Cisco IP/TV Content Manager User Guide, Version 3.4
Chapter 2: Managing On-Demand Programs
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Table Of Contents

Managing On-Demand Programs

Using Media Files

Editing Media File Metadata

Playing Media Files Through the IP/TV Plug-In

Searching Media Files

Creating a New On-Demand Category

Creating an On-Demand Subcategory

Creating a New On-Demand Program

Reviewing an On-Demand Category or Program

Deleting an On-Demand Category or Program

Editing an On-Demand Category or Program

Duplicating an On-Demand Program

Moving an On-Demand Program

Using the OnDemand Search Page

Searching for On-Demand Programs

Searching for On-Demand Media Files


Managing On-Demand Programs

This chapter contains procedures for defining and managing IP/TV on-demand categories and programs. Once defined, the categories and programs are listed on the IP/TV Content Manager OnDemand Programs page. Topics covered include:

•Using Media Files

•Creating a New On-Demand Category

•Creating a New On-Demand Program

•Reviewing an On-Demand Category or Program

•Deleting an On-Demand Category or Program

•Editing an On-Demand Category or Program

•Duplicating an On-Demand Program

•Moving an On-Demand Program

•Using the OnDemand Search Page

IP/TV Content Manager lets you define a hierarchy, or tree, of on-demand content in a way similar to that of Windows NT Explorer. (See Figure 2-1.) A top-level category can contain subcategories that you access by clicking links. This hierarchical structure facilitates the management and availability of a large library of programs.

Figure 2-1 Sample Hierarchy of Content

Using Media Files

The Media Files section lets you manage media files on any Cisco IP/TV Servers registered with a single Content Manager. You can view media files to identify on which IP/TV servers the files are available, and to view any file without making it into a scheduled program.

It allows you to view media files and edit their metadata directly through the IP/TV browser plug-in, without the need to first create a program associated with them.

You can also create a new on-demand program from the Media Files Manager, using any metadata that you have attached to the media file.

To access the Media Files home page (see Figure 2-2), click the Media Files link on the IP/TV Content Manager home page.

Figure 2-2 Media Files Home Page

The following list describes the contents of each column from left to right on this page:

•Edit button—Lets you edit metadata for a specific file and then, if you wish, create an on-demand program.

•Play button—Launches Cisco IP/TV plug-in and plays the selected file.

•FileName—Lists the media files in the media root of each Cisco IP/TV Server that is configured to report to the current version of Cisco IP/TV Content Manager.

•Type symbols—Indicates whether the file provides audio or video information.

•IP/TV Servers—Pull-down list showing Cisco IP/TV Servers where the file is available.

•Length—Play time in seconds of the file.

•Bandwidth—Bandwidth requirement in kilobytes per second.

•Description—Text description of the file, entered using the Edit button.

Editing Media File Metadata

Metadata fields, such as Description and Copyright, are displayed on the program information popup window for that program in IP/TV Viewer. The Keywords field can be used when you search for a media file using the Find option in IP/TV Viewer.

You can use the Edit button on the Media Files home page to edit metadata for a specific file and then, if you wish, to create an on-demand program. To edit the metadata for a media file, perform the following procedure.

Step 1 From the Media Files home page, click the Edit button.

The Media Files Edit page appears. (See Figure 2-3.)

Figure 2-3 Media Files Edit Page

Note If you delete a file or rename it in Windows, the metadata associated with the original file is deleted from the database after a 30-minute grace period.

Step 2 Enter information describing the file in the Description field.

Step 3 Enter copyright and producer information, as required, in the appropriate fields. Enter keywords in the Keywords field that can be used when searching for a media file.

Step 4 Click Save to save the metadata.

At the bottom of the Media Files Edit page, the following buttons allow you to perform the following operations:

•Play (plays the media file)

•Save (saves the file)

•FTP (transfers the file to another Cisco IP/TV Server)

•Save & Create OD Program (creates an on-demand program from the selected file)

Playing Media Files Through the IP/TV Plug-In

You can play any media content through the IP/TV browser plug-in on the IP/TV Content Manager system by clicking the Play button next to the name of the file. This is useful to test media files without using IP/TV Viewer. The server streams the media content through your web browser. (See Figure 2-4.)

Figure 2-4 IP/TV Web Video Page

Searching Media Files

You can search for a specific media file from the Media Files home page. To search for a file, perform the following procedure:

Step 1 On the banner bar of the Media Files home page, click New Search.

The Media Files Search page appears. (See Figure 2-5.)

Figure 2-5 Media Files Search Page

Step 2 Enter the media filename for which to search in the Search File Name field.

Step 3 Choose the Cisco IP/TV Server cluster on which to search from the pull-down menu.

Step 4 Choose the Cisco IP/TV Server on which to search from the pull-down menu.

Step 5 After choosing the criteria you want to use to search for the media file, click Go.

To find media files with no associated on-demand programs, click Go to the right of the last option.

Creating a New On-Demand Category

On-demand programs can be structured into a hierarchical tree of program categories for better organization. On IP/TV Viewer, you can navigate to the on-demand program categories and subcategories by clicking links.

Follow these steps to create a new on-demand category:

Step 1 On the IP/TV Content Manager main page, click the OnDemand Programs link. The OnDemand Programs page appears. (See Figure 2-6.)

Figure 2-6 OnDemand Programs Page

Step 2 Click the New Category link in the taskbar.

The New Category page appears. (See Figure 2-7.)

Figure 2-7 New Category Page

Step 3 Enter the name of the new category.

Note IP/TV Content Manager permits a name up to 60 characters long. However, when the name of the program is displayed in IP/TV Viewer or on other IP/TV Content Manager pages, the name may be truncated to fit within the display area. For this reason, it is good practice to use short program names.

Step 4 Enter a description of the category.

The Description field allows you to enter a longer description of the category than the New Category field permits. The maximum number of characters permitted in the Description field is 512.

Step 5 Enter keywords that can be used as search criteria by IP/TV Viewer users.

Use words that are indicative of program content.

Step 6 In the Contact section of the New Category page, indicate to whom users should direct questions about the program.

This information can include the name of the program administrator, telephone number, and e-mail address, as well as the name of the media producer.

Timesaver If you enter contact information in the root category (the category called OnDemand Programs), this information is automatically entered for all new categories you create.

Step 7 Click Add Category to send the page to IP/TV Content Manager.

If IP/TV Content Manager finds errors or omissions on the page, the Data Entry Errors page prompts you to return to the New Category page to modify the information.

When you have finished correcting the errors, click Add Category again to submit the corrections to IP/TV Content Manager.

If the page is properly completed, you return automatically to the OnDemand Programs page.

Creating an On-Demand Subcategory

On-demand subcategories can be created within an existing category to add depth to the existing on-demand tree hierarchy.

Follow these steps to create a new category within an existing category:

Step 1 Click the link for the existing category, for example Instructional Videos.

The page for that category appears.

Step 2 Click the New Category link in the taskbar.

The New Category page appears.

Step 3 Enter the name of the new subcategory. Use a fairly short name, such as Benefits.

Step 4 Follow Step 4 through Step 7 in the section "Creating a New On-Demand Category."

Creating a New On-Demand Program

Follow these steps to create a new on-demand program:

Step 1 On the OnDemand Programs page, click the category in which you want to define a new program. This procedure uses the category Benefits, a subcategory of Instructional Videos, as an example.

When you click Benefits, the page for that category appears. (See Figure 2-8.)

Figure 2-8 Benefits Category Page

Step 2 Click the New Program link in the taskbar.

Step 3 The New OnDemand Program page appears. (See Figure 2-9.)

Figure 2-9 New OnDemand Program Page

Step 4 Enter the name of the new program.

Note IP/TV Content Manager permits a name up to 60 characters long. However, when the name of the program is displayed in IP/TV Viewer or on other IP/TV Content Manager pages, the name may be truncated to fit within the display area. For this reason, it is good practice to use short program names.

Step 5 Enter a description of the program.

The Description field allows you to enter a longer description of the program than the Program Name field permits. The maximum number of characters permitted in the Description field is 512.

Step 6 Enter keywords that can be used as search criteria by IP/TV Viewer users. Use words that are indicative of program content.

Step 7 Enter the URL of a website that provides additional information about the program.

If you enter a URL, a user watching this program on IP/TV Viewer can click the URL and go to the website.

Step 8 Enter a copyright statement.

Step 9 Set a password for the program by entering the password in both password fields. Only users who know the password are able to view the program.

Note The password protects the audio, video, and SlideCast streams in the program. If the program includes a web presentation stream, the web presentation stream is not protected.

Step 10 If you do not want the program to be announced or to appear in program listings, but you do want to save the program information, check the Hide the Program from Viewer/SAP Announcements check box.

Step 11 In the Multimedia Information section of the New OnDemand Program page (see Figure 2-10), review or enter information about the source of the program.

Figure 2-10 Multimedia Information Section of the New OnDemand
Program Page

Table 2-1 briefly describes multimedia information options.

Table 2-1 Multimedia Information Options 

Field
Description

Select media file

Specifies the media file to be associated with the program.

Click Select media file and choose a file from the list in the Browse Media Files window. (See Figure 2-11.)

When you choose a file, the Multimedia Information section is automatically populated with information about the file, such as length and bandwidth.

Play Video

Defines whether the program includes a video portion in addition to audio, SlideCast, or web presentation. The Enable QoS? check box allows you to choose to enable Quality of Service (QoS), if supported on your network.

Play Audio

Defines whether the program includes an audio portion in addition to video, SlideCast, or web presentation. The Enable QoS? check box allows you to choose to enable QoS, if supported on your network.

Play SlideCast

Defines whether the program includes a SlideCast portion in addition to audio or video. The Enable QoS? check box allows you to choose to enable QoS, if supported on your network.

Refer to Chapter 8 of the Cisco IP/TV Administration and Configuration Guide for information on the SlideCast feature.

Play Web Presentation

Defines whether the program includes a web presentation (for example, an .asf file containing URLs) in addition to audio or video.

Refer to Chapter 8 of the Cisco IP/TV Administration and Configuration Guide for information on the Web Presenter feature.

Transfer HTML to Browser Cache1

If checked, specifies that HTML pages and embedded graphics files of the web presentation are pushed to the browser of the client when the on-demand program begins. If not checked, each page is fetched dynamically by the browser. There is no impact on network bandwidth usage for either setting; the transfer simply occurs at a different time.

Media length

Playing time of the file. This is not an editable field.

Audio/Video Bandwidth

Network capacity required for transmission of the program in kilobits per second. This is not an editable field.

Maximum Video Frame Rate

Defines the maximum video frame rate for MPEG files only.

Web Presentation Bandwidth

Sets the web presentation bandwidth in kilobits per second. The default is 256. This field applies only if you have checked the Transfer HTML to Browser Cache check box.

Refer to Chapter 8 of the Cisco IP/TV Administration and Configuration Guide for information on the web presentation feature.

Web Presentation Base URL

Sets the base path for the URLs in the ASF file. You must specify the base URL if the .asf file was built using relative instead of absolute URLs.

Clusters

If File Present is checked, the file exists on the listed server.

If you choose Use IP/TV, the file is served only by one or more IP/TV Servers, and the load can be balanced.

If you choose Use WMT, the file is served only by Windows Media Services. Windows Media Services does not support load balancing or proximity management.

Auto Distribute File to Selected Server(s)2

If checked, the file is automatically distributed using FTP to any servers for which Play is checked in the OnDemand Servers table that do not already have the file present.

Transfer file(s) now

Specifies file transfer to start within 5 minutes.

Transfer file(s) on

Specifies the date and time for file transfer.

1 This option must be checked if the HTML pages are to be served by a server that is not configured as a web server or is not accessible to the browser of the user. This option must also be checked for on-demand web presentation programs that contain content captured with ScreenCaster in an .mp4 file.

2 Be sure not to duplicate media filenames if the file content is not identical. IP/TV Content Manager maintains a database of information about each server in the cluster. If two servers have a file with the same name, IP/TV Content Manager assumes they are the same file. This may result in the wrong file being served.


Figure 2-11 Browse Media Files Window

Step 12 Enable QoS (Quality of Service) for improving transmission quality, if supported on your network.

The Enable QoS? check box to the right of the Play Video, Play Audio, and Play SlideCast check boxes lets you enable QoS using RSVP (Resource Reservation Protocol). QoS provides superior transmission quality in networks with RSVP-enabled routers running under Windows 2000.

To view details regarding QoS, click the QoS Details link.

The QoS Details page appears. (See Figure 2-12.) Table 2-2 describes the QoS details options.

Figure 2-12 QoS Details Page

Table 2-2 QoS Details Options 

Field
Description

Type of QoS

Best Effort: Traffic will not receive priority treatment (default).

Guaranteed: Traffic will receive guaranteed priority treatment (preferred).

Controlled Load: Traffic will receive nonguaranteed priority treatment, similar to a network with no load.

Qualitative: Traffic will receive nonguaranteed priority treatment.

Deny service if RSVP refused?

Enabling this option keeps the media file from being played if the QoS reservation has not been received. It keeps nonguaranteed media traffic from being generated.

Application ID

Used to differentiate network traffic.

Application Sub ID

Used to differentiate network traffic.


Step 13 In the Contact section of the New OnDemand Program page (see Figure 2-13), indicate to whom users can direct questions about the program.

This information includes the name of the program administrator, telephone number, and e-mail address, as well as the name of the media producer.

Figure 2-13 Contact Information Section of the New OnDemand Program Page

Step 14 Click Add OnDemand Program to send the page to IP/TV Content Manager.

If IP/TV Content Manager finds errors or omissions on the page, the Data Entry Errors page prompts you to return to the New Programs page to modify the information.

When you have finished correcting the errors, click Add OnDemand Program again to submit the corrections to IP/TV Content Manager.

If the page is properly completed, you return automatically to the OnDemand Programs page.

Figure 2-14 shows an example of the OnDemand Programs page with some programs defined in the Benefits category.

Figure 2-14 Benefits Category of the OnDemand Page

Reviewing an On-Demand Category or Program

The Review page (accessed by clicking the Review link beneath a program name) displays all the information stored for the program. You may want to review an existing on-demand category or program when the category or program description is too long to fit on the main page, or if information you want to verify is not included in that brief list.

Follow these steps to review an on-demand category or program:

Step 1 On the OnDemand Programs page, navigate to the category or program you want to review and click its Review link.

Step 2 Scroll through the Review Category or Review OnDemand Program page to find the information you want to see.

Step 3 Click Edit to go to the Edit Category or Edit OnDemand Program page to make any necessary changes.

Note The Review OnDemand Program page contains the Load Plugin and Load Application buttons for publishing programs in a web page. In order to use these buttons, you must have plug-ins installed. Refer to Chapter 12, "Using IP/TV in a Web Browser," in the Cisco IP/TV Administration and Configuration Guide for information.

Deleting an On-Demand Category or Program

Follow these steps to delete an on-demand category or program:

Step 1 On the OnDemand Programs page, navigate to the on-demand category or program you want to delete. Or, on the Review Category or Review OnDemand Program page, click Delete Program at the bottom of the page.

IP/TV Content Manager displays the Delete Category or Delete OnDemand Program page and asks you to confirm that you want to delete the category or program.

Step 2 Click Delete Category or Delete OnDemand Program to delete the category or program. Click OnDemand Programs to return to the OnDemand Programs page without deleting the category or program.

Caution Deleting a category deletes all programs and categories below the category.
Caution If the program you are deleting is the only on-demand program that plays a given media file, the Delete OnDemand Program page includes a check box that specifies whether to delete the media file from all servers. If you check this check box, an FTP delete operation begins immediately when you click Delete, and the media file is automatically deleted from all servers.

Editing an On-Demand Category or Program

Follow these steps to edit an existing on-demand category or program:

Step 1 On the OnDemand Programs page, navigate to the category or program you want to edit and click its Edit link. Or, on the Review Category or Review OnDemand Program page, click Edit at the bottom of the page.

Step 2 Scroll through the Edit Category or Edit OnDemand Program page to change any field that was entered when the program was created.

Step 3 Click Revise Category or Revise OnDemand Program at the bottom of the page.

If IP/TV Content Manager finds errors or omissions in the page, the Data Entry Errors page prompts you to return to the Edit Category or Edit OnDemand Program page.

When you have finished correcting the errors, click Revise again to submit the corrections to IP/TV Content Manager.

If the page is properly completed, you return automatically to the OnDemand main page.

Duplicating an On-Demand Program

You might want to duplicate an existing on-demand program if you are responsible for entering and managing many programs and the information for all of them is nearly identical (perhaps only the title and description are different). Rather than entering the information again for each new program, you can duplicate a similar program and change only a few fields.

Follow these steps to duplicate an existing on-demand program:

Step 1 On the OnDemand Programs page, click the Duplicate link for the program. Or, on the Review OnDemand Program page, click Duplicate at the bottom of the page.

Step 2 Scroll through the Duplicate OnDemand Program page to find the information that you want to change for this duplicate program. You can change any field that was entered when the original program was created.

Step 3 Click Duplicate Program at the bottom of the page to send the information about the duplicate program to IP/TV Content Manager.

If IP/TV Content Manager finds errors or omissions on the page, the Data Entry Errors page prompts you to return to the Duplicate Program page to modify the information.

When you have finished correcting the errors, click Duplicate Program again to submit the corrections to IP/TV Content Manager.

If the page is properly completed, you return automatically to the OnDemand Programs page.

Moving an On-Demand Program

Follow these steps to move an on-demand program from one category to another:

Step 1 On the OnDemand Programs page, click the Move link for the program you want to move.

Step 2 Click the link for the category into which you want to move the program. Note that if there are a number of subcategories to move through, you may need to click several links.

Step 3 When you have reached the right category, click the Move Here link.

The page for that category appears with a list of all programs in that category, including the program you moved.

Using the OnDemand Search Page

The OnDemand Search page allows you to search for on-demand programs or on-demand media files using a variety of search criteria. (See Figure 2-15.)

Figure 2-15 OnDemand Search Page

Searching for On-Demand Programs

Follow these steps to search for an on-demand program:

Step 1 On the OnDemand Programs page, click the Search link in the taskbar.

The Search page appears.

Step 2 Define your search by choosing among the following criteria in the OnDemand Programs section of the Search page:

•Search field and text—Searches in program name, keyword, or description fields for the text you enter.

•Programs on this Cluster—Searches for all programs on the cluster you choose from the list.

•Programs on this Server—Searches for all programs on the server you choose from the list.

•Programs with no Servers defined—Searches for all programs that have no server defined to play the program.

•Programs with no Media File on any Server—Searches for all programs for which no server associated with the program has the media file associated with the program. This may indicate that a file transfer or autodistribute operation was not completed successfully, or that the file has been mistakenly deleted from a server.

•Programs with no Media File on at least one Server—Searches for programs for which at least one of the servers associated with the program does not have the media file associated with the program. If IP/TV Content Manager finds a program that meets this criterion, it may indicate that a file transfer or autodistribute operation was not completed successfully, or that the file has been mistakenly deleted from a server.

Step 3 Click the Go button next to the desired search criterion. A new Search page displays the results of the search.

Searching for On-Demand Media Files

Follow these steps to search for an on-demand media file:

Step 1 On the OnDemand Programs page, click the Search link in the taskbar.

The Search page appears.

Step 2 Define your search by choosing among the following criteria in the OnDemand Media files section of the Search page:

•Media Files on this Cluster—Searches for all media files that are available on the cluster you choose from the list.

•Media Files on this Server—Searches for all media files that are available on the server you choose from the list.

•Find and Optionally Delete Media Files with no Programs—Searches for all media files that are not being used by any program.

Step 3 Click the Go button next to the desired search criterion.

•If you search for media files on this cluster or server, a new Search page displays the results of your search.

•If you search for media files with no programs, a new Search page lists files matching the search criterion. (See Figure 2-16.)

Figure 2-16 Find and Delete Page

To return to the Search page without deleting files, click Back.

To delete files, choose the files you want to delete, specify whether the files are to be deleted immediately or at a specified time, and click Delete Media File(s). IP/TV Content Manager asks you to confirm that you want to delete the files and then creates an FTP Delete job to accomplish the deletion.

Caution Before deleting a file, verify that it is not needed. For example, verify that the media file is not intended to be used by a program that is not yet defined.