Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 Release 3.3

License Host ID

A license host ID is required to generate a license. Use the same license host ID for all license requests—initial or upgrade.

Note If you are doing a software reinstall, you will have a new host ID.

To view the license host ID, login to the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI. Under the Tools tab, click Upload License. Figure 3-1 shows the location of the license host ID.

Figure 3-1 License Host ID String

Obtaining a New, Upgrade, or Feature License

• Before You Begin
• Obtain the License File
• Troubleshooting Tips

Before You Begin

• You must have an account on Cisco.com to access the license website. Register for an account at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/web/siteassets/account/index.html
• Obtain the Cisco MXE 3500 License Host ID. See also: License Host ID.

Note In a clustered deployment, use the same License Host ID during license registration for each Resource Node (RN) or Resource Manager (RM) in your installation.

• Obtain the Product Authorization Key (PAK) for you standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Product Authorization Keys (PAKs) for the Resource Manager device and Resource Nodes. The PAK is located on the Software License Claim Certificate that shipped with your device.
• For clustered deployments, first, complete the license registration of the RM appliance and obtain the license for that registration process. Install the license for this registration.

Then, register each RN separately. Use the RN PAK and the RM License Host ID for completing registration and obtaining the updated license files one at a time.

You will install each license that you receive on the RM appliance.

Obtain the License File

Step 1 Obtain the Product Authorization Key (PAK), which is located on the Software License Claim Certificate that shipped with your appliance.

Step 2 Go to http://www.cisco.com/go/license.

Step 3 Enter the PAK. If you are using the Cisco MXE 3500 to access the registration website, press the Enter key; otherwise, click the Submit button.

Step 4 Follow the on-screen prompts. Shortly after registration, you will receive an e-mail with the Cisco MXE 3500 license file.

Note For a clustered deployment, complete the registration process for each RN, using the PAK of the RN and the License Host ID of the RM.

Note We recommend that you save the license file. If the license file is lost, it can take up to one business day to get another copy. If you do a system back up, the license file is also backed up.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you experience problems with the registration websites or if you have additional questions, for a prompt response, please open a Service Request using the TAC Service Request Tool at:

http://tools.cisco.com/ServiceRequestTool/create/DefineProblem.do.

Please have your valid Cisco ID and password available. As an alternative, you may also call one of these numbers:

Asia-Pacific: +61 2 8446 7411 (Australia: 1 800 805 227)

EMEA: +32 2 704 55 55

USA: 1 800 553-2447

You can find a complete list of Cisco TAC contacts at this URL:

http://www.cisco.com/techsupport/contacts

Installing a License File

Note For Resource Manager deployments, install the license file only on the Resource Manager device.

Procedure

Step 1 Log in to the web UI.

Step 2 Under the Tools tab, click Upload License.

Step 3 Click Browse to navigate to and then select the license file.

Step 4 Click Upload to install the license file on the Cisco MXE 3500.

• During first-time installation, check Replace Existing Licenses to replace the default demo license with the base license. Existing licenses will be backed up into a ‘backup’ directory.
• Uncheck this option to install an upgrade or feature license.
• License file name does not matter; it will be renamed.

Step 5 On successful upload the License uploaded successfully message displays.

Step 6 Click OK. The Host Administration page displays.

Required Components for the Live Streaming Feature

In addition to a Live Streaming feature license, the following components are required:

1. Ingest (Input)

2. Job Profile (Transcode)

3. Distribution (Output)

Note See the Release Notes for Cisco MXE 3500 for information about supported ingest formats and the maximum number of supported streams.

Ingest (Input)

The Cisco MXE 3500 can ingest MPEG-2 single- or multi-program streams or both from a multicast network through Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) enabled routers. Incoming streams must have the following characteristics:

• MPEG-2 TS packaging
• MPEG-2 encoded payload
• AC3 or Layer 2 audio
• UDP/IP transport (RTP is not supported)
• (Optional) EIA 608 and 708 closed captions

The following sources can provide streamed content:

• Cable or satellite feeds that are groomed and distributed through a head-end setup
• Direct output(s) from MPEG-2 encoders that comply with Cisco MXE 3500 input requirements

Job Profile (Transcode)

The Cisco MXE 3500 can transcode incoming MPEG-2 TS to Windows Media Video (WMV), Flash 8, or H.264 streaming formats in real time. Transcoding (file conversion) requires a suitable job profile in Cisco MXE 3500.

Distribution (Output)

The Cisco MXE 3500 can perform limited HTTP streaming. We recommend that you deploy a separate streaming server for RTSP streaming and an optimized stream distribution network for efficient streaming to remote clients over WAN. Otherwise, the Cisco MXE 3500 performance and capacity will be degraded and impair the streaming experience.

We recommend the following streaming servers:

• Windows Media Video (WMV)—Windows Media Streaming Server contained in Microsoft Windows 2008 Server Enterprise Edition
• Flash 8 and H.264—Adobe Flash Media Server (FMS)

We recommend the following stream distribution network solutions:

• WMV—Cisco WAN Application Acceleration Solution (WAAS)
• Flash8 and H.264—Commercial Content Delivery Network (CDN) services available from the following sources:

– Akamai

– Limelight

– Internap

Live WMV IP Streaming Deployments

• Network Design for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live WMV IP Streaming\
• Configuration Workflow for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live WMV IP Streaming

Network Design for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live WMV IP Streaming

Figure 3-2 shows an example solution network for a Cisco MXE 3500 deployment with WMV IP streaming and Cisco Wide Area Application Services (WAAS).

Figure 3-2 Example Solution Network for WMV IP Streaming Using Cisco WAAS

Configuration Workflow for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live WMV IP Streaming

The preprocessor and encoder profile settings are the same as file-to-file transcoding.

1. If you have a Resource Manager deployment with more than one Cisco MXE 3500 host, restrict all Windows Media encoding to a single Cisco MXE 3500.

For each Cisco MXE 3500 host—other than the one host that you want to perform all Windows Media encoding— remove the following workers:

• microsoftAudioStream
• microsoftStream

2. Create a new Distribution Profile for webcast. Webcast Distribution Profiles are used to define the parameters for streaming encoded output live to the Internet.

a. Create a New Profile.

b. Choose Profile Class: Distribution, and select Webcast.

3. Configure the following Webcast Profile settings:

• Profile : Select the Windows encoder profile that is part of the job.
• Server : Enter the Cisco MXE 3500 IP address.
• Port : Enter a port number that is not in use.
• Filename : Enter a filename for the stream. This field is required. Because this setting is used to generate the name of the file that is streamed, enter a meaningful filename, CNNStream for example.

Figure 3-3 Example Stream Configuration: WMV streaming

4. Add the Webcast Profile to a Job Profile under the Distribution: Webcast setting.

5. Submit the Job Profile as a live job on the Submission > Live page.

6. On the Windows Media streaming server, add a new publishing point. Enter the Cisco MXE 3500 IP address for the encoder and the port number from Step 3.

7. For distribution setup, configure Cisco WAAS as described in the Microsoft Windows Server on Cisco WAAS Deployment Guide at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6870/prod_white_papers_list.html

8. On a client PC, open the Windows Media Player and enter the URL, as follows: mms: //streaming server/publishing_point.

Live Flash 8 and H.264 IP Streaming Deployments

• Network Design for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live Flash 8 and H.264 IP Streaming\
• Network Design for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live Flash 8 and H.264 IP Streaming

Network Design for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live Flash 8 and H.264 IP Streaming

Figure 3-4 shows an example solution network for a Cisco MXE 3500 deployment with Flash 8 IP streaming and a content distribution network (CDN).

Figure 3-4 Example Solution Network for Flash 8 and H.264 IP streaming Using CDN

Configuration Workflow for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live Flash 8 and H.264 IP Streaming

Note For information about using the web UI, see the User Guide for Cisco MXE 3500.

Preprocessor and encoder profile settings remain the same as file-to-file transcoding.

1. Create a new Webcast Profile. Webcast Profiles are used to define the parameters for streaming encoded output live to the Internet.

a. Create a new Profile.

b. Choose Profile Class: Distribution, and select Webcast.

2. Configure the following Webcast Profile settings:

• Profile : Select the Flash 8 or H.264 encoder profile that is part of the job.
• Server : Enter the Flash streaming server IP address, such as rtmp://Streaming Server IP address/publishing point.
• Port : Enter 80 or 1935.
• Filename : Enter a filename for the stream. This field is required. Because this setting is used to generate the name of the file that is streamed, enter a meaningful filename, CNNStream for example.

Figure 3-5 Example Stream Configuration for Flash 8 Streaming

3. Add the Webcast Profile to a Job Profile under the Distribution: Webcast setting.

4. Submit the Job Profile as a live job on the Submission > Live page.

5. On the Flash streaming server, add the server publishing point.

6. On a client PC, open a Flash player that can support RTMP, and enter the URL, as follows: rtmp://StreamingServerIPaddress/live/FileName.

Live WMV Stream from Cisco TelePresence Content Server to Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments

You can configure the Cisco TelePresence Content Server (Content Server) to record and stream WMV to a Cisco MXE 3500, which will transcode to H.264 and multicast to Cisco DMPs.

This section provides instructions to configure the Content Server for recording and automatically unicasting or multicasting a WMV stream for Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.2 to transcode to H.264 for digital signage solution.

• Prerequisites
• Content Server Configuration for a WMV Unicast Stream
• Content Server Configuration for a WMV Multicast Stream

Note The figures in this document are provided as examples only. See the Content Server documentation on Cisco.com for configuration details, such as valid characters and parameters.

Prerequisites

• Cisco MXE 3500 software requirements

– Release 3.2

• Cisco TCS software requirements:

– TCS Release 5.0 or later

Content Server Configuration for a WMV Unicast Stream

• Configuring the Publishing Point for a WMV Unicast Stream
• Configuring the Media Server for a WMV Unicast Stream
• Configuring the Recording Alias and Template for a WMV Unicast Stream
• Testing the Configuration for a WMV Unicast Stream

Configuring the Publishing Point for a WMV Unicast Stream

Before You Begin

Make sure that you have administrator login credentials for the Content Server.

Step 1 Open a Remote Desktop session and log in to the Content Server.

Step 2 Click Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools >Windows Media Services.

Step 3 From Windows Media Services window, navigate to Publishing Points > TCSUnicastTemplate.

Step 4 Right-click TCSunicastTemplate, select Duplicate.

Step 5 Enter mxe-unicast as the new Publishing Point Name. You have now created a new static publishing point called mxe-unicast.

Step 6 Go to the “Configuring the Media Server for a WMV Unicast Stream” section.

Configuring the Media Server for a WMV Unicast Stream

Step 1 Open up a browser session and log in as administrator to the Content Server.

Step 2 Click the Management tab.

Step 3 Click Recording Setup > Media Server Configurations.

Step 4 Click + Add Windows Media Streaming Server Configuration.

Step 5 Enter the unique name.

Step 6 In the Server Settings section, click Support Live Unicast Streaming. The Live Unicast Streaming Settings section displays below the Server Settings section.

Figure 6 Media Server Configuration for a Unicast Stream

Step 7 In the Live Unicast Streaming Settings section, enter the following information:

a. For Server Push port, enter 8080.

b. For the Publishing Point, click Use Existing.

c. Enter the new publishing point mxe-unicast.

d. Click Save.

Step 8 Go to the “Configuring the Recording Alias and Template for a WMV Unicast Stream” section.

Configuring the Recording Alias and Template for a WMV Unicast Stream

Step 1 Click on Management tab.

Step 2 Click Recording Setup > Recording Aliases.

Step 3 Click + Add Recording Alias.

Figure 7 Add/Edit Recording Alias

Step 4 On the Add recording alias page, enter the following information:

a. In the Recording alias section, enter a Name for the recording alias, such as TCS-3500 Live WMV, and choose Personal for the Recording alias type. Make sure that the System Administrator owns this recording alias.

b. In the dialing properties section, enter the H323ID, e164alias, SIP URI, and SIP display name.

c. Click Save.

Step 5 In the Recordings Settings section, click Add at the end of the Template line. The add template window appears.

Figure 8 Add/Edit Template: Name and Outputs to View Configuration

Figure 9 Add/Edit Template: On Demand and Live Stream Configuration

Step 6 On the Add a template page, enter the following information:

a. In the Template section, enter a template name, such as TCS-3500 Live Template, and check Viewable in the Content Server web interface.

b. In the Outputs to view in the Content Server web interface section, choose Switching, Windows Media as the On-demand Format, and Large as the Size.

c. In the On demand media server configuration settings section, select Local Windows Media Streaming Server in the Windows Media drop down list.

d. In the Live Stream section, click the Live Stream box to enable Live streaming and then select Windows Media as the Format and Large as the Size.

e. In the Live media server configuration settings section, select mxe-unicast as the media server configuration. This is the media server that you created in the “Configuring the Media Server for a WMV Unicast Stream” section.

f. Click Save and then click Return. The Recording Alias page displays the TCS-3500 WMV Live recording alias that was being configured before creating a template.

Step 7 Make sure the newly added template is selected in the Template drop down list.

Step 8 Check Show countdown before recording option.

Step 9 In the Default recording information, enter a name and a description.

Step 10 In the Default recording permissions section, check Automatically publish finished recordings and Allow access to all users, including guests.

Step 11 Scroll to the top or bottom and click Save and then click Return.

Step 12 Go to “Testing the Configuration for a WMV Unicast Stream” section.

Testing the Configuration for a WMV Unicast Stream

Step 1 Create a recording.

a. Open up a browser session and log in as administrator to the Content Server

b. Click on Management tab.

c. Click on Recording Setup > Create Recording.

Figure 10 Create Recording

d. In Create Recording section, select the recording alias that you created for unicast.

e. Enter a dial number. This can be a conference bridge or a endpoint linking to a video source player.

f. Click +Advanced Call Settings and choose the appropriate values for bandwidth and call type.

g. Click Place call button.

Step 2 Make sure that the publishing point has started automatically.

a. Open a Remote Desktop session and log in to the Content Server.

b. Launch Windows Media Services window, and verify that the unicast publishing point has started.

Figure 11 Publishing Point is Started

Step 3 Make sure that you can view the stream from an external device.

a. From your local PC, launch Windows Media Player.

b. Press Ctrl-U to open Open URL dialog.

c. Enter the Content Server unicast publishing point URL as follows: mms:// tcs-ip-or-hostname /< publishingpoint-name >, such as mms:// tcs-ip-or-hostame /mxe-unicast

Step 4 Verify the video quality.

a. Press Alt to bring up the menu bar for Windows Media Player, select View/Statistics.

b. Click the Advanced tab and then make sure that there is no packet loss and the video quality is good.

Figure 12 Media Player Statistics

Content Server Configuration for a WMV Multicast Stream

• Configuring the Publishing Point for a Multicast Stream
• Configuring the Media Server for a Multicast Stream
• Configuring the Recording Alias and Template for a Multicast Stream
• Testing the Configuration for a Multicast Stream

Configuring the Publishing Point for a Multicast Stream

Before You Begin

Make sure that you have administrator login credentials for the Content Server.

Step 1 Open a Remote Desktop session and log in to the Content Server.

Step 2 Click Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools >Windows Media Services.

Step 3 From Windows Media Services window, navigate to Publishing Points > TCSmulticastTemplate.

Step 4 Right-click TCSmulticastTemplate, select Duplicate.

Figure 13 Duplicate TCSmulticast Template

Step 5 Enter mxe-multicast as the new Publishing Point Name. You have now created a new static publishing point called mxe-multicast.

Step 6 Select the newly added multicast publishing point and then select the Properties tab.

Figure 14 Enable Buffering for a Multicast Publishing Point

Step 7 From the Category pane, select Networking

Step 8 From Property pane, select Enable buffering and then double-click Enable buffering to bring up the Enable Buffering Properties dialog box.

Step 9 Choose Buffer content (reduces startup latency for clients).

Step 10 Click OK.

Step 11 Go to the “Configuring the Media Server for a Multicast Stream” section.

Configuring the Media Server for a Multicast Stream

Step 1 Open up a browser session and log in as administrator to the Content Server.

Step 2 Click the Management tab.

Step 3 Click Recording Setup > Media Server Configurations.

Step 4 Click + Add Windows Media Streaming Server Configuration.

Figure 15 Media Server Configuration for a Multicast Stream

Step 5 Enter the name mxe-multicast.

Step 6 In the Server Settings section, click Support Live Multicast Streaming. The Live Multicast Streaming Settings section displays below the Server Settings section.

Step 7 In the Live Multicast Streaming Settings section, enter the following information:

a. For Server Push port, enter 8080.

b. For the Publishing Point, click Use Existing.

c. Enter the new publishing point mxe-multicast.

d. Click Save.

Step 8 Go to “Configuring the Recording Alias and Template for a Multicast Stream” section.

Configuring the Recording Alias and Template for a Multicast Stream

Step 1 Click on Management tab.

Step 2 Click Recording Setup > Recording Aliases.

Step 3 Click + Add Recording Alias.

Figure 16 Add/Edit Recording Alias

Step 4 On the Add recording alias page, enter the following information:

a. In the Recording alias section, enter a Name for the recording alias, such as TCS-3500 Live WMV, and choose Personal for the Recording alias type. Make sure that the System Administrator owns this recording alias.

b. In the dialing properties section, enter the H323ID, E.164alias, SIP URI, and SIP display name.

c. Click Save.

Step 5 In the Recordings Settings section, click Add at the end of the Template line. The add template window appears.

Figure 17 Add/Edit Template: Name and Outputs to View Configuration

Figure 18 Add/Edit Template: On Demand and Live Stream Configuration

Step 6 On the Add a template page, enter the following information:

a. In the Template section, enter a template name, such as TCS-3500 Live Template, and check Viewable in the Content Server web interface.

b. In the Outputs to view in the Content Server web interface section, choose Switching, Windows Media as the On-demand Format, and Large as the Size.

c. In the On demand media server configuration settings section, select Local Windows Media Streaming Server in the Windows Media drop down list.

d. In the Live Stream section, click the Live Stream box to enable Live streaming and then select Windows Media as the Format and Large as the Size.

e. In the Live media server configuration settings section, select mxe-multicast as the media server configuration. This is the media server that you created in the “Configuring the Media Server for a Multicast Stream” section.

f. Click Save and then click Return. The Recording Alias page displays the TCS-3500 WMV Live recording alias that was being configured before creating a template.

Step 7 Make sure the newly added template is selected in the Template drop down list.

Step 8 Check Show countdown before recording option.

Step 9 In the Default recording information, enter a name and a description.

Step 10 In the Default recording permissions section, check Automatically publish finished recordings and Allow access to all users, including guests.

Step 11 Scroll to the top or bottom and click Save and then click Return.

Step 12 Go to “Testing the Configuration for a Multicast Stream” section.

Testing the Configuration for a Multicast Stream

Step 1 Create a recording.

a. Open up a browser session and log in as administrator to the Content Server.

b. Click the Management tab.

c. Click Recording Setup > Create Recording.

Figure 19 Create Recording

d. In Create Recording section, select the recording alias that you created for multicast.

e. Enter a dial number. This can be a conference bridge or a endpoint linking to a video source player.

f. Click +Advanced Call Settings and choose the appropriate values for bandwidth and call type.

g. Click Place call button.

Step 2 Make sure that the publishing point has started automatically.

a. Open a Remote Desktop session and log in to the Content Server.

b. Launch Windows Media Services window, and verify that the multicast publishing point has started.

Figure 20 Publishing Point is Started

Step 3 Make sure that you can view the stream from an external device.

a. Make sure that your network is multicast enabled and then from a PC on the multicast enabled network, launch Windows media player.

b. Press Ctrl-U to open Open URL dialog.

c. Enter the Content Server multicast publishing point URL as follows: http:// tcs-IP-or-hostname /tcs/data/_ tcs-multicast-publishing-point-name.nsc

Figure 21 Multicast Publishing Point URL

Step 4 Verify the video quality.

a. Press Alt to bring up the menu bar for Windows Media Player, select View/Statistics.

b. Click the Advanced tab and then make sure that there is no packet loss and the video quality.

Figure 22 Media Player Statistics

Live WMV Stream to Cisco Digital Signs Deployments

Cisco MXE 3500 expands the Cisco Digital Media Suite solution and adds additional digital signage capabilities. The MXE 3500 ingests live video streams from virtually any video device or endpoint and delivers direct to digital signs, transforming a static digital sign into a portal for live event coverage, employee training sessions, inter-organization communications, public safety alerts and more.

This section describes how to configure Cisco MXE 3500 for live WMV ingest and use the Content Server to send the live MPEG-2 TS to a Cisco Digital Signs (Digital Media Player).

Note For information about Cisco Digital Signs configuration, see the Guide to Documentation for Cisco Digital Media Suite at
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6681/products_documentation_roadmaps_list.html

• Configuring an IP Capture Source on Cisco MXE 3500
• Creating a Job Profile on Cisco MXE 3500
• Starting the Multicast Stream on the Content Server
• Submitting the Live Job on Cisco MXE 3500
• Verifying the Live Job

Configuring an IP Capture Source on Cisco MXE 3500

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click IP Capture.

Step 2 Click New.

Figure 23 Create IP Capture Source Pop-up

Step 3 Enter the following information:

• Name—Enter a unique name.
• Protocol—Choose HTTP.
• Address—Enter the URL for the unicast stream or the path for the.nsc file for the multicast stream.
• Port—Enter the multicast port.

Step 4 Click Create.

Creating a Job Profile on Cisco MXE 3500

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Profile Management, and click New Profile. The New Profile pop-up displays.

Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job, and click the New Profile button. The New Job Profile page displays.

Step 3 Expand the Preprocessing section, and from the drop-down, select a Preprocessor Profile. Preprocessor profile settings remain the same as file-to-file transcoding.

Step 4 Expand the Encoding section, and choose an H.264 profile. Define the following parameters as necessary:

• FPS
• Bitrate
• Dimensions

Tip If you set Width to 0 and Height to 0, the Smart Ingest feature is enabled, and the dimensions are obtained from the input stream automatically.

Step 5 Expand the Distribution section, and select the IP Stream. Define the following parameters:

• H.264 encoder profile (.awp)
• Multicast IP address and port

Note You will specify the same IP address and port for the DMP so that the DMP can ingest the multicast stream from this IP address and then export the stream to digital signage.

Step 6 Click Save.

Starting the Multicast Stream on the Content Server

Procedure

Step 1 Create a recording.

a. Open up a browser session and log in as administrator to the Content Server.

b. Click the Management tab.

c. Click Recording Setup > Create Recording.

d. In Create Recording section, select a recording alias.

e. Enter a dial number for a conference bridge.

f. Click +Advanced Call Settings and choose the appropriate values for bandwidth and call type.

g. Click Place call button.

Step 2 To start the live stream, dial in to the same conference bridge by using a video enabled endpoint.

Step 3 Make sure that the publishing point has started automatically.

a. Open a Remote Desktop session and log in to the Content Server.

b. Launch Windows Media Services window, and verify that the publishing point has started.

Figure 24 Publishing Point is Started

Submitting the Live Job on Cisco MXE 3500

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Submission > Live.

Choose a job profile for the live job.

Enter the following information and then submit the job:

• Base name—Enter a meaningful name.
• Video Format—Choose IP capture.
• IP Capture Source—Choose the unicast or multicast stream.
• Start trigger—Choose now.
• Stop trigger—Choose IP.

Step 2 Click Submit.

Verifying the Live Job

Once a Live Job has been submitted, it will appear in the Job Status window. When the capture station selected for the job becomes available, the job is displayed in green, indicating that the capture station is reserved and the job can be started.

Tip To verify a WMV Live Job, open the Windows Media Player on a client PC, and enter a URL that corresponds to the publishing point, such as mms: //streaming server/publishing_point.

Figure 25 Job Status Monitor Upper Pane

Overview of the Speech-to-Text and Graphic Overlay Features

The Cisco MXE 3500 speech-to-text feature supports the following functionality:

• Speech-to-text conversion—Cisco MXE 3500 can extract an audio track from a video and convert it to text by using a speech-to-text transcription engine from Nuance, which is included with the Cisco MXE 3500.
• Speech-to-text graphic overlay function (graphics and captioning)—As part of a separate job, the Cisco MXE 3500 can overlay the text that is produced as part of the speech-to-text conversion on the input video and produce a single video output that includes the text as subtitles.

Figure 3-26 illustrates the process that the Cisco MXE 3500 uses for speech-to-text conversion and the overlay function.

Figure 3-26 Process for the Speech-to-Text Conversion and Graphic Overlay Function

Note The speech-to-text conversion and the graphic overlay function require separate job profiles.

Required Components for the Speech-to-Text and Graphic Overlay Features

The following components are required for the speech-to-text and graphics overlay features:

• Speech-to-Text feature license
• Graphics Overlay feature license
• Input video—You can use any video with audio that Cisco MXE 3500 supports.
• Job Profile for the speech-to-text conversion function
• Job Profile for the graphics overlay function

Configuration Workflow for Speech-to-Text Conversion

The following workflow describes how to set up a job to get the STT text output and the XML file to use as a graphic overlay.

Preprocessor and encoder profile settings remain the same as file-to-file transcoding.

1. Create a new STT Encoder Profile. Encoder Profiles to set parameters that identify how uncompressed preprocessor output will be compressed for distribution.

a. Create a new Profile.

b. Choose Profile Class: Encoder and Speech To Text.

2. Configure the following settings for the STT Encoder Profile:

• Choose the output file format. Cisco MXE 3500 can generate up to three files during the conversion:

– Audio Output —Produces a.WAV audio file with audio converted to WAVE format.

– Text Output —Produces a text only output of converted speech (audio).

– Overlay Output —Produces a time-coded, XML file with text, using the font and formatting information specified in the Graphics Template file. The XML file is a metadata file that the speech-to-text graphics overlay function uses.

• Nuance Speaker Profile : Choose the STT speaker profile. The STT Engine uses this profile to improve the accuracy of the transcribed data.
• STT Topic Vocabulary : Choose the STT vocabulary. The STT Engine uses this vocabulary to improve the accuracy of the transcribed data.
• Graphics Template : Choose Graphics Template. The Cisco MXE 3500 uses this template to format of the XML file that will be generated for later use by the speech-to-text graphic overlay function. You define parameters such as font style, font size, and formatting in this file. Cisco MXE 3500 ships with the following three sample template files that you can modify, as needed. These files are in the C:\Program Files\Cisco\Media Experience Engine\Sample\SpeechToText folder.

– DemoTemplate.xml

– IntroductionTemplate.xml

– SubTitleTemplate.xml

Figure 3-27 Speech-to-Text Encoder Settings

Configuration Workflow for the Graphic Overlay Feature

The following workflow describes how to set up a job to use a XML STT output file from a video as a graphic overlay on that video.

Preprocessor and encoder profile settings are the same as file-to-file transcoding. The encoder profile can be any video encoder profile that Cisco MXE 3500 supports.

1. Configure the settings for the Preprocessor Profile as a job submission parameter or File Job settings in the Submission > File page.

For the Preprocessor Profile, configure the following settings:

• Enabled : Check the Enable checkbox in the Graphics Overlay Content area.
• Template File : Specify the content Flash SWF template that contains the graphic elements to be used for overlaying the text as subtitles on the video. A sample SWF file ships with Cisco MXE 3500.
• Metadata File/URL : Specify the time-coded XML file that the speech-to-text conversion function generated.

For a File Job, configure the following settings:

• Content XML Script : Specify the time-coded XML file that the speech-to-text conversion function generated.
• Content SWF Template : Specify the content Flash SWF template that contains the graphic elements to be used for overlaying the text as subtitles on the video. Cisco MXE 3500 ships with three sample template files for customer to use and modify as required. The following sample files are in the C:\Program Files\Cisco\Media Experience Engine\Sample\SpeechToText folder:

– corporate-r09_1080.swf

– corporate-r09-bigwatermark.swf

– corporate-r09-iphone.swf

Guidelines for Improving the Accuracy of Speech to Text

This section includes the following topics:

• Speech Input Style
• Multiple Speakers in a Video
• Methods for Acquiring Audio

Speech Input Style

For a higher degrees of accuracy for speech-to-text output, we recommend that a speaker uses the following guidelines:

• Speaks in a consistent tone.
• Uses a consistent rate (no drastic changes in the pace).
• Speaks without intentionally pausing after each word. A flow that is closest to natural speech is preferred by the system.
• Records the speech in a quiet environment.
• Pronounces each word clearly, but does not try to separate each syllable within the word.

Multiple Speakers in a Video

The speech-to-text system does not perform well for recordings in which there are multiple speakers in the video. Multiple speakers adversely affects accuracy because each speaker has his or her own associated speaking style, accent, and so on, and switching between multiple speakers throws off the system’s ability to adapt any one speaker.

Methods for Acquiring Audio

A speaker has the ability to dramatically improve speech-to-text accuracy by using appropriate equipment to generate the audio track on the video. We recommend the following methods:

• Video originating in the studio: Generally, the audio on video tracks recorded in the studio is of optimal quality and does not need enhancement. However, accuracy will be impacted when background sounds are induced into the video, such as music or multiple speakers.
• Training videos, corporate communications content, or lectures recorded on a camcorder: We recommended that the audio input is via a direct microphone /lapel microphone connection (LINE IN) to the camcorder/recording device. It is imperative that the video recording is carried out with quiet surroundings (low ambient noise).
• Desktop video creation and video blogging: When recording media for desktop video, use a noise-cancelling headset.

Configuring Access to the Video Conversion Interface

Configure access to the Video Conversion Interface by configuring user accounts in the General Settings section of the SUI Admin page or by configuring LDAP Settings.

• Configuring User Accounts
• Configuring LDAP Settings

Configuring User Accounts

To configure user account settings, go to the SUI Administration page (Toolbox > Administration > SUI Admin) in the Web UI. Table 3-1 describes the settings.

After configuring the General Settings, provide the URL to the Video Conversion Interface (http:// mxe_IP_address /sui/, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500) and new user access code, to each user. Users can create an account by accessing the Video Conversion Interface and clicking the Create an account button.

Video Conversion Interface user accounts are created with a special noaccess role that disables access to the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI. The user accounts are then added to the user database. You can edit or delete all user accounts on the User Administration page (Toolbox > Administration > User) in the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI.

Note Video Conversion Interface user accounts cannot be created from the User Administration page (Toolbox > Administration > User) in the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI.

Configuring LDAP Settings

If LDAP is enabled, Video Conversion Interface user authentication is done with LDAP. Use the LDAP Settings page (Toolbox > Administration > LDAP Settings) to configure LDAP settings.

For information on LDAP settings and how to configure LDAP see LDAP Settings.

Configuring a Watermark, Bumper, Trailer, and Graphic Overlay

Each Video Conversion Interface job profile uses a special sui Preprocessor Profile that specifies the default bumper, trailer, watermark, and graphic overlay that users can enable or disable in the Video Conversion Interface.

This section contains the following information:

• Watermark, Bumper, Trailer, and Graphic Overlay Files
• Configuring Watermarking in a New Preprocessor Profile for the Video Conversion Interface

Note The bumper and trailer files, watermark, and graphics overlay in the default sui preprocessor profile reference the LOCALHOST. In a clustered deployment, you must be update the links to reflect the mxe_IP_address or hostname of the standalone or RM appliance.

Watermark, Bumper, Trailer, and Graphic Overlay Files

The following default media asset files are located in c:\media\assets directory:

• watermark.psd - watermark
• bumper.mov – bumper video
• trailer.mov – trailer video
• overlay.swf – content graphics overlay Flash template
• overlay.xml – content graphics overlay XML

You can upload customized versions of these files to the media assets directory in the SUI Administration page (Toolbox > Administration > SUI Admin) in the Web UI.

Note We recommend that you do not rename the media asset files.

The bumper, trailer, and watermark files can be any format that Cisco MXE 3500 supports. If the new media asset files have a different file name, such as mybumper.wmv, you must ensure that the new file names are reflected in the sui preprocessor profile.

You can also edit the default or create a custom graphic overlay file from the original (overlay.swf). This file is designed to use the following variable names that are specified in the Video Conversion Interface: speaker-name and speaker-subject.

Figure 3-28 Default Bumper and Trailer Settings in the sui Preprocessor Profile

Figure 3-29 Default Watermarking Settings in the sui Preprocessor Profile

Figure 3-30 Default Graphics Overlay Settings in the sui Preprocessor Profile

Configuring Watermarking in a New Preprocessor Profile for the Video Conversion Interface

When configuring watermarking for a Preprocessor Profile, you must specify the watermark size and placement (X Distance and Y Distance) in terms of source pixels, requiring a separate Preprocessor Profile for every watermark size and source dimension. The Smart Ingest feature for the Video Conversion Interface provides an automatic watermarking functionality that enables users to apply a watermark without having to know its source footage dimensions. This feature also allows the use of the same preprocessor profile for different watermarks and sources.

All the profiles that ship with the Video Conversion Interface are configured to use Smart Ingest. If you configure a new Preprocessor Profile for the Video Conversion Interface, use the settings in Table 3-2 . For more information about configuring or editing Preprocessor Profiles, see Chapter6, “Preprocessor Profiles”

See also Bumpers and Trailers (Preprocessor), Watermarking (Preprocessor), and Graphics Overlay (Preprocessor).

Configuring Show and Share Integration

You can configure and enable/disable the Cisco Show and Share integration for the Video Conversion Interface on the SUI Administration page (Toolbox > Administration > SUI Admin) in the Web UI. Table 3-1 describes the settings.

Note When the transcoding job finishes, Video Conversion Interface users can upload the file to Cisco Show and Share. This upload requires that Video Conversion Interface users also have Cisco Show and Share user accounts.

Note Cisco MXE 3500 ships with encoder profiles that are configured for the Cisco Show and Share integration. These profiles must have the User Data field set to SNS.

Example 3-1 Encoder Profile for Cisco Show and Share Integration

Configuring Video Output Formats

The sui profile space contains the set of job profiles that specify the output formats available to the users of the Video Conversion Interface. To access the sui profile space, click Tools > Select Profile Space. The Select Profile Space pop up appears. Uncheck Use System Default, then choose the sui from the drop down list.

You can add, remove, or edit the Job Profiles in the sui profile space to specify the output formats that display to users in the Video Conversion Interface.

Note Before you modify the default Job Profiles in the sui profile space, we recommend that you back up the profiles.

Each SUI job profile uses a special sui preprocessor profile that is configured to support variable aspect ratios and percentage-based watermarks and to define a default bumper, trailer, watermark, and graphic overlay that users can enable or disable in the Video Conversion Interface. See the “Configuring a Wowza or Windows Media Streaming Server” section for more information.

Follow these steps to renam a job profile that displayd in the Video Conversion Interface

Step 1 Log in to the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI.

Step 2 Click Tools > Select Profile Space and then choose the sui profile space.

Step 3 Click Search in the Profile Browser to display all Job Profiles for the sui profile space.

Step 4 Select the Job Profile that you want to rename by double clicking it. The Edit Job Profile pane for the selected profile displays.

Step 5 Click Save As, and enter the name to display in the Video Conversion Interface.

Figure 3-31 Edit Job Profile Pane

Step 6 Click Save. A Job Profile with that name will appear in the Profile Browser when refreshed and will also show in the Video Conversion Interface output type list.

Step 7 Delete the original profile from the Profile Browser by double-clicking it again and then clicking Delete in the Edit Job Profile pane.

Tip Alternatively, you can RDC to mxe_IP_address, navigate to the SUI profile directory (C:\mxe\profile\spaces\sui), and right-click to rename profiles as desired. To remove profiles from the SUI profile directly, copy them to a different folder and then delete the profiles from the SUI profile directory.

Configuring a Wowza or Windows Media Streaming Server

Output video that is produced by using the SUI can be delivered to a supported streaming server. When SUI users select one of the profiles that you create by using this procedure, the SUI will provide watch links for viewing the streamed video output. Users can access the Watch link in the Watch column on the SUI Job Status page.

Note Users can use the Watch link to view a video on a Mac or PC with an appropriate viewer or on an iPhone or iPad if in a supported video format. The Download link that displays in the Your Results page, only downloads the video to the user’s computer hard drive for viewing. Users wanting to view a downloaded video on an iPhone or iPad need to download and then transfer the video to the device.

Procedure

Step 1 Log in to the Web UI.

Step 2 Click Tools > Select Profile Space and then choose the sui profile space.

Step 3 Choose the job profiles that will have video output delivered to the streaming server and determine the encoder output type, such as H.264 or Windows Media, for each job profile. Obtain this information by double-clicking the name of the Job Profile in the Profile Browser and looking at the Type column for the encoder profile.

Step 4 Create a new delivery profile to deliver the encoder output to the streaming server.

a. In the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile.

b. Choose Profile Class: Distribution and then Delivery

c. Click New Profile.

d. In the Delivery Formats area, check the checkbox next to the encoder output type, such as H.264 or Windows Media, for each of the job profiles that you chose in Step 2.

e. In the Delivery Method area, specify the FTP/SFTP parameters for the streaming server’s FTP server.

f. Enter the streaming URL template. For example, enter the following URL for a Wowza server: http://10.194.193.135:1935/vod/mp4:{filename}/playlist.m3u8
where the {filename} macro will be substituted with the actual video filename when the job is submitted.

Step 5 For each chosen job profile, add the delivery profile that you created in Step 4.

a. Open the chosen job profile to edit it.

b. Add the delivery profile to the job profile.

c. Save the edited job profile.

Step 6 Ensure that the streaming server is enabled for the SUI.

a. Click Toolbox > Administration > SUI Admin.

b. In the Stream Server section, check the Enabled checkbox.

Configuring E-Mail Notifications

You can configure an e-mail server so that Cisco MXE 3500 can send e-mails to Video Conversion Interface users that include the status of a job transcode or a temporary password if a password is forgotten.

Click Administration > SUI Admin and then enter the following information in the General Settings area:

• Admin User ID—Enter the name that you want displayed as the e-mail sender, such as no-reply.
• Email server—Enter the hostname for the e-mail server.

Restoring the Default Video Conversion Interface Profiles

Follow this procedure to restore the default Video Conversion Interface profiles.

Procedure

Step 1 Go to the Cisco.com software download center at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/cisco/web/download/index.html.

Step 2 Choose Video, Cable and Content Delivery > Media Transformation > Cisco MXE 3500 (Media Experience Engine) > Media Experience Engine Utilities and download the Video Conversion Interface profiles file to a location where the Cisco MXE 3500 can access the file.

Step 3 RDC to the Cisco MXE 3500 and save the Video Conversion Interface profiles file to c:\temp.

Step 4 Right-click the.zip file and choose Extract.

Step 5 Follow the on-screen prompts to uncompress the system profile file to the following Cisco MXE 3500 folder: c:\mxe\profiles\spaces\sui.