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1. information Convention Description Example Bold Text Characters to enter when Enter DTMF as the group referenced in a procedure type Press Enter to save all The name of fields or keys to your changes press Note Provides supplemental Note The prompt may not information display if IMPORTANT Provides important data IMPORTANT You must install that does affect how the Niagara SCX prior to configuring system or software SCX options responds CAUTION Provides information to help CAUTION Use case sensitive avoid possible damage to commands to keep from hardware or a system crash destroying without data loss WARNING Provides information to WARNING Do not touch ensure that you avoid exposed wires potential injury death or permanent system damage ViewCast 1 Niagara SCX User Guide Welcome to Niagara SCX The exclusive ViewCast Niagara SCX streaming media management software supports Adobe Flash dynamic and Apple HTTP live iPhone and iPad mobile digital devices Adobe Flash H 264 MPEG 4 H 264 H 263 and Windows Media Silverlight as well as 3GPP 3GPP2 MP4 container support It provides an optimal method for managing live video broadcasting over the Internet and to mobile devices It allows you to set up monitor and control remote or distributed Niagara SCX streaming encoder systems positioned throughout your enterprise or anywhere in the world all from your deskt
2. Windows Media Streaming Internet video and mobile devices Windows Media VC 1 High quality Internet video and video to set top players Adaptive Streaming Internet video and mobile devices MPEG 4 Handheld devices and mobile phones Adobe Flash Live For VOD playback to selected media players that support Flash encoding format including the popular QuickTime and VLC players Microsoft AVI Uncompressed video for later post processing To determine the data rate you will stream your content you will need to determine the IP bandwidth to which your audience has access For example if the access method uses an ISDN connection or less then you would stream your video and or audio at a low data rate such as QCIF at 56kbps If the access is much greater like a cable modem or DSL connection then you can provide a higher quality stream at full resolution at 2 Mbps All Niagara encoders provide preconfigured encoding profiles for different bandwidth connections The profiles loaded will depend upon how you configure your Niagara encoder on its initial startup ViewCast 133 Niagara SCX User Guide Appendix B Terms and Acronyms The following terms apply to related information contained in this publication Object Model Term Acronym Definition Audio Video Interleaved AVI e Format for digital video and audio under Windows e The AVI file format is cross platform compatible and it all
3. Input Select the input connectors available for the capture device from the drop down list Signal Select the video standards the capture device supports from the drop down list Proportions Use these fields to adjust capture properties such as proportion video size Size W H and width height Brightness Drag the slider to adjust additional capture properties When making such Contrast adjustments verify your adjustments apply to the selected input Otherwise Saturation your adjustments apply to all the input sources listed Hue Note The capture properties remain available regardless of whether the encoder starts or remains idle Gamma Adjust the gamma of the incoming video See Gamma Correction for more Correction information Tuning Click Tuning Utilities to access tuning utilities for a selected card Refer to Utilities Tuning Utilities for additional diagnostics information Restore Click Restore Defaults to restore the system to the factory defaults Defaults 22 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Audio Settings tab You no longer use the Audio Settings tab Figure 22 to set the input source Use the web interface for your Niagara system to set the input source for the selected audio devices Figure 22 Audio Settings tab Profile Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Audio Settings
4. Internet Gi t mad MSN Widows Macks Ply Wenders Messenger ViewCast Magara Delores Tour Windows 5 Werdoers Meds Eno Al Programs 40 610000104 a 000 so Set Program Access and Dels Windows Catalog Windows Update Accessories Ganes Het Internet Explorer NSN Outlook Express Remote Assistance Windows Meda Player Vendor Messenger Windows Movie Maher ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide 5 Click Cancel when the New Session Wizard Figure 37 displays Figure 37 New Session Wizards Quick Stats B 2 s ne Custom Res Capture audio Convert a file Fanaa e peak Scar alla ret or video devices ce computer screen yy Capture screen I Show this dialog box at startup Caca 6 Click Properties under the top menu bar Figure 38 Properties option Windows Media Encoder File View Control Tools Help New Session gt ba 4 Properties Session properties 2 Zoom 100 Display Input v Preview 7 Click the Security tab Figure 39 Figure 39 Security tab Sources Output Compression Video Size Attributes Processing Plugins Securty Advance You can protect your content using digital rights management DRM and you can embed a watermark into your content IT Use DRM to protect content from unauthorized use DAM profile Edit Desenptior Delete Import 8 Click Import and browse to the location o
5. Encoder State Stopped Status 14 10 05 Started 14 11 44 Stopped 14 12 47 Started 14 14 38 Stopped 14 14 48 Started Dp 14 11 52 Attempt to get an input pin on the WM ASF Writer MsglD 6318 14 12 02 Attempt to get an input pin on the WM ASF Writer MsglD 6318 The Operations tab has the following controls Start Click this button to begin encoding Stop Click this button to end the session Reset Click this button to stop the restart an encoding session Encoder State Indicates the status of the encoder started stopped Status A progress report and error messages appear in the Status section of this window ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Windows Media streaming options tabs The Windows Media streaming options tabs include Statistics View and Niagara SCX Encoder Manager on tabs Statistics tab Use the Statistics tab Figure 32 to view the current encoder status Figure 32 Statistics tab Statistics View Niagara SCX Encoder Manager on Encoding Statistics Current Dropped Packets Bytes Current Average Bit Rate es JT Cien CPU Load i 14 The Statistics tab has the following controls Current The Current column displays the cumulative packets and bytes transferred since the encoder started Dropped The Dropped column displays the number of dropped packets bytes
6. ESTEMOS v Signal AUTO v Proportions Standard Brightness AAA Contrast TERA Saturation 1 4 4 f woe Hue TN t he etn Cn alt Gamma Correction Vv t Tuning Utilities The Video Settings tab has the following controls Input Select the input connectors available for capture device from the drop down list Signal Select the video standards the capture device supports from the drop down list Proportions Select the capture properties from the drop down list Brightness Drag the sliders to adjust the capture properties individually These capture Contrast properties remain available regardless of whether the encoder starts or Saturation remains idle Hue Note When making adjustments verify adjustments apply to chosen input Otherwise your adjustments apply to all the input sources listed Gamma Adjust the gamma of the incoming video See Gamma Correction for more Correction information Tuning Click Tuning Utilities to access tuning utilities for a selected card Refer to Utilities Tuning Utilities for additional diagnostics information Restore Click Restore Defaults to restore the system to the factory defaults Defaults ViewCast 45 Adaptive Streaming Options and Settings Audio Settings tab You no longer use the Audio Settings tab Figure 44 to set the input source Use the web interface for your Niagara system to set the input source for the select
7. Top y The Closed Caption tab has the following controls Overlayed on Select this field to overlay the closed caption text on the video stream Video Position Select the position of the closed caption text from the drop down list ViewCast 109 MPEG 4 Options and Settings Operations tab Figure 97 Operations tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Encode Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Start Reset Encoder State Stopped Status The Operations tab has the following controls Start Click this button to begin encoding Stop Click this button to end the session Reset Click this button to stop the restart an encoding session Encoder State Indicates the status of the encoder started stopped Status A progress report and error messages appear in the Status section of this window 110 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide MPEG 4 Streaming Options tabs The MPEG 4 streaming options tabs include Statistics and View Statistics tab Use the Statistics tab Figure 98 to view the current CPU load Figure 98 Statistics tab Statistics View Capture Statistics Total frames Duration File size Video Frames captured Bytes captured Frame size Audio Frames captured Bytes captured Frame size Audio Lyk The Statist
8. Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Filters Input Sources Y Video Osprey 5X0 Video Device 1 1 y Y Audio Unbalanced 1 Osprep 5X0 y To set the input source 1 Click Live 2 Click the video capture device from the drop down list in the Video field Note The system lists all known video and audio devices in drop down menus 3 Click the audio device from the drop down list in the Audio field for live encoding 56 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Video Settings tab You can control the capture properties for the selected video device on the Video Settings tab Figure 54 Figure 54 Video Settings tab Video Cropping Video Settings Auto Name Input Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Video Settings Audio Settings Output Filters rout EE Signal NTSC_LM v Proportions CCIR601 Format 1420 y Size CUSTOM wH 176 144 Brightness ft Contrast y i Saturation Hue Gamma Correction Enable Gamma a y Tuning Utilities The Video Settings tab has the following controls Input Select the input connectors for the capture device from the drop down list Signal Select the video standard the capture device supports from the drop down list Proportions
9. 16 Smooth The Smooth Motion option results in more loss of detail in motion areas but Motion edges are smoother This algorithm uses a bit more CPU Sharp Motion The Sharp Motion option makes detail in motion areas sharper but at the expense of somewhat jagged diagonal edges 82 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Video Cropping tab Use the Video Cropping tab Figure 74 to set size and aspect ratio of chosen video output Figure 74 Video Cropping tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Video Cropping IV Enable Cropping Top p Left p width 720 4 PA Height 487 ler Reference Size 720x487 Capture Size 720x480 Display Size 320x240 Granularity 21 Stop Preview The Video Cropping tab has the following controls Enable When you select cropping the system automatically switches the video size to Cropping FULL and the cropping measurements default to the FULL size From the Top Left Width and Height settings you can set a custom cropping size Reference Size These fields refer to the size of the video Capture Size Display Size Granularity Start Preview Click this button to preview the video with your crop settings Stop Preview Click this button to stop the preview ViewCast 83 Flash Options and Settings Watermarking tab Use
10. 31 Windows Media Options and Settings Watermarking tab Use the Watermarking tab Figure 29 to place a watermarked graphic over your video output Figure 29 Watermarking tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Filters Profile Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Video Watermarking M Enable Watermarking File Name El 0 0 Enable Red Color Key Green Blue f0 ll EZ Translucent Enable Top Left Height 0 alluda Width 0 Capture Size 960x540 Display Size 320x240 Stop Preview The Watermark tab has the following controls Enable Select this field to place a watermarked graphic over your video output Watermarking Note You can only watermark a 24 bit bmp The system does not accept any other image formats File Name Click on the browse button at the end of the field to search for a file name of the graphic you want to use Color Key Select this field to adjust the color balance size and opacity of the graphic Translucent Select this field to render the graphic translucent Top Left Height Width Use these controls to adjust the location of the graphic Capture Size Indicates the size of the capture Display Size Indicates the size of the display Start Preview Click this button to preview the watermark on the video Stop Preview 32 Cl
11. 51 View tab Preview Start Preview Start Preview Click this button to preview the video Stop Preview Click this button to end the preview ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide AVI Capture Options and Settings When capturing uncompressed AVI files ensure your system s hard drive speed can keep up with the data you capture If not the capture file drops frames and loses quality ViewCast recommends you perform video captures to a high speed external or network drive Note Due to file size high definition streaming media appliances cannot capture AVI files Auto Name tab Figure 52 Auto Name tab File Edit View Insert Encoder Help osla alx 2 E Niagara SCX Encoder Manager on QATE Video Cropping Wat g Closed Caption l Operations HEA ER Auto Name input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fiters ANI o ig Y pi General Properties I Autom Start Codec Name AVI Located On GATESTS The Auto Name tab has the following controls Automatically Select this field to start the encoder when the Niagara SCX service starts Start Device at Service Startup Codec Name Enter the name of the encoder Located On Displays the name of the machine where the encoder resides ViewCast 55 AVI Capture Options and Settings Input tab Use on the Input tab Figure 53 to set the input source Figure 53 Input tab
12. Capture Size 176x144 Display Size 320x240 Granularity The Video Cropping tab has the following controls Enable When you select cropping the system automatically switches the video size to Cropping FULL and the cropping measurements default to the FULL size From the Top Left Width and Height settings you can set a custom cropping size Reference Size These fields refer to the size of the video Capture Size Display Size Granularity Start Preview Click this button to preview the video with your crop settings Stop Preview Click this button to stop the preview 64 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Watermarking tab Use the Watermarking tab Figure 61 to place a watermarked graphic over your video output Note You can only watermark a 24 bit bmp The system does not accept any other image formats Figure 61 Watermarking tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Video Watermarking V Enable Watermarking File Name C Program Files ViewCast AVStream 0 sprey Bird_light gray bmp Ej Color Key T Enable Red 0 3 Green 0 3 Blue 0 cay Translucent Enable Top js Left f J Height sa 4 width 100 4 Capture Size 176x144 Display Size 320x240 Star Preview Stop Preview The Watermark tab has the following controls Enable Select this fiel
13. Internet for a defined and somewhat closed audience it is often called webcasting These tend to be live events viewers watch the event from start to finish as it is happening When streamed content is delivered as continuous news sports or entertainment to Internet connected viewers it is often called Internet TV Those tend to be channels rather than events viewers can tune in anytime much like a broadcast television channel Another variant IPTV is associated generally with delivering premium movie content to viewers on demand usually to home televisions This type tends to be one to one streams from a stored media library to individual viewers ViewCast 127 Appendix A An Introduction to Streaming Media Main workflow processes Media files can be quite large For example five minutes of uncompressed video requires almost one Gigabyte of space To prepare audio and video for streaming you need to compress the media to make the file size smaller When a viewer requests the file the video server sends a compressed file in a steady stream A streaming media player such as the free Windows Media Player on the viewer s computer or mobile device decompresses the file to play automatically in real time The viewer can jump to any location in the video or audio presentation Streaming media generally tries keep pace with the viewer s connection speed to reduce interruptions and stalling Regardless of the final use of the video thi
14. Key Enable Red 0 Green 0 Blue 0 Translucent Enable Top Left alalu Height 0 Width 0 Capture Size 720x480 Display Size 320x240 Start Preview Stop Preview The Watermark tab has the following controls Enable Select this field to place a watermarked graphic over your video output Watermarking Note You can only watermark a 24 bit bmp The system does not accept any other image formats File Name Click on the browse button at the end of the field to search for a file name of the graphic you want to use Color Key Select this field to adjust the color balance size and opacity of the graphic Translucent Select this field to render the graphic translucent Top Left Height Width Use these controls to adjust the location of the graphic 108 Capture Size Indicates the size of the capture Display Size Indicates the size of the display Start Preview Click this button to preview the watermark on the video Stop Preview Click this button stop the preview ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Closed Caption tab Use the Closed Caption tab Figure 96 to adjust the position of closed caption text if applicable on your video feed Figure 96 Closed Caption tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Encode Settings Video Cropping Watermarking i Closed Caption i Position
15. Monitor Displayed size 320240 Frames per minute 0H SESE Close The nominal video signal level for television studios and production facilities equates to one volt 1 V peak to peak Note The term peak to peak means from the bottom of the signal to the top You often see it abbreviated as p p Signals from different sources might not be compatible with each other without such an amplitude standard This applies to a nominal signal one that contains the brightest possible peak white picture information ViewCast 123 Tuning Utilities 124 Captured size 160x120 Selected scanine 41 Vector Scope Wavetorm Monitor Displayed size 320x240 Frames per minute 60 Close Understanding the display The waveform consists primarily of a brightness signal called luminance and a high frequency color signal called chrominance The luminance and chrominance added together form the overall waveform The luminance signal a series of voltages or levels determines brightness and variations across the picture Each of the colors in the color bars signal has a different luminance level and bars arranged by level from highest to lowest white yellow cyan green magenta red blue and black The chrominance signal is a sine wave Because of this signal s high frequency the sine wave cycles appear to run together in most displays However you can see individual cycles when you expand the display horizontall
16. Motion Adaptive applies motion adaptive interlacing to all video e Inverse Telecine applies inverse telecine deinterlacing to all telecine video o It performs no deinterlacing of non telecine video o It is available for NTSC video only e Auto applies inverse telecine deinterlacing to all telecine video o It applies motion adaptive deinterlacing to all non telecine video o It switches dynamically between the two modes as the content changes o It is available for NTSC video only Telecine NTSC video is created originally on 24 frame per second film It repeats certain fields in a regular recurring sequence in the telecine conversion process It also provides visible interlacing artifacts if you view a telecined sequence on a progressive window Telecine only applies to NTSC video It is not used for PAL and SECAM video If you select PAL or SECAM as the video standard you disable telecine Telecine represents the film to video conversion process Inverse telecine Inverse telecine is the reverse of telecine It drops redundant fields and reassembles video in a 24 fps progressive format It removes 100 of interlacing artifacts When you view video at 24 fps you see the exact timing and sequence on the original film When you view video at 30 fps the system repeats every fifth frame and eliminates de interlacing artifacts Inverse telecine only applies to NTSC video It is not used for PAL and SECAM video If you select PAL or S
17. Password Enter the password Save to File Click Save to file if you want to save the content to a file Note The encoder system references the file name and not the system running SCX Explorer Note In order to save files that are compatible with applications such as Adobe Premier Elements 9 you need to save the files as f4v Enter the full filename in the Save As field for example filename f4v File Name Click on the browse button at the end of the field to search for a file name IMPORTANT When Niagara SCX and SCX Explorer reside on different computers always start your browse for files by clicking Network Then 79 ViewCast Flash Options and Settings 80 work down or enter the entire file pathname beginning with the system name such as Mfileserver c videos If you simply enter a file name you may inadvertently browse your local computer when the media file resides on the remote computer Note Remember the file name applies to the encoder and not the system currently running SCX Explorer Create Unique File Enable this field to create a file that the system does not overwrite ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Filters tab Use the Filters tab Figure 73 to enable SimulStream and deinterlacing This tab is optional See Niagara SCX and SimulStream for information on setting up a SimulStream session and filters Also see Deinterlace for information on telecine inverse telecine and moti
18. Select the video properties from the drop down list Format Size W H Brightness Drag the slider to adjust the capture properties When making adjustments Contrast verify adjustments apply to chosen input Otherwise your adjustments apply Saturation to all the input sources listed Hue Note These capture properties remain available regardless of whether the encoder starts or remains idle Gamma Adjust the gamma of the incoming video See Gamma Correction for more Correction information Tuning Click Tuning Utilities to access tuning utilities for a selected card Refer to Utilities Tuning Utilities for additional diagnostics information Restore Click Restore Defaults to restore the system to the factory defaults Defaults ViewCast 57 AVI Capture Options and Settings Audio Settings tab You no longer use the Audio Settings tab Figure 55 to set the input source Use the web interface for your Niagara system to set the input source for the selected audio devices You can mute the audio and use the audio components on the Audio Settings tab Figure 55 Audio Settings tab Profile Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Audio Settings Input Source r F Use Audio Components The Audio Settings tab has the following controls Input Source This field is not functional Mute Select
19. Startup Codec Name iPhone Located On HS10440005 The Auto Name tab has the following controls Automatically Enable this field to start the encoder when the Niagara SCX service starts Start Device at Service Startup Codec Name Enter the name of the encoder Located On Indicates the name of the machine where the encoder resides ViewCast 43 Adaptive Streaming Options and Settings Input tab Use the Input tab Figure 42 to set the input sources to use for Live or File conversion File Transcode Figure 42 Input tab Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Filters Input Sources M Video Osprey 700 HD Video Device 1 MV Audio SDI Input 2 Osprey 700 HD 1 v To set the input source 1 Click Live 2 Click the video capture device from the drop down list in the Video field Note The system lists all known video and audio devices in drop down boxes 3 Click the audio device from the drop down list in the Audio field for live encoding 44 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Video Settings tab Use the Video Settings tab Figure 43 to control the capture properties for the selected video device Figure 43 Video Settings tab Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Fiters Video Settings Input
20. Video Device 1 y M Audio SDI Input 1 Osprey 700 HD 1 y File Conversion File Transcode Input File ml r F Contains Audio F Contains Video To set a live input source 1 Click Live 2 Click the video capture device from the drop down list in the Video field 3 Click the audio device from the drop down list in the Audio field for live encoding Note The system lists all known video and audio devices in the drop down menus To set file conversion 1 Click File Conversion File Transcode to encode a previously recorded file such as avi or wav files into streaming format 2 Click on the browse button at the end of Input File to browse for a file name to insert The Open window displays IMPORTANT When Niagara SCX and SCX Explorer reside on different computers always start your browse for files by clicking Network Then work down or enter the entire file pathname beginning with the system name such as fileserver c videos If you simply enter a file name you may inadvertently browse your local computer when the media file resides on the remote computer Note Remember the file name applies to the encoder and not the system currently 72 ViewCast MN 41 PY ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide running SCX Explorer Enable Auto Replay to replay the file automatically Enable High Speed Transcode to transcode the file at high speed Enable Contains Audio to indicate if the input file contains
21. demodulated chrominance signals electronically generate it Each bar of the color bar s signal creates a dot on the vectorscope s display The position of these dots remains relative to the boxes or targets on the graticule The phase of the burst vector represents the major indicators of the chrominance color signal s health Within the circle are six target shapes each containing smaller sectioned shapes Figure 103 The smaller shapes designate where each dot of the color bar s signal should fall if the chroma gain and phase relationships are correct Figure 103 Vectorscope with Color Outside the Targets Captured size 1604120 Selected scan ine 41 Vector Scope C Waveform Monitor Displayed size 3204240 Frames per minute 69 Close To adjust the source adjust the saturation on the capture card until you have it positioned inside the targets Figure 104 Figure 104 Vectorscope Adjustments Saturation xl Captured size 160x120 Selected scanne 41 Vector Scopa C Waveform Monitor Displayed size 320x240 Frames per minute 60 122 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Waveform monitor Vectorscopes and waveform monitors Figure 105 complement one another and provide a full representation of all information about the video signal Figure 105 Waveform Monitor Display Tuning Utilities Captured size 160x120 Selected scan ine 41 Vector Scope Waveform
22. graph plot Threshold Click on the button and push up or down to adjust the threshold slider Reset icon Click this icon to reset the dynamics graph plot Compression Click on this button and push up or down to adjust the compression Ratio slider Output gain Click this button and push up or down to adjust the output Attack time This clock indicates the attack time in milliseconds for the time it takes for the gain to increase by the output gain amount Release time This clock indicates the release time in milliseconds for the time it takes for the gain to decrease by the output gain amount 78 ViewCast Output tab Niagara SCX User Guide Set the output destination on the Output tab Figure 72 Video Cropping Auto Name Input Output Settings Enable Streaming Figure 72 Output tab Watermarking Video Settings Closed Caption Audio Settings Server Address ttmp localhost streamtest Stream Name myStream Server Type Server Without Password y Usemame Password IV Save to File File Name D AVFiles capture fly E I Create Unique File The Output tab has the following controls Enable Select this field to stream to a Flash Media Server Streaming Server Enter the address for the server Address Stream Name Enter the name of the stream Server Type Enter the server name or IP address Username Enter the user name
23. response characteristics and the bandwidth identical to the original picture o Gamma correction applies to all filters and all output pins on each device o Youcan have different gamma corrections for different physical devices o When you enable gamma correction the text box and graphic show the factor applied To disable gamma correction 1 Set the gamma correction value to exactly 1 00 Note The software based gamma filter works in pass through mode with no effect on the video and no processing bandwidth use 2 Clear the Gamma check box o Gamma correction applies to all filters and all output pins on each device o You can have different gamma corrections for different physical devices If you run preview video while adjusting the filter you see your adjustment effects interactively You can use one of three methods to adjust the gamma correction value o Directly enter text in the numeric text box Click and Click on the appropriate signal from the drop down list in the Signal field NTSC PAL or SECAM Gamma correction applies to all filters and output pins on each device The gamma correction can be different for different physical devices ViewCast 125 Gamma Correction Note These values represent the inverses of the gamma bias that you applied at the video source per the video standard so the resulting video becomes gamma neutral 126 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Appendix A An Introd
24. the Watermarking tab Figure 75 to place a watermarked graphic over your video output Figure 75 Watermarking tab Auto Name Input A Video Cropping f Audio Settings Closed Caption Output Fites Video Watermarking MV Enable Watermarking File Name EJ l Enable Red 0 3 Green 0 4 Blue 0 Translucent Enable Color Key Top 0 Left 0 Height 0 i width 0 2 Capture Size 720x480 Display Size 320x240 Stop Preview The Watermark tab has the following controls 84 Enable Select this field to place a watermarked graphic over your video output Watermarking Vote You can only watermark a 24 bit bmp The system does not accept any other image formats File Name Click on the browse button at the end of the field to search for a file name of the graphic you want to use Color Key Select this field to adjust the color balance size and opacity of the graphic Translucent Select this field to render the graphic translucent Top Use these controls to adjust the location of the graphic Left Height Width Capture Size Indicates the size of the capture Display Size Indicates the size of the display Start Preview Click this button to preview the watermark on the video Stop Preview Click this button stop the preview ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Closed Caption tab Use the Closed Caption tab F
25. this field to mute the audio Use Audio Select this field to enable the Audio Equalizer and Audio Compressor buttons Components Audio Click this button to display the EQ Properties window see EQ Properties Equalizer window Audio Click on this button to display the Compressor Properties window see Compressor Compressor Properties window 58 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide EQ Properties window Figure 56 EQ Properties window EQ Properties x FASoft 4 Band Parametric EQ To adjust the audio equalizer 1 Click on a band and slide it up or down to adjust the boost cut at the specific frequency 2 Click OK or Apply to set your changes Note Click Cancel to cancel your changes and close the window Click Help to access the user guide 3 Right click on the graph to change the equalizer graph properties ViewCast 59 AVI Capture Options and Settings Compressor Properties window Figure 57 Compressor Properties window Compressor Properties x FASoft DirectX Compressor A AAA The Compressor Properties window has the following controls Dynamics Displays the settings as you adjust them graph plot Threshold Click on the button and push up or down to adjust the threshold slider Reset icon Click this icon to reset the dynamics graph plot Compression Click on this button and push up or down to adjust the compression Ratio slider Output gain Click this button and push up o
26. 105 Audio Format ici nidad iia 106 Video Cropping taria eiii 107 Watermarking tab rias 108 Closed Caption ta EERE A O 109 Operations tacon id id rt Be Secs Atanasio 110 MPEG 4 Streaming Options tabs ccccccccnonooooncnnnnnnnnnnonnnnnnncnnonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnonnnnnnnnnnannnns 111 Statistics stab ekki wie enh ise Raa ee eee Re als MGs Lee lag ea aes 111 Vieta oat lawsysubcaven sea cwesebansneds cias e 112 Niagara SCX and Simul Stearn scsscccccceenneeeeeencceeennnnnnneeeesssesennenneeeesesseseesennenees 113 Setting up a SimulStream SESSION ccccccccccsssesessecececececsessaeceeeescesseseaaeseseeseeesesnaaeeeeess 113 A EIEEE EOE A EO NN 114 Enable check bok nursi e le ie ETE a eta ha eaten cea es 115 Show N Tilt rsiper device pianin neee A A a iaa ta 116 Allow multiple instances of each filter cocccnnonooconnnncnnnnnonannnncnnnnonanononnnnnnncnananonnnnos 117 A T A 119 TElEC E lA ANA A CEOE TOTEE dia 119 Inverse telecine eea eh eaa i A A N AEA Tae EAA N KEERA I AAA Aaa ERARE TAARA 119 Motion adaptive deinterlace ccccccccccccssssssssceceeecessessneseeeeecesseseeaeseeeeseeesessaeseeeeseeses 120 ViewCast v Contents TUNING Utilitie S coi id 121 VECLOPSCOPE tia A ake ean a eee 121 Understand thesdisplayciss sss ccesases cosvaracaeaeescedas danas cosevaandaveateages cnaus ian Eo EE E Te a OCA 122 Waveform MONITOR sonnaient AAA seat eset des 123 Understanding the display coincida ti cdeevees i
27. A led Abc AR eee SEEE el aed Ahead fled ate 44 Video Settings tab 2 4 sc00 citer hehe ieee od eave E E E 45 A di Settings tai A A eae Weed ba eee aves Weeds 46 Filters tania TA cvs costae A AC desthtaav dunt RC E ERA 47 Video Cropping tab camion E T A E RT A T TE E 49 AEEA TAT AE s A EE a AA A A E 50 Closed Caption tab n ee riire A a shade e ia a a a aa iiaa 51 Operations E o EA Beck A EEE de td eee A AA A he destin eed a 52 Adaptive Streaming Opt Sito lt od dai 53 Statistics ta amenas E EREE AE A tai dada tects ds a adn tees eiii 53 View Ds iS 54 AVI Capture Options and SettingS cccmmnccccccnnnnnonnnnnnncccccnnnnnnnnnnnnncccrrnnnn nn 55 A to Nameta Dri dt a Meas 55 Input tabs ee A A A A EE T TEET 56 Video Settings Dti cscs cele a sk eevee seat feces ceased sk Bae dn ele sk ee 57 Audio Settings tab wesc cio tee el vs aaa N 58 EQ PROPErtiesWINAOW S ccs ssvcesdscctesacvacedeads aaa iea aaa an aE a aari aa a fades sab iK aE ENET 59 Compressor Properties WiINdOW ccccncooooncnnncnnnnonononononcconnnnnnnnonnnnonnnononnnnncnnnnnnnnnnnnnnncnnnnnnnnnnnos 60 Output TaD petit Dt A IA Ad face cantatas Ad GS 61 Fiers Di di A ta is 62 Video Gropping E1 EEE EE ad a de dd AE 64 W term rking dad A A A ees ees 65 Closed Capi abi A ia 66 Op rati s ii ateo 67 AVI Capture streaming Options tabS ococccccccnncnccononononnnnnnnncnnanonononnnonnnanonononnnnnnnnnnnnno nacos 68 MA oca d accio 68 Vie Witabiciicano ia ia ii ed 70 Flash O
28. Click Insert gt Niagara SCX Encoder Manager 12 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide A window displays Figure 12 with the Niagara SCX Encoder Manager you inserted Figure 12 Niagara SCX Encoder Insert Selection File Edit View Insert Encoder Help plela al x 2 a MPEG Machine Name GATEST4 El E Flash Total Encoders 2 el Flas Sessions Connected 1 User Name Machine Name qa QATEST4 To insert encoders click Insert gt Encoder The New Encoder dialog box displays Click on the encoder from the drop down menu and click OK The encoder with the default name New Encoder highlighted displays The tab changes to Auto Name 10 Rename the encoder for easy identification Figure 13 and press Enter The new name displays in the Codec Name field on the Auto Name tab Figure 13 Name Encoder File Edit View Insert Encoder Help DB a 9 x 7 E Niagara SCX Encoder Manager on NP09450C eg AVI Profile Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations 10 49 FLASH Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Filters E P MPEG EA MPEG General Properties Hg REAL TF Automatically Start Device at Service Startup Ed WME all Codec Name Windows Media Encoder Located On NPOS450006 11 12 Repeat the process to insert multiple encoders When you finish inserting all the encoders click File gt Save As and en
29. Creating a new Niagara SCX view Creating a new Niagara SCX Explorer connection Encoder menu Help menu Stopping the Niagara SCX Explorer Niagara SCX window design The Niagara SCX functions like Windows Explorer The left panel of the Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer window Figure 2 displays your Niagara SCX Encoder Manager and associated encoders When you select an encoder its corresponding properties display on the right Figure 2 Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer Untitled Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer File Edit View Insert Encoder Help olea alax 2 EEZ niagara SCX Encoder Manager on DEMO 37 Machine Name DEMO 3722636817 y h264 4 real_producer windows Total Encoders 3 Sessions Connected 1 Machine Name Demo DEMO 3722636817 ViewCast Niagara SCX and Explorer Basics Toolbar The Niagara SCX toolbar Figure 3 contains the most frequently used commands in the application This guide details and explains each command in later sections On the application click each of the buttons to learn more on how to use them The toolbar also lists the same commands on the Niagara SCX menu bar Figure 3 Niagara SCX Explorer toolbar 000 66 6 Dll alal 2 A Group and save different SCX views Connect to the existing Niagara SCX encoder C e Save any SCX encoder combination you put in Niagara SCX to the existing location using the current name e Save many different encoder combinations wi
30. Current The Current and Average columns displays the bit rate and frame per second Average Clients The Clients drop down box displays the devices currently receiving the stream from the encoder including media players and servers CPU Load The current system CPU load and audio level 35 ViewCast Windows Media Options and Settings View tab You can monitor the output of the encoder on the View tab To watch the incoming video or see the output video standards you must have enabled Osprey SimulStream for the capture Osprey SimulStream lets a single card produce multiple outputs For more information or to purchase SimulStream for your Osprey capture card visit http viewcast com products software simulstream Figure 33 View tab Statistics View Niagara SCX Encoder Manager on Preview URL Information LAN URL http NPO9450006 7007 Internet URL http 4 172 16 1 120 7007 Broadcast Port 7007 Copy Lan URL Copy Intemet URL Launch URL The View tab has the following controls Start Preview Click Start Preview to initiate the view following a buffer delay Stop Preview Click Stop Preview to stop displaying the video immediately Note Playback stops automatically when you select another encoder URL Information Displays the URL information Copy Lan URL Click this button to copy the LAN URL Copy Internet URL Click this button to co
31. ECAM as the video standard you disable inverse telecine The inverse telecine filter looks for frames added during a telecine process and removes them This eliminates redundant encoding and improves the quality of encoded frames ViewCast 119 Deinterlace Motion adaptive deinterlace Motion adaptive deinterlace is the reverse of telecine It is an algorithm for deinterlacing pure video non telecine content It detects the portions of the image that remain still and the portions that remain in motion then applies different processing to each Motion adaptive deinterlace allows you to set the Motion Threshold and Smooth Motion or Sharp Motion 120 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Tuning Utilities Some electrical signals convey television pictures Cables then carry this video signal from one place to another Along the way the signal may pass through various pieces of equipment such as video tape machines switchers character generators special effects generators and transmitters Any of this equipment can change or distort the signal in undesirable ways Because signal quality acts as a major determining factor for picture quality you need to be able to detect and correct any signal distortions The signal must be correct before the picture can be correct You can use a waveform monitor to measure luminance or picture brightness as well as a high frequency color signal called chrominance You require an instrument called a vectors
32. Encoder Explorer window 10 Niagara SCX Encoder Insert Selection 13 Niagara SCX Explorer 12 Niagara SCX Explorer toolbar 8 Niagara SCX Explorer Window design 7 Niagara SCX Explorer definition of 138 Niagara SCX Menu bar 9 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Niagara SCX definition of 138 NIC definition of 137 NTSC acronym definition of 137 O Open window 9 P PAL acronym definition of 138 Phase Alternation Line definition of and acronym 138 picture brightness 121 picture quality 121 Pixel definition of 138 Properties option 41 Q quality of video chrominance coloring 121 Quick Start Niagara SCX 5 R Real time video definition of 139 reset an encoder 17 Resetting an encoder 17 S Sample encoder view six encoders add encoder 15 Sample Encoder Views 15 SECAM acronym definition of 139 Security tab 41 Sequential Color with Memory definition of 139 Setting up a SimulStream session 113 143 Index Setting up the Niagara SCX environment 5 Show filters per device 116 Show N filters per device 116 signal distortions 121 SimulStream check box 115 Starting an encoder 16 Stopping an encoder 16 T television pictures 121 To insert a new encoder 14 Tuning Utilities Diagnostics 121 U Unicast definition of 139 V vectorscope 121 Vectorscope Adjustments Saturation 122 Vectorscope Display 121 vectorscope display parts 122 Ve
33. Explorer Create Unique Select this field to create a file that the system does not overwrite File Frame Rate Enter the frame rate Audio Format Select the audio format from the drop down list ViewCast 61 AVI Capture Options and Settings Filters tab Use the Filters tab Figure 59 to enable SimulStream and deinterlacing This tab is optional See Niagara SCX and SimulStream for information on how to set up a SimulStream session and filters Also see Deinterlace for information on telecine inverse telecine and motion adaptive Figure 59 Filters tab Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Filters SimulStream Show Pa filters per device I Allow multiple instances of each filter Deinterlace C Off C Auto Inverse Telecine Motion Adaptive Motion Threshold 10 Smooth Motion Sharp Motion The Filters tab has the following controls Enable Select SimulStream SimulStream Show X filters Specify how many filters you plan to expose per device Allow Select this field to allow multiple video capture streams multiple instances of each filter Off Perform no deinterlacing of any kind Auto e Apply inverse telecine deinterlacing to all telecine video e Apply motion adaptive deinterlacing to video that is not telecine e Switch dynamically between t
34. Input Source F F Use Audio Components MEE The Audio Settings tab has the following controls Input Source This field is not functional Use Audio Select this field to enable the Audio Equalizer and Audio Compressor buttons Components Audio Click this button to display the EQ Properties window see EQ Properties Equalizer window Audio Click on this button to display the Compressor Properties window see Compressor Compressor Properties window ViewCast 23 Windows Media Options and Settings 24 EQ Properties window Figure 23 EQ Properties window EQ Properties x FASoft 4 Band Parametric EQ To adjust the audio equalizer 1 2 Click on a band and slide it up or down to adjust the boost cut at the specific frequency Click OK or Apply to set your changes Note Click Cancel to cancel your changes and close the window Click Help to access the user guide Click on the graph to change the equalizer graph properties ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Compressor Properties window Figure 24 Compressor Properties window Compressor Properties x FASoft DirectX Compressor A AAA The Compressor Properties window has the following controls Dynamics Displays the settings as you adjust them graph plot Threshold Click on the button and push up or down to adjust the threshold slider Reset icon Click this icon to res
35. Internet applications Frame rate The number of video frames processed per unit of time usually frames per second Frame size The pixel width and height of video image Key frame A full frame of compressed video that the decoder uses as a reference frame of video for subsequent delta frames 136 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Term Acronym Definition Lossy Compression An encoding or compression method that eliminates redundant and unnecessary data in a file to compress it more tightly It occurs to data that you compress and then decompress to retrieve data that may be different from its original but still close enough to use Media Access Control Address MAC A hardware address that uniquely identifies each node of a network In IEEE 802 networks it interfaces directly with the network medium In OSI Reference model networks its designation is Data Link Control DLC address Moving Picture Experts Group 4 MPEG 4 Defines how you transmit multimedia streams video audio text and data as individual objects A compression decompression technology that strives to achieve interactivity efficiency and stability in narrow band transmissions Aims to pave the way toward a uniform high quality encoding decoding standard to replace the many proprietary streaming technologies used on the Internet today Multicast Applies when sending a
36. Niagara SCX window Figure 80 click Insert Figure 80 Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer gt Untitled Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer 2 Click Niagara SCX Encoder Manager The system displays your computer s name on the right hand side of the window Figure 81 Figure 81 Computer Name Display on Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer 3 Untitled Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer File Edit View Insert Encoder Help osla alx 2 BJ niagara SCX Encoder Manager on DEMO 3722636817 Machine Name DEMO 3722636817 Total Encoders 1 Sessions Connected 1 User Name _ Machine Name Demo DEMO 3722636817 3 Click Insert 4 Click Encoder Figure 82 ViewCast 89 MPEG 4 Options and Settings Figure 82 Insert Encoder Option gt Untitled Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer File Edit View BEETS Encoder Help Niagara SCX Encoder Manager Machine Name DEMO 3722636817 Total Encoders 0 Sessions Connected 1 UserName Machine Name demo DEMO 3722636817 Insert an encoder The system displays a set of options Figure 83 for the type of encoder you want to create Figure 83 Encoder Options List New Encoder Encoder AVI Encoder Driver x ANI Encoder Driver A Flash Encoder Driver Cancel MPEG4 Encoder Driver Real Producer Encoder Driver 5 Click MPEG4 Encoder Driver 6 Click OK The system displays the New Encoder window Figure 84 Figure 84 MPEG4 Encoder Driver Selection Ne
37. Position Select the position of the closed caption text from the drop down list 66 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Operations tab Figure 63 Operations tab Operations p Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Filters Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Encoder State Stopped Status The Operations tab has the following controls Start Click this button to begin encoding Stop Click this button to end the session Reset Click this button to stop the restart an encoding session Encoder State Indicates the status of the encoder started stopped Status A progress report and error messages appear in the Status section of this window ViewCast 67 AVI Capture Options and Settings AVI Capture streaming options tabs The AVI streaming options tabs include Statistics and View Statistics tab Use the Statistics tab Figure 64 to view the status of the encoder Figure 64 Statistics tab Statistics View Capture Statistics Total frames Duration File size Video Frames captured Bytes captured Frame size Audio Frames captured Bytes captured Frame size gt CPU Load 68 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide The Statistics tab has the following controls Total frames The total number of frames in the capture Duration The dura
38. URL Click this button to launch the Windows Media Player to view the stream 70 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Flash Options and Settings Flash format is only available on select encoding appliances Auto Name tab Figure 66 Auto Name tab 3 Untitled Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer lol x File Edit View Insert Encoder Help olea x 2 E Niagara SCX Encoder Manager on HS10 Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations qa MPEG Auto Name input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites a inp leo Settings lo Settings ers WME Eh iPhone gT Streaming Options General Properties I Automatically Start Device at Service Startup Codec Name FLASH Located On HS10440005 Ready NUM The Auto Name tab has the following controls Automatically Select this field to start the encoder when the Niagara SCX service starts Start Device at Service Startup Codec Name Enter the name of the encoder Located On Indicates the name of the machine where the encoder resides ViewCast 71 Flash Options and Settings Input tab Use the Input tab Figure 67 to set the input sources to use for Live or File Conversion File Transcode encoding Figure 67 Input tab Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Input Sources Live IV Video Osprey 700 HD
39. ViewCast Niagara SCX Guide 2011 ViewCast Corporation All rights reserved ViewCast Osprey ViewCast logo Niagara SCX Niagara SimulStream Niagara logo GoStream are trademarks or registered trademarks of ViewCast Corporation or its subsidiaries Microsoft Windows Vista Windows Windows Media Windows Server are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation QuickTime iPhone and iPad are trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple Inc Adobe and Flash are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Inc Disclaimers The information in this publication remains the property of ViewCast Corporation Users may not use reproduce or disclose this information without the implied consent and written approval of the company ViewCast Corporation makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents or use of this manual and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose Further ViewCast Corporation reserves the right to revise this publication to make enhancements in the products described in this manual at any time without obligation to notify any person or entity of such revisions or changes In no event will ViewCast Corporation be liable for direct indirect special incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the product or documentation even if advised of the possibility of such damages ViewCast C
40. a SCX Encoder Manager on NP09450C ap AV Profile Settings Video Cropping Watermarking ClosedCaption Operations hg FLASH Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites ci A si 4 General Properties E REAL JT Automatically Start Device at Service Startup EE WME l Codec Name Windows Media Encoder Located On NPOS450006 ViewCast 15 Niagara SCX and Explorer Basics Encoder menu Figure 17 Encoder menu commands Start Start an encoder Stop Stop an encoder Reset Reset an encoder Starting an encoder To start an encoder 1 Click on the encoder in the left side of the Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer window 2 Click the Encoder menu 3 Click Start The system starts the encoder Note You can also start an encoder by selecting the encoder right clicking and selecting Start Encoder Stopping an encoder To stop an encoder 1 Click on the encoder in the left side of the Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer window 2 Click the Encoder menu 3 Click Stop The encoder stops Note You can also stop an encoder by clicking the right mouse button and selecting Stop Encoder while you have the specific item selected 16 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Resetting an encoder Resetting an encoder is equivalent to stopping and starting the encoder To reset an encoder 1 Click on the encoder in the left side of the Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer w
41. a iiid ia 124 Gamma CONTE CHO A a a aaa 125 Appendix A An Introduction to Streaming Media oooocccccccnnnncccnncccorannnnnnnannnn 127 Streaming media TY POS teorica AE EA a a i a ac da 127 Main Workflow processes cccsesssssssecececesseseaececeeecesseeaaeseeeeeeeseeseaaeseeeeseesseseaaeseeeesensees 128 What video streaming can do fOr YOU cococccccccnncncnnnanonnnnnnnnncnnnnnonononnnnnnnonnnnnnnnnnnnnccananonnnnos 129 Video COMPTESSION ainara eanas aaa aeea aiea EEEa Dt ia 131 THE Streaming Serveriai A A arratea aa art ar 131 How viewers find the Stream c ccccccssccccsssncececseceeceesecaececseaeeeceeaaeeeeseaaeeeeeeaaeeeeseaaeeeeeeaas 132 Are weon the allt oerein ii aA iE A AEE ANE EEE A AE E 132 Simple guide to streaming audio and video typ S ccccononocooncnnononannnonnnnnnncnnnnananononcnnnos 133 Appendix B Terms and AcrONyMS ooommmccccccccnnnnnnnncnn 135 Malo 1 ATE E O 141 vi ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide About This Guide This ViewCast Niagara SCX Guide provides set up and configuration information for anyone who uses or administers the Niagara SCX client software Users should have a basic technical understanding of their media encoding environment and some basic experience with streaming media principles and practices Users should also understand and use Microsoft Windows Conventions for this guide This guide uses the following document conventions to help you identify different types of
42. ab establish the target audience Windows Media Encoder has only one Output tab It contains both the target audience and information for saving the video to a file If required enter the author and copyright information on the Author Info tab under the Streaming Options for the encoder To view a preview of the video click the View tab under the Streaming Options Note Steps 7 and 8 are optional Click Start on the Operations tab to begin encoding 10 To view the statistics for the encoding session click Streaming Options 11 Click on the various tabs to see information about the encoding session ViewCast 113 Niagara SCX and SimulStream WARNING If you enable or disable SimulStream after you save an encoder profile you could disable the profile you saved For instance if you save a profile using Capture Device 1 then enable SimulStream Niagara SCX no longer recognizes Capture Device 1 but sees Capture Device s 1 n instead You see a red X designating a non recognized capture device by that profile and must reselect your input device to Capture Device I n to clear the red X and use the profile Filters 114 From a practical point of view filters have two interrelated purposes e They allow applications to enumerate and list DirectShow video capture and preview pins or streams each with different settings as named entries in their video device select list o You can set up the driver to show 1 to 9 fil
43. alog color television system first used in France in Memory French it translates to S quentiel couleur m moire Unicast e Unicast communication applies to a piece of information that users send from one point to another point e Unicast transmission refers to users sending a packet from a single source to a specified destination Video on demand VOD e Video stored in a file for playing later e Also known as Compress Once and Play Many Times ViewCast 139 Appendix B Terms and Acronyms 140 ViewCast Index A About This Guide 1 Adaptive Streaming Audio Settings tab 46 Auto Name tab 43 Closed Caption tab 51 Filters tab 47 Input tab 44 setting the live input source 44 Operations tab 52 Statistics tab 53 Video Cropping tab 49 Video Settings tab 45 View tab 54 Watermarking tab 50 Allow Multiple Instances of Each Filter 117 Audio Compressor 23 58 76 96 Audio Equalizer 23 58 76 96 Audio Video Interleaved 135 AVI Capture Audio Settings tab 58 adjusting the audio equalizer 59 Auto Name tab 55 Closed Caption tab 66 Filters tab 62 Input tab 56 setting the live input source 56 Operations tab 67 Output tab 61 Statistics tab 68 Video Cropping tab 64 Video Settings tab 57 View tab 70 Watermarking tab 65 AVI definition of 135 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide B Beginning to encode 5 C chrominance signal parameters 121 CIF definition of 135 Com
44. any filters you plan to expose per device Allow Select this field to allow multiple video capture streams multiple instances of each filter Off Perform no deinterlacing of any kind Auto e Apply inverse telecine deinterlacing to all telecine video e Apply motion adaptive deinterlacing to video that is not telecine e Switch dynamically between the two modes as the content changes Note Available for NTSC video only ViewCast 101 MPEG 4 Options and Settings 102 Inverse e Apply inverse telecine deinterlacing to all telecine video Telecine e Perform no deinterlacing of video that is not telecine Note Available for NTSC video only Motion Apply motion adaptive deinterlacing to all video Adaptive Motion The Motion Threshold slider and edit box adjust the threshold of difference Threshold from spatially and temporally related pixels that are in motion As you move the slider to the left the number of motion pixels greatly increases until nearly the entire screen is in motion The recommended default is 16 Smooth The Smooth Motion option results in more loss of detail in motion areas but Motion edges are smoother This algorithm uses a bit more CPU Sharp Motion The Sharp Motion option makes detail in motion areas sharper but at the expense of somewhat jagged diagonal edges ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Encode Settings tab The Encode Settings tab provides
45. audio Enable Contains Video to indicate if the input file contains video 73 Flash Options and Settings Video Settings tab Use the Video Settings tab Figure 68 to control the capture properties for the selected video device Figure 68 Video Settings tab Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input i Audio Settings Output Fites Video Settings Input SerialDigital Signal AUTO v Proportions Standard y Size CUSTOM v w 720 480 COM Sar LET a Contrast Saturation jon i wal ans Hue A Se A A Sa Gamma Correction I t ee Tuning Utilities Encoding Video Type H264 y Bitrate kbps 2048 Frame Rate 29 970000 The Video Settings tab has the following controls Input Select the input connectors available for the capture device from the drop down list Signal Select the video standards the capture device supports from the drop down list Proportions Use these fields to adjust capture properties such as proportion video size Size W H and width height Brightness Drag the slider to adjust additional capture properties When making such Contrast adjustments verify your adjustments apply to the selected input Otherwise Saturation your adjustments apply to all the input sources listed Hue Note The capture properties remain available regardless of whether the encoder starts or re
46. controls to adjust the location of the graphic Left Height Width Capture Size Indicates the size of the capture Display Size Indicates the size of the display Start Preview Click this button to preview the watermark on the video Stop Preview Click this button stop the preview ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Closed Caption tab Use the Closed Caption tab Figure 48 to adjust the positioning of closed caption text if applicable on your video feed Figure 48 Closed Caption tab Filters Auto Name Input Video Setti i Operations Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption F Overlayed on Video Position Top F Output to File File Name The Closed Caption tab has the following controls Overlayed on Select this field to overlay the closed caption text on the video stream Video Position Select the position of the closed caption text from the drop down list Output to File Select this field to capture the closed caption text into a SAMI file File Name Click the browse button at the end of the field to search for a file name Note The SAMI field path you enter must include a shared directory partition or drive ViewCast 51 Adaptive Streaming Options and Settings Operations tab Figure 49 Operations tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Filters Video Cropping Waterma
47. cope to control quality of video chrominance coloring especially in more complex systems Vectorscope A vectorscope displays Figure 102 information about only the chrominance coloring portion of the video signal It does not respond to other parts of the video signal Figure 102 Vectorscope Display AS E Captured size 1604120 Selected scanine 41 Ved C Waveform Monitor Displayed size 3204240 Frames per minute 60 Help Close Two important parameters of the chrominance signal may suffer distortions leading to noticeable picture problems e Amplitude Gain and phase timing Amplitude an independent measurement you can actually make with a waveform monitor e Phase The relationship between the two signals In this case the relationship between the chrominance signal and reference burst on the video The processing within a vectorscope and the display of the processed signals readily detects and evaluates both phase and gain distortions of the chrominance ViewCast 121 Tuning Utilities Understand the display The vectorscope display has two parts the graticule and the trace e Graticule A scale you use to quantify the parameters of the signal under examination Graticule works with a color bar signal Note Remember the color bar s signal consists of brightness information luminance and high frequency color information chrominance or chroma e Trace The video signal itself The
48. ctorscope with Color Outside the Targets 122 144 Vectorscope with Settings to be Adjusted 124 Video Streaming Example 130 Video on demand definition of 139 View menu commands 11 VOD definition of 139 W Warranties ii waveform monitor 121 Waveform Monitor Display 123 Windows Media Audio Settings tab 23 adjusting the audio equalizer 24 Auto Name tab 19 Closed Caption tab 33 Filters tab 28 Input tab 20 setting a live input source 20 setting file conversion 20 Niagara SCX Encoder Manager on tab 37 Operations tab 34 options and settings 19 Output tab 26 Profile Settings tab 30 Statistics tab 35 Video Cropping tab 31 Video Settings tab 22 View tab 36 Watermarking tab 32 ViewCast IN ViewCast viewcast com 2011 ViewCast Corporation ViewCast Niagara and design are registered trademarks of ViewCast Corporation or its subsidiaries All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners Product specifications and availability may change without notice 40 03240 08 B
49. d SettinGS 1 ccsccccceeenneceessneeensnnnenseeeesssenenennneneeesens 19 Auto Name tab cccccccsccccesssssceccasccesesessscnccasccusessenseneeasscssessenceuecascessessencenecasecssessenceusease 19 MPU taD e a oe ee 20 Video Settings taD essee edenesid ia 22 Audio Settings TAD rssikon di idas Dades dad dns 23 EQ Properties WINAOW vicisscsescesceccecsssesasciscaccadavatneniaseeseddesnstoseacoveedusununacaetvedevesutabedaveassavaateatssanes 24 Compressor Properties WINdOW cccmonoooonnnnncnnonononcnnnnncnnnnanonononnnnnnnnonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnncnannnnnnnnnos 25 ET 26 o A A 28 Profile Settings tai cian ini 30 Vid o Cropping tab irse roads satis Dio 31 Watermarking taD aiii excess EEE EEE EE SREE EE EEES 32 Closed Caption taD srece re e i ea NA 33 ViewCast iii Contents Operations ta D3 a a ta adidas 34 Windows Media streaming Options taDS ccccccononocoonnnnononananonanonononncnnnnononnnonononananonanoss 35 Statistics tab eiar A da AAA i A sie deen sites 35 MID teen RRO Reds OHARA ed AG Ge ees 36 Niagara SCX Encoder Manage cccssccccccccsssssssccsecccessesssseeeeecessesssaeeeeeeeseeessaseeeeeeseeeeaseeeeeeses 37 DRM for Windows MCI a usccccccccccenneeeecccseeecenennnsneeacesseeaeennansanseeseseaeeenaaaanssesseseenens 39 Enabling DRIVI TUNGOR cocina catarata dd aid 39 Adaptive Streaming Options and SettingS occcccccoccccncccconancnnnnnnnanacccrrnnnnnnnnnannn 43 Atto Nametabiaii da tna de ek teen a 43
50. d to place a watermarked graphic over your video output Watermarking Vote You can only watermark a 24 bit bmp The system does not accept any other image formats File Name Click on the browse button at the end of the field to search for a file name of the graphic you want to use Color Key Select this field to adjust the color balance size and opacity of the graphic Translucent Select this field to render the graphic translucent Top Use these controls to adjust the location of the graphic Left Height Width Capture Size Indicates the size of the capture Display Size Indicates the size of the display Start Preview Click this button to preview the watermark on the video Stop Preview Click this button to stop the preview ViewCast 65 AVI Capture Options and Settings Closed Caption tab Use the Closed Caption tab Figure 62 to adjust the position of any closed captioned text you want to add if you use the Osprey 3 X or a later version of the driver for video capturing Figure 62 Closed Caption tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Filters Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Closed Caption MV Overlayed on Video Position Top Kl The Closed Caption tab has the following controls Overlayed on Select this field to overlay the closed caption text on the video stream Video
51. derlP 172 16 10 103 Destination 239 1 1 1 Video Port 5050 5052 Audio Port Time to Live 30 Video Settings Watermarking Closed Caption Audio Settings _ Operations o Fites Multicast 239 1 1 1 Stream Title Streaming Server Stream Info Stream Info Here Save sdp file D 4 Files capture sdp IV Save to File File Name Container D A Files capture mp4 M Create Unique File MP4 z The Output tab has the following controls Enable Select this field to stream to a Flash Media Server Streaming EncodelP Enter the IP address Destination Enter the destination Video Port Enter the video port number Audio Port Enter the audio port number Time to Live Enter the seconds for time to live Stream Title Enter the name of the stream Stream Info Enter the stream information Save sdp file Click on the browse button at the end of the field to browse for the sdp file Save to File Click Save to file if you want to save the content to a file Note Remember the encoder system references the file name and not the system running SCX Explorer File Name Click on the browse button at the end of the field to browse for a file name IMPORTANT When Niagara SCX and SCX Explorer reside on different computers always start your browse for files by clicking Network Then work down or ent
52. e name in the Codec Name field in the General Properties area of the Auto Name tab Note Encoder types vary on each appliance Quick Start 10 11 Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each encoder You can start and stop the encoders on an as needed basis Click the Video and Audio input source for the encoder from the drop down box on the Input tab Note This field may also include a file you need to convert to a streaming format Configure the video and audio settings if needed on the Video Settings and Audio Settings tab Click either Enable Streaming to begin streaming or Save to File on the Output tab Note Windows Media encoder has only one Output tab It contains both the target audience and information for saving the video to a file Enter the author and copyright information on the Author Info tab under the streaming options for the encoder if necessary Ensure Enable SimulStream is selected on the Filters tab Click the View tab under streaming options to preview the video Note Steps 9 and 10 are optional Click Start on the Operations tab to begin encoding Note Click Streaming Options to view statistics for the encoding session Click the various tabs to see data about the encoding session ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Niagara SCX and Explorer Basics This section explores the basics of the SCX service and application It includes the following topics e Niagara SCX window design o Toolbar o Menu bar o
53. e it up or down to adjust the boost cut at the specific frequency 2 Click OK or Apply to set your changes Note Click Cancel to cancel your changes and close the window Click Help to access the user guide 3 Click on the graph to change the equalizer graph properties ViewCast 97 MPEG 4 Options and Settings Compressor Properties window Figure 90 Compressor Properties window Compressor Properties x FASoft DirectX Compressor A AAA The Compressor Properties window has the following controls Dynamics Displays the settings as you adjust them graph plot Threshold Click on the button and push up or down to adjust the threshold slider Reset icon Click this icon to reset the dynamics graph plot Compression Click on this button and push up or down to adjust the compression Ratio slider Output gain Click this button and push up or down to adjust the output Attack time This clock indicates the attack time in milliseconds for the time it takes for the gain to increase by the output gain amount Release time This clock indicates the release time in milliseconds for the time it takes for the gain to decrease by the output gain amount 98 ViewCast Output tab You can set output optio Figure 91 Output tab Niagara SCX User Guide ns on the Output tab Figure 91 Encode Settings Auto Name Video Cropping Input Output Settings Enable Streaming Enco
54. e network bandwidth desired playback picture size and playback device capabilities The device doing the compressing is the encoder and in the figure below is one of our ViewCast Niagara models the Niagara Pro II The encoder accepts live video and audio and compresses them into a stream of data delivered continuously by the encoder s TCP IP network port Figure 107 details the entire streaming video path starting with a live video source like a camera or video player all the way through to the viewer ViewCast 129 Appendix A An Introduction to Streaming Media Figure 107 Video Streaming Example Video Streaming Server Video from Niagara Pro II is stored here Video from Niagara Pro Il j is sent to Server Video streams to Viewer Internet Intranet LAN WAN Camera Deck or other video source Viewer clicks Video Link oi to Viewer Web Site Viewer A link to the Video Streaming Server is placed here 130 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Video compression TV quality video contains a huge amount of brightness information color information and picture detail much too much to cram down a small IP pipe like the Internet Therefore it needs to be converted to a form suitable for Internet or private network delivery The technical terms for this conversion are scaling and compression which together reduce the amount of network resources needed to convey a reasonable facsimile of the original picture and s
55. e reader then simply clicks the link to watch the video on their computer or mobile device Are we on the air 132 Almost Once your viewers have an active URL clicking on it will usually launch a compatible video player But as we noted earlier not every playback device can play every type of video stream Most players will invite the user to allow automatic installation of the components needed to view the stream type but not always To ensure that anyone can view your stream you may want to stream in more than one format at the same time Niagara streaming encoders from ViewCast include everything you need to stream in multiple formats simultaneously In practice each different stream from the Encoder would be fed to the Server or server array and multiple URLs one for each stream type would be offered to the viewer Then the viewer need only click on his or her preference to receive the proper stream ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Simple guide to streaming audio and video types As noted above the encoder can create several different types of audio and video streams Although all are a type of IP video format each has certain properties that make it more attuned to a specific streaming video application The following chart lists all formats available on ViewCast Niagara encoders All of these formats can be used for many different applications IP Video Compression for Streaming in Full amp Lower Resolutions
56. ed audio devices Figure 44 Audio Settings tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Fites Input Source v 46 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Filters tab Use the Filters tab Figure 45 to enable SimulStream and deinterlacing This tab is optional See Niagara SCX and SimulStream for information on how to set up a SimulStream session and filters Also see Deinterlace for information on telecine inverse telecine and motion adaptive Figure 45 Filters tab Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings SimulStream Iv Show po filters per device r Deinterlace Motion Threshold 0 N The Filters tab has the following controls Enable Select SimulStream SimulStream Show X filters Specify how many filters you plan to expose per device Allow Select this field to allow multiple video capture streams multiple instances of each filter Off Perform no deinterlacing of any kind Auto e Apply inverse telecine deinterlacing to all telecine video e Apply motion adaptive deinterlacing to video that is not telecine e Switch dynamically between the two modes as the content changes Note Available for NTSC video only ViewCast 47 Adaptive Streaming Options and Settings 48 Inverse e Apply inverse telecine deinterlacing to all telecine video Telecine e Perform no de
57. elections Enable Select this field to enable closed captions Scripting Test Sending Select this field to send a test script with time Script with Time Protect The system allows the Enable DRM check box to give DRM protection for this content with encoder if you imported a DRM Profile see DRM for Windows Media Digital Rights Management DRM ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Video Cropping tab Use the Video Cropping tab to set the size and aspect ratio of chosen video output Figure 28 Figure 28 Video Cropping tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Profile Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Video Cropping MV Enable Cropping Left p Width 720 Y Height 487 Reference Size 720x487 Capture Size 8604540 Display Size 320x240 IN Granularity The Video Cropping tab has the following controls Enable When you enable cropping the system automatically switches the video size to Cropping FULL and the cropping measurements default to the FULL size From the Top Left Width and Height settings you can set a custom cropping size Reference Size These fields refer to the size of the video Capture Size Display Size Granularity Start Preview Click this button to preview the video with your crop settings Stop Preview Click this button to stop the preview ViewCast
58. er the entire file pathname beginning with the system ViewCast 99 MPEG 4 Options and Settings 100 name such as Mfileserver c videos If you simply enter a file name you may inadvertently browse your local computer when the media file resides on the remote computer Note Remember the file name applies to the encoder and not the system currently running SCX Explorer Create Unique File Enable this field to create a file that the system does not overwrite Container Select the container type from the drop down list ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Filters tab You can use the Filters tab Figure 92 to enable SimulStream and deinterlacing This tab is optional See Niagara SCX and SimulStream for information on setting up a SimulStream session and filters Also see Deinterlace for information on telecine inverse telecine and motion adaptive deinterlace Figure 92 Filters tab Encode Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption O Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output SimulStream V Enable SimulStream Show 1 filters per device FT Allow multiple instances of each filter Deinterlace C Off C Auto C Inverse Telecine Motion Adaptive Motion Threshold Oo f C Smooth Motion Sharp Motion The Filters tab has the following controls Enable Select SimulStream SimulStream Show X filters Specify how m
59. ess report and error messages appear in the Status section of this window 86 ViewCast Flash Streaming Options Tabs The Flash streaming options tabs include Statistics and View Statistics tab Use the Statistics tab Figure 78 to view the current CPU load Figure 78 Statistics tab Statistics View Encoding Statistics CPU Load EN 12 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide 87 Flash Options and Settings View tab Use the View tab Figure 79 to monitor the encoder output To watch the incoming video or see the output video you must have enabled Osprey SimulStream for the capture card Osprey SimulStream enables a single card to produce multiple outputs For more information or to purchase SimulStream for your Osprey capture card visit http viewcast com products software simulstream Figure 79 View tab Statistics View m Preview Start Preview Stop Preview The View tab has the following controls Start Preview Click Start Preview to initiate the view following a buffer delay Stop Preview Click Stop Preview to stop displaying the video immediately Note Playback stops automatically when you select another encoder 88 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide MPEG 4 Options and Settings MPEG 4 options are included on all Niagara appliances excluding single encode appliances To access the MPEG4 encoder driver tabs 1 On the
60. et the dynamics graph plot Compression Click on this button and push up or down to adjust the compression Ratio slider Output gain Click this button and push up or down to adjust the output Attack time This clock indicates the attack time in milliseconds for the time it takes for the gain to increase by the output gain amount Release time This clock indicates the release time in milliseconds for the time it takes for the gain to decrease by the output gain amount ViewCast 25 Windows Media Options and Settings Output tab Use the Output tab Figure 25 to indicate if you want to pull or push the stream and provide a port number Figure 25 Output tab Profile Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Filters Output Settings Push Output Push Port Server Alias Pull Port 7007 Usemame Password V Save to File File Name DAAVFiles captuewmy Y Index the file Create Unique File The Output tab has the following controls Enable Pull Select this field to have Windows Media Server request the stream Note This method does not provide a secure connection to the server Only use this method if the encoder and server reside within the same network firewall Pull Port Enter a port number the server will use to pull the stream Push Output Select this f
61. f the DRM profiles on the system s hard drive ViewCast 41 DRM for Windows Media 9 Click the DRM profile Figure 40 you wish to import and click the Open option Figure 40 Input DRM Profile Look ar So DAM Proves al oro ol 002 dem Fies dl bpe Winges Meds DAM coches dra co TEE OO 10 Repeat this process for each DRM profile you wish to import 11 Exit from the Windows Media Encoder application when you finish 12 Click No if the system asks if you want to save your encoding session 13 Restart the system 42 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Adaptive Streaming Options and Settings The adaptive and dynamic capabilities of Niagara SCX will markedly improve the live streaming delivery experience for both broadcasters and Apple iPhone mobile digital device users By eliminating the need for an external segmenter encoding workflows are simplified and overall system costs reduced Note You must first set up adaptive streaming through the web interface on your Niagara system Auto Name tab Figure 41 Auto Name tab Untitled Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer 10 x File Edit View Insert Encoder Help olsa alx 2 E E Niagara SCX Encoder Manager on HS10 Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations 5 9 MPEG Auto Name input Video Settings Audio S Fites FLASH inp ic ings io Settings ters WME General Properties iPhone JT Automatically Start Device at Service
62. he two modes as the content changes Note Available for NTSC video only Inverse e Apply inverse telecine deinterlacing to all telecine video Telecine e Perform no deinterlacing of video that is not telecine Note Available for NTSC video only 62 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Motion Apply motion adaptive deinterlacing to all video Adaptive Motion The Motion Threshold slider and edit box adjust the threshold of difference Threshold from spatially and temporally related pixels that are in motion As you move the slider to the left the number of motion pixels greatly increases until nearly the entire screen is in motion The recommended default is 16 Smooth The Smooth Motion option results in more loss of detail in motion areas but Motion edges are smoother This algorithm uses a bit more CPU Sharp Motion The Sharp Motion option makes detail in motion areas sharper but at the expense of somewhat jagged diagonal edges ViewCast 63 AVI Capture Options and Settings Video Cropping tab Use the Video Cropping tab Figure 60 for options for setting the size and aspect ratio of your chosen video output Figure 60 Video Cropping tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Video Cropping MV Enable Cropping Left fo gt width 175 E Height 144 Reference Size 720x480
63. ick this button stop the preview ViewCast Closed Caption tab Use the Closed Caption tab Figure 30 to adjust the positioning of closed caption text if applicable on your video feed Figure 30 Closed Caption tab Niagara SCX User Guide Auto Name Input Closed Caption Position Top Embedded in Stream 7 Output to File Profile Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fiters File Name The Closed Caption tab has the following controls Overlayed on Select this field to overlay the closed caption text on the video stream Video Position Select the position of the closed caption text from the drop down list Embeddedin Select this field to embed the text so it displays in a specialized space below Stream the video display in Windows Media Player Output to File Select this field to capture the closed caption text into a SAMI file File Name Click the browse button at the end of the field to search for a file name Note The SAMI field path you enter must include a shared directory partition or drive ViewCast 33 Windows Media Options and Settings Operations tab 34 Figure 31 Operations tab Auto Name Input Operations Profile Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Reset
64. ics tab has the following controls Capture Displays the total number of frames the duration and file size Statistics Video Displays the number of video frames captured bytes captured and frame size Audio Displays the number of audio frames captured bytes captured and frame size CPU Load Displays the CPU load Audio Lvl Displays the audio level ViewCast 111 MPEG 4 Options and Settings View tab Use the View tab Figure 99 to preview videos as you encode To watch the incoming video or see the output video standards you must have installed Osprey SimulStream for the capture Osprey SimulStream lets a single card produce multiple outputs For more information or to purchase SimulStream for your Osprey video capture card visit http viewcast com products software simulstream Figure 99 View tab Statistics View m Preview M URL Information URL Copy URL Launch URL The View tab has the following controls Start Preview Click Start Preview to initiate the view following a buffer delay Stop Preview Click Stop Preview to stop displaying the video immediately Note Playback stops automatically when you select another encoder URL Displays the URL information Information Copy URL Click this button to copy the URL Launch URL Click this button to launch the Windows Media Player to view the stream 112 Vie
65. ield to maintain a secure connection to Windows Media Server Push Port Enter a port number the server will use to push the stream Server Enter the server name or IP address Alias Enter the alias optional Username Enter the user name Password Enter the password Save to File Click Save to file if you want to save the content to a file Note Remember the encoder system references the file name and not the system running SCX Explorer 26 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide File Name Click on the browse button at the end of the field to search for a file name IMPORTANT When Niagara SCX and SCX Explorer reside on different computers always start your browse for files by clicking Network Then work down or enter the entire file pathname beginning with the system name such as Mfileserver c videos If you simply enter a file name you may inadvertently browse your local computer when the media file resides on the remote computer Index the file Select this field to index your video capture Create Unique File Select this field to create a file that the system does not overwrite ViewCast 27 Windows Media Options and Settings Filters tab Use the Filters tab to enable SimulStream and deinterlacing Figure 26 See Filters for more information Note This tab is optional Refer to Tuning Utilities for more diagnostics information Figure 26 Filters tab Profile Setting
66. igure 76 to adjust the position of closed caption text if applicable on video Figure 76 Closed Caption tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fiters Video Cropping Watermarking i E Operations Closed Caption F Overlayed on Video Position Top y F Output to File File Name E The Closed Caption tab has the following controls Overlayed on Select this field to overlay the closed caption text on the video stream Video Position Select the position of the closed caption text from the drop down list Output to File Select this field to capture the closed caption text into a SAMI file File Name Click the browse button at the end of the field to search for a file name Note The SAMI field path you enter must include a shared directory partition or drive ViewCast 85 Flash Options and Settings Operations tab Figure 77 Operations tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption i Operations Start Reset Encoder State Stopped Status The Operations tab has the following controls Start Click this button to begin encoding Stop Click this button to end the session Reset Click this button to stop the restart an encoding session Encoder State Indicates the status of the encoder started stopped Status A progr
67. indow 2 Click the Encoder menu 3 Click Reset The encoder resets Note You can also restart an encoder by clicking the right mouse button and selecting Restart Encoder while you have the specific item selected Help menu Figure 18 Help menu About Niagara Encoder Explorer Menu bar help commands e About Niagara Encoder Explorer View information about the installed Niagara SCX software including version release Stopping the Niagara SCX Explorer Once you configure all the necessary settings you may exit the Niagara SCX Explorer application by selecting File gt Exit You may also click the exit icon in the upper right of the window ViewCast 17 Niagara SCX User Guide Windows Media Options and Settings When using Windows Media as the encoding option encoder and streaming options tabs are available Auto Name tab Figure 19 Auto Name tab ES Untitled Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer loj xj File Edit View Insert Encoder Help plela x 2 2 Ni SCX Encoder M HS10 3 pe ncoder Manager onti32 Profle Setings Video Cropping Watermarking GlosedCaption Operations Auto Ni H FLASH to Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fiters a p General Properties 8 Streaming Options Phone T Automatically Start Device at Service Startup Codec Name WME Located On HS10440005 The Auto Name tab has the following controls Automa
68. ing audio and video over an IP network Access http viewcast com support resourcecenter for more information about streaming media ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Quick Start A quick start for Niagara SCX includes configuring the environment then starting and using Niagara SCX Setting up Niagara SCX environment To set up the Niagara SCX environment 1 Open Niagara SCX Explorer on the ViewCast encoding system you plan to control You may use a remote desktop to connect to the encoding system To connect to the Niagara SCX Client double click the Niagara SCX shortcut from the encoding system desktop Figure 1 Niagara SCX Desktop Shortcut 5 Niagara SCX Encoder E Ensure the server and the remote workstation have visibility to each other Note The default user name is Niagara and the password is password Beginning to encode To begin encoding 1 2 ViewCast Start Niagara SCX or verify the service started Insert the desired encoder type you wish to run on the server or on the toolbar click Insert then Encoder The system displays the New Encoder dialog box Choose any of the following e Adaptive e MPEG 4 e Flash Video e AVI Capture e Windows Media Encoder Note The Adaptive encoder has limited functionality in the client interface ViewCast reconnects using the web interface to set up adaptive profiles Enter a name to identify the encoder and press Enter The system displays th
69. interlacing of video that is not telecine Note Available for NTSC video only Motion Apply motion adaptive deinterlacing to all video Adaptive Motion The Motion Threshold slider and edit box adjust the threshold of difference Threshold from spatially and temporally related pixels that is in motion As you move the slider to the left the number of motion pixels greatly increases until nearly the entire screen is in motion The recommended default is 16 Smooth The Smooth Motion option results in more loss of detail in motion areas but Motion edges are smoother This algorithm uses a bit more CPU Sharp Motion The Sharp Motion option makes detail in motion areas sharper but at the expense of somewhat jagged diagonal edges ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Video Cropping tab Use the Video Cropping tab Figure 46 to set the size an aspect ratio of chosen video output Figure 46 Video Cropping tab Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Fites Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Video Cropping V Enable Cropping Top p Left jo E width 720 8 Height 487 Reference Size 720x487 Capture Size 720x487 Display Size 820x240 Granularity 2x1 The Video Cropping tab has the following controls Enable When you select cropping the system automatically switches the video size to Cropping FULL and the cropping measurement
70. lly you cannot keep crop watermark and caption settings separately for applications sharing a filter and might confuse and interfere with each other The most recent crop watermark or caption setting corresponds to the saved one it overwrites settings that you might previously have saved from another application This global setting affects all the Osprey 2XX 300 400 or 530 540 560 devices as a group When you apply this change a message box prompts you to restart the system This change does not work correctly until you do so Deinterlace inverse telecine and gamma correction when set affect all SimulStream instances on that specific Osprey card In other words all filters on the device and must have the same settings You can set crop watermark and caption settings differently for each pin of each filter The driver also saves settings between sessions separately for each filter You can set video size color format and frame rate differently for each pin The application must save these settings ViewCast 117 Niagara SCX User Guide Deinterlace This option removes artifacts that the system can introduce when encoding NTSC PAL or SECAM formatted video These artifacts usually manifest as a jaggedness surrounding a moving object You apply and store these filters per each device Applies to all filters and pins associated with a specific device Includes four radio button options Off disallows interlacing
71. m If you have no DRM profiles installed the system disables the DRM functions in Niagara SCX To enable DRM function in Niagara SCX 1 Set up an account and create a DRM profile with a third party license provider e Use the Windows Media Encoder application included with the Niagara streaming systems or available as a free download from Microsoft http www microsoft com to import the DRM profile e Restart the encoding system where you installed Niagara SCX allowing the software to auto detect and enable its DRM functions 2 Importa DRM profile e Set up an account with a licensed provider and create a DRM profile if you do not already have one e Use Windows Media Encoder to import the profile on the encoding system once you create the DRM profile ViewCast 39 DRM for Windows Media 3 Copy the DRM profiles to a protected location Figure 35 on the encoding system to ensure nothing accidentally removes or erases them Figure 35 DRM Profiles Location File Edit View Q Back Favorites Tools Help x JO Search gt Folders E System Tasks fA Hide the contents of this drive T Add or remove programs 9 Search for files or folders A Name E Documents and Settings E Inetpub Program Files _ RECYCLER System Volume Information 5 TempEl4 E WINDOWS 4 Start the Windows Media Encoder application Figure 36 on the encoder system Figure 36 Encoder Start Up
72. mains idle Gamma The Gamma Correction field enables you to adjust the gamma of the incoming Correction video See Gamma Correction for more information e Gamma correction applies to all filters and all output pins on each device e You can have different gamma corrections for different physical devices 74 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Tuning Click Tuning Utilities to access tuning utilities for a selected card Refer to Utilities Tuning Utilities for additional diagnostics information Restore Click Restore Defaults to restore the system to the factory defaults Defaults Video Type Select the video type from the drop down list Bitrate kbps Enter the bitrate Frame Rate Enter the frame rate ViewCast 75 Flash Options and Settings Audio Settings tab 76 You no longer use the Audio Settings tab Figure 69 to set the input source Use the web interface for your Niagara system to set the input source for the selected audio devices You can mute the audio and use the audio components on the Audio Settings tab Figure 69 Audio Settings tab Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Audio Settings Input Source y F Use Audio Components Encoding Audio Format 48 000 kHz 16 bit Stereo Lel Lal Audio Type aac Bitrate 128 7 kbps The Audio Setti
73. me rate definition of 136 142 Frame size definition of 136 G Getting Started 3 H Help menu 17 l Input DRM Profile 42 Insert menu commands 11 Insert Encoder Option 90 IP Video Compression for Streaming in Full amp Lower Resolutions 133 K Key Frame definition of 136 L Lossy compression definition of 137 luminance 121 M MAC definition of 137 main workflow processes 128 Media Access Control Address definition of and acronym 137 Menu bar help commands 17 Moving Picture Experts Group 4 definition of and acronym 137 MPEG 4 accessing the MPEG4 encoder driver tabs 89 Audio Settings tab 96 adjusting the audio equalizer 97 Auto Name tab 91 Closed Caption tab 109 definition of 137 Encode Settings tab 103 ViewCast MPEG 4 cont Filters tab 101 Input Sources 92 Input tab setting file conversion 92 setting the live input source 92 Operations tab 110 Output tab 99 Statistics tab 111 Video cropping tab 107 Video Settings 94 View tab 112 Watermarking tab 108 MPEG4 Encoder Driver Selection 90 Multicast definition of 137 N Name Encoder 13 National Television System Committee definition of and acronym 137 Network Interface Card definition of and acronym 137 New Encoder 14 New Encoder Display 14 New Session 41 Niagara SCX and Explorer Basics 7 Niagara SCX Desktop Shortcut 5 Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer 7 89 Niagara SCX
74. mmon easy to understand user experience The streaming server The encoder creates the desired video and audio stream The next steps take care of making the stream available in volume for the anticipated size of the audience and giving the user some way to start the playback experience The device that accepts the stream from the encoder the Uplink Stream and makes it available to a mass audience is a streaming server The server runs special software that accepts uplink streams from an encoder and manages connection requests from hundreds or thousands of viewers The software these servers run come from a variety of sources including Microsoft Windows Media Server and many others Most can stream several different formats The server can be a single Server if the audience size is small like a couple hundred viewers or so This is often the case in Enterprise and Education applications in these small environments you may wish to own your own media server and manage its operations However if your application requires a more global audience the server in reality will be a server farm which is an array of interconnected servers that are often deployed in numbers around the globe There are companies such as Akamai and LimeLight who own and maintain vast networks of such servers and make them available to you for a fee These companies call their server array a Content Delivery Network CDN The term has over time come to represent the ser
75. mon Intermediate Format 135 Compressor Properties window 25 60 78 98 Computer Name Display on Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer 89 Conditions for SimulStream 115 Connect To Server 12 Conventions Used in This Guide 1 Creating a new Niagara SCX Explorer connection 12 Creating a new Niagara SCX Explorer view 12 D Data rate 135 DCOM definition of 135 Deblock definition of 135 Deblocking Filter 135 Delay buffer definition of 135 DHCP definition of 136 Digital Rights Management DRM for Windows Media 39 Digital Rights Management definition of 135 Disabling gamma correction 125 141 Index Disclaimers ii Distributed Component Object Model definition of 135 DRM Profiles Location 40 DRM definition of 135 Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol definition of and acronym 136 E Edit menu commands 11 Enable check box 115 Enabling DRM function in Niagara SCX 39 Enabling gamma correction 125 Encoder menu commands 16 Encoder Options List 90 Encoder Start Up 40 EQ Properties window 24 59 77 97 F File menu commands 9 filters 114 Flash Audio Settings tab 76 adjusting the audio equalizer 77 Auto Name tab 71 Closed Caption tab 85 Filters tab 81 Input tab 72 setting a live input source 72 setting file conversion 72 Operations tab 86 Output tab 79 Statistics tab 87 Video Cropping tab 83 Video Settings tab 74 View tab 88 Watermarking tab 84 Fra
76. more loss of detail in motion areas but Motion edges are smoother This algorithm uses a bit more CPU Sharp Motion The Sharp Motion option makes detail in motion areas sharper but at the expense of somewhat jagged diagonal edges ViewCast 29 Windows Media Options and Settings Profile Settings tab 30 The Profile Settings tab provides options for the Profile Settings such as Capture Profile and settings for Digital Rights Management Figure 27 Figure 27 Profile Settings tab Auto Name input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fiters Profile Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Profile Settings Capture Profile 1080i p 2Mbps 15fps VC 1 y 1920x1080 resolution 2Mbps total bitrate 15fps WC 1 video codec Note Changing the capture profile may change the current video height width settings as well as the audio video input capture selections Enable Scripting Test Sending Script with Time Protect content with Digital Rights Management DRAM Enable DRM Click here for DRM Information DRM Profile DAM license key ID This field will be populated after the session is started The Profile Settings tab has the following controls Capture Select the capture profile from the drop down list Profile Note Changing the capture profile may change the current video height width settings as well as the audio video input capture s
77. ms positioned throughout their enterprise or anywhere in the world all from their desktops It functions as one part of the total encoding solution to allow users ultimately to control and monitor each individual stream Niagara SCX Explorer A streaming media management software that installs on any user client device It lets users manage live video broadcasting over the Internet and to mobile devices It lets users set up and control Niagara streaming systems positioned throughout their enterprise or anywhere in the world all from their desktops that interface to the server Users can instantly see The status of all of their networked encoders Which encoders have active encode sessions Allows users to navigate through the application to control and monitor each individual stream It can interface with the SCX Explorer Manager to become part of the total encoding operation Phase Alternation Line Pixel PAL The standard television broadcast reception protocol used in Europe PAL scans the video image 625 times horizontally Digital images are composed of an array of individual dots called picture elements or pixels 138 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Term Acronym Definition Real time video Video from a video source such as a camera that the compressor then processes immediately and sends for decompression and playback Sequential Color with SECAM An an
78. nes H 264 3G2 Creates an H 264 stream stored in a 3G2 container H 264 3GP Creates an H 264 stream stored in a 3GPP container Click more info to view help for this topic 104 ViewCast Video Niagara SCX User Guide Bitrate kbps Enter the bitrate Number Of Choose the number of B frames B frames improve coding efficiency by using BFrames forward and backward prediction They also can increase latency and require more computational power in encode and decode processes If your resulting stream has quality issues on playback try disabling B frames to ensure compatibility with most players Frame Rate Enter the frame rate ViewCast 105 MPEG 4 Options and Settings Audio Format Audio Format Select the audio format from the drop down list Encoder Select the encoder from the drop down list Audio Type Select Main or Low Complexity from the drop down list e Low Complexity LC The simplest and most widely used and supported AAC audio format e Main Profile MAIN The same format as LC above with an added backward prediction Note Depending on the player where you intend to hear the resulting stream either choice uses a specific set of tools to encode the audio stream You should make your choice based on the requirement of the playback software or device The most widely supported format is LC profile Bitrate kbps Select the bitrate from the d
79. ngs tab has the following controls Input Source This field is not functional Mute Select this field to mute the audio Use Audio Select this field to enable the Audio Equalizer and Audio Compressor buttons Components Audio Click this button to display the EQ Properties window see EQ Properties Equalizer window Audio Click on this button to display the Compressor Properties window see Compressor Compressor Properties window Audio Format Select the audio format from the drop down list Audio Type Select the audio type from the drop down list Bitrate Select the bitrate from the drop down list ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide EQ Properties window Figure 70 EQ Properties window EQ Properties x FASoft 4 Band Parametric EQ To adjust the audio equalizer 1 Click on a band and slide it up or down to adjust the boost cut at the specific frequency 2 Click OK or Apply to set your changes Note Click Cancel to cancel your changes and close the window Click Help to access the user guide 3 Click on the graph to change the equalizer graph properties ViewCast 77 Flash Options and Settings Compressor Properties window Figure 71 Compressor Properties window Compressor Properties x FASoft DirectX Compressor A AAA The Compressor Properties window has the following controls Dynamics Displays the settings as you adjust them
80. nt computers always start your browse for files by clicking Network Then work down or enter the entire file pathname beginning with the system name such as Vileserver c videos If you simply enter a file name you may inadvertently browse your local computer when the media file resides on the remote computer Note Remember the file name applies to the encoder system and not the system currently running SCX Explorer Select Auto Replay to replay the file automatically Select Two Pass Encoding to encode video into another format using multiple ViewCast 5 6 ViewCast passes to keep the best quality Select Contains Audio to indicate if the input file contains audio Select Contains Video to indicate if the input file contains video Niagara SCX User Guide 21 Windows Media Options and Settings Video Settings tab Use the Video Settings tab Figure 21 to control the capture properties for the selected video device Figure 21 Video Settings tab Video Settings Brightness Contrast Profile Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Input ESPITES Signal AUTO v Proportions Standard v Siz CUSTOM wH 720 480 Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fitters Saturation Hue i Gamma Correction r Tuning Utilities The Video Settings tab has the following controls
81. o Name Input Video Settings Video Cropping Figure 87 Video Settings Watermarking Closed Caption Audio Settings Output Operations Fitters Input Proportions SerialDigital v Standard v Signal AUTO x Format 1420 Ed Size CUSTOM WH 720 480 Brightness Contrast Saturation Hue A Gamma Correction M Enable Gamma 1 00 Set Tuning Utiities The Video Settings tab has the following controls Input Select the input connectors available for the capture device from the drop down list Signal Select the video standard that the capture device supports from the drop down list Proportions Use these fields to adjust capture properties such as proportion video size Size W H and width height Brightness Drag the slider to adjust additional capture properties When making such Contrast adjustments verify your adjustments apply to the selected input Otherwise Saturation your adjustments apply to all the input sources listed Hue Note The capture properties remain available regardless of whether the encoder starts or remains idle Gamma The Gamma Correction field enables you to adjust the gamma of the incoming Correction video See Gamma Correction for more information e Gamma correction applies to all filters and all output pins on each device e You can have different gamma corrections f
82. on adaptive deinterlace Figure 73 Filters tab Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output SimulStream 7 Show Po filters per device r Deinterlace Motion Threshold D F C The Filters tab has the following controls Enable Select SimulStream SimulStream Show X filters Specify how many filters you plan to expose per device Allow Select this field to allow multiple video capture streams multiple instances of each filter Off Perform no deinterlacing of any kind Auto e Apply inverse telecine deinterlacing to all telecine video e Apply motion adaptive deinterlacing to video that is not telecine e Switch dynamically between the two modes as the content changes Note Available for NTSC video only ViewCast 81 Flash Options and Settings Inverse e Apply inverse telecine deinterlacing to all telecine video Telecine e Perform no deinterlacing of video that is not telecine Note Available for NTSC video only Motion Apply motion adaptive deinterlacing to all video Adaptive Motion The Motion Threshold slider and edit box adjust the threshold of difference Threshold from spatially and temporally related pixels that are in motion As you move the slider to the left the number of motion pixels greatly increases until nearly the entire screen is in motion The recommended default is
83. op Niagara SCX is included on all ViewCast encoding systems This manual focuses on the Niagara SCX client interface For information on the web interface see the specific product manual or the product quick start guide Note Niagara SCX features vary between Niagara models System features ViewCast This software version is pre installed and available only on certain ViewCast encoding systems Integrated segmenting Adaptive bit rate encoding Support for CN authentication protocols Built in AES 128 encryption Full control of encoding parameters Video and audio input selection Encoder profile target audience Video resolution and format oO Oo 0 O Stream destination and port o Video and audio attributes Input output preview Vectorscope waveform display for end to end color accuracy Encoder statistics monitoring o Frame rate bit rate o CPU load o Audio level Application integration via XML Real time capture and compression from a live video source Welcome to Niagara SCX e Support for NTSC PAL wide screen CIF QCIF SECAM and all popular resolutions in addition to custom user defined picture dimensions e Support for all widely used bit rates from 16 kb s to 4 Mb s You can instantly view the status of all of your networked encoders and active encoder sessions as well as control and monitor each individual stream Appendix A An Introduction to Streaming Media provides a complete overview on stream
84. options for basic settings for the video and audio options of MPEG 4 The Niagara SCX software MPEG 4 compression engine provides baseline encoding functionality for e H 263 e MPEG 4 Part 2 SP ASP e H 264 MPEG 4 Part 10 It allows you to encode streams for e Internet video e Mobile phones e Set top boxes Use the Encode Settings tab Figure 93 to create media files for other MPEG 4 compatible devices such as iPods Figure 93 Encode Settings tab _ Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Basic Settings MPEG Type H264 v more info Video Bitrate kbps 2048 Number Of BFrames o y Frame Rate 29 970000 Audio Audio Format 44 100 kHz 16 bit Stereo y Encoder AAC Audio Type Low Complexity y Bitrate kbps 128 E ViewCast 103 MPEG 4 Options and Settings The Encode Settings tab has the following controls Basic Settings The MPEG Type drop down list provides you with a drop down list that includes the following choices H 264 MP4 H 264 MPEG 4 Part 10 or Advanced Video Coding AVC Accommodates very high data compression while maintaining better quality than its predecessor Created to address a broad range of applications from low bit rate to high bit rate and from low resolution such as cell phones to high resolution such as broadcast The Niagara SCX H 264 is baseline profile MPEG 4 Pa
85. or different physical devices ViewCast ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Tuning Click Tuning Utilities to access turning utilities for a selected card Refer to Utilities Tuning Utilities for additional diagnostics information Restore Click Restore Defaults to restore the system to the factory defaults Defaults 95 MPEG 4 Options and Settings Audio Settings tab You no longer use the Audio Settings tab Figure 88 to set the audio input source Use the web interface for your Niagara system to set the input source for selected audio devices Figure 88 Audio Settings tab Encode Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Audio Settings Input Source y Use Audio Components rara a The Audio Settings tab has the following controls Use Audio Select this field to enable the Audio Equalizer and Audio Compressor buttons Components Audio Click this button to display the EQ Properties window see EQ Properties Equalizer window Audio Click on this button to display the Compressor Properties window see Compressor Compressor Properties window 96 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide EQ Properties window Figure 89 EQ Properties window EQ Properties x FASoft 4 Band Parametric EQ To adjust the audio equalizer 1 Click on a band and slid
86. orporation is not responsible for any third party license fees that may occur with the use of our products by an end user including but not limited to creating or distributing content The user is responsible for any fees the Multimedia Patent Trust may apply for creating and distributing MPEG content Warranties For complete warranty details refer to the specific warranty included with each product General warranty information includes the following Reseller Pass Through of Standard Limited Warranties Resellers pass the ViewCast standard limited warranties for the products through to the customer without modification Any modification of any product voids the ViewCast warranties or any other existing or available warranty Corporate Contact Information ViewCast collaborates and partners with various clients to integrate products into their individual environments Niagara Technical Support Phone 972 488 7157 Fax 972 488 7111 or submit a technical support online request from the ViewCast website U S Support Hours of Operation Monday through Friday 9 a m to 5 p m Central Time Typical response time is within one business day for customers without a Priority Support Agreement ViewCast Corporation 3701 West Plano Parkway Suite 300 Plano TX 75075 7840 USA Toll Free U S only 800 250 6622 website www viewcast com Niagara SCX User Guide Contents ADOUE This GUIDE unica ts aaa a a a aa a aaa a a aaa Panar Aai 1 Conventions for
87. ound The Encoder and its Codecs The little piece of wizardry inside the encoder that is doing the compression is a Codec which is a short form of COder DECoder A little misnamed since all we want to look at right now is the Coder part All compression codecs invite you to specify the aforementioned factors of speed size and quality in various ways but not all codecs equal There has been considerable evolution in codec technology that improves picture quality for a given network quality and picture size In addition there are popular codecs and less popular codecs each promoted by their creators for picture quality suitability to an application compatibility with specific viewing devices or to be compatible with different international standards You may recognize some of these codecs by name Microsoft Windows Media MPEG 2 MPEG 4 H 264 Adobe Flash and Adobe Flash Live the video parts of Microsoft Silverlight 3GPP for mobile phones etc You have probably encountered all of these as you watch video on the Internet Which means unless you have a specific application for streaming video which usually means an application to a closed audience where you can define what encoded format and what the playback experience will be you will need an encoder that can handle all of the popular codecs in any combination often at the same time Better yet you need an encoder that makes it easy to control any or all via a single co
88. ows you to play AVI files under Windows and other operating systems Common Intermediate CIF e A standard video format used in video conferencing Format e Define CIF formats by their resolution and standards both above and below the original resolution established e The original CIF is also known as Full CIF FCIF e A frame size of 352 x 288 width x width in pixels for PAL European Standard e A frame size of 320 x 240 width x width in pixels for NTSC U S standard Data rate The number of kilobits per second required to replay the compressed video at the intended frame rate and quality Deblocking Filter Deblock e Optional block edge filter within the coding loop e Reduces the appearance of block like artifacts that appear in highly compressed video streams e Use during capture for real time processing e Use during conversion or playback to enhance existing media files Delay buffer A memory storage area to accumulate video data for the compressor and ensure adequate data availability Digital Rights DRM e Hardware manufacturers publishers and copyright Management holders use DRM as an access control technology to limit use of digital media or devices e DRM allows the media or file issuers to control in detail what others can and cannot do with a single instance Distributed Component DCOM A proprietary Microsoft technology for communication among software components distributed across network computers ViewCas
89. piece of information from one or more points to a set of other points Multicasting a networking technique delivers the same packet simultaneously to a group of clients National Television System Committee NTSC The analog television system used in the United States Canada Japan Mexico the Philippines South Korea Taiwan and some other countries It also refers to the name of the U S standardization body that adopted it Network Interface Card NIC A card hardware that connects to a wire based network such as token ring or Ethernet It allows computers to communicate over a computer network ViewCast 137 Appendix B Terms and Acronyms Term Acronym Definition Niagara Systems ViewCast Niagara streaming media systems deliver the quality features and ease of use convenience that professional broadcasters demand These pre configured plug and play solutions enable users to quickly capture and broadcast premium quality audio and video in multiple formats and at multiple bit rates all simultaneously Niagara SCX A streaming media management software that installs on a user encoding device connected with remote SCX Explorer workstations It too allows users to manage live video broadcasting over the Internet and to mobile devices from their remote workstations It coordinates the streaming processes to allow users to set up and control Niagara streaming syste
90. ptions and SONO lastceasesutetslaatiesaiauduceiesectceis 71 A to Name tai dic 71 o A O 72 Vid o Settings Tit AAA AA AAA A AA 74 Audio Settings TDi A atea Ia 76 iv ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide EQ Properties Win dOW eiitadindidosononinnda E E docdleeesnnsnced E A E doses 77 Compressor Properties WINGOW ccccssscccccecessssseeeeeceeseessssseeeceesseeesaseeseceseeeeeasseeeeeseseneaaaeees 78 Q tput tab sninn a a de 79 Filters tab anoh er aa a a aaa dencaddvesandedsoseds debiacudlededcadiassanedaaveacanieseassi NERA aia 81 Videg Cropping tabi eea a a E e a a a e aa e E A A T a 83 Wat rmarking taD Aiie na Aaa aordenan sess cagviaectueticss OEA n Tte PESTS EEF nAPO EES EDATE 84 TM ea i a kien he a ea Rae 85 Operations ia aR ai aA 86 Flash Streaming Options Tabs eviten n e eee aa a a a aTi 87 Statistics CDi a a a aei A i a Hedi ei i a 87 MEW O Na 88 MPEG 4 Options and Set gS aaa aea a aaa a aerae id 89 AUtO Name di A VE A dhe atte E E ath ete TE 91 MaN OTE AES S o P AEE A EEEE NA EO Old aa KAE de cs deta S E E 92 Video Settings ta Doe haere A adi 94 Audio Settings 6 eee ete ne est ne oe Peer 96 EQ Propertics WINAOW dccress a ss cd cnves dob a sd daaan cde aA E A E AAO a ests 97 Compressor Properties WiINdOW cccccnnoooonnnnncnnnnononnnnnoncnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnncnnnnnonnnnnnnanonannnnnnnnnos 98 QUEPA edites 99 Filters dai a dt a id A a EEA N 101 Encode Settings tabaci cnn dic iaa dalt decd il 103 E NN 104 MA A A E
91. py the Internet URL Launch URL Click this button to launch the Windows Media Player to view the stream 36 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Niagara SCX Encoder Manager Use the Niagara SCX Encoder Manager on tab Figure 34 to enter information about the video content If you choose to enter any information in the fields provided you must do so before you start the encoder Figure 34 Niagara SCX Encoder Manager on tab Statistics View Content Properties Title Author Copyright Description Title Enter the title of the video Author Enter the author of the video Copyright Enter the copyright information Description Enter the description of the video ViewCast 37 Niagara SCX User Guide DRM for Windows Media You can protect your content using Digital Rights Management DRM technology Niagara SCX allows you to encrypt your content with DRM technology while you encode You can apply DRM while encoding to a file and when broadcasting a stream Users must obtain a license to play the content This license contains the key to unlock the content and the rights that govern its use Note A third party license provider issues licenses Therefore you must set up an account with a third party license provider to protect your content Enabling DRM function Niagara SCX automatically detects any available DRM profiles imported on the encoding syste
92. r down to adjust the output Attack time This clock indicates the attack time in milliseconds for the time it takes for the gain to increase by the output gain amount Release time This clock indicates the release time in milliseconds for the time it takes for the gain to decrease by the output gain amount 60 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Output tab Use the Output tab Figure 58 to set the output frame rate format and destination The Niagara SCX and SCX Explorer reside on different computers Figure 58 Output tab Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Filters Dutput Settings File Name e capture avi El M Create Unique File Frame Rate 29 970000 Audio Format 44 100 kHz 16 bit Stereo Ea The Output tab has the following controls File Name Click on the browse button at the end of the field to search for a file name IMPORTANT When Niagara SCX and SCX Explorer reside on different computers always start your browse for files by clicking Network Then work down or enter the entire file pathname beginning with the system name such asWfileservenawvideos If you simply enter a file name you may inadvertently browse your local computer when the media file resides on the remote computer Note Remember the file name applies to the encoder and not the system currently running SCX
93. ra SCX Encoder Explorer Demo for Manual cex Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer File Edt View Inset Encoder Help oleja alx 2 a Encoder Manager on GLORIA E alProducer Encoder indowsMedia Encoder Machine Name GLORIAR Total Encoders 2 Sessions Connected 1 User Name Machine Name GloriaR GLORIAR Ready NUM PA Note The previously saved configuration automatically opens when Niagara SCX launches Save e Save any SCX encoder combination you put in Niagara SCX to the existing location using the current name e Save many different encoder combinations with unique names Save As Save changes to an existing encoder and apply a different name Recent The system stores and displays your last four saved encoders thereby File allowing you to load a Niagara SCX encoder quickly Exit Exits Niagara SCX ViewCast Edit menu Niagara SCX User Guide Figure 7 Edit menu commands tie View Insert Delete Del Rename F2 Reconnect Delete Delete an encoder connection from Niagara SCX Rename Rename the encoder connection Reconnect Reconnect to Niagara SCX This command is useful when you stop the Niagara SCX service and start it again while running Niagara SCX Explorer Note When you launch Niagara SCX Explorer it may appear unresponsive if Niagara SCX becomes unavailable for any reason Wait a minute for the application to become available and
94. rking Closed Caption i Operations Start Reset Encoder State Stopped Status 13 42 50 Failed to InitializeVideoEncoderFilterwith4YCodecSettings MsglD 4182 Last Error The parameter is incorect The Operations tab has the following controls Start Click this button to begin encoding Stop Click this button to end the session Reset Click this button to stop the restart an encoding session Encoder State Indicates the status of the encoder started stopped Status Progress report and error messages appear in the Status section of this window Last Error The last error displays in this window 52 ViewCast Adaptive Streaming Options The Adaptive streaming options tabs include Statistics and View Statistics tab Use the Statistics tab Figure 50 to view the current CPU usage Figure 50 Statistics tab j View Encoding Statistics CPU Load E 16 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide 53 Adaptive Streaming Options and Settings 54 View tab Use the View tab Figure 51 to monitor the output of the encoder To watch the incoming video or see the output video standards you must have installed Osprey SimulStream for the capture Osprey SimulStream lets a single card produce multiple outputs For more information or to purchase SimulStream for your Osprey capture card visit http viewcast com products software simulstream Figure
95. rop down list 106 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Video Cropping tab Use the Video Cropping tab Figure 94 to set the size and aspect ratio of your chosen video output Figure 94 Video Cropping tab Auto Name Encode Settings Video Cropping V Enable Cropping Top jp ler o width 720 Height 487 Reference Size 720x487 Capture Size 720x480 Display Size 320x240 Granularity 2x1 Video Settings Audio Settings Output Filters Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Start Preview Stop Preview The Video Cropping tab has the following controls Enable Cropping When you enable cropping the system automatically switches the video size to FULL and the cropping measurements default to the FULL size From the Top Left Width and Height settings you can set a custom cropping size Reference Size Capture Size Display Size Granularity These fields refer to the size of the video Start Preview Click this button to preview the video with your crop settings Stop Preview Click this button to stop the preview ViewCast MPEG 4 Options and Settings Watermarking tab Use the Watermarking tab Figure 95 to place a watermarked graphic over your video output Figure 95 Watermarking tab Auto Name Input Encode Settings Video Cropping Video Watermarking V Enable Watermarking File Name E Color
96. rrectly until you restart the system While it is possible to expose and specify up to 9 filters per device the practical number of working filters equates to less than this The practical number of filters depends on Capability of the system Types of filtering turned on in the driver Types of scaling and color format conversions requested in the driver Type of processing the downstream application performs When you directly render video to the window the video format and type of renderer used can make a major difference in system performance and in the number of possible streams If multiple capture devices exist in the system the number of filters equals the total across all the devices In addition some types of processing such as de interlacing and gamma correction performed once per device may occur multiple times A high end multi core or multiprocessor system can support 5 6 or more concurrent filters on one device if the processing per filter remains light but only 2 or 3 if the processing loads inside or outside of the driver becomes particularly heavy ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Allow multiple instances of each filter This control enables you to run multiple application instances on one device that does not have device select controls ViewCast recommends that you do not allow multiple instances of each filter unless you have a specific need for it Turning it on affects some of the above description Specifica
97. rs can reach e The audience is already poised to receive voice data and video content on their cell phones PDAs and notebook computers Mass media via the Internet is a new source of advertising revenue ViewCast empowers you to stream your content successfully to the perfect audience Streaming powerfully influences your key audience s buying decisions Streaming is extremely cost effective Streaming greatly appeals to the Internet savvy generation All of these applications essentially use the same technologies to create process manage and deliver live video via a network All require the live media be captured continuously frame by frame and made into a digital form in real time for real time streaming delivery Before you can design a suitable solution you need to understand a little about the equipment needed to accept live video at its source and deliver it where you want TV quality video contains a large amount of brightness and color information as well as picture detail too much to go down a small IP pipe like the Internet It needs to be converted to a form suitable for the Internet or a private network delivery The technical terms for this conversion are scaling and compression which together reduce the amount of network resources needed to convey a reasonable facsimile of the original picture and sound The conversion process is the careful balance of several factors including acceptable video quality availabl
98. rt 2 or H 263 Applies to situations where other conditions of the applications like network bandwidth or device size mandate low bit rate and low resolution Examples of video applications for H 263 include cell phones some low end video conferencing systems and surveillance systems H 263 remains important for legacy handheld devices that do not support H 264 H 263 MP4 MPEG 4 Part 2 or H 263 For situations where other conditions of the applications like network bandwidth or device size mandate low bit rate and low resolution Examples of video applications for H 263 include cell phones some low end video conferencing systems and surveillance systems H 263 remains important for legacy handheld devices that do not support H 264 Note By default the Niagara SCX H 263 uses Simple Profile unless you select the Enable B Frames option If you enable B frames the resulting stream becomes Advanced Simple Profile H 263 3G2 Creates an H 263 stream stored in a 3G2 container H 263 3GP Creates an H 263 stream stored in a 3GPP container MPEG4 3GP Exemplifies a multimedia container format defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project 3GPP for use on 3G mobile phones It stores video streams such as MPEG 4 or H 264 and audio streams such as AAC Creates an H 263 stream stored in a 3GPP container The two defined standards for this format include o 3GPP for GSM based mobile phones o 3GPP2 for CDMA based mobile pho
99. s Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations i Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output SimulStream Iv Show 1 filters per device r Deinterlace Motion Threshold o A MMMM The Filters tab has the following controls Enable Select SimulStream SimulStream Show X filters Specify how many filters you plan to expose per device Allow Select this field to allow multiple video capture streams multiple instances of each filter Off Perform no deinterlacing of any kind Auto e Apply inverse telecine deinterlacing to all telecine video e Apply motion adaptive deinterlacing to video that is not telecine e Switch dynamically between the two modes as the content changes Note Available for NTSC video only 28 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Inverse e Apply inverse telecine deinterlacing to all telecine video Telecine e Perform no deinterlacing of video that is not telecine Note Available for NTSC video only Motion Apply motion adaptive deinterlacing to video Adaptive Motion The Motion Threshold slider and edit box adjust the threshold of difference Threshold from spatially and temporally related pixels that are in motion As you move the slider to the left the number of motion pixels greatly increases until nearly the entire screen is in motion The recommended default is 16 Smooth The Smooth Motion option results in
100. s Audio I Contains Video To set the live input source 1 Click Live 2 Click the video capture device in the Video field and select the audio device in the Audio field for live encoding Note The system lists all known video and audio devices in drop down menus To set file conversion 1 Click File Conversion File Transcode to encode a previously recorded file such as avi or wav files into streaming format 2 Click on the browse button at the end of Input File to search for a file name to insert The Open window displays Note Remember the file name applies to the encoder and not the system currently running SCX Explorer IMPORTANT When Niagara SCX and SCX Explorer reside on different computers always start your browse for files at My Network Places Then work down or enter the entire file pathname beginning with the system name such as fileserver c videos If you simply enter a file name you may inadvertently browse your local 92 ViewCast computer when the media file resides on the remote computer 3 Click Auto Replay to replay the file automatically 4 Click Contains Audio to indicate if the file contains audio 5 Click Contains Video to indicate if the file contains video ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide 93 MPEG 4 Options and Settings Video Settings tab Use the Video Settings tab Figure 87 to control the capture properties for the selected video 94 device Encode Settings Aut
101. s an installed SimulStream evaluation mode you select the Enable check box the text indicates that SimulStream evaluation mode is enabled A message box prompts you to restart the system when you change the SimulStream Enable status and click Apply or OK ViewCast strongly recommends that you do so If you do not SimulStream may partly work but the filter names and their pins may remain incorrect without a restart When you enable SimulStream or SimulStream evaluation mode the driver always works in Postprocessing mode as described in the mode control group In this case the system forces the mode control to Postprocessing mode and disables the Direct mode control ViewCast 115 Niagara SCX and SimulStream Show N filters per device 116 With the Show N filters per device control Figure 101 you can set up the driver to expose 1 to 9 filters per device for applications to specify and select If for example you choose four filters per device device lists in applications show four entries for the current device For device 1 the system designates them as 1 1 1 2 1 3 and 1 4 Figure 101 Show filters per device Show 4 Filters per device This global setting affects all the Osprey 2XX 300 440 or 530 540 560 devices as a group IMPORTANT When you apply this change a message box prompts you to restart the system You must do this The number of filters you request do not display or work co
102. s default to the FULL size From the Top Left Width and Height settings you can set a custom cropping size Reference Size These fields refer to the size of the video Capture Size Display Size Granularity Start Preview Click this button to preview the video with your crop settings Stop Preview Click this button to stop the preview ViewCast 49 Adaptive Streaming Options and Settings Watermarking tab Use the Watermarking tab Figure 47 to place a watermarked graphic over your video output Figure 47 Watermarking tab Auto Name Inp Video Cropping i Audio Settings Fites Closed Caption Operations Video Watermarking V Enable Watermarking File Name El 7 Enable Red 0 gt Green 0 3 Blue 0 Translucent Enable Color Key Width P Capture Size 720x487 Display Size 320x240 Start Preview E The Watermark tab has the following controls Enable Select this field to place a watermarked graphic over your video output Watermarking Vote You can only watermark a 24 bit bmp The system does not accept any other image formats File Name Click on the browse button at the end of the field to search for a file name of the graphic you want to use Color Key Select this field to adjust the color balance size and opacity of the graphic Translucent Select this field to render the graphic translucent 50 Top Use these
103. s process can be divided into three main workflow processes Process Description Single video session capture e Typically allow you to process and or author the one off file capture for non real captured file into its final form for delivery time delivery Batch video session capture e Multiple source content to digitalize archiving scheduling and e Requires a scheduler to automate capture sessions storage Live video capture processing e Can be single or multiple sources and delivery e Live event at a specific time e Can bea remote or local capture e Final content delivery in real time to viewers ViewCast Osprey cards have application in all three categories With Osprey cards you can pull video directly into your computer to broadcast live or to create a streaming media file directly from your video camera ViewCast Niagara series encoders are designed primarily for the third category live video capture processing and delivery The Niagara streaming appliances have been designed from the ground up to provide a highly reliable preconfigured plug and play solution that enables users to quickly and easily transform and deliver premium quality standard or high definition video to IP and mobile networks 128 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide What video streaming can do for you e Broadband Internet makes possible a massive new audience that broadcasters news services and other multimedia content provide
104. t 135 Appendix B Terms and Acronyms Term Acronym Definition Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol DHCP e A protocol network devices clients use to obtain the parameters necessary for operation in an Internet protocol IP network e It reduces system administration workload by allowing users to add devices to the network with little or no manual configuration Encoder e A hardware device or software that changes a signal such as a bitstream or data into a code e The code may perform such actions as compressing information for Transmission or storage Encrypting or adding redundancies to the input code Translating from one code to another e Examples include Compressing audio video into a smaller form Multiplexing to combine inputs into one output Functioning as a rotary encoder to convert rotary position to an analog electronic signal Functioning as a linear encoder to convert linear positions to electronic signals Flash e Also known as Adobe Flash e Aset of multimedia software originally created by Macromedia and currently developed and distributed by Adobe Systems e Since its introduction in 1996 Flash has become a popular method for adding animation and interactivity to web pages e Developers commonly use Flash to create animation advertisements and various web page components to integrate video into web pages and more recently to develop rich
105. ter a file name for the new combination of Niagara SCX and encoders 13 Click Save ViewCast 13 Niagara SCX and Explorer Basics Inserting a new encoder To insert a new encoder 1 Go to the Insert menu and select Encoder The system displays the New Encoder dialog box Figure 14 Figure 14 New Encoder ST xi Encoder Windows Media Encoder Driver Cancel Note You can alternately insert an encoder by clicking on the Encoder toolbar element or clicking the encoder right clicking and clicking Insert a New Encoder 2 Click the encoder type you want to add from the Encoder drop down list Click OK 3 Click OK to save the encoder you want to connect If you do not want to save the encoder click Cancel The new encoder with the default name New Encoder highlighted displays The tab changes to Auto Name Figure 15 New Encoder Display EM Niagara SCX Encoder Manager 4 MPEG Flash 9 TEMS 4 Type a name for the encoder such as Encoder 1 or Main Auditorium 5 Press Enter to save the name change 6 Repeat the above steps for any additional encoders installed on this sever 14 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Sample encoder views Figure 16 provides a sample of the Manual cex view combination with six complete encoders and one encoder being added Figure 16 Sample encoder view six encoders add encoder File Edit View Insert Encoder Help Delta x 2 Niagar
106. ters per device o Each filter has one preview pin and one capture pin o Standard applications can access a particular filter without any custom programming specialized for Osprey devices e Each filter has independent settings for cropping default output size watermarks and captions that you can store between sessions Note Compared to the previous pin based method no requirements exist for a particular startup order to associate settings with instantiations If you are familiar with GraphEdit you can best visualize SimulStream filters where you e Construct a multifilter graph with GraphEdit e Apply different crop watermark and caption settings to each filter ViewCast Enable check box Figure 100 SimulStream check box SimulStream Conditions for SimulStream Niagara SCX User Guide The check box at the top of the group Figure 100 turns on SimulStream for the currently selected device The following table indicates the conditions for SimulStream When Then you have a full SimulStream license installed select this check box to control full SimulStream you have a SimulStream license installed but have not turned SimulStream on the text shows SimulStream as enabled you have not purchased a SimulStream license select this check box to control SimulStream evaluation mode you clear the Enable check box the text line at the top of the control group indicate
107. th unique names D The system opens a prompt for you to enter the computer name or IP address and connect to a system running Niagara SCX E e Add a new or different encoder Options may include Adaptive AVI Flash Windows Media MPEG4 Bal Delete an encoder connection from Niagara SCX G Copy of the Niagara SCX User Guide 8 ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Menu bar The Menu bar contains some commands not available on the Niagara SCX toolbar File menu Figure 4 File menu commands New Ctrl N Open Ctri O Save Ctrl s Save As Exit New e Create a new Niagara SCX Encoder Manager connection e Group and save different SCX views for monitoring the status of the encoder Open Connect to and use the existing Niagara SCX encoder This command displays the Open window Figure 5 Figure 5 Open window File name Folders DEMO CEX c wiewcast niagara scx Cancel DEMO CEX Ba _ Cancel gt Program Files x86 E gt Viewcast Niagara SCX C3 Audio Plugins Read only E O Help List files of type Drives Niagara SCX Files ce y c v Network Select the file you want to open click Open The system displays the Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer window Figure 6 Note Appliances using Windows XP or other operating systems may have different windows ViewCast 9 Niagara SCX and Explorer Basics 10 Figure 6 Niaga
108. the system to flag the unresponsive Niagara SCX You can also delete rename or reconnect to Niagara SCX by clicking the specific item right click and select Delete Rename or Reconnect View menu Figure 8 View menu commands Mem Insert v Toolbar v Status Bar Toolbar View the toolbar on the SCX window You must click this option Status Bar View the status bar on the SCX window You must click this option Insert menu Figure 9 Insert menu commands Encoder Help lagara SCX Encoder Manager Encoder Niagara SCX Encoder Manager Select the encoder system Encoder Insert a new encoder ViewCast 11 Niagara SCX and Explorer Basics Creating a new Niagara SCX Explorer connection Niagara SCX Explorer allows you to save and view an encoder You save time by recalling a saved view To create a new Niagara SCX Explorer connection 1 Click File gt New The Niagara SCX Explorer window displays Figure 10 Figure 10 Niagara SCX Explorer e untitled cex Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer olx File Edit View Insert Encoder Help olem a gt x 2 2 Click Insert Click Niagara SCX Encoder Manager Confirm the computer name listed or use Browse to locate your computer name when the Connect To Server window Figure 11 displays Figure 11 Connect To Server Connect To Server x Computer name YourComputer Cancel 5 Click OK 6
109. this guide ccccoconocooncnnnnononononnnnnnncnnnnnnnonnnnnnnnnononnonnnnnnnnnnnnnrnnonnnnnannnnnns 1 Welcome to Niagara aa 3 System feature at dido 3 QUICK Start oren a a a ee 5 Setting up Niagara SCX environmMent sssssssssesssereserererersrererererererererererrererrererererereeereeees 5 Beginning tO CNCOCE ccccccccecessessssececeeeceeseeaaeceeeeecessesaaesesecsceusesaeaeeeseesseusesaeaeeeeeseseesenaeas 5 Niagara SCX and Explorer BaSics 1 ccccccccsssssssnnneceessesenensnneneeesssensssssenneeeessess 7 Niagara SCX window designs cacas 7 A O o eer ere 8 Menta aca 9 File Meninas iio 9 Edit MU ini a ceed ANa EE E EEE EE 11 MS O 11 110 MeN imet eeen n ana aaa aan an Te diaweavsveveedvecursasve cereesvadeiwesveverecavrduysuevevedes 11 Creating a new Niagara SCX Explorer connection ccccnccononoonnnnnnonnnononononnnnnonnnnnnanonononnnos 12 inserting a new encoder iios ssbesdenseedex sciscsevececieszecensvave cocayeksdeassincleinaycdeasbavsascbeaveteedeassieess 14 Sample encoder Vie WS sissien naen ee a AE A E NEE A ENEE 15 ENCOdE MENU taria 16 Starting am PP aoina ateac adani nero iaae iaio 16 Stopping arn CNCODER aisre noria E aE E E AAE E A EEEa 16 Resetting an ENCODER somrcssi reri onson eri a o RE A EE EEE A EA TE ERRER ins eR NESA 17 PASM MEMU ere a a e a a a a 17 Stopping the Niagara SCX ExplOrer ccccccccccccsssssssseseceeecsesessaeceeecscesseaaaeseceeseessesseaeeeeess 17 Windows Media Options an
110. tically Enable this field to start the encoder when the Niagara SCX service starts Start Device at Service Startup Codec Name Enter the name of the encoder Located On Indicates the name of the machine where the encoder resides ViewCast 19 Windows Media Options and Settings Input tab 20 Use the Input tab Figure 20 to set the input sources to use for Live or File Conversion File Transcode encoding Figure 20 Input tab Profile Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name Input Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fitters Input Sources V Video Osprey 700 HD Video Device 1 y T Audio SDI Input 1 Osprey 700 HD 1 C File Conversion File Transcode Input File M I Contains Audio Contains Video To set a live input source 1 Click Live 2 Click the video capture device from the drop down list in the Video field 3 Click the audio device from the drop down list in the Audio field for live encoding Note The system lists all known video and audio devices in the drop down menus To set file conversion 1 Click File Conversion File Transcode to encode a previously recorded file such as avi or wav files into streaming format 2 Click on the browse button at the end of Input File to browse for a file name to insert The Open window displays IMPORTANT When Niagara SCX and SCX Explorer reside on differe
111. tion of the capture File Size The size of the file Frames The number of video frames captured captured Bytes The number of video bytes captured captured Frame size The size of the video frames Frames The number of audio frames captured captured Bytes The number of audio bytes captured captured Frame size The size of the audio frame CPU Load The current system CPU load and audio level ViewCast 69 AVI Capture Options and Settings View tab To preview the video while encoding or to see the output video you must have enabled Osprey SimulStream for the capture card Osprey SimulStream enables a single card to produce multiple outputs For more information or to purchase SimulStream for your Osprey capture card visit http viewcast com products software simulstream Monitor the encoder output on the View tab Figure 65 Figure 65 View tab Statistics View m Preview Stop Preview M URL Information URL file NPOS450006 D A Files Out capture avi Copy URL Launch URL The View tab has the following controls Start Preview Click Start Preview to initiate the view following a buffer delay Stop Preview Click Stop Preview to stop displaying the video immediately Note Playback stops automatically when you select another encoder URL Displays the URL information Information Copy URL Click this button to copy the URL Launch
112. uction to Streaming Media A live video stream refers to sending online video and audio signals real time to any number of viewers No matter what the live content is sporting events local interest stories government mandated open meetings specialized business opportunities or training sessions there is a local or global audience for it With streaming technology viewers can watch and listen to media while it is transmitting to their browser instead of waiting for it to download completely and then play it Harnessing the power of streaming technology can take your business to the highest levels First you need to understand why streaming media is a compelling way to capture your audience and the technologies behind it Streaming media types Streamed content can be in a variety of types news and entertainment being perhaps the most familiar However it can also be educational media as in Distance Learning For a large enterprise the video may be a corporate CEO presentation to global employees For governments it may be streaming a city council meeting Internet Radio is streaming without video Ministries use streaming media to reach out to home based viewers In addition many of less well known applications exist for video streaming including traffic cameras and surveillance in high crime areas A number of applications use the streaming technology When video or a combination of video and graphics is delivered over the
113. vice itself ViewCast 131 Appendix A An Introduction to Streaming Media you hire a CDN to deliver your content Some CDN companies have online account signup so you can create an instant relationship and be streaming globally in mere minutes How viewers find the stream So far you are capturing and encoding live video and audio and creating a TCP IP stream You have signed up a CDN and now you want your audience to view it So what s next You will need some way for your audience to know how and where to pick up your stream for viewing Here s how that typically works when you sign up with a streaming service provider CDN they will give you both a network address to send your Uplink video to their server network s input point and a link to the server output The Output URL is important because it is where you want your viewer to browse For browser based users the publish link is usually contained in a website link Step 2 clicking on the link Step 3 launches an appropriate video player if one is installed on the viewer s computer and the playback experience begins For mobile devices and most TV based playback applications the link is contained in some sort of electronic program guide The guide can be searchable and even schedule able When the link is selected a suitable player is launched and the video appears on screen You can also send the links in e mails or include them in electronic newsletters Th
114. w Encoder Encoder a Cancel 90 ViewCast Auto Name tab Figure 85 Auto Name tab Untitled Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer File Edit View Insert Encoder Help nsa x 2 oix E Niagara SCX Encoder Manager on HS10 Auto Name eg FLASH a WME Eg iPhone th a a Encode Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations General Properties Fiters gF Streaming Options TF Automatically Start Device at Service Startup Codec Name MPEG Located On H510440005 l we Ready NUM The Auto Name tab has the following controls Niagara SCX User Guide Start Device at Service Startup Automatically Select this field to start the encoder when the Niagara SCX service starts Codec Name Enter the name of the encoder Located On Indicates the name of the machine where the encoder resides ViewCast 91 MPEG 4 Options and Settings Input tab Use the Input tab Figure 86 to set the input sources to use for Live or File Conversion File Transcode Figure 86 MPEG 4 Input Sources Encode Settings Video Cropping Watermarking Closed Caption Operations Auto Name A Video Settings Audio Settings Output Fites Input Sources Live V Video Osprey 700 HD Video Device 1 y M Audio SDI Input 1 Osprey 700 HD 1 y File Conversion File Transcode Input File E F Contain
115. wCast Niagara SCX User Guide Niagara SCX and SimulStream Niagara SCX and SimulStream represent the perfect team of tools for maximizing resources for encoding purposes With just one capture card you can encode a single source into multiple outputs Examples include using a single video that you can encode in Adaptive Flash MPEG 4 and Windows Media You can encode these simultaneously by using SimulStream SimulStream allows you to take a single input and encode in different formats and or bitrates simultaneously Because there is only one input when using SimulStream you establish each encoding output as an encoder in the SCX Explorer Setting up a SimulStream session To set up a SimulStream session 1 2 3 4 9 Connect to the Niagara SCX Encoder Manager service Insert the desired encoder type you wish to run on the server Enter a name to identify the encoder Click on the video and audio input for this encoder on the Input tab Note This could also be a file requiring conversion to a streaming format Use the same video input for each output If you have multiple boards in the system select the same board for each output desired Configure the video and audio settings if needed on the Video and Audio Settings tab Note Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each output for example Flash and Windows Media There is only one input but two outputs Click on the output in the Output tab Note On the second Output t
116. y Color bar test signals fall into two general categories 100 bars full amplitude or 75 bars reduced amplitude Note Always use 75 bars for basic testing because 100 bars contain signal levels that may be too high to pass through a system without distortion Adjust the source by adjusting the brightness and or contrast on the capture card until it resembles a flight of stairs Figure 106 Figure 106 Vectorscope with Settings to be Adjusted uning ventes zi ViewCast Niagara SCX User Guide Gamma Correction Gamma refers to the response curve of video cameras CRTs When you capture video with a camera the camera response remains deliberately nonlinear it boosts low lumen values and compresses high lumen values based on two reasons e It increases the effective bandwidth in low lumen ranges where you need it at the expense of high lumen ranges where you need it less e it matches the response characteristics of TV sets and monitors The calibration specified in video standards matches the requirements of cameras and TV sets in broadcast use This calibration usually however does not match the needs of computer based applications or the response curves of computer monitors Therefore you often need a correction inverse to the original bias and you may want to tune for the characteristics of a particular monitor To enable gamma correction 1 Click Enable 2 When the setting equals 1 00 you make the

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