button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can edit metadata, such as the name and description, for the interstitial that the corresponding row describes.

Length — The number of seconds that the video part will play until it stops.

{Add New Interstitial | Modify Interstitial}

Physical and logical attributes of the interstitial. Enter or select the attributes after you click Add New Interstitial or after you click the Edit button for an interstitial. To save your work, click Save.

Name — The name for this interstitial. Enter a maximum of 50 characters.

File URL — The full path and name of the file to use as an interstitial, after you a upload the file but before you deploy it. After you deploy the interstitial, this value is changed automatically to show the URL for deployment.

Upload new Interstitial graphical media file — Uploads a SWF or nonprogressive JPEG file that is 400 pixels wide and 120 pixels high. This file acts like a button; when your audiences click it, your Video Portal shows to them the click-through segment that you specify.

Click Through Segment — To select the video part that your Video Portal should show to someone who clicks the interstitial, click Select a Video Part.

Play Duration — The number of seconds that the video part should play until it stops.

Description — Enter a description that is meaningful to you. The description is optional and is only for your reference.

Status — Active or Inactive. If you select Active, your audiences see the interstitial. If you select Inactive, the category is not visible to your audiences, and you cannot associate programs with it. The default is Active.

Add New Interstitial Sequence

Shows the Add New Interstitial Sequence page.

Archive Selected

Moves from the Active table to the Archive table the sequences that you selected.

Delete Selected

Shows the Delete Confirmation page. See the instructions on that page that tell you how to delete the archived sequence that you selected.

Activate Selected

Moves from the Archive table to the Active table the sequences that you selected.

columns

Untitled check box — One of the following:

•Marks a sequence that you will disable, if selected in the Active table.

•Marks a sequence that you disabled and that you will restore or delete, if selected in the Archive table.

Name — The Modify () button and the name of the sequence that the corresponding row describes. Values in the name column are the basis by default for how DMM-VPM sorts the rows, but you can click the heading in any other column to re-sort the rows by the values in that column. If you click the Edit button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can edit metadata, such as the name and description, for the sequence that the corresponding row describes.

Date Added — The date and time when the sequence was created.

Last Modified — The date and time when the sequence was last edited.

Active Interstitials — Shows the Active Interstitials () button and the Add New Interstitial () button. If you click the Active Interstitials button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can add interstitials to the playlist that the corresponding row describes or mark interstitials to remove from the playlist.

Deployment Choice — Says whether the sequence that the corresponding row describes is the default sequence for deployments.

{Add New Interstitial Sequence | Modify Interstitial Sequence}

Metadata attributes that define the sequence. Enter or select the metadata after you click Add New Interstitial Sequence or after you click the Edit button for a sequence. To save your work, click Save.

Name — The name for this sequence. Enter a maximum of 50 characters.

Description — Enter a description that is meaningful to you. You must enter the description. Enter a maximum of 2,000 characters.

Status — Active or Inactive. If you select Active, your audiences see the sequence. If you select Inactive, the sequence is not visible to your audiences. The default is Active.

Make this sequence default choice for deployments? — Yes or No. To use this sequence by default when your Video Portal is not showing anything else, select Yes. Otherwise, select No.

Clear Defaults

Stops your Video Portal from playing any ticker.

Add New Ticker

Shows the Add New Ticker page.

Archive Selected

Moves from the Active table to the Archive table the tickers that you selected.

Delete Selected

Shows the Delete Confirmation page. See the instructions on that page that tell you how to delete the archived ticker that you selected.

Activate Selected

Moves from the Archive table to the Active table the tickers that you selected.

columns

Untitled check box — One of the following:

•Marks a sequence that you will disable, if selected in the Active table.

•Marks a sequence that you disabled and that you will restore or delete, if selected in the Archive table.

Name — The Modify () button and the name of the ticker that the corresponding row describes. Values in the name column are the basis by default for how DMM-VPM sorts the rows, but you can click the heading in any other column to re-sort the rows by the values in that column. If you click the Edit button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can edit the ticker that the corresponding row describes.

Launch Date — The date and time when the ticker should start.

Expiration Date— The date and time when the ticker should stop and should no longer be visible in your Video Portal.

Deployment Choice — Says whether the ticker that the corresponding row describes is the default ticker for deployments.

{Add New Ticker | Modify Ticker}

Physical and logical attributes of the ticker. Enter or select the attributes after you click Add New Ticker or after you click the Edit button for a ticker. To save your work, click Save.

Ticker Name — The name for this ticker. Enter a maximum of 50 characters.

Ticker Description — Enter a description that is meaningful to you. You must enter the description. Enter a maximum of 2,000 characters.

Ticker Text — Enter the text that the ticker should show on your Video Portal. Enter a maximum of 2,000 characters. The text that you enter will scroll across the bottom of your Video Portal.

Ticker Status — Active or Inactive. If you select Active, your audiences see the ticker. If you select Inactive, the ticker is not visible to your audiences. The default is Active.

Launch Date — Select the month, day, and year when your Video Portal should start the ticker.

Make this ticker default choice for deployments? — Yes or No. To show this ticker by default on your Video Portal, select Yes. Otherwise, select No.

End of Life Date — Select the month, day, and year when your Video Portal should stop the ticker.

Add New Interface

Shows the Add New Interface page, described elsewhere in this topic.

Archive Selected

Moves from the Active table to the Archive table the customization sets that you selected.

Delete Selected

Shows the Delete Confirmation page. See the instructions on that page that tell you how to delete the archived customization sets that you selected.

Activate Selected

Moves from the Archive table to the Active table the customization sets that you selected.

columns

Untitled check box — One of the following:

•Marks a customization set that you will disable, if selected in the Active table.

•Marks a customization set that you disabled and that you will restore or delete, if selected in the Archive table.

Name — The Modify () button, the Preview () button, and the name of the customization set that the corresponding row describes. Values in the name column are the basis by default for how DMM-VPM sorts the rows, but you can click the heading in any other column to re-sort the rows by the values in that column. If you click the Edit button, DMM-VPM loads a page where you can edit the customization set that the corresponding row describes. If you click the Preview button, your Video Portal shows to you the customization set that the corresponding row describes, so you can confirm that the customizations work as you expect them to before you deploy them to your Video Portal.

Date Added — The date and time when the customization set was created.

Last Modified — The date and time when the customization set was last edited.

Deployment Choice — Indicates whether the customization that the corresponding row describes is the default Video Portal user interface for deployments.

{Add New | Modify} Interface

(Required Items)

Tip This row describes elements that you see in the Required Items area where you must enter or select values to add or edit a Video Portal user interface. For descriptions of other, optional values, see the next row.

Attributes of the user interface. Enter or select these values after you click Add New Interface or after you view properties of a customized user interface. To save your work, click Save.

Name — The name for this set of customizations. Enter a maximum of 50 characters.

Background Image — The nonprogressive JPEG file that serves as the background image. The file that you select should be 720 pixels wide by 540 pixels high, and should not distract or detract from the content that you want to emphasize. To upload a new image, click Upload New Background Image File. Alternatively, to select a factory-default image or a file that you uploaded previously, click Existing Images.

Video Portal Colors — Hexadecimal color values¹ and contrast scale values for the public user interface on your Video Portal. Enter hexadecimal color values and contrast scale values for the background panel, tab text, and listing text, as well as the buttons and sliders. Alternatively, to make selections from palettes and see a preview of them in real time, click Preview Colors.

The color-picker popup window includes a dynamic preview pane that shows the effect of your color and contrast selections in real time, exactly as audience members will see them if you use them on your Video Portal. To select colors and make selections for Video Portal user interface subcomponents, click {Panel Background Color | Tab Text Color | Content Listing Text Color | Button and Slider Color}. The options are as follows:

•To select a hue, drag the handle up and down the color slider, meaning the vertical, rectangular area that shows a gradient and is always red along both its top and its bottom edges. Alternatively, enter a number from 0 to 360 in the H field, where each value within that range signifies one of the hues that is possible, relative to RGB intensities.

•To select a color range, click it in the color space, meaning the square area that shows a gradient and is always black along its bottom edge. The horizontal x-axis here signifies color saturation (corresponding to the S field), while the vertical y-axis signifies the value of color brightness (corresponding to the V field). Alternatively, to adjust the color saturation, enter a number from 0 to 100 in the S field; and, to adjust the value of color brightness, enter a number from 0 to 100 in the V field.

•To select the numeric "intensity multiplier" for contrast, which affects the magnitude of difference between foreground luminance and background luminance, use the Contrast slider. Higher values increase the color saturation, while lower values desaturate colors.

To save your work in the color-picker popup window and automatically populate or repopulate the corresponding fields on the {Add New Interface | Modify Interface} page, click Save. Alternatively, to discard your work in the color-picker popup window, click Cancel.

Interface Idle Duration — In seconds, the idle time that you allow after any one of your scheduled shows has stopped before your Video Portal starts to show (and loop) interstitials.

Make this template default choice for deployments? — Yes or No. To show this user interface customization set by default on your Video Portal, select Yes. Otherwise, select No.

Status — Active or Inactive. If you select Active, you can select the customization set as one for your audiences to see. If you select Inactive, the customization set is not selectable as one that your audiences might see. The default is Active.

{Add New | Modify} Interface

(Optional Items)

Tip This row describes elements that you see in the Optional Items area where you can enter or select optional values while you add or edit a Video Portal user interface. For descriptions of the other, required values, which you must enter, see the previous row.

Attributes of the user interface. Enter or select these values after you click Add New Interface or after you view properties of a customized user interface. To save your work, click Save.

Description — Enter a description that is meaningful to you. You must enter the description. Enter a maximum of 2,000 characters.

Header Logo — The nonprogressive JPEG file that serves as the logo for your Video Portal. The file that you select should be 470 pixels wide by 60 pixels high. The tabbed area on your Video Portal will cover and hide the lower right quarter of the image, so we recommend that quadrant not contain anything important. It is optional to use a logo. Do one of the following:

•To upload a logo file that you have never uploaded, click Upload new Header Logo file.

•To reuse a logo file that you uploaded previously for use in another customization set, click Existing Images.

•If you click Check to confirm your selection to use the logo, you see one of the following messages:

–"Field is blank" — You have not entered any path.

–"File Path Does Not Exist" — You entered an invalid path.

–"File Path exists" — The path that you entered points correctly to a valid file.

Interface Links — As many as three web links that your Video Portal should show:

•Link Text — The clickable text to show. Enter a maximum of 17 characters.

•URL — The HTTP URL for the clickable text.

•If you click Check to confirm that a URL is valid, you see one of the following messages:

–"URL is blank"  — You have not entered any URL.

–"Server was not found"  — You entered an invalid URL.

–"URL exists" — The URL that you entered points correctly to a valid file.

¹ Hexadecimal color values in SWF files do not always match exactly the same hexadecimal color values in other file types. If your organization uses precise color values as part of its branding strategy, you might have to adjust the colors slightly for SWF files to see the intended result.

Live events

Live events are scheduled to start and stop at a fixed date and time. After a live event starts, audience members who connect late see the event in progress and cannot see what came before. Each audience member sees the same thing at the same time as other audience members. Audience members cannot see a live stream before the event starts, go backward, or skip ahead. When a live event stops, it is no longer available to anyone. For information about the differences between the Live Event and Non-DME Live Event options, see the "Add New Video Part | Modify Video Part" section in Table 4-6.

You can record a live event as it occurs, and then edit and upload the recording for on-demand access shortly thereafter. Live events are either pushed or pulled:

•Push — The encoder pushes the live stream to a streaming server.

•Pull — The streaming server pulls the live stream from an encoder.

Tip Using the Video Part page, you can upload a pre-event image and post-event image. These will appear in the video frame before and after the live event. Also, your encoder can simultaneously stream a live event and save it to a file. See the "Capturing a Live Stream and Publishing the Output File as Video On-Demand" section.

On-demand events

You schedule on-demand events to become available at any date and time that you specify and to remain available for any span of hours or dates that you specify, depending on the freshness or relevance of the content. Any audience member can start at the beginning of an event, no matter when they see it. Likewise, any audience member can rewind, skip ahead, or jump to different parts of an event at any time, assuming that your Video Portal makes these video navigation controls available. As long as an on-demand offering is available, audience members can see it at any time. You can archive an on-demand event at any time; after you archive an event, no one in your audience can see it.

Schedule New Deployments

Schedule a new deployment.

columns

Scheduled Deployment — The date and time for which existing deployments are scheduled, listed in chronological order starting with the earliest deployment.

Date Added — The date and time when existing deployments were added to DMM-VPM.

Cancel — Cancel a deployment.

Push

In push configurations, the encoder pushes streams to the streaming server. Push configurations apply only to Windows Media streams.

Step 1 

Select Encoders > Push Configurations.

Step 2 

Enter the required values, including the streaming server URL and port number.

Step 3 

Click Save.

Pull

In pull configurations, the streaming server pulls streams from the encoder.

Step 1 

Select Encoders > Encoders and Pull Configurations.

Step 2 

If you do not know the encoder IP address or DNS-resolvable hostname, go to the encoder front panel, then select Menu > Setup System > Network > 100 Mbit (or 1,000 Mbit) > View Settings > IP Address(es).

Step 3 

Enter the encoder IP address or hostname in the Encoder IP Address/Hostname field. We recommend that you use a port number that is in the range from 6000 to 7000.

Step 4 

Click Discover Encoder. The button changes color and animates until the discovery process is finished.

Step 5 

Enter the encoder name and description in their respective fields. For example, you might identify or describe the owner, location, or purpose of the encoder, or enter exactly the serial number text from a sticker on the encoder chassis.

Step 6 

Select options in the "Default Encoder Input Settings" area to choose the video input, audio input, and video input standard settings that you will use most often.

Step 7 

Select Push or Pull as your most common method to publish live events, and do one of the following:

•If you selected Push, select an option from the Default Push Configuration list to choose the default push configuration for this encoder. Alternatively, click Add New Push Options Here (see the "Managing Push Configurations" section).

•If you selected Pull, click Add a Pull Configuration to add the streaming server pull configurations for this encoder.

When you select Pull, DMM-VPM automatically creates a pull configuration called "test only (encoder-direct, port 6990)," which you can use to test streams that originate directly from the encoder.

Step 8 

To save your selections, click Save this Encoder. You should see a green box at the top of the page with the message "Successfully saved '{Encoder Name}'."

1. Add a live event to DMM-VPM, and enter the required values by completing the following steps:

a. Select Video Portal from the untitled list at the top far-right of any page; then, click the Video Portal tab. The Video Portal Programs page appears.

b. Create or edit the program and the video that should include the live event, as described in the "Working with Programs, Videos and Video Parts" section.

c. In the Add New Video Part page, enter the following values:

•Type of Video — Select Live Event; you must use Windows Media as the video format.

•Encoder — From the list, select the encoder to use, then do one of the following: If you previously configured default streaming settings for the relevant encoder and those default settings are appropriate for this event, click Use Default Streaming Settings. If any of the default settings are not appropriate for this event or if you have not configured default settings for the relevant encoder, click  Advanced Settings, and then make selections and enter values to define the settings for this stream:

Encoding Format — From the list, select the method to use for encoding or transcoding the live stream.

DME 2000 Input Channel — Click  or  .

Publish via Push — Select whether the encoder should push the live stream to a streaming server.

Publish via Pull — Select whether the streaming server should pull the live stream from the encoder.

Video Input — From the list, select either Composite or SVideo.

Audio Input — Select the option to use balanced or unbalanced audio in the live stream.

Video Input Standard — From the list, select the standard that is relevant to your country and the  equipment that you use.

Store as a File — Select the check box to enable automatic archiving or deselect the check box to disable  automatic archiving.

Storage Bookmark and File Name —To later deploy the event as a VoD, select from the list the location on the encoder to store the file, and enter the filename, specifying .wmv as the file type.

•Play Order in Video — From the list, select where in the video to show this video part.

•Release Date/Time and End of Life Date/Time — Enter a date in the format shown or click Show Calendar to select a date from a calendar. Then, select the hour, the minute, and AM or PM. You must explicitly enter the End of Life Date/Time value. DMS does not obtain it automatically from the Release Date/Time value. If you do not enter a End of Life Date/Time value, your live event will not occur.

•Duration — Indicates the duration of the live event, based on the start and stop times that you set.

2. (Optional) In the Add New Video Part page, enter or select these additional values:

•Preview Content File URL — The location of a SWF file or nonprogressive JPEG¹ file (100 pixels wide and 75 pixels high, or any proportionate multiple of those dimensions) that your Video Portal should show as the preview image for this video part. To select and upload a local file, click Upload new preview video file. If you use a SWF file, we recommended that you program it to pause after 10 seconds and not loop.

•{Pre-Event | Post-Event} JPEG URL — Upload the JPEG image1 to show {before | after} the live event.

•Enable Questions from the Audience — Click {On | Off} to enable or disable support for questions.

•Slide Show — Select and upload the SWF file or ZIP² archive of slides to show next to the video stream.

•Preview Description — A text description that your Video Portal shows to your audiences but truncates after 160 characters. If you do not enter a preview description, your Video Portal shows the first 160 characters from the video part description instead.

•Keywords — Descriptive words to make this video part searchable on your Video Portal³ .

3. Save your configuration entries for the live event and show a program listing for it, as follows:

a. Click Save.

b. When you want your Video Portal to show a program listing for this live event, see the deployment instructions in the "Scheduling a New Deployment" section.

4. Test the live stream and start the live event by completing the following steps:

Note To modify the time of a live event, see the "Modifying the Scheduled Times for DME Live Events" section.

a. Approximately 30 minutes before the live event, click the Encoders tab. The Encoder Dashboard page appears.

b. In the encoder selection tree, find the encoder that you will use for this live event, and then click Expand Encoder () to see the ad hoc streaming controls for the encoder.

c. Click Encoder Setup, enter the relevant values, click Start Encoder, and wait 10-to-20 seconds for it to start. The Start or Stop Encoder button starts or stops the VoD file creation, and you can start or stop the encoder multiple times to adjust cameras, test connections, and so on.

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Caution Each time that you start or stop the encoder, you overwrite the existing file. To save the file, you must rename it before you start the encoder again.

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d. After an encoder setup message confirms that the encoder started, click Close.

e. To open a preview window that shows the live stream from your encoder, click View Live Video.

If you see the live stream, your streaming server is successfully streaming output from the encoder.

f. When you are ready for the live event to start, click Start Broadcast. The Start Broadcast button makes the stream visible on the Video Portal and replaces the pre-event graphic. Approximately 5-to-20 seconds after you start the broadcast, the live stream should start for anyone who selected to see it.

g. When you are ready to end the event, click Stop Broadcast, and then click Stop Encoder. The Stop Broadcast button replaces the video stream with the post-event graphic, and the Stop Encoder button stops the VoD file creation.

Tip If you stop the broadcast accidentally or too soon, but the encoder is still running, click Start Broadcast to start showing the live stream again.

5. (Optional) Publish a recorded copy of the event for delivery on demand to audience members who missed the live stream, as described in the "Scheduling an On-Demand Deployment" section.

¹ Your Video Portal cannot display progressive JPEG images.

² The ZIP archive that you upload must contain JPEG files that you exported from PowerPoint (or similar software), whose sequence of filenames is numbered correctly to preserve their natural order. See the "Generating and Importing the Slides to Be Synchronized" section.

³ Do no enter commas, semicolons, or other word separators; your Video Portal ignores them if you do.

1. Create a pre-event listing to notify your audience about the upcoming event offering, as described in the "Scheduling a Pre-Event Listing" section.

2. Show the actual live offering, as described in the "Scheduling a Live Event" section.

In the "Add New Video Part" page where you configure the metadata attributes for this video part, you must select Non-DME Live Event because the Live Event option is reserved for use with the Cisco Digital Media Encoder 1000 and Digital Media Encoder 2000. Then, you must deploy this video part before the start at the event. For a Non-DME Live Event to be visible on the Video Portal, you must also click Start the Broadcast on the video part page.

The offering should include information for end users to use during the live event, such as an agenda or downloadable materials.

Note We recommend that you schedule the live event to start 10-to-15 minutes before the published start date and time. It is customary to offer live "hold" music for users who attend the event early to indicate that the event will start soon.

3. (Optional) Create a post-event listing to notify your audience that they missed the event, and it is no longer available, as described in the "Scheduling a Post-Event Listing" section.

4. (Optional) Publish a recorded copy of the event for delivery on demand to audience members who missed the live stream, as described in the "Scheduling an On-Demand Deployment" section.