Cisco ACNS Software Program Manager for IP/TV User Guide, Release 5.4 - Using IP/TV in a Web Browser [Cisco Application and Content Networking System (ACNS) Software]

Table Of Contents

Using IP/TV in a Web Browser

Using IP/TV as a Browser Plug-In

Launching the Plug-In

Running the Plug-In

Creating and Customizing the Plug-In

Using the EMBED Tag

Using the OBJECT ID Tag

EMBED Tag and OBJECT ID Tag Parameters

Playback Methods and Properties

Sample HTML Files Using EMBED and OBJECT Tags

Using the IP/TV Sample Plug-In

Web Presenter IP/TV Plug-In Example

Using QuickTime as a Browser Plug-in

Launching the QuickTime Plug-In

Customizing the QuickTime Plug-In

Using the EMBED Tag

Using the OBJECT ID Tag

Launching QuickTime from the Web-Based Program Guide

Using IP/TV Viewer as a Helper Application

Launching the Helper Application

Running the Helper Application

Customizing the Helper Application Anchor and Link

Using IP/TV in a Web Browser

IP/TV can be incorporated into a web browser as a plug-in or a helper application.

When used as a browser plug-in, IP/TV Viewer enables you to watch an IP/TV program that is embedded directly in your browser web page. IP/TV also supports the Apple QuickTime Player as a browser plug-in. This feature helps you watch IP/TV programs without having to install IP/TV Viewer.

When invoked as a helper application, IP/TV Viewer is launched directly from your browser so that it runs in its own window.

This chapter contains the following sections:

•Using IP/TV as a Browser Plug-In

•Using QuickTime as a Browser Plug-in

•Using IP/TV Viewer as a Helper Application

Table 10-1 describes the selection of plug-ins by programs in different situations.

Table 10-1 Relationship of Plug-Ins to Programs

IP/TV Plug-In Installed¹

QuickTime Plug-In Installed

Plug-In Used

X

X

Program is played using the IP/TV plug-in.

X

—

Program is played using the IP/TV plug-in.

—

X

Program is played using the QuickTime plug-in.²

—

—

Program is not played, and you are prompted to install the QuickTime plug-in from the Apple website.2

¹The IP/TV plug-in is used by default to play a program unless only the QuickTime plug-in is available

²The program administrator can enforce the use of IP/TV Viewer for any program. In such cases, IP/TV Program Manager prompts users to download the IP/TV plug-in to play the program.

Using IP/TV as a Browser Plug-In

The following sections describe how to launch, run, and customize an IP/TV program plug-in, and how to access the IP/TV sample plug-in.

Note To run a browser plug-in, IP/TV Program Manager must be running in your network. You need to have IP/TV Viewer installed on your system with plug-ins.

Launching the Plug-In

To launch IP/TV Viewer as a plug-in, open your browser and enter the URL of the plug-in. Ask your system administrator for the exact location and name of the browser plug-in web page. For example, the URL http://mywebserver/yourplugin.htm jumps to the web page named yourplugin.htm, which is located on the web server named mywebserver.

Running the Plug-In

After you launch the plug-in, the browser web page with the embedded IP/TV plug-in appears. Figure 10-1 shows a sample plug-in with all toolbar settings defined.

Figure 10-1 is an example of an on-demand program plug-in window. A scheduled program plug-in window has different VCR controls.

Figure 10-1 IP/TV as a Plug-In—On-Demand Program

The VCR controls for an on-demand program include Stop/Play, positioning buttons, Position Control slider, Mute button, and volume control. For a scheduled program, the VCR controls include Stop/Play, Mute button, and volume control.

Refer to Appendix A in the Cisco IP/TV Viewer User Guide for a complete listing of plug-in window toolbar buttons and icons.

Creating and Customizing the Plug-In

To create an IP/TV plug-in and customize the "look and feel" of the toolbar of the plug-in, use the EMBED tag or OBJECT ID tag on the HTML source page of the plug-in. Use the EMBED tag for the Netscape Navigator browser and the OBJECT ID tag for the Internet Explorer browser. Note that the IP/TV plug-in supports scripting only when the EMBED tag for Netscape Navigator is used. If you want to add scripting and are using Internet Explorer, then you must use the OBJECT ID tag.

Note You must be familiar with HTML and JavaScript to script an IP/TV plug-in.

Using the EMBED Tag

For Netscape Navigator, use the EMBED tag on the HTML source page of the plug-in to create and customize the look of the embedded IP/TV plug-in window.

To modify the EMBED tag, follow these steps:

Step 1 Open IP/TV Program Manager, and click either OnDemand Programs or Scheduled Programs.

Step 2 Scroll to the desired program, and click the Review link. The Review Program window appears.

Step 3 Scroll to the bottom of the window, and click Load Plug-in. A sample web page appears, with the IP/TV plug-in playing your selected program. This sample web page has all the default settings.

Step 4 If you like the way the web page looks, save it with an .htm extension, and go to Step 6. If you do not like the way the web page looks, go to Step 5.

Step 5 To change the default settings, you need to access the .htm file of the program in a text editor. To do this, choose View Page > Source (for Netscape Navigator) or choose View > Source (for Internet Explorer) to display the .htm file of the web page.

Step 6 Change the default settings of the EMBED tag in the .htm file using the following parameters:
<EMBED TYPE="application/x-sdp" 
SRC="path/file.sdp" 
NAME=name 
WIDTH=width 
HEIGHT=height 
[AUTOSTART= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[INVOKEURLS= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWPOSITIONTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWVCRTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWAUDIOTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWSURFTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWMISCTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWDETACHTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWSTATUSBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWMINVIEW= {TRUE | FALSE}]>
See Table 10-2 for a description of EMBED tag and OBJECT ID tag parameters.

Using the OBJECT ID Tag

For Internet Explorer, use the OBJECT ID tag on the HTML source page of the plug-in to create and customize the look of the embedded IP/TV plug-in.

To modify the OBJECT ID tag, follow these steps:

Step 1 Follow Step 1 through Step 5 (and Step 6 if necessary) in the previous section, "Using the EMBED Tag."

Step 2 Change the default settings of the OBJECT ID tag in the .htm file using the following parameters:
<OBJECT ID="plugin_title" 
WIDTH=width 
HEIGHT=height 
CLASSID= CLSID:364752D0-9065-11D2-8210-0060B0F139BD 
[<PARAM Name="FILENAME"VALUE={"sdp filename"}] 
[<PARAM Name="AUTOSTART"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="INVOKEURLS"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWPOSITIONTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWVCRTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWAUDIOTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWSURFTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWMISCTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWDETACHTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWSTATUSBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWMINVIEW"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
</OBJECT>
EMBED Tag and OBJECT ID Tag Parameters

Table 10-2 describes all EMBED tag and OBJECT ID tag parameters.

Note Some parameters are specific only to the EMBED tag or the OBJECT ID tag.
Table 10-2 EMBED and OBJECT ID Tag Parameters
Parameter

Values

Description

TYPE

application/x-sdp

Specifies the MIME type of the EMBED and OBJECT ID tags and determines which plug-in to load. This parameter is required for the EMBED tag and optional for the OBJECT ID tag.
SRC=¹

FILENAME=²

path/file
Specifies the name of the .sdp file to be launched. If you specify a full path name, it must be enclosed in quotation marks. You can reference the program ID from IP/TV Program Manager. To reference an .sdp file directly from IP/TV Program Manager, enter the full path name as shown in this example:
http://cm/cgi-bin/iptv/download.pl/progid.sdp 
This parameter is required.
NAME=¹

plug-in name

Indicates the plug-in name in the EMBED tag.

OBJECT ID=²

plug-in name

Indicates the plug-in name in the OBJECT ID tag.

CLASSID=²

CiscoMedia.OCX ID

Identifies the object implementation. The CiscoMedia.OCX ID is CLSID:364752D0-9065-11D2-8210-0060B0F139BD.

FULLSCREEN=

TRUE or FALSE

When TRUE, the plug-in is launched in full-screen mode. The default is FALSE.

WIDTH=

width

Width in pixels from the left edge of the plug-in window to the right edge of the plug-in window. This parameter is required.

HEIGHT=

height

Height in pixels from the top of the viewer window to the bottom of the VCR controls. This parameter is required.

AUTOSTART

TRUE or FALSE

Specifies whether to start playing the clip automatically. TRUE (the default) causes the clip to start automatically. FALSE disables autostart, and the clip does not start playing until you click the Play button. This parameter is optional.

INVOKEURLS

TRUE or FALSE

Specifies whether to invoke URLs in a browser that are contained in an .asf file. TRUE (the default) enables URL flipping. FALSE disables URL flipping. This parameter is optional.

RESIZEVIDEO

TRUE or FALSE

Specifies video resizing. FALSE (the default) centers the video in the plug-in area. If the video is larger than the plug-in area, the borders are clipped. TRUE resizes the video to fit in the plug-in area you specified in the EMBED or OBJECT ID commands. This parameter is optional.

SHOWAUDIOTOOLBAR

TRUE or FALSE

Displays or hides the Audio toolbar. TRUE (the default) displays this toolbar. FALSE hides this toolbar. This parameter is optional.

SHOWDETACHTOOLBAR

TRUE or FALSE

Displays or hides this toolbar. FALSE (the default) hides this toolbar. TRUE displays this toolbar. This parameter is optional.

SHOWMINVIEW

TRUE or FALSE

Specifies whether the plug-in viewer window is displayed in minimal view. Minimal view displays only one toolbar, including the Stop/Play, Mute, and Audio buttons. TRUE displays only the minimal view and overrides the settings of all other property values. FALSE (the default) displays the normal view.

Note that if FALSE is set, the state of the status bar is solely dependent on the SHOWSTATUSBAR value. Other toolbars are shown or hidden depending on the relation between their property values and the SHOWTOOLBAR value. For example, if SHOWTOOLBAR=TRUE, and SHOWSURFTOOLBAR=FALSE, then the Surf toolbar is hidden. If SHOWTOOLBAR=FALSE, then none of the toolbars is shown.

SHOWMISCTOOLBAR

TRUE or FALSE

Displays or hides the Misc toolbar. FALSE (the default) hides the toolbar. TRUE displays the toolbar. This toolbar contains web information, the Question Manager, and the Copy Image and Full Screen buttons. This parameter is optional.

SHOWPOSITIONTOOLBAR

TRUE or FALSE

Displays or hides the Position toolbar. TRUE (the default) displays this toolbar. FALSE hides this toolbar. This parameter is optional.

SHOWSTATUSBAR

TRUE or FALSE

Displays or hides the IP/TV plug-in status bar. TRUE (the default) displays the status bar. FALSE hides the status bar. This parameter is optional.

SHOWSURFTOOLBAR

TRUE or FALSE

Displays or hides the current program name. FALSE (the default) hides the current program name. TRUE displays the current program name. This parameter is optional.

SHOWTOOLBAR

TRUE or FALSE

Displays or hides all toolbars. TRUE displays all toolbars. FALSE hides all toolbars. This parameter overrides the settings of all other toolbar parameter settings. This parameter is optional.

SHOWVCRTOOLBAR

TRUE or FALSE

Displays or hides the VCR toolbar. TRUE (the default) displays this toolbar. FALSE hides this toolbar. This parameter is optional.

SURFOPTIONx³

x, y.sdp

Adds scheduled or on-demand program names to the Change Programs list box. The value x is each instance of an .sdp file. It can be a value between 1 and 32. The value y.sdp is the name of the .sdp file that contains the program name you want listed in the Change Programs list box. You can enter this option in the EMBED command up to 32 times. This parameter is optional.
¹Used only in the EMBED tag.

²Used only in the OBJECT ID tag.

³Do not mix scheduled and on-demand programs in the SURF_OPTION list.
To prevent video from being clipped, you need to consider the toolbar dimensions when designing the HTML source page for the plug-in. The width and height in the EMBED or OBJECT ID tag refer to the size of the window, including video and toolbars.

Toolbar dimensions are as follows:

•Height of each toolbar: 30 pixels

•Width of Audio toolbar:100 pixels

•Width of Detach toolbar: 40 pixels

•Width of Misc toolbar: 132 pixels

•Width of Surf toolbar: 155 pixels

•Height of status bar: 132 pixels

•Width of VCR toolbar: 132 pixels

For example, suppose the existing video size is 320 x 240 and the HTML page author chooses to show the Position toolbar, VCR toolbar, Audio toolbar, Misc toolbar, Surf toolbar, and status bar. The author needs to set the width of the plug-in window to be the maximum of the video width, the sum of the VCR toolbar and Audio toolbar width, and the sum of the Misc toolbar and Surf toolbar width. The height of the plug-in window needs to be the sum of the video height, Position toolbar height, VCR toolbar height, Surf toolbar height, and status bar height. In this case, the video size would be 320 x 348.

Playback Methods and Properties

The IP/TV plug-in supports several attributes that let you manipulate playback of content. These attributes include playback methods and seeking methods and properties. Playback methods for media content are Play, Pause, and Stop. Seeking methods and properties are MarkerName method, CurrentMarker property, Current Position, and MarkerCount property.

Table 10-3 lists and describes the methods and properties that the IP/TV plug-in supports.
Table 10-3 Playback Methods and Properties
Method or Property

Syntax

Description
Play method
plugin_name.Play
Starts playing a video clip from the starting position or continues playing a paused clip. This method has no parameters.
Pause method
plugin_name.Pause
Suspends playback at the current position in the clip. This method performs the same action as clicking the VCR control Pause button. This method has no parameters and does not return a value.
Stop method
plugin_name.Stop
Stops playback of the current clip. This method has no parameters and does not return a value.
MarkerName method
plugin_name. 
GetMarkerName 
MarkerNum
Returns a string containing the name of the marker, given its marker number. MarkerNum is a long value specifying the number of the marker name to return.
CurrentMarker property
plugin_name. 
SetCurrentMarker¹
plugin_name. 
CurrentMarker²
Sets a long value indicating the current marker number. Before you attempt to set this property, determine whether a file has markers and their number by using MarkerCount. If a file has no markers, setting CurrentMarker to anything except 0 (zero) results in an error. Setting CurrentMarker to a number higher than MarkerCount also results in an error.
plugin_name. 
GetCurrentMarker¹
plugin_name. 
CurrentMarker²
Returns a long value indicating the current marker number. This property always returns the current or last marker, which means the actual file position can be either at the current marker or before the next marker. Markers are numbered beginning at 1, so if a file has markers, setting CurrentMarker to 0 (zero) changes the file position to zero.
CurrentPosition property
plugin_name. 
SetCurrentPosition¹
plugin_name. 
CurrentPosition²
Sets a long value of the current position of the clip in seconds.
plugin_name. 
GetCurrentPosition¹
plugin_name. 
CurrentPosition²
Returns a long value of the current position of the clip in seconds.
MarkerCount property
plugin_name. 
GetMarkerCount¹
plugin_name. 
MarkerCount²
Returns a long value of number of markers in the current clip. This property returns zero if a file has no markers. Marker numbers start at 1.
¹This syntax is specific to the EMBED tag.

²This syntax is specific to the OBJECT ID tag.
Sample HTML Files Using EMBED and OBJECT Tags

The following example displays the customized .htm file of a program using the EMBED tag.

Example 10-1 EMBED Tag Sample.htm File
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>IP/TV Netscape-style Plug-in: Cisco Systems, Inc.</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY BGCOLOR="C0C0C0">
<CENTER>
<H2>
IP/TV Web Video
</H2>
<P>

<EMBED SRC="samplemarker.sdp" 
        NAME = IPTVPlugin
        WIDTH=420 
        HEIGHT=320 
        ShowMinView=true>
</EMBED>
<form>
<input  type=button
                onclick="document.IPTVPlugin.Play()"
                value=play>
<input  type=button
                onclick="document.IPTVPlugin.Stop()"
                value=stop>
<input  type=button
                
onclick="document.IPTVPlugin.SetCurrentMarker(parseInt(form.editSeek.value))"
                value=seek>
<input  name=editSeek
                type=text
                value=1
                size=10>
<form>
</CENTER>
The following example displays the customized .htm file of a program using the OBJECT ID tag.

Example 10-2 OBJECT ID Sample.htm File Tag
<OBJECT ID="IPTVPlayer" WIDTH=400 HEIGHT=400
 CLASSID="CLSID:364752D0-9065-11D2-8210-0060B0F139BD">
<PARAM Name="AutoStart" Value="true">
<PARAM Name="InvokeURLs" Value="false">
<PARAM NAME="FileName" Value="mpeg_vod.sdp">
<PARAM NAME="ShowToolbar" Value="true">
<PARAM NAME="ShowVCRToolbar" Value="true">
<PARAM NAME="ShowAudioToolbar" Value="true">
<PARAM NAME="ShowSurfToolbar" Value="true">
<PARAM NAME="ShowMiscToolbar" Value="true">
<PARAM NAME="ShowDetachToolbar" Value="true">
<PARAM NAME="ShowMinView" Value="false">
<PARAM NAME="InvokeURLs" Value="false">
<PARAM NAME="ResizeVideo" Value="false">
<PARAM NAME="ShowStatusBar" Value="true">
<PARAM NAME="SurfOption1" Value="concert_vod.sdp">   
<PARAM NAME="SurfOption32" Value="http://pub-pc/servlet/OdPublish?ProgID=907984166"> 
</OBJECT>
<form>
<input  type=button
onclick="document.IPTVPlayer.Play()" 
value=play>
<input  type=button
onclick="document.IPTVPlayer.Stop()"
value=stop>
<input  type=button
onclick="document.IPTVPlayer.Pause()"
value=pause>
<input  type=button
onclick="document.IPTVPlayer.CurrentMarker=parseInt(form.editSeek.value)"
value=seek>
<input  name=editSeek
type=text
value=0
size=10>
<form>
</CENTER>
Using the IP/TV Sample Plug-In

If desired, you can use the sample plug-in that comes with IP/TV, which is useful if you want to launch and run IP/TV Viewer solely from a browser without any customization.

To access the sample plug-in, follow these steps:

Step 1 Open your browser.

Step 2 In your browser enter the following URL:

http://mywebserver/iptvfiles/iptv.htm

where mywebserver is the name of your Program Manager.

The IP/TV plug-in appears with the title IP/TV Web Video. All programs on IP/TV Program Manager are listed in the Change Program list.

Web Presenter IP/TV Plug-In Example

This section provides an example of a Web Presenter program IP/TV plug-in. Figure 10-2 shows a browser web page containing a plug-in with three frames: video frame, table of contents frame, and slide presentation frame. The HTML source page for each frame is located in the following directory on the IP/TV CD-ROM:

D:\Demo\Iptv_demo\program files\Cisco Systems\IPTV Demo\Apache\
public_html\iptvfiles

Figure 10-2 Web Presenter IP/TV Plug-In Example

Note IP/TV Program Manager uses "iptv_presenter" for the frame name in the HTML code that it generates for the plug-in, regardless of the frame name specified in the .asf file URLs. If a different frame name is specified in the .asf file URLs, then the presentation URLs are displayed in a separate browser window.

Using QuickTime as a Browser Plug-in

If you do not have IP/TV Viewer or plug-in installed in your device, you can use the Apple QuickTime plug-in to watch IP/TV programs.

The QuickTime client supports ISMA MPEG-4, MPEG-2 with MPEG-1 layer 2 audio, MPEG-1 with MPEG-1 layer 2 audio, SlideCast with H.261 or MPEG-4 video, and PCM (mu-law) audio streaming from IP/TV Server to the QuickTime 7.0 client. However, the QuickTime client does not support MP3, Web Presenter, ScreenCaster, and some audio codecs. QuickTime also does not support password-protected IP/TV programs.

Launching the QuickTime Plug-In

You can open the QuickTime plug-in by clicking the Load Plug-in button in the Review Program window of IP/TV Program Manager.

If you do not have IP/TV Program Manager installed in your device, you can launch the QuickTime plug-in from your browser. For this, you must obtain the URL for the plug-in page from your system administrator. For example, the URL http://mywebserver/yourplugin.htm jumps to the web page named yourplugin.htm, which is located on the web server named mywebserver. When you enter this URL in your browser window, the plug-in launches and starts playing the program associated with it.

Customizing the QuickTime Plug-In

Step 1 Open IP/TV Program Manager, and click either OnDemand Programs or Scheduled Programs.

Step 2 Scroll to the desired program, and click the Review link. The Review Program window appears.

Step 3 Scroll to the bottom of the window, and click Load Plug-in.

Step 4 A sample web page with the QuickTime plug-in playing your selected program appears. This sample web page has all the default settings.

Step 5 If you like the way the web page looks, save it with an .htm extension, and go to Step 6. If you do not like the way the web page looks, go to Step 5.

Step 6 To change the default settings, you need to access the .htm file of the program in a text editor. To do this, choose View Page > Source (for Netscape Navigator) or choose View > Source (for Internet Explorer) to display the .htm file of the web page.

Step 7 Modify the EMBED or OBJECT ID tag.

•If you are using Netscape Navigator, modify the default settings of the EMBED tag in the .htm file using the parameters given in the "Using the EMBED Tag" section.

•If you are using Internet Explorer, change the OBJECT ID tag according to the parameters specified in the "Using the OBJECT ID Tag" section.

Using the EMBED Tag

To customize the QuickTime plug-in, modify the EMBED tag on the HTML source page of the plug-in using the following parameters:
<EMBED TYPE="application/x-sdp" 
SRC="path/file.sdp" 
NAME=name 
WIDTH=width 
HEIGHT=height 
[AUTOSTART= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[INVOKEURLS= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWPOSITIONTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWVCRTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWAUDIOTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWSURFTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWMISCTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWDETACHTOOLBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWSTATUSBAR= {TRUE | FALSE}] 
[SHOWMINVIEW= {TRUE | FALSE}]>
Using the OBJECT ID Tag

To customize the QuickTime plug-in, modify the OBJECT ID tag on the HTML source page of the plug-in using the following parameters:
<OBJECT ID="plugin_title" 
WIDTH=width 
HEIGHT=height 
CLASSID= clsid:02BF25D5-8C17-4B23-BC80-D3488ABDDC6B  
CODEBASE="http://www.apple.com/qtactivex/qtplugin.cab" 
[<PARAM Name="FILENAME"VALUE={"sdp filename"}] 
[<PARAM Name="AUTOSTART"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="INVOKEURLS"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWPOSITIONTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWVCRTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWAUDIOTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWSURFTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWMISCTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWDETACHTOOLBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWSTATUSBAR"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
[<PARAM Name="SHOWMINVIEW"VALUE={"TRUE | FALSE"}] 
</OBJECT>
Launching QuickTime from the Web-Based Program Guide

You can launch the QuickTime plug-in from the web-based program guide (WBPG). You can access the WBPG from IP/TV Program Manager as well as through a browser using the URL of the Program Manager host. You can view a program by clicking the Play button next to the program or the program name itself. If your device does not have the IP/TV plug-in or the QuickTime plug-in, IP/TV Program Manager prompts you to download the QuickTime plug-in from the Apple website. You can modify the QuickTime plug-in as explained in the "Customizing the QuickTime Plug-In" section.

Using IP/TV Viewer as a Helper Application

IP/TV Version 3.5 and later releases support IP/TV Viewer as a helper application. The following sections describe how to launch, run, and customize the IP/TV helper application.

Note To create a helper application, IP/TV Program Manager must be running in your network and IP/TV Viewer must be installed.

Launching the Helper Application

To launch the helper application from IP/TV Program Manager, follow these steps:

Step 1 Open IP/TV Program Manager, and click either OnDemand Programs or Scheduled Programs.

Step 2 Click the Review link for the required program.

The Review Program window appears.

Step 3 Click the Load Helper Application button at the bottom of the window.

A sample web page with a Start the Viewer link appears.

Step 4 Click the Start the Viewer link to launch the helper application.

The program starts playing in the IP/TV helper application.

If you do not have IP/TV Program Manager running on your device, you can launch the helper application from the web page that contains the Start the Viewer link. You can access the sample page through a web browser using the URL provided by the administrator. Click the Start the Viewer link on the page to launch the helper application.

Running the Helper Application

After you launch the IP/TV helper application by clicking its web link, the designated program begins playing in the plug-in window. The program behaves exactly the same as when you launch IP/TV Viewer as a plug-in.

Customizing the Helper Application Anchor and Link

Note We recommend that your system administrator perform the following steps to customize the helper application anchor and link that appear on the web page.

Step 1 Open IP/TV Program Manager, and click either OnDemand Programs or Scheduled Programs.

Step 2 Scroll to the desired program, and click the Review link. The Review Program window appears.

Step 3 Scroll to the bottom of the window, and click Load Helper Application. A sample web page that contains the helper application anchor and link appears. (See Figure 10-3.)

Figure 10-3 Sample Web Page with Helper Application Link

Step 4 If you like the way the web page looks, save it with an .htm extension, and go to Step 6. If you do not like the way the web page looks, go to Step 5.

Step 5 To change the default settings, you need to access the HTML web page of a program in a text editor. To do this, choose View > Source (for Netscape Navigator) or choose View > Page Source (for Internet Explorer) to display the .htm file of a web page.

You can make changes in this file or copy and paste the information into another .htm file.

Step 6 Change the following helper application anchor and link commands in the .htm file.
<A HREF="path/file">Link </A>
Table 10-4 describes the helper application anchor and link parameters.

Table 10-4 Helper Application Anchor and Link Parameters

Parameter

Value

Description

HREF=

path/file

Specifies the name of the .ipt file to be launched. If you specify a full path name, it must be enclosed in quotation marks, for example: "http://web-server/.../xxx..ipt"

Link=

message text

The text that appears as a link in the browser web page. When you click this link, the designated program is launched in a separate plug-in window.

The following sample .htm file contains the helper application anchor and link commands.

Example 10-3 Sample Helper Application .htm File
<HTML><HEAD> 
<TITLE>IP/TV Web Video</TITLE> 
</HEAD> 
<BODY BGCOLOR="FFFFFF"> 
<CENTER> 
<H2>Yourcompany's IP/TV Web Video Page</H2> 
<P> 
<A HREF="http://mywebserver/iptv/download.pl/137475.ipt">Play Viewer 
Now</A> 
<P>To customize: view and save the HTML source for this page 
</CENTER> 
</BODY> 
</HTML>
In this sample file, the .ipt file is named 137475.ipt and is located on the web server named mywebserver. The text message Play Viewer Now is the link that appears on the browser page. When you click this link from within your browser, the plug-in is launched and starts playing the designated program.