SGI MediaBase
SGI MediaBase 4.0.1 is a Web application that streams audio and video data from a server, where the data is stored and managed, to client systems where users can play it. A client system can be a personal computer, workstation, or television set (a set-top box is required to translate the incoming stream when the client is a TV). MediaBase server offer two types of programming to clients: Showings, which are scheduled programs whose start and end times are set in advance by the MediaBase administrator; and Videos, which are programs that users can play any time they wish. To play programs on a PC or workstation, player software should be installed on it. If the programs that are played, vary in stream quality, or if they are streamed at different bit-rates or in different formats, users may need to install more than one player. On a TV, a specialist configures the set-top box to accommodate these stream differences. Using the MediaBase User Web Site The MediaBase user Web site is a collection of pages that end users access from a client computer to install players and start a MediaBase session. This site makes two types of programs available to users:
To use the features on the MediaBase user site, Java and JavaScript must be enabled on the user's Web browser. Accessing the MediaBase User Web Site Users access the MediaBase user site by entering the following URL in their Web browser. In this entry, hostname is the name of the MediaBase Server: http://hostname/mbase Showings Schedule The Showings Schedule page organizes multicasts and simulated multicast programs according to their scheduled time to play. From the Showings Schedule page, users can click the name of a showing to play it. Or they can search for a particular showing using the Search icon at the top of the page, which displays the Search dialog. When users choose a showing, a dialog appears that counts down the time remaining until the showing starts. Clicking Home on the Showings Schedule page returns you to the home page of the MediaBase user site. Requesting Videos Videos that are available from the MediaBase user site are organized alphabetically and stored in folders (if the MediaBase administrator creates the folders). Users can request videos from two links on the home page of the user site:
Searching Videos When users click the Search Videos link on the home page of the MediaBase user site, the Search Videos page is displayed. From this page, users can click the Search button to display a list of all videos or request a qualified search of the videos list. To play a video from the Search Videos page, users choose it from a list that they can display by one of the following methods:
When the search is finished, a listing is displayed that contains videos that match the qualifications in the user entry. To play a video, users click the name of the video in this list. Listing Videos When users click the List Videos link from the home page of the MediaBase user site, the List Videos page displays the contents of the root (/) folder. To play a video, users open the folder (if necessary) and click the title from this list. Pattern-Matching in User Requests The input fields in MediaBase search dialogs allow users to enter a keywords and pattern-matching character strings to qualify a search. The pattern-matching string limits the list of videos and showings that meet the qualification in the user's entry. Personal Sequence Dialog Personal sequences allow users to combine videos into a sequence and play it using the Play Personal Sequence dialog . This dialog is displayed by clicking the Play Personal Sequence icon that appears on the Search Videos and List Videos pages .( Also, users can create personal sequences with MediaBase authoring tools. Personal sequences must comply with the standard rules for MediaBase sequences. A personal sequence can contain a maximum of 16 installed assets. Installing a Player MediaBase client software - the player, plug-in, and helper application - should be installed from the user's system using the Install Players page. Users can install players directly from MediaBase or from third-party Web sites. Installing Players Directly From MediaBase On the Install Players page, users choose their system type and a player from pulldown menus; then they click the Download button to install all necessary software. MediaBase automatically sets stream processing parameters on players during their installation. However, these parameters can be customized using configuration dialogs that are accessed from client systems. Installing Players from Third-Party Web Sites Users can play QuickTime and RealNetworks assets on their desktops without installing any of this type of player software from MediaBase. To do this, users download the respective players from the QuickTime or the RealNetworks site. This is the default behavior in MediaBase version 4.0. Customizing a MediaBase Client MediaBase supports capability-based streaming: that is, the client specifies its hardware and software capabilities to the server at the beginning of a session, and the server determines the best way to send the video and audio streams to the client. In most cases, the default values that MediaBase uses for client sessions are satisfactory. However, you can change the client configuration by adding or removing players or modifying the parameters that control the flow of data from the server. The Player Configuration Tool allows you to make these changes. Configuration details of MediaBase software at SERC In SERC, the server octane4 (IP address: 144.16.52.15) has been configured as the Mediabase Server. Users can access the MediaBase by entering the following URL in their Web browser: For further assistance, please contact HelpDesk@SERC
by E-mail
or phone (#444 within SERC). |