VBrick StreamPlayer StreamPlayer v4.
Copyright © 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. 12 Beaumont Road Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, USA www.VBrick.com This publication contains confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information. No part of this document may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any machine-readable or electronic format without prior written permission from VBrick.
Contents Preface Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Font Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Printer-Friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v 1. Getting Started Using StreamPlayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7. Capture Driver Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Installing Capture Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verifying Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using a Captured Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preface This document is written for anyone using or evaluating StreamPlayer. The StreamPlayer product family lets you view high quality MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and Windows Media streams (both live and on-demand) right from your desktop. The StreamPlayer software is available in two versions: StreamPlayer, a view-only component, and StreamPlayer Plus which also allows recording and editing of MPEG streams.
T To save or print a PDF document: 1. Click once to open the PDF document in Acrobat Reader. 2. On the Acrobat Reader toolbar, click Save or Print .
Chapter 1 Getting Started Using StreamPlayer Unless specifically noted, StreamPlayer refers to StreamPlayer WM, StreamPlayer, StreamPlayer with MPEG-2 Playback, and StreamPlayer Plus. If you have Windows XP with Service Pack 2 installed and are using the Windows Firewall (on by default) you need to follow this procedure. The first time that you launch StreamPlayer or StreamPlayer Plus you will see an error message. Click Unblock . The next time you run StreamPlayer Plus you will not see this message again.
Archive Pressing the Archived Files button lets you play stored video files. If StreamPlayer Plus is installed, it also allows users to edit MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video files and FTP video files. Help Launch the online help system. Minimize or close the application. Preferences The Preferences button allows the user to modify the StreamPlayer default settings. IP Address IP address of selected stream. Port Port number of selected stream. StreamPlayer Differences Table 1.
Chapter 2 Play Playing a Stream StreamPlayer buffers a certain amount of data before starting a stream to ensure smooth playback. Streams with a lower data rate will take slightly longer to start than those with a higher data rate. StreamPlayer launches Windows Media Player to play MPEG/Windows Media video streams on the PC. There are several ways to play video through StreamPlayer.
network connection, and if you try to play online content, you receive an error message. This problem may also occur if your player is set to Work Offline. T To force the player to always assume that the player is connected to a network: 1. Go to Tools > Options. 2. On the Player tab, under Player settings, check the Connect to the Internet check box. See the following URL for more information: http://support.microsoft.com/ default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;838101 4 © 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Chapter 3 Record Recording a Stream StreamPlayer Plus only. Recording from VBricks using StreamPlayer Plus software may be done in a number of different modes with various protection schemes. The recording might consist of a single large file or a series of smaller, or batch, files. Batch files may be set up so that recent files overwrite earlier ones. Live streams might have the ability to record them suppressed or allowed through a password.
Note The file name extension for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, is .mpg. For MPEG-4 it is .mp4. For Windows Media it is .wmv. Password Protection Enter the password if it is a protected stream. Streams can be password protected in a VBrick Appliance in the SAP Transmit or Encoder Configuration section of a VBrick Appliance (refer to the VB1000-2000-3000 or VB4000-5000-6000 User Guide for instructions on how to configure SAPs). StreamPlayer Plus can record password-protected streams if the password is known.
Record Units • Time – Enter the duration in H (hours), M (minutes) and S (seconds). The file can be recorded in one continuous stream and the length of the recorded file specified by duration in seconds or KB. The minimum number of seconds that can be entered is 1; the default is 1 minute. An error message will be displayed if there is not sufficient disk space for the file being captured.
Disk Storage Requirements Stream recording requires significant disk space. One minute of captured video/audio from a 1.2 Mbps stream (a typical MPEG-1 stream or a high bit rate MPEG-4 stream) requires approximately 9 MB of disk space. By comparison, 1 minute of captured video/audio from a 5.5 MB per second stream (a typical MPEG-2 stream) requires approximately 40 MB of disk space. Be sure to have enough disk space free for any intended capture.
Chapter 4 Play/Edit Saved Files Playing Saved Files StreamPlayer Plus can play most MPEG and Windows Media files, and video can be played directly on a PC after recording a stream to disk. Select the Archive button on StreamPlayer to open the video file location. A file browser makes it possible to select, open and play a file. Recorded MPEG and Windows Media video files placed on a file server are available for ondemand viewing using StreamPlayer software.
Editing Files The Archive Editor allows selecting a portion of the MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video file for immediate playback, and permits saving this clip as a new file. The editor is not frameaccurate; rather, it indicates how many seconds from the start of the file that the edited section begins, and how many seconds from the start of the file until it ends. T To edit an MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video file: 1.
Play/Edit Saved Files Local File Name The full path name of the file to transfer. The default is the current file. Start/Stop Bytes If a start and stop position have been selected in the Archive Viewer, this is the starting and ending position in bytes that will constitute the file to be transferred. In other words, the edit can be FTPed without saving it locally. Save to Remote File Name The full path name where the file will be located on the FTP server.
12 © 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Chapter 5 Preferences Setting Preferences Note that StreamPlayer always uses the latest Windows Media Player installed on your computer. You cannot choose a specific player. General Computer resources allocated to Windows Media Player This setting allocates computer video resource preferences. Depending on the computer environment, StreamPlayer may require higher priority than other non-real time processes that may be running on the desktop.
IMGP IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol) is used to receive multicast streams from a network. The latest version of this protocol (version 3) supports Source Specific Multicast (SSM). In an SSMenabled environment, multiple streams can be sent to the same multicast address. Decoders can distinguish between streams based on their source IP address. This option is available only on Windows XP machines and is supported for 232.x.x.x address space. When this option is on, StreamPlayer can playback 232.x.
Preferences MPEG-4 Due to the lower bandwidth nature of MPEG-4 streams, StreamPlayer offers several parameters to tune the receiving of MPEG-4 streams. Buffer Size Sets the buffer size which provides a more smooth viewing experience if there is packet loss. Default (and minimum setting) is 200 milliseconds for UDP Playback (typical on a Local Area Network) and 2000 milliseconds (2 seconds) for TCP Playback (typical on the Internet).
Categories StreamPlayer supports Categories. Categories allow the sender to restrict the ability of network users to see a stream announcement the network. For example, a corporation can broadcast financial, sales and engineering information from separate VBrick appliances onto a common network. A Category known to the sender and recipient protects the stream announcement from being seen by others.
Chapter 6 Windows Media Player StreamPlayer uses the latest version of the Windows Media Player installed on your computer to play a selected stream. (Windows Media Player can be downloaded from the Microsoft website if it isn't already installed on your PC.) Once a stream is launched with Windows Media Player, you can select various Windows Media Player options. However, it is important to note that different versions of the Media Player have different capabilities and options.
File Options Launching a Stream from Windows Media Player This applies to entering MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 streams. Open does not work with RTSP on Windows Media Player 7.1 and 9. The address on those versions can be entered directly into the IP Address window on StreamPlayer. The multicast address and port number may be entered directly in Media Player without launching StreamPlayer by using File > Open , and typing in the IP address and port from which the stream originates.
Windows Media Player View Options Most StreamPlayer Plus options are set under the Preferences tab of the StreamPlayer Plus application but others can be set in the menus Windows Media Player. The View options make it possible to resize the display, choose a skin, and set other display options. View options include the following. Full Mode Shows player in standard consumer mode. Skin Mode Shows player in selected skin (for example Corporate).
20 © 2007 VBrick Systems, Inc.
Chapter 7 Capture Driver MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 only. VBrick's Capture Driver is a virtual video capture card. The Capture Driver software acts similar to the way hardware capture cards work, with the added benefit that it can receive video originating from a VBrick. The Capture Driver receives the MPEG video and outputs AVI or DV video; therefore, all existing software programs that capture or manipulate video and audio may be used with VBrick appliances.
Check Capture Driver and press Next . If you have previously installed Capture Driver then a popup dialog box will appear asking you if you wish to remove the old version and restart your PC. You must choose Yes to install the software. Choosing No will cancel the install. If you select Yes, an additional popup dialog box will appear asking for a license file. A License file is required for installation of StreamPlayer Plus. The license file, ending with a .
Capture Driver 7. The Properties tab shows VBrick Video Capture . The General tab reports Device Status. 8. Under Sound, Video and game controllers, double-click on Legacy Audio Drivers. 9. Select the Properties tab. Double-click on Audio Devices. The Audio for VBrick Video Capture will display. The General tab reports Device Status. Using a Captured Stream T To use Capture Driver: 1. Open the third-party software for which you want to capture video or audio. 2.
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VBrick Systems, Inc.
