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Preface

Update: July 22, 2015

The Cisco Media Experience Engine (MXE) 3500 is a network appliance that runs Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 software. The Cisco MXE 3500 with Release 3.3 delivers a comprehensive set of media transformation services to discover, connect, record, enrich, and deliver video and other forms of rich media. These services make video content findable, accessible, and easy to consume anytime, anywhere, on any device. This guide provides an overview of the Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 software system components, detailed instructions for performing administration tasks, and detailed descripiton of the Cisco MXE 3500 web user interface (UI).

Organization

This guide includes the following sections:

Section Title Description 1 Overview Provides an overview of the Cisco MXE 3500 components, web user interface (UI), and configuration options. 2 Configuration and Describes the required and optional configurations. Administration Tasks 3 Profile Management Describes how to create job profiles and component profiles. 4 Submitting Jobs Describes how to submit jobs. 5 Administration Describes administration features, how to manage and monitor jobs, and run reports. A Appendix Describes troubleshooting, backing up and restoring data, installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 software using the software DVDs, administration accounts, and the Folder Attendant XML reference.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 iii Preface

Send document feedback to [email protected]. Conventions

This document uses the following conventions:

Convention Indication bold font Commands and keywords and user-entered text appear in bold font. italic font Document titles, new or emphasized terms, and arguments for which you supply values are in italic font. [ ] Elements in square brackets are optional. {x | y | z } Required alternative keywords are grouped in braces and separated by vertical bars. [ x | y | z ] Optional alternative keywords are grouped in brackets and separated by vertical bars. string A nonquoted set of characters. Do not use quotation marks around the string or the string will include the quotation marks. courier font Terminal sessions and information the system displays appear in courier font. < > Nonprinting characters such as passwords are in angle brackets. [ ] Default responses to system prompts are in square brackets. !, # An exclamation point (!) or a pound sign (#) at the beginning of a line of code indicates a comment line.

Note Means reader take note.

Tip Means the following information will help you solve a problem.

Caution Means reader be careful. In this situation, you might perform an action that could result in equipment damage or loss of data.

Timesaver Means the described action saves time. You can save time by performing the action described in the paragraph.

Warning Means reader be warned. In this situation, you might perform an action that could result in bodily injury.

Related Documentation

The Cisco MXE 3500 product documentation is available at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps12130/tsd_products_support_series_home.html

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 iv Preface

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For a complete list of available documentation, see the Guide to Documentation for Cisco MXE 3500 at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9892/products_documentation_roadmaps_list.html

Providing Documentation Feedback

To provide feedback on this document, or to report an error or omission, you can use the online, Embedded Feedback form that appears on the upper-right side of the screen of each chapter in this document. Alternatively, you can send feedback to [email protected]. You can access the most current version of this document at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9892/products_user_guide_list.html

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional information, see the monthly What’s New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and revised Cisco technical documentation, at: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/whatsnew/whatsnew.html Subscribe to the What’s New in Cisco Product Documentation as an RSS feed and set content to be delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a free service. Cisco currently supports RSS Version 2.0.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 v Preface

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CHAPTER 1

Overview

The Cisco MXE 3500 with Release 3.3 delivers a comprehensive set of media transformation services to discover, connect, record, enrich, and deliver video and other forms of rich media. These services make video content findable, accessible, and easy to consume anytime, anywhere, on any device. This chapter provides an overview of the new features and licensed features available with Release 3.3, the Cisco MXE 3500 components, deployment options, transcoding process, and MXE Web UI.. • New Features, page 1-1 • Licensed Features, page 1-2 • Cisco MXE 3500 System Components, page 1-2 • Encode and Transcode Process, Video Pipelines, and Jobs, page 1-3 • Cisco MXE 3500 Web User Interface Overview, page 1-5

New Features

Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 includes the following new features: • Integrated workflow between Cisco TelePresence Content Server, Cisco MXE 3500, and Cisco Show and Share—When Cisco MXE 3500 integration with Cisco TCS is configured, recorded videos in Cisco TCS are automatically delivered to the Cisco MXE 3500 for transformation and then delivered to Cisco Show and Share for sharing. • New ingest formats for VOD—Flash 9 and 10, WebEx (.arf 2.26 and below) files. • The Video Conversion Interface is enhanced for ease of use. • Pulse video analytics for speech and speaker tagging—The Pulse video analytics feature enables keyword tagging and speaker identification in video content. The enhanced video content is shared through Cisco Show and Share.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 1-1 Chapter 1 Overview Licensed Features Send document feedback to [email protected]. Licensed Features

Table 1-1 describes the Cisco MXE 3500 features that require additional licenses.

Table 1-1 Cisco MXE 3500 Licensed Features

Licensed Feature Description PIDs Resource Manager Enables multiple Cisco MXE 3500 devices to run as a • MXE-3500-33RM-K9 single group with one set of user accounts, job profiles, Resource Node • MXE-3500-33RN-K9 licensed features, and user interfaces. Enables user-management functionality, such user accounts and roles, profile spaces, and user metadata. Video Conversion Enables an easy-to-use interface for end users to do • MXE-3500-UILIC Interface transcoding, post production, and sharing through a portal like Cisco Show and Share. IP Capture Enables the Cisco MXE 3500 to ingest live enterprise TV • MXE-3500-LVLIC (Live Streaming) and IPTV feeds and repurpose the content so that it can be viewed on a variety of endpoints. Speech to Text Enables the Cisco MXE 3500 to create text transcripts • MXE-3500-STLIC from videos. Graphics Overlay Enables the Cisco MXE 3500 to embed watermark, • MXE-3500-GRLIC bumpers, trailers, and text transcripts as text captions. Pulse Video Enables keyword tagging and speaker identification and • MXE-PULSE-200 Analytics sharing through a portal like Cisco Show and Share. • MXE-PULSE-400P

Cisco MXE 3500 System Components

The following sections briefly describe the basic components of the Cisco MXE 3500: • Enterprise Control System (ECS), page 1-2 • Configuration and Monitoring (CAM) Service, page 1-3 • Local Control System (LCS), page 1-3) • Workers, page 1-3

Enterprise Control System (ECS)

The ECS is the software control system that drives all of the intelligence behind the Cisco MXE 3500. • The ECS controls the entire Cisco MXE 3500. • The ECS communicates with the SQL database for job/task scheduling, tracking, monitoring, and logging. • The ECS is also responsible for: – Validating licenses – Submitting jobs to the Local Control System (LCS), page 1-3

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– Providing Redundancy/Fault Tolerance in cluster environments • The ECS runs as a Windows service on the Cisco MXE 3500.

Configuration and Monitoring (CAM) Service

The CAM works along with the ECS. The CAM listens (on port 3051) for incoming requests (new job submissions, status requests, configuration related requests, etc.) from the Cisco MXE 3500 UI and Web services API. It processes the configuration and monitoring (i.e. status) requests and forwards job/license related requests to the ECS for processing.

Local Control System (LCS)

• The LCS is the application that drives all of the encoders and other workers that accomplish tasks, such as file management and notification. • The LCS is “parented” by the Enterprise Control System (ECS), page 1-2. • The LCS is the “worker ant” of the system; it derives its intelligence from the ECS. • The LCS runs as a Windows service.

Workers

The following are types of Cisco MXE 3500 workers: • Preprocessor: the entry point to the system for videos being processed • Encoder: QuickTime, H.264, MPEG, and WMV • Distribution worker: FTP, SFTP, and File Copy • Fileman worker: performs file system cleanup • Notification worker: HTTP Post or e-mail notifications

Encode and Transcode Process, Video Pipelines, and Jobs

This section includes the following topics: • Encode and Transcode Process (Live or File > MXE > Transrated), page 1-3 • Data and Video Pipeline, page 1-4 • Running Jobs, page 1-4

Encode and Transcode Process (Live or File > MXE > Transrated)

Decoding, Encoding, and Transcoding Overview 1. File-based video or IP stream is decoded to an uncompressed AVI temp file. 2. This AVI file is written to disk (default behavior) or memory (Immediate Mode).

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3. Encoder specified in the job profile reads the AVI file as a source and outputs the appropriate format. See also: Data and Video Pipeline, page 1-4.

Data and Video Pipeline

Figure 1-1 provides a visual description of the data/video pipeline.

Figure 1-1 Video Pipeline

Running Jobs

A job is a request to the system to encode, decode, and transcode a video. This section includes the following topics: • Job Profiles, page 1-4 • Job Submission, page 1-5 • Input Formats (File-Based Inputs), page 1-5 • Output Formats (File Based), page 1-5

Job Profiles

Job profiles are templates that define how jobs should be processed; they can contain part or all of the settings, including input and output formats, required to process jobs from beginning to final distribution. The Cisco MXE 3500 comes with a set of default profiles. See also: Job Profiles

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Job Submission

The following are Cisco MXE 3500 job submission channels: • Cisco MXE 3500 User Interface (UI) • Folder Attendant API • Video Conversion Interface See also: Submitting a Job, page 11-1, Automate Job Submission with Folder Attendant, page 11-22, Video Conversion Interface (SUI), page 13-43

Input Formats (File-Based Inputs)

• File-Based Inputs – MPEG1, MPEG-2, MPEG4, WAV, Avid OMF, DV, QuickTime, AVI, WMV, MOD, TOD, MTS, Flash 9 and 10, WebEx (.arf) • Live – Time triggers – IP triggers – Now – Duration

Output Formats (File Based)

• Cable VOD – MPEG-2 Transport Stream, AC3 audio, CableLabs compliant • Mobile – 3GP, MPEG4, H264, H263, AAC, AMR, Vidiator™ (partial), PacketVideo™, Apple • Web – MP4, Windows Media, Flash 7, Flash 8, QuickTime, MP3, Real • MPEG-2 – MP@ML, MP@HL, 4:2:2@HL, AC3 audio, Program and Transport Streams, DVD Compliant

Cisco MXE 3500 Web User Interface Overview

The Cisco MXE 3500 web user interface (UI) is described in the following sections:

Note Recommended minimum screen resolution is 1280x1024.

Note The Clear Status button clears custom messages (for example, success or error messages) from the page. It does not clear field or job validation messages (for example, missing field messages).

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• Accessing the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI, page 1-6

UI components • Information Panel, page 1-7 • Menu Bar, page 1-8 • Toolbox, page 1-8 • Profile Browser, page 1-9 • Main Window, page 1-9

Note The Cisco MXE 3500 does not support tape job submissions.

Accessing the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI

Access the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI at http://mxe_IP_address/mxeui/, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500. On the Log In prompt, enter User Name: admin. Enter the password created during initial configuration, or the changed password if you have changed the password from the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI.

Figure 1-2 Cisco MXE 3500 Login Prompt

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The web UI, shown in Figure 1-3, is the main UI.

Figure 1-3 User Interface Components

Information Panel

This area provides the following information: • Server: Displays the host name of the Cisco MXE 3500. • User: Displays the name of the user currently logged into the Cisco MXE 3500. • Profile Space: Displays the profile space. • Logout: Select this link to log out of the Cisco MXE 3500 or log in as a different user. • Change Password: Click this link to change the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI admin password. The Change Password dialog displays (Figure 1-4). This changes the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI admin password only.

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Figure 1-4 Change Password Pop-Up

Menu Bar

The menu bar offers the following options: • File: Create a New Profile, Open a Profile, Change Password, or Log Out. • View: View offers the same options that are available from the Toolbox, page 1-8. Select Customize to display or hide user interface components (Navigation column, Toolbox, and Profile Browser). • Tools: Reset License Cache: Reset licensing information within the UI application. This option is typically performed by an administrator when a Cisco MXE 3500 license is changed / updated on the ECS. Choosing the Reset License Cache operation updates the Cisco MXE 3500 UI with the latest license information. • Help: View the software version number, contact Cisco MXE 3500 Technical Support, or read Help files.

Toolbox

The Toolbox is a navigation tool that allows you to quickly view any section: • Submission: Used to submit File or Live jobs. • Profile Management: Used to create and manage component profiles (Preprocessor, Encoder, Distribution) and Job Profiles. • Administration: Used to manage host, system, user and role permissions, profile space, custom metadata, Video Conversion Interface (SUI), API, LDAP, and shared folder access settings. • Monitoring: Used to monitor job status, timed job status, system status, and node health status. • Reports: Used to create custom status reports. • Folder Attendant: Used to set up watch folders and track automatically ingested jobs.

Note All functions accessed in the Toolbox can also be accessed from the View menu.

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The Profile Browser, shown in Figure 1-5, behaves in the following ways: • Click Search (next to Filter Text) to populate the results, then click Create New Profile. Note that this option is not present if you do not have the correct permissions for profile editing. • If the current page is Job Submission and the Browse Type is Job Profile, double-clicking on a result profile name will select that Job Profile in the Job Submission Job Profile list box. • If the current page is Folder Attendant and the Browse Type is Job Profile, double-clicking on a Profile in the Results list will select that Job Profile in the Watches Job Profile drop-down. • If the current page is New Profile or Open Profile and the Browse Type is Job Profile, double-clicking on a Profile name will open that Job Profile for editing. • If the current page is the Job Profile editing page, double-clicking on a profile in the Results list (profile types that are not Job Profiles), will select that profile in the Job Profile edit page for inclusion in the currently open Job Profile. • If none of the above conditions are met and you double-click a result task profile name (task profile is any non-Job Profile), the chosen profile will be opened for editing in the profile editing content page. Note that this behavior will only be active if the user has the correct profile editing permissions.

Figure 1-5 Profile Browser

If the Profile Browser is not displayed, depending on your current display, do one of the following: • From the main menu, select View > Customize > Toggle Navigation Column • From the main menu, select View > Customize > Profile Browser

Main Window

The Main Window displays the page selected from the Toolbox or from the View menu.

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CHAPTER 2

Configuration Tasks

This chapter describes the deployment options and guidelines, and the additional required and optional configurations after you have completed the initial configuration of the Cisco MXE 3500 appliance. The following information is described: • Deployment Options, page 2-2 • Deployment Guidelines, page 2-2

Required Configuration • Installing QuickTime, page 2-3 • Obtaining and Installing Licenses, page 2-5 • Configuring the Host Settings, page 2-5 • Configuring the Input and Output Media Directories, page 2-6 • Enabling System Administration E-mail Notifications, page 2-6

Optional Tasks • Configuring User Settings, page 2-8 • Configuring the Video Conversion Interface (SUI) Feature, page 2-8 • Configuring Shared Folders, page 2-9 • Creating Folder Attendant Directory and Watch, page 2-10 • Configuring Timezone, page 2-11 • Configuring Licensed Features, page 2-13 • Testing a Cisco MXE 3500 Deployment, page 2-13

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-1 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Deployment Options

Deployment Options

The Cisco MXE 3500 with Release 3.3 can be configured for a standalone or a clustered deployment. • Standalone Deployment, page 2-2 • Clustered Deployment, page 2-2

Standalone Deployment

A standalone deployment consists of one or more Cisco MXE 3500 running as individual appliances; each appliance has its own set of user accounts, job profiles, licensed features, and user interfaces. Each standalone appliance runs the Enterprise Control System (ECS), Configuration and Monitoring (CAM) service, and Local Control System (LCS) components.

Clustered Deployment

A clustered deployment consists of one or more Cisco MXE 3500 appliance running as a single group with one set of user accounts, job profiles, licensed features, and user interfaces. A clustered deployment also provides user-management functionality, such as the ability to create users with specific roles and access to specific sections of the web UI. There are two types of Cisco MXE 3500 appliances in a clustered deployment: a single Resource Manager (RM) and up to nine Resource Nodes (RNs). Resource Manager—Similar to a standalone appliance, the RM runs the Enterprise Control System (ECS), Configuration and Monitoring (CAM) service, and Local Control System (LCS) components on the same Cisco MXE 3500 appliance and is aware of all RNs in the group. The RM functions as a multinode manager by assigning various transcoding jobs to RNs, balancing the job loads uniformly based on the Capacity, Limit, and Expense values that you configure in the RM for each RN. Because the RM also runs LCS, it functions also as a RN and can process jobs. Resource Node—Runs only the LCS component and performs transcoding jobs scheduled by the RM. A single RM appliance can support up to 10 RNs, including the RM itself as a node.

Deployment Guidelines

This section describes the configuration guidelines and restrictions for standalone and clustered deployments. • Guidelines for a Standalone Deployment, page 2-2 • Guidelines for a Clustered Deployment, page 2-3

Guidelines for a Standalone Deployment

The following configuration guidelines and restrictions apply to standalone deployments: • The Hostname must be unique and can be set as part of the installation process. • We recommend that you use RDC to access remotely the Windows OS which supports the Cisco MXE 3500 application.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-2 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Installing QuickTime

• The public IP address must be unique. • Beginning with Release 3.1, all publicly shared directories must be hosted under C:\shared. If you had shared folders or watch folders prior to Release 3.1, you should copy them to C:\shared as subdirectories. Manually modify the affected setup, such as profiles, watch folders, and FTP configuration.

Guidelines for a Clustered Deployment

The following configuration guidelines and restrictions apply to clustered deployments: • To obtain a license for a clustered deployment that includes all the RNs you purchased, you must complete the product license registration for the RM appliance and each RN. • All paths that you configure on the RM must be UNC paths, not local paths, because all nodes must be able to read across the network. • We recommend that the RM and RNs remain on the same LAN because of the transfer of media files. If the network bandwidth is low and delays are high, then jobs may fail due to timeouts. • If an RN fails, the RM transfers jobs to other available RNs without job loss; however, if the RM fails, the cluster will go down. • To enable a licensed feature, you must install the feature license on the RM. • Beginning with Release 3.1, all publicly shared directories must be hosted under C:\shared. If you had shared folders or watch folders before to Release 3.1, you should copy them to C:\shared as subdirectories. Manually modify the affected setup, such as profiles, watch folders, and FTP configuration.

Installing QuickTime

The QuickTime encoder is separately installed because of Apple licensing requirements. It is required for transcoding to and from specific formats.

Note In a clustered deployment, you must install QuickTime on the RM appliance and each RN.

Follow these steps to install QuickTime:

Step 1 Download the QuickTime installer, to a local computer, from http://support.apple.com/kb/DL837. Step 2 Copy the QuickTime installer to the mxe_IP_address shared (recommended) folder, as shown in Figure 1.

Note If you are prompted for username and password, log in as mxe-user and enter the password created during initial configuration.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-3 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Installing QuickTime

Figure 1 Downloading and Saving the QuickTime Installer

Step 3 RDC to mxe_IP_address, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500, to access the Windows OS. Login as admin and enter the password created during initial configuration. Step 4 Navigate to the shared folder. Step 5 Double-click the installer to begin the installation process (Figure 2).

Figure 2 Launching the QuickTime Installer

Step 6 Disable automatic updates. Step 7 Delete the installer when installation is complete. Step 8 Restart the Windows OS.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-4 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Obtaining and Installing Licenses

Obtaining and Installing Licenses

Obtain and install the full Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 license with the base PID and any optional feature PIDs. The Software License Claim Certificate that ships with your Cisco MXE 3500 appliance contains instructions on how to obtain licenses. Instructions on how to obtain and install a license are also detailed in Obtaining and Installing a License, page 3-1.

Configuring the Host Settings

The following procedure describes how to configure Host settings.

Note In a clustered deployment, add each RN as a host. The first host is always the standalone or RM appliance.

Step 1 From the Toolbox, select Administration > Host The Configured Hosts pane shows the IP address of the standalone or RM appliance. Step 2 Modify the Host: a. From the Host Administration menu, click the arrow to the right of Host Options > Edit. The Edit Host pop-up displays. b. In the Host Name field, enter the Host name. This name must be a valid computer name that you configured for the standalone Cisco MXE 3500. c. In the Temp Directory field, enter the local or UNC path for the temp folder on the Host that you configured in Step b. d. Click Save. The modified Host displays in the Hosts pane.

Note Cisco MXE 3500 does not verify that the Host name and the Temp Directory are valid during Host configuration. If either setting is invalid, errors will occur during operations that require their use.

Step 3 Add workers to the Host that you created in Step 2. In the Workers tab, click Permit All. All workers, except two, will go green.

Note The list of workers displayed is controlled by your license level. If you select the Permit All option, only all non-Live workers will be permitted. Live workers require manual entry of additional data.

Step 4 At the top of the page, click Apply Configuration. Step 5 If you have a clustered deployment, create a new host for each RN in your cluster. a. From the Host Administration menu, click the arrow to the right of Host Options > New. b. In the New Host pop-up, enter the required information.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-5 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Configuring the Input and Output Media Directories

c. Repeat steps 3 and 4.

Configuring the Input and Output Media Directories

For the Cisco MXE 3500 to obtain input and store output media, you must configure the input and output directories.

Before You Begin Ensure that any directories that you are going to configure exist and are shared.

Procedure

Step 1 Log into the web UI as an administrator. Step 2 From the Toolbox, select Administration > System. Step 3 In the following fields of the Input section, enter the directories where Cisco MXE 3500 will obtain input media, such as \\mxe_IP_Address\media. • Bumper • Common • Media • Watermark

Note The default directory is LOCALHOST. In a clustered deployment, replace LOCALHOST with the mxe_IP_address or hostname.

Step 4 In all the fields in the Output section, enter the directories where Cisco MXE 3500 will store output media, such as \\mxe_IP_Address\output.

Note The default directory is LOCALHOST. In a clustered deployment, replace LOCALHOST with the mxe_IP_address or hostname.

Step 5 Click Save.

See also System Administration, page 13-13.

Enabling System Administration E-mail Notifications

For Cisco MXE 3500 to send e-mails for job completion or failure notifications, it must be configured to point to an e-mail server that allows e-mails to be relayed from it.

Note The sending of e-mails is not required to complete transcoding jobs.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-6 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Enabling System Administration E-mail Notifications

Follow these steps to enable e-mail notifications:

Step 1 Login to the web UI as an administrator. Step 2 Enter the SMTP server and e-mail for the system administrator: a. From the Toolbox, click Administration > System. b. In the General Settings section, enter the following settings: • In the SMTP Server field, enter the name of the server that will be used to send e-mail notification messages. The server must be running the Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) service. • In the in the System Administrator Email field, enter the e-mail address that will be used to contact the System Administrator. This e-mail address can be used to send messages to a regular e-mail account or to a text- enabled pager or cellular phone. The System Administrator e-mail address is used by Notification Profiles when the System Administrator options for From Email Address or To Email Address are selected. c. Click Save. Step 3 Create a Notification Profile: a. From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile. b. From the New Profile pop-up Profile Class drop-down, select Distribution. c. Highlight Notification, and click the New Profile button. The New Notification Profile page displays. d. Enter the following notification settings, and click Save: • In the Common section, check the Profile Enabled box. • In the Notification Criteria section, choose the status at which a notification is sent. • In the Email Notification section, enter the following settings: Check the Enabled box to enable this profile for job processing. In the From field, select System Administrator. In the To field, select System Administrator. Step 4 (Optional) Add the Notification Profile to any Job Profile for which you want to receive notifications: a. From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile or Open Profile. b. From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job, and click New Profile or Open Profile. c. Expand the Notification section. d. Select one or more Notification Profile(s). e. Click Save.

See also “System Administration” section on page 13-13.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-7 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Configuring User Settings

Configuring User Settings

Note The predefined Cisco MXE 3500 web UI admin user is the only user who can perform Folder Attendant administrative tasks such as creating users, assigning roles, deleting users, and denying or removing user permissions. Do not delete the predefined admin user until you have created at least one new admin user.

Access the User Administration page from the Toolbox by clicking Administration > User to set user access and permissions. The top pane of the User Administration page displays the predefined user. The lower pane displays the permissions for each user. The New or Edit Users pop-up allows you to create and modify system users. Table 2-1 describes the User settings.

Table 2-1 User Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description User Name From the menu bar, click New, or select the user and then click Edit. The New or Edit User pop-up displays. Enter a name for the user. Password Enter a password for the user. Confirm Password Re-enter the password to confirm it. First Name Enter the first name of the user. Last Name Enter the last name of the user. E-mail Enter the e-mail address of the user. Role Select the role from the drop-down menu. The following predefined roles define the level of access the user has: • admin—Access to all adminstrative features. • user—Access to all features except the admin tools. Typically creates new profiles. • operator—Access to all features except the admin tools and task profile editing. Typically monitors the system. • noaccess—Assigned to Video Conversion Interface users. Only have access to the Video Conversion Interface. Do not have access to administrative features.

See also: Role Administration, page 13-28, Profile Spaces, page 13-33.

Configuring the Video Conversion Interface (SUI) Feature

This configuration allows end users to use the Video Conversion Interface to encode and share videos. • Video Conversion Interface (SUI), page 13-43 • Video Conversion Interface Feature (SUI Admin), page 3-34

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-8 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Configuring Shared Folders

Configuring Shared Folders

The default setting allows open access to the shared folders. Secure the shared folders by configuring Active Directory (AD) mode or Local User Access mode. • Accessing the Shared Folder Access Settings Page, page 2-9 • Active Directory Mode, page 2-9 • Local User Access Mode, page 2-10

Accessing the Shared Folder Access Settings Page

From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click Shared Folder Access Settings. The Shared Folder Access page displays.

Active Directory Mode

Before You Begin • Configure the NTP server if you did not cofigure the NTP server during initial configuration. See Modifying Network Settings and Admin Password, page 4-2. • Identify or create an account in the AD that is authorized to join the Cisco MXE 3500 to the AD domain. The applications on the Cisco MXE 3500 run as a service. These services are associated with the preconfigured mxe-service user . When AD is implemented, the user associated with the Cisco MXE 3500 services must be changed to a user configured in the AD system.

Enable Active Directory Mode To enable AD, do the following in the Shared Folder Access Settings page:

Step 1 Check Secure. Step 2 Check Enable Active Directory, and enter the required information in the input fields. Step 3 Click Save. Step 4 RDC to mxe_IP_address, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500, to access the Windows OS. Login as admin and enter the password created during initial configuration. Step 5 At the Command Prompt, enter AddServiceUser username password. The username and password are the Service Account username and password entered in Step 2. The AddServiceUser.bat script creates the new user on the Windows platform. It then associates all MXE services to the new user. Step 6 Restart the Cisco MXE 3500 application: a. SSH to mxe_IP_address. The login prompt appears. b. Login as admin. The Cisco MXE Appliance Configuration Menu displays. c. Select Restart Cisco MXE Application. d. Click OK.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-9 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Creating Folder Attendant Directory and Watch

Local User Access Mode

Use the local user access mode if your Enterprise does not have an AD or chooses not to tie the system with the AD. To enable local user access mode, do the following in the Shared Folder Access Settings page:

Step 1 Check Secure. Step 2 Check Local User Access. Step 3 Enter password. Step 4 Click Save.

See also:LDAP Settings, page 13-49, Shared Folder Access Settings, page 13-51

Creating Folder Attendant Directory and Watch

One of the key features of Folder Attendant is its ability to monitor directories and automatically initiate job processing when new or updated media/XML files appear. When a new or updated file, meeting the specified criteria, appears in a directory being monitored, Folder Attendant automatically initiates job processing based on the configured job parameter settings, such as profile and priority. You must first define directories to be watched on the Folder Attendant Administration page. Then, multiple watches can be configured per directory.

Note For detailed field and setting descriptions and instructions on how to create, edit, and delete directories and watches, see the User Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 on Cisco.com or by clicking Help from the main menu of the Folder Attendant user interface.

This section includes the following topics: • Creating a Directory, page 2-10 • Creating a Watch, page 2-11

Creating a Directory

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Folder Attendant. Step 2 From the Directory drop-down, click Add. Step 3 Enter the appropriate information in each of the fields, and click Save.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-10 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Configuring Timezone

Note If the Directory Path points to a network location, make sure that the service accounts have appropriate access to that network location.

Creating a Watch

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Folder Attendant. Step 2 Highlight the Directory for which you want to add a watch, and from the Watch drop-down, click Add. The Folder Attendant Administration page displays Directory, Watch, Custom Metadata, and Override System Settings each of which contains a series of fields. Step 3 Expand each section, and enter the appropriate information in each field. Step 4 Save the Watch.

Configuring Timezone

This section describes how to configure the NTP server and timezone on the Cisco MXE 3500. The following information is described: • Before You Begin, page 2-11 • Change Time Zone on the Linux OS, page 2-12 • Change Time Zone on the Windows OS, page 2-12

Before You Begin

Before you configure the NTP server, ensure that DNS has been configured. If you did not enter the DNS address and NTP server during initial configuration, SSH to mxe_IP_address and login as admin. The Configuration Menu displays. Select the Configure DNS address and Configure NTP Sever to enter the DNS address and NTP server.

Tip If you have a physical access to the Cisco MXE 3500, press Alt+F1, then press Enter when the Welcome to the Media Experience Engine screen displays. Log in as admin and access the Configuration Menu.

See also Linux Administration Utility, page 4-1, Administrative Accounts, page 19-1.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-11 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Configuring Timezone

Change Time Zone on the Linux OS

Follow these steps to change the time zone on the Linux OS:

Step 1 SSH to mxe_IP_address. Step 2 Login as admin. Select System Command Prompt from the Cisco MXE Appliance Configuration Menu. Step 3 Click OK. Step 4 At the command prompt, enter su -. Step 5 Enter setup. Step 6 Click on Timezone configuration to change the time zone. See Figure 3.

Figure 3 Changing the Time Zone on the Linux OS

Change Time Zone on the Windows OS

Follow these steps to change the time zone on the Linux OS:

Step 1 RDC to mxe_IP_address, and log in as admin. Step 2 Right click on the Date/Time tool and click on Adjust Date/Time. Step 3 In the Time Zone tab, select your time zone. See Figure 4.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-12 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Configuring Licensed Features

Figure 4 Changing the Time Zone on the Windows OS

Configuring Licensed Features

To configure the following licensed features see Chapter 3, “Configuring Licensed Features.” • Live Streaming (IP Capture) Feature, page 3-4 • Speech-to-Text and Graphics Overlay Features, page 3-30 • Video Conversion Interface Feature (SUI Admin), page 3-34 To configure Pulse video analytics see Chapter 4, “Configuring Pulse Video Analytics (Licensed Feature).”

Testing a Cisco MXE 3500 Deployment

To ensure your system has been correctly deployed and configured, perform the following tests: • Test 1: Submit a Job Using File Job Submission, page 2-13 • Test 2: Submit a Job Using Folder Attendant, page 2-14 • Test 3: Verify a Licensed Feature is Enabled, page 2-15

Test 1: Submit a Job Using File Job Submission

Before You Begin In the \\Resource_Manager_IP_Address\media folder, look for any sample media file, e.g., within \SpeechToTextFiles, or copy an existing media file to the \\Resource_Manager_IP_Address\media directory.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-13 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks Testing a Cisco MXE 3500 Deployment

Procedure

Step 1 Login to the web UI. Step 2 From the Toolbox, select: Submission > File. The File Job Submission page should appear. Step 3 In the Profile section, choose Cable_Broadband.job.awp. Step 4 In the Input section, complete the following tasks: a. Select Browse b. Select the file’s source directory, for example, \\Resource_Manager_IP_Address\media\. Step 5 From the toolbox, select Monitoring > Job Status. Step 6 Continue watching the Job Status window to make sure the job completes. Step 7 Browse to the \\Resource_Manager_IP_Address\Output folder, and locate Sample.Cable_Broadband.Cable_Broadband.wmv, and play the file. Accept any warning messages or alerts Windows Media Player may display.

Test 2: Submit a Job Using Folder Attendant

Before You Begin If you completed Test 1: Submit a Job Using File Job Submission, delete the media files from the \\Resource_Manager_IP_Address\media and \\Resource_Manager_IP_Address\output folders.

Procedure

Step 1 Login to the web UI. Step 2 Add a directory for the Folder Attendant to monitor: a. From the Toolbox, select Folder Attendant. b. From the Directory drop-down menu, select Add. The Directory fields display on the Folder Attendant Administration page. c. In the Directory Path field, enter \\Resource_Manager_IP_Address\media and complete other fields as needed. Step 3 Add a watch for the directory: a. From the Toolbox, click Folder Attendant. a. Highlight the Directory for which you want to add a watch, and from the Watch drop-down, click Add. The Watch fields display on the Folder Attendant Administration page. b. In the Watch Extensions field, enter MPEG-4. c. In the Job Profile field, select Cable_Broadband. d. Complete other fields as needed. Step 4 From the Toolbox, select Monitoring > Job Status. Step 5 Select any media file from your collection and copy it to the media directory (\\Resource_Manager_IP_Address\Media) folder. Step 6 Watch the Job Status pane to make sure the job starts and completes.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-14 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks

Step 7 Browse to the \\Resource_Manager_IP_Address\Output folder, and locate the Sample.Cable_Broadband.Cable_Broadband.wmv file. Step 8 If you created another version of the file in “Test 1: Submit a Job Using File Job Submission” section on page 2-13, check that the time stamp is current to verify that the file was recreated, and play the file.

Test 3: Verify a Licensed Feature is Enabled

• To verify that the Live Ingest feature is enabled after you install a feature license, see the following sections: – Configuration Workflow for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live WMV IP Streaming, page 3-6 – Configuration Workflow for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live Flash 8 and H.264 IP Streaming, page 3-8 • To verify that the Speech to Text or Graphics Overlay feature is enabled after you install a feature license, see the following sections: – Configuration Workflow for Speech-to-Text Conversion, page 3-32 – Configuration Workflow for the Graphic Overlay Feature, page 3-33

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-15 Chapter 2 Configuration Tasks

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 2-16 Send document feedback to [email protected].

CHAPTER 3

Configuring Licensed Features

This chapter includes the following sections: • Obtaining and Installing a License, page 3-1 • Live Streaming (IP Capture) Feature, page 3-4 • Speech-to-Text and Graphics Overlay Features, page 3-30 • Video Conversion Interface Feature (SUI Admin), page 3-34 • Pulse Video Analytics, page 3-42

Obtaining and Installing a License

• License Host ID, page 3-1 • Obtaining a New, Upgrade, or Feature License, page 3-2 • Installing a License File, page 3-3

License Host ID

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

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

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

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 3-1 Chapter 3 Configuring Licensed Features Obtaining and Installing a License

Figure 3-1 License Host ID String

Obtaining a New, Upgrade, or Feature License

• Before You Begin, page 3-2 • Obtain the License File, page 3-3 • Troubleshooting Tips, page 3-3

Before You Begin

• You must have an account on Cisco.com to access the license website. Register for an account at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/web/siteassets/account/index.html • Obtain the Cisco MXE 3500 License Host ID. See also: License Host ID, page 3-1.

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

• Obtain the Product Authorization Key (PAK) for you standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Product Authorization Keys (PAKs) for the Resource Manager device and Resource Nodes. The PAK is located on the Software License Claim Certificate that shipped with your device. • For clustered deployments, first, complete the license registration of the RM appliance and obtain the license for that registration process. Install the license for this registration. Then, register each RN separately. Use the RN PAK and the RM License Host ID for completing registration and obtaining the updated license files one at a time. You will install each license that you receive on the RM appliance.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 3-2 Chapter 3 Configuring Licensed Features Obtaining and Installing a License

Obtain the License File

Step 1 Obtain the Product Authorization Key (PAK), which is located on the Software License Claim Certificate that shipped with your appliance. Step 2 Go to http://www.cisco.com/go/license. Step 3 Enter the PAK. If you are using the Cisco MXE 3500 to access the registration website, press the Enter key; otherwise, click the Submit button. Step 4 Follow the on-screen prompts. Shortly after registration, you will receive an e-mail with the Cisco MXE 3500 license file.

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

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

Troubleshooting Tips

If you experience problems with the registration websites or if you have additional questions, for a prompt response, please open a Service Request using the TAC Service Request Tool at: http://tools.cisco.com/ServiceRequestTool/create/DefineProblem.do. Please have your valid Cisco ID and password available. As an alternative, you may also call one of these numbers: Asia-Pacific: +61 2 8446 7411 (Australia: 1 800 805 227) EMEA: +32 2 704 55 55 USA: 1 800 553-2447 You can find a complete list of Cisco TAC contacts at this URL: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport/contacts

Installing a License File

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

Procedure

Step 1 Log in to the web UI. Step 2 Under the Tools tab, click Upload License. Step 3 Click Browse to navigate to and then select the license file.

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Step 4 Click Upload to install the license file on the Cisco MXE 3500. • During first-time installation, check Replace Existing Licenses to replace the default demo license with the base license. Existing licenses will be backed up into a ‘backup’ directory. • Uncheck this option to install an upgrade or feature license. • License file name does not matter; it will be renamed. Step 5 On successful upload the License uploaded successfully message displays. Step 6 Click OK. The Host Administration page displays.

Live Streaming (IP Capture) Feature

The Live Streaming (IP capture) feature enables the Cisco MXE 3500 to ingest live feeds and repurpose the live content so that it can be viewed on a variety of endpoints.

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the feature license on the standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Resource Manager device.

This section includes the following topics: • Required Components for the Live Streaming Feature, page 3-4 • Live WMV IP Streaming Deployments, page 3-5 • Live Flash 8 and H.264 IP Streaming Deployments, page 3-7 • Live WMV Stream from Cisco TelePresence Content Server to Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments, page 3-9 • Live WMV Stream to Cisco Digital Signs Deployments, page 3-26

Required Components for the Live Streaming Feature

In addition to a Live Streaming feature license, the following components are required: 1. Ingest (Input), page 3-5 2. Job Profile (Transcode), page 3-5 3. Distribution (Output), page 3-5

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

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 3-4 Chapter 3 Configuring Licensed Features Live Streaming (IP Capture) Feature

Ingest (Input)

The Cisco MXE 3500 can ingest MPEG-2 single- or multi-program streams or both from a multicast network through Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) enabled routers. Incoming streams must have the following characteristics: • MPEG-2 TS packaging • MPEG-2 encoded payload • AC3 or Layer 2 audio • UDP/IP transport (RTP is not supported) • (Optional) EIA 608 and 708 closed captions The following sources can provide streamed content: • Cable or satellite feeds that are groomed and distributed through a head-end setup • Direct output(s) from MPEG-2 encoders that comply with Cisco MXE 3500 input requirements

Job Profile (Transcode)

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

Distribution (Output)

The Cisco MXE 3500 can perform limited HTTP streaming. We recommend that you deploy a separate streaming server for RTSP streaming and an optimized stream distribution network for efficient streaming to remote clients over WAN. Otherwise, the Cisco MXE 3500 performance and capacity will be degraded and impair the streaming experience. We recommend the following streaming servers: • Windows Media Video (WMV)—Windows Media Streaming Server contained in Microsoft Windows 2008 Server Enterprise Edition • Flash 8 and H.264—Adobe Flash Media Server (FMS) We recommend the following stream distribution network solutions: • WMV—Cisco WAN Application Acceleration Solution (WAAS) • Flash8 and H.264—Commercial Content Delivery Network (CDN) services available from the following sources: – Akamai – Limelight – Internap

Live WMV IP Streaming Deployments

• Network Design for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live WMV IP Streaming, page 3-6\ • Configuration Workflow for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live WMV IP Streaming, page 3-6

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 3-5 Chapter 3 Configuring Licensed Features Live Streaming (IP Capture) Feature

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

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

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

Client PULLs Client Stream

Multicast Video Stream Client PULLs Client Stream Windows Cisco 2008 MXE Streaming Enterprise 3500 Server Server Client PULLs Client PULLs Stream Stream

LAN WAN LAN V V WAAS WAN Acceleration 277792 Cisco WAAS Cisco Cisco 574 Central WAE 612 WAE Manager

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

The preprocessor and encoder profile settings are the same as file-to-file transcoding. 1. If you have a Resource Manager deployment with more than one Cisco MXE 3500 host, restrict all Windows Media encoding to a single Cisco MXE 3500. For each Cisco MXE 3500 host—other than the one host that you want to perform all Windows Media encoding— remove the following workers: • microsoftAudioStream • microsoftStream 2. Create a new Distribution Profile for webcast. Webcast Distribution Profiles are used to define the parameters for streaming encoded output live to the Internet. a. Create a New Profile. b. Choose Profile Class: Distribution, and select Webcast. 3. Configure the following Webcast Profile settings: • Profile: Select the Windows encoder profile that is part of the job. • Server: Enter the Cisco MXE 3500 IP address. • Port: Enter a port number that is not in use.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 3-6 Chapter 3 Configuring Licensed Features Live Streaming (IP Capture) Feature

• Filename: Enter a filename for the stream. This field is required. Because this setting is used to generate the name of the file that is streamed, enter a meaningful filename, CNNStream for example.

Figure 3-3 Example Stream Configuration: WMV streaming

4. Add the Webcast Profile to a Job Profile under the Distribution: Webcast setting. 5. Submit the Job Profile as a live job on the Submission > Live page. 6. On the Windows Media streaming server, add a new publishing point. Enter the Cisco MXE 3500 IP address for the encoder and the port number from Step 3. 7. For distribution setup, configure Cisco WAAS as described in the Microsoft Windows Server on Cisco WAAS Deployment Guide at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6870/prod_white_papers_list.html 8. On a client PC, open the Windows Media Player and enter the URL, as follows: mms: //streaming server/publishing_point.

Live Flash 8 and H.264 IP Streaming Deployments

• Network Design for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live Flash 8 and H.264 IP Streaming, page 3-8\ • Network Design for Cisco MXE 3500 Deployments with Live Flash 8 and H.264 IP Streaming, page 3-8

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 3-7 Chapter 3 Configuring Licensed Features Live Streaming (IP Capture) Feature

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

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

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

Client PULLs Client Stream Multicast Video Stream

Client PULLs Client Stream Adobe Cisco FMS MXE PUSHes Streaming 3500 Stream to Server Client Streaming Client PULLs Server Stream

LAN CDN LAN V V 277791

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

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

Preprocessor and encoder profile settings remain the same as file-to-file transcoding. 1. Create a new Webcast Profile. Webcast Profiles are used to define the parameters for streaming encoded output live to the Internet. a. Create a new Profile. b. Choose Profile Class: Distribution, and select Webcast. 2. Configure the following Webcast Profile settings: • Profile: Select the Flash 8 or H.264 encoder profile that is part of the job. • Server: Enter the Flash streaming server IP address, such as rtmp://Streaming Server IP address/publishing point. • Port: Enter 80 or 1935. • Filename: Enter a filename for the stream. This field is required. Because this setting is used to generate the name of the file that is streamed, enter a meaningful filename, CNNStream for example.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 3-8 Chapter 3 Configuring Licensed Features Live Streaming (IP Capture) Feature

Figure 3-5 Example Stream Configuration for Flash 8 Streaming

3. Add the Webcast Profile to a Job Profile under the Distribution: Webcast setting. 4. Submit the Job Profile as a live job on the Submission > Live page. 5. On the Flash streaming server, add the server publishing point. 6. On a client PC, open a Flash player that can support RTMP, and enter the URL, as follows: rtmp://StreamingServerIPaddress/live/FileName.

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

You can configure the Cisco TelePresence Content Server (Content Server) to record and stream WMV to a Cisco MXE 3500, which will transcode to H.264 and multicast to Cisco DMPs. This section provides instructions to configure the Content Server for recording and automatically unicasting or multicasting a WMV stream for Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.2 to transcode to H.264 for digital signage solution. • Prerequisites, page 3-9 • Content Server Configuration for a WMV Unicast Stream, page 3-10 • Content Server Configuration for a WMV Multicast Stream, page 3-17

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

Prerequisites

• Cisco MXE 3500 software requirements – Release 3.2 • Cisco TCS software requirements: – TCS Release 5.0 or later

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Content Server Configuration for a WMV Unicast Stream

• Configuring the Publishing Point for a WMV Unicast Stream, page 3-10 • Configuring the Media Server for a WMV Unicast Stream, page 3-10 • Configuring the Recording Alias and Template for a WMV Unicast Stream, page 3-11 • Testing the Configuration for a WMV Unicast Stream, page 3-15

Configuring the Publishing Point for a WMV Unicast Stream

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

Step 1 Open a Remote Desktop session and log in to the Content Server. Step 2 Click Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools >Windows Media Services. Step 3 From Windows Media Services window, navigate to Publishing Points > TCSUnicastTemplate. Step 4 Right-click TCSunicastTemplate, select Duplicate. Step 5 Enter mxe-unicast as the new Publishing Point Name. You have now created a new static publishing point called mxe-unicast. Step 6 Go to the “Configuring the Media Server for a WMV Unicast Stream” section on page 3-10.

Configuring the Media Server for a WMV Unicast Stream

Step 1 Open up a browser session and log in as administrator to the Content Server. Step 2 Click the Management tab. Step 3 Click Recording Setup > Media Server Configurations. Step 4 Click + Add Windows Media Streaming Server Configuration. Step 5 Enter the unique name. Step 6 In the Server Settings section, click Support Live Unicast Streaming. The Live Unicast Streaming Settings section displays below the Server Settings section.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 3-10 Chapter 3 Configuring Licensed Features Live Streaming (IP Capture) Feature

Figure 6 Media Server Configuration for a Unicast Stream

Step 7 In the Live Unicast Streaming Settings section, enter the following information: a. For Server Push port, enter 8080. b. For the Publishing Point, click Use Existing. c. Enter the new publishing point mxe-unicast. d. Click Save. Step 8 Go to the “Configuring the Recording Alias and Template for a WMV Unicast Stream” section on page 3-11.

Configuring the Recording Alias and Template for a WMV Unicast Stream

Step 1 Click on Management tab. Step 2 Click Recording Setup > Recording Aliases. Step 3 Click + Add Recording Alias.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 3-11 Chapter 3 Configuring Licensed Features Live Streaming (IP Capture) Feature

Figure 7 Add/Edit Recording Alias

Step 4 On the Add recording alias page, enter the following information: a. In the Recording alias section, enter a Name for the recording alias, such as TCS-3500 Live WMV, and choose Personal for the Recording alias type. Make sure that the System Administrator owns this recording alias. b. In the dialing properties section, enter the H323ID, e164alias, SIP URI, and SIP display name. c. Click Save. Step 5 In the Recordings Settings section, click Add at the end of the Template line. The add template window appears.

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

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 3-13 Chapter 3 Configuring Licensed Features Live Streaming (IP Capture) Feature

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

Step 6 On the Add a template page, enter the following information: a. In the Template section, enter a template name, such as TCS-3500 Live Template, and check Viewable in the Content Server web interface. b. In the Outputs to view in the Content Server web interface section, choose Switching, Windows Media as the On-demand Format, and Large as the Size. c. In the On demand media server configuration settings section, select Local Windows Media Streaming Server in the Windows Media drop down list. d. In the Live Stream section, click the Live Stream box to enable Live streaming and then select Windows Media as the Format and Large as the Size. e. In the Live media server configuration settings section, select mxe-unicast as the media server configuration. This is the media server that you created in the “Configuring the Media Server for a WMV Unicast Stream” section on page 3-10. f. Click Save and then click Return. The Recording Alias page displays the TCS-3500 WMV Live recording alias that was being configured before creating a template. Step 7 Make sure the newly added template is selected in the Template drop down list. Step 8 Check Show countdown before recording option. Step 9 In the Default recording information, enter a name and a description. Step 10 In the Default recording permissions section, check Automatically publish finished recordings and Allow access to all users, including guests. Step 11 Scroll to the top or bottom and click Save and then click Return.

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Step 12 Go to “Testing the Configuration for a WMV Unicast Stream” section on page 3-15.

Testing the Configuration for a WMV Unicast Stream

Step 1 Create a recording. a. Open up a browser session and log in as administrator to the Content Server b. Click on Management tab. c. Click on Recording Setup > Create Recording.

Figure 10 Create Recording

d. In Create Recording section, select the recording alias that you created for unicast. e. Enter a dial number. This can be a conference bridge or a endpoint linking to a video source player. f. Click +Advanced Call Settings and choose the appropriate values for bandwidth and call type. g. Click Place call button. Step 2 Make sure that the publishing point has started automatically. a. Open a Remote Desktop session and log in to the Content Server. b. Launch Windows Media Services window, and verify that the unicast publishing point has started.

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Figure 11 Publishing Point is Started

Step 3 Make sure that you can view the stream from an external device. a. From your local PC, launch Windows Media Player. b. Press Ctrl-U to open Open URL dialog. c. Enter the Content Server unicast publishing point URL as follows: mms://tcs-ip-or-hostname/, such as mms://tcs-ip-or-hostame/mxe-unicast Step 4 Verify the video quality. a. Press Alt to bring up the menu bar for Windows Media Player, select View/Statistics. b. Click the Advanced tab and then make sure that there is no packet loss and the video quality is good.

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Figure 12 Media Player Statistics

Content Server Configuration for a WMV Multicast Stream

• Configuring the Publishing Point for a Multicast Stream, page 3-17 • Configuring the Media Server for a Multicast Stream, page 3-19 • Configuring the Recording Alias and Template for a Multicast Stream, page 3-20 • Testing the Configuration for a Multicast Stream, page 3-24

Configuring the Publishing Point for a Multicast Stream

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

Step 1 Open a Remote Desktop session and log in to the Content Server. Step 2 Click Start > All Programs > Administrative Tools >Windows Media Services. Step 3 From Windows Media Services window, navigate to Publishing Points > TCSmulticastTemplate. Step 4 Right-click TCSmulticastTemplate, select Duplicate.

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Figure 13 Duplicate TCSmulticast Template

Step 5 Enter mxe-multicast as the new Publishing Point Name. You have now created a new static publishing point called mxe-multicast. Step 6 Select the newly added multicast publishing point and then select the Properties tab.

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Figure 14 Enable Buffering for a Multicast Publishing Point

Step 7 From the Category pane, select Networking Step 8 From Property pane, select Enable buffering and then double-click Enable buffering to bring up the Enable Buffering Properties dialog box. Step 9 Choose Buffer content (reduces startup latency for clients). Step 10 Click OK. Step 11 Go to the “Configuring the Media Server for a Multicast Stream” section on page 3-19.

Configuring the Media Server for a Multicast Stream

Step 1 Open up a browser session and log in as administrator to the Content Server. Step 2 Click the Management tab. Step 3 Click Recording Setup > Media Server Configurations. Step 4 Click + Add Windows Media Streaming Server Configuration.

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Figure 15 Media Server Configuration for a Multicast Stream

Step 5 Enter the name mxe-multicast. Step 6 In the Server Settings section, click Support Live Multicast Streaming. The Live Multicast Streaming Settings section displays below the Server Settings section. Step 7 In the Live Multicast Streaming Settings section, enter the following information: a. For Server Push port, enter 8080. b. For the Publishing Point, click Use Existing. c. Enter the new publishing point mxe-multicast. d. Click Save. Step 8 Go to “Configuring the Recording Alias and Template for a Multicast Stream” section on page 3-20.

Configuring the Recording Alias and Template for a Multicast Stream

Step 1 Click on Management tab. Step 2 Click Recording Setup > Recording Aliases. Step 3 Click + Add Recording Alias.

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Figure 16 Add/Edit Recording Alias

Step 4 On the Add recording alias page, enter the following information: a. In the Recording alias section, enter a Name for the recording alias, such as TCS-3500 Live WMV, and choose Personal for the Recording alias type. Make sure that the System Administrator owns this recording alias. b. In the dialing properties section, enter the H323ID, E.164alias, SIP URI, and SIP display name. c. Click Save. Step 5 In the Recordings Settings section, click Add at the end of the Template line. The add template window appears.

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

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

Step 6 On the Add a template page, enter the following information: a. In the Template section, enter a template name, such as TCS-3500 Live Template, and check Viewable in the Content Server web interface. b. In the Outputs to view in the Content Server web interface section, choose Switching, Windows Media as the On-demand Format, and Large as the Size. c. In the On demand media server configuration settings section, select Local Windows Media Streaming Server in the Windows Media drop down list. d. In the Live Stream section, click the Live Stream box to enable Live streaming and then select Windows Media as the Format and Large as the Size. e. In the Live media server configuration settings section, select mxe-multicast as the media server configuration. This is the media server that you created in the “Configuring the Media Server for a Multicast Stream” section on page 3-19. f. Click Save and then click Return. The Recording Alias page displays the TCS-3500 WMV Live recording alias that was being configured before creating a template. Step 7 Make sure the newly added template is selected in the Template drop down list. Step 8 Check Show countdown before recording option. Step 9 In the Default recording information, enter a name and a description. Step 10 In the Default recording permissions section, check Automatically publish finished recordings and Allow access to all users, including guests. Step 11 Scroll to the top or bottom and click Save and then click Return.

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Step 12 Go to “Testing the Configuration for a Multicast Stream” section on page 3-24.

Testing the Configuration for a Multicast Stream

Step 1 Create a recording. a. Open up a browser session and log in as administrator to the Content Server. b. Click the Management tab. c. Click Recording Setup > Create Recording.

Figure 19 Create Recording

d. In Create Recording section, select the recording alias that you created for multicast. e. Enter a dial number. This can be a conference bridge or a endpoint linking to a video source player. f. Click +Advanced Call Settings and choose the appropriate values for bandwidth and call type. g. Click Place call button. Step 2 Make sure that the publishing point has started automatically. a. Open a Remote Desktop session and log in to the Content Server. b. Launch Windows Media Services window, and verify that the multicast publishing point has started.

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Figure 20 Publishing Point is Started

Step 3 Make sure that you can view the stream from an external device. a. Make sure that your network is multicast enabled and then from a PC on the multicast enabled network, launch Windows media player. b. Press Ctrl-U to open Open URL dialog. c. Enter the Content Server multicast publishing point URL as follows: http://tcs-IP-or-hostname/tcs/data/_tcs-multicast-publishing-point-name.nsc

Figure 21 Multicast Publishing Point URL

Step 4 Verify the video quality. a. Press Alt to bring up the menu bar for Windows Media Player, select View/Statistics. b. Click the Advanced tab and then make sure that there is no packet loss and the video quality.

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Figure 22 Media Player Statistics

Live WMV Stream to Cisco Digital Signs Deployments

Cisco MXE 3500 expands the Cisco Digital Media Suite solution and adds additional digital signage capabilities. The MXE 3500 ingests live video streams from virtually any video device or endpoint and delivers direct to digital signs, transforming a static digital sign into a portal for live event coverage, employee training sessions, inter-organization communications, public safety alerts and more. This section describes how to configure Cisco MXE 3500 for live WMV ingest and use the Content Server to send the live MPEG-2 TS to a Cisco Digital Signs (Digital Media Player).

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

• Configuring an IP Capture Source on Cisco MXE 3500, page 3-27 • Creating a Job Profile on Cisco MXE 3500, page 3-27 • Starting the Multicast Stream on the Content Server, page 3-28 • Submitting the Live Job on Cisco MXE 3500, page 3-29 • Verifying the Live Job, page 3-30

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Configuring an IP Capture Source on Cisco MXE 3500

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click IP Capture. Step 2 Click New.

Figure 23 Create IP Capture Source Pop-up

Step 3 Enter the following information: • Name—Enter a unique name. • Protocol—Choose HTTP. • Address—Enter the URL for the unicast stream or the path for the .nsc file for the multicast stream. • Port—Enter the multicast port. Step 4 Click Create.

Creating a Job Profile on Cisco MXE 3500

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Profile Management, and click New Profile. The New Profile pop-up displays. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job, and click the New Profile button. The New Job Profile page displays. Step 3 Expand the Preprocessing section, and from the drop-down, select a Preprocessor Profile. Preprocessor profile settings remain the same as file-to-file transcoding. Step 4 Expand the Encoding section, and choose an H.264 profile. Define the following parameters as necessary: • FPS • Bitrate • Dimensions

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

Step 5 Expand the Distribution section, and select the IP Stream. Define the following parameters: • H.264 encoder profile (.awp) • Multicast IP address and port

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

Step 6 Click Save.

Starting the Multicast Stream on the Content Server

Procedure

Step 1 Create a recording. a. Open up a browser session and log in as administrator to the Content Server. b. Click the Management tab. c. Click Recording Setup > Create Recording. d. In Create Recording section, select a recording alias. e. Enter a dial number for a conference bridge. f. Click +Advanced Call Settings and choose the appropriate values for bandwidth and call type. g. Click Place call button. Step 2 To start the live stream, dial in to the same conference bridge by using a video enabled endpoint. Step 3 Make sure that the publishing point has started automatically. a. Open a Remote Desktop session and log in to the Content Server. b. Launch Windows Media Services window, and verify that the publishing point has started.

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Figure 24 Publishing Point is Started

Submitting the Live Job on Cisco MXE 3500

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Submission > Live. Choose a job profile for the live job. Enter the following information and then submit the job: • Base name—Enter a meaningful name. • Video Format—Choose IP capture. • IP Capture Source—Choose the unicast or multicast stream. • Start trigger—Choose now. • Stop trigger—Choose IP. Step 2 Click Submit.

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Verifying the Live Job

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

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

Figure 25 Job Status Monitor Upper Pane

Speech-to-Text and Graphics Overlay Features

The Speech-to-Text feature enables the Cisco MXE 3500 to create text transcripts from videos. The Graphics Overlay feature enables the Cisco MXE 3500 to embed the transcripts as text captions in the video: it enables the graphic overlay that can be applied to the bumper, trailer, and content. Note that watermarks, bumpers, and trailers themselves are not licensed features; they are part of the basic Cisco MXE 3500 feature set.

Activation To use either of these features, you must purchase and install the feature license on the standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Resource Manager device.

This section includes the following topics: • Overview of the Speech-to-Text and Graphic Overlay Features, page 3-31 • Required Components for the Speech-to-Text and Graphic Overlay Features, page 3-31 • Configuration Workflow for Speech-to-Text Conversion, page 3-32 • Configuration Workflow for the Graphic Overlay Feature, page 3-33 • Guidelines for Improving the Accuracy of Speech to Text, page 3-33

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

The Cisco MXE 3500 speech-to-text feature supports the following functionality: • Speech-to-text conversion—Cisco MXE 3500 can extract an audio track from a video and convert it to text by using a speech-to-text transcription engine from Nuance, which is included with the Cisco MXE 3500. • Speech-to-text graphic overlay function (graphics and captioning)—As part of a separate job, the Cisco MXE 3500 can overlay the text that is produced as part of the speech-to-text conversion on the input video and produce a single video output that includes the text as subtitles. Figure 3-26 illustrates the process that the Cisco MXE 3500 uses for speech-to-text conversion and the overlay function.

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

NUANCE Nuance Speaker Profile Nuance Content SWF Vocabulary Template

Graphics Template Content XML .xml Script

.WAV

STT Flash8 Source Prefilter .TXT Source Prefilter .FLV Worker Worker 277795 .XML

Speech-To-Text Job: Graphics Overlay/Captioning Job: Extracts audio and creates STT files Creates output with STT transcript overlaid as a graphic

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

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

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

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Configuration Workflow for Speech-to-Text Conversion

The following workflow describes how to set up a job to get the STT text output and the XML file to use as a graphic overlay. Preprocessor and encoder profile settings remain the same as file-to-file transcoding. 1. Create a new STT Encoder Profile. Encoder Profiles to set parameters that identify how uncompressed preprocessor output will be compressed for distribution. a. Create a new Profile. b. Choose Profile Class: Encoder and Speech To Text. 2. Configure the following settings for the STT Encoder Profile: • Choose the output file format. Cisco MXE 3500 can generate up to three files during the conversion: – Audio Output—Produces a .WAV audio file with audio converted to WAVE format. – Text Output—Produces a text only output of converted speech (audio). – Overlay Output—Produces a time-coded, XML file with text, using the font and formatting information specified in the Graphics Template file. The XML file is a metadata file that the speech-to-text graphics overlay function uses. • Nuance Speaker Profile: Choose the STT speaker profile. The STT Engine uses this profile to improve the accuracy of the transcribed data. • STT Topic Vocabulary: Choose the STT vocabulary. The STT Engine uses this vocabulary to improve the accuracy of the transcribed data. • Graphics Template: Choose Graphics Template. The Cisco MXE 3500 uses this template to format of the XML file that will be generated for later use by the speech-to-text graphic overlay function. You define parameters such as font style, font size, and formatting in this file. Cisco MXE 3500 ships with the following three sample template files that you can modify, as needed. These files are in the C:\Program Files\Cisco\Media Experience Engine\Sample\SpeechToText folder. – DemoTemplate.xml – IntroductionTemplate.xml – SubTitleTemplate.xml

Figure 3-27 Speech-to-Text Encoder Settings

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Configuration Workflow for the Graphic Overlay Feature

The following workflow describes how to set up a job to use a XML STT output file from a video as a graphic overlay on that video. Preprocessor and encoder profile settings are the same as file-to-file transcoding. The encoder profile can be any video encoder profile that Cisco MXE 3500 supports. 1. Configure the settings for the Preprocessor Profile as a job submission parameter or File Job settings in the Submission > File page. For the Preprocessor Profile, configure the following settings: • Enabled: Check the Enable checkbox in the Graphics Overlay Content area. • Template File: Specify the content Flash SWF template that contains the graphic elements to be used for overlaying the text as subtitles on the video. A sample SWF file ships with Cisco MXE 3500. • Metadata File/URL: Specify the time-coded XML file that the speech-to-text conversion function generated. For a File Job, configure the following settings: • Content XML Script: Specify the time-coded XML file that the speech-to-text conversion function generated. • Content SWF Template: Specify the content Flash SWF template that contains the graphic elements to be used for overlaying the text as subtitles on the video. Cisco MXE 3500 ships with three sample template files for customer to use and modify as required. The following sample files are in the C:\Program Files\Cisco\Media Experience Engine\Sample\SpeechToText folder: – corporate-r09_1080.swf – corporate-r09-bigwatermark.swf – corporate-r09-iphone.swf

Guidelines for Improving the Accuracy of Speech to Text

This section includes the following topics: • Speech Input Style, page 3-33 • Multiple Speakers in a Video, page 3-34 • Methods for Acquiring Audio, page 3-34

Speech Input Style

For a higher degrees of accuracy for speech-to-text output, we recommend that a speaker uses the following guidelines: • Speaks in a consistent tone. • Uses a consistent rate (no drastic changes in the pace). • Speaks without intentionally pausing after each word. A flow that is closest to natural speech is preferred by the system. • Records the speech in a quiet environment.

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• Pronounces each word clearly, but does not try to separate each syllable within the word.

Multiple Speakers in a Video

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

Methods for Acquiring Audio

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

Video Conversion Interface Feature (SUI Admin)

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Video Conversion Interface feature license on the Cisco MXE 3500 standalone or RM appliance.

Use SUI Admin to configure the Video Conversion Interface, so that end users can easily convert a video file to selected formats, enhance the video file with predefined content, download and share the video file, or automatically upload to Cisco Show and Share. This section includes the following topics that describe how to configure the Video Conversion Interface feature: • Configuring Access to the Video Conversion Interface, page 3-35 • Configuring a Watermark, Bumper, Trailer, and Graphic Overlay, page 3-36 • Configuring Show and Share Integration, page 3-38 • Configuring Video Output Formats, page 3-39 • Configuring a Wowza or Windows Media Streaming Server, page 3-40 • Configuring E-Mail Notifications, page 3-41 • Restoring the Default Video Conversion Interface Profiles, page 3-42

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Configuring Access to the Video Conversion Interface

Configure access to the Video Conversion Interface by configuring user accounts in the General Settings section of the SUI Admin page or by configuring LDAP Settings. • Configuring User Accounts, page 3-35 • Configuring LDAP Settings, page 3-35

Configuring User Accounts

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

Table 3-1 User Account Settings for the Video Conversion Interface

Field Description Maximum provisioned users Maximum number of user accounts that can be created. New user access code Access code for creating a new Video Conversion Interface account. Total Disk Space Quota (GB) Total disk space available for storing output videos for all Video Conversion Interface user accounts. The total disk space quota must be a non-zero, positive integer. Note Applies only to user accounts configured through the General Settings section of the SUI Admin page. User DiskSpace Quota (GB) Individual user disk quota for storing output videos. Note Applies only to user accounts configured through the General Settings section of the SUI Admin page.

After configuring the General Settings, provide the URL to the Video Conversion Interface (http://mxe_IP_address/sui/, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500) and new user access code, to each user. Users can create an account by accessing the Video Conversion Interface and clicking the Create an account button. Video Conversion Interface user accounts are created with a special noaccess role that disables access to the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI. The user accounts are then added to the user database. You can edit or delete all user accounts on the User Administration page (Toolbox > Administration > User) in the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI.

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

Configuring LDAP Settings

If LDAP is enabled, Video Conversion Interface user authentication is done with LDAP. Use the LDAP Settings page (Toolbox > Administration > LDAP Settings) to configure LDAP settings. For information on LDAP settings and how to configure LDAP see LDAP Settings, page 13-49.

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Configuring a Watermark, Bumper, Trailer, and Graphic Overlay

Each Video Conversion Interface job profile uses a special sui Preprocessor Profile that specifies the default bumper, trailer, watermark, and graphic overlay that users can enable or disable in the Video Conversion Interface. This section contains the following information: • Watermark, Bumper, Trailer, and Graphic Overlay Files, page 3-36 • Configuring Watermarking in a New Preprocessor Profile for the Video Conversion Interface, page 3-37

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

Watermark, Bumper, Trailer, and Graphic Overlay Files

The following default media asset files are located in c:\media\assets directory: • watermark.psd - watermark • bumper.mov – bumper video • trailer.mov – trailer video • overlay.swf – content graphics overlay Flash template • overlay.xml – content graphics overlay XML You can upload customized versions of these files to the media assets directory in the SUI Administration page (Toolbox > Administration > SUI Admin) in the Web UI.

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

The bumper, trailer, and watermark files can be any format that Cisco MXE 3500 supports. If the new media asset files have a different file name, such as mybumper.wmv, you must ensure that the new file names are reflected in the sui preprocessor profile. You can also edit the default or create a custom graphic overlay file from the original (overlay.swf). This file is designed to use the following variable names that are specified in the Video Conversion Interface: speaker-name and speaker-subject.

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

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

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

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

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

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All the profiles that ship with the Video Conversion Interface are configured to use Smart Ingest. If you configure a new Preprocessor Profile for the Video Conversion Interface, use the settings in Table 3-2. For more information about configuring or editing Preprocessor Profiles, see Chapter 6, “Preprocessor Profiles.”

Table 3-2 Required Configuration for a SUI Preprocessor Profile

Field Required Setting Aspect Ratio Conversion Mode Letterbox, Curtains Note Smart ingest preserves aspect ratio through letterboxing/curtaining and allows specifying watermark coverage area in % as opposed to pixels. It does not preserve source video dimensions or frame rates. Input Pixel Auto Output Pixel Auto Watermarking Units Percent Set additional parameters as needed. Audio Add Silent Audio Track Check the checkbox to enable

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

Configuring Show and Share Integration

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

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

Table 3-3 Show and Share Settings for the SUI

Field Description Enabled Checkbox that enables or disables Show and Share integration for Video Conversion Interface users (the maximum file upload size is 2 GB) Authentication URL IP address and port for the Show and Share server, such as https://show_and_share_server Admin UserId Valid Show and Share administrator user ID

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Table 3-3 Show and Share Settings for the SUI

Field Description Admin Password Password for the Show and Share administrator user ID End Point https://HOST/vportal/services/xml/api Upload URL http://HOST/vportal/services/upload/multipart Automatically Approve Checkbox that specifies whether videos require a Show and Share Video Video Publisher to approve the video before publication

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

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

Configuring Video Output Formats

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

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

Each SUI job profile uses a special sui preprocessor profile that is configured to support variable aspect ratios and percentage-based watermarks and to define a default bumper, trailer, watermark, and graphic overlay that users can enable or disable in the Video Conversion Interface. See the “Configuring a Wowza or Windows Media Streaming Server” section on page 3-40 for more information.

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

Step 1 Log in to the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI. Step 2 Click Tools > Select Profile Space and then choose the sui profile space. Step 3 Click Search in the Profile Browser to display all Job Profiles for the sui profile space. Step 4 Select the Job Profile that you want to rename by double clicking it. The Edit Job Profile pane for the selected profile displays. Step 5 Click Save As, and enter the name to display in the Video Conversion Interface.

Figure 3-31 Edit Job Profile Pane

Step 6 Click Save. A Job Profile with that name will appear in the Profile Browser when refreshed and will also show in the Video Conversion Interface output type list. Step 7 Delete the original profile from the Profile Browser by double-clicking it again and then clicking Delete in the Edit Job Profile pane.

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

Configuring a Wowza or Windows Media Streaming Server

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

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

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Procedure

Step 1 Log in to the Web UI. Step 2 Click Tools > Select Profile Space and then choose the sui profile space. Step 3 Choose the job profiles that will have video output delivered to the streaming server and determine the encoder output type, such as H.264 or Windows Media, for each job profile. Obtain this information by double-clicking the name of the Job Profile in the Profile Browser and looking at the Type column for the encoder profile. Step 4 Create a new delivery profile to deliver the encoder output to the streaming server. a. In the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile. b. Choose Profile Class: Distribution and then Delivery c. Click New Profile. d. In the Delivery Formats area, check the checkbox next to the encoder output type, such as H.264 or Windows Media, for each of the job profiles that you chose in Step 2. e. In the Delivery Method area, specify the FTP/SFTP parameters for the streaming server’s FTP server. f. Enter the streaming URL template. For example, enter the following URL for a Wowza server: http://10.194.193.135:1935/vod/mp4:{filename}/playlist.m3u8 where the {filename} macro will be substituted with the actual video filename when the job is submitted. Step 5 For each chosen job profile, add the delivery profile that you created in Step 4. a. Open the chosen job profile to edit it. b. Add the delivery profile to the job profile. c. Save the edited job profile. Step 6 Ensure that the streaming server is enabled for the SUI. a. Click Toolbox > Administration > SUI Admin. b. In the Stream Server section, check the Enabled checkbox.

Configuring E-Mail Notifications

You can configure an e-mail server so that Cisco MXE 3500 can send e-mails to Video Conversion Interface users that include the status of a job transcode or a temporary password if a password is forgotten. Click Administration > SUI Admin and then enter the following information in the General Settings area: • Admin User ID—Enter the name that you want displayed as the e-mail sender, such as no-reply. • Email server—Enter the hostname for the e-mail server.

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Restoring the Default Video Conversion Interface Profiles

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

Procedure

Step 1 Go to the Cisco.com software download center at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/cisco/web/download/index.html. Step 2 Choose Video, Cable and Content Delivery > Media Transformation > Cisco MXE 3500 (Media Experience Engine) > Media Experience Engine Utilities and download the Video Conversion Interface profiles file to a location where the Cisco MXE 3500 can access the file. Step 3 RDC to the Cisco MXE 3500 and save the Video Conversion Interface profiles file to c:\temp. Step 4 Right-click the .zip file and choose Extract. Step 5 Follow the on-screen prompts to uncompress the system profile file to the following Cisco MXE 3500 folder: c:\mxe\profiles\spaces\sui.

Pulse Video Analytics

See Chapter 4, “Configuring Pulse Video Analytics (Licensed Feature).”

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 3-42 Send document feedack to [email protected].

CHAPTER 4

Configuring Pulse Video Analytics (Licensed Feature)

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Pulse video analytics feature license on the Cisco MXE 3500 appliance.

The Pulse video analytics feature enables keyword tagging and speaker identification in video content. The enhanced video content is shared through Cisco Show and Share.

Note An engagement with Cisco Advance Services is required for implementing Pulse video analytics.

Note Integration with Cisco Show and Share Release 5.3.0 is required to use this feature.

This section contains the following information: • Keyword Tagging, page 4-1 • Speaker Identification, page 4-7 • Cisco Show and Share Integration, page 4-7 • Checking Pulse Usage Hours, page 4-7

Keyword Tagging

Keyword tagging automatically identifies the relevant keywords spoken in a video and tags their location. The Cisco MXE 3500 uses a vocabulary list to automatically identify and tag spoken words in a video with the matching keywords. The keywords are displayed in Cisco Show and Share, and the viewer can search or go to the specific section of the video where the keyword was spoken by clicking on the keyword. • Workflow for Implementing Keyword Tagging, page 4-2 • Guidelines and Limitations, page 4-2 • Create a Document Repository, page 4-2

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• Generate the Vocabulary List Using the AutoVocab Tool, page 4-4 • Upload the Vocabulary List, page 4-4 • Configure the Speech Recognition Engine, page 4-6 • Update the Document Repository and the Vocabulary List, page 4-6

Workflow for Implementing Keyword Tagging

1. Create a domain specific document repository. This is required to generate a vocabulary list. Use one or both of the following methods to create the document repository: – Manually identify documents and create a document repository. – Use the provided Crawler tool to search specified web domains and retrieve all stored documents, and copy them to a local document repository.

Tip Use the Crawler tool to discover more documents representing the domain if you cannot manually provide a sufficient number or breadth of documents across relevant topics. Depending on the size of the web domains, it may take several hours for the crawler to create a document repository.

2. Generate a vocabulary list. Use the AutoVocab tool to extract text from the documents and filter the sentences to produce a vocabulary list. 3. Configure the speech recognition engine used by Pulse video analytics with the new vocabulary words. This step is necessary to customize the speech recognition engine to identify and tag speech in a video with the new keywords in the vocabulary list.

Note An engagement with Cisco Advanced Services team is required to update the speech recognition engine used by Pulse. Please contact your Cisco representative for details.

Guidelines and Limitations

• The Crawler and AutoVocab tools retrieve and extract the vocabulary list from documents in text, PDF, PowerPoint presentation, or Microsoft Word formats only. • A minimum of 1000 documents (approximately 10 million words) that are relevant to the domain are required to create a good vocabulary list.

Create a Document Repository

Create a document repository using either one or both of the following methods: • Create a Document Repository Manually, page 4-3 • Create a Document Repository Using the Crawler Tool, page 4-3

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 4-2 Chapter 4 Configuring Pulse Video Analytics (Licensed Feature) Keyword Tagging

Create a Document Repository Manually

Before You Begin Identify the relevant documents to create a vocabulary list.

Copy the Documents

Step 1 SSH to mxe_IP_address, and login as admin. Step 2 Select System Command Prompt and select OK. Step 3 Enter su -. Step 4 Copy the relevant documents to /mnt/shared/crawler_output.

Note Provide read access to the directories and files in /mnt/shared/crawler_output.

Step 5 To run the Crawler tool, go to Create a Document Repository Using the Crawler Tool, page 4-3. OR Go to Generate the Vocabulary List Using the AutoVocab Tool, page 4-4.

Create a Document Repository Using the Crawler Tool

Before You Begin Identify the web domains for the crawler tool to extract documents from.

Limitations Only enter URLs starting with http://. The crawl fails when secure web domains (web domains with https://) are entered.

Create a local document repository

Step 1 SSH to mxe_IP_address, and login as admin. Step 2 Select System Command Prompt and select OK. Step 3 Enter su -. Step 4 Enter cd /mnt/shared/ Step 5 Enter sh /opt/cisco/autovocab/scripts/runCrawler.sh /mnt/shared/crawler_output URL The URL is the web domain, for example http://www.cisco.com, the Crawler tool crawls and extracts the documents from. When completed, a document repository with a directory structure similar to the directory structure of the web domain is created.

Note Do not change the directory structure of the document repository. Maintaining the same directory structure speeds up subsequent crawls.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 4-3 Chapter 4 Configuring Pulse Video Analytics (Licensed Feature) Keyword Tagging

If you have multiple web domains, enter each URL separated by a space. For example, /mnt/shared/crawler_output URL1 URL2 URL3

Tip Do not delete the files in crawler_output. This allows for incremental updates and speeds up subsequent crawls.

Tip Depending on the size of the web domain a crawl can take several hours.

Step 6 Go to Generate the Vocabulary List Using the AutoVocab Tool, page 4-4.

Generate the Vocabulary List Using the AutoVocab Tool

Step 1 SSH to mxe_IP_address, and login as admin. Step 2 Select System Command Prompt and select OK. Step 3 Enter su -. Step 4 Enter cd /mnt/shared/ Step 5 Enter sh /opt/cisco/autovocab/scripts/runAutoVocab.sh /mnt/shared/crawler_output /mnt/shared/autovocab_output. /mnt/shared/crawler_output is the directory containing the source documents for extracting the vocabulary words. The AutoVocab tool generates the vocabulary list, AVTerms.csv, and saves it to /mnt/shared/autovocab_output.

Tip Use Microsoft Excel to add, remove, and edit the vocabulary list.

Step 6 Go to Upload the Vocabulary List, page 4-4.

Upload the Vocabulary List

Step 1 Go to http://mxe_IP_address/pulse/, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500. Step 2 Login as ncpadmin. Enter the password created during initial configuration of the Cisco MXE 3500.

Note If you upgraded your system from Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.2 to Release 3.3, and have not synchronized the admin passwords, the default ncpadmin password is idc.

Step 3 Click on the Vocabulary tab. Step 4 Click on Upload Pulse Vocabulary.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 4-4 Chapter 4 Configuring Pulse Video Analytics (Licensed Feature) Keyword Tagging

Figure 4-1 Upload Pulse Vocabulary

Step 5 Click on Browse to select the vocabulary file for upload. Step 6 Click Submit. Step 7 Click on the Administration tab. The Pulse Connect Appliance page is displayed. Step 8 Click Save.

Figure 4-2 Save Pulse Vocabulary

Step 9 Click Configuration Update, and click on Update Now. This updates Pulse video analytics with the new vocabulary list. If not, the Pulse video analytics is updated at the scheduled update.

Figure 4-3 Update Pulse Vocabulary

Step 10 Go to Configure the Speech Recognition Engine, page 4-6.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 4-5 Chapter 4 Configuring Pulse Video Analytics (Licensed Feature) Keyword Tagging

Configure the Speech Recognition Engine

A separate engagement with Cisco Advanced Services is required to configure the speech recognition engine used by Pulse video analytics. Please contact your Cisco representative for details.

Update the Document Repository and the Vocabulary List

• Update Document Repository, page 4-6 • Generate a New Vocabulary List, page 4-6 • Download and Merge Vocabulary Lists, page 4-6 • Upload the Merged Vocabulary List, page 4-7

Update Document Repository

Update the document repository when there are significant number of new documents created or added to your web domain. Follow the steps detailed in Create a Document Repository, page 4-2.

Generate a New Vocabulary List

Follow the steps in Generate the Vocabulary List Using the AutoVocab Tool, page 4-4 The AutoVocab tool generates a new list which may include keywords already generated from the previous AutoVocab run. After a new vocabulary list is created, follow the steps in Download and Merge Vocabulary Lists, page 4-6 to merge the old and new vocabulary lists.

Download and Merge Vocabulary Lists

Step 1 Go to http://mxe_IP_address/pulse/, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500. Step 2 Login as ncpadmin. Enter the password created during initial configuration of the Cisco MXE 3500.

Note If you upgraded your system from Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.2 to Release 3.3, and have not synchronized the admin passwords, the default ncpadmin password is idc.

Step 3 Click on the Vocabulary tab. Step 4 Click on Download Pulse Vocabulary.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 4-6 Chapter 4 Configuring Pulse Video Analytics (Licensed Feature) Speaker Identification

Figure 4-4 Download Pulse Vocabulary

Step 5 Merge the new vocabulary list with the downloaded vocabulary list.

Tip Use Microsoft Excel to merge, add, remove, and edit the vocabulary list.

Upload the Merged Vocabulary List

See Upload the Vocabulary List, page 4-4.

Speaker Identification

Pulse video analytics automatically identifies and labels speakers in a video and tags each speech segment. Speaker identification requires user input in Cisco Show and Share. Each unique speaker is identified by a separate color bar in Cisco Show and Share. Each speech segment is identified by the speaker’s unique color bar. The user selects a color bar to tag it with the speaker’s name. In subsequent videos, the corresponding speech segments are automatically labeled with the speaker name.

Cisco Show and Share Integration

For information on how to integrate the Cisco MXE 3500 with Cisco Show and Share, see Integration Note for Configuring Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 with Cisco Show and Share on Cisco.com.

Checking Pulse Usage Hours

Step 1 SSH to mxe_IP_address, and login as admin. Step 2 Select System Command Prompt and select OK. Step 3 Enter su -.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 4-7 Chapter 4 Configuring Pulse Video Analytics (Licensed Feature) Checking Pulse Usage Hours

Step 4 Enter /opt/cisco/cli/queryindex. Step 5 (Perform this step, the first time only, to fix class not found exception.) Enter cp /opt/mgmt/lib/slf4j-jdk14-1.5.0.jar lib. Step 6 Enter ./usage_status.sh. Example Output [root@mxe queryindex]# ./usage_status.sh current total video duration = 30 hours 10 minutes 7 seconds

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CHAPTER 4

Linux Administration Utility

Use the Linux Administration Utility to modify network settings and administration passwords. The following sections provide information on how to log into the Linux administration utility, modify network settings, and restarting and shutting down the Cisco MXE 3500 application: • Logging in to the Linux System Command Prompt, page 4-1 • Modifying Network Settings and Admin Password, page 4-2 • Restarting and Shutting Down the Cisco MXE Application, page 4-3

Logging in to the Linux System Command Prompt

The Linux system command prompt is used to update or change the IP address, DNS settings, and NTP settings. Follow these steps to log in to the Linux system command prompt and enter commands in the shell.

Step 1 SSH to mxe_IP_address, and log in as admin. The Cisco MXE Appliance Configuration Menu displays.

Tip If you have a physical access to the Cisco MXE 3500, press Alt+F1 and then press Enter when the Welcome to the Media Experience Engine screen displays to log in as admin and access the Configuration Menu.

Step 2 Click System Command Prompt. Step 3 Click OK. The Linux shell displays.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 4-1 Chapter 4 Linux Administration Utility Modifying Network Settings and Admin Password

Modifying Network Settings and Admin Password

Follow these steps to change the network settings or the admin account password after you complete initial setup.

Note This procedure changes and synchronizes the password for the Windows OS admin, Linux OS admin, and the Pulse Analytics ncpadmin accounts. It does not change the password for the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI admin account.

Step 1 SSH to mxe_IP_address, and log in as admin. The Cisco MXE Appliance Configuration Menu displays.

Tip If you have a physical access to the Cisco MXE 3500, press Alt+F1 and then press Enter when the Welcome to the Media Experience Engine screen displays to log in as admin and access the Configuration Menu.

Tip You can access the Configuration Menu remotely by using SSH or directly by using ESXi through a console connection.

Figure 4-1 Cisco MXE Appliance Configuration Menu

Step 2 Either choose one of the network setting configuration options or choose Change Admin Password. Step 3 Click OK. Step 4 When complete, click Exit System and then click OK. Step 5 (Optional. Only if Pulse video analytics is installed.) If you change the IP address of the appliance, and have Pulse video analytics installed, you must also log in to Pulse administration and manually change the Pulse video analytics IP address. a. Go to http://mxe_IP_address/pulse, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 4-2 Chapter 4 Linux Administration Utility Restarting and Shutting Down the Cisco MXE Application

b. Click on the Administration tab c. In the Pulse Connect Appliance page, enter the new IP address. d. Click Save.

See also:“Change the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI Admin Password” section on page 19-3

Restarting and Shutting Down the Cisco MXE Application

This section details the following procedures: • Restart and Shutdown the MXE Appliance from the Configuration Menu, page 4-3 • Restart the MXE Application After a Shutdown, page 4-3

Note We recommend that you shut down the Cisco MXE application before you power down the Cisco MXE 3500 hardware.

Restart and Shutdown the MXE Appliance from the Configuration Menu

Use this procedure to restart or shut down the Cisco MXE application. Doing so, either shuts down or restarts the Linux and Windows VM.

Step 1 SSH to mxe_IP_address, and log in as admin. The Cisco MXE Appliance Configuration Menu displays. Step 2 Choose one of the following options from the menu: • Restart Cisco MXE Application—Restarts the Linux and Windows VMs. • Shutdown Cisco MXE Application—Shuts down the Linux and Windows VMs.

Note To shut down the Cisco MXE 3500 appliance, console into ESXi, then press F2 on your keyboard. To power on the Cisco MXE 3500 appliance, press the power button on the appliance.

Step 3 Click OK.

Restart the MXE Application After a Shutdown

This procedure details how to restart the MXE Application after shutdown from the Cisco MXE Appliance Configuration Menu.

Step 1 Assign an IP address to ESXi (if an IP address is not already assigned). Step 2 Enter the ESXi IP address in a web browser. Step 3 Download and install the vSphere client.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 4-3 Chapter 4 Linux Administration Utility Restarting and Shutting Down the Cisco MXE Application

Step 4 Log into the vSphere client using the ESXi username and password. In the vSphere Client, on the left hand panel, you will see the Linux and Windows VMs. Step 5 Right click on each VM and click Start. The Linux and Windows VMs will boot up. You can monitor the boot up on the vSphere client console. Step 6 After the Linux and Windows VMs are up, SSH to mxe_IP_address and follow the steps detailed in “Restart and Shutdown the MXE Appliance from the Configuration Menu”.

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CHAPTER 5

Job Profiles

Job profiles are templates that define how jobs should be processed; they can contain part or all of the settings required to process jobs from beginning to final distribution. This chapter includes the following topics: • Introduction to Job Profiles, page 5-1 • Setting the Default Profile Directory, page 5-2 • Creating a New Job Profile, page 5-3 • Standard Cisco MXE 3500 Job Profiles, page 5-6 • Using the Profile Browser to Select a Job Profile, page 5-8 • Editing an Existing Job Profile, page 5-8 • Deleting Profiles, page 5-8 • Copying Job Profiles, page 5-9

Introduction to Job Profiles

A Job Profile is a template that defines how a job should be processed. Saved Job Profiles can contain part or all of the settings required to process jobs from ingest/encoding to final distribution. Job Profiles can be optimized for different types of input media, encoding output, and distribution. Profiles can be stored in a location accessible to all users or can be saved to individual locations. • Job Profile: A is a collection of subprofiles, similar to a template, that tells the Cisco MXE 3500 what settings should be used at each stage of production. The Job Profile consists of multiple task-specific subprofiles, which taken together include all the information needed to process an incoming signal from start to finish. • Subprofile: The Cisco MXE 3500 offers four types of subprofiles that may be part of a Job Profile: – Distribution Profiles, page 8-1 – Encoder Profiles, page 7-1 – Other Profiles, page 10-1 – Preprocessor Profiles, page 6-1

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For example, if you want to transform MPEG-2 content into Flash 8 and Real, report the job completion and then distribute the output, you need to create a Job Profile that, at a minimum, includes the following: – Preprocessor Profile – Encoder Profile that includes Flash 8 and Real encoders – Distribution Profile that includes notification information This section includes the following topics: • What must go into a Job Profile?, page 5-2 • What can go into a Job Profile?, page 5-2 • Job Profile File Extension, page 5-2

What must go into a Job Profile?

At a minimum to process a job, a Job Profile must consist of a Preprocessor Profile and an Encoder Profile.

What can go into a Job Profile?

In addition, a Job Profile may contain: • Multiple encoder profiles that generate multiple output files. • A Distribution Profile that copies or FTPs the output media and that notifies operators or other downstream systems of the failure or completion of a transcoded/encoded job.

Job Profile File Extension

Job profiles and subprofiles both have an .awp extension.

Setting the Default Profile Directory

Follow these steps to set the default profile directory:

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > System. Step 2 In the Input section, enter the information in the Profile Directory field. See Figure 5-1.

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Figure 5-1 Profile Directory Field

Step 3 Click Save.

To manage multiple profile directories or switch between profile directories while working, see the “Profile Spaces” section on page 13-33.

Creating a New Job Profile

This section includes the following topics: • Creating a New Job Profile, page 5-4 • Creating a New Job Profile from an Existing Job Profile, page 5-5 • Creating a New Job Profile from the Profile Browser, page 5-6

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Follow these steps to create a new Job Profile:

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Profile Management, and click New Profile. The New Profile pop-up displays. See Figure 5-2.

Figure 5-2 New Profile Pop-Up

Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job, and click the New Profile button. The New Job Profile page displays. See Figure 5-3.

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Figure 5-3 New Job Profile Page

Step 3 Expand the Preprocessing section, and from the drop-down, select a Preprocessor Profile. Step 4 Expand the Encoding section, and select one or more encoders. Step 5 (Optional) Expand the Distribution section, and select one Output Profile, one or more Delivery and/or Source Delivery Profiles, and one Webcast Profile. Step 6 (Optional) Expand the Notification section, and select one or more Notification Profiles. Step 7 Click Save.

Creating a New Job Profile from an Existing Job Profile

Follow these steps to crate a new Job Profile from an existing Job Profile:

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > Open Profile > Job. Step 2 Highlight a Job Profile, and click the Open Profile button. Step 3 Expand the Preprocessing, Encoding, Distribution, and/or Notification sections, and make any necessary changes. Step 4 Click Save As, and provide a new name for the new Job Profile.

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Tip You can also use the Save As option to rename a Job Profile that displays in the Video Conversion Interface.

Creating a New Job Profile from the Profile Browser

Follow these steps to crate a new Job Profile from the Profile Browser:

Step 1 From the Profile Browser, in the Browse Type, select Job Profile. Step 2 Leave Filter Text blank, and click the Search button. Step 3 From the Results drop-down, double-click Create New Profile. The New Job Profile page displays. Step 4 Expand the Preprocessing section, and from the drop-down, select a Preprocessor Profile. Step 5 Expand the Encoding section, and select one or more Encoder Profiles. Step 6 (Optional) Expand the Distribution section, and select one Output Profile, one or more Delivery and/or Source Delivery Profiles, one Webcast Profile, and one IP Stream profile. Step 7 (Optional) Expand the Notification section, and select one or more Notification Profiles. Step 8 Click Save.

Standard Cisco MXE 3500 Job Profiles

The Cisco MXE 3500 provides many pre-installed Job Profiles.

Note These profiles often need to be adjusted to meet individual encoding or transcoding needs.

• Android: Designed to produce a video for playout on Android devices. • Audio_Podcast: Designed to produce MP3 (128K bit rate) audio. • Blackberry_320x240_1MB_30: Designed to produce a 320x240 (1MB bit rate, 30FPS) video for playout on Blackberry devices. • Blackberry_320x240_500K_30: Designed to produce a 320x240 (500K bit rate, 30FPS) video for playout on Blackberry devices. • Blackberry_480x320_1.5MB_24: Designed to produce a 480x320 (1.5MB bit rate, 24FPS) video for playout on Blackberry devices. • Blackberry_480x360_1.5MB_24: Designed to produce a 480x360 (1.5MB bit rate, 24FPS) video for playout on Blackberry devices. • Blackberry_480x360_2MB_30: Designed to produce a 480x360 (2MB bit rate, 30FPS) video for playout on Blackberry devices. • Cisco_DMP_4300.job.awp: Designed to produce a video for playout on Cisco DMP4300 Digital Media Player.

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• Cisco_DMP_4400.job.awp: Designed to produce a video for playout on Cisco DMP4400 Digital Media Player. • Flash_16x9.job.awp: Designed to produce Flash FLV 16x9 video. • Flash_4x3.job.awp: Designed to produce Flash FLV 4x3 video. • h.264_16x9.job.awp: Designed to produce H264 16x9 video. • h.264_4x3.job.awp: Designed to produce H264 4x3 video. • iPad_720p.job.awp: Designed to produce a 720P video for playout on the iPad. • iPhone-iPod-iPad_320x240_250K.job.awp: Designed to produce a 320x240 (250K bit rate) video for playout on iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. • iPhone-iPod-iPad_320x240_500K.job.awp: Designed to produce a 320x240 (500K bit rate) video for playout on iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. • iPhone-iPod-iPad_640x480_1M.job.awp: Designed to produce a 640x480 (1MB bit rate) video for playout on iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. • Real_640x480_500K: Designed to produce a 640x480 (500K bit rate) Real 10 video. • SNS_16X9_FLV.job.awp: Designed to produce a 16x9 Flash video for upload to Show and Share. • SNS_16X9_h.264.job.awp: Designed to produce a 16x9 H264 video for upload to Show and Share. • SNS_4X3_FLV.job.awp: Designed to produce a 4x3 Flash video for upload to Show and Share. • SNS_4X3_h.264.job.awp: Designed to produce a 4x3 H264 video for upload to Show and Share. • SNS_5.2.3_mezz_16x9: Designed to produce high quality intermediate 16x9 H264 video for producing additional output formats and sizes, adding keywords, and identifying speakers before publishing to Cisco Show and Share version 5.2.3. • SNS_5.2.3_mezz_4x3: Designed to produce high quality intermediate 4x3 H264 video for producing additional output formats and sizes, adding keywords, and identifying speakers before publishing to Cisco Show and Share version 5.2.3. • SNS_5.3.0_mezz_16x9: Designed to produce high quality intermediate 16x9 H264 video for producing additional output formats and sizes, adding keywords, and identifying speakers before publishing to Cisco Show and Share version 5.3. • SNS_5.3.0_mezz_4x3: Designed to produce high quality intermediate 4x3 H264 video for producing additional output formats and sizes, adding keywords, and identifying speakers before publishing to Cisco Show and Share version 5.3. • WebEx_SNS_h.264: Designed to produce H264 video from WebEx ARF recording for publishing to Cisco Show and Share. • WebEx_SNS_WMV: Desinged to porduce WMV video from WebEx ARF recording for publishing to Cisco Show and Share. • WMV_16x9.job.awp: Designed to produce a 16x9 Windows Media video • WMV_4x3.job.awp: Designed to produce a 4x3 Windows Media video To view or use these Job Profiles, see the “Profile (File Job)” section on page 11-5.

Note When you upload a video for transcoding by using an iPhone or iPad, the Cisco MXE 3500 transcodes the file in the lowest resolution setting. This is because the iPhone or iPad application compresses the video on the client side to a lower resolution. The uploaded video causes Cisco Show and Share to automatically request the low resolution version from the Cisco MXE 3500. For best results, you should upload the video by using a PC.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 5-7 Chapter 5 Job Profiles Using the Profile Browser to Select a Job Profile Send document feedback to [email protected]. Using the Profile Browser to Select a Job Profile

Follow these steps to use the Profile Browser to select a Job Profile:

Step 1 In the Profile Browser, from the Browse Type drop-down, select Job Profile. Step 2 In the Filter Text box, type all or part of the Job Profile name, and click Search. A list of Job Profiles defined in the system displays in the Results area. Step 3 Double-click a Job Profile. In the main window, all of the Job Profile's settings display.

Editing an Existing Job Profile

Note Jobs in the Job Status window (submitted jobs) will not be affected by Job Profile changes.

Follow these steps to edit a Job Profile:

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > Open Profile > Job. Step 2 Highlight a Job Profile, and click the Open Profile button. Step 3 Expand the Preprocessing, Encoding, Distribution, and/or Notification sections, and make any necessary changes. Step 4 Click Save.

Deleting Profiles

Note Jobs in the Job Status window (submitted jobs) will not be affected by Job Profile deletions.

Follow these steps to delete a Job Profile:

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > Open Profile > Job. Step 2 Highlight a Job Profile, and click the Open Profile button. Step 3 Click Delete. The confirm file delete pop-up window displays. Step 4 Click OK to confirm the deletion.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 5-8 Chapter 5 Job Profiles Copying Job Profiles Send document feedback to [email protected]. Copying Job Profiles

Follow these steps to copy a Job Profile:

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > Open Profile > Job. Step 2 Highlight a Job Profile, and click the Open Profile button. Step 3 Click Save As, and provide a new name for the Job Profile copy.

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Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 5-10 Send document feedback to [email protected].

CHAPTER 6

Preprocessor Profiles

Preprocessor settings allow you to improve the quality of the incoming video before it is encoded. This chapter includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Preprocessor Profile, page 6-1 • Creating a Preprocessor Profile, page 6-2 • Understanding Preprocessor Settings, page 6-3 • Previewing Preprocessor Clips, page 6-40 • Adding a Preprocessor Profile to a Job Profile, page 6-44

Introduction to the Preprocessor Profile

Preprocessor settings allow you to adjust video, color, and audio to improve the quality of the incoming video before it is encoded. The Cisco MXE 3500 requires one Preprocessor Profile per Job Profile. See also: Opening a Preprocessor Profile, page 6-1.

Opening a Preprocessor Profile

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Profile Management, and click Open Profile. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Preprocessor. Step 3 From the list, highlight a Preprocessor Profile, and click Open Profile. See Figure 6-1.

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Figure 6-1 Opening a Preprocessor Profile

Creating a Preprocessor Profile

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Profile Management, and click New Profile. The New Profile pop-up displays. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Preprocessor. See Figure 6-2.

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Figure 6-2 Creating a New Preprocessor Profile

Step 3 Enter the appropriate preprocessor settings, and click Save. See also: Understanding Preprocessor Settings, page 6-3.

Understanding Preprocessor Settings

Generally, the type of source footage determines the preprocessor settings. You can modify the settings and preview the results to make the source footage look as good as possible before encoding. Different settings are used depending on the nature and quality of the incoming video. See also: Previewing Preprocessor Clips, page 6-40. A Preprocessor Profile allows you to adjust the following settings: • Common (Preprocessor), page 6-4 • Video (Preprocessor), page 6-5 • Telecine (Preprocessor), page 6-9 • Crop (Preprocessor), page 6-9 • Bumpers and Trailers (Preprocessor), page 6-10 • Color (Preprocessor), page 6-12 • Noise Reduction (Preprocessor), page 6-13 • Manage Input Extensions (Preprocessor), page 6-14 • Line21/VANC Data (Preprocessor), page 6-15 • Aspect Ratio Conversion (Preprocessor), page 6-17 • Timecode (Preprocessor), page 6-20 • Watermarking (Preprocessor), page 6-23 • Audio (Preprocessor), page 6-25 • Audio Filters (Preprocessor), page 6-26 • Input/Output Audio Channel Mapping (Preprocessor), page 6-28

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• Thomson Nextamp Forensic Watermarking, page 6-28 • Graphics Overlay (Preprocessor), page 6-28 • Subtitles, page 6-40 • Previewing Preprocessor Clips, page 6-40

Common (Preprocessor)

Figure 6-3 shows the Common settings. Table 6-1 describes the settings.

Figure 6-3 Preprocessor Profile: Common Settings

Table 6-1 Preprocessor Profile: Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Enabled Check the box to enable this profile for job processing. Task Mode This is a required setting and cannot be changed. • standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. • fast start: The fast start option is only useful when checking the Separate Capture from Preprocess box below. In this case, the Cisco MXE 3500 prefilter runs two passes: first it captures from SDI 'raw' without any filtering, then it preprocesses the capture file according to the preprocessor settings in a second pass. If fast-start is enabled, the second pass will run in fast-start mode. Separate Capture Defines whether or not the preprocessing occurs simultaneously with the capture. from Preprocess MXF Capture Bit The bit rate for the intermediate MXF file that gets produced during Live captures Rate from HD sources when Separate Capture from Preprocess is enabled. Normally, the source audio tracks are down-converted to 16 bits before entering the preprocessor audio pipeline. In Audio Passthrough mode, the original audio is preserved during preprocessing. This may be necessary when encoding into formats with 24/20-bit audio or when passing through compressed audio tracks (Dolby-E, etc.). The only audio preprocessing that is still applied in this case is the one specified in the Audio Mapping section.

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Figure 6-4 shows the Video settings. Table 6-2 describes the settings.

Figure 6-4 Preprocessor Profile: Video Settings

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Table 6-2 Preprocessor Profile: Video Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description CPU Usage Determines the resources available for preprocessing.

Optimized for Quality • Hardware-based captures: The capture card hardware capability and compute-intensive software preprocessing capabilities are used. This results in the highest quality output and is recommended for video-on-demand encoding. • IP captures: Compute-intensive software preprocessing capabilities are used. This results in the highest quality output.

Optimized for Speed • Hardware-based captures: The capture card hardware capability and simplified software preprocessing capabilities are used, leaving the maximum amount of resources available for encoding and distribution. This results in the fastest preprocessing and is recommended for Live Webcasting. • IP captures: Simplified software preprocessing capabilities are used. This results in the fastest preprocessing but most of the Signal Processing features will not be available. It also greatly improves overall IP capture stability when the source stream is prone to outages and/or missing/corrupted packets. The only supported features in this mode are Graphic Overlays, Video Downscaling, Video Frame Rate Conversion, and Closed Captions Burn-in.

Note This mode cannot be used when output video dimensions are higher than the source dimensions and when the output frame rate is higher than the source frame rate. When used in combination with H.264 IP streaming, setting the encoded width and height to 0 in the H.264 profile enables the Smart Ingest feature and will result in the output dimensions matching the source ones, which allows using the same profile for different source dimensions.

Field Order Specifies which field will be used as the top field during de-interlacing. • Automatic Top will be automatically detected. This is recommended. • First on Top will be used as the top field. • Second on Top will be used as the top field. • Frame Footage does not require de-interlacing. If you have selected an incorrect field order, it will be evident in the quality of the output. Some lesser-used formats will incorrectly report field order. Also, AVI and other formats may not specify the field order. If setting Field Order to Automatic yields poor results, specify First on Top or Second on Top.

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Table 6-2 Preprocessor Profile: Video Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Single Field Specifies the method used to de-interlace interlaced video before it is encoded. • Single Field Only: The top field will be interpolated. Half of the temporal information will be omitted because only information from the first field will be used. Recommended for fast-motion video. • Two Fields Blend: Both fields into a single progressive field. All temporal information will be maintained. Recommended for slow-moving or stationary video images. Motion This setting is not available on the Cisco MXE 3500. Compensation Vertical Shift The number of horizontal lines the video will be moved. The preprocessor shifts the entire video in the vertical plane by the amount specified. So, if the video is shifted by five pixels then each frame is moved up five lines and the first five lines are out. Inverse Telecine Inverse telecine algorithm tracks the 3:2 pull-down cadence even in portions of the media where, due to a lack of motion, the cadence is difficult to detect. The chance of a telecine phase change is 80% at every edit point. Note Inverse telecine is not compatible with Temporal Smoothing. If Temporal Smoothing is turned on (set greater than 1), then Inverse Telecine cannot be used. Requesting both results in a warning message, and Inverse Telecine is disabled.

Inverse Telecine in the “perfect” mode can be used when the media is known to have an unchanging telecine phase.

This setting is used to reverse the frame insertion performed by the telecine process when film is converted to video. Inverse Telecine will remove inserted frames, which are unnecessary. • Off: Processes video with frames as they are. Telecine frames will be retained, if they are present. • Adaptive: The Cisco MXE 3500 will try to detect the telecine pattern and recreate the original frames. It constantly analyzes and adjusts to discontinuities (due to an edit, for example) in the telecine pattern. This is the most commonly used mode. • Perfect 3:2: The Cisco MXE 3500 will analyze the footage and then adhere to a pattern without dynamically adjusting it. This mode should be used on unedited footage that was created using a 3:2 pull-down process. Note Perfect 3:2 does not work when Audio Drift Compensation is enabled in Audio Preferences.

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Table 6-2 Preprocessor Profile: Video Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Add/Remove VBI Note Only use this control when the vertical cropping is turned off.

This setting helps maintain proper aspect ratios when converting between media types that do not both require a VBI. For example, if the a broadcast format is being converted to a web format, the VBI will be stripped from the video before adjusting image size, thus preserving the overall aspect ratio of the media. Yes: VBI will be stripped from VBI sources and added to non-VBI sources. No: No action taken. Auto: If the incoming source contains a VBI and the output media does not, it will be added. If the input media has no VBI and the output is to an analog broadcast format, the VBI will be added. You can use this feature to strip the VBI out and put in such a way that the aspect ratio is maintained when you go from one format to another. We suggest leaving this feature set to the default settings. When it is set to “Auto”, and the input height is 480 (or 486) and the output height is 512, or if the input height is 576 and the output height is 608, 32 (or 26) blank VBI lines will be added at the end of the preprocessing stage. Examples: 1. When set to Auto, and the input height is 480 (or 486) and the output height is 512, or if the input height is 576 and the output height is 608, 32 (or 26) blank VBI lines will be added at the end of the preprocessing stage. 2. If the input is 512 and: – VBI is set to Yes, 32 top lines will be cropped off (similar to setting the vertical cropping to 32) – VBI is set to Auto and the output is 480 (or 486), 32 (or 26) lines will be removed before preprocessing. 3. If the input is 608 and: – VBI is set to Yes, 32 top lines will be cropped off (similar to setting the vertical cropping to 32) – VBI is set to Auto and the output is 576, 32 lines will be removed before preprocessing. In Point Marks the point in time, relative to the beginning of the clip, to start encoding. In points and out points are used when only a section of a larger file will be encoded. In points are marked in hh:mm:ss:mmm, where the last section marks milliseconds. Out Point Marks the point in time, relative to the beginning of the clip, to stop encoding. Out points are marked in hh:mm:ss:mmm, where the last section marks milliseconds. Note In points and out points are not related to video timecodes. They are measured strictly in time elapsed from the start of the clip. Technically, they are not frame accurate, but allow frame accurate capture because they measure to the millisecond.

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Table 6-2 Preprocessor Profile: Video Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Fade In Determines the number of seconds to fade-in from black to full brightness at the beginning of the video clip. Values range from 0 to 10 seconds. Fade In time is appended to the absolute beginning of the preprocess file including any bumpers that may be added. The default value is 0. Fade Out Determines the number of seconds to fade out from full brightness to black at the end of the video clip. Values range from 0 to 10 seconds, with 0 seconds the default. Fade Out time is appended to the absolute end of the preprocess file including any trailers that may be added.

Telecine (Preprocessor)

Forward telecine takes 24fps to 30fps or 23.98fps to 29.97fps by creating a 2:3 pull-down cadence. Figure 6-5 shows Forward Telecine settings. Table 6-3 describes the settings.

Figure 6-5 Preprocessor Profile: Forward Telecine Settings

Table 6-3 Preprocessor Profile: Forward Telecine Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Enabled Turns forward telecine on or off. Field Sets the field dominance for the telecine algorithm, which is important because Dominance telecine sometime mixes two input frames to produce an output frame. • Upper: Upper dominance places the earlier frame on the upper field (the one contributing the uppermost line in the frame). This is the default setting. • Lower: Since encoders independently set the field dominance, you need to ensure that the telecine dominance matches the encoder dominance. The preprocessor does not know the dominance being created by the encoder. In fact, it is possible to have multiple encoders creating conflicting dominances. Cadence Sets the cadence to 2:3 or 3:2. The default setting is 2:3. Cadence Origin Defines the start of the cadence. Timecode

Crop (Preprocessor)

Crop settings are used to trim unwanted material from the outer edges of the incoming video image. All crop settings are expressed in source video pixels.

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Crop settings do not change the frame size of the finished output. Non-uniform crop will result in changes to the aspect ratio of the image in the output file. For film-based input that requires a non-uniform crop, it is important to match the encoder output size to the cropped input size manually to avoid distorting the image. Figure 6-6 shows Crop settings. Table 6-4 describes the settings.

Figure 6-6 Preprocessor Profile: Crop Settings

Table 6-4 Preprocessor Profile: Crop Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Crop Top Determines the number of pixels to trim from the top of the incoming video image. Crop Left Determines the number of pixels to trim from the left side of the incoming video image. Crop Right Determines the number of pixels to trim from the right side of the incoming video image. Crop Bottom Determines the number of pixels to trim from the bottom of the incoming video image.

Bumpers and Trailers (Preprocessor)

Figure 6-7 shows Bumper and Trailer settings. Table 6-5 describes the settings.

Figure 6-7 Preprocessor Profile: Bumper and Trailer Settings

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Table 6-5 Preprocessor Profile: Bumpers and Trailers Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Bumper File Specifies the file to be used as a bumper at the introduction of the encoded clip. Movie files of any Cisco-supported format or still files saved with a .mov file extension can be used as bumpers. Trailer File Specifies the file to be used as a trailer to follow the encoded clip. Movie files of any Cisco-supported format or still files saved with a .mov file extension can be used as trailers. Preprocess Bumper / Specifies whether to apply preprocessing settings to the bumper and/or trailer Trailer file. • Checked: Specifies that preprocessing settings should be applied to the bumper/trailer clip. Use the On setting for video clips that have similar requirements to those of the source footage. • Unchecked: Specifies that the bumper/trailer clip will not have preprocessing settings applied. The clip will be appended to the beginning of the source footage as it is. Use the Off setting for animated GIFs or other bumper/trailer files that do not require the same preprocessing as the source footage. Separate Capture from Instructs the Cisco MXE 3500 to separate the real-time audio and video Preprocess capture step from the preprocessing step. As a result, the Cisco MXE 3500 will not apply the preprocessor setting until the media acquisition is entirely completed. This mode is recommended for encoding Live jobs with non-standard frame sizes such as 400x300 and/or with heavy preprocessor settings such as higher level of blur or noise reduction. Separating the preprocessing from the capture step guarantees that the preprocessing can be performed even while using the capture card as the input device. • Checked: Specifies that the preprocessing will occur in two passes. The first pass will be capture the input completely, and the second pass will apply the preprocessing • Unchecked: Specifies that the preprocessing will occur normally, i.e. capture and preprocessing together in the same pass. MXF Capture Bit Rate Use this setting for higher quality encodes that require scaling and other preprocessing features. In this mode, a two-stage preprocessing is employed. On the first stage, the incoming video is encoded into a high-bitrate MPEG-2/I-frame only MXF format. The actual MXF bitrate is set in the Preprocessor Profile > MXF Capture Bit Rate. The valid bitrate range is 50 to 300 MBits. On the second stage, a regular file-based preprocessing is executed off that MXF file.

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Figure 6-8 shows Color settings. Table 6-6 describes the settings.

Figure 6-8 Preprocessor Profile: Color Settings

Table 6-6 Preprocessor Profile: Color Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Brightness Adjusts luminance as measured against the source video. Values range from 50% (half as bright) to 150% (one and a half times as bright). The total value range is from 0 to 200%. Default value is 100%, which leaves brightness unchanged. Contrast Adjusts separation between the blackest black and the whitest white. Values range from 50% to 150%. The total valid range is 0 to 200%. The default value is 100%, which leaves color unchanged. Hue Adjusts hue of colors in the video from red (decrease) to green (increase). Values range from -10° to +10°. The total value range is -180° to +180°. The default value is 0°. Saturation Adjusts the amount of color in the video image expressed as a percentage of source video color. Values range from 50% to 150%. The total valid value range is 0 (remove all color) to 200 (double the color). The default value is 100%. Gamma Adjusts the mid-range (gray) luminance values of the video. This adjusts the luminance of mid-range colors, leaving black and white values unchanged. The mapping is applied in RGB space and each color channel independently receives the color correction. Values range from 0 to 40. The total valid value range is 0 to 255. The default value is 1.0. Black Point Defines the threshold for 100% black. Any pixel below the number entered here will be converted to black. Values range from 0 to 40. The total valid value range is from 0 to 255. The default value is 0. Setting black point higher will reduce detail in the dark areas of the video increasing compression quality.

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Table 6-6 Preprocessor Profile: Color Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Black Point Sets the amount of smoothing between black and surrounding colors. Black Point Transition affects only pixels below the threshold set. Lower the value to maintain the sharpest transition, or increase the value for smoother transition. Values are 0 to 255. The default value is 15. White Point Defines the threshold for 100% white. All pixels above the number entered will be converted to white. Values range from 0 to 255. The default value is 255. Setting white point lower will reduce detail in the light areas of the video increasing compression quality. White Point Sets the amount of smoothing between white and surrounding colors. Lower the Transition value to maintain the sharpest transition, or increase value for smoother transition. Values for are 0 to 255. The default value is 15. Color Rescale Determines whether color will be expanded from video levels (16-235) to computer levels (0-255). The default value is Yes. Most video formats set 100% black (7.5 IRE) to 16 when mapped to 8 bit sampling and 100% white (100 IRE) to 235. Most computers set 100% black to 0 and 100% white to 255. Color rescale expands the range by mapping 16 to 0 and 235 to 255 to ensure that the color range is optimized for computer display. • On: Luminance and color levels will be expanded from video levels (16-235) to computer levels (0-255). This is the default value. • Off: Luminance and color levels will be unchanged from video levels (16-235). If encoded video looks murky, with no true blacks or true whites, Color Rescale may be Off when it should be On. If encoded video has too much black and white, one possible cause may be that Color Rescale is On when it should be Off. 601-709 Color Determines how color will be adjusted during conversion from HD to SD or SD to Space HD. • 601(SD) – 709(HD) • 709(HD) – 601(SD)

Noise Reduction (Preprocessor)

Figure 6-9 shows Noise Reduction Settings. Table 6-7 describes the settings.

Figure 6-9 Preprocessor Profile: Noise Reduction Settings

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Table 6-7 Preprocessor Profile: Noise Reduction Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Temporal Smoothing Defines how frames are combined for interframe smoothing. This specifies the number of input frames to average when constructing an output frame. Values range from 1 to 4 frames in terms of the input frame rate from the source. The default value is 1, which results in no smoothing (a frame compared to itself will be an exact match). Blur Specifies how much to blur the source footage. Values range from 0 to 4.0. The total valid values range is from 0 to 10.0. Blur is generally used at lower bit rates to reduce image detail, which improves the overall appearance of the finished clip at high compression rates. Blurring degrades the image but enables better compression. Noise Reduce Used to remove small, irregular detail from the source video. The range of values refers to the size of the detail to be removed. Recommended range is from 0 to 3.0. Complete range is from 0 to 6.0. The default value is 0. Unsharp Mask Used to enhance edge detail in the image without enhancing other detail. If Enabled checked the Unsharp Radius and Unsharp Strength sliders are activated. • Checked: Indicates that Unsharp Mask smoothing will be used. This reduces compression efficiency, but can improve perceived clarity of the image. • Unchecked: Indicates that Unsharp Mask smoothing will not be used. This is the default value. Unsharp Mask reduces compression efficiency, but can improve the perceived quality of the image. This is recommended for some video formats, such as VHS, and for multigenerational images where a sharper image is desired. Unsharp Radius Used only when Unsharp Mask is set to Yes. Increase the value to increase sharpening on larger objects within the image. Values range from 0 to 8.0. Default is 0. Unsharp Strength Used only when Unsharp Mask is set to Yes. Increase to increase the strength of the sharpening effect. Values range from 0 to 200. Complete range is 0 to 200. Default value is 100.

Manage Input Extensions (Preprocessor)

Figure 6-10 shows the Manage Input Extensions settings. Table 6-8 describes the settings.

Figure 6-10 Preprocessor Profile: Manage Input Extensions Settings

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Table 6-8 Preprocessor Profile: Input Extensions Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Mange Input Extensions This option allows you to handle file extensions based on a configuration file. First, follow these instructions: 1. Create and save a file that matches the XML format in the following example: Proprietary File Handling XML

In the example: – Line 2 tells the Cisco MXE 3500 to treat .ts extensions as .mpg extensions and to decode them using the default pipeline. – Line 3 tells the Cisco MXE 3500 to treat files without an extension as .gfx (Grass Valley) files and to decode them using DirectShow. Line 4 tells the Cisco MXE 3500 to use DirectShow to decode .mp4 files. – Line 5 tells the Cisco MXE 3500 to use QuickTime to decode .avi files. 2. On the Preprocessor Profile, Manage Input Extensions section, check the Enabled box. 3. Next to Configuration File, click the Browse button, and navigate to the new XML file (created in Step 1). Note Currently, the “treat-as” option cannot be combined with type=”quicktime”.

Line21/VANC Data (Preprocessor)

Figure 6-11 shows Line21/VANC settings. You can select to add Line 21/VANC settings to the output by specifying the source from the options described in Table 6-9. See also: Extracting VBI Data from SD Pinnacle Sources (Line 21/VANC Data), page 6-16.

Figure 6-11 Preprocessor Profile: Line21/VANC Settings

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Table 6-9 Preprocessor Profile: Source Settings and Descriptions

Source Setting Description None This setting indicates that no Line 21 data will be added to the output. VBI (Line 21) The Cisco MXE 3500 passes the Line 21 information found in the Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI) of the source media to the encoded output. The output encoding differs depending upon the selected option. See also: Extracting VBI Data from SD Pinnacle Sources (Line 21/VANC Data), page 6-16. • CC passthrough to VBI (Seachange, Pinnacle and GXF) • CC passthrough to MPEG user data (Omneon, VOD) Embedded (Line 21 The Cisco MXE 3500 passes the closed captioning information found in /VANC) the MPEG user data of the source media (currently only in MPEG-2 based .mov and Intermediate .ref files) and in an embedded VANC track (currently only in Avid DNxHD .mov files) to the encoded output. The output encoding differs depending upon the selected option. • CC passthrough to VBI (Seachange, Pinnacle and GXF) • CC passthrough to MPEG user data (Omneon, VOD) Submission (CC File) The Cisco MXE 3500 will embed the data found in a Scenarist Caption file (.scc), Cheetah Caption file (.cap), NCI Caption file (.cap) or NCI Timed Roll-up file (.flc) to the encoded output. The output encoding differs depending upon the selected option. • CC passthrough to VBI (Seachange, Pinnacle and GXF) • CC passthrough to MPEG user data (Omneon, VOD) File Name: If you enable Closed Captioning from a file source, you must specify the file location on the File Job submission page > Advanced section > Closed Captioning File at the time of submission.

Extracting VBI Data from SD Pinnacle Sources (Line 21/VANC Data)

The Cisco MXE 3500 supports VBI data extraction from Standard Definition (SD) Pinnacle sources. You can extract the Line 21/VANC data from the VBI when ingesting SD Pinnacle sources. The Cisco MXE 3500 reconstructs the VBI data found in the MPEG user data fields before it enters the signal processing pipeline in the preprocessor.

Procedure

Step 1 On the Preprocessor Profile page, scroll down to the Line 21/VANC Data section. Step 2 From the Source drop-down, select VBI (Line 21). See Figure 6-12.

Figure 6-12 Selecting VBI Source for Line 21/VANC Data

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Note For the Cisco MXE 3500 to identify a source file as being Pinnacle-based, the media file must have the .std extension or the file name itself must be std. The preprocessor will also read the supporting files (if present).

If the media (MPEG) file is named with an .std extension, the supporting file names must contain the .ft and .header extensions. If the media file is named std, the supporting files must be named ft and header. The supporting files must reside in the same directory as the std file.

Closed Captioning (Preprocessor)

Figure 6-13 Shows the Closed Captioning settings.

Figure 6-13 Preprocessor Profile: Closed Captioning Settings

Checking the Burn-in box allows you to render closed captions graphically on the screen. The graphic is white or colored characters on a black rectangle. The 'burned-in' captions will appear on the intermediate preprocessor .avi file as well as the encoded outputs.

Note If the Burn-In box is checked and Line 21/VANC Data Source is set to Submission, then a caption file must be specified in the File Submission profile. If Embedded or VBI is selected, no caption file specification is needed.

Aspect Ratio Conversion (Preprocessor)

The Aspect Ratio Conversion tools provide several methods for scaling media between various formats. For example, an image with a 4:3 aspect can be converted to a 16:9 aspect, or vice-versa. The Cisco MXE 3500 makes use of pixel aspect ratio information in the conversions. The Cisco MXE 3500 uses default assumptions about the pixel aspect ratio based on the pixel dimensions of an image. For example, an image size of 720x480 or 720x486 is assumed to be SD NTSC, and is assigned the NTSC pixel aspect ratio of 0.9. For complete control, the user may explicitly set both the input media pixel aspect ratio and the pixel aspect ratio for the preprocessor output image. The input dimensions are read from the input media. The preprocessor output dimensions are set by the encoder which receives the preprocessed video. Remember that in the case where the preprocessor is supplying data for more than one encode, it produces the largest of the requested dimensions. The Aspect Ratio Conversion tools specify how to convert the input media to the preprocessor output.

Note Pixel aspects are ignored in the Stretch to fit mode. For other modes, understanding the pixel aspects of both the input and output formats is important for preserving the appearance of the media and avoiding squashed or stretched images. Changing the pixel aspect will affect the size, stretching, and cropping of the encoded image.

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Figure 6-14 shows Aspect Ratio Conversion settings. Table 6-10 describes the settings.

Figure 6-14 Preprocessor Profile: Aspect Ratio Conversion

Table 6-10 Preprocessor Profile: Aspect Ratio Conversion Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Mode Stretch to fit: This mode stretches or shrinks source media format to the dimensions of the preprocessor output. There is no adjustment to preserve the original aspect ratio of the image. The pixel aspect ratio settings are not used. Cropping: This mode changes image size without stretching the image. The Cisco MXE 3500 scales the image linearly, so that the output image is completely covered. The input and output image edges match in either the horizontal or vertical direction. Some of the image is lost to cropping in the other direction. The cropping is done equally from top and bottom or right and left. Cropping mode uses the supplied pixel aspect ratio information. Letterbox, Curtains: This mode linearly scales the images until they are completely held within the boundaries of the output dimensions. Unused space in the vertical direction introduces black bars (letterboxing) equally on the top and bottom of the output image. Alternately, if there is unused space horizontally, black bars (curtains) appear on the left and right sides of the output image. Letterbox/Curtains mode uses the supplied pixel aspect ratio information. Non-linear Stretch: This mode stretches the image more at the edges and not at all in the center. The non-linear stretching is in the horizontal direction; the vertical scaling is linear. This option can, for example, provides a full 16x9 output image from 4x3 source with no distortion near the image center. Non-linear stretch mode uses the supplied pixel aspect ratio information. Anamorphic: Anamorphic source video is a 16:9 widescreen format, which has been compressed horizontally to fit in a narrower, standard-size image, such as 720x480. This means each pixel is wide on the displayed image, with a pixel aspect ratio greater than 1.0. To tell the Cisco MXE 3500 your source material is anamorphic, you may select one of the anamorphic choices from the Input Pixel drop-down. Alternately, if you know the precise pixel aspect ratio, you can set Input Pixel to Custom and set the Pixel Aspect value manually.

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Table 6-10 Preprocessor Profile: Aspect Ratio Conversion Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Input Pixel / Input This defines the pixel aspect ratio of the input media. Pixel Aspect In general, media presented to the Cisco MXE 3500 for ingest may arrive without specification of their video format. Pixel aspect ratio or simply pixel aspect is part of this format information, and describes the shape of the image element represented by each pixel. Pixels can be square or rectangular, depending on the format. Pixel aspect is pixel width divided by pixel height. The default setting tells the Cisco MXE 3500 to make certain industry-standard assumptions for the value for the pixel aspect based on the input image dimensions. Other standards may be selected from the drop-down list to override the default. For complete flexibility, there is a custom option that allows the pixel aspect to be set explicitly to any numerical value. This is entered in the Input Pixel Aspect box, which is enabled only for the custom setting. The MXE 3500 provides 'Smart Ingest' functionality, enabling users to automatically apply aspect ratio conversion algorithms (letterboxing/curtaining) to source footage without knowing source/destination pixel aspect ratios. When 'Auto' is selected for input pixel settings, the preprocessor will attempt to automatically determine aspect ratio of the source footage. In this mode a single preprocessor profile provides proper results for sources with different aspect ratios. Output Pixel / Output This defines the pixel aspect ratio of the preprocessor output. Note that this is the media presented Pixel Aspect as input to the Cisco MXE 3500 encoders. For single-encode jobs, the preprocessor produces media sized to match the encoded output dimensions. However, a Cisco MXE 3500 job may produce multiple encoded formats, in which case the preprocessor produces an intermediate media format matching the largest of the requested encode dimensions. The default setting tells the Cisco MXE 3500 to make certain industry-standard assumptions for the value for the pixel aspect based on the output image dimensions. Other standards may be selected from the drop-down list to override the default. For complete flexibility, there is a custom option that allows the pixel aspect to be set explicitly to any numerical value. This is entered in the Output Pixel Aspect box, which is enabled only for the custom setting. The MXE 3500 provides ‘Smart Ingest’ functionality, enabling users to automatically apply aspect ratio conversion algorithms (letterboxing/curtaining) to source footage without knowing source/destination pixel aspect ratios. When ‘Auto’ is selected for output pixel settings, a single preprocessor profile provides proper results for sources with different aspect ratios.

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Aspect Ration Conversion Example

Figure 6-15 shows Aspect Ratio Conversion examples.

Figure 6-15 Aspect Ratio Conversion Examples

Timecode (Preprocessor)

The Cisco MXE 3500 preprocessor prepares timecodes for the output media in various ways depending on the Source selection. These timecodes are metadata items passed on to the encoders for possible embedding. Not all encoders make use of timecodes. The Cisco MXE 3500 adds a timecode track to output media that support it. Figure 6-16 shows Timecode settings. Table 6-11 describes the settings.

Figure 6-16 Preprocessor Profile: Timecode Settings

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Table 6-11 Preprocessor Profile: Timecode Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Source Select one of the following: • User Specified: – For File Jobs, the timecode is offset by the Start Timecode field set on the File Job Submission page. This value is provided at the time of job submission; it is not stored in the profile. – For Live Jobs, the timecode is assumed to start at 0. • VBI: VITC timecode will be stripped from the incoming VBI and added to the appropriate location in the output media. See also: Extracting VBI Data from SD Pinnacle Sources (Timecode), page 6-21. • Embedded: Timecode will be obtained from the source file metadata (for instance, from the GXF wrapper or from the Timecode track of a QuickTime file) and added to the appropriate location in the output media. • Profile Specified: Timecodes are offset from the Start Timecode entry below the Source setting. This value is stored in the Preprocessor Profile. Start Timecode Enter the timecode that will appear on the first encoded frame. You can match the source file timecode or start the timecode at 00:00:00:00. Indicate drop-frame (semi-colon separated, hh;mm;ss;ff) or non-drop frame (colon separated, hh:mm:ss:ff). Burn In When enabled, this feature takes the timecode that it read from the input and burns it into the image it creates. It is included on every frame. If this feature is enabled, you must specify the font height and location. Font Height (%) Specifies the size of the timecode. Horizontal/Vertical Specifies the location of the timecode.

Extracting VBI Data from SD Pinnacle Sources (Timecode)

The Cisco MXE 3500 supports VBI data extraction from Standard Definition (SD) Pinnacle sources. You can extract the timecode from the VBI when ingesting SD Pinnacle sources. The Cisco MXE 3500 reconstructs the VBI data found in the MPEG user data fields before it enters the signal processing pipeline in the preprocessor.

Procedure

Step 1 On the Preprocessor Profile page, scroll down to the Timecode section. Step 2 From the Source drop-down, select VBI. See Figure 6-17.

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Figure 6-17 Selecting VBI Source for Timecode

Note For the Cisco MXE 3500 to identify a source file as being Pinnacle-based, the media file must have the .std extension or the file name itself must be std. The preprocessor will also read the supporting files (if present).

If the media (MPEG) file is named with an .std extension, the supporting file names must contain the .ft and .header extensions. If the media file is named std, the supporting files must be named ft and header. The supporting files must reside in the same directory as the std file.

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The Watermarking section allows you to select a file to be used as a graphic watermark (sometimes called a “bug”) that normally appears as an overlay in the lower corner of the screen. Figure 6-18 shows Watermarking settings. Table 6-12 describes the settings.

Figure 6-18 Preprocessor Profile: Watermarking Settings

Table 6-12 Preprocessor Profile: Watermarking Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Image Determines which image file will be used as a watermark. The format of the watermark file must be .psd, .tga, .pct, or .bmp. Origin Identifies the reference point from which X Distance and Y Distance will be measured. • Bottom-right: Watermark placement will be relative to the lower right corner of the source image. • Bottom-left: Watermark placement will be relative to the lower left corner of the source image. • Top-right: Watermark placement will be relative to the upper right corner of the source image. • Top-left: Watermark placement will be relative to the upper left corner of the source image. The watermark placement is expressed in terms of the input stream for ease of use. The Cisco MXE 3500 resizes the watermark accordingly and places it on the encoded output. This is important because the watermark is unaffected by other Preprocessor settings (except fade). If Crop settings are applied, watermark placement will be measured from the new edges defined by the Crop settings.

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Table 6-12 Preprocessor Profile: Watermarking Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Mode Determines the display mode for the watermark image. • Composite: Straight composite of the watermark onto the source video. If an alpha channel is present, it is used in the compositing. • Luminance: The luminance and hue of the image is altered according to the luminance and hue of the watermark. Units The units select control that has two options: pixels (default) and percent. If Units drop-down list is set to pixels: • The X distance and Y distance controls will support pixel values -768 to 768. • The Width and Height controls are enabled. • The Coverage area control (see below) is disabled. X Distance Changes the location of the watermark image on the finished output file. This setting changes the placement of the watermark along the horizontal axis of the image. X-distance is expressed in pixels of the source image x coordinate. Values range from -768 to +768. The default value is 0, which places the image at the selected Origin. Y Distance Changes the location of the watermark image on the finished output file. This setting changes the placement of the watermark along the vertical axis of the image. Values range from -768 to +768. The default value is 0, which results in no change in the placement of the image. Width Determines the width of the watermark in terms of pixels of the source image. Values range from 1 to 768. The default value is 200. Height Determines the height of the watermark in terms of pixels of the source image. Values range from 1 to 576. The default value is 100. Coverage Determines the area of the source video that the watermark will cover. Units are in Area percent of the video image. Coverage area is a numeric control that selects values from 1.0 to 100.0 percent. This control is enabled only if the Units selector (see above) is set to percent. Opacity Determines how opaque or transparent the watermark image will be. The watermark can be made more or less noticeable by adjusting the opacity. Values are 0-200%. Default value is 100%. In Composite mode this is effectively an 'alpha' value, where 100% means full opacity. In Luminance mode this parameter effectively adjusts the strength of the watermark. Start This entry specifies the time when the watermark will appear, measured from the Timecode beginning of the clip. The format is HH:MM:SS.mmm, where the mmm are milliseconds. Duration This entry specifies the length of time in seconds that the watermark will be applied. Enter 0 to have the watermark display for the entire length of the clip. Fade Time This entry specifies the length of time in seconds it takes for the watermark to fade in and fade out. Fades happen within the duration time of the watermark, so a fade-in begins at the start time, and a fade-out finishes when the duration has expired.

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The Audio section of the Preprocessor Profile is used to modify settings after mixing and mapping audio channels and before encoding. See also: Dolby DP 600 Program Optimizer, page 7-30. Figure 6-19 shows the Audio settings. Table 6-13 describes the settings.

Figure 6-19 Preprocessor Profile: Audio Section

Table 6-13 Preprocessor Profile: Audio Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Audio Passes the input audio through to the output with no preprocessing applied. Passthrough Fade In Amount of time allotted for linear fade-in from silence at beginning of clip. Defined in seconds. Values range from 0 to 10 seconds with 0 seconds as the default. Default value is 0.0 seconds. Fade Out Amount of time allotted for linear fade-out to silence at the end of clip. Defined in seconds. Values range from 0 to 10 seconds with 0 seconds the default. Add Silent When checked, this option inserts a silent audio track into the decoded output of the Audio Track Preprocessor. This insertion only occurs if the source file does not contain any audio tracks. If the source file contains audio tracks, this option is ignored. If an Encoder Profile is set up to encode audio but the source file does not contain audio, the encoder will fail. A silent audio track can be inserted to provide an audio source to any encoders that expect/require audio.

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Figure 6-20 shows Audio Filters settings. Table 6-14 describes the settings.

Figure 6-20 Preprocessor Profile: Audio Filters

Table 6-14 Preprocessor Profile: Audio Filter Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Low Pass Suppresses samples above the frequency assigned. Expressed in kilohertz. Values are 0 to 24. The default value is 0, which disables the filter. The term Low Pass indicates that lower frequencies are allowed to pass. Audio compression codecs work more efficiently when higher frequencies are suppressed. High Pass Suppresses frequencies below the set value. Expressed in kilohertz (kHz). Values are 0 to 200. The default value is 0. The term High Pass indicates that high frequencies are allowed to pass. Some types of noise or hum may be present at lower frequencies. Suppressing this noise can improve compression efficiency.

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Table 6-14 Preprocessor Profile: Audio Filter Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Volume Filter Type Defines how the loudness of the audio is controlled. Specific Filter Type choices can activate controls in the lower part of the window. • None: No adjustment is made. • Adjust: Specifies the percentage by which the volume will be amplified or attenuated. The units are linear (waveform) units. • Normalize: Specifies the percentage of the full scale that the typical volume should match. The Normalize setting is single-pass: it does not look at the entire audio clip. Instead, it uses a measure of the volume obtained in a fading window of approximately 10 seconds duration. This can be useful for Live capture. Values are 0 (silent) to 100 (maximum volume). • 2-Pass Normalize: The entire clip is scaled so that the maximum sample in the clip is normalized to the given value. The 2-pass normalization is valid only with file-based media. Normalization values range from 0 (silent) to 100 (peak sample set to full scale). • 1770 2-pass norm: This option enables audio normalization as defined in the international standard ITU-R BS.1770. The processing is two-pass, meaning that the audio content is scanned once by the Cisco MXE 3500 to measure the loudness, and scanned again to normalize the loudness. ITU-R BS.1770 is commonly used for normalizing 5.1 channel surround-sound media. It may also be used with stereo. – Selecting 1770 2-pass norm displays the Target Volume box. Enter the desired normalization value here in LKFS units, as defined in the standard. These units are similar to dB full-scale units, and are negative. Commonly used values are in the range -17 to -25 LKFS. Volume Adjust For the Adjust option, this value specifies the scaling of the output audio. The units are linear (waveform) units as a percentage of the input level. Values are 0% (silent) to 200%, with 50% as the default. Volume Normalize For the Normalize option, this value specifies the volume of the output audio. The value is in linear (waveform) units and is a percentage of full scale. Values are 0% (silent) to 100%, with 25% as the default. For the 2-pass Normalize option, this value specifies the amplitude of the maximum sample in the audio clip. The value is in linear (waveform) units and is a percentage of full scale. Values are 0% to 100%, with 25% as the default.

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Table 6-14 Preprocessor Profile: Audio Filter Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Compressor Threshold This is a single-pass dynamic range compressor with no look-ahead. It can be useful for controlling the volume in a Live capture situation. It is not recommended for use with file-based encoding. (A professional-quality two-pass compressor is available from Cisco. Contact your Sales representative.) The compressor maintains an RMS estimate of the typical audio level with a fading memory time constant of many seconds, and compresses relative to this empirically measured level. The Compressor value is the compression threshold level relative to the typical level measured in decibels of audio power. When the threshold is exceeded, audio loudness is attenuated by the Compressor Ratio. Therefore, lower Compressor values provide more compression. Values are –40 dB to +6 dB. Compressor Ratio Determines the amount of attenuation that will occur beyond the point defined in the Compressor threshold field. Values for ratio are 1 (no compression) to 20 (20:1 approaching limit).

Input/Output Audio Channel Mapping (Preprocessor)

This feature is not available on the Cisco MXE 3500.

Thomson Nextamp Forensic Watermarking

Thomson Nextamp Forensic Watermarking is not available on the Cisco MXE 3500.

Graphics Overlay (Preprocessor)

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Graphics Overlay feature license on the standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Resource Manager device. See the Deployment and Administration Guide for Cisco MXE 3500 for more information.

Cisco MXE 3500 synchronizes video and metadata with graphic templates during transcoding to produce dynamic multilayered titles, branded graphics, cross promotions, subtitles, captions and animations. Overlays are suitable for both small screen and large screen applications. Graphic templates are produced with Adobe authoring software used by most creative and design professionals. With Cisco MXE 3500 Graphics, editors incorporate built-in scene changes, animations, 8-bit alpha blending, and transitions – all with runtime metadata triggers. Adding graphic overlays to Cisco MXE 3500 output requires the following two additional inputs: • A Flash .swf template that defines the attributes of graphical elements including, placement, color, and size. For example, text fields in the template are dynamic variables that are defined at run-time. • An XML metadata description that defines the specific values for the graphical elements to be applied at encoding to the overlay. For example, titling text is supplied so that the same template can be reused on any video clip.

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Graphic overlays (geometrical objects, text, metadata text, images, and/or movies) are applied to any Cisco MXE 3500-supported output format. The overlay may be applied to main content, bumpers, and/or trailers. The overlay is applied over media near the end of the preprocessing. The only video preprocessing operation that follows the overlays is forensic watermarking. You can use any application, including Adobe Flash Pro 8 and Flash Creative Suite 3, Photoshop, and After Effects that produces a Flash 7 .swf file with version 2.0 ActionScript™ applications to produce the graphic overlay template. You then create XML metadata control files in a text editor or a custom application. Using the Cisco MXE 3500 User Interface, the graphic overlay template (.swf file) and the metadata (XML) may be applied independently to each segment. The metadata can be applied as a time referenced XML file (for file jobs) or can be read from an XML file in real time (for live jobs). In addition, the Cisco MXE 3500 supports the following file reference methods: • Path name • UNC path name • URL This section includes the following topics: • Understanding Graphics Overlay, page 6-29 • Content/Bumper/Trailer Settings, page 6-30 • Creating an Overlay Metadata File, page 6-31 • Animation Controls, page 6-32

Understanding Graphics Overlay

This section covers the following topics: • Spatial Considerations, page 6-29 • Temporal Considerations, page 6-29 • End of .swf Movie, page 6-30 • Rendered Metadata, page 6-30 • Other Metadata, page 6-30 • Bumpers and Trailers, page 6-30

Spatial Considerations

The overlays are always rectangular. They are resized according to the preprocessor output dimension. Overlays are not stretched. If the shape of the overlay and preprocessor output media do not match, the overlay will be sized as large a possible without cropping, meaning that it may not cover all of the output media area. The overlay is centered, so there may be strips on the left and right, or strips on the top and bottom not covered by the overlay. Overlay sizing may be understood by measuring widths and heights in pixel units. If your preprocessor output has an implied pixel aspect ratio, it is not considered.

Temporal Considerations

User-supplied overlay .swf files have a specific playback frame rate. This may or may not match the frame rate of the preprocessor output media. In case of a mismatch, the overlay may be temporally stretched or compressed by the preprocessor to better match the output frame rate. The frame rate change is done by dropping or replicating overlay frames. Such frame rate changes are not always done by the exact ratio of frame rates; a new rate is chosen for the overlay that preserves smooth motion.

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End of .swf Movie

At the end of an .swf movie, the last frame will continue to be overlaid by default, until the end of the preprocessed output. Other behaviors may be programmed into the .swf file, if needed. For example, an .swf movie can jump back to the beginning and repeat.

Rendered Metadata

It is possible to change rendered metadata text on the overlay during the preprocessing. This is controlled by a metadata file that specifies lines of text to embed in the overlay at particular times.

Other Metadata

Metadata can be used to control the Flash overlay movie. For example, it is possible to jump to a different part of the Flash movie. This is set up in the .swf file during the Flash authoring process. A variable is assigned different values to indicate different locations in the .swf movie.

Bumpers and Trailers

Overlays may also be placed on bumpers and trailers, but they are handled completely independently from the main clip: the information that controls the overlays is specified separately for bumpers and trailers.

Note Check the Preprocess Bumper and/or Preprocess Trailer box in the Preprocessor Profile to place overlays on bumpers and/or trailers.

Content/Bumper/Trailer Settings

Figure 6-21 shows the Content/Bumper/Trailer settings. Table 6-15 describes the settings.

Figure 6-21 Content/Bumper/Trailer Settings

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Table 6-15 Content/Bumper/Trailer Settings

Setting Description Enabled Check this box to enable the graphic overlay. Template File Click Browse to locate an .swf template file. Meta-Data File/URL If the .swf requires it, add an .xml file into this field. To view the overlay metadata content: The metadata descriptions listed above correspond to database items in the “statisticsType” table of the Cisco MXE 3500 DCS database. You can view the user-defined metadata items in the prefilter section of the Job XML here:

Creating an Overlay Metadata File

The metadata XML file holds metadata items that are transmitted to the Cisco MXE 3500 Graphics Overlay Flash Player at particular times in the preprocessed clip. These metadata items must have names that correspond to variables in the .swf template file. Use a text editor program to create the XML file. The format of the metadata XML file is defined in the “Flash Overlay Metadata XML—Overlay Control Commands” section on page 6-32.

Setting .SWF File Metadata Variables This XML is used to communicate metadata and other commands affecting the Flash Overlay. It is sent via a text file, and may be changed in real time during the processing.

Note Overlay Metadata XML is a sequence of events, each surrounded by an tag. The metadata in each is transmitted to the Flash Player at the event time. The events need not be listed in temporal order. The Flash Player may not respond instantly to metadata changes.

Example 6-1 shows overlay metadata XML. Table 6-15 describes the example.

Example 6-1 Overlay Metadata XML

26.5 reporter John Smith town Boston

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Table 6-16 Metadata XML Tags and Descriptions

Tag Description This tag encloses all the XML for the Flash Overlay metadata. This tag encloses metadata to be used at a particular time. Multiple children are allowed for This tag encloses the time (floating point, seconds since the start of the clip) for the metadata. This tag encloses the metadata to be sent to the Flash player at the specified time This tag encloses a .swf variable name and value. Multiple children are allowed for This tag encloses a .swf variable name and value. Multiple children are allowed for This tag encloses the name of a variable in the Flash .swf file. This tag encloses a value for the variable in the Flash .swf file.

Flash Overlay Metadata XML—Overlay Control Commands

Several commands can be embedded in the metadata XML file to control the appearance of the overlay, and can introduce certain types of animation. These commands are not metadata in the same sense as the pairs. They are provided as a more convenient alternative to re-authoring the template file. The commands control when the overlay appears and disappears. You may also create fades, wipes, and slides.

Animation Controls

Graphic overlays (in addition to their related ActionScript) are usually created with software such as Adobe Flash (Pro 8 to CS5 or later) or Adobe After Effects, or any program that outputs an .swf file. The Cisco MXE 3500 offers animation controls that allow certain changes to the appearance of the overlay, via metadata XML tags, and without the need to produce another .swf file. Examples of what the Cisco MXE 3500 animation controls allow you to do are the following: • Easily create fade-in and fade-out, wipes and slides. • Use a single .swf file for different media clips, changing only the timing of the overlay appearance. • Use an .swf file to create a semi-transparent “bug” logo that appears periodically over the video. To create and adjust graphic overlays: 1. Create the .swf file, which may include ActionScript. 2. Use a text editor to insert animation XML into the metadata XML file.

Graphic Overlay XML This section includes the following topics: • Basic Structure of the XML File, page 6-33 • Structure of an Event, page 6-33

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• Times and Timecodes, page 6-34 • Event Time and Duration, page 6-34 • The Live Event, page 6-34 • Opacity, page 6-35 • Transition Control, page 6-35 • Automatic Repetitions, page 6-36 • Flash Movie Control, page 6-36 • Shortcut Controls, page 6-37 • Overlay Positioning, page 6-37 • Debugging, page 6-38 • Examples, page 6-38

Basic Structure of the XML File

Animation controls go in the Flash Overlay Metadata XML file, which looks like this: . . . . . . . . .

See also: Flash Overlay Metadata XML—Overlay Control Commands, page 6-32.

• The tags may contain metadata items, timing information, and animation controls. Events start at particular times during the video. An event may specify an action that takes place over an extended period of time, not just at one instant. • Event tags may not be nested inside other event tags. • The file is read and parsed whenever the file is modified or saved. The overlay algorithm reads and acts on all of the events that precede the current time. For example, one event may define the timing of an overlay, while another event specifies a metadata value that affects the overlay via Flash ActionScript. • While you can use multiple events, they should not overlap temporally if there is a conflict of functionality. If such events overlap, the result is undefined and may not give the desired effect.

Structure of an Event

An event tag may contain commands to control: • Metadata definitions: See the “Flash Overlay Metadata XML—Overlay Control Commands” section on page 6-32. Metadata definitions may be mixed into any event. These are applied at the beginning of the event and "stick," that is, the metadata values are communicated to the Cisco MXE 3500 embedded Flash Player, where they are permanent until changed. • Animation controls: any of the following tags. These control how and when the overlay appears and disappears, how the Flash movie plays, and how it is positioned on the video. Every event is required to have a , , or tag. Times are referenced to the beginning of the clip.

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Times and Timecodes

All tags that refer to time may have values given either in seconds (floating point) or as timecodes. Timecodes simply measure a length of time in HH:MM:SS:ff format instead of seconds; they do not reference any timecode embedded in the media. For example, the "duration" tag may hold a timecode that simply specifies the length of time in HH:MM:SS:ff format. The semicolon notation HH;MM;SS;ff may also be used with the standard meaning (two frames dropped every minute except for every 10th minute). Timecode values should only be used with PAL or NTSC output rates. For example, 21.333 is equivalent to 00:00:21:10 (with an NTSC output rate). The following tags will accept either timecodes or seconds (* means wildcard): , , , , , , , , ,

Event Time and Duration

Table 6-17 lists and describes the Event Time and Duration tags.

Table 6-17 Event Time and Duration Tags and Descriptions

Tags and Examples Description The start time of the event, in seconds, measured from the beginning of the clip. or may be used as shorthand for . The duration of the event in seconds. By default, the duration is infinite (but “live” events have 0 duration by default). By default, overlays are removed at the end of the duration, although the details are controlled by the tag. May be used instead of . The duration is the difference between and . If the tag also appears, the shortest time will be used. The start time of the event, in seconds, measured from the end of the clip. Used only for file-based clips. The stop time of the event, in seconds, measured from the end of the clip. Used only for file-based clips.

The Live Event

• This special tag indicates that the commands enclosed in this event tag are executed immediately. The intent is that the XML in a live event could be changed in real time during a live encoding job. Metadata definitions will be immediately sent to the Flash player renderer for immediate inclusion in the overlay. The tag takes precedence over any or tag in the same event. When the metadata file is saved, the Cisco MXE 3500 will detect this and read the . The event will be assigned a start time equal to the current time. • The XML file with a tag should have only one event. If there are multiple live events, only the last one in the file will be used.

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• The event is reinitialized every time the metadata file is written or saved, so if the metadata file is written while the live event is active, that event may be restarted. • You can use the tag or tag to define the duration of the live event. • You can use transitions, or , to make the overlay appear or disappear. Note that in the live case, all transitions are of the variety; the and

tags have no effect.

Opacity

This tag defines the maximum opacity for an event. 100 means total opacity, which is the default. You can set this number lower, for example to 50%, to get a semi-transparent overlay for the duration of the event. A partial opacity multiplies any partial opacity due to fade-in or fade-out.

Transition Control

Table 6-18 lists and describes the Transition Control tags. It is legal to combine a fade with a wipe or a slide transition, as long as the transition times match. If they don't, the fade time is discarded and the wipe or slide time is used for the fading as well.

Table 6-18 Transition Control Tags and Descriptions

Tags and Examples Descriptions These are tags that enclose details of how the transitions happen. By default, the overlay is applied at the start time (this is the on-transition) and and removed at the end of the event duration (off-transition). However, each of these tags may contain a block of XML specifying the details of the transition using the child tags below. This child tag specifies a fade time in seconds, either fade-in or fade-out, depending on whether the parent is an on-transition or an off-transition. This child tag specifies a wipe time in seconds. The wipe travels from left to right. This child tag specifies a wipe time in seconds. The wipe travels from right to left. This child tag specifies a wipe time in seconds. The wipe travels from bottom to top. This child tag specifies a wipe time in seconds. The wipe travels from top to bottom. This child tag specifies a slide time in seconds. The slide travels right from the left. This child tag specifies a slide time in seconds. The slide travels left from the right. This child tag specifies a slide time in seconds. The slide travels up from the bottom. This child tag specifies a slide time in seconds. The slide travels down from the top.

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Table 6-18 Transition Control Tags and Descriptions (continued)

Tags and Examples Descriptions This child tag specifies that the transitions will lag the event time, that is, the transition begins happening at the event time. This is the default behavior, unless the "lead" or "center" tags appear. This child tag specifies that the transitions will lead the event time, that is, the transition will start early and will complete at the event time.

This child tag specifies that the transitions will be centered around the event time, that is, it will start before the event time and finish after the event time. This changes the animation of a transition, making it go faster at one end and slower at the other. It affects fades, wipes, and slides. A value of 1 corresponds to the linear transitions that are used by default. Higher values slow the animation close to the time when the overlay is fully "on", and accelerates the animation close to the time when the overlay is fully "off". Good values to use are 2.0 to 3.0. Slides in particular benefit greatly with nonlinear motion. The transition is delayed from the usual time (start time or stop time) by a given number of seconds. This can be useful when dealing with rendering delays in the Flash player /.swf file.

Automatic Repetitions

Table 6-19 lists and describes the Automatic Repetition tags.

Table 6-19 Automatic Repetition Tags and Descriptions

Tags and Examples Descriptions This specifies that the event will automatically repeat with a period given in seconds. Repeating goes on forever, unless constrained with one of the tags below. This specifies the number of times the event will occur. It is infinite by default. A value of 1 means the event happens one time (as if there were no tag). A value of 0 turns off the event. This specifies that the event will repeat within a certain period of time given in seconds. The number of repetitions will be the largest integer multiple of the repeat periods that fit within the repeat duration. This specifies that the event will repeat until the video time exceeds a value given in seconds. The number of repetitions will be the largest integer multiple of the repeat periods that fit before the stop time.

Flash Movie Control

Pausing the Flash player is independent of the overlay process. If the Flash movie is paused, the last Flash frame continues to be used for overlay. By synchronizing and with overlay transitions, it is possible to make the movie resume the playback from the same point where the movie stopped when the overlay was removed.

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These are “sticky’ states, meaning once an overlay is paused, it will remain paused until there is a resume event, regardless of the presence of other events. Events that do only pause or resume may overlap other events. Table 6-20 lists and describes the Flash Movie Control tags.

Table 6-20 Flash Movie Control Tags and Descriptions

Tags Descriptions Stop the Flash player rendering. Start the Flash player running from the point at which it was paused.

Shortcut Controls

Two commands, and , may be used as convenient abbreviations to control the overlay in a simple way. 20 5

The example above will begin turning the overlay on at 20 seconds, with a fade-in time of 5 seconds. Note that this eliminates the need for the block. Table 6-21 lists and describes the Shortcut Control tags.

Table 6-21 Shortcut Control Tags and Descriptions

Tags Descriptions Start the overlay. The given value will be the fade-in time in seconds. Remove the overlay. The given value will be the fade-out time in seconds.

Overlay Positioning

Table 6-22 lists and describes the Overlay Positioning tags.

Table 6-22 Overlay Positioning Tags and Descriptions

Tags Descriptions Offsets the overlay horizontally by a given number of pixels. Default 0. Offsets the overlay horizontally by a given number of pixels. Default 0. Offsets the overlay vertically by a given number of pixels. Default 0. Offsets the overlay vertically by a given number of pixels. Default 0. Offsets the overlay vertically by a given number of pixels. Default 0. Same as . Offsets the overlay horizontally by a percent of image width. Default 0. Offsets the overlay horizontally by a percent of image width. Default 0. Offsets the overlay vertically by a percent of image height. Default 0.

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Table 6-22 Overlay Positioning Tags and Descriptions (continued)

Tags Descriptions Offsets the overlay vertically by a percent of image height. Default 0. Same as . Same as .

Debugging

This tag may be inserted as child of . It generates a local text file named “GraphicOverlayDebug.txt” that contains timing information about the overlay events. This information may be useful in debugging the animation XML.

Examples

This section includes the following examples: • Basic Overlay Event, page 6-38 • Centering the Transitions, page 6-38 • Spanning Events, page 6-39 • Flash Rendering Delays, page 6-39 • Complex Repeating Event, page 6-40

Basic Overlay Event This overlay starts at 2 seconds and ends at 2+8=10 seconds, with a 1.5 second fade-in at 2 seconds and a 1.5 second fade-out beginning at 10 seconds. The overlay is completely removed at 11.5 seconds. 00:00:02:00 8.0 1.5 1.5

Centering the Transitions 00:00:02:00 8.0

1.5 1.5

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Spanning Events It is possible to use one event to turn on the overlay and use a separate event to turn off the overlay, as in this example. Spanning is useful because it allows events to be inserted in-between that can, for example, send new metadata to the Flash player to update the appearance of the overlay. In this example the opacity-percent tag is used, and the value "70" must appear in both events or there will be a discontinuous opacity change at 5.0 seconds. 70 1.0 0.5

… 70 5.0 0.5

Flash Rendering Delays The details of the Flash movie may impact the timing of overlay animation. Some Flash .swf files do not update the metadata values on every rendered frame, so there may be a significant delay between the time a packet of metadata ( ... ) is sent, and the time its effect appears in the overlay. One way to deal with this problem is to set up an event to transmit the metadata before it is needed. The example below shows how to send the metadata at time 0 and apply the overlay at time 1, ensuring that the Flash movie is updated before it is overlaid. scene R 0 0 1

Another approach involves the control. This is mandated with events, since only one event is allowed. The delay holds back the beginning of the overlay for 1.5 seconds while the Flash renderer reacts to the new data. title Red Sox Win Again 10 2 1.5

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2

Complex Repeating Event name Transition Test 1 name2 Transition Test 2 title Graphic Overlay 1 title2 Graphic Overlay 2 0 00:00:02:25 00:00:04:10 00:00:20:00 8 10.0 00:00:01:00 00:00:01:00 2.0 00:00:01:00 00:00:01:00

Subtitles

This feature is not available on the Cisco MXE 3500.

Previewing Preprocessor Clips

The Preview window allows you to see frame-by-frame results of settings such as cropping, color, noise reduction, and watermark options selected in the Preprocessor Profile. The image displayed in the Preview window shows a Before/After Split where the left side is the unprocessed image and the right side is the same image with the currently selected preprocessor options applied. The Preview Window allows you to preview the following types of input media: • File-based media: Allows you to preview the source file, view video before and after preprocessor settings have been applied, and set in and out points. This section includes the following topics: • Opening the Preview Window, page 6-41 • Using the Preview Window, page 6-42 • Setting File Job In and Out Points, page 6-43

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The Preview Window is a Cisco MXE 3500 application and works interactively with the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI.

Note Depending on your Windows theme setting, your Cisco MXE 3500 Tools frame may display in a different color.

Procedure

Step 1 Click Start > All Programs > Cisco > Media Experience Engine > Media Experience Engine Tools. Make sure the Preview tab is highlighted. See Figure 6-22.

Figure 6-22 Preview Window

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The Preview Window is used to view and fine tune preprocessor settings.

Note Please note that some but not all preprocessor parameters are sent to the preview window. For example, graphic overlays are not visible in the Preview Window, but will display in the encoded clip and in the preprocessed .avi intermediate file.

Before You Begin To link the preview features to the clip and Preprocessor Profile you are currently working with, verify that the ECS Server Name (Click the Cisco icon then Options) and the Server on the top right corner of the Cisco MXE 3500 User Interface are the same.

Procedure

Step 1 Open the Preprocessor Profile for the current job. Step 2 Open the Preview Window. Step 3 Click the Cisco icon in the upper left corner, and click Open Clip. See Figure 6-23.

Figure 6-23 Opening a Clip to Preview

Step 4 Navigate to the clip's location, select it, and click Open. Step 5 Click the Play button. The clip displays in the Preview Window. Use the controls to manipulate the clip. See also: Preview Window Controls, page 6-43. Step 6 Make any necessary adjustments to the Preprocessor Profile settings, and view the results in the Preview Window. Continue to fine tune the settings.

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Preview Window Controls

• Before/After Split Slider: Slide the indicator to the left or right to adjust the amount of the image displayed unprocessed and the amount displayed with preprocessing options applied. • Preview Pane: Displays a frame-by-frame view of the input video. • In and Out Points: The full bar (base color white) represents the entire clip. To use the timeline: – Slide the green and red brackets left or right to define the in and out points of the clip (or touch the i and o keys on your keyboard). The In Point and Out Point counters reflect the bracket positions. The blue section is the portion of the clip that will be encoded. – Drag the white tab (below the timeline) to the right or left to view the clip. – Slide the gray zoom bar to the right to zoom in on a specific frame. The zoom status bar to the right displays the position of the zoom control relative to the entire clip. • Refresh Profile: Make any desired changes to the Preprocessor Profile, save the profile, and click the Refresh Profile button to see the results in the After side of the Preview Window. • Preview Size: Enter new dimensions, if needed, and click Ok. The clip will display in the new size. • Thumbnails: Click the Capture Thumbnail button to save a thumbnail of the currently displayed frame using the default path, name, and image properties as defined at the time of system setup. You may also choose to change the size, format, quality, or output location of the thumbnail. The thumbnail image will be captured after the preprocessing is applied. • Clip Details: Displays input and output clip properties such as width, height, and FPS.

Setting File Job In and Out Points

See the In and Out Points Preview Windows Control information in “Using the Preview Window” section on page 6-42.

Choosing Where to Set In and Out Points

Both the Preview Window and the Preprocessor Profile of a Job Profile allow you to define In Points and Out Points for file-based clips. The overlap is designed to allow users flexibility in determining whether these settings should be included as part of the Job Profile or whether they should be applied on a job-by-job basis. Assign In Points and Out Points in a Job Profile when clips encoded with the profile have consistent information at the beginning or end that always needs to be trimmed. For example: • If clips from a particular source always begin or end with color bars. • If clips from a particular source are a uniform length and are preceded by or followed by superfluous footage. • If the desired goal of the encoding is a uniform sample of how a profile will work with a variety of source material. For example, if a profile needs to be tested, encoding twenty seconds in the same section of multiple types of source material can give excellent results demonstrating what to expect when the profile is in production. Assign the In Points and Out Points in the Preview Window whenever the In Point and Out Point are unique to the clip. For example:

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• If the footage is unfamiliar, the In Point and Out Point will need to be set by someone visually reviewing the clip. The Preview Window allows the interaction required when the In Point and Out Point are unknown or not uniform across a set of clips. • If clips are preceded or followed by unwanted material, but the amount that each clip needs to be trimmed is not uniform, setting the In Point and Out Point in the profile will provide a uniform trim. Additional fine tuning of the material to be encoded can be achieved by adjusting the In Point and Out Point in the Preview window. The type of trim required by the media being encoded will determine the best option for setting In Points and Out Points.

Adding a Preprocessor Profile to a Job Profile

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Profile Management, and click New Profile or Open Profile. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job, and click the New Profile or Open Profile button. Step 3 Expand the Preprocessing section. Step 4 From the drop-down, select one Preprocessor Profile. The Preprocessor Profile is added to the Job Profile in the upper pane. Step 5 Click Save. See Figure 6-24.

Figure 6-24 Adding a Preprocessor Profile to a Job Profile

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CHAPTER 8

Distribution Profiles

Distribution profiles tell the Cisco MXE 3500 what to do with output files once encoding is complete. Distribution Profiles are optional. You may add one or more Distribution Profiles to a Job Profile. This chapter contains the following information: • When to Add a Distribution Profile to a Job Profile, page 8-1 Distribution Profiles are divided into the following types: • Delivery Profile, page 8-1 • Notification Profile, page 8-12 • Output, page 8-17 • Webcast Profile, page 8-20 • Understanding the IP Stream Profile, page 8-24

When to Add a Distribution Profile to a Job Profile

Distribution Profiles allow you to save encoded output according to specific business needs in addition to or instead of the default location. Distribution Profiles are not required components of Job Profiles. By default, output files will be saved to the system default locations set on System Administration page. When any type of Distribution Profile is added to a Job Profile, the system default will be overridden. Likewise, Distribution Profiles are used to automate portions of the encoding workflow. For example, if encoded clips must be reviewed before they are moved to a streaming server, you can add a Delivery Profile to automatically send the media to the reviewer's server using FTP, eliminating the need to manually FTP files. Or, if encoding files for an external customer, you can add a Notification Profile to automatically post job statuses (via HTTP Post or e-mail) to a site for client reference.

Delivery Profile

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Delivery Profile, page 8-2 • Understanding Delivery Settings, page 8-2 • Understanding the FTP .tmp File Extension, page 8-8

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• Creating a Delivery Profile, page 8-9 • Adding a Delivery Profile to a Job Profile, page 8-10 • Variables Used for File and Directory Naming, page 8-11

Introduction to the Delivery Profile

A Delivery Profile is an optional component of a Job Profile. The Delivery Profile controls the distribution of encoded media files. Encoded media can be copied to a network drive or can be delivered to another site via File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Multiple deliveries and multiple delivery methods may be specified in one Delivery Profile. For instance, within one job, you can have Real, QuickTime, and PacketVideo outputs delivered to a network drive and FTP’d to another site. To set different deliveries for different encoders, you must create another Delivery Profile. If a Delivery Profile is not added to a Job Profile, files will be saved to the system default location or to the client default location defined on the System Administration page. See also: Introduction to Administration, page 13-1.

Understanding Delivery Settings

This section includes the following topics: • Common (Delivery Profile), page 8-2 • Delivery Formats (Delivery Profile), page 8-3 • Delivery Method (Delivery Profile), page 8-4 • Show and Share Delivery (Delivery Profile), page 8-6 • Streaming URL (Delivery Profile), page 8-7 • Rename on Delivery (Delivery Profile), page 8-7

Common (Delivery Profile)

Figure 8-1 shows the Common section.

Figure 8-1 Delivery Profile: Common Section

Check the Profile Enabled box to enable this profile for job processing. Check the Use selected profiles box to enable the profiles checked below in Delivery Formats.

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Delivery Formats (Delivery Profile)

Select file type(s) to be delivered to the location defined in the Delivery Method section, shown in Figure 8-2. A checkbox for each encoding format licensed on the Cisco MXE 3500 will display in this section. Check the box next to a particular format type to specify that all output media from that encoder will be delivered. See also: Delivery Method (Delivery Profile), page 8-4.

Figure 8-2 Delivery Profile: Delivery Formats Section

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Delivery Method (Delivery Profile)

Use this section, shown in Figure 8-3, to specify delivery method, choosing to copy the output to a file location and/or to FTP the output to a Host.

Figure 8-3 Delivery Profile: Delivery Method Section

Table 8-1 describes the settings.

Table 8-1 Delivery Profile: Delivery Method Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Copy Check the Copy box to allow encoded files to be copied to a network folder. Copy to Specify the network folder to which the encoded files will be copied, by entering the Location UNC path of a network folder (Example: \\Machine\EncodedMedia). Note The path must be to a network folder to which you have access from the node that executes the Distribution worker. If the Cisco MXE 3500 is configured to work with a SAN, you can use the drive letter mapping of the SAN that is common to all hosts. FTP Check this box to send encoded files to another server via FTP, and specify the FTP settings, if applicable.

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Table 8-1 Delivery Profile: Delivery Method Settings and Descriptions (continued) (continued)

Hostname The hostname (or address) of the FTP server that will receive the output files. Username The username used to establish the FTP session, if required. Password The password used to validate the user establishing the FTP session, if required. Directory The user home directory or subdirectory under the FTP location where the files will be stored. You can use '.' as a directory name to copy files directly to the home directory. Although not recommended, you can enter a soft link path that points to a remote directory; you must have the minimum permissions necessary to access the directory. Port The port the destination server uses for FTP traffic. The port number is supplied by the administrator of the destination server. Retry The maximum number of times (0-16) an attempt will be made after the first FTP Attempts transfer fails. Retry The number of minutes the Cisco MXE 3500 will wait after a failed FTP connection Frequency attempt before trying again. SFTP Check the box to use the Secure FTP protocol. Passive Check this box to request passive mode from the host. In passive mode, the FTP host server opens a random port and tells the Cisco MXE 3500 the address and port on which it is listening. Use Temp Check this box to use a temporary remote filename and rename after the transfer File completes. This option helps prevent an external system from ingesting the remote file that failed to completely transfer. For example, if the FTP connection was dropped during the transfer, a partial file could be left at the destination. Only after a completed transfer will the delivered file be renamed to its desired name. See also: Understanding the FTP .tmp File Extension, page 8-8. HTTP Check this box to enable HTTP delivery, and complete the following fields, if needed: Destination URL, Username, Password, Retry Attempts, and Retry Frequency.

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Show and Share Delivery (Delivery Profile)

Enable Show and Share Delivery to deliver the encoded content to Cisco Show and Share. Figure 8-4 shows the configuration options.

Figure 8-4 Show and Share Delivery Profile

Table 8-2 describes the settings.

Table 8-2 Show and Share Delivery Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Enabled Check this box to enable publishing to Cisco Show and Share. Category Cisco Show and Share categories. API URL Replace [HOST] with the IP address or hostname of the Cisco Show and Share server. Upload URL Replace [HOST] with the IP address or hostname of the Cisco Show and Share server. Username Username with Cisco Show and Share superuser rights. Password Password corresponding to the Username. Auto Check this to automatically approve and publish the video to Apporve/Publish Cisco Show and Share. Retry Attempts The maximum number of times (0-16) an attempt will be made to publish to Cisco Show and Share. Retry Frequency The number of minutes the Cisco MXE 3500 will wait after a failed attempt before trying again.

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Streaming URL (Delivery Profile)

The Cisco MXE 3500 reports the value in the Streaming URL in the fileman task accounting data as the output-stream-name. This accounting data is accessible via the MXE REST API. The streaming URL is the base playable URL of the video once the video has been uploaded to the streaming server (i.e. Wowza or Windows Media Streaming Server). The video file name is appended to the URL. If streaming is enabled in the SUI Admin page, the Job Status page in the Video Conversion Interface displays the watch link using the streaming URL for any output formats that have this (streaming server) delivery profile enabled. The watch link URL is also included in the SUI email notification. Figure 8-5 shows the streaming URL delivery profile.

Figure 8-5 Streaming URL Delivery Profile

See also Configuring a Wowza or Windows Media Streaming Server, page 3-40.

Rename on Delivery (Delivery Profile)

Figure 8-6 shows the Rename on Delivery section.

Figure 8-6 Delivery Profile: Rename on Delivery Section

Table 8-3 describes the settings.

Table 8-3 Delivery Profile: Rename on Delivery Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Rename Check this box to enable file renaming, as determined by the Output Filename box. If Output this box is not checked, the files retain the same names they have in the normal output folders. Output The text and/or pattern of variables used to build the names of output files. Variables Filename can be used to replace the default file name structure with one that reflects the unique Job Profile requirements. See also: Variables Used for File and Directory Naming, page 8-11.

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After the encoding process, the newly generated file is transferred through file transfer protocol (FTP) from the Cisco MXE 3500 file system to the target server. The transfer takes place one chunk at a time until the file is completely copied. A problem can occur if there is an interruption in the transfer (i.e., lost connection or remote FTP server down), and the file is not completely copied over. FTP does not provide guaranteed delivery of the complete files, and valid but incomplete files could result. A validation mechanism is needed to ensure that content is fully uploaded before the watch folder agent begins to ingest the file. This section includes the following topics: • Addition of .tmp Extension, page 8-8 • How to Enable the .tmp File Extension, page 8-8

Addition of .tmp Extension

The Cisco MXE 3500 File Manager (FM) adds a .tmp extension to the target file name during transfer. After the upload is complete, FM removes the .tmp extension from the target file name. If the transfer is incomplete, the .tmp extension remains. Therefore, the watch folder agent can be configured to ignore files with a .tmp file extension to ensure complete transfers. Example: Target file thefile.bmp is uploaded as thefile.bmp.tmp then renamed to thefile.bmp.

Note Important: The recommended Retry Frequency value is 3 or greater. This gives the remote FTP server enough time to recycle the previously failed session.

How to Enable the .tmp File Extension

• From the Cisco MXE 3500 UI on the Delivery Profile page, in the Delivery Method section, check the FTP box and the Use Temp File box. Figure 8-7 shows the Delivery Method section.

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Figure 8-7 Enabling the Temp File Extension

• From File Manager: The Boolean field use-temp-file resides in the File Manager's Task XML parameter section. This field is optional and defaults to false. The preferred field values are: yes or no. An empty field is treated as a true value. Figure 8-8 shows example XML.

Figure 8-8 Example XML

Creating a Delivery Profile

Use this procedure to create a Delivery Profile.

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Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile. Step 2 From the New Profile pop-up Profile Class drop-down, select Distribution, as shown in Figure 8-9.

Figure 8-9 Creating a New Delivery Profile

Step 3 Highlight Delivery, and click the New Profile button. The New Delivery Profile page displays. Step 4 Enter the appropriate delivery settings, and click Save. See also: Understanding Delivery Settings, page 8-2.

Adding a Delivery Profile to a Job Profile

Profile

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile or Open Profile. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job, and click the New Profile or Open Profile button. Step 3 Expand the Distribution section, as shown in Figure 8-10.

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Figure 8-10 Creating a New Delivery Profile

Step 4 In the Delivery field, select one or more Delivery Profile(s). Step 5 Click Save.

Variables Used for File and Directory Naming

Table 8-4 describes the variables for file and directory naming.

Table 8-4 File and Directory Naming Variables and Descriptions

Variable Description $(date) Inserts the current date in a yyyymmdd format. $(time) Inserts the current time in 24-hour format, hhmmss. $(day) Inserts the current day of the month as a two digit number. $(month) Inserts the current month as a two digit number. $(year) Inserts the current year as a current number. $(author) Inserts the author metadata provided on the Job Submission page. $(title) Inserts the title metadata provided in the Job Submission page. $(profile) Inserts the name of the job profile used to encode the output file. $(subprofile) Inserts the name of the encoder profile used to create the output file. $(basename) Inserts the Output Name provided on the Job Submission page. $(format) Inserts a description of the file type created during encoding. $(extension) Inserts the appropriate file extension for the type of file created. $(filename) Inserts the name of the source file for file-based jobs. This variable is only used for file-based jobs and no value will be substituted for live jobs.

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Table 8-4 File and Directory Naming Variables and Descriptions (continued)

Variable Description $(uid) Creates a unique filename based on text or other values included, which are appended by a number. For example, File1, File2, File3, etc. $(user-data) Inserts text entered in the Encoder Profile. This variable can only be used in Output Profiles.

Notification Profile

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Notification Profile, page 8-12 • When to Use the Notification Feature, page 8-12 • Understanding Notification Settings, page 8-13 • Creating a Notification Profile, page 8-16 • Adding a Notification Profile to a Job Profile, page 8-16

Introduction to the Notification Profile

Notification Profiles enable the Cisco MXE 3500 to send messages regarding job success or failure. The following forms of notification are available: • E-mail • HTTP Post • TCP Post • UDP Post You can use any of the notification types separately or together. You may add multiple Notification Profiles to one Job Profile to implement complex notification scenarios.

When to Use the Notification Feature

Add a Notification Profile to a Job Profile if you want to be notified of a job's completion or if you need metadata from the job to be sent to another location. For example, you may elect to receive an e-mail alert whenever a job fails or a list of output file names for every successful encode. In another example, watermarking (a licensed Cisco MXE 3500 option) associates metadata items with an embedded watermark payload, and these metadata are included in the notification, which can be forwarded to a central database via HTTP post. See also: Adding a Notification Profile to a Job Profile, page 8-16.

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Each Notification Profile is made up of the following sections that are used to define when and how notification will take place: • Common (Notification Profile), page 8-13 • Notification Criteria (Notification Profile), page 8-13 • Email Notification (Notification Profile), page 8-14 • HTTP Post (Notification Profile), page 8-14 • TCP Post (Notification Profile), page 8-15 • UDP Post (Notification Profile), page 8-15

Common (Notification Profile)

Check the Profile Enabled box, shown in Figure 8-11, to enable this profile for job processing.

Figure 8-11 Notification Profile: Common Section

Notification Criteria (Notification Profile)

Select the status, shown in Figure 8-12, at which a notification is sent: • Always • On Success • On Failure • On Non-User Failure

Figure 8-12 Notification Profile: Notification Criteria Section

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Email Notification (Notification Profile)

Figure 8-13 shows the Email Notification section.

Figure 8-13 Notification Profile: Email Notification Section

Table 8-5 describes the settings.

Table 8-5 Email Notification Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Enabled Check this box to enable e-mail notification. Notifications are forwarded to the server name previously configured on the System Administration page. The server must be running the Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) service to process the e-mail transmission. From/From Select Address, Submitter, or System Administrator, and enter the address the e-mail Address will be sent from. To/To Select Address, Submitter, System Administrator, and enter the address the e-mail will Address be sent to. Note The To Address can be any type of account capable of receiving text messages from an SMTP server, regular e-mail addresses, pagers, and text-enabled cellular phones.

HTTP Post (Notification Profile)

Figure 8-14 shows the HTTP Post section.

Figure 8-14 HTTP Post Section

Table 8-6 describes the settings.

Table 8-6 HTTP Post Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Enabled Check this box to define parameters used to post notification messages to Web servers using HTTP Post.

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Table 8-6 HTTP Post Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Server Name Enter the Host name of the Web server to which HTTP notification messages will be posted. This is a required field. Port Enter the TCP port used for HTTP communication with the Web server specified. If no value is specified, the default port, port 80, will be used. CGI Path Enter the path of the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script used for HTTP notification. The path does not include the server name, which is supplied in the HTTP Server name field above, but does include the file name of the script being called.

TCP Post (Notification Profile)

Figure 8-15 shows the TCP Post section.

Figure 8-15 TCP Post Section

Table 8-7 describes the settings.

Table 8-7 TCP Post Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Enabled Check this box to enable Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) post notifications. Server Name Enter the name of a destination server for the notification. This is a required field. Port Enter the destination server's TCP port number. If no value is specified, the default port, port 80, will be used.

UDP Post (Notification Profile)

Figure 8-16 shows the UDP Post section.

Figure 8-16 UDP Post Section

Table 8-8 describes the settings.

Table 8-8 UDP Post Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Enabled Check this box to enable User Datagram Protocol (UDP) post notifications.

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Table 8-8 UDP Post Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Server Name Enter the name of a destination server for the notification. This is a required field. Port Enter the destination server's TCP port number. If no value is specified, the default port, port 80, will be used.

Creating a Notification Profile

Use this procedure to create a Notification Profile.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile. Step 2 From the New Profile pop-up Profile Class drop-down, select Distribution.

Figure 8-17 Creating New Notification Profile

Step 3 Highlight Notification, and click the New Profile button. The New Notification Profile page displays. Step 4 Enter the appropriate notification settings, and click Save. See also: Understanding Notification Settings, page 8-13.

Adding a Notification Profile to a Job Profile

Use this procedure to add a Notification Profile to a Job Profile.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile or Open Profile. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job, and click New Profile or Open Profile. Step 3 Expand the Notification section.

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Step 4 Select one or more Notification Profile(s). Step 5 Click Save.

Figure 8-18 Adding a Notification Profile to a Job Profile

Output

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Output Profile, page 8-17 • Understanding Output Settings, page 8-17 • Creating an Output Profile, page 8-19 • Adding an Output Profile to a Job Profile, page 8-20 • Variables Used for File and Directory Naming (Output Profile), page 8-20

Introduction to the Output Profile

Use this profile to identify encoder types for which the output files should be saved locally. The output file locations are defined during system setup. The locations may be changed on the System Administration page. The name assigned to each output file is determined on the System Administration page or by the Output File Name defined in the Output Profile. See also: System Administration, page 13-13. Output files that are not saved are automatically removed from the local machine as the last step of an encoding job. When the Cisco MXE 3500 file delivery method is used, there may be no reason to keep the local files. The automatic file removal keeps the local machine clean for high-volume users. See also: Delivery Profile, page 8-1.

Understanding Output Settings

Each Output Profile is made up of the following sections: • Common (Output Profile), page 8-18 • Save Local Output File (Output Profile), page 8-18 • Output (Output Profile), page 8-18

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Common (Output Profile)

Check the Profile Enabled box, shown in Figure 8-19, to enable this profile for job processing.

Figure 8-19 Output Profile: Common Section

Save Local Output File (Output Profile)

Check the boxes, shown in Figure 8-20, to specify output for certain encoded formats. There is a checkbox for each encoding format licensed on the Cisco MXE 3500. Checking a particular format type will specify that all the encodes for that encoder will be saved in the output folder. Unchecked formats are not saved.

Figure 8-20 Save Local Output File Section

Output (Output Profile)

Figure 8-21 shows the Output section.

Figure 8-21 Output Section

Table 8-9 describes the settings.

Table 8-9 Output Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description

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Table 8-9 Output Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Output Name Check this box to allow output files to be renamed according to the Output File Name Enabled box below. If unchecked, the files are named according to the default format defined on the System Administration page. See also: System Administration, page 13-13. Output This field defines the new name for encoded output files. Filename You may use the Cisco MXE 3500 substitution macros, which allow this single entry to specify the names of multiple encoded outputs. By default, the box holds: $(basename).$(profile).$(subprofile)., which ensures that each encoded file will receive a distinct name.

Creating an Output Profile

Use this procedure to create an Output Profile.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile. Step 2 From the New Profile pop-up Profile Class drop-down, select Distribution.

Figure 8-22 Creating New Output Profile

Step 3 Highlight Output, and click the New Profile button. The New Output Profile page displays. Step 4 Enter the appropriate output settings, and click Save. See also: Understanding Output Settings, page 8-17.

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Use this procedure to add an Output Profile to a Job Profile.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile or Open Profile. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job, and click the New Profile or Open Profile button. Step 3 Expand the Distribution section. Step 4 From the Output drop-down, select an Output Profile. Step 5 Click Save.

Figure 8-23 Adding an Output Profile to a Job Profile

Variables Used for File and Directory Naming (Output Profile)

See the “Variables Used for File and Directory Naming” section on page 8-11.

Webcast Profile

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Live Streaming feature license on the standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Resource Manager device. See the Deployment and Administration Guide for Cisco MXE 3500 for more information.

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Webcast Profile, page 8-21 • Understanding Webcast Settings, page 8-21 • Creating a Webcast Profile, page 8-23 • Adding a Webcast Profile to a Job Profile, page 8-24

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Webcast Profiles are used to define the parameters for streaming encoded output live to the Internet or to an intranet. Currently, only Windows Media, Flash 8, and H.264 support Webcasts.

Note The Cisco MXE 3500 also supports H.264 to Adobe FMS.

A Webcast Profile is optional and may be added to a Job Profile.

Understanding Webcast Settings

The Webcast Profile defines all of the necessary parameters for the Live Streaming feature. A Webcast Profile is required when encoded output will be delivered as a Live stream or to define whether or not Video on Demand (VOD) archive files will be saved. The Webcast Profile is divided into the following sections: • Common (Webcast Profile), page 8-21 • Streams 1-10 (Webcast Profile), page 8-22

Common (Webcast Profile)

Figure 8-24 shows the Common section.

Figure 8-24 Common Section

Table 8-10 describes the settings.

Table 8-10 Webcast Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Check this box enable this profile for job processing. Enabled Archive Check this box to create an archive file for each enabled stream. Streams

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Streams 1-10 (Webcast Profile)

Figure 8-25 shows the Streams 1-10 section.

Figure 8-25 Webcast Profile: Streams 1 - 10 Section

Table 8-11 describes the settings.

Table 8-11 Webcast Profile: Streams Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Click the browse button and choose the encoder Profile for which you will be entering access information. The drop-down displays only encoder Profile(s) that correspond to the selected encoder. • For Live Flash 8 and H.264, select the Flash 8 or H.264 encoder profile that is part of the job. Flash8 and H.264 encoder profiles are located in the profiles/flash8 or profiles/h264 directory, respectively. • For Live WMV, select the Windows encoder profile that is part of the job. Windows encoder profile are located in the ms directory. CDN Defaults to other. Server Enter the name of the streaming server that will receive the encoded output and stream it to the end user. • For Live Flash 8 and Live H.264, enter the streaming server IP address, such as rtmp://StreamingServerIPaddress/publishing point. • For Live WMV, enter the Cisco MXE 3500 IP address, such as mms://MXE3500IPaddress. Tip On the Windows Media streaming server, you will need to add a new publishing point. Enter the Cisco MXE 3500 IP address for the encoder and the Port number that you configure in the Webcast Profile. Port Enter the port number for the server configured to receive streams from the Cisco MXE 3500. The correct port is supplied by the streaming server administrator. • For Flash 8, enter 80 or 1935. • For Live WMV, enter a port that is not in use. You will enter this Port number when you configure the publishing point on the Windows Media streaming server.

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Table 8-11 Webcast Profile: Streams Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Filename Enter the name of the file being streamed. Because this setting is used to generate the name of the file that is streamed, enter a meaningful filename, such as CNNStream for example. Note Webcasting will fail if this field is left blank. Username Enter a valid User ID for logging into and establishing a connection with the streaming server. Note This is an optional setting and corresponds to how your CDN (see above) is set up. Password Enter the password used to validate a secure connection to the streaming server. Note This is an optional setting and corresponds to how your CDN (see above) is set up.

Creating a Webcast Profile

Use this procedure to create a Webcast Profile.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile. Step 2 From the New Profile pop-up Profile Class drop-down, select Distribution.

Figure 8-26 Creating a New Webcast Profile

Step 3 Highlight Webcast, and click the New Profile button. The New Webcast Profile page displays. Step 4 Enter the appropriate webcast settings, and click Save.

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Use this procedure to add a Webcast Profile to a Job Profile.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile or Open Profile. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job, and click New Profile or Open Profile. Step 3 Select a profile from the Webcast drop-down. Step 4 Click Save.

Figure 8-27 Adding a Webcast Profile to a Job Profile

IP Stream Profile

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Live Streaming feature license on the standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Resource Manager device. See the Deployment and Administration Guide for Cisco MXE 3500 for more information.

This section includes the following topics: • Understanding the IP Stream Profile, page 8-24 • Creating an IP Stream Profile, page 8-25 • Adding an IP Stream Profile to a Job Profile, page 8-26

Understanding the IP Stream Profile

The IP Stream profile defines all the parameters for enabling live H.264 MPEG-2 Transport Stream UDP multicast streaming. An IP Stream profile is optional and can be added to a Job profile. Currently. only H.264 encoders support IP streaming. See the “H.264 Encoder” section on page 7-18 for IP streaming requirements.

Common (IP Stream Profile)

Figure 8-28 shows the Common section.

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Figure 8-28 IP Stream Common Settings

Table 8-12 describes the settings.

Table 8-12 IP Stream Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Check this box to enable this profile for job processing. Enabled Stream 1 Check this box to enable this stream for processing. Profile Browse to and select the H264 encoder profile that defines the IP streaming parameters. IP Address Enter multicast IP address for streaming. Port Enter multicast port for streaming.

Creating an IP Stream Profile

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile. Step 2 From the New Profile pop-up Profile Class drop-down, select Distribution. You will see the New Profile selector shown in Figure 8-29.

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Figure 8-29 Creating a New IP Stream Profile

Step 3 Select Distribution and IP Stream. Step 4 Click New Profile. You will see the New IP stream Common panel shown in Figure 8-28. Step 5 Check Profile Enabled to enable this profile for job processing. Step 6 Check the checkbox next to Stream 1 to enable it. Step 7 For Profile, browse to and choose the H.264 encoder profile that defines the IP streaming parameters. Step 8 For IP Address, enter the multicast IP address for stream 1. Step 9 For Port, enter the multicast port for streaming. Step 10 Click Save.

Adding an IP Stream Profile to a Job Profile

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile or Open Profile. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job and then click New Profile or Open Profile. Step 3 Select a profile from the IP Stream drop-down list.

Figure 8-30 Adding the IP Stream Profile to The Job Profile

Step 4 Click Save.

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CHAPTER 9

Caption Extract Profiles

The purpose of the Caption Extract Encoder is to write the extracted closed caption data from the video source into various output formats. This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Caption Extract Encoder, page 9-1 • Understanding Caption Extract Settings, page 9-1 • Creating a Caption Extract Profile, page 9-4 • Adding a Caption Extract Profile to a Job Profile, page 9-4

Introduction to the Caption Extract Encoder

The Cisco MXE 3500 Preprocessor extracts all closed caption data from the video source. The purpose of the Caption Extract Encoder is to write the extracted data into various output formats. To accomplish this, create a Caption Extract Profile and add it to the Job Profile. See also: Creating a Caption Extract Profile, page 9-4 and Adding a Caption Extract Profile to a Job Profile, page 9-4. Find a description of the settings available in the Caption Extract encoder profile in the “Understanding Caption Extract Settings” section on page 9-1.

Understanding Caption Extract Settings

Each Caption Extract Profile includes the following sections: • Common (Caption Extract Profile), page 9-2 • Settings (Caption Extract Profile), page 9-3

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Figure 9-1 shows the Common section. Table 9-1 describes the settings.

Figure 9-1 Caption Extract Profile: Common Section

Table 9-1 Caption Extract Profile: Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Check this box enable this profile for job processing. Enabled

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Table 9-1 Caption Extract Profile: Common Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Task Mode Sets the execution mode for this task: standard, fast start, or immediate. • Standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. • Fast Start: Fast Start reduces the total time required to process a job by starting the encoding process as soon as enough of the image has been preprocessed, rather than waiting for the preprocessing to be completed. You may choose to use this feature when submitting large jobs. Because Fast Start encoding utilizes available computer processing cycles, the Cisco MXE 3500 will use Fast Start encoding only under the following circumstances: – If at most one other clip is currently encoding – If there are no webcasting jobs in progress • Immediate: If you enable Immediate Encoding, the Cisco MXE 3500 will not use an intermediate file, but uses a memory-based interface between the preprocessor and the encoders. This is extremely useful for longer input clips and/or formats with high data volumes, such as MPEG, where the disk space requirements for intermediate files could become prohibitive. Note Since Immediate Encoding uses more memory resources and allows the encoder to control the rate at which the preprocessor provides data, it is not suitable for Live capture situations, only for file jobs. User Data The data entered in this field will appear anywhere $(user-data) occurs in the XML. An example: If you want to include the title “Nightly News” in the output file name, you would, in the Encoder Profile, set User Data to: Nightly News. Then, in the Output Profile, set the Output Filename to include $(userdata).

Settings (Caption Extract Profile)

Figure 9-2 shows the Settings section. Table 9-2 describes the settings.

Figure 9-2 Caption Extract Profile: Settings Section

Table 9-2 Caption Extract Profile: Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Output Type Select the output format: SCC, XML, or W3C.

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Use this procedure to create a Caption Extract Profile.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile. Step 2 From the New Profile pop-up Profile Class drop-down, select Caption Extract, as shown in Figure 9-3.

Figure 9-3 Creating New Caption Extract Profile

Step 3 Click the New Profile button. The New Caption Extract Profile page displays. Step 4 Enter the appropriate settings, and click Save.

Adding a Caption Extract Profile to a Job Profile

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile or Open Profile. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job, and click the New Profile or Open Profile button. Step 3 Expand the Encoding section. Step 4 Highlight one or more individual Caption Extract Profiles. As they are selected, the Encoder Profiles are added to the Job Profile in the upper pane, as shown in Figure 9-4. Step 5 Click Save.

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Figure 9-4 Adding a Caption Extract Profile to a Job Profile

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CHAPTER 10

Other Profiles

The Other Profile Class allows you to create the following types of profiles: • Index Profile, page 10-1—Choose this option to set automatic scene detection parameters and optional thumbnail generation. • Thumbnail Profile, page 10-4—Choose this option to define thumbnail generation frequency and thumbnail image format.

Index Profile

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Index Profile, page 10-1 • Understanding Index Settings, page 10-1 • Adding an Index Profile to a Job Profile, page 10-4

Introduction to the Index Profile

Adding an Index Profile to a Job Profile is optional. Scene change detection is a separately licensed feature of the Cisco MXE 3500. The Index Profile is used to define parameters that specify how to perform scene change detection, whether to capture thumbnail images as representative samples of the scene changes, as well as the format, size, and quality of the thumbnail image(s). See also: Introduction to the Thumbnail Profile, page 10-5.

Understanding Index Settings

An Index Profile allows you to adjust the following settings: • Common (Index Profile), page 10-2 • Scene Change Detection (Index Profile), page 10-2 • Thumbnail Properties (Index Profile), page 10-3

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Common (Index Profile)

Figure 10-1 shows Common settings. Table 10-1 describes the settings.

Figure 10-1 Index Profile: Common Settings

Table 10-1 Index Profile: Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Enabled Check the box to enable this profile for job processing. Audio Enabled Enables audio output for this task. This is a required setting and cannot be changed. Video Enabled Enables video output for this task. This is a required setting and cannot be changed. Task Mode This is a required setting and cannot be changed. Standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. User Data The data entered in this field will appear anywhere $(user-data) occurs in the XML. An example: If you want to include the title "Nightly News" in the output file name, you would, in the Encoder Profile, set User Data to: Nightly News. Then, in the Output Profile, set the Output Filename to include $(userdata): As an example, in a Windows Media output, the result is a Nightly News.wmv file.

Scene Change Detection (Index Profile)

Figure 10-2 shows Scene Change Detection settings. Table 10-2 describes the settings.

Figure 10-2 Index Profile: Scene Change Detection Settings

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Table 10-2 Index Profile: Scene Change Detection Settings and Descriptions

Setting Detection Sensitivity This setting controls the sensitivity to changes in the video program that will cause a scene change to be declared. A higher sensitivity setting will generate more scene changes; a lower sensitivity setting will generate fewer scene changes. Acceptable values range from 10 to 200, with 100 as the default. By clicking on the sensitivity number, higher sensitivities (up to 1000) can be entered manually. At Least Every Specifies a maximum time interval, in seconds, between scene changes. If a scene change is detected before the end of this interval, the time is reset. The default value is 60 seconds and can be reset using the arrows or entering a time in seconds into the field. At Most Every Specifies a minimum time interval, in seconds, between scene changes. If a scene change is detected before the end of this interval, the time is reset. Until the period, measured from the time of the last scene-change, expires, no new scene change will be declared. This period is zero by default, meaning that there is no limit to how quickly scene changes can be declared (every frame).

Note The At Most Every value must be greater than or equal to the At Least Every value.

Thumbnail Properties (Index Profile)

Figure 10-3 shows Thumbnail Properties settings. Table 10-3 describes the settings.

Figure 10-3 Index Profile: Thumbnail Properties Settings

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Table 10-3 Index Profile: Thumbnail Properties Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Image Format Choose a graphic format for the thumbnail images from the drop-down list. Supported formats are: JPEG, PNG, BMP, TGA, TIFF Width / Height These boxes determine the size of the thumbnail images. The first box specifies the thumbnail width, and the second box specifies the thumbnail height. By default, the setting is 320x240. The entire image from the video is resized to fit the set thumbnail dimensions. The images are taken after preprocessing, so any cropping or color corrections applied in the preprocessor will be evident in the thumbnails. The images may be stretched or compressed horizontally to fit the requested thumbnail dimensions. Cropping is not available. The graphics formats of the thumbnails assume square pixels, whereas video may not. So, for example, an NTSC video sized 720x480 output with a pixel aspect ratio of 0.9 should be considered a 4:3 image aspect ratio, resulting in a thumbnail with dimensions 160x120. Thumbnails have a minimum size of 80x60 pixels. Quality Sets the image quality for JPEG thumbnails only. Options are: 1,2,3,4. The higher numbers correspond to higher image quality and require larger file sizes for the thumbnails.

Adding an Index Profile to a Job Profile

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile or Open Profile. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job, and click the New Profile or Open Profile button. Step 3 Expand the Encoding section, and scroll down to the Index box. Step 4 Highlight one or more individual Index Profiles. As they are selected, the Index Profiles are added to the Job Profile in the upper pane. Step 5 Click Save.

Thumbnail Profile

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Thumbnail Profile, page 10-5 • Understanding Thumbnail Settings, page 10-5 • Adding a Thumbnail Profile to a Job Profile, page 10-8

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Use a Thumbnail Profile to set up thumbnail images, specify their format, and specify the conditions for capturing them. Thumbnails are basically images from single frames of video. Despite the name, you may set the images to any size. The Thumbnail Profile also allows you to set up periodic thumbnail captures. See the “Index Profile” section on page 10-1 if you want to trigger thumbnails on scene changes. Thumbnails are placed in a subfolder of the Thumbnail Output Directory. All the thumbnails from one encoding job will be held in a subfolder. The subfolder is named according to the Cisco MXE 3500 naming conventions for output files. For example, if the output name is $(basename).$(profile).$(subprofile).$(extension), the thumbnail subfolder will be named $(basename)_$(profile)_$(subprofile)_tmb with the periods converted to “_” and the $(extension) converted to “_tmb”. The subfolder will contain a text file with an .index extension that contains a list of the thumbnail files and times (measured from the beginning of the video clip) where the thumbnails were captured. The thumbnail files themselves are named 0000.ext, 0001.ext, 0002.ext, … etc, where “ext” is one of the allowed graphics formats. See also: Image Format in Thumbnail Properties (Index Profile), page 10-3. The OLD convention uses the Cisco MXE 3500 naming convention to name each thumbnail file. So, the example above produces a thumbnail named: $(basename)_$(profile)_$(subprofile)0000.ext instead of 0000.ext.

Understanding Thumbnail Settings

The Thumbnail Profile is used to define parameters that specify when to capture thumbnail images, as well as the format, size, and quality of the thumbnail image(s). A Thumbnail Profile allows you to adjust the following settings: • Common (Thumbnail Profile), page 10-5 • Frame Selection (Thumbnail Profile), page 10-6 • Thumbnail Properties (Thumbnail Profile), page 10-8

Common (Thumbnail Profile)

Figure 10-4 shows common settings. Table 10-4 describes the settings.

Figure 10-4 Thumbnail Profile: Common Settings

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Table 10-4 Thumbnail Profile: Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Enabled Check the box to enable this profile for job processing. Task Mode This is a required setting and cannot be changed. Standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. User Data The data entered in this field will appear anywhere $(user-data) occurs in the XML. An example: If you want to include the title "Nightly News" in the output file name, you would, in the Encoder Profile, set User Data to: Nightly News. Then, in the Output Profile, set the Output Filename to include $(userdata). As an example, in a Windows Media output, the result is a Nightly News.wmv file.

Frame Selection (Thumbnail Profile)

Figure 10-5 shows Frame Selection settings. Table 10-5 describes the settings.

Figure 10-5 Thumbnail Profile: Frame Selection Settings

Note Any or all of the above options can be used together in the profile.

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Table 10-5 Thumbnail Profile: Frame Selection Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Use Thumbnail Frequency Check this box to capture thumbnails within the period entered in the field below. The default period is 10 seconds, meaning that every ten seconds an image is captured. The number of images captured depend on the length of the video clip, and will be approximately (Clip Length)/(Thumbnail Period). Thumbnail Frequency When the Use Thumbnail Frequency box is checked, the time in this field determines the spacing between captured images. If the time of a requested thumbnail does not match the time of any video frame, the nearest frame is selected. The time must be greater than zero. Use Thumbnail Number Check this box to enable the capture of a fixed number of thumbnails per clip. The fixed number is identified in the Thumbnail Number field. You may use any number except zero. The spacing between thumbnails depends on the length of the video clip, and will be approximately (Clip Length)/(Number of Thumbnails). Thumbnail Number When the Use Thumbnail Number box is checked, the number in this field determines the number of thumbnails to be generated during the video clip. The thumbnails are equally spaced across the clip (except for irregularities caused by rounding to the nearest video frame). This may not represent the total number of thumbnails captured if other checkboxes enable other methods of requesting thumbnails. The number must be greater than zero. To figure out which frames are captured: Divide the length of the video by the number of thumbnails, and multiply by the frame rate. The thumbnail image will be taken at the center of the interval rounded down to the nearest frame. Example: 5 thumbnails taken from a 60 second video @ 30 fps will result in thumbnails taken at 6 seconds (frame 180), 18 seconds (frame 540), 30 seconds (frame 900), 42 seconds (frame 1260), and 54 seconds (frame 1620). Generate Single Thumbnail Check this box to enable the capture of a single thumbnail image at the time specified in the Thumbnail Time box on the File Job Submission page. These submission parameters are intended to be set on a per-submission basis, and are not saved in the profiles. See also: File Job, page 11-2.

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Thumbnail Properties (Thumbnail Profile)

Figure 10-6 shows Thumbnail Properties settings. Table 10-6 describes the settings.

Figure 10-6 Thumbnail Profile: Thumbnail Properties Settings

Table 10-6 Thumbnail Profile: Thumbnail Properties Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Image Format Choose a graphic format for the thumbnail images from the drop-down list. Supported formats are: JPEG, PNG, BMP, TGA, TIFF Width / Height These boxes determine the size of the thumbnail images. The first box specifies the thumbnail width, and the second box specifies the thumbnail height. By default, the setting is 320x240. The entire image from the video is resized to fit the set thumbnail dimensions. The images are taken after preprocessing, so any cropping or color corrections applied in the preprocessor will be evident in the thumbnails. The images may be stretched or compressed horizontally to fit the requested thumbnail dimensions. There is no cropping to make the thumbnails. The graphics formats of the thumbnails assume square pixels, whereas video may not. So, for example, an NTSC video sized 720x480 output with a pixel aspect ratio of 0.9 should be considered a 4:3 image aspect ratio, resulting in a thumbnail with dimensions 160x120. Thumbnails have a minimum size of 80x60 pixels. Quality Sets the image quality for JPEG thumbnails only. This field allows four quality settings, labeled 1,2,3,4. The higher numbers correspond to higher image quality and require larger file sizes for the thumbnails.

Adding a Thumbnail Profile to a Job Profile

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Profile Management > New Profile or Open Profile. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job, and click the New Profile or Open Profile button. Step 3 Expand the Encoding section, and scroll down to the Thumbnail box.

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Step 4 Highlight one or more individual Thumbnail Profiles. As they are selected, the Thumbnail Profiles are added to the Job Profile in the upper pane. Step 5 Click Save.

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CHAPTER 7

Encoder Profiles

Encoder profiles tell the Cisco MXE 3500 how uncompressed preprocessor output will be compressed for distribution. This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to Encoders, page 7-1 • Creating an Encoder Profile, page 7-2 • Editing an Encoder Profile, page 7-2 • Deleting an Encoder Profile, page 7-3 • Adding an Encoder Profile to a Job Profile, page 7-4 • Removing an Encoder from an Encoder Profile, page 7-4 • Encoders, page 7-5

Introduction to Encoders

The Cisco MXE 3500 uses Encoder Profiles to set parameters that govern how uncompressed preprocessor output will be compressed for distribution. For example, a file that is intended for users of Microsoft Windows Media Player who connect to the Internet by using cable modems will have one set of requirements while users of RealPlayer who connect to the Internet by using a T1 connection will have a different set of requirements. The settings included in each Encoder Profile are specific to the encoder being used. You add or adjust the settings in each Encoder Profile and then add them to the Job Profile. See also: Encoders, page 7-5.

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Use this procedure to create an Encoder Profile.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Profile Management, and click New Profile. The New Profile pop-up displays. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Encoder.

Figure 7-1 Creating a New Encoder Profile

Step 3 Highlight an encoder type, and click the New Profile button. The New Encoder Profile page displays. Step 4 Enter the appropriate encoder settings, and click Save.

Editing an Encoder Profile

Use this procedure to edit an Encoder Profile.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Profile Management, and click Open Profile. The Open Profile pop-up displays. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Encoder. Step 3 Highlight a Profile Type, and double-click it.

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Figure 7-2 Selecting a Profile Type

Step 4 Highlight a Profile Name, and double-click it. The Edit Profile page displays. Step 5 Change the appropriate encoder settings, and click Save.

Deleting an Encoder Profile

Note Encoder profiles within Job Profiles should be checked and removed from the Job Profile before deleting encoder profiles. No warning or error message will be generated while deleting encoder profiles, but the system will display an error while submitting a job using a Job Profile with a missing encoder profile.

Use this procedure to delete an Encoder Profile.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Profile Management, and click Open Profile. The Open Profile pop-up displays. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Encoder. Step 3 Highlight a Profile Type, and double-click it. Step 4 Highlight a Profile Name, and double-click it. The Edit Profile page displays. Step 5 Click Delete. When the deletion confirmation pop-up displays, click OK.

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Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Profile Management, and click New Profile or Open Profile. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job and click the New Profile or Open Profile button. Step 3 Expand the Encoding section. Step 4 Highlight one or more individual Encoder Profiles. As they are selected, the Encoder Profiles are added to the Job Profile in the upper pane. Step 5 Click Save.

Figure 7-3 Adding an Encoder Profile to a Job Profile

Removing an Encoder from an Encoder Profile

See also: Editing an Existing Job Profile, page 5-8.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Profile Management, and click Open Profile. Step 2 From the Profile Class drop-down, select Job and click the Open Profile button. Step 3 Expand the Encoding section.

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Step 4 In the Encoding section, hover over an Encoder Profile, and Ctrl+click. The highlighting is removed, and the Encoder Profile is removed from the list of profiles in the upper pane. Step 5 Click Save.

Encoders

This section includes the following topics: • Flash 7 Encoder, page 7-5 • Flash 8 Encoder, page 7-10 • Flash Grid, page 7-16 • MP3 Encoder, page 7-32 • MPEG Encoder, page 7-35 • QuickTime Encoder, page 7-50 • Real Encoder, page 7-59 • Speech-to-Text Encoder, page 7-66 • WAV Encoder, page 7-70 • Windows Media Encoder, page 7-72

Flash 7 Encoder

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Flash 7 Encoder, page 7-5 • Understanding the Flash 7 Encoder Settings, page 7-5

Introduction to the Flash 7 Encoder

Adobe Flash 7 encodes media into audio only, video only, and/or audio and video media that conforms to the .swf, .flv, and QuickTime formats. The Flash 7 Encoder Profile allows you to define parameters used by the Flash 7 encoder to determine how clips are encoded. See also: Adding an Encoder Profile to a Job Profile, page 7-4.

Understanding the Flash 7 Encoder Settings

A Flash 7 Encoder Profile allows you to adjust the following settings: • Common (Flash 7 Encoder), page 7-6 • Video (Flash 7 Encoder), page 7-7 • Encode Mode (Flash 7 Encoder), page 7-8 • Audio (Flash 7 Encoder), page 7-9

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Common (Flash 7 Encoder)

Figure 7-4 shows the Common section.

Figure 7-4 Flash 7 Encoder: Common Section

Table 7-1 describes the settings.

Table 7-1 Flash 7 Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Enabled Check the box to enable this profile for job processing. Audio Enabled Enables audio output for this task. Video Enabled Enables video output for this task. Task Mode Sets the execution mode for this task: standard, fast start, immediate Standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. Fast Start: Fast Start reduces the total time required to process a job by starting the encoding process as soon as enough of the image has been preprocessed, rather than waiting for the preprocessing to be completed. You may choose to use this feature when submitting large jobs. Because Fast Start encoding utilizes available computer processing cycles, the Cisco MXE 3500 will use Fast Start encoding only under the following circumstances: • If at most one other clip is currently encoding • If there are no webcasting jobs in progress Immediate: If you enable Immediate Encoding, the Cisco MXE 3500 will not use an intermediate file, but uses a memory-based interface between the preprocessor and the encoders. This is extremely useful for longer input clips and/or formats with high data volumes, such as MPEG or OMF, where the disk space requirements for intermediate files could become prohibitive. Note Even if Immediate Encoding uses more memory resources and allows the encoder to control the rate at which the preprocessor provides data, still it is recommended for Live capture situations based on testing.

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Table 7-1 Flash 7 Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Audio Tracks The Cisco MXE 3500 allows you to define which output channels to include in the final encoded media file. The Audio Tracks drop-down allows you to select the desired output tracks from the preprocessor as input to the encoder. These selected channels then map directly to the encoder. User Data The data entered in this field will appear anywhere $(user-data) occurs in the XML. An example: If you want to include the title ‘Nightly News’ in the output file name, you would, in the Encoder Profile, set User Data to: Nightly News. Then, in the Output Profile, set the Output Filename to include $(userdata). As an example, in a Windows Media output, the result is a Nightly News.wmv file.

Video (Flash 7 Encoder)

Figure 7-5 shows the Video section.

Figure 7-5 Flash 7Encoder: Video Section

Table 7-2 describes the settings.

Table 7-2 Flash 7Encoder: Video Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Output Format • Flash 7 SWF: Macromedia ShockWave Flash 7 format, suitable for playing directly in any Flash compatible player. • Flash 7 FLV: Macromedia Flash 7 Video format, suitable for use in communications applications and importing into Flash MX projects. Video Codec • Flash 7: SPARK • QT: SV3Pro Width Width is set to 320. This is a required setting and cannot be changed.

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Table 7-2 Flash 7Encoder: Video Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Height 60-1300 pixels Frame Rate Discrete values as defined in frames per second: 1,5,6,7.5,8,10,12,12.5,15,24,25,29.97, and 30 Bit Rate Sets the transmission rate for video as a portion of the encoded output stream. Values are 1.0 to 50000.0 kilobits per second. Keyframe Defines the maximum number of seconds allowed between key frames. If the Interval specified number of seconds passes without a key frame detected, a new key frame will be created. Added key frames will be in addition to natural key frames and may not be added if natural key frames occur at sufficient frequency. Setting this value to 0 will result in a very high quality encode. Values are between 0 and 3600 seconds. Recordable • Checked: Allows streamed output files to be saved to disk. • Unchecked: Prevents a copy of the file from being saved. Unchecked is the default state. Auto Play • Checked: The clip will begin to play automatically once the file is accessed. • Unchecked: The end user will be required to click the Play button in the QuickTime Player for the clip to begin. Progressive Determines whether files will be encoded for streaming or for progressive Download download. Progressive download is a method of delivering audio and video. It uses the standard HTTP protocol to create a stream-like experience for the end user by downloading the file to the local drive and playing the file back as it downloads. Progressive download files do not require a streaming server. • Checked: The clip will be encoded for progressive download. • Unchecked: The clip will be encoded for RTSP streaming. Note If Progressive Download is checked, no hinting information will be added to the file. If it is unchecked, hinting information will be added that allows for streaming but slightly increases the size of the encoded file.

Note When QT is chosen as the Output Format, Auto Play, Recordable, and Progressive Download checkboxes are not available. Recordable and/or Auto Play may only be chosen when the Progressive Download box is checked. See also: Understanding QuickTime Encoder Settings, page 7-55.

Encode Mode (Flash 7 Encoder)

Figure 7-6 shows the Encode Mode section.

Figure 7-6 Flash 7 Encoder: Encode Mode Section

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Table 7-3 describes the settings.

Table 7-3 Flash 7 Encoder: Encode Mode Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Encode Mode • CBR: Constant Bit Rate encoding, where the same bit rate is maintained Flash 7 FLV and throughout the encode. SWF • 1-pass VBR • 2-pass VBR: During the first pass, the video encoder analyzes the input from beginning to end before the actual encoding process begins. While analyzing the input, information about the input is saved to a file or memory that will determine the best possible way to encode the input within the set input bit rate limits. By using 2-pass VBR, the encoding process can use more bits for complex scenes to improve the encoded quality. Encode Mode CBR, 1-pass VBR, 2-pass VBR (applies to QuickTime only): Defines the size of the search area for MPEG motion prediction. A higher value will result in better QuickTime quality video but will increase encode time. Values are from 0 (low quality) to 99 (best quality).

Audio (Flash 7 Encoder)

Figure 7-7 shows the Audio section.

Figure 7-7 Flash 7 Encoder: Audio Section

Table 7-4 describes the settings.

Table 7-4 Flash 7 Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Type • Flash 7: MP3 • QuickTime: MP3, QDesign, and QDesign Pro Channels Determines the number of audio channels in the output audio stream. • Mono: Audio in the output file will be streamed as a single channel. • Stereo: Audio in the output file will be streamed in stereo.

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Table 7-4 Flash 7 Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Bit Rate Sets the transmission rate for audio and a portion of the target value for the encoded output stream. Units are kilo bits per second (kbps). • MP3: Valid selections are: 96, 112, 128, 160,192, 256, and 320 kbps • QDesign: Valid selections are: 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24, 32, 40, and 48 kbps • QDesign Pro: Valid selections are: 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56 64, 80, 96, 112, and 128 kbps Sample Represents the audio compression algorithm used for compression. Units are kilo Hertz Rate (kHz). Valid selections are: 8.0, 11.025, 16.0, 22.05, 32.0, 44.1, and 48.0

Flash 8 Encoder

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Flash 8 Encoder, page 7-10 • Understanding Flash 8 Encoder Settings, page 7-10 • Flash Grid, page 7-16

Introduction to the Flash 8 Encoder

Adobe Flash 8 encodes media into audio only, video only, and/or audio and video media that conforms to the .swf, .flv, and QuickTime formats. The Flash 8 Encoder Profile allows you to define Flash 8 encoding parameters. See also: Adding an Encoder Profile to a Job Profile, page 7-4.

Understanding Flash 8 Encoder Settings

The Flash 8 encoder tab allows you to adjust settings on the following subtabs: • Common (Flash 8 Encoder), page 7-11 • Video (Flash 8 Encoder), page 7-12 • Bit Rate Control (Flash 8), page 7-14 • Audio (Flash 8), page 7-16

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Common (Flash 8 Encoder)

Figure 7-8 shows the Common section.

Figure 7-8 Flash 8 Encoder: Common Section

Table 7-5 describes the settings.

Table 7-5 Flash 8 Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Enabled Check the box to enable this profile for job processing. Audio Enabled Enables audio output for this task. Video Enabled Enables video output for this task. Task Mode Sets the execution mode for this task: standard, fast start, immediate Standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. Fast Start: Fast Start reduces the total time required to process a job by starting the encoding process as soon as enough of the image has been preprocessed, rather than waiting for the preprocessing to be completed. You may choose to use this feature when submitting large jobs. Because Fast Start encoding utilizes available computer processing cycles, the Cisco MXE 3500 will use Fast Start encoding only under the following circumstances: • If at most one other clip is currently encoding. • If there are no webcasting jobs in progress. Immediate: If you enable Immediate Encoding, the Cisco MXE 3500 will not use an intermediate file, but uses a memory-based interface between the preprocessor and the encoders. This is extremely useful for longer input clips and/or formats with high data volumes, such as MPEG or OMF, where the disk space requirements for intermediate files could become prohibitive. Grid: Choose this option to process (load balance) jobs across a number of ECS nodes. Use the System Administration page, Grid Computing section, to configure the number of nodes that will be included in the grid. Grid is an optional, separately licensed component. Note Even if Immediate Encoding uses more memory resources and allows the encoder to control the rate at which the preprocessor provides data, still it is recommended for Live capture situations based on testing.

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Table 7-5 Flash 8 Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Audio Tracks The Cisco MXE 3500 allows you to define which output channels to include in the final encoded media file. The Audio Tracks drop-down allows you to select the desired output tracks from the preprocessor as input to the encoder. These selected channels then map directly to the encoder. User Data The data entered in this field will appear anywhere $(user-data) occurs in the XML. An example: If you want to include the title ‘Nightly News’ in the output file name, you would, in the Encoder Profile, set User Data to: Nightly News. Then, in the Output Profile, set the Output Filename to include $(userdata). As an example, in a Windows Media output, the result is a Nightly News.wmv file.

Video (Flash 8 Encoder)

Figure 7-9 shows the Video section.

Figure 7-9 Flash 8 Encoder: Video Section

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Table 7-6 describes the settings.

Table 7-6 Flash 8 Encoder: Video Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Output Format • Flash 8 SWF: Macromedia ShockWave Flash 8 format, suitable for playing directly in any Flash compatible player. • Flash 8 FLV: Macromedia Flash 8 Video format, suitable for use in communications applications and importing into Flash MX projects. • QT: QuickTime* format. If selected, the codec type is SV3Pro (Sorenson video). Codec VP6 or H263 Width Values are 80-2000 pixels. Height Values are 60-1200 pixels. Frame Rate Values are 0.1-30. Bit Rate Sets the transmission rate for video as a portion of the encoded output stream. Values are 10-4096 kilobits per second. Noise Sets the level of preprocessing applied to the media being encoded. Values are: 0 Sensitivity (no temporal preprocessing) to 6 (highest temporal preprocessing). If no value is entered, the Cisco MXE 3500 uses the default value of 0. Sharpness Sets the output media's image sharpness. Lower settings will result in fewer visible artifacts but may blur the image. Higher sharpness settings will result in a sharper image but may result in more visible artifacts. Values are: 0 (lowest) - 10 (highest). If no value is entered, the Cisco MXE 3500 uses the default value of 7. Keyframe • auto: Keyframes are generated whenever one is needed. Control • fixed: Keyframes are generated at fixed intervals determined by the Max Keyframe Interval below. Maximum Defines the maximum number of seconds allowed between key frames. If the Keyframe specified number of seconds passes without a key frame detected, a new key frame Interval will be created. Added key frames will be in addition to natural key frames and may not be added if natural key frames occur at sufficient frequency. Setting this value to 0 will result in a very high quality encode. Values are 0 to 9 seconds. Minimum Sets the minimum time (0 - 9 seconds) allowed between keyframes. Setting this Keyframe option to a very low value may cause an increase in the average output data rate. If Interval no value is entered, the Cisco MXE 3500 applies a default value of 0.5 seconds. Auto-Keyframe When this box is checked, auto-keyframe settings apply to the media file during s encoding. Auto-Keyframe Defines how different a frame must be from the previous frame before a new Sensitivity keyframe is inserted. Lower values produce fewer keyframes, while higher values produce keyframes.

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Bit Rate Control (Flash 8)

Figure 7-10 shows the Bit Rate Control section.

Figure 7-10 Flash 8 Encoder: Bit Rate Control Section

Table 7-7 describes the settings.

Table 7-7 Flash 8 Encoder: Bit Rate Control Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Enabled Check the box to enable bit rate control.

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Table 7-7 Flash 8 Encoder: Bit Rate Control Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Encode Mode Determines the encode mode to be applied to the media during encoding. • CBR: creates output that is best suited for streaming to a server over a TCP network. • 2-Pass CBR: first pass analyzes media, second pass provides constant bit rate encoding of the media. • 1-Pass VBR: creates output for playback situations where bandwidth fluctuations are not a concern. • 2-Pass VBR: first pass analyzes media, second pass provides variable bit rate encoding of the media. • 1-Pass Best quality: creates output for playback situations where bandwidth is not a concern. Encode and decode times are the longest. • 2-Pass Best quality: first pass analyzes media, second pass provides best quality encoding of the media. • Realtime: encodes media while meeting real time deadlines. Allow Drop When checked, the Cisco MXE 3500 drops frames when necessary to maintain Frames the defined data bit rate during encoding. Speed When Realtime is chosen from the Encode Mode drop-down, this setting sets the speed at which the encoder attempts to compress the frames it receives. When set to 0, the encoder tries to use all of the available cycles to compress the video. When set to 8, the encoder tries to use half the available cycles. When set to 16, no cycles are used. Values are 0 (100%) - 16 (0%). If no value is entered, the Cisco MXE 3500 uses the default value of 7. Error Resilient When checked, the Cisco MXE 3500 attempts to protect against corruption due Mode to mis-transmitted keyframes by invoking error-checking of all keyframes in the ingested media file. Error resilient mode may decrease overall video quality by up to 5%. Peak Bit Rate For CBR encoding, the maximum bit rate allowed in the stream as a percentage of the encoded bit rate. Undershoot Creates output that targets a slightly lower bit rate ensuring that bits are available Target in the data rate buffer to improve difficult sections. Prebuffer For CBR encoding, the buffer size to preload by the media player before beginning playback. Optimal Buffer For CBR encoding, the buffer size that the encoder should try to maintain in case a specific frame causes the buffer to overflow. Max Buffer For CBR encoding, the maximum size of the buffer. Two Pass When this box is checked, the second pass variability control settings apply to the Controls Enabled media file during the second pass of a 2-pass encode. Two Pass Determines the variability in the bit rate from nearly constant bit rate (0) to a Controls highly variable bit rate (100) that is proportional to the difficulty of the encoded Variability material. Values are 0 - 100 percent of the bit rate, default 70. Two Pass Lowest bit rate that the encoder will allow for any section no matter how Controls Min uncomplicated the section. This value is used to prevent difficult sections from Section stealing too many bits from uncomplicated sections. Values are 0 - 100 percent of the bit rate, default 40.

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Table 7-7 Flash 8 Encoder: Bit Rate Control Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Two Pass Highest bit rate that can be streamed. Also, the highest bit rate that the encoder Controls Max will allow no matter how difficult the section. Values are 100 - 1000 percent of Section the bit rate, default 400. Fixed Quality When this box is checked, the quality setting applies to the media file during Enabled encoding. Quality Lower numbers produce higher quality frames. However, the encoder may not be able to maintain the desired bit rate without dropping frames. Values are 0 (best) – 63 (worst), default 45.

Audio (Flash 8)

Figure 7-11 shows the Audio section.

Figure 7-11 Flash 8 Encoder: Audio Section

Table 7-8 describes the settings.

Table 7-8 Flash 8 Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Type Selects the audio codec to be applied during encoding. Channels Sets the number of audio channels to be applied during encoding. Bit Rate Sets the bit rate to be applied during encoding. Sample Sets the sample rate to be applied during encoding. Rate

Flash Grid

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to Flash Grid, page 7-16 • Activating Flash Grid, page 7-17

Introduction to Flash Grid

Grid encoding reduces the latency required to produce Flash content by processing the media in parallel on multiple systems. Grid processing uses multiple processors and processor cores to reduce encoding latency, resulting in performance improvement.

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Grid encoding is unique in the following important ways: 1. Matrix Decoding: The Cisco MXE 3500 partitions and distributes both decoding and encoding across multiple systems, thereby completely leveraging resources to achieve performance improvements that scale linearly with the number of additional processor and cores. Additionally, image quality is noticeably improved. 2. One and Two-pass Encoding: The Cisco MXE 3500 uses Flash encoding to realize grid benefits with both one and two-pass encoding. Two-pass encoding improves output video quality, but takes additional time to process. Matrix decoding ensures linear performance scaling with one or two-pass encoding. 3. Grid and Parallel Flash Encoding: The Cisco MXE 3500 provides the flexibility to optimize for minimum latency (grid) or Maximum throughput (non-grid) Flash processing. The Cisco MXE 3500 uniquely utilizes multiple core processors to improve overall throughput if grid encoding is not enabled. In this case, multiple cores are allocated to process different media clips for an overall throughput benefit that also scales linearly with the number of processor cores to maximize overall throughput.

Activating Flash Grid

Use this procedure to activate the Grid feature.

Procedure

Step 1 Before using the Grid feature for the first time, navigate to the System Administration, and in the Grid Computing section, in the Grid Nodes box, enter the number of nodes, which represents the number of segments the file will be partitioned into. Step 2 In a Flash 8 profile, in the Common section, from the Task Mode drop-down, select Grid.

Note • If Grid is selected, the Cisco MXE 3500 will break the job into parts and distribute them among your system's Flash-enabled nodes. • If Grid is not selected, the job will run on individual nodes.

Figure 7-12 Activating Grid

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This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the H.264 Encoder, page 7-18 • Understanding H.264 Encoder Settings, page 7-18 • Dolby DP 600 Program Optimizer, page 7-30

Introduction to the H.264 Encoder

The H.264 encoder produces well suited to a variety of applications and devices. The H.264 encoder enables you to produce CableLabs-compliant output. To produce valid streams for the CableLabs format, the input video and audio settings should meet the requirements of the CableLabs format because non-standard settings for the CableLabs format are allowed as long as the settings are MPEG compliant. In addition, you may change the display pixel aspect ratio. The pixel aspect ratio is the width of the pixel with respect to its height. A square pixel has a ratio of 1:1, but a nonsquare (rectangular) pixel does not have the same height and width. This concept is similar to the frame aspect ratio, which is the total width of an image with respect to its height. These aspect ratios are not necessarily tied together. For example, a widescreen image with a frame aspect ratio of 16:9 can be made of square or nonsquare pixels. If the output video size is the same as the source video, and the source video has nonsquare pixels, then the pixel aspect ratio of the source video is automatically preserved in the output video. Preserving the pixel aspect ratio of video increases the file size or stream bit rate. If the frame aspect ratio (Ix:Iy) and the height and width of the image source are known, then the following formula can be used to determine the x and y values of the pixel aspect ratio: PixelAspectRatioX / PixelAspectRatioY = (Ix * height) / (Iy * width) For example, if the image size is 720 x 360 pixels, and the frame aspect ratio is widescreen (16:9), then: PixelAspectRatioX / PixelAspectRatioY = (16 * 360) / (9 * 720) = 8/9 or PixelAspectRatioX = 8 and PixelAspectRatioY = 9. If the image size is 176 x 144 pixels, and the frame aspect ratio is widescreen (16:9), then: PixelAspectRatioX / PixelAspectRatioY = (16 * 144) / (9 * 176) = 16/11 or PixelAspectRatioX = 16 and PixelAspectRatioY = 11. See also: Adding an Encoder Profile to a Job Profile, page 7-4.

Understanding H.264 Encoder Settings

The H.264 encoder tab allows you to adjust the following settings: • Common (H.264 Encoder), page 7-19 • Video (H.264 Encoder), page 7-21 • V-Chip/CGMS-A Override (H.264 Encoder), page 7-24 • Audio Common (H.264 Encoder), page 7-24 • Audio 1 - 8 (H.264 Encoder), page 7-25 • Multiplexing (H.264 Encoder), page 7-27 • Motion Estimation (H.264 Encoder), page 7-28

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• Stream (H.264 Encoder), page 7-29 • Special requirements for IP Streaming (H.264 Encoder), page 7-30

Common (H.264 Encoder)

Figure 7-13 shows the Common section.

Figure 7-13 H.264 Encoder: Common Section

Table 7-9 describes the settings.

Table 7-9 H.264 Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Enabled Check the box to enable this profile for job processing. Audio Enabled Enables audio output for this task. This is a required setting and cannot be changed. Video Enabled Enables video output for this task. This is a required setting and cannot be changed.

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Table 7-9 H.264 Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Task Mode Sets the execution mode for this task: standard, fast start, immediate Standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. Fast Start: Fast Start reduces the total time required to process a job by starting the encoding process as soon as enough of the image has been preprocessed, rather than waiting for the preprocessing to be completed. You may choose to use this feature when submitting large jobs. Because Fast Start encoding utilizes available computer processing cycles, the Cisco MXE 3500 will use Fast Start encoding only under the following circumstances: • If at most one other clip is currently encoding • If there are no webcasting jobs in progress Immediate: If you enable Immediate Encoding, the Cisco MXE 3500 will not use an intermediate file, but uses a memory-based interface between the preprocessor and the encoders. This is extremely useful for longer input clips and/or formats with high data volumes, such as MPEG or OMF, where the disk space requirements for intermediate files could become prohibitive. Note Even if Immediate Encoding uses more memory resources and allows the encoder to control the rate at which the preprocessor provides data, still it is recommended for Live capture situations based on testing.

Grid: Choose this option to process (load balance) jobs across a number of ECS nodes. Use the System Administration page, Grid Computing section, to configure the number of nodes that will be included in the grid. Grid is an optional, separately licensed component. See also: Single Node Mode (System Administration), page 13-19. User Data The data entered in this field will appear anywhere $(user-data) occurs in the XML. An example: If you want to include the title ‘Nightly News’ in the output file name, you would, in the Encoder Profile, set User Data to: Nightly News. Then, in the Output Profile, set the Output Filename to include $(userdata). As an example, in a Windows Media output, the result is a Nightly News.wmv file.

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Video (H.264 Encoder)

Figure 7-14 shows the Video section.

Figure 7-14 H.264 Encoder: Video Section

Table 7-10 describes the settings.

Table 7-10 H.264 Encoder: Video Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Format Defines the format of the input source: NTSC or PAL. Field Mode This setting may be locked depending on the Profile setting. • Interlaced: Images are made up of fields that scan alternate lines. Two fields are required to build a frame. • Progressive: Each frame is presented sequentially. Field Order Specifies which field will be used as the top field during de-interlacing: top or bottom. This field may be locked depending on the Field Mode setting. Entropy Coding • CAVLC: Context-adaptive variable length coding. Mode • CABAC: Context-adaptive binary arithmetic coding. Only binary decisions are encoded. Non-binary items are converted to binary codes and then encoded. Width Specifies the width in pixels of an encoded frame. Values are 16 to 1920 and must be a multiple of 2. For Live IP streaming if value is 0, width will be equal to source video. (Uses Smart Ingest feature.) Height Specifies the height in pixels of an encoded frame. Values are 16 to 1280 and must be a multiple of 4. For Live IP streaming if value is 0, height will be equal to source video. (Uses Smart Ingest feature.) FPS The video frame rate of the encoded output in frames per second. Values: 23.976 (NTSC), 24.0, 25.0 (PAL), 29.97, 30.0, 50.0, 59.94, or 60.0.

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Table 7-10 H.264 Encoder: Video Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Profile Establishes ranges for parameter settings in application-specific situations. For example, DVD authoring software may specify Main Profile only. Therefore, encoding settings can safely be assumed to match decoder capabilities. • Baseline: Progressive CAVLC, no B-slices, progressive encoding only • Main: CABAC and CAVLC, B-slices enabled, interlace and progressive encoding • High: CABAC and CAVLC, B-slices enabled, interlace and progressive encoding Level Limits the possible settings for video encoding. Use B Slices Specifies whether or not bi-predicted slices (B slices) are used to improve coding efficiency. This is not allowed for a baseline profile.

Use Hadamard Allows quality optimization for low bit-rate encoding. Transform Optimize Rate Specifies whether to optimize rate distortion. Rate distortion defines the trade-off Distortion between quality and bit rate. Reference Specifies the maximum number of reference frames that can be used for motion Frames search compensation and prediction in order to encode a frame. Multiple reference frames can improve the prediction process and increase error resilience by using another reference frame in the event one is lost. A limit of 16 reference frames can be used within a frame. The default value is 2. Write Sequence Behavior for writing sequence parameter set. Values are: per IDR (default), or per I-frame. Write Picture Behavior for writing picture parameter set. Values are: per IDR (default), or per I-frame. VBV Initial Initial (before playing) VBV buffer fullness (%), default is 10%. Fullness VBV Final Final (when clip ends) VBV buffer fullness (%), default is 100%. Fullness Aspect Ratio Enable pixel aspect ration, which is the width of the pixel with respect to its height. Enabled A square pixel has a ratio of 1:1, but a nonsquare (rectangular) pixel does not have the same height and width. Aspect Ratio 4:3, 16:9, custom Type Aspect X Ratio Enabled if Type: custom is selected. Aspect Y Ratio Enabled if Type: custom is selected.

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Table 7-10 H.264 Encoder: Video Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Bit Rate Control • CBR: (Constant Bit Rate) Maintains a constant bit rate for the stream. Mode • VBR: (Variable Bit Rate) Allows variability in the bit rate for file size and bandwidth minimization. Max bit rate defines the range the encoder should stay within while encoding. The average bit rate is the desired average bit rate of the encoded bit stream. • VBR-CQT: (Variable Bit Rate – Constant Quantization) Allows quantization parameters for the different slice types (I, B, and P). Using this option, the stream bit rate can vary without any limitation. A lower value for any slice quantization parameter yields better video quality. – QUANT-pI - I Frame quantization. Valid values are 0 to 51; default is 28. – QUANT-pP - P Frame quantization. Valid values are 0 to 51; default is 30. – QUANT-pB - B Frame quantization. Valid values are 0 to 51; default is 32. • 2-PASS VBR: Allows variability in the bit rate for file size and bandwidth minimization. Bit Rate Buffer Specifies the size of the Hypothetical Reference Decoder (HRD) Coded Picture Size Buffer (CPB). This value should be adjusted to the bit rate for CBR encoding and the max bit rate for VBR encoding to avoid DTS/PTS underflows during multiplexing. It controls the size of the buffer needed to encode the video. A low value can result in buffer overflows which can show up as stuttering video. Software decoders usually ignore the buffer size but most hardware players will have problems if the buffer size is not correct. It should match buffer sizes of targeted hardware decoders. Encoded frames are placed into the buffer (hypothetically) and removed from the buffer at regular intervals. The video stream is constructed by varying the size of the encoded frames such that the buffer does not underflow (i.e. becomes empty when it is time to decode a frame) or overflow (i.e. becomes full so that no space is available to store encoded frames). Avg Bit Rate Target average bit rate for CBR and VBR encoded files. Max Bit Rate Maximum allowable bit rate for VBR encoded files. Inter Search Specifies macro block search modes. Creates a prediction model from previously Modes encoded frames. The 16x16 value is standard unless you this box. Not valid with Profile: baseline setting. Quant-pI Specifies the macro block quantization value for I slices to use in the constant quantization variable bitrate. Quant-pP Specifies the macro block quantization value for P slices to use in the constant quantization variable. Quant-pB Specifies the macro block quantization value for B slices to use in the constant quantization variable. Chroma Offset R For high profile, this is the Cr chroma quantization offset. Values are: -51 - +51. Chroma Offset B For baseline and main profiles, this is the chroma quantization offset (both Cb and Cr). For high profile, this is the Cb chroma quantization offset. Values are: -51 - +51.

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V-Chip/CGMS-A Override (H.264 Encoder)

CGMS-A is a copy protection mechanism covered as part of the CEA-608-B Line 21 Data Services Standard. Figure 7-15 shows the V-Chip/CGMS-A Override section.

Figure 7-15 H.264 Encoder: V-Chip/CGMS-A Override Section

Table 7-11 describes the settings.

Table 7-11 H.264 Encoder: V-Chip/CGMS-A Override Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description V-Chip Enabled Specify at submission: the Cisco MXE 3500 preprocessor will select a rating image file specified on the File/Live Job Submission pages and overlay this on the video using the graphic watermark capability. CGMS-A This setting allows you to set CGMS-A on a per-job basis via user-defined Enabled metadata, similar to V-Chip. CGMS-A Code Set the CGMS-A code by selecting the appropriate item from drop-down: • Copy Freely • Copy Once • Copy No More • Copy Never

Audio Common (H.264 Encoder)

Figure 7-16 shows the Audio Common section.

Figure 7-16 H.264 Encoder: Audio Common Section

Table 7-12 describes the settings.

Table 7-12 H.264 Encoder: Audio Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Sample Rate Output audio sample rate in hertz. PCM requires 48000. Only AAC and AAC-HE are valid for settings of 24000, 22050, and 16000. Rates below 16000 are AAC only.

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Audio 1 - 8 (H.264 Encoder)

The Cisco MXE 3500 allows you to define which output channels to include in the final encoded media file. The Audio Tracks section allows you to select the desired output tracks from the preprocessor as input to the encoder. These selected channels then map directly to the encoder. You may select as many tracks as are supported by the encoder. For example, if the encoder supports up to four outputs, you can select up to four of the preprocessor outputs, and they will be mapped to the encoder output in order. Figure 7-17 shows the Audio 1 -8 section.

Figure 7-17 H.264 Encoder: Audio 1 - 8 Section

Table 7-13 describes the settings.

Table 7-13 H.264 Encoder: Audio 1 - 8 Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Audio Enabled Enables output audio using the settings in this section. Track The input source audio track to use for this output audio track. Config File This option is only enabled if the Dolby Program Optimizer audio source is selected. It allows you to select a configuration file from the optimizer.

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Table 7-13 H.264 Encoder: Audio 1 - 8 Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Audio Type Specifies AAC, PCM, WAV, AC3, Layer1, Layer2, AAC-HE V1, and AAC-HE V2 audio encoding. AAC, AAC-HE, AC3, Layer1, and Layer2 enable stream multiplexing. AAC enables header and bit rate mode settings. Note AAC-HE V1 uses spectral band replication (SBR) to enhance the compression efficiency in the frequency domain frequency domain, and AAC-HE V2 couples SBR with Parametric Stereo (PS) to enhance the compression efficiency of stereo signals. It is a standardized and improved version of the AACplus codec. Audio Channels Select mono, stereo, joint stereo, dual stereo, or 2/0 channels for output. Audio Sample Rate Sets audio sampling rate to tradeoff audio quality and transmission bandwidth and file size limitations. Audio Bit Rate Sets audio bit-rate to tradeoff audio quality and transmission bandwidth and file size limitations. De-emphasis Enabled for Layer1 and Layer2 audio only. Sets a flag for the player to indicate that de-emphasis mode employed. Choices are None, 50/15 us, and ccit.j17. Set to None for DVD and SVCD. Set to None or 50/15 us for VCD. Psychoacoustic Enabled for Layer1 and Layer2 audio only. Sets the psychoacoustic model to Model use. Audio Header Enabled for AAC audio only. May be None (raw encoded output) or ADTS (Advanced Digital Theater Systems). Audio Bit Rate Enabled for AAC audio only. Specifies whether to use constant bit rate or Mode variable bit rate encoding mode. Audio Bit Rate Enabled for AAC audio only. For variable bit rate mode, specifies the target Mode Quality quality level from low to high. Mute Enabled for PCM audio only. Sets a flag for the player to mute output if all samples in an audio frame are set to zero. Emphasis Enabled for PCM audio only. Sets a flag for the player to apply emphasis to all samples from the start of the audio stream. High Frequency Enabled for AAC audio only. Selects the cut-off frequency in hertz. Cutoff • Default sets a cut-off value for the sampling frequency. • Not used indicates that all frequencies are kept. • Custom removes frequencies above the specified frequency (Hz) value. Custom High Enabled for AAC audio only. If Custom is chosen for the high frequency cutoff, Frequency Cutoff then all frequencies above the specified frequency value are removed. Values are 1000 to 48000 Hz.

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Multiplexing (H.264 Encoder)

Figure 7-18 shows the Multiplexing section.

Figure 7-18 H.264 Encoder: Multiplexing Section

Table 7-14 describes the settings.

Table 7-14 H.264 Encoder: Multiplexing Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Multiplexing Enables this feature. Enabled Multiplexing Specifies what type of multiplexing will be performed. Stream • mpeg1: System stream multiplexing is enabled. • MPEG-2: Program stream multiplexing is enabled. Valid audio input is AAC, AC3, layer 1 or Layer 2 audio. • videocd: Constrained multiplexing that satisfies the requirements for Video CD production. • vcd-padded: Constrained multiplexing that satisfies the requirements for padded Video CD production. • dvd: Constrained multiplexing that satisfies the requirements for DVD production. • transport: Multiplexing into a transport. Valid audio input is AAC, Layer 1 or Layer 2 audio. • external: Multiplexing into a transport stream using the Manzanita multiplexer. This is suitable for cable transmission and other applications that require transport streams. Valid audio input is AAC, AC3, Layer 1 or Layer 2 audio. A configuration file to control the Manzanita multiplexer is required. • none: No multiplexing is performed. This is suitable for DVD authoring systems that require separate video and audio files. • cablelabs: Multiplexing that conforms to CableLabs specifications. • mp4: Multiplexing to produce output that is mp4 compliant. • ipod: Multiplexing to produce output that can be played on an iPod. • 3gpp: Multiplexing to produce output that is 3gpp compliant. Config File Specifies the Manzanita configuration file used for external transport stream multiplexing. This option is available only if the external stream multiplexing type is selected.

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Motion Estimation (H.264 Encoder)

Figure 7-19 shows the Motion Estimation section.

Figure 7-19 H.264 Encoder: Motion Estimation Section

Table 7-15 describes the settings.

Table 7-15 H.264 Encoder: Motion Estimation Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Spatial Search Range Specifies the motion vector range (circle of the motion vectors from a pixel). Values depend on the level used. Values are: • Level 10 (1.0) - 0 - 63 • Level 11 (1.1) – 20 (2.0) - 0 - 127 • Level 21 (2.1) – 30 (3.0) - 0 - 255 • Level 31 (3.1) – 51 (5.1) - 0 - 511 Subpixel Mode Subpixel motion search depth. Values are: • full pixel: only full pixel position will be examined • half pixel: half-pixel positions will be added to the search • quarter pixel: both half and quarter pixel positions will be added to the search Multi Reference Frame Multi-reference frame motion estimation search mode. Values are: • complex: slower, better quality • fast: faster, lower quality Sub Block Sub-block motion estimation search mode. Values are: • complex: slower, better quality • fast: faster, lower quality Rate Distortion Rate distortion optimization method. Values are: Optimazation • complex: slower, better quality • fast: faster, lower quality

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Table 7-15 H.264 Encoder: Motion Estimation Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Fast Inter Decisions Allows the encoder to use fast intercoding decision metrics to speed up the encoding process. If yes, can decrease quality but will reduce encoding time. Values are: yes or no (default). Fast Intra Decisions Allows the encoder to use fast intracoding decision metrics to speed up the encoding process. If yes, can decrease quality but will reduce encoding time. Values are: yes or no (default).

Stream (H.264 Encoder)

Figure 7-20 shows the Stream section.

Figure 7-20 H.264 Encoder: Stream Section

Table 7-16 describes the settings.

Table 7-16 H.264 Encoder: Stream Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Slice Mode Uses multiple slices. On systems with multiple physical or logical CPUs, encoding can be accelerated by using more than one slice. Slice Count The number of slices to use if Slice Mode is enabled. Values are: 0 (auto detect the number of CPUs) or a positive number not greater than the picture size in macroblocks. IDR Interval Instantaneous Decoder Refresh (IDR) interval specifies the number of frames in a group of pictures (GOP) or the number of frames between IDR frames. The first frame in a GOP is always an IDR frame (I-frame). It is used as a reference frame and is the first frame without quality loss because it contains the maximum information. It is similar to an I-frame in MPEG. The IDR interval must be a multiple of the reordering delay value. If this field is 1, then only IDR frames are generated. Values are 1 to 300; the default value is 33. IDR Indexing The H.264 encoder will use scene change detection algorithms to improve video quality around scene changes in the video. Index Sensitivity This field is activated by the IDR Indexing option. Sensitivity adjusts the dynamic threshold for detecting when a scene change has occurred.

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Table 7-16 H.264 Encoder: Stream Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Reorder Delay Specifies the number of B-frames between consecutive I- and P-frames. If this value is 1, then no B-frames will be generated. Values are 1 to 4; default value is 3. Use B Slices as Allows B-frames to be used as reference frames. Reference

Special requirements for IP Streaming (H.264 Encoder)

When creating H264 profiles for IP streaming (MPEG-2 TS multicast over UDP only), Multiplexing should be configured as follows: • "Multiplexing enabled" should be checked • "Multiplexing Stream" should be set to "external" • A config file for the external multiplexer should be specified under "Config File". The MXE3500 ships with a predefined configuration file C:\Program Files\Cisco\Media Experience Engine\profiles\MUX_Cfg\H264_IP_Stream.cfg that can be used with most IP streams. • Setting Width and Height to 0 will result in the output dimensions matching the source ones, which allows using the same profile for different source dimensions.

Figure 7-21 Multiplexing settings

Dolby DP 600 Program Optimizer

There are two ways to use the Cisco MXE 3500 with the Dolby DP 600 Program Optimizer (available from Dolby Labs): • Encoder Level, page 7-30 • Preprocessor Level, page 7-31

Encoder Level

This method is only supported for H.264 encodes. The source Dolby-E, PCM, or a combination of Dolby-E and PCM data is passed from the source file directly to the encoder. The encoder then uses the Dolby Program Optimizer to create a 5.1 or a 2/0 AC3 track. The AC3 track is transferred back to the Cisco MXE 3500 encoding system and is then multiplexed into a transport stream.

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To use the Dolby Program Optimizer for H.264 encodes: 1. In the Preprocessor Profile, Audio section, select Audio Pass Through to disable all audio processing in the prefilter. The Dolby-E audio track(s) will be propagated unmodified to the encoders without going through the audio processing pipeline. 2. In the H.264 Encoder Profile, Audio Tracks section, set Audio Type to AC3 and Source to Dolby Program Optimizer. 3. Select the corresponding Dolby Program Optimizer Configuration File. A typical configuration file looks like this: http://dp600node/WorkorderService/WorkorderWsImpl \\output-node-name\output-share-name username password WAV/E_STITCH_AC3-1

• dp600node is the name of the Dolby Program Optimizer node. • \\output-node-name\output-share-name is the unc path of the output folder for H.264 encodes. • username will be used by the Dolby Program Optimizer to connect to \\output-node-name\output-share-name share for reading and writing. • password will be used by the Dolby Program Optimizer to connect to \\output-node-name\output-share-name share for reading and writing. • WAV/E_STITCH_AC3-1 is the profile on the Dolby Program Optimizer used for data processing. 4. In the Multiplexing section, select external and select a multiplexing configuration file. A simple config file looks like this (please refer to Manzanita Transport Stream Multiplexer documentation for further reference): Transport* File = out.mpg Program1* ProgramNumber = 1 PMTPID = 0x01E0 PCRPID = 0x01E1 PCRper = 35

Video1$ File = video.h264 PID = 0x01E1

Audio1$ File = audio.h264 PID = 0x01E2

Preprocessor Level

The source Dolby-E track(s) are decoded into uncompressed PCM tracks at the preprocessing stage. The resulting uncompressed tracks will be propagated to the encoder, or down-mixed first using Audio Mapping. In either case, in order to trigger the Dolby Program Optimizer from the Preprocessor, use the Audio Mapping dialog (see also: Input/Output Audio Channel Mapping (Preprocessor), page 6-28). The dialog has a column for routing audio inputs to the Dolby Program Optimizer. Setting the audio mapping in the Preprocessor requires knowledge of the contents of the source file. Typically, the Dolby E track

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will contain 5.1 or 5.1 + 2 audio, though it may use other configurations, such as 2+2+2+2. The Dolby E Cfg column must be preset to accommodate decoded tracks, and will be set as if these virtual tracks exist in the prefilter file. The above scenario assumes a source file with two-channel PCM in the first stereo pair (for example, English stereo) and 5.1+2 Dolby-E in the second stereo pair (for example, English 5.1 and Spanish stereo). Since this represents 10 channels in total from the source (2 + 6 + 2), you must configure 10 discreet inputs in the Audio Mapping dialog. Setting the Dolby-E config column to a non-empty value tells the Dolby Program Optimizer how to parse the incoming Dolby E stream. In this example, add three output audio tracks: a two-channel track (English stereo), a six- channel track (for English 5.1), and another two-channel track (Spanish stereo). The encoders can now reference all three output tracks: 5.1-aware encoders, like VOD, can reference Track 2 and encode into 5.1 AC3. An encoder that only encodes stereo audio pairs can reference Track 1 (English) and Track 2 (Spanish) and so on. Preprocessor-based Dolby-E decoding requires the following configuration file in the %bluerelease%\bin folder on all the encoding nodes: dp600config.xml. A typical configuration files looks like this: http://dp600node/WorkorderService/WorkorderWsImpl \\tmp-node-name\tmp-share-name username password WAV/E_PCM-2

• dp600node is the name of the Dolby Program Optimizer node. • \\tmp-node-name\tmp-share-name is the unc path of the temp folder for intermediate Preprocessor files. • username will be used by the Dolby Program Optimizer to connect to \\tmp-node-name\tmp-share-name share for reading and writing. • password will be used by the Dolby Program Optimizer to connect to \\tmp-node-name\tmp-share-name share for reading and writing. • WAV/E_PCM-2 is the profile on the Dolby Program Optimizer used for Dolby-E decoding.

MP3 Encoder

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the MP3 Encoder, page 7-32 • Understanding MP3 Encoder Settings, page 7-33

Introduction to the MP3 Encoder

The MP3 encoder produces audio-only MP3 files.

Note Because MP3 players do not accommodate the standard video metadata used by the Cisco MXE 3500, any metadata entered during job submission will be stored in the database but will not be included in output files.

See also: Adding an Encoder Profile to a Job Profile, page 7-4

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Understanding MP3 Encoder Settings

This section includes the following topics: • Common (MP3 Encoder), page 7-33 • Audio (MP3 Encoder), page 7-34

Common (MP3 Encoder)

Figure 7-22 shows the Common section.

Figure 7-22 MP3 Encoder: Common Section

Table 7-17 describes the settings.

Table 7-17 MP3 Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Enabled Check the box to enable this profile for job processing. Task Mode Sets the execution mode for this task: standard, fast start, immediate. Standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. Fast Start: Fast Start reduces the total time required to process a job by starting the encoding process as soon as enough of the image has been preprocessed, rather than waiting for the preprocessing to be completed. You may choose to use this feature when submitting large jobs. Because Fast Start encoding utilizes available computer processing cycles, the Cisco MXE 3500 will use Fast Start encoding only under the following circumstances: • If at most one other clip is currently encoding • If there are no webcasting jobs in progress.

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Table 7-17 MP3 Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Audio The Cisco MXE 3500 allows you to define which output channels to include in the final Tracks encoded media file. The Audio Tracks drop-down allows you to select the desired output tracks from the preprocessor as input to the encoder. These selected channels then map directly to the encoder. User Data The data entered in this field will appear anywhere $(user-data) occurs in the XML. An example: If you want to include the title ‘Nightly News’ in the output file name, you would, in the Encoder Profile, set User Data to: Nightly News. Then, in the Output Profile, set the Output Filename to include $(userdata). As an example, in a Windows Media output, the result is a Nightly News.wmv file.

Audio (MP3 Encoder)

Figure 7-23 shows the Audio section.

Figure 7-23 MP3 Encoder: Audio Section

Table 7-18 describes the settings.

Table 7-18 MP3 Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Private Bit Turns the MP3 Private bit on or off. The Private bit can be used when the clip is played to trigger application-specific events. Copyright Indicates whether the encoded clip is copyright protected. Bit Original Bit Indicates whether the encoded file is the original or a copy. Bit Rate @ A drop-down list displays valid combinations of bit rate and sample rate. Bit rates range Sample from 20 kbps to 320 kbps, and sample rates are 11.025, 22.050, and 44.100 kHz. Rate

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Table 7-18 MP3 Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Channels Determines the number of audio channels in the output audio stream. • Mono: Audio in the output file will be streamed as a single channel. • Stereo: Audio in the output file will be streamed in stereo. Quality Controls the trade-off between seed and compression quality of the encoded output. The Quality selected affects both the speed of encoding and output file size as follows: • Low: Encoding is done as quickly as possible with less emphasis on the quality of the encode. • Medium: Equal emphasis is given to speed and quality during encoding. • High: Emphasis is given to the quality of the encode with less emphasis on speed.

MPEG Encoder

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the MPEG Encoder, page 7-35 • Understanding MPEG Encoder Settings, page 7-35

Introduction to the MPEG Encoder

The MPEG worker encodes input material into MPEG-1/ MPEG-2 video and MPEG Layer1/2, WAV, AC-3, PCM, and AES3 PCM audio in program or transport streams. See also: Adding an Encoder Profile to a Job Profile, page 7-4.

Understanding MPEG Encoder Settings

An MPEG Encoder Profile allows you to adjust the following settings: • Common (MPEG Encoder), page 7-36 • Video (MPEG Encoder), page 7-39 • GOP Properties (MPEG Encoder), page 7-43 • Multiplexing (MPEG Encoder), page 7-45 • Audio Common (MPEG Encoder), page 7-45 • Audio Tracks 1-8 (MPEG Encoder), page 7-46

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Common (MPEG Encoder)

Figure 7-24 shows the Common section.

Figure 7-24 MPEG Encoder: Common Section

Table 7-19 describes the settings.

Table 7-19 MPEG Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Enabled Check the box to enable this profile for job processing. Audio Enabled Enables audio output for this task. Video Enabled Enables video output for this task. Task Mode Sets the execution mode for this task: standard, fast start, immediate. Standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. Fast Start: Fast Start reduces the total time required to process a job by starting the encoding process as soon as enough of the image has been preprocessed, rather than waiting for the preprocessing to be completed. You may choose to use this feature when submitting large jobs. Because Fast Start encoding utilizes available computer processing cycles, the Cisco MXE 3500 will use Fast Start encoding only under the following circumstances: • If at most one other clip is currently encoding • If there are no webcasting jobs in progress Immediate: If you enable Immediate Encoding, the Cisco MXE 3500 will not use an intermediate file, but uses a memory-based interface between the preprocessor and the encoders. This is extremely useful for longer input clips and/or formats with high data volumes, such as MPEG or OMF, where the disk space requirements for intermediate files could become prohibitive. Note Even if Immediate Encoding uses more memory resources and allows the encoder to control the rate at which the preprocessor provides data, still it is recommended for Live capture situations based on testing.

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Table 7-19 MPEG Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Archive Check this box to automatically load a 50Mbps I-Frame MPEG-2 output that bypasses the preprocessor settings for the given Job Profile. For example, if you want to include audio normalization, graphics overlays, and cropping controls for Web output, but also want a high resolution archive of your source materials, the Archive option will create both Web and Archive formats from a single ingest of the source material. Audio Tracks The Cisco MXE 3500 allows you to define which output channels to include in the final encoded media file. The Audio Tracks drop-down allows you to select the desired output tracks from the preprocessor as input to the encoder. These selected channels then map directly to the encoder. You may select as many tracks as are supported by the encoder. For example, if the encoder supports up to four outputs, you can select up to four of the preprocessor outputs, and they will be mapped to the encoder output in order. The individual encoders allow you to determine if the output of the encoder is stereo (two different channels) or mono, where stereo inputs to the encoder will be averaged, and one output channel will be created from the pair. User Data The data entered in this field will appear anywhere $(user-data) occurs in the XML. An example: If you want to include the title ‘Nightly News’ in the output file name, you would, in the Encoder Profile, set User Data to: Nightly News. Then, in the Output Profile, set the Output Filename to include $(userdata). As an example, in a Windows Media output, the result is a Nightly News.wmv file.

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Table 7-19 MPEG Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Subtitles Subtitles are text versions of the dialog in films and television programs, usually displayed at the bottom of the screen. Click the Subtitles button to display the Subtitles pop-up shown below*. Enable Subtitles: Enables subtitles insertion. Note: You must also attach a Subtitles File on the File Job Submission page, in the File Information section. Format: Specifies the type of subtitles to insert • DVB Bitmap: The subtitles are rendered into the output video by a playback device (a settop box). • DVB Teletext: The subtitles are inserted into the VBI and then decoded by a TV set. PID: Specifies the output Packet ID that the subtitles are placed on. Language Code: (ISO 639, 3 letters) The ISO 639-2 language code to be inserted into the PMT descriptor. This should be a valid ISO 639-2 code to help the set-top box figure out the language. The complete code list can be found here: http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php Timecode Sync Method: • Adhere to Timecode: The subtitles are inserted based on the source and STL timecodes. For instance, if the source timecode is 00:00:20:00, and the first STL entry is at 00:00:30:00, the first subtitles will appear at the 10th second. • First Frame: The source and STL timecodes are ignored. The first subtitles will appear on the first frame. Timecode Offset: Specifies an offset in frames (00:00:10:00) or seconds (12.375) to delay the first subtitles entry. This can be very useful when used with bumpers. For instance, if the source timecode is 10:00:00:00, the first STL entry is at 10:00:20:00, Timecode Sync Method is Adhere to Timecode, and the offset is 30 seconds, the first subtitles will appear at the 50th second. If Timeocde Sync Method is First Frame, the first subtitles will appear at the 30th second. Page ID: Specifies the DVB-Bitmap composition page ID. This setting must be any positive integer from 1 to 65535 Font Name: The font used to draw DVB-Bitmap subtitles. These are actual Windows font names (Times New Roman, Arial, etc). Default means use the default font. Cell Height: Specifies the DVB-Bitmap subtitles height in pixels (1-1080). Cell Width: Specifies the DVB-Bitmap subtitles width in pixels (1-1920). Bottom Edge: The bottom edge of the safe area should be about 576 - (576 x 10%). Top Edge: The top edge of the safe area should be about (576 x 10%). Left Edge: The left edge of the safe area should be about (720 x 10%). Right Edge: The right edge of the safe area should be about 720 - (720 x 10%

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Table 7-19 MPEG Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Rewrap Choose this option to rewrap RAW data in the encoder's header. By choosing this option, the Cisco MXE 3500 does not decompress and recompress the video, resulting in faster job processing. Note Rewrap only works if the video input and output formats are completely compatible. Rewrap works best for DV formats. (The RAW encoded form of audio and video data is often called essence). Closed Caption Choose this option to enable the Closed Caption feature for this encoder. To enable closed captioning for the entire job, in the Preprocessor Profile, in the Closed Captioning section, check the Burn In box. Timecode Choose this option to insert timecodes from the source file into the output file.

Video (MPEG Encoder)

Figure 7-25 shows the Video section.

Figure 7-25 MPEG Encoder: Video Section

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Table 7-20 describes the settings.

Table 7-20 MPEG Encoder: Video Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Type Identifies the type of MPEG video being created by the encoder. Settings in the MPEG tab will vary depending on the Type selected. • MPEG-1: Designed for data rates between 192 kbps and 104.857 Mbps. Used primarily for PC multimedia applications. • Video-CD: A standard digital format for storing video on a compact disc. • MPEG-2: MPEG-2 is designed for data rates of between 192 kbps and 300 mbps. Used primarily for digital broadcast satellite and digital television. Supports interlaced video, and larger frame sizes and bit rates than MPEG-1. • Super Video-CD: Super Video CD is a format used for storing video on standard compact discs. SVCD was intended as a successor to Video CD and an alternative to DVD Video and falls somewhere between both in terms of technical capability and picture quality. • DVD: DVD video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD (DVD-ROM) discs. Field Mode Specifies the field mode of the input source. Values are: progressive and interlaced. For MPEG-1, Video-CD, and Super Video-CD types, the input must be progressive. Chroma Format Specifies the resolution of the chrominance data. Valid values are 4:2:0 and 4:2:2. 4:2:2 is valid only for MPEG-2 4:2:2 profile. Output Format Specifies whether to encode in NTSC or PAL format. Resolution Specifies the size of the encoded frames. The available pre-configured choices are different for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. The size is fixed for Video-CD, Super Video-CD, and DVD. For MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, the custom resolution allows an individual height and/or width to be entered. Width Specifies the width in pixels of the output file created by the encode. Values are between 80 and 1920 pixels. Height Specifies the height in pixels of the output file created by the encoder. Values are between 60 and 1088 pixels. Encode Mode • CBR: Constant Bit Rate encoding, where the same bit rate is maintained throughout the encode. • VBR: Variable Bit Rate encoding, where the bit rate is varied during the encode, depending on the complexity and output requirements. • VBR-Quality: Variable Bit Rate encoding, where the quality is maintained within bit rate boundaries during the encode, depending on input complexity and output format requirements.

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Table 7-20 MPEG Encoder: Video Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Original Format The original video format that indicates the representation of the picture before encoding. It is a flag to the decoder (in the sequence display extension header) and does not affect the video encoding. Values are: • Component • PAL • NTSC (default) • SECAM • MAC • Unspecified Bit Rate Sets the transmission rate for video as a portion of the encoded output stream. Values are 192.0 to 100000.0 kbps for 4:2:0 chroma format and 192.0 to 300000.0 kbps for 4:2:2 chroma format. Note When Variable Bit Rate is selected, this value is not used. Frame Rate Determines the frame rate of the encoded output. • 23.976: 29.97 NTSC with 3:2 pull-down (inverse telecine) applied. • 24.00: Film-based source footage or 30 FPS NTSC with 3:2 pull-down (inverse telecine) applied. • 25.00: PAL video source footage. • 29.97: NTSC video source footage. • 30.00: NTSC drop-frame video source footage. • 50.00: Double frame rate/progressive PAL video source footage. • 59.97: Double frame rate NTSC video source footage. • 60.00: Double frame rate NTSC drop-frame video source footage. Pixel Aspect Selects the pixel aspect ratio. Aspect Ratio here refers to the ratio of the width to the height of the area represented by a pixel. Pixel Aspect Ratio settings defined for MPEG-1 are given as floating point numbers: 1.0 (square), 0.06735 (default 3:4), 0.7031 (9:16 625 line), 0.7615, 0.8055, 0.8473 (9:16 525-line), 0.8935, 0.9157 (BT.601 625-line), 0.9815, 1.0255, 1.0950 (BT.601 525-line), 1.1575, and 1.2015. Pixel Aspect Ratio settings defined for MPEG-2 are written as ratios: • 1:1: Square • 3:4: Default • 9:16: Anamorphic (wide-screen) • 1:2.21: Wide-screen film

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Table 7-20 MPEG Encoder: Video Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Profile & Level Specifies a subset of the MPEG-2 syntax required for decoding the stream as well as coded parameter constraints, such as bit rate, sample rate, frame rate, etc. Supported combinations are: simple profile - main level, main profile – low level, main profile – main level, main profile – high level, high profile – high level, 4:2:2 profile – main level, or 4:2:2 profile – high level VBV Buffer Size Specifies the size of the virtual buffer verifier (VBV) in 2048 byte units. If 0 is input then the VBV buffer size will be calculated by the encoder. This value is different for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. For MPEG-2, the maximum value is determined by the profile/level combination. Unless a particular size is required this parameter should be set to 0 to allow the encoder to choose the size. Average Bit Rate Specifies the average bit rate to maintain. The average bit rate value must always be less than the maximum bit rate value. Values are in the range 192.0 to 300000.0 kbps depending on the profile/level combination. Note The Average Bit Rate value must always be less than the Maximum Bit Rate value. Quantization Specifies the desired image quality for VBR encoding. The bit rate will be made Scale as large as necessary to achieve the desired quality. Values range from 1 to 31, but reasonable approximate values are as follows: • 2-3: Very good picture quality, very high bit rate. • 4-5: Good picture quality, high bit rate. • 6-7: Medium picture quality, medium bit rate. • 8-9: Low picture quality, low bit rate. Minimum Specifies the lower limit for the average bit rate maintained to achieve a desired Average Bit Rate quantization value. Values are in the range 192.0 to 300000.0 kbps depending on the profile/level combination. The minimum average bit rate value must always be less than the maximum average bit rate value. Note The Minimum Average Bit Rate value must always be less than the Maximum Average Bit Rate value. Maximum Specifies the upper limit for the average bit rate maintained to achieve a desired Average Bit Rate quantization value. Values are in the range 192.0 to 300000.0 kbps depending on the profile/level combination. Optimization Indicates whether to maintain quality at the expense of speed or speed at the Mode expense of quality. Values are speed or quality. Optimization If Optimization Mode is set to quality, the number represents desired quality, 0 - Level 31 (highest quality). If Optimization Mode is set to speed, the number represents available CPU performance, 0 – 31 (highest performance).

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GOP Properties (MPEG Encoder)

The GOP (Group of Pictures) is central to MPEG encoding. A GOP is defined as an encoded keyframe (I-frame) and all of its delta frames (P- and B-frames). Figure 7-26 shows the GOP Properties section. Table 7-21 describes the settings.

Figure 7-26 MPEG Encoder: GOP Properties Section

Table 7-21 GOP Properties Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description P-Frames P-frames are forward predictive delta frames. Increasing the number of P-frames increases the time between keyframes, and will result in smaller output files. P-frame values should be between 0 and 4. The default value is 3. B-Frames B-frames are bi-directional predictive delta frames, and are the smallest type of frame. Increasing the number of B-frames decreases file size and can help to reduce noise in the image. B-frame values should be between 0 and 4. The default value is 3.

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Table 7-21 GOP Properties Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Closed GOP Count Indicates the number of closed GOPs per second. Increasing the frequency will yield better quality for high-motion footage and an improved search capability in the output clip, but the output file will be larger. Decreasing the frequency will result in a smaller output file. Valid choices are: • Only first GOP closed. • All GOPs closed. • One out of every 2 GOPs closed. • One out of every 3 GOPs closed. • One out of every 4 GOPs closed. • One out of every 5 GOPs closed. • One out of every 6 GOPs closed. • One out of every 7 GOPs closed. • One out of every 8 GOPs closed. • One out of every 9 GOPs closed. Note A closed GOP is a group of pictures that begins with an I frame (or keyframe). An Open GOP begins with a B-frame. Open GOPs require information from the previous GOP to be properly decoded, and therefore cannot be used as edit points in the output clip. Sequence Header Defines the frequency of sequence header placement relative to GOPs. Count Sequence Headers include information required to decode the clip, such as buffer size, frame size, aspect ratio, frame rate, and bit rate. Sequence headers should occur more frequently for footage that will be edited or will be broadcast in order to allow access at any point in the video. Video encoded for DVD can have a sequence header only at the beginning. Valid choices are: • Put sequence header before every GOP. • Put sequence header before one out of every 2 GOPs. • Put sequence header before one out of every 3 GOPs. • Put sequence header before one out of every 4 GOPs. • Put sequence header before one out of every 5 GOPs. • Put sequence header before one out of every 6 GOPs. • Put sequence header before one out of every 7 GOPs. • Put sequence header before one out of every 8 GOPs. • Put sequence header before one out of every 9 GOPs.

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Multiplexing (MPEG Encoder)

Figure 7-27 shows the Multiplexing section. Table 7-22 describes the settings.

Figure 7-27 MPEG Encoder: Multiplexing Section

Table 7-22 Multiplexing Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Stream Specifies what type of multiplexing to be performed. Available options depend on Video Type selected. • None: No multiplexing is performed. This is suitable for DVD authoring systems that require separate video and audio files. • System Stream: This option is only available for MPEG-1 encoding. • Program Stream: This is suitable for standard MPEG usage and only works with Layer 1 or Layer 2 audio. • Transport Stream: This is suitable for cable transmission and other applications that require transport streams and only works with Layer1, Layer 2, or AC3 audio. • Video-CD: Constrained multiplexing that satisfies the requirements for Video-CD production. This option is only available for Video-CD or MPEG-1 encoding. • Super Video-CD: Constrained multiplexing that satisfies the requirements for Super Video-CD production. This option is only available for MPEG-2 or Super Video-CD encoding. • DVD: Constrained multiplexing that satisfies the requirements for Super Video-CD production. This option is only available for MPEG-2 or DVD encoding. Config File Specifies the Manzanita configuration file to use for transport stream multiplexing. This option is only available if the transport stream multiplexing type is selected.

Audio Common (MPEG Encoder)

Figure 7-28 shows the Audio Common section. Table 7-23 describes the settings.

Figure 7-28 MPEG Encoder: Audio Common Section

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Table 7-23 Audio Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Sample Output audio sample rate in hertz. PCM and AES3 302M require a setting of 48000. Rate Rates below 32000 require Layer 1 or 2.

Audio Tracks 1-8 (MPEG Encoder)

Figure 7-29 shows the Audio 1-8 section. Table 7-24 describes the settings.

Figure 7-29 MPEG Encoder: Audio 1-8 Section

Table 7-24 MPEG Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Type Determines the type of audio processing to perform. • Layer 1: MPEG Audio Layer 1 (ISO/IEC 11172-3). • Layer 2: MPEG Audio Layer 2 (ISO/IEC 13818-3). The standard audio format for MPEG files; various bit rates can be used. The audio stream will be multiplexed with the video stream. • PCM: An uncompressed format that is typically used by many MPEG-2 authoring products for DVDs. The format of the output is not a separate WAV file but is meant to be multiplexed with video into a DVD output. • AES 302M: An extension to the AES3 interface standard. This setting allows for the transmission of AC-3 compressed audio (multi-channel surround sound) over existing television technology. • WAV: Uncompressed audio in the pulse-coded modulation (PCM) format. PCM audio is the standard audio file format for CDs, containing two channels of audio sampled at 44,100 samples per second, 16 bits per sample. • AC3: High quality AC3 audio suitable for DVD authoring or multiplexing with MPEG video for transport stream generation. Channels Determines the number of audio channels in the output audio stream. • Mono: Audio in the output file will be streamed as a single channel. • Stereo: Audio in the output file will be streamed in stereo.

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Table 7-24 MPEG Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Bitrate Indicates the bit rate for the audio stream. Valid choices are: 32-640 kbps. (Depending on the type selected, some values may not be available.) Increasing the bit rate will yield better sound quality and will result in larger files. If the total bit rate is limited and you increase the bit rate, less of the total bit rate is available for video. Sample Rate Indicates the sample rate that the audio compression algorithms should use for compressing the data. Values are 32000, 44100, and 48000 kHz (depending on the type selected, some values may not be available). Psychoacoustic Model Specifies the MPEG psychoacoustic model in the MPEG-1 audio specification that is used for encoding. It optimizes audio at lower bit rates by tuning it to human hearing. It is not recommended for high bit rate applications. • 1: Use calculations from Model 1. These calculations are simpler than those performed when Model 2 is selected. Processing time for these calculations is faster, but results in more compromises in the optimization. • 2: Use calculations from Model 2. These calculations are more complex that those performed when Model 1 is selected. Processing time for these calculations is slower. This is the default setting. Emphasis Defines any emphasis that has been applied to the audio before encoding. The encoder does not modify the input samples before encoding them. This field is just a flag to the decoder to indicate that some emphasis was applied to the original source audio. • 0: No emphasis. This is the default setting. • 1: 50/15 msec emphasis. • 2: Reserved • 3: CCITT J.17 Private Bit A spare, user-defined bit in the audio headers. DVD format specifies it should be set to 0. CRC-Protection Check this box to enable CRC-Protection, which specifies that a CRC is embedded in each audio frame. Both SVCD and DVD formats specify that CRC-Protection should be enabled. Mute Check this box to enable the mute state the decoder should use when the audio samples are zero. This is only a flag for the decoder, it does not affect encoding at all.

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Table 7-24 MPEG Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description AC3 Settings and Descriptions Dynamic Compression Compression profile presets that can be specified depending on the nature of the program material being encoded. • none: Completely shut off the compression on playback • film-standard: For most movies • film-light: Less compression, more dynamic range • music-standard: For most music-only input • music-light: For music material, less compression • speech: For most dialog-only input Bit Stream Mode Indicates the type of audio service that the bit stream conveys. • complete-main: The normal mode of operation and contains a complete audio program including dialog, music, and effects. • music-and-effect: The music-and-effect mode contains the music and effects for an audio program but not the dialog. • visually-impaired: The visually-impaired mode contains a narrative description of the visual program content. • hearing-impaired: The hearing-impaired mode contains only dialog and is intended for use by those whose hearing impairments make it difficult to understand the dialog in the presence of music and sound effects. The dialog can be processed for increased intelligibility by the hearing impaired. • dialog: The dialog mode is employed to most efficiently offer multichannel audio in several languages simultaneously when the program material is such that the restrictions of a single dialog channel can be tolerated. • commentary: The commentary mode conveys primary program dialog. • emergency: The emergency mode is intended to allow the insertion of emergency announcements. The normal audio services do not necessarily have to be replaced to present the emergency message. • voice-over-karaoke: The voice-over-karaoke mode is intended for reproduction along with the complete-main mode. Dialog Normalization The Dialog Normalization parameter allows the Dolby decoder to keep speech levels at a nearly consistent level between different sources. It is important to set this level correctly when you encode. For instance, if the speech in the material averages -17 dBa, then the Dialog Normalization number would be -17. Values are -1 to -31.

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Table 7-24 MPEG Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Lowpass Filter The Channel Bandwidth Lowpass Filter is used to roll off the high frequency content in the input signal at a frequency just below that specified by the Dolby Digital audio bandwidth boundary. Using this filter ensures that the audio signal is completely contained within the Dolby Digital audio bandwidth. By providing a smooth transition at the upper bandwidth edge, this filter helps to minimize artifacts that may arise if the input signal contains significant high-frequency energy. In general, this filter should be enabled unless the encoding engineer is confident that the input signal does not contain appreciable high-frequency energy above the Dolby Digital audio bandwidth. DC Filter The DC Highpass Filter is used to block DC from being Dolby Digital encoded. This is important, as a DC offset requires some amount of data rate to encode even though it is not audible, thereby wasting bits. Another benefit of using this filter is that the meter values do not get stuck at the DC offset level during very quiet passages (DC offset can easily be greater than -60 dBFS). The DC Highpass Filter should always be enabled unless the encoding engineer is absolutely sure that there is no DC in the input audio. De-Emphasis The Digital De-emphasis filter is used to de-emphasize any 50/15 µs pre-emphasized linear PCM signals that may be presented to the inputs of the Dolby Digital encoder. Pre-emphasis is a technique that was once commonly used to reduce the harshness of A/D and D/A converters. Pre-Emphasis Filter A pre-emphasis filter is used in the overload protection algorithm to prevent RF overmodulation in set-top box decoders. Dolby Surround Dolby Surround Mode indicates whether or not a two-channel Dolby Digital bitstream is conveying a Dolby Surround encoded program. This information is not used by the Dolby Digital decoding algorithm, but can be used by other portions of the audio reproduction equipment, such as a Dolby Surround Pro Logic decoder. Production Mixing This information indicates the absolute Sound Pressure Level (SPL) of the Level audio program as heard by the original mixing engineer. This information makes it possible to replay the program at exactly the same loudness, or at a known difference in loudness. This level is used by the decoder during playback. Production Room Type This information indicates the type and calibration of the mixing room used for the final audio mixing session. The Room Type value is not normally used within the Dolby Digital decoder but can be used by other elements in the audio system. • not-indicated • large-room • small-room

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Table 7-24 MPEG Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Extended Bit Stream Indicates if the input material is EX-encoded. Dolby Digital EX is similar Dolby Surround in practice to Dolby's earlier Pro-Logic format, which utilized Matrix Ex-Mode technology to add a center and single rear surround channel to stereo soundtracks. EX adds an extension to the standard 5.1 channel Dolby Digital codec in the form of matrixed rear channels, creating 6.1 or 7.1 channel output. However, the format is not considered a true 6.1 or 7.1 channel codec because it lacks the capability to support a discrete 6th channel unlike the competing DTS-ES codec. Extended Bit Stream Indicates if the input material is High Definition Compatible Digital HDCD (HDCD) encoded. By correcting distortions found in current digital recording technology, HDCD A/D conversion, dynamic digital filtering, dither, and amplitude encoding/decoding provide extended dynamic range, a focused 3-D sound stage, and extremely natural musical timbre. HDCD CD, DVD, or Internet distributed digital recordings offer improved sound quality with any playback system, and when reproduced on HDCD equipped systems, have the potential to provide 20-bit or greater sound quality from all digital audio release formats.

QuickTime Encoder

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the QuickTime Encoder, page 7-50 • Creating a QuickTime Encoder Profile, page 7-53 • Editing a QuickTime Encoder Profile, page 7-54 • Understanding QuickTime Encoder Settings, page 7-55

Introduction to the QuickTime Encoder

The QuickTime encoder can be used to produce files for streaming or for progressive download. Multiple QuickTime profiles can be added to a single Job Profile. QuickTime Profiles are different than other Encoder Profiles in that they must be created or edited using the Cisco MXE 3500 Tools User Interface. See also: Adding an Encoder Profile to a Job Profile, page 7-4.

Installing the Apple QuickTime Encoder

The QuickTime encoder is a separately installed component because of Apple licensing requirements. It is required for transcoding to and from specific formats. You can obtain version 7.6.9 of QuickTime at http://support.apple.com/kb/DL837.

Procedure

Step 1 Download the QuickTime installer. Step 2 Connect to any of the Cisco MXE 3500 shared folders by using the mxe_IP_address or hostname.

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Step 3 Use the folder shared (recommended), as shown in Figure 7-30.

Figure 7-30 Downloading and Saving the QuickTime Installer

Step 4 RDC to the Windows VM. Step 5 Navigate to C:\shared. Step 6 Double-click the installer to begin the installation process (Figure 7-31).

Figure 7-31 Launching the QuickTime Installer

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Step 7 Disable automatic updates. Step 8 Delete the installer when installation is complete. Step 9 Restart the Windows VM.

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Creating a QuickTime Encoder Profile

The QuickTime Encoder Profile Creator/Editor is a Cisco MXE 3500 Tools application.

Procedure

Step 1 To access the QuickTime tool, click Start > All Programs > Cisco > Media Experience Engine > Media Experience Engine Tools. Make sure the QuickTime tab is highlighted (Figure 7-32).

Figure 7-32 QuickTime Creator/Editor

Step 2 Click the Cisco icon in the upper left corner, and click New QT Profile (Figure 7-33).

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Figure 7-33 Creating a New QuickTime Profile

Step 3 Adjust settings as needed. See also: Understanding QuickTime Encoder Settings, page 7-55. Step 4 Click the Cisco icon, and click Save QT Profile As. Step 5 In the Save the Cisco MXE 3500 Profile pop-up, enter a Profile Name, and click Ok.

Note If you are working in the Job Profile section of the Cisco MXE 3500 UI, click the refresh button to view the newly created QuickTime profile in the Encoder section.

Editing a QuickTime Encoder Profile

The QuickTime Encoder Profile Creator/Editor is a Cisco MXE 3500 Tools application.

Note Depending on your Windows theme setting, your Cisco MXE 3500 Tools frame may display in a different color.

Procedure

Step 1 To access the QuickTime tool, click Start > All Programs > Cisco > Media Experience Engine > Media Experience Engine Tools. Make sure the QuickTime tab is highlighted. The following displays: Step 2 Click the Cisco icon in the upper left corner, and click Open QT Profile. Step 3 Adjust settings as needed. Step 4 Click the Cisco icon, and click Save QT Profile.

Note If you are working in the Job Profile section of the Cisco MXE 3500 UI, click the refresh button to load the edited QuickTime profile in the Encoder section.

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Understanding QuickTime Encoder Settings

The QuickTime Encoder Profile allows you to adjust the following settings: • Common (QuickTime Encoder), page 7-55 • Audio/Video (QuickTime Encoder), page 7-56 • Internal (QuickTime Encoder), page 7-58 • Audio Tracks (QuickTime Encoder), page 7-58

Common (QuickTime Encoder)

Figure 7-34 shows Common settings. Table 7-25 describes the settings.

Figure 7-34 QuickTime Encoder: Common Settings

Table 7-25 QuickTime Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Enabled Enables this profile for job processing. Audio Enabled Enables audio output for this task. Video Enabled Enables video output for this task. User Data The data entered in this field will appear anywhere $(user-data) occurs in the XML. An example: If you want to include the title ‘Nightly News’ in the output file name, you would, in the Encoder Profile, set User Data to: Nightly News. Then, in the Output Profile, set the Output Filename to include $(userdata): As an example, in a Windows Media output, the result is a Nightly News.wmv file. Task Mode Sets the execution mode for this task: standard, fast start, immediate Standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. Fast Start: Fast Start reduces the total time required to process a job by starting the encoding process as soon as enough of the image has been preprocessed, rather than waiting for the preprocessing to be completed. You may choose to use this feature when submitting large jobs. Because Fast Start encoding utilizes available computer processing cycles, the Cisco MXE 3500 will use Fast Start encoding only under the following circumstances: • If at most one other clip is currently encoding • If there are no webcasting jobs in progress

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Audio/Video (QuickTime Encoder)

Figure 7-35 shows Audio/Video settings. Table 7-26 describes the settings.

Figure 7-35 QuickTime Encoder: Audio/Video Settings

Table 7-26 QuickTime Encoder: Audio/Video Settings and Descriptions

Settings Descriptions Auto Play Checked: The clip will begin to play automatically once the file is accessed. Unchecked: The end user will be required to click the Play button in the QuickTime Player for the clip to begin. Recordable Checked: Allows streamed output files to be saved to disk. Unchecked: Prevents a copy of the file from being saved. Unchecked is the default state.

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Table 7-26 QuickTime Encoder: Audio/Video Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Settings Descriptions Timecode There are two kinds of QuickTime timecode tracks: regular timecode Enabled/Timecode information that is not displayed and an optional timecode that is displayed Burn-In at the bottom of the active video region in the QuickTime 7 Pro player (Burned–In). The selections for inserting regular and Burned-In timecode information during a QuickTime encode are controlled by the Timecode Enabled and Timecode Burn-In checkboxes. Use the two settings in the following way:

Progressive Download Determines whether files will be encoded for streaming or for progressive download. Progressive download is a method of delivering audio and video. It uses the standard HTTP protocol to create a stream-like experience for the end user by downloading the file to the local drive and playing the file back as it downloads. Progressive download files do not require a streaming server. Checked: The clip will be encoded for progressive download. Unchecked: The clip will be encoded for RTSP streaming. Note: If Progressive Download is checked, no hinting information will be added to the file. If it is unchecked, hinting information will be added that allows for streaming but slightly increases the size of the encoded file. Field Mode Defines whether the video images will be interlaced or progressive. Progressive: Each frame is presented sequentially. Interlaced: Upper/Top Field First: Images are made up of fields that scan alternate lines. Two fields are required to build a frame. Upper or top fields will be first in the sequence. Interlaced: Lower/Bottom Field First: Images are made up of fields that scan alternate lines. Two fields are required to build a frame. Bottom or lower fields will be first in the sequence. Width Specifies the width in pixels of the output file. Values are 80 to 2000 pixels. The value is set automatically if the width has been set using the Settings button.

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Table 7-26 QuickTime Encoder: Audio/Video Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Settings Descriptions Height Specifies the height in pixels of the output file. Values are 60 to 1200 pixels. The value is set automatically if the height has been set using the Settings button. Frame Rate Specifies the frame rate of the encoded output file. The value is set automatically if the frame rate has been set using the Settings button. Video Bit Rate Specifies the video bitrate of the output file. Values are 0 to 250,000. Audio Bit Rate Specifies the audio bitrate of the output file. Values are 0 to 2000. File Extension Specifies the file extension to be used for the encoded output file. Most format selections will prepopulate this box with a default extension value. Master Stream Depending on the clip length and the encoding parameters, up to two white frames may appear at the end of a clip. This happens if the encoded audio stream is longer than video. The Master Stream setting overcomes this limitation. Choices are: None (default), Video, and Audio. When Video is selected, the audio duration will be padded or truncated to match the video and vise-versa.

Internal (QuickTime Encoder)

Figure 7-36 shows Internal settings. Table 7-27 describes the settings.

Figure 7-36 QuickTime Encoder: Internal Settings

Table 7-27 QuickTime Encoder: Internal Settings and Descriptions

Settings Description QuickTime Format QuickTime Movie Format: This selection allows access to any QuickTime plug-in installed on your Cisco MXE 3500 server, generating files with a .mov extension. Other Formats: This selection allows access to any QuickTime export plug-in installed on your Cisco MXE 3500 server, generating files with an extension other than .mov. Internal Codec Specifies QuickTime's internal codec type. Settings Displays the QuickTime dialog(s) for specifying video and audio parameters for the selected format.

Audio Tracks (QuickTime Encoder)

Figure 7-37 shows Audio Tracks.

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Figure 7-37 QuickTime Encoder: Audio Tracks

The Cisco MXE 3500 allows you to define which output channels to include in the final encoded media file. The Audio Tracks drop-down allows you to select the desired output tracks from the preprocessor as input to the encoder. These selected channels then map directly to the encoder. You may select as many tracks as are supported by the encoder. For example, if the encoder supports up to four outputs, you can select up to four of the preprocessor outputs, and they will be mapped to the encoder output in order. The individual encoders allow you to determine if the output of the encoder is stereo (two different channels) or mono, where stereo inputs to the encoder will be averaged, and one output channel will be created from the pair.

Real Encoder

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Real Encoder, page 7-59 • Understanding Real Encoder Settings, page 7-59

Introduction to the Real Encoder

The Real encoder produces output that can be heard and viewed on the Real Player and all other applications that are able to play material encoded for the Real format. See also: Adding an Encoder Profile to a Job Profile, page 7-4.

Understanding Real Encoder Settings

The Real Encoder Profile allows you to adjust the following settings: • Common (Real Encoder), page 7-60 • Network Properties (Real Encoder), page 7-61 • Encoder Properties (Real Encoder), page 7-62 • Streams (Real Encoder), page 7-65

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Common (Real Encoder)

Figure 7-38 shows Common settings. Table 7-28 describes the settings.

Figure 7-38 Real Encoder: Common Settings

Table 7-28 Real Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions

Settings Description Profile Enabled Check the box to enable this profile for job processing. Audio Enabled Enables audio output for this task. Video Enabled Enables video output for this task. Task Mode Sets the execution mode for this task: standard, fast start, immediate Standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. Fast Start: Fast Start reduces the total time required to process a job by starting the encoding process as soon as enough of the image has been preprocessed, rather than waiting for the preprocessing to be completed. You may choose to use this feature when submitting large jobs. Because Fast Start encoding utilizes available computer processing cycles, the Cisco MXE 3500 will use Fast Start encoding only under the following circumstances: • If at most one other clip is currently encoding • If there are no webcasting jobs in progress Immediate: If you enable Immediate Encoding, the Cisco MXE 3500 will not use an intermediate file, but uses a memory-based interface between the preprocessor and the encoders. This is extremely useful for longer input clips and/or formats with high data volumes, such as MPEG or OMF, where the disk space requirements for intermediate files could become prohibitive. Note Even if Immediate Encoding uses more memory resources and allows the encoder to control the rate at which the preprocessor provides data, still it is recommended for Live capture situations based on testing.

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Table 7-28 Real Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Settings Description Audio Tracks The Cisco MXE 3500 allows you to define which output channels to include in the final encoded media file. The Audio Tracks drop-down allows you to select the desired output tracks from the preprocessor as input to the encoder. These selected channels then map directly to the encoder. You may select as many tracks as are supported by the encoder. For example, if the encoder supports up to four outputs, you can select up to four of the preprocessor outputs, and they will be mapped to the encoder output in order. The individual encoders allow you to determine if the output of the encoder is stereo (two different channels) or mono, where stereo inputs to the encoder will be averaged, and one output channel will be created from the pair. User Data The data entered in this field will appear anywhere $(user-data) occurs in the XML. An example: If you want to include the title ‘Nightly News’ in the output file name, you would, in the Encoder Profile, set User Data to: Nightly News. Then, in the Output Profile, set the Output Filename to include $(userdata). As an example, in a Windows Media output, the result is a Nightly News.wmv file.

SureStream Determines whether the encoded output will be encapsulated using SureStream. This allows multiple bit rates to be encoded into the same file, rather than having a different file created for each bit rate selected. Downloadable Determines whether end users will have the ability to download a copy of the file for local playback. By default, this box is not checked, meaning copy protection is enabled. Recordable Determines whether end users will be able to record a copy of the encoded file. By default, this box is not checked, meaning copy protection is enabled. Indexed by This option is no longer supported by the Cisco MXE 3500. search engines

Network Properties (Real Encoder)

Figure 7-39 shows Network Properties. Table 7-29 describes the settings.

Figure 7-39 Real Encoder: Network Properties

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Table 7-29 Real Encoder: Network Properties Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Loss Protection Protect against packet loss by adding error correction packets to the broadcast stream. If packets are lost, then the Helix™ server may be able to reconstruct the lost packets using the error correction packets. Error correction packets are supported only for broadcast streams that use the UDP transport protocol. This setting is ignored for broadcast streams that use the TCP transport protocol. Loss protection increases the bandwidth only to the stream Helix server. It does not affect the bandwidth of the broadcast streams delivered to the player by the Helix server. Loss protection is most useful when sending a broadcast stream over a lossy network such as the Internet. On the same local area network, loss protection may not be needed. Real-Time Events Determines whether to include the real-time events stream in the encoded output. Default is unchecked.

Encoder Properties (Real Encoder)

Figure 7-40 shows Encoder Properties. Table 7-30 describes the settings.

Figure 7-40 Real Encoder: Encoder Properties

Table 7-30 Real Encoder: Encoder Properties Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Width Width of finished output defined in pixels. Default is 320. Height Height of finished output defined in pixels. Default is 240.

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Table 7-30 Real Encoder: Encoder Properties Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Encode Mode • CBR: Constant bit rate (CBR) encoding is the more traditional method of encoding streaming video. It maintains a consistent bit rate for the stream. CBR encoding should be used when streaming at bandwidths below 350 Kbps and when encoding multiple streams into the same clip or broadcast (SureStream). • VBR Bitrate: Unlike CBR encoding, variable bit rate (VBR) encoding does not maintain a constant streaming rate. Instead, it has a target average bit rate and a maximum bit rate. VBR encoding generally provides video quality superior to CBR encoding. It gives more bandwidth to scenes that are hard to compress, making the most visible difference in videos that have fast-moving, high-action scenes. VBR is not compatible with SureStream technology. Therefore, only a single stream can be encoded. VBR encoding is suited for bandwidths of 350 Kbps or higher. • VBR Quality: Specifies that the encoder should maintain a specified quality level within the constraints of the maximum target bit rate. The target bit rate setting is ignored (the target bit rate and quality settings are mutually exclusive). This setting is also not compatible with SureStream technology. • VBR Unconstrained Bitrate: Specifies that the encoder should maintain a specified quality level with no constraints of the maximum target bit rate. This setting is also not compatible with SureStream technology. Encode Passes With two-pass encoding, which is used only when encoding from a source file, the encoder processes the entire source once to gather information about how best to encode the source file. Then a second pass is made through the source file to encode the streams. Two-pass encoding can substantially increase encode quality, but requires more encoding time. The first pass takes about as long as it would to encode the source file for one target audience. Although two-pass encoding helps for constant bit rate encoding, it provides greater benefit for variable bit rate (VBR) encoding. For one-pass encoding, the source is sequentially analyzed in small sections during encoding, creating a string of VBR sections within the clip. Input Audio Type Music (default) or Voice Max. Keyframe Defines the maximum time allowed between keyframes. If the interval passes Spacing without a keyframe detected, a new keyframe will be created. Values are expressed in number of seconds between keyframes. Added keyframes will be in addition to natural keyframes, and may not be added if natural keyframes occur at sufficient frequency. Values range from 0 to 200 seconds, with 8 as the default value. Keyframes are frames that contain all of the information about the image, without relying on previous or subsequent frames to build the image. Increasing the number of keyframes in the encoded output can increase the quality of the clip. Because keyframes contain more data, increasing the frequency of keyframes can also increase file size. Setting this value to 0 will allow natural keyframes, but will not add any additional.

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Table 7-30 Real Encoder: Encoder Properties Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Complexity This setting determines the balance between encoding time and quality. Low: Results in the fastest encoding time, but reduces the quality. Medium: Results in a balance between encoding time and quality. This is the default. High: Produces the best possible result, but requires the greatest processing and therefore the longest encoding times. Startup Latency Specifies a buffer size in seconds that the encoded output uses before beginning streaming when using live webcasting with RealVideo. Startup latency determines how long after the player begins to receive the stream that it is required to display video. The value ensures that the video requires no more buffering once the stream begins. The startup latency does not include the time it takes to launch the player, find the host Helix Server, send the request, and receive the server's response. The startup latency can be increased for videos that stream at low bit rates and start out with high action sequences. The longer latency creates a larger data buffer for the starting sequence, and generally improves the video's appearance. Long latency time may cause restless viewers to stop the presentation before playback begins. The startup latency does not affect how quickly a downloaded clip begins to play. Increasing the latency value, however, can improve the visual quality in downloaded clips that begin with fast-action sequences. Quality Determines the desired quality level for the VBR Quality mode. Values range from 0 to 100 with a default of 80. Video Quality Video quality mode influences the visual quality of the encoded video. It helps to balance visual clarity against frame rate, and generally has more effect on videos encoded for low bandwidths. It helps to heighten the visual clarity or increase the encoded frame rate. Choose one on the following values: • Smoothest Motion Video: Use for video with high-speed motion to provide smoothest image. • Normal Motion Video: Use when video contains normal motion. • Sharpest Image Video: Use for slow- or low-motion video to provide sharpest image. • Slide Show Video: Use for slide presentation type video.

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Streams (Real Encoder)

Figure 7-41 shows Stream settings. Table 7-31 describes the settings.

Figure 7-41 Real Encoder: Stream Settings

Table 7-31 Real Encoder: Stream Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Target Name Specifies to the client player the bandwidth requirement of the encoded media. Video Codec Specifies which codec will be used. • RealVideo 10: RealVideo 10 is the latest video codec and supersedes all previous codecs such as RealVideo 9 and RealVideo G2. This codec requires an automatic software download for the client player if it is not already installed. So, in some instances, older codecs are still used. • RealVideo 9: RealVideo 9 is an older version of RealVideo. • RealVideo 8: RealVideo 8 is an older version of RealVideo. Target Video Frame Defines the targeted maximum number of frames per second (FPS) for the Rate encoded output. Values are from 4 to 30 FPS. Target Video Bit Rate Sets the transmission rate for video as a portion of the Target value for the encoded output stream. Values are 4.0 to 5000.0 kilobits per second (kbps) Maximum video Sets the maximum transmission rate for video as a portion of the Target value bitrate for the encoded output stream, when the encode mode is VBR Bitrate. Values are 4.0 to 5000.0 kilobits per second (kbps)

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Table 7-31 Real Encoder: Stream Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Audio Codec Specifies which codec will be used. • Real Audio10: Real Audio 10 is the latest audio codec and supersedes all previous codecs. This codec may require an automatic software download for the client player. So, in some instances older codecs are still used. • Real Audio 8: This is an older version of Real Audio. • G2 (Mono): This is an older version of Real Audio 8 and should only be used when client player requirements do not support Real Audio 8. • G2 (Stereo): This is an older version of Real Audio 8 and should only be used when client player requirements do not support Real Audio 8. Audio Settings Defines the bit rate and sample frequency for the encoded output.

Speech-to-Text Encoder

The Speech-to-Text option enables output of a transcript derived from verbal passages in the audio track.

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Speech-to-Text feature license on the standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Resource Manager device.

The purpose of the Cisco MXE 3500 Speech-to-Text module is rapidly to create text transcriptions from speech in the source audio track. These transcriptions may also include timestamps so that the transcriptions can be synchronized to the video. Possible Speech to Text uses: • Automate transcription creation that may then be corrected and edited as part of a captioning or subtitling workflow for Cisco TelePresence meetings, corporate and product training, or corporate briefings. • Create a data index for searching video media keywords or specific subject matter.

Note Currently, only Live Job Submissions are supported with Speech to Text.

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Speech to Text Encoder, page 7-66 • Understanding Speech-to-Text Settings, page 7-67

Introduction to the Speech to Text Encoder

The Cisco MXE 3500 uses technology licensed for Nuance, the Naturally Speaking transcription engine transform audio sources into WAVE files, simple text transcripts, and XML files suitable for the Graphics Overlay function. See also: Graphics Overlay (Preprocessor), page 6-28. During initialization, the Nuance speaker and vocabulary files identified in the Cisco MXE 3500 Job Profile are used to configure the Nuance Naturally Speaking transcription engine.

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After initialization is complete, the Speech to Text worker receives uncompressed audio samples from the Cisco MXE 3500 Preprocessor. These audio samples are encoded into a standard WAVE file. When encoding of all audio samples is complete, the name of the WAVE file is passed to the Nuance engine for transcription. The Nuance Naturally Speaking transcription engine reads the contents of the WAVE file and generates timestamped text based upon speech within the file. This text and the associated timestamps are passed to Speech to Text (STT). The text is then written to simple transcription files or merged with a template to generate a file that can be used later as input to the Cisco MXE 3500 Graphics Overlay function. To create STT output, first create an STT Encoder Profile (if it does not already exist), and add the STT profile to a Job Profile. See also: Creating an Encoder Profile, page 7-2, and Adding an Encoder Profile to a Job Profile, page 7-4.

Understanding Speech-to-Text Settings

The Speech to Text encoder profile allows you to adjust the following settings: • Common (Speech-to-Text Encoder), page 7-67 • Settings (Speech-to-Text Encoder), page 7-68 • Speakers (Speech-to-Text Encoder), page 7-69

Common (Speech-to-Text Encoder)

Figure 7-42 show Common settings. Table 7-32 describes the settings.

Figure 7-42 Speech-to-Text Encoder: Common Settings

Table 7-32 Speech-to-Text Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Enabled Check the box to enable this profile for job processing. Audio Tracks Select an audio track from the source file. This is the audio track that will be transcribed. The encoder can only transcribe one audio track per profile.

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Settings (Speech-to-Text Encoder)

Figure 7-43 shows Settings. Table 7-33 describes the settings.

Figure 7-43 Speech-to-Text Encoder: Settings

Table 7-33 Speech-to-Text Encoder: Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Quality The value of this parameter provides a balance between the speed of the transcription process and the accuracy of the transcript. The higher the Quality, the better the output of the transcription. However, a higher value will also reduce the speed of the transcription. Example: 0 - Fastest Example: 100 – Best Quality Values are 0 to 100. Audio Output Check this box to produce a WAVE output file. Note: A WAVE file is always created by the Nuance Naturally Speaking transcription engine. If the box is unchecked, the WAVE file will be deleted after the transcription is complete. Text Output Check this box to produce a text transcript output file. Overlay Output Check this box to produce a Graphic Overlay output file. Nuance Speaker During initialization, Speech to Text instructs the Nuance Naturally Speaking Profile engine to load a speaker profile. The speaker profile is a Nuance component that configures speech recognition and other details for a specific speaker or speakers. Note The speaker profile name is an integral part of the Nuance system. This is not a file or database created or maintained by the Cisco MXE 3500. As such, the Cisco MXE 3500 does not have direct access to the list of speaker profiles configured in the Nuance system.

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Table 7-33 Speech-to-Text Encoder: Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Nuance During initialization, Speech to Text instructs the Nuance Naturally Speaking Topic/Vocabulary engine to load a topic/vocabulary profile. The vocabulary profile is a Nuance component that provides a list of known vocabulary words and their pronunciation. Note The vocabulary profile name is an integral part of the Nuance system. This is not a file or database created or maintained by the Cisco MXE 3500. As such, the Cisco MXE 3500 does not have direct access to the list of vocabulary profiles configured into the Nuance system. Graphics Template Click the Browse button to display the Locate a graphics template page. The template controls overlay elements such as colors, fonts, and the position of text. Speech to Text (STT) uses the template as a basis for the final Graphics Overlay file. STT starts with the template file and inserts dynamic elements, such as the speaker names and transcribed text. The resulting output is a new file containing the elements in the template combined with the transcription.

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Graphics Overlay feature license on the standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Resource Manager device.

Speakers (Speech-to-Text Encoder)

List the names of up to 12 speakers found in the audio content. Graphics Overly uses these names to identify the speakers during the introduction chapters of the overlay. Figure 7-44 shows Speakers.

Figure 7-44 Speech-to-Text Encoder: Speakers

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This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the WAV Encoder, page 7-70 • Understanding WAV Encoder Settings, page 7-70

Introduction to the WAV Encoder

The WAV encoder creates audio-only Waveform files that can be played back by most audio and media players. See also: Adding an Encoder Profile to a Job Profile, page 7-4.

Note Because WAV files do not store metadata, any metadata entered when a job is submitted will not be included in the output file.

Understanding WAV Encoder Settings

The WAV Encoder Profile allows you to adjust the following settings: • Common (WAV Encoder), page 7-70 • Audio (WAV Encoder), page 7-72

Common (WAV Encoder)

Figure 7-45 shows Common settings. Table 7-34 describes the settings.

Figure 7-45 WAV Encoder: Common Settings

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Table 7-34 WAV Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Profile Enabled Check the box to enable this profile for job processing. Task Mode Sets the execution mode for this task: standard, fast start, immediate Standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. Fast Start: Fast Start reduces the total time required to process a job by starting the encoding process as soon as enough of the image has been preprocessed, rather than waiting for the preprocessing to be completed. You may choose to use this feature when submitting large jobs. Because Fast Start encoding utilizes available computer processing cycles, the Cisco MXE 3500 will use Fast Start encoding only under the following circumstances: • If at most one other clip is currently encoding • If there are no webcasting jobs in progress Immediate: If you enable Immediate Encoding, the Cisco MXE 3500 will not use an intermediate file, but uses a memory-based interface between the preprocessor and the encoders. This is extremely useful for longer input clips and/or formats with high data volumes, such as MPEG or OMF, where the disk space requirements for intermediate files could become prohibitive. Note Even if Immediate Encoding uses more memory resources and allows the encoder to control the rate at which the preprocessor provides data, still it is recommended for Live capture situations based on testing. Audio Tracks The Cisco MXE 3500 allows you to define which output channels to include in the final encoded media file. The Audio Tracks drop-down allows you to select the desired output tracks from the preprocessor as input to the encoder. These selected channels then map directly to the encoder. You may select as many tracks as are supported by the encoder. For example, if the encoder supports up to four outputs, you can select up to four of the preprocessor outputs, and they will be mapped to the encoder output in order. The individual encoders allow you to determine if the output of the encoder is stereo (two different channels) or mono, where stereo inputs to the encoder will be averaged, and one output channel will be created from the pair. User Data The data entered in this field will appear anywhere $(user-data) occurs in the XML. An example: If you want to include the title ‘Nightly News’ in the output file name, you would, in the Encoder Profile, set User Data to: Nightly News. Then, in the Output Profile, set the Output Filename to include $(userdata). As an example, in a Windows Media output, the result is a Nightly News.wmv file.

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Audio (WAV Encoder)

Figure 7-46 shows Audio settings. Table 7-35 describes the settings.

Figure 7-46 WAV Encoder: Audio Settings

Table 7-35 WAV Encoder: Audio Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Sample Rate Indicates the sample rate of the audio compression algorithm used for compression. In kHz, values are 8.000, 11.025, 22.050, 44.100, and 48.000. Channels Determines the number of audio channels in the output audio stream. • Mono: Audio in the output file will be streamed as a single channel. • Stereo: Audio in the output file will be streamed in stereo. Sample Size Determines the number of bits used for each sample. Valid choices are 8 kbps or 16 kbps. Increasing the Sample Size will result in higher quality output and larger file size. Codec Determines which codec will be used for WAV encoding. • PCM: Encodes using Pulse Code Emulation (PCM), an uncompressed digital format. This is the default value. • ULAW: Uses µ-law algorithms to reduce the size of audio files. This method, referred to as companding (for compacting/expanding), allows maximum increments in the most frequently used audio range, with larger increments beyond the range.

Windows Media Encoder

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Windows Media Encoder, page 7-72 • Understanding Windows Media Encoder Settings, page 7-73

Introduction to the Windows Media Encoder

The Windows Media Encoder Profile defines parameters used by Microsoft to determine how clips should be encoded for output to the Windows Media player. See also: Adding an Encoder Profile to a Job Profile, page 7-4.

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Understanding Windows Media Encoder Settings

The Windows Media Encoder Profile allows you to adjust the following settings: • Common (Windows Media Encoder), page 7-73 • Video Stream (Windows Media Encoder), page 7-76 • Audio Stream (Windows Media Encoder), page 7-78 • Streams 1-5 (Windows Media Encoder), page 7-80

Common (Windows Media Encoder)

Figure 7-47 shows Common settings. Table 7-36 describes the settings.

Figure 7-47 Windows Media Encoder: Common Settings

Table 7-36 Windows Media Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions

Settings Description Enabled Check the box to enable this profile for job processing. Audio Enabled Enables audio output for this job. Video Enabled Enables video output for this job.

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Table 7-36 Windows Media Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Settings Description Task Mode Sets the execution mode for this task: standard, fast start, immediate. Standard: The Cisco MXE 3500 generates an intermediate uncompressed AVI file as the output of the preprocessing step. Fast Start: Fast Start reduces the total time required to process a job by starting the encoding process as soon as enough of the image has been preprocessed, rather than waiting for the preprocessing to be completed. You may choose to use this feature when submitting large jobs. Because Fast Start encoding utilizes available computer processing cycles, the Cisco MXE 3500 will use Fast Start encoding only under the following circumstances: • If at most one other clip is currently encoding • If there are no webcasting jobs in progress Immediate: If you enable Immediate Encoding, the Cisco MXE 3500 will not use an intermediate file, but uses a memory-based interface between the preprocessor and the encoders. This is extremely useful for longer input clips and/or formats with high data volumes, such as MPEG or OMF, where the disk space requirements for intermediate files could become prohibitive. Note Even if Immediate Encoding uses more memory resources and allows the encoder to control the rate at which the preprocessor provides data, still it is recommended for Live capture situations based on testing.. Audio Tracks The Cisco MXE 3500 allows you to define which output channels to include in the final encoded media file. The Audio Tracks drop-down allows you to select the desired output tracks from the preprocessor as input to the encoder. These selected channels then map directly to the encoder. You may select as many tracks as are supported by the encoder. For example, if the encoder supports up to four outputs, you can select up to four of the preprocessor outputs, and they will be mapped to the encoder output in order. The individual encoders allow you to determine if the output of the encoder is stereo (two different channels) or mono, where stereo inputs to the encoder will be averaged, and one output channel will be created from the pair.

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Table 7-36 Windows Media Encoder: Common Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Settings Description User Data The data entered in this field will appear anywhere $(user-data) occurs in the XML. An example: If you want to include the title ‘Nightly News’ in the output file name, you would, in the Encoder Profile, set User Data to: Nightly News. Then, in the Output Profile, set the Output Filename to include $(userdata). As an example, in a Windows Media output, the result is a Nightly News.wmv file.

Timecode Choose this option to insert timecodes from the source file into the output file. Encapsulated Check this box to specify that output files will be encapsulated as a single file. Note When Encapsulated is not checked, only a single output target may be defined in the job profile. To encode multiple, un-encapsulated files, add multiple Windows Media encoder tabs to the job profile. Seekable Check this box to allow end users to use the player’s controls to view the clip from any point. If unchecked, the clip must be viewed from the beginning. Script Stream Check this box to enable event script stream in the encoded output. Bit Rate Specifies the size of the event script in kilobytes per second (kbps). Packet Size Enabled Check this box to specify a maximum TCP/IP packet size for transmission of the encoded media, or to accept the default size. Note If a large packet size is specified, the success of the transmission depends on all hardware and network components in the transmission chain being able to handle the larger packet size. Maximum Packet Size Specifies the maximum packet size in bytes. Allowed Dropped Frames In the event that frames are not being passed to the Windows Media encoder core due to an inadequate number of cycles, check this box to allow the job to continue even though the output is incomplete.

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Video Stream (Windows Media Encoder)

Figure 7-48 shows Video Stream settings. Table 7-37 describes the settings.

Figure 7-48 Windows Media Encoder: Video Stream Settings

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Table 7-37 Windows Media Encoder: Video Streaming Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Video Codec Specifies the codec to be used for encoding video. Codec options are as follows: Windows Media Video V9: This codec may require an automatic software download for the client player, so in some instances older codecs are still used. Windows Media Video V8: Windows Media Video 8 is an older version of this codec and is used when the available player is incompatible with the latest version. Windows Media Video V7: Windows Media Video 7 is an older version of this codec and is used when the available player is incompatible with the latest version. ISO MPEG-4 Video V1: This is the ISO compliant MPEG-4 codec. MPEG4V3: MPEG4V3 was the first Windows Media codec and encodes only to .asf files. Windows Media Screen V7: This is an older version of the codec used for screen capture recordings and other types of non-standard video. Windows Media Screen V9: This codec is used for screen capture recordings and other types of non-standard video. Advanced Profile: The VC1 codec supports this profile. Video Encode Mode Determines whether the output will be streamed at a variable bit rate (VBR) or a constant bit rate (CBR). • VBR: Variable bit rate encoding allows the codec to vary the bit rate of each frame as required by the complexity of the image. High-action scenes, where each frame changes frequently, will use higher bit rates. Lower bit rates will be used for static scenes. • CBR: Constant bit rate encoding keeps the same bit rate per frame regardless of the complexity of the video image. Encode Passes This option is only available with CBR. It determines how many encoding passes are made. • 1: Single pass encoding results in faster encoding. • 2: Two pass encoding results in better quality compression.

Note Only single pass encoding can be used for live webcasting. Two pass encoding requires the Windows Media Video 9 codec.

VBR Mode Determines the VBR encoding mode, requiring additional parameters to be set. Quality: Specifies that the encoder should vary the bit rate to maintain a specified quality level. Constrained: Specifies that the encoder should vary the bit rate, but not to exceed a specified maximum bit rate and peak buffer size. Unconstrained: Specifies that the encoder should vary the bit rate with no limits.

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Table 7-37 Windows Media Encoder: Video Streaming Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description VBR Quality Determines the desired quality level for Quality VBR mode. Values range from 0 (low quality) to 100 (high quality). Max VBR Bit Rate Determines the maximum bit rate value allowed for variable bit rate video encoding. Enter a value between 10 kilo bits per second to 5 million bits per second. Max VBR bit rate is only available for VBR encoding in Constrained mode. Peak Buffer Size Determines the maximum allowed buffer size in seconds for variable bit rate video encoding. Enter a value between 1 and 100 seconds. Peak Buffer Size is only available for VBR encoding in Constrained mode. Aspect Ratio Enable pixel aspect ration, which is the width of the pixel with respect to its Enabled height. A square pixel has a ratio of 1:1, but a nonsquare (rectangular) pixel does not have the same height and width. Aspect Ratio Type 4:3, 16:9, custom Custom Aspect Enabled if Type: custom is selected. X-Ratio Custom Aspect Enabled if Type: custom is selected. Y-Ratio

Audio Stream (Windows Media Encoder)

Figure 7-49 shows Audio Stream settings. Table 7-38 describes the settings.

Figure 7-49 Windows Media Encoder: Audio Stream Settings

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Table 7-38 Windows Media Encoder: Audio Stream Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Audio Codec Sets which audio codec will be used. • Windows Media Audio V9: This is the most recent codec and is used for both voice and music. This codec may require an automatic software download for the client player, so in some instances older codecs are still used. • Windows Media Audio V9 Voice: This codec is optimized specifically for voice. • Windows Media Audio V9 Lossless: This codec is optimized for lossless compression. • ACELP.net: This is an older codec for very low bandwidth voice-only audio. Audio Encode Determines whether the output will be streamed at a variable bit rate (VBR) or Mode a constant bit rate (CBR). • VBR: Variable bit rate encoding allows the codec to vary the bit rate of each frame as required by the complexity of the image. High-action scenes, where each frame changes frequently, will use higher bit rates. Lower bit rates will be used for static scenes. • CBR: Constant bit rate encoding keeps the same bit rate per frame regardless of the complexity of the video image. Audio VBR Mode Sets the VBR encoding mode, requiring additional parameters to be set. • Quality: Specifies that the encoder should vary the bit rate to maintain a specified quality level. • Constrained: Specifies that the encoder should vary the bit rate, but not to exceed a specified maximum bit rate and peak buffer size. • Unconstrained: Specifies that the encoder should vary the bit rate with no limits. Max VBR Bit Rate Sets the maximum bit rate value allowed for variable bit rate video encoding. Enter a value between 10 kilo bits per second to 5 million bits per second. Max VBR bit rate is only available for VBR encoding in Constrained mode. Peak Buffer Size Sets the maximum allowed buffer size in seconds for variable bit rate video encoding. Enter a value between 1 and 100 seconds. Peak Buffer Size is only available for VBR encoding in Constrained mode. DRM Mode The Digital Rights Management (DRM) mode used to encode the output. Values are: none, version 1, or version 7 Select Seed File The name of the file where the DRM information that was used to encode, and will be used to decode, the output will be stored.

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Streams 1-5 (Windows Media Encoder)

Figure 7-50 shows Stream settings. Table 7-39 describes the settings.

Figure 7-50 Windows Media Encoder: Stream Settings

Table 7-39 Windows Media Encoder: Stream Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Enabled Check the box to activate the stream. Note You must check the Encapsulated box in the Common section to enable configuration of multiple streams. Video Target Name Specifies to the client player the bandwidth requirement of the encoded media. Select a name based on the end user's Internet connection. For instance, choose xDSL.512\Cable Modem to create output optimized for end users who connect to the Internet using the fastest form of DSL modems, those capable of sustained download exceeding 512 kbps. This is a required field. Encoder Complexity Sets the trade-off between the quality of the encoded content and the time that is required to encode the video. Values for this parameter are auto, 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4. 0 is the least complex and 4 is the most complex. Width Specifies the width in pixels of the output file. Values are 80 to 2000 pixels. This is a required field. Height Specifies the height in pixels of the output file created. Values are 60 to 2000 pixels. This is a required field. Target Frame Rate Defines the targeted maximum number of frames per second (FPS) for the encode. Values are .1 to 60 FPS. The default value depends on the Target Name selected. Note The number of frames per second in the output file cannot exceed the number of frames per second in the source video.

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Table 7-39 Windows Media Encoder: Stream Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Target Video Bit Rate Sets the transmission rate for video as a portion of the Target value for the encoded output stream. Values are 10 kbps to 20 million bits per second. The default depends on the target selected. This is a required field. Note The Target Bit Rate entered in the Video section and the Audio section combined should not exceed the appropriate total bit rate for the selected target. It is possible to exceed the target specified, but poor stream output quality will result. Video Quality Adjusts bias by controlling the relationship between the number of frames and the sharpness of the image. Slide the bar to the left (decrease) for more frames and less spatial image quality, or slide the bar to the right (increase) for fewer frames and higher image quality. Values are 0 to 100. Max Keyframe Defines the maximum number of seconds allowed between keyframes. If the Spacing interval passes without a keyframe detected, a new keyframe will be created. Values range from 0 to 200 seconds. Note Setting this value to 0 will allow natural keyframes, but will not add any additional. Compression Buffer Specifies the amount of time the encoder uses to achieve an average bit rate. Size A larger buffer may increase quality but will result in increased latency. Audio Channels Determines the number of audio channels in the output audio stream. • mono: Audio in the output file will be streamed as a single channel. Stereo sources will be mixed to a single output channel. • stereo: Audio in the output file will be streamed in stereo. Target Settings Determines the selection of bit rate and sample rate that will be used for audio encoding. The available set of selections depends on the audio codec selected.

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CHAPTER 11

Job Submission

This section includes the following topics: • Submitting a Job, page 11-1 • File Job, page 11-2 • Live Job, page 11-12

Submitting a Job

Note Use the Folder Attendant to automatically submit jobs.

The following sections go into more detail about each job type: • File Job, page 11-2 • Live Job, page 11-12 To submit individual jobs: 1. Choose your source. From the Toolbox, expand Submission, and click File or Live. 2. Complete the Job Submission page.

Note The majority of the job's settings are defined in the Job Profile that is attached to the submission. To create profiles, see Job Profiles, page 5-1

3. Click the Submit button. The Submit button combines all of the information on the Job Submission page with the information in the Job Profile and submits the job to be encoded.

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To choose a file as your source: • From the Toolbox, click Submission > File This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the File Job, page 11-2 • Understanding File Job Settings, page 11-3 • Submitting a File Job, page 11-11

Introduction to the File Job

A File Job, shown in Figure 11-1, allows you to ingest video and/or audio files for encoding. See also: Input (File Job), page 11-5. The source files may exist on your PC, on network drives, or on a SAN. However, if the file resides in a location not directly accessible to the Cisco MXE 3500, the file must first be copied to the appropriate server.

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Figure 11-1 File Job Submission Page

Understanding File Job Settings

Adjust File Job settings in the following sections of the File Submission Page: • File Information (File Job), page 11-4 • Profile (File Job), page 11-5 • Input (File Job), page 11-5 • Timed Submission (File Job), page 11-7 • Custom Metadata (File Job), page 11-8 • Advanced (File Job), page 11-8 • Forensic Watermarking Metadata (File Job), page 11-9 • Graphics Overlay (File Job), page 11-9 • Custom Settings (File Job), page 11-10

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File Information (File Job)

Figure 11-2 shows the File Information section.

Figure 11-2 File Information Section

(* Indicates required input) Table 11-1 describes the settings.

Table 11-1 File Information Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Author Enter the name of the clip's author. Copyright Enter the clip's copyright information. Description Enter a description of the clip. Keywords Enter descriptive search words relating to the clip content. Keywords are stored in the database and can be used to create custom reports. Priority Sets the priority for the job being submitted. Choices are 1-100, with 1 being the highest priority. Rating Select a rating to be embedded in the output file. The rating indicates the appropriate audience for the media that will be viewed. Start Enter the timecode that will appear on the first encoded frame. You can match the Timecode source file timecode or start the timecode at 00:00. Indicate drop-frame (semi-colon separated, hh;mm;ss;ff) or non-drop frame (colon separated, hh:mm:ss:ff). Note This timecode entry does not affect the start or stop time of the encoding, nor does it trim the input source in any way. Title Enter a title for the clip being encoded. If you do not specify a title, the source file name (without extension) will be used. Note You have the option to specify a title or not. The title is frequently used in the output filenaming ($(basename)_$(profile).$(extension)). The $(basename) is set to the if the is not specified, which it is not for file-based jobs. This prevents the extension from appearing in the middle of the output file name.

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Profile (File Job)

Figure 11-3 shows the Profile section. A job profile defines the output parameters. For example, FLV240X120 will produce a Flash 8 encoded video at 240X120 pixels with 4:3 aspect ratio for a low speed network.

Figure 11-3 Profile Section

Select one or more Job Profiles. See also: Job Profiles, page 5-1. Alternately, use the Profile Browser to select a Job Profile. See also: Using the Profile Browser to Select a Job Profile, page 5-8.

Input (File Job)

Figure 11-4 shows the Input section, used to define the input video source.

Figure 11-4 File Job: Input Section

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Table 11-2 describes the settings.

Table 11-2 File Job: Input Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Media Source Click Browse, select files, and click the Add File(s) button to move files from your media directory to the Media Source box. Click Clear to remove all files from the box, or click Remove to delete a single file. File types that you may select files are defined in the Valid Input Extensions field on the System Administration page. Examples of encoded file formats that can be selected are: • .avi: Audio Video Interleaved file • .mov: QuickTime file • .mpg: MPEG file format • .mp4: MPEG 4 • .wmv: Windows Media Video • .qt: QuickTime file • .wav: Audio-only WAV files • .mod: MOD files • .tod: TOD files • .mts: MTS files • .arf WebEx files • .flv Flash 9 and 10 files In-Point Marks the point in time, relative to the beginning of the clip, to start encoding. In points and out points are used when only a section of a larger file will be encoded. Indicate drop-frames (semi-colon separated, hh;mm;ss;ff) or milliseconds (colon separated, hh:mm:ss:mmm). Out-Point Marks the point out time, relative to the beginning of the clip, to stop encoding. Indicate drop-frames (semi-colon separated, hh;mm;ss;ff) or milliseconds (colon separated, hh:mm:ss:mmm). Note In points and out points for file jobs should not be confused with video timecode. They are measured strictly in time elapsed from the start of the clip. These fields allow frame accurate capture by measuring to the millisecond, though they are not expressed in timecode format.

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Table 11-2 File Job: Input Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Enable Drop • Checked: The Cisco MXE 3500 will drop frame 0 and frame 1 every full minute, Frame except for minutes divisible by 10, resulting in time accurate output that has a Timecode discontinuous timecode. • Unchecked: The Cisco MXE 3500 will record 30 frames for each second of video, instead of the 29.97 actual frame count. This will result in timecode accurate output that will drift in actual time from the source video. Thumbnail Enter a time (00:00:00.00) at which the Cisco MXE 3500 will capture a single Time thumbnail image. Use this feature only when checking Generate Single Thumbnail on the Thumbnail Profile page, Frame Selection section. See also: Frame Selection (Thumbnail Profile), page 10-6.

Timed Submission (File Job)

Figure 11-5 shows the Timed Submission section. Timed submissions are files held for processing until a specified date and time.

Figure 11-5 File Job: Timed Submission Section

Table 11-3 describes the settings.

Table 11-3 File Job: Timed Submission Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Enable Check this box to submit the job as a timed job. Timed jobs are stored in the database Timed and are only actively submitted when the start criteria defined below is met. Timed Submission jobs can be viewed in the Timed Job Status page. This section is optional and should only be used for jobs that are scheduled for some point in the future, rather than for immediate processing. See also: Timed Job Status, page 14-15. Start Date Identifies the date that a timed event should start. Click the calendar icon to select a date. Start Time Sets the time to start the job submission. Times should be recorded on a twenty-four hour clock with two digits identifying the hour, two digits for minutes, and two digits for hours, following an hh:mm:ss format.

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Table 11-3 File Job: Timed Submission Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Repeat Every Sets the interval for repeating a timed event. • custom: Displays the Repeat Interval field in which you define exact job repeat interval. This is the default value. • once: The timed event will not be repeated. It will happen only once at the date and time indicated. • half-hour: The event will start at the date and time specified and repeat every half hour until it is deleted from the Job Status page. • hour: The event will start at the date and time specified and repeat every hour until it is deleted from the Job Status page. • day: The event will start at the date and time specified and repeat every day at the same time until it is deleted from the Job Status page. • week: The event will start at the date and time specified and repeat every week on the same day at the same time until it is deleted from the Job Status page. Note Daylight Savings Time (DST) affects periodic timed jobs. When you specify that a timed job will be submitted beginning MM/DD/YYY 14:00:00 and repeat every day, a job will be submitted at 2 PM EST every day. However, since the job is periodic (i.e. repeat every 24 hours), the actual time of job submission will shift by 1 hour (earlier or later) depending on the DST adjustment. Repeat When the Repeat Every drop-down is set to custom, the Repeat Interval field is used Interval to define the custom repeat interval. Time intervals are defined in dd:hh:mm:ss format.

Custom Metadata (File Job)

This section, shown in Figure 11-6, contains a grid that displays all custom user metadata fields that have been defined for the system. If needed, enter a value for the appropriate metadata type (type entry is enforced). Any metadata values that are entered are included in the job XML upon submission.

Figure 11-6 File Job: Custom Metadata Section

Advanced (File Job)

Figure 11-7 shows the Advanced section.

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Figure 11-7 File Job: Advanced Section

Table 11-4 describes the settings.

Table 11-4 File Job: Advanced Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Speech to Enter text that describes the content of the video to which the burn-in is applied. When Text Topic the Speech To Text overlays are applied, this text is shown on an introduction slate at the beginning of the video. Note This value is used only if the introduction slate is enabled in the XML template used to generate the overlay.

See also: Graphics Overlay (File Job), page 11-9.

Forensic Watermarking Metadata (File Job)

Forensic Watermarking is not available on the Cisco MXE 3500.

Graphics Overlay (File Job)

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Graphics Overlay feature license on the standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Resource Manager device. See the Deployment and Administration Guide for Cisco MXE 3500 for more information.

Navigate to and select the Graphic Overlay script and template file(s). Figure 11-8 shows the Graphics Overlay section.

Figure 11-8 File Job: Graphics Overlay Section

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Custom Settings (File Job)

Custom settings, shown in Figure 11-9, allow you to override system settings with custom values that apply only to the current job submission.

Figure 11-9 File Job: Custom Settings Section

Table 11-5 describes the settings.

Table 11-5 File Job: Custom Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Input Changes input directories (where bumpers and trailers are stored, etc.) for the current job. Output Changes output directories (where to direct output for various media types) for the current job. For example, by overriding the output directory of WMV, you can direct WMV output to a custom location for that job submission only (without changing the global system settings).

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Table 11-5 File Job: Custom Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Status Monitor Display Window: This setting only applies in Console mode. If set to on, Settings some workers (like preprocessor and encoders) will display a monitor window which displays the video being processed. Note This option uses system resources (example: cpu cycles, memory) and will slow down overall job processing. It should be used only for debugging purposes or viewing encoded output. Audio Drift Compensation: From the drop-down, select on to enable audio and video Capture synchronization for this job only. This is only necessary when capturing clips longer than 5 minutes that use an analog audio capture card. It is not necessary when using digital audio input (embedded SDI, AES/EBU, or DV). Note When capturing long analog audio clips, the Cisco MXE 3500 will insert or remove frames to maintain audio sync over a long time period. The effect of this compensation is not easily visible in typical streaming media output (320x240 @15fps, or anything smaller in size or frame rate). However, a user may see a 'skipping' effect on D1 clips, for example, when encoding long clips into MPEG-2 format. The only work-around is to switch to digital audio input.

Submitting a File Job

The Submit button, shown in Figure 11-10, combines all of the information in the Job Submission page with the information in the Job Profile and submits the job to be encoded.

Figure 11-10 File Job: Submit Button

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The MXE 3500 live option supports transcoding live IPTV feeds encoded in MPEG2TS.

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Live Streaming feature license on the standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Resource Manager device. See the Deployment and Administration Guide for Cisco MXE 3500 for more information.

To choose a live feed as your source: • From the Toolbox, click Submission > Live See also: Webcast Profile, page 8-20. This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to the Live Job, page 11-12 • Understanding Live Job Settings, page 11-13 • Submitting a Live Job, page 11-21 • Start and Stop the Capture, page 11-22

Introduction to the Live Job

Use the Live Job Submission page, shown in Figure 11-11, to capture and encode live video and audio. You may submit jobs having MPEG-2 TS (transport stream) over Ethernet.

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Figure 11-11 Live Job Submission Page

Understanding Live Job Settings

Adjust Live Job settings in the following sections of the Live Submission page: • File Information (Live Job), page 11-14 • Profile (Live Job), page 11-14 • Input (Live Job), page 11-15 • Start Trigger (Live Job), page 11-16 • Stop Trigger (Live Job), page 11-16 • Timed Submission (Live Job), page 11-17 • Custom Metadata (Live Job), page 11-19 • Custom Settings (Live Job), page 11-20

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File Information (Live Job)

Figure 11-12 shows the File Information section.

Figure 11-12 Live Job: File Information Section

Table 11-6 describes the settings.

Table 11-6 Live Job: File Information Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Author Enter the name of the clip's author. Copyright Enter the clip's copyright information. Description Enter a description of the clip. Keywords Enter descriptive search words relating to the clip content. Keywords are stored in the database and can be used to create custom reports. Priority Sets the priority for the job being submitted. Choices are 1-100, with 1 being the highest priority. Rating Select a rating to be embedded in the output file. The rating indicates the appropriate audience for the media that will be viewed. Title Enter a title for the clip being encoded. If you do not specify a title, the source file name (without extension) will be used. Note You have the option to specify a title or not. The title is frequently used in the output filenaming ($(basename)_$(profile).$(extension)). The $(basename) is set to the if the is not specified, which it is not for file-based jobs. This prevents the extension from appearing in the middle of the output file name.

Profile (Live Job)

Figure 11-13 shows the Profile section. A job profile defines the output parameters. For example, FLV240X120 will produce a Flash 8 encoded video at 240X120 pixels with 4:3 aspect ratio for a low speed network.

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Figure 11-13 Live Job: Profile Section

Select one or more Job Profiles. See also: Job Profiles, page 5-1. Alternately, use the Profile Browser to select a Job Profile. See also: Using the Profile Browser to Select a Job Profile, page 5-8.

Input (Live Job)

Figure 11-14 shows the Input section.

Figure 11-14 Live Job: Input Section

Table 11-7 describes the settings.

Table 11-7 Live Job: Input Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Output Base Enter text that will be used to build the name of the encoded output file. If no Output Name Base Name is specified, your output file will be named “default.” Enable Drop • Checked: The Cisco MXE 3500 will drop frame 0 and frame 1 every full minute, Frame except for minutes divisible by 10, resulting in time accurate output that has a Timecode discontinuous timecode. • Unchecked: The Cisco MXE 3500 will record 30 frames for each second of video, instead of the 29.97 actual frame count. This will result in timecode accurate output that will drift in actual time from the source video. Thumbnail Enter a time (00:00:00.00) at which the Cisco MXE 3500 will capture a single Time thumbnail image. Use this feature only when checking Generate Single Thumbnail on the Thumbnail Profile page, Frame Selection section. See also: Frame Selection (Thumbnail Profile), page 10-6.

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Table 11-7 Live Job: Input Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Video Format Cisco MXE 3500 supports only IP Capture of MPEG2-TS. IP Capture Select an IP Capture Source from those you created in Administration > IP Capture. Source See also: Administration > IP Capture (Live Streaming), page 13-39.

Start Trigger (Live Job)

Figure 11-15 shows the Start Trigger section.

Figure 11-15 Live Job: Start Trigger Section

Table 11-8 describes the settings.

Table 11-8 Live Job: Start Trigger Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Trigger Type Options Time Date, Time DTMF Tone, Comm Port, Baud Rate Now None IP Port Timecode Time

Note If setting recurring Timed Submissions, you need to set Start Trigger Type to Now and Stop Trigger Type to Duration. If you specify a date/time for Start and Stop Trigger and then set the job to reoccur, the second occurrence will fail because the Start Trigger Time is in the past. See also: Timed Submission (File Job), page 11-7.

Stop Trigger (Live Job)

Figure 11-16 shows the Stop Trigger section.

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Figure 11-16 Live Job: Stop Trigger Section

Table 11-9 describes the settings.

Table 11-9 Stop Trigger Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Trigger Type Options Time Date, Time DTMF Tone, Comm Port, Baud Rate Now None IP Port Timecode Time

Note If setting recurring Timed Submissions, you need to set Start Trigger Type to Now and Stop Trigger Type to Duration. If you specify a date/time for Start and Stop Trigger and then set the job to reoccur, the second occurrence will fail because the Start Trigger Time is in the past. See also: Timed Submission (File Job), page 11-7.

Timed Submission (Live Job)

Figure 11-17 shows the Timed Submission section.

Figure 11-17 Live Job: Timed Submission Section

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Table 11-10 describes the settings.

Table 11-10 Live Job: Timed Submission Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Enable Check this box to submit the job as a timed job. Timed jobs are stored in the database Timed and are actively submitted only when the start criteria defined below is met. Timed Submission jobs can be viewed in the Timed Job Status page. This section is optional and should only be used for jobs that are scheduled for some point in the future, rather than for immediate processing. See also: Timed Job Status, page 14-15. Start Date Identifies the date that a timed event should start. Click the calendar icon to select a date. Start Time Sets the time to start the job submission. Times should be recorded on a twenty-four hour clock with two digits identifying the hour, two digits for minutes, and two digits for hours, following an hh:mm:ss format. Repeat Every Sets the interval for repeating a timed event. • custom: Displays the Repeat Interval field in which you define exact job repeat interval. This is the default value. • once: The timed event will not be repeated. It will happen only once at the date and time indicated. • half-hour: The event will start at the date and time specified and repeat every half hour until it is deleted from the Job Status page. • hour: The event will start at the date and time specified and repeat every hour until it is deleted from the Job Status page. • day: The event will start at the date and time specified and repeat every day at the same time until it is deleted from the Job Status page. • week: The event will start at the date and time specified and repeat every week on the same day at the same time until it is deleted from the Job Status page. Note Daylight Savings Time (DST) affects periodic timed jobs. When you specify that a timed job will be submitted beginning MM/DD/YYY 14:00:00 and repeat every day, a job will be submitted at 2 PM EST every day. However, since the job is periodic (i.e. repeat every 24 hours), the actual time of job submission will shift by 1 hour (earlier or later) depending on the DST adjustment. Repeat When the Repeat Every drop-down is set to custom, the Repeat Interval field is used Interval to define the custom repeat interval. Time intervals are defined in dd:hh:mm:ss format.

Note If setting recurring Timed Submissions, you need to set Start Trigger Type to Now and Stop Trigger Type to Duration. If you specify a date/time for Start and Stop Trigger and then set the job to reoccur, the second occurrence will fail because the Start Trigger Time is in the past.

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Custom Metadata (Live Job)

This section, shown in Figure 11-18, contains a grid that displays all custom user metadata fields that have been defined for the system. If needed, enter a value for the appropriate metadata type (type entry is enforced). Any metadata values that are entered are included in the job XML upon submission.

Figure 11-18 Live Job: Custom Metadata Section

Graphics Overlay (Live Job)

The graphics overlay option combines the source with the selected overlay, including variables defined in XML such as speaker name, etc.

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Graphics Overlay feature license on the standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Resource Manager device. See the Deployment and Administration Guide for Cisco MXE 3500 for more information.

Figure 11-19 shows the Graphics Overlay section.

Figure 11-19 Graphics Overlay Section

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Custom Settings (Live Job)

Custom settings, shown in Figure 11-20, allow you to override system settings with custom values that apply only to the current job submission.

Figure 11-20 Custom Settings Section

Table 11-11 describes the settings.

Table 11-11 Custom Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Input Changes input directories (where bumpers and trailers are stored, etc.) for the current job. Output Changes output directories (where to direct output for various media types) for the current job. For example, by overriding the output directory of DivX, you can direct DivX output to a custom location for that job submission only (without changing the global system settings).

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Table 11-11 Custom Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Status Monitor Display Window: This setting only applies in Console mode. If set to on, Settings some workers (like preprocessor and encoders) will display a monitor window which displays the video being processed. Note This option does use system resources (example: cpu cycles, memory) and will slow down overall job processing. It may be used for debugging purposes or viewing encoded output. Audio Drift Compensation: From the drop-down, select on to enable audio and video Capture synchronization for this job only. This is only necessary when capturing clips longer than 5 minutes that use an analog audio capture card. It is not necessary when using digital audio input (embedded SDI, AES/EBU, or DV). Note When capturing long analog audio clips, the Cisco MXE 3500 will insert or remove frames to maintain audio sync over a long time period. The effect of this compensation is not easily visible in typical streaming media output (320x240 @15fps, or anything smaller in size or frame rate). However, a user may see a 'skipping' effect on D1 clips, for example, when encoding long clips into MPEG-2 format. The only work-around is to switch to digital audio input.

Submitting a Live Job

The Submit button, shown in Figure 11-21, combines all of the information in the Job Submission page with the information in the Job Profile and submits the job to be encoded. See also: Start and Stop the Capture, page 11-22.

Figure 11-21 Submit Button

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Once a Live Job has been submitted, it will appear in the Job Status window. When the capture station selected for the job becomes available, the job is displayed in green, indicating that the capture station is reserved and the job can be started. If the submitted Live job is configured to use a dynamic trigger (DTMF tone or IP) as a start, the job will run at the submitted start time (immediately for non-timed jobs) and be displayed as running in the status monitor (green). The preprocessor will not start processing frames until the start trigger is received. If a dynamic trigger (DTMF tone or IP) is configured to stop the job, the preprocessor will stop capturing frames when the trigger is received, and the job will end. If the dynamic trigger for start of stop is IP, then the UI Tools-IP Trigger dialog can be used to submit the desired trigger to the worker.

Tip • To verify a Flash 8 Live Job, open a Flash player on a client PC that can support RTMP, and enter a URL that corresponds to the Flash streaming server, such as rtmp://StreamingServerIPaddress/live/FileName. • To verify a WMV Live Job, open the Windows Media Player on a client PC, and enter a URL that corresponds to the publishing point, such as mms: //streaming server/publishing_point. See also: Understanding Webcast Settings, page 8-21.

Automate Job Submission with Folder Attendant

Most Cisco MXE 3500 customers use the Folder Attendant to automatically submit jobs. See also: Folder Attendant Directories and Watches, page 12-1.

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CHAPTER 12

Folder Attendant Directories and Watches

Use the Folder Attendant to automatically submit jobs. This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to Folder Attendant, page 12-1 • Basic Workflow, page 12-2 • Setting Up Directories, page 12-3 • Setting Up Watches, page 12-11

Introduction to Folder Attendant

Set up directories and watches from the Folder Attendant Administration page. To access the Folder Attendant Administration page: • Click View > Folder Attendant or • From the Toolbox, click Folder Attendant Figure 12-1 shows the Folder Attendant Administration Page.

Figure 12-1 Folder Attendant Administration Page

The Folder Attendant Administration page displays the directories and watches that have been set up. It includes the information described in Table 12-1.

Note Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

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Table 12-1 Fields on the Folder Attendant Administration Page

Field Name Description Directory Displays the name of the file system directory or FTP URL currently being monitored. This information is entered when you add a new directory. Profile Displays the job profile of the watch. A watch is a unique combination of the Directory and Profile. This information is entered when you add a new watch. If this field is blank, a watch has not been set up for this directory. Priority Displays the job priority of the watch. The job priority is used to determine which task to schedule for execution when there are multiple pending tasks to schedule. The job priority is entered when you add a new watch. If this field is blank, a watch has not been set up for this directory. State Displays the availability of the monitored directory. Values are: • Online: Directory is currently being monitored. • Offline: Folder Attendant is unable to monitor (get a list of files for) the selected directory. There is most likely an error. • Disabled: Indicates that a user has turned off (paused) the monitoring of the selected directory. # Files Displays the number of files (media or XML) submitted in the monitored directory. If this field is blank, a watch has not been setup for this directory.

You can also filter the directories that are displayed on this page to view only those directories of interest.

Basic Workflow

The first time you use the Folder Attendant, you must set up the system. The setup tasks listed below are performed once: • Establishing watch folders on the appropriate hosts (at time of installation) • Creating Roles, page 13-29 • Creating New Users, page 13-23 • Setting Up Directories, page 12-3 • Setting Up Watches, page 12-11 After initial setup, these tasks are only performed on an as-needed basis and are not part of the typical daily workflow.

Typical Daily Workflow

Note The actual steps you perform may vary slightly depending on your particular needs.

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Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbar, open Folder Attendant. All components of Folder Attendant launch automatically upon startup. Step 2 Verify that the required directories and watches have been defined. Update the directories and watches as needed. Step 3 Open the Job Status Monitor to monitor the jobs currently being processed. As jobs are automatically submitted from the watched directories, they appear on the Job Status Monitor. When jobs are complete, they are reaped (removed) from here based on the Auto Reap interval. See also: Job Status, page 14-1, and Status Settings (System Administration), page 13-18. Step 4 Monitor the status of each job being processed. If any jobs are not complete, double-click the job, and select the Tasks tab to view the status of the tasks for each job being processed. If any jobs fail, select the Errors tab to view a summary of errors that have occurred. Take the necessary actions to correct any jobs that have failed. Make appropriate corrections and resubmit or reschedule the job. Step 5 From the Job Status Monitor, you can view the XML code for the selected job to see more detail on how it is being processed. You can also reschedule, stop, or delete a job, or reset a job's priority. See also: Job Status, page 14-1 Step 6 When jobs are running, open the System Status Monitor to view the tasks being processed on each host. See also: System Status, page 14-17.

Setting Up Directories

One of the key features of Folder Attendant is its ability to monitor directories and automatically initiate job processing when new or updated media/XML files appear. When a new or updated file meeting the criteria specified appears in a directory being monitored, Folder Attendant automatically initiates job processing based on the configured job parameters settings, such as profile and priority. You must first define directories to be watched on the Folder Attendant Administration page. Then multiple watches can be configured per directory. From the Folder Attendant Administration page, you can perform the following directory-related tasks: • Filtering Directories, page 12-4 • Adding Directories, page 12-5 • Editing Directories, page 12-8 • Deleting Directories, page 12-9 • Enabling or Disabling Directories, page 12-10

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If you are watching a large number of directories, you may want to filter the data being displayed so that you can view only the directories of interest. The Filter command allows you to display a subset of all the directories. You can filter directories by any of the following parameters (or any combination of these parameters): • Path name • State • Job Profile • Filed Submitted • Priority

Note Even if directories are filtered from the Folder Attendant Administration page, they are still being watched and processed as usual. This function only limits the number of directories displayed on the page.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Folder Attendant. All directories that have been defined are displayed. Figure 12-2 shows All Directories (No Filters Applied).

Figure 12-2 All Directories (No Filters Applied)

Step 2 Select the filter button from the menu bar. Figure 12-3 shows Folder Attendant Filter Settings Pop-Up.

Figure 12-3 Folder Attendant Filter Settings Pop-Up

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Step 3 Complete one or more fields on the page to specify how to filter the directory display.

Table 12-2 Directory Filter Fields

Field Name Description Path Enter the complete directory path name or FTP URL of the directory to be displayed. The system will not match a partial path name or one that contains wildcards (*). State Select the state of the directories to be displayed from the drop-down box. Choices are: • Online • Offline • Disabled Job Profile Select the job profile to be displayed. All profiles that have been defined are displayed in the drop-down box. Files Enter the number of files submitted. If your directory matches that number, the Submitted directory will be displayed. Priority Enter a numerical priority (between 1 and 100). If the priority for the selected watch (1-100) matches this priority, the directory will be displayed.

Adding Directories

See also: Monitoring FTP Directories, page 12-7. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Folder Attendant. Step 2 From the Directory drop-down menu, select Add. Figure 12-4 shows Adding Directories. The Directory fields display on the Folder Attendant Administration page. Figure 12-5 shows Directory Fields.

Figure 12-4 Adding Directories

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Figure 12-5 Directory Fields

Step 3 Enter the appropriate information in each of the fields as described in Table 12-3.

Table 12-3 Directory Fields

Field Name Description Directory Path Enter the fully-qualified path name of the directory (use either a UNC or local path or the URL of an FTP folder to be monitored). Include Subdirectories Check this box to configure a watch of the main directory and all of its subdirectories. Refresh (seconds) Enter (in seconds) how frequently you want Folder Attendant to check for new files. Number of Retries Enter the number of times Folder Attendant will attempt to resubmit the job if it is unsuccessful. Note Folder Attendant will not attempt to resubmit failed jobs. (See also: Monitoring Jobs, page 14-3.) Retry Interval Enter the interval between retries (in seconds). (seconds)

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Table 12-3 Directory Fields (continued)

Field Name Description Copy Complete From the drop-down menu, select the method to be used by Folder Attendant Method to validate new files to determine if they are complete and ready to be processed. Values are: • rename-to-self: The system will attempt to rename the file to its original file name. • rename-to-tmp: The system will attempt to rename the file to its original file name followed by tmp (filename.tmp), and then back to the original file name. • file-size-delay: The system will wait [FileSizeDelay] seconds since the last file size change. • file-last-modified-delay: The system will wait [CopyCompleteDelay] in seconds since the last file modification date change. • control-file: The system will wait for a specific control file (filename.ctl) to be added to the directory. • exclusive-open: The system will attempt to open the file exclusively. • immediate: The system will process the file immediately without waiting for the file to be completely copied. Copy Complete Delay Enter the number of seconds to delay when copying a file to another (seconds) destination. Note This option is only active when the file-size-delay or file-modified-delay Copy Complete Method is selected.

Step 4 Save the new directory. The new directory displays on the Folder Attendant Administration page, and a message displays indicating the new directory was added successfully. The directories are sorted by alphabetical order (based on the path name), so the new directory may not appear at the end of the list.

Note A watch has not been defined for the directory, if the Profile, Priority, and # Files fields are blank.

Monitoring FTP Directories

In addition to monitoring a normal directory, Folder Attendant can monitor an FTP directory. To enable this feature, set the directory path to an FTP URL (see also Adding Directories, page 12-5) as follows: ftp://[username:password]@hostname[:port]/path[;passive=yes|no] Where: • username = optional FTP login username; default is anonymous • password = optional FTP password; default is "" • hostname = FTP server hostname

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• port = optional FTP server port; default is 21 • path = directory path to monitor. – To specify an absolute path (%2f is escaped /) ftp://username:password@hostname/%2fpath – To specify a relative path. Current path is set to /path ftp://username:password@hostname/path • passive = if yes then use FTP passive mode, if no then use FTP active mode; default is yes For FTP directories, the Copy Complete Method must be set to file-size-delay. In addition, the delete-source-after-process option must be set to false. The FA will detect new or modified files and will submit the source media file with the FTP URL as follows: ftp://[username:password]@hostname[:port]/path

Note • The %2f will be stripped off • This FTP source-name will leverage the FTP pre-processor planner in the API to generate the appropriate Fileman and FilemanNet tasks. • In order to monitor the FTP directory, the FA uses the FTP directory listing command. The implementation of the FTP directory listing command varies by FTP server (Windows, UNIX version, etc.). The FA uses a list of regular expressions to support several popular FTP directory listing formats. This list may need to be modified to support new formats.

Editing Directories

Use this procedure to edit an existing directory. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Folder Attendant. Step 2 Select the directory, and from the Directory drop-down, click Edit. Select the directory to be edited. See Figure 12-6.

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Figure 12-6 Select the Directory to be Edited

Step 3 Update the information in any of the fields, as needed. See Figure 12-7.

Figure 12-7 Edit Directory Fields

Step 4 Save the new information. The updated information replaces the original information for the selected directory, and a "Directory successfully updated" message displays at the top of the page indicating that the selected directory has been updated.

Note Unless you change the Directory Path, no changes will appear in the Folder Attendant Administration page because most of the Directory fields are not displayed on the page.

Deleting Directories

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Folder Attendant. Step 2 Select the directory, and from the Directory drop-down, select Delete. See Figure 12-8. A delete confirmation message displays.

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Figure 12-8 Select the Directory to be Deleted

Step 3 Select OK to delete the selected directory. The selected directory is removed from the list of directories on the Folder Attendant Administration page, and the directory watches assigned to that directory are also deleted. The "Directory successfully deleted" message displays at the top of the page.

Enabling or Disabling Directories

You can enable or disable directories as needed. When you enable a directory, it is online and Folder Attendant can watch it. If you disable a directory, it will be taken offline and Folder Attendant cannot watch it, but it is not deleted. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Folder Attendant. Step 2 Select the directory, and from the Directory drop-down, select Enable or Disable. See Figure 12-9.

Note Only Enabled/Disabled or Online/Offline directories can be set to Enabled or Disabled.

Figure 12-9 Select the Directory to be Enabled or Disabled

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 12-10 Chapter 12 Folder Attendant Directories and Watches Setting Up Watches Send document feedback to [email protected]. Setting Up Watches

This section includes the following topics: • When is a File Completely Copied?, page 12-11 • Adding Watches, page 12-11 • Editing Watches, page 12-15 • Deleting Watches, page 12-16

When is a File Completely Copied?

There are several ways Folder Attendant can determine when a file has been completely copied to a monitored watch folder and is ready for submission. Folder Attendant may detect the presence of a file before it has been completely copied (via FTP, etc.). Each directory can be configured to use one of the following methods to determine if the file is ready for submission: • rename-to-self: attempt to rename the media or XML file to itself. • rename-to-tmp: attempt to rename file to ([filename].tmp) and back to original file name. • file-size-delay: wait [FileSizeDelay] seconds since last file size change.

Note File size must be > 0 bytes in order for the file to be considered completely copied. When copying files on some files systems (Avid Unity), the file size may be 0 bytes for a significant period of time. This method is the only method supported when monitoring FTP directories.

• file-last-modified-delay: wait [CopyCompleteDelay] in seconds since the last file modification date change. • control-file: wait for control file named ([filename].ctl) to be added to directory along with media/xml file. Folder Attendant will not delete the control file. It must be added/deleted by a client process. • exclusive open: attempt to open file exclusively.

Note Some of these methods may not work on a particular operating or file system.

Adding Watches

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Folder Attendant. Step 2 Highlight the Directory for which you want to add a watch, and from the Watch drop-down, click Add. See Figure 12-10.

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Figure 12-10 Select the Watch to Add

See also the following topics: • Watch, page 12-12 • Custom Metadata, page 12-14 • Override System Settings, page 12-15

Watch

Figure 12-11 shows the Add a Watch page. Table 12-4 describes the fields.

Figure 12-11 Add a Watch

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Table 12-4 Watch Fields and Descriptions

Field Name Description *Watch Extensions Displays the list of file extensions that may be added to the watch. When a new/updated media or XML file matches one of these extensions, the file will automatically be submitted to the Cisco MXE 3500 using the parameters defined for the watch. To add file extensions, click Select to display the list. Select one or more extensions from this page to select the types of files to be included in the watch. Is XML Watch Check this box to specify that the watch is monitoring XML files, rather than media files. When submitting an XML file, all metadata, job profile, priority, etc. parameters are ignored. The XML is submitted 'as is' to the ECS with the watch's configured system settings. The configured extensions for determining if a file is an XML file are set in the Folder Attendant application configuration file. Current extensions are .rdf and .xml. The following fields appear in the metadata: Title Enter a job title. If left blank, the title is set to the submitted file name with extension. Note: FA submits hundreds of jobs automatically when a file appears, so it does not make sense to set a default title for a Watch, which would result in all jobs in the status monitor having the same title. Now, the filename with extension displays, because the extension is a key identifier for a Watch. Description Enter a job description. Rating Select a ratings profile. For some formats, this will be included in the metadata of the output media. Possible choices are: • None • General - All Ages • Parental Guidance Recommended • Adult Supervision Required • Adults Only *Author Enter the job author. This value defaults to the name of the currently logged in user. For some formats, this may be included in the metadata of the output media. *Copyright Enter the copyright information. This may be included in the metadata of the output media. This defaults to the copyright system setting. Keywords Enter one or more keywords. For some formats, this may be included in the metadata of the output media. Multiple keywords are separated by spaces. The following fields are job settings:

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Table 12-4 Watch Fields and Descriptions (continued)

Field Name Description Job Profile Select the Cisco MXE 3500 Job Profile that will be assigned to this watch. The list of possible choices displayed is dependent on the job profiles that have been defined in other parts of the Cisco MXE 3500 system and stored in the job profile directory. This information is entered when you add a new watch. If this field is blank, a watch has not been set up for this directory. There are two ways to select the job profile for the watch being added. 1. From the drop-down menu, select the job profile to be run once a file extension match is made in the directory being watched. 2. Use the Profile Browser in the Navigation Column. See also: Profile Browser, page 1-9. *Job Priority (1-100) Enter the job priority of the watch. In general, jobs with higher priority are scheduled before jobs with lower priority. Possible choices are 1-100, where 1 is the highest priority and 100 is the lowest priority. In general, assign higher priority for jobs that are more time-sensitive (for example, live jobs). Delete Source After Check this box to delete a source file after it has been successfully processed. Processing The file is deleted at the end of the Cisco MXE 3500 job. Source files are not deleted if the job fails. By default, this box is unchecked so that source files are not deleted. Note XML files are not deleted. This checkbox is disabled for XML watches.

Custom Metadata

This section contains a grid that displays all custom user metadata fields that have been defined for the system. You have the option to enter a value of the appropriate metadata type (type entry is enforced). When the watch is saved, the user metadata values are saved into the watch config file using the above XML tags (udm-item). This section is only visible when adding or editing watches (not directories). See Figure 12-12.

Figure 12-12 Custom Metadata Section

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Override System Settings

The fields in this section allow you to override one or more settings for the selected watch. Check one or more boxes, and specify the location of the input or output files for the specified setting. See Figure 12-13. Procedure

Step 1 Check the box on the left side of each field. Step 2 Enter a new path in the text box.

Figure 12-13 Override System Settings Section

Editing Watches

Use this procedure to edit an existing watch. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Folder Attendant. Step 2 Select the watch that you want to edit, and from the Watch drop-down, click Edit. See Figure 12-14. If you are not sure which watch you want to edit, select the directory and look at the parameters. The Folder Attendant Administration page expands to display the fields related to setting up watches. This page has three sections: Directory, Watch, and Override System Settings, each of which contains a series of fields. Expand or shrink each section of the page to display the fields of interest by clicking on the plus (+) and minus (-) signs to the left of each section heading.

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Figure 12-14 Select the Watch to be Edited

Step 3 Expand each section, and update the appropriate information in each section: • Directory • Watch • Override System Settings Step 4 Save to save the new information. The updated information replaces the original information for the selected watch.

Deleting Watches

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Folder Attendant. Step 2 Select a watch, and from the Watch drop-down, click Delete. See Figure 12-15. A delete confirmation message displays.

Figure 12-15 Select the Watch to be Deleted

Step 3 Select OK to delete the selected watch. The selected watch is deleted. If there was only one watch on this directory, the directory remains in the table, but the Profile, Priority, and # Files fields are cleared to show there are no watches on the directory. If there is more than one watch for this directory, the line containing the selected watch is removed from the table.

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CHAPTER 13

Administration

This chapter includes the following topics: • Introduction to Administration, page 13-1 • Host Administration, page 13-2 • Configuring Node Attributes, page 13-11 • System Administration, page 13-13 • User Administration, page 13-23 • Role Administration, page 13-28 • Profile Spaces, page 13-33 • User Metadata, page 13-36 • IP Capture (Live Streaming), page 13-39 • Video Conversion Interface (SUI), page 13-43 • API Administration, page 13-48 • LDAP Settings, page 13-49 • Shared Folder Access Settings, page 13-52 • Additional Administrative Tools, page 13-56

Introduction to Administration

This section includes the following topics: • Administration Section of the Toolbox, page 13-1 • Additional Administrative Tools, page 13-2

Administration Section of the Toolbox

Note You must have Admin Tools permission to perform these tasks.

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The Administration section of the Toolbox enables you to manage the following: • Host Administration, page 13-2: Used to configure computers to be recognized by the Cisco MXE 3500. This includes defining and specifying the function of the Host and any workers configured for that Host. • System Administration, page 13-13: Used to define directory locations and other system-wide settings. • User Administration, page 13-23: Used to create and manage user access to the Cisco MXE 3500. • Role Administration, page 13-28: Used to create and manage user roles in the Cisco MXE 3500. • Profile Spaces, page 13-33: Used to manage multiple profile directories within the Cisco MXE 3500. • User Metadata, page 13-36: Used to create custom name/value pairs that can be submitted with each job. • IP Capture (Live Streaming), page 13-39: Used to create and manage IP Capture sources. • Video Conversion Interface (SUI), page 13-43: Used to configure the Conversion Interface for end users. • API Administration, page 13-48: Used to configure the authentication mode and password. • LDAP Settings, page 13-49: Used to configure LDAP settings. • Shared Folder Access Settings, page 13-52: Used to configure Active Directory settings.

Additional Administrative Tools

The following administrative tools are also provided with Cisco MXE 3500: • Cisco MXE 3500 Tools, page 13-57 • Profile Converter, page 13-58 • Database Configuration, page 13-66 • Log Viewer, page 13-67

Host Administration

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to Host Administration, page 13-3 • Understanding Host Administration, page 13-4 • Creating a New Host, page 13-5 • Enabling/Disabling a Host, page 13-7 • Editing Host Settings, page 13-8 • Deleting a Host, page 13-8 • Adding Workers to a Host, page 13-9 • Removing Workers from a Host, page 13-10 • Configuring Node Attributes, page 13-11

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The Host Administration page allows administrators to configure the Cisco MXE 3500 to work with computers on the network. Host is simply another word for the computer or system that runs the Cisco MXE 3500. The Host Administration page is used to tell the Enterprise Control System (ECS) what the Hosts are capable of running (what the load capacity of the machine is and what software is installed). Access the Host Administration page from the Toolbox by clicking Administration > Host.

Configure Network Settings

Each computer configured to work with the Cisco MXE 3500 must belong to the same domain or workgroup as the ECS. The exact network specifications will differ depending on the existing network and administrator preference. For domain installations, network configuration will include creating IUSR and the Cisco MXE 3500 domain user accounts. For workgroup installations, network configuration will include verifying that identical, valid IUSR and the Cisco MXE 3500 user accounts have been created on each local Host. The Cisco MXE 3500 runs the services, and the IUSR account is used to give the Web server access to other network resources.

Configure and Activate Host

When the Host is created, click on the Host to load its configured workers in the lower pane of the UI. From this pane, enable and configure workers for that Host. Then click the Apply Configuration button. See also: Creating a New Host, page 13-5.

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Select a Host to display summary information about workers configured on that Host. Table 13-1 describes the fields.

Table 13-1 Host Administration Fields and Descriptions

Field Description Host This is the name of the machine running the Cisco MXE 3500 LCS (Local Control System) and workers. The computer name and the Host name must match exactly. To verify the computer name of a Windows Server computer, right-click the My Computer icon on either your desktop or in your Start Menu, select Properties, then select the Computer Name. For an NT computer, right-click Network Neighborhood, select Properties, and select the Identification tab. Alternately, type the hostname command at the command prompt to display the computer name. Status Displays the status of the Host: Enabled or Disabled. To change the status, right-click the Host or click Host Options, and select Enabled or Disabled. Note: If the status is disabled, jobs will not schedule on that Cisco MXE 3500 node. Port TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) port that the LCS is listening on (default is 3500). Capacity Reflects a numeric value (0-99) assigned for the total available processing capacity of the displayed Host. Capacity can be any number for a given Host, but it is important that all Hosts be numbered according to the same standards. For example, for one particular Host it will not matter if the total capacity is set at 5 or at 10. However, if there is another Host that has twice the capacity, the capacity of both Hosts should be listed in common terms. So, a Host that is twice as powerful would have a capacity of 10 if the first Host was 5, or 20 if the first Host was 10. Capacity is directly related to processor capacity, but may also be affected by drive speed, network congestion, and other factors. All of the factors that affect the amount of work a particular Host can do efficiently should be considered when assigning a capacity value. Note Numbers between 5 and 30 are typically best. Setting this to a high number > 30 can make the system status monitor hard to read.

See also: Understanding Capacity, Limit, and Expense, page 13-10. Temp Directory Specifies the directory where temporary files and preprocessor output will be (UNC Name) stored. This must be entered as a UNC name so that other Hosts will be able to access files written to this directory. This is where preprocessor output and other temporary files will be written while the job is processing. Unless the Preprocessor box in the Output Profile is checked to specify that Preprocessor files should be saved, files written to the Temp Directory will be deleted automatically when encoding is complete.

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Table 13-1 Host Administration Fields and Descriptions (continued)

Field Description Permitted? A green checkmark indicates that the worker listed to the right is configured to run on the displayed Host and that it is currently online and available to process tasks. A red X indicates either: • That the worker listed to the right is configured to run on the displayed Host but is currently offline and cannot be contacted by the ECS, or, • The worker is not enabled or configured. Worker Displays a list of all workers that have been configured to run on the displayed Host. The Name, DV, DVCAM, Video Channel, and Audio Channel fields appear only for Live capture workers and define the location of the capture card on the Host. Channels are numbered sequentially from 0. Licensed Indicates the number of concurrent instances of this worker type (example: prefilter, encoder, distribution) that can be running on the system (all nodes controlled by that ECS). This value is defined in the Cisco MXE 3500 license file. Limit See the “Understanding Capacity, Limit, and Expense” section on page 13-10. Expense See the “Understanding Capacity, Limit, and Expense” section on page 13-10. Capture Name Defines the name associated with a live capture worker. Because Hosts can have more than a single video capture card and can be configured to run more than one Live capture worker, the Capture Name is required in order to identify the specific capture card used by the worker. This is only displayed for Live capture workers. Capture Type Type of capture card (DV, DVCAM, AJA-SDI, Custom, etc.). Selection of a non-custom value will predefine the audio and video channel Video CH / Audio CH Displays Video Channel and Audio Channel for each Live-capture worker.

Creating a New Host

When creating a Host, administrators must use the Windows Computer Account name (NetBIOS name) in order to create a Host that will be recognizable to the ECS. See also: Creating a New Host Using the Right-Click Copy Option, page 13-7.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > Host. Step 2 From the Host Administration menu, click the arrow to the right of Host Options > New. See Figure 13-1.

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Figure 13-1 Creating a New Host

Figure 13-2 shows the pop-up that displays:

Figure 13-2 New Host Pop-up

Step 3 Enter the required information (see Table 13-1), and click Create. The new Host displays in the Cisco MXE 3500 Hosts pane. Step 4 Select each Worker that is assigned to the Host, and click Permit, or click Permit All.

Note If you select the Permit All option, only all non-Live workers will be permitted. Live workers require manual entry of additional data.

Step 5 Click each Worker, and click Edit. Figure 13-3 shows the pop-up that displays.

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Figure 13-3 Edit Worker

Step 6 Enter the Limit and the Expense, and click Save. See also: Understanding Capacity, Limit, and Expense, page 13-10. Step 7 For Live captures, enter Capture Name, Capture Type, Video CH, and Audio CH. Step 8 At the top of the page, click Apply Configuration.

Note Workers added to a Host must be configured before tasks can be assigned to that worker. See also: Adding Workers to a Host, page 13-9.

Creating a New Host Using the Right-Click Copy Option

Follow the same steps as noted above, but select a Host, and click Copy. This creates a new Host with the same worker configuration, except that the Captureprefilter worker settings are not copied to the new Host.

Enabling/Disabling a Host

After a Host is created, click on the Host to load its configured workers in the lower pane of the User Interface. From this pane, enable and configure workers for that Host. Then, click the Apply Configuration button. See also: Creating a New Host, page 13-5. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click Host to display the Host Administration page. Step 2 Highlight a Host, and click Host Options or right-click on the Host, and select Enable or Disable. See Figure 13-4.

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Figure 13-4 Disabling a Host

Editing Host Settings

Procedure

Step 1 From the Host Administration page, double-click the Host or click Host Options, and select Edit. Figure 13-5 shows the pop-up that displays.

Figure 13-5 Edit Host Pop-up

Step 2 Make any changes to the fields, and click Save.

Deleting a Host

Procedure

Step 1 From the Host Administration page, select the Host to be deleted. Step 2 Right-click the Host or click Host Options > Delete. See Figure 13-6. Step 3 When the deletion confirmation pop-up displays, click OK.

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Figure 13-6 Deleting a Host

Adding Workers to a Host

Procedure

Step 1 From the Host Administration page, select a Host. Step 2 In the lower pane, select a Worker, and click Permit, or click Permit All. The list of workers displayed is controlled by your license level. Step 3 Click a Worker, and click Edit. Figure 13-7 shows the pop-up that displays.

Figure 13-7 Edit Pop-up

Step 4 Enter the Limit and the Expense, and click Save.

Note The remaining four fields apply to Live captures.

Step 5 At the top of the page, click Apply Configuration.

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Table 13-2 Worker Fields and Descriptions

Field Description Limit Displays the maximum number of workers that can be run simultaneously on the displayed Host (0-99). Limits can only be modified on the Host page by Resource Manager level licensees. See also: Understanding Capacity, Limit, and Expense, page 13-10. Expense Note: Expense will be different for different types of workers. For example, MPEG encoding is more labor-intensive than Microsoft encoding. So, an MPEG worker is given a higher expense than a Microsoft worker. Expense can only be modified on the Host page by Resource Manager level licensees. See also: Understanding Capacity, Limit, and Expense, page 13-10.

Understanding Capacity, Limit, and Expense

The ECS uses capacity and expense to assign tasks to specific workers on specific Hosts in order to keep jobs moving through the encoding process in the most efficient way possible. The ECS uses Capacity and Expense to ensure that no single Host is over-burdened in order to prevent bottlenecks. The processing power required by a particular type of worker may not always be the same. Limit is used with Capacity and Expense to accommodate this. For example, running one of a particular worker takes a certain amount, and running two may require double that amount. However, when a certain number is exceeded, the efficiency may degrade: Everything is fine until the fourth instance of the same worker is triggered. After this, the Host bogs down and performance suffers. Setting the Limit for this particular worker to three will prevent the ECS from triggering the fourth worker, even if there is sufficient capacity to accommodate the normal expense of the fourth instance. Because the expense would dramatically increase if the fourth worker were triggered, setting the Limit to three creates a threshold for the normal expense of a worker. Limit allows the administrator to set an upper limit on the number of instances that can run at the same time.

Removing Workers from a Host

Procedure

Step 1 From the Host Administration page, select a Host. Step 2 In the lower pane, select a Worker, and click Disable, or click Disable All. Step 3 When the disable confirmation pop-up displays, click OK.

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This section includes the following topics: • Node Attributes Overview, page 13-11 • Assigning Node Attributes to a Host, page 13-12

Node Attributes Overview

Node Attributes allow you to schedule specific job tasks or all tasks within a job against a set of Cisco MXE 3500 nodes that support those tasks.

Note Nodes commonly refer to Cisco MXE 3500 Resource Nodes that are part of a multi-MXE cluster.

The node attribute feature has two purposes: 1. To allow specific task license features that can only be scheduled against a particular set of nodes to be constrained to those nodes. A system node attribute is available to force preprocessor tasks to be scheduled against nodes that have been assigned this node attribute. 2. To allow a user to designate specific nodes for specific tasks or jobs. For example, a user may want to designate specific nodes for high priority jobs or a user may want to require that a given organization use a specific set of nodes. You can submit a job with user-defined metadata (UDM) that specifies the organization, matching the node attribute that has been previously defined for that organization.

Tasks Matching Multiple Node Attributes

If a task (or job) matches multiple Node Attributes it will only be scheduled on a node that supports all matching attributes.

Scheduling Errors

If a task requires a specific Node Attribute that has not been assigned to any node, the task and job will fail with the following message: [ECS_MISSINGNODEATTRIBUTE] A task (type: microsoft, id: 175) requested non-existent node attribute. [EC_COMPLETED] Task Execution 175 is now complete. Reason = Failed.

Configuration Examples

Table 13-3 shows examples of how to configure the XPath and Apply To Job parameters of a Node Attribute to target specific nodes.

Table 13-3 Configuration Examples

Name Description XPath Apply to Job Schedule all jobs with a priority of 1 on a Priority 1 Jobs /job[priority=1] true given set of nodes

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Table 13-3 Configuration Examples (continued)

Name Description XPath Apply to Job Schedule all Microsoft (Windows Media) Microsoft Tasks type[contains(., 'microsoft')] false encoding tasks on a given set of nodes Schedule all jobs from organization ID = 54 Organization 54 /job/user-data-job/metadata/udm-item[ true (specified via UDM) on a given set of nodes @name='organizationid' and @value='54']

Assigning Node Attributes to a Host

The Attributes tab of the Host Administration page is used to assign one or more Node Attributes to a specific Host (node). Once a Node Attribute has been created, it is listed on the Attributes tab. It is then permitted (assigned) or disabled.

Procedure

Step 1 In the upper Host Administration pane, highlight a Host. Step 2 In the lower pane, click the Attributes tab, and highlight a Node Attribute. See Figure 13-8.

Figure 13-8 Assigning Node Attribute to a Host

Step 3 Click the Permit button. Step 4 When the pop-up displays, click OK. The Node Attribute is now assigned or permitted.

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This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to System Administration, page 13-13 • Setting Default Copyright Information, page 13-21 • Configuring Output File Storage Location, page 13-21 • Enabling Sys Admin E-mail Notification, page 13-22 • Turning Monitor Display Windows On/Off, page 13-22 • Setting the Auto Reap Interval for Job Monitoring, page 13-22

Introduction to System Administration

System Administration is used to define locations and parameters for files and directories used with the Cisco MXE 3500. It also includes settings for other system-wide parameters. Access this page from the Toolbox by clicking Administration > System. The System Administration page contains the following sections: • Input (System Administration), page 13-14 • Output (System Administration), page 13-16 • General Settings (System Administration), page 13-17 • Status Settings (System Administration), page 13-18 • Data Purging (System Administration), page 13-18 • Audio Capture (System Administration), page 13-19 • Single Node Mode (System Administration), page 13-19 • Grid Computing (System Administration), page 13-20

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Input (System Administration)

Figure 13-9 shows Input settings. Table 13-4 describes the settings.

Figure 13-9 Input Settings

Table 13-4 Input Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Bumper/Trailer Defines the location of files that can be used as bumpers or trailers to clips Directory encoded with the Cisco MXE 3500. The Bumper/Trailer Directory controls the directory path where the Cisco MXE 3500 searches for files displayed in the Bumper Source and Trailer Source fields in the Preprocessing Profile page. The Bumper/Trailer Directory value can be entered either as a UNC path to a network share or to a mapped drive in the case of a deployment using a storage area network (SAN) or a single node deployment. The Bumper/Trailer Directory location must be accessible to all hosts. Common Defines the directories where media files will be stored. Multiple directories can Directories be defined. A semi-colon is used to separate directory entries. The Common Directory values can be entered either as a UNC path to a network share or to a mapped drive in the case of a deployment using a storage area network (SAN) or a single node deployment. The Common Directory locations must be accessible to all hosts.

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Table 13-4 Input Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Setting Description Media Directory Defines the directory where media files that will be submitted to the Cisco MXE 3500 are stored. The Media Directory controls the directory path where the Cisco MXE 3500 searches for files displayed in the Source box on the File Submission page. The Media Directory value can be entered either as a UNC path to a network share or to a mapped drive in the case of a deployment using a storage area network (SAN) or a single node deployment. The Media Directory location must be shared and accessible to all Hosts. The System Administration page will give a warning if the value entered is not a UNC path, which is recommended. If using a mapped drive, all nodes configured to work with the Cisco MXE 3500 must have the location mapped as the same drive. Profile Directory Defines the default path the ECS will use to search for profiles when processing a submitted job. Valid Input Defines the list of valid extensions for files in Common Directories. Only files Extensions with extensions listed in this field will be displayed in the Selection List window in the Input section of the File Job Submission form. A semi-colon is used to separate file-extension entries. Watermark Defines the location of files that can be used as watermarks for clips encoded Directory with the Cisco MXE 3500. The Watermark controls the directory path where the Cisco MXE 3500 searches for files displayed in the Source drop-down in the Watermark section of the Preprocessing Profile page. The Watermark Directory value can be entered either as a UNC path to a network share or to a mapped drive in the case of a deployment using a storage area network (SAN) or a single node deployment. The Watermark Directory location must be accessible to all hosts.

Note Non-password protected shared folders and external device without joining any domain could be accessed.

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Output (System Administration)

Figure 13-10 shows Output settings.

Figure 13-10 Output Settings

Output Directories

Output Directories define the location the Cisco MXE 3500 will use to save files of each encoding format supported by the licensing levels of your Cisco MXE 3500 system. Encoded files will be saved to the defined directories when either no Distribution > Output Profile is included in the Job Profile or when the checkbox in the Save Local File section of the Output Profile has been checked. The Microsoft Output Directory value can be entered either as a UNC path to a network share or to a mapped drive in the case of a deployment using a storage area network (SAN) or a single node deployment.

Note Non-password protected shared folders and external device without joining any domain could be accessed.

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General Settings (System Administration)

Figure 13-11 shows General settings. Table 13-5 describes the settings.

Figure 13-11 General Settings

Table 13-5 General Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Default Copyright Defines the default copyright information populated to the copyright field in all job submission pages. The Default Copyright is a system-wide setting. The value entered can be overwritten by the user when jobs are submitted by typing over the default information displayed. LCS Disconnect If yes, the Cisco MXE 3500 generates an e-mail (sent to the System Notifications Administrator) when an LCS disconnects from the ECS. LCS Notification Frequency in seconds in which an LCS disconnect e-mail will be generated if Frequency (in secs) multiple disconnects occur. License Expiration Defines the period, in days, ahead of the license expiration date that an e-mail Warning (in days) will be sent to the e-mail address defined in the System Administrator Email field. Restart IP yes: restart IP Capture on failure Capture/Webcast on no: do not restart IP Capture on failure Failure SMTP Server Identifies the e-mail server used to send e-mail notification messages. The server identified must be running the Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) service for it to process e-mail messages. System Stores an e-mail address used to contact the System Administrator. This e-mail Administrator address can be used to send messages to a regular e-mail account or to a Email text-enabled pager or cellular phone. The System Administrator e-mail address is used by Notification Profiles when the System Administrator options for From Email Address or To Email Address are selected.

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Status Settings (System Administration)

Figure 13-12 shows Status settings. Table 13-6 describes the settings.

Figure 13-12 Status Settings

Table 13-6 Status Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Monitor Display This setting only applies in Console mode. If set to on, some workers (like Window preprocessor and encoders) will display a monitor window which displays the video being processed. Note This option does use system resources (example: cpu cycles, memory) and will slow down overall job processing. It may be used for debugging purposes or viewing encoded output. Auto Reap Defines the Auto Reap interval used to clear job information from monitoring (Minutes) pages. The time defined for Auto Reap determines how long information on a job will be displayed in monitoring pages before it expires. The Auto Reap interval is counted from the time the job completes.

Data Purging (System Administration)

Over time, Job data (job, task, executioncontext, executioncontextlog, and related tables) grow and fill up disk space. The Data Purging section allows you to configure automated system purging, physically deleting the appropriate records.

Note After initial or reset of Data Purging values, restart the CAM service to enable this feature or for changes to take place immediately.

Figure 13-13 shows Data Purging settings. Table 13-7 describes the settings.

Figure 13-13 Data Purging Settings

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Table 13-7 Data Purging Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Purge Enabled yes: purge enabled no: purge not enabled Job Completion Duration In minutes, how long after the job was completed, before it is (mins) deleted. Maximum Records to Delete This setting limits the number of jobs to be deleted. Time to Execute Purge Configures the time of day the purge occurs. Purge Interval (days) Configures the number of days between purges.

Audio Capture (System Administration)

Figure 13-14 shows Audio Capture settings. Table 13-8 describes the settings.

Figure 13-14 Audio Capture Settings

Table 13-8 Audio Capture Settings and Descriptions

Setting Description Sample Rate Sets audio sampling rate to tradeoff audio quality and transmission bandwidth and file size limitations.

Single Node Mode (System Administration)

Figure 13-15 show Single Node Mode settings.

Figure 13-15 Single Node Mode Settings

Single Node Mode Settings

For users in bandwidth-sensitive environments, such as educational institutions and corporations, Single Node Mode provides greater control and the ability to confine encoding for a job to a single node. Enabled: Enabling Single Node Mode forces all processing of a job to a single encoder node. The preprocessing, encoding, and distribution all takes place on one node rather then distributing the tasks across the system. This effectively reduces the amount of network traffic between the system nodes.

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Disabled: Disabling Single Node Mode causes the system to distribute tasks to all the available nodes within a system. So, the preprocessing can occur on one node, the encode on another, and distribution on another. The Disabled setting allows more of the load balancing capabilities of the system. However, because the files are being moved through the workflow over multiple nodes, there will be more network traffic between the nodes within the system. Soft node values Timeout/Queue Length have no range limit. The values need to be positive integers. The defaults are 3600 seconds (timeout) and 25 (queue limit). The Timeout can be as large as you want. The value should be set relative to the average or maximum job length. You may want the tasks to flow to another node if the wait is going to be longer than the processing time and nodes are available. Jobs are composed of Tasks. Tasks are the actual processes (preprocessing, encoding, and distribution) that together, make up a Job. The Queue Length is set to a value that allows tasks to move to nodes that have a smaller queue. This value should be set relative to the average peak queue length the customer experiences. If the value is less than what normally occurs, performance will decrease. These values are set to prevent individual nodes from getting backed up with Tasks. Single Node Mode can greatly improve performance for customers that do not have a network file storage system or do not have the network capacity to handle uncompressed AVI files. But, if individual nodes get backed up with more work, then performance is increased by letting the Tasks move to available nodes. For customers with jobs/content that vary greatly in length or processing time, the system does not evaluate the input file or profile settings when distributing the tasks. For example: 20 jobs are submitted to a four-node system. Each fourth job is a full content encode that is 2 hours in length and will take an hour to process. The first three are a bumper, trailer, and preview encode that will be 15 to 30 seconds in length and take 5 – 15 seconds to run. If all are submitted sequentially in less than 5 seconds, the nodes will receive this distribution: • Node 1: 4 bumper jobs - < 2 min total • Node 2: 4 trailer jobs < 2 min total • Node 3: 4 preview jobs < 2 min total • Node 4: 4 content jobs > 4 hours total In this case, the user would want the 3 jobs that are pending on node 4 to flow to the 3 empty (2 minutes after submission) nodes. Setting the timeout to 5-30 minutes would save 2 1/2 - 3 hours of processing time in this case.

Grid Computing (System Administration)

Figure 13-16 shows Grid Computing settings. Grid Nodes: Enter the number of nodes that will be included in the grid. See also: Flash Grid, page 7-16.

Figure 13-16 Grid Computing Settings

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This setting defines the default copyright information populated to the copyright field in all job submission pages. The Default Copyright is a system-wide setting. The value entered can be overwritten by the user when jobs are submitted by typing over the default information displayed. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > System. Step 2 In the General Settings section, enter the information in the Default Copyright field. See Figure 13-17.

Figure 13-17 Default Copyright Field

Step 3 Click Save.

Configuring Output File Storage Location

Note The LCS must have the appropriate user security level to create directories and write and delete files in the network directories defined on the System Administration page. See also: System Administration, page 13-13.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > System. Step 2 In the Input and Output sections, in the appropriate field(s): • For a Network Directory: Type in the UNC path to the directory where the corresponding files are stored. • For a SAN: Type in the drive letter of the SAN and the directory path where the corresponding files are stored. Step 3 Click Save.

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Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > System. Step 2 In the General Settings section, in the System Administrator Email field, enter the e-mail address. Step 3 Click Save. Step 4 Create a Notification Profile, page 8-12. Step 5 Add the Profile to the Job. See also: Adding a Notification Profile to a Job Profile, page 8-16.

Turning Monitor Display Windows On/Off

This setting only applies in Console mode. If set to on, some workers (like preprocessor and encoders) will display a monitor window which displays the video being processed.

Note This option does use system resources (example: cpu cycles, memory) and will slow down overall job processing. It may be used for debugging purposes or viewing encoded output.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > System. Step 2 In the Status Settings section, from the Monitor Window Display drop-down, select on or off. Step 3 Click Save.

Setting the Auto Reap Interval for Job Monitoring

The Auto Reap interval is used to clear job information from monitoring pages. The time defined for the Auto Reap determines how long information on a job will be displayed in monitoring pages before it expires. The Auto Reap interval is counted from the time the job completes. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > System. Step 2 In the Status Settings section, in the Auto Reap (Minutes) field, enter the desired number. Step 3 Click Save.

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Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Resource Manager feature license on the Resource Manager device.

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to User Administration, page 13-23 • Creating New Users, page 13-23 • Updating Existing Users, page 13-24 • Deleting Users, page 13-25 • Setting User Permissions, page 13-26

Introduction to User Administration

The User Administration page is used by administrators to set user access and permissions. Access this page from the Toolbox by clicking Administration > User. The top pane of User Administration displays users that have been created. The lower pane displays the permissions for each user. The Cisco MXE 3500 comes with one predefined user: • admin: The predefined password is also admin. The password is changed during initial configuration.

Note Upon receipt of your system, the predefined admin user is the only user who can perform Folder Attendant administrative tasks such as creating users, assigning roles, deleting users, and denying or removing user permissions. Do not delete the predefined admin user until you have created at least one new admin user.

Creating New Users

Each person using the Cisco MXE 3500 needs a user profile that controls their system access. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > User. Step 2 From the menu bar, click New. The New Cisco MXE 3500 User pop-up displays. See Figure 13-18.

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Figure 13-18 New User Pop-Up

Step 3 Enter the appropriate information in each of the fields as described in Table 13-9. All fields are required.

Table 13-9 New User Fields

Setting Description User Name Enter a name for the new user. Password Enter a password for the new user. Confirm Password Re-enter the password to confirm it. First Name Enter the first name of the user. Last Name Enter the last name of the user. E-mail Enter the e-mail address of the user. Role Select the Cisco MXE 3500 role from the drop-down menu. The role defines the level of access the user has to Folder Attendant functions. Roles are defined at the time of deployment and are normally: Administrator and User.

Step 4 Select Create to save the new user. Step 5 Select Continue. The new user displays on the User Administration page. The users are sorted in alphabetical order.

Updating Existing Users

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > User. Step 2 Select the user, and click Edit. See Figure 13-19. The Edit User pop-up displays, as shown in Figure 13-20.

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Figure 13-19 Select the User to be Edited

Figure 13-20 Edit User Pop-Up

Step 3 Update the information in any fields, as needed. The fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required. See also: Table 13-9. Step 4 Click Save. The new information is saved and the User Administration page is updated.

Deleting Users

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > User. Step 2 Select the user you want to delete, and click Delete. See Figure 13-21. A confirmation message displays, asking if you are sure you want to delete the selected user.

Figure 13-21 Select User to be Deleted

Step 3 Select OK to continue with the deletion.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 13-25 Chapter 13 Administration User Administration Send document feedback to [email protected]. Setting User Permissions

After creating a user, the System Administrator sets permissions for that user. Each user is allowed or denied permission to use the following Cisco MXE 3500 features: • Admin Tools: Provides access to Cisco MXE 3500 administrative tools • Folder Attendant: Provides access to Folder Attendant • Job Profile Editing: Provides access to Job Profile editing functionality • Monitoring: Provides access to Monitoring functionality • Monitoring (Advanced): Allows a user to reschedule, stop, delete, etc. • Reporting: Provides access to reporting functionality • Submission: Provides access to submission tools • Task Profile Editing: Provides access to profile editing functionality The permissions for a selected user are displayed at the bottom of the page. See Figure 13-22.

Figure 13-22 Permissions for the Selected User

Four columns display the permissions that have been set for this user. Table 13-10 describes the settings.

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Table 13-10 Columns in the Permissions Table

Column Name Description Default Shows the default value for the permissions that are shipped with the Cisco MXE 3500. Role Shows the permissions set for the Role. Permissions set for the role override the Default permissions. The Role permissions specified in this column are set from the Role Administration page. User Shows the permissions set for the selected user. Permission set for the user override the Role permissions. Allow The actual permissions set for the selected user.

The red X indicates that permissions for that feature are denied, and the green check mark indicates that the selected user has permissions to access the feature. Read the permission table from left to right: marks in the column to the right override the previous column. The Default permissions are shown in the first column. These are default permissions that come loaded in the system. The Role column shows the permissions for the Role assigned to this user. The permissions for the Role override the default permissions and are set on the Role Administration page. The User permissions show the permissions for this specific user. These permissions override both the Default and Role permissions for this user only. Modify the permissions for the selected user shown in this column by following the procedure described below. To quickly determine if certain permissions are allowed for a user, view the Allow column. The picture above is an example of permissions set for the user named JSmith who has been assigned the user role. Notice that by default, those in the user role do not have access to Admin Tools (in this case) but have access to the remaining features. However, an administrator has added (overridden) the Admin Tools permission to this user's role. For each feature, you can specify whether or not to allow, deny, or remove the user's access. You can also choose to remove all access to all features for a specific user. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > User. Step 2 Select the user for which you want to set permissions from the top of the User Administration page. The permissions for the selected user are listed at the bottom of the page. Step 3 Select the type of permission you want to modify. Your choices are: • Admin Tools • Folder Attendant • Job Profile Editing • Monitoring • Monitoring (Advanced) • Reporting • Submission

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• Task Profile Editing Step 4 Click one of the buttons described in Table 13-11.

Table 13-11 User Permissions and Descriptions

Button Name Description Allow Allow the user access to the specific feature. Deny Deny the user access to the specific feature. Remove Remove the user access to the specific feature. Remove All Removes all access to all features for the specific user.

Step 5 Repeat Step Step 3 to Step Step 4 for each feature to set all permissions for this user.

Role Administration

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Resource Manager feature license on the Resource Manager device.

This section includes the following topics: • Introduction to Role Administration, page 13-28 • Creating Roles, page 13-29 • Updating Roles, page 13-29 • Setting Role Permissions, page 13-30 • Deleting Roles, page 13-32

Introduction to Role Administration

Each Cisco MXE 3500 user is assigned a role that controls their level of access to the various system features. Access this page from the Toolbox by clicking Administration > Role. The top pane of the Role Administration page displays roles that have been created. The lower pane displays the permissions for each role. The Cisco MXE 3500 comes with three predefined roles: • admin: Set up with permission to access all features. • operator: Set up with permission to access Job Profile editing. Do not have access to admin tools and task profile editing features. • user: Set up with permission to access all features, except administrative. • noaccess: Assigned to Video Conversion Interface users. Do not have access to any adminstrative features.

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Creating Roles

Use this procedure to create a new role. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > Role. Step 2 From the menu bar, select New. The Create a New Role pop-up displays. See Figure 13-23.

Figure 13-23 New Role Pop-up

Step 3 Enter a Role Name and Description, and click Create. The new role displays on the Role Administration page. The roles are sorted in alphabetical order.

Updating Roles

Use this procedure to update an existing role. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > Role. Step 2 Select the role you want to edit. See Figure 13-24.

Figure 13-24 Select Role to Edit

Step 3 Select Edit from the menu bar. The Edit Role pop-up displays. See Figure 13-25.

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Figure 13-25 Edit Role Pop-up

Step 4 Update the information in each of the fields, as required. The fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required. Step 5 When you are done updating the role, Save the new information. The updated information replaces the original information for the selected role.

Setting Role Permissions

After creating a role, the System Administrator sets permissions for that role. Each role is allowed or denied permission to use the following Cisco MXE 3500 features: • Admin Tools: Provides access to the Cisco MXE 3500 administrative tools • Folder Attendant: Provides access to Folder Attendant • Job Profile Editing: Provides access to Job Profile editing functionality • Monitoring: Provides access to Monitoring functionality • Monitoring (Advanced): Allows a user to reschedule, stop, delete, etc. • Reporting: Provides access to reporting functionality • Submission: Provides access to submission tools • Task Profile Editing: Provides access to profile editing functionality The permissions for a selected role are displayed at the bottom of the page. See Figure 13-26.

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Figure 13-26 Permissions for the Selected Role

Three columns display the permissions that have been set for each role. Table 13-12 describes the permissions.

Table 13-12 Selected Permissions

Column Name Description Default Shows the default permissions that are shipped with Folder Attendant. Role Shows the permissions set for the Role. Permissions set for the role override the Default permissions. Allow The actual permissions set for the selected role, often the same as the Role column.

The red X indicates that permission for that feature are denied, and the green check mark indicates that the user in this role has permission to access the feature. Read the permission table from left to right: marks in the column to the right override the previous column. In the example above, the monitor role came loaded (by default) with access to Folder Attendant, Monitoring, and Submission features. In this case, an administrator has removed, for the role called monitor, access to Folder Attendant and Submission features. The monitor role now allows access to Monitoring functions only.

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Modify the permissions for the selected role by following the procedure below. For each feature, you can specify whether or not to allow, deny, or remove access. You can also choose to remove all access to all features for a specific role. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > Role. Step 2 Select the role for which you want to set user permissions. The permissions for the selected user are listed at the bottom of the page. Step 3 Select the permission you want to modify. You choices are: • Admin Tools • Folder Attendant • Job Profile Editing • Monitoring • Monitoring (Advanced) • Reporting • Submission • Task Profile Editing Step 4 Select one of the buttons described in Table 13-13.

Table 13-13 Actions Related to Setting Permissions

Button Name Description Allow Allow users in this role access to the specific feature. Deny Deny users in this role access to the specific feature. Remove Remove users in this role access to the specific feature. Remove All Removes all access to all features for the specific role.

Step 5 Repeat Step 3 and Step 4 for each feature to set all permissions for this role.

Deleting Roles

You can only delete a role if it contains no users. If the role contains users and you try to delete it, the following message displays: “The current role contains users and cannot be deleted.” Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, click Administration > Role. Step 2 Select the role you want to delete. See Figure 13-27.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 13-32 Chapter 13 Administration Profile Spaces Send document feedback to [email protected].

Figure 13-27 Select the Role to be Deleted

Step 3 Click Delete. A confirmation message displays. Step 4 Select OK to continue with the deletion. If the selected role does not contain users, it is removed from the list of roles on the Role Administration page.

Profile Spaces

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Resource Manager feature license on the Resource Manager device.

The Profile Spaces feature allows you to manage multiple profile directories within the system. The Cisco MXE 3500 is shipped with a single profile directory. The initial database setting for profiledir is: C:\Program Files\Cisco\Media Experience Engine\profiles The Cisco MXE 3500 uses the system setting-configured profile directory to access the list of Job Profiles. However, you may want to maintain separate profile directories for separate groups or for separate customers. You can create as many Profile Spaces as you need, but the Cisco MXE 3500 will check to see that each profile directory exists at the time of creation. Your Cisco MXE 3500 session links to one Profile Space at a time, thereby determining the profiles that you can view from the Profile Browser. You can change your working Profile Space at any time by clicking Tools > Select Profile Space. See Figure 13-28.

Figure 13-28 Profile Space Administration

This section includes the following topics: • Determining Your Current Profile Space, page 13-34 • Setting Your Current Profile Space, page 13-34 • Creating a Profile Space, page 13-35

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• Editing a Profile Space, page 13-36 • Deleting a Profile Space, page 13-36

Determining Your Current Profile Space

Your current Profile Space is displayed in the upper right corner of the Web browser. See Figure 13-29.

Figure 13-29 Current Profile Space

Setting Your Current Profile Space

Your Cisco MXE 3500 session links to one Profile Space at a time, thereby determining the profiles that you can view from the Profile Browser. You can change your working Profile Space at any time. Procedure

Step 1 Click Tools > Select Profile Space. See Figure 13-30.

Figure 13-30 Selecting Profile Space

Step 2 A pop-up displays. See Figure 13-31. Select a Profile Space from the drop-down, and click the Select button. The browser is now reset to the selected Profile Space.

Note If no Profile Spaces appear in the drop-down, see the “Creating a Profile Space” section on page 13-35.

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Figure 13-31 Selecting a Profile Space

Creating a Profile Space

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click Profile Space. Step 2 In the Profile Space Administration pane, click New. See Figure 13-32. A pop-up displays.

Figure 13-32 Creating New Profile Space

Step 3 Enter a unique Name and click Create. See Figure 13-33. The new Profile Space displays in the Profile Space Administration pane. Profile spaces are always created in c:\mxe\profile\spaces\[profile space name]. The path to the profile space is fixed.

Figure 13-33 Entering Name and Directory

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 13-35 Chapter 13 Administration User Metadata Send document feedback to [email protected]. Editing a Profile Space

The editing of Profile Spaces is disallowed in Release 3.1 and later.

Deleting a Profile Space

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click Profile Space. Step 2 In the Profile Space Administration pane, select the Profile Space, and click Delete. See Figure 13-34.

Figure 13-34 Selecting a Profile Space to Delete

Step 3 When the deletion verification pop-up displays, click OK. The Profile Space is removed from the Profile Space Administration list.

User Metadata

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Resource Manager feature license on the Resource Manager device.

This section allows you to create custom name/value pairs that can be submitted with each job (and each task in the job). This custom metadata is returned in detailed job status including the HTTP POST job-status XML. This metadata (if submitted) is also stored in the database for each job and can be used for reporting purposes (like tracking which organization submitted which jobs) or (via HTTP POST) where it is passed back to other systems (like Velocity). The Data Type can be defined as Integer, String, Decimal, or Enum (Enumeration). This type is used for validation when entering the user metadata values on the Job Submission pages. Access this page from the Toolbox by clicking Administration > User Metadata. This section includes the following topics: • Adding User Metadata, page 13-37 • Editing User Metadata, page 13-38 • Deleting User Metadata, page 13-39

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 13-36 Chapter 13 Administration User Metadata Send document feedback to [email protected]. Adding User Metadata

Use this procedure to add a custom name/value pair. Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click User Metadata to display the page shown in Figure 13-35.

Figure 13-35 User Metadata Administration Page

Step 2 Click New to display the pop-up shown in Figure 13-36.

Figure 13-36 New User Metadata Pop-up

Step 3 Complete the fields, and click Create. The new name/value pair appears on the User Metadata Administration page.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 13-37 Chapter 13 Administration User Metadata Send document feedback to [email protected]. Editing User Metadata

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click User Metadata to display the page shown in Figure 13-37.

Figure 13-37 Selecting User Metadata to Edit

Step 2 Highlight a metadata row, and click Edit to display the pop-up shown in Figure 13-38.

Figure 13-38 Edit User Metadata Pop-up

Step 3 Make any needed changes, and click Save. The changes will display on the User Metadata Administration page.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 13-38 Chapter 13 Administration IP Capture (Live Streaming) Send document feedback to [email protected]. Deleting User Metadata

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click User Metadata to display the page shown in Figure 13-39.

Figure 13-39 User Metadata Administration Page

Step 2 Highlight a metadata row, and click Delete. A confirmation pop-up displays. Step 3 Click OK. The name/value pair is removed from the User Metadata Administration page.

IP Capture (Live Streaming)

Activation To use this feature, you must purchase and install the Live Streaming feature license on the standalone Cisco MXE 3500 or the Resource Manager device.

This section includes the following topics: • IP Capture Overview (Live Streaming), page 13-39 • Adding an IP Capture Source (Live Streaming), page 13-40 • Editing an IP Capture Source (Live Streaming), page 13-42 • Deleting an IP Capture Source (Live Streaming), page 13-43

IP Capture Overview (Live Streaming)

The Cisco MXE 3500 enables ingest of live MPEG-2 and Windows media transport streams over UDP/IP with management, configuration, and status that enable general use of this feature. IP captures are limited to transport streams with MPEG-2 video and AC3/Layer2/AES3 audio essences. Before submitting a job, you must configure the ipCapturePrefilter Worker on the Host Administration page. See also: Adding Workers to a Host, page 13-9. In addition, on the Live Submission page, you set the Video Format to IP Capture and select the IP Capture Source (as defined in Adding an IP Capture Source (Live Streaming), page 13-40), and Start and Stop Trigger Types. See Figure 13-40.

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Figure 13-40 Live Submission Page IP Capture Settings

You may send a start or stop trigger command to the running capture displayed in the Job Status Monitor (assuming start/stop IP triggers were configured with the Live Job Submission) by clicking on the Job, then Tools > IP Trigger. If you are running concurrent IP captures with the same IP capture configuration along with IP triggers, you need to enter a unique ip-capture-name in the UDM field on the Live Submission page to uniquely identify the list of IP captures to send a trigger to. On the Live Submission page, when you select the IP Capture video format, the IP Capture sources are automatically populated (from the names in the configuration page). For the selected IP Capture Source, the name will be automatically populated in the ip-capture-name UDM field. You may choose to manually override this UDM field.

Note While submitting Live jobs with IP Capture for long duration and storing output data in a file, the stop trigger should be set so that it does not overflow the disk space of the system. The stop trigger may vary depending on the encoder configuration and the actual disk space available.

Adding an IP Capture Source (Live Streaming)

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click IP Capture. Step 2 Click New. See Figure 13-41.

Figure 13-41 Creating New IP Capture Source

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Step 3 In the New IP Capture Source pop-up, enter a unique Name, IP Address, Port, Program Map PID, and click Create. The new IP Capture source displays in the list. See Figure 13-42, Figure 13-43, and Figure 13-44. Table 13-14 describes the fields.

Figure 13-42 New IP Capture Source Pop-up

Figure 13-43 Example UDP Source Configuration

Figure 13-44 Example Windows Media Source Configuration

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Table 13-14 IP Capture Source Fields and Descriptions

Field Description Name Unique IP Capture Source name. Protocol Source protocol: UDP, RTP, MMS, or HTTP. IP For MPEG-2 sources: the multicast IP address of the source MPEG-2 Transport Stream. Address The IP addresses reserved for this purpose are from 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255. For Windows Media sources: the source stream URL. Port The multicast port to bind to. Values range from 0 to 65535. Only applicable for UDP and RTP sources. Program Specifies the Program Map Table Packet ID (PMT PID) of the desired program in an Map PID MPEG-2 Multi-Program Transport Stream (MPTS). For MPEG-2 Single Program Transport Streams (SPTS) or if not specified, the first program listed in the Program Map Table is used automatically. Valid values range from 16 to 8190. Only applicable for UDP and RTP sources.

Editing an IP Capture Source (Live Streaming)

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click IP Capture. Step 2 Highlight an IP Capture source, and click Edit. See Figure 13-45.

Figure 13-45 Selecting IP Capture Source to Edit

Step 3 When the Edit IP Capture Source pop-up displays, make any changes to the fields, and click Save. See Figure 13-46. Any changes made are noted in the IP Capture Configuration pane.

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Figure 13-46 Edit IP Capture Source Pop-up

Deleting an IP Capture Source (Live Streaming)

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click IP Capture. Step 2 Highlight an IP Capture source, and click Delete. See Figure 13-47.

Figure 13-47 Selecting IP Capture Source to Delete

Step 3 When the deletion confirmation pop-up displays, click OK. The IP Capture source is removed from the IP Capture Configuration pane.

Video Conversion Interface (SUI)

The Cisco MXE 3500 provides an easy to use Video Conversion Interface that is oriented for end users who want to convert between video formats while providing minimal details. End users access the Video Conversion Interface at http://mxe_IP_address/sui. To use the interface, the user simply points to a video on a local drive, uploads it, and provides a title and description. The user can then request converted output in various file formats with the addition of bumpers, trailers, overlays, and watermarks. No choice of these assets is possible; all are preconfigured through the SUI Administration page.

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Access the SUI administration page from the Toolbox by clicking Administration > SUI Admin.

Figure 13-48 SUI Administration Page

Figure 13-49 shows the General Settings section. Table 13-15 describes the settings.

Figure 13-49 General Settings Section

Table 13-15 General Settings and Descriptions

Field Description Maximum Sets the limit on users who can create accounts. Provisioned Users New User Access Intended to prevent random users from creating accounts. The admin will Code provide this number to each approved user. Note The New user access code is used only if LDAP is not enabled. If LDAP is enabled, users log into SUI using LDAP or Active Directory credentials. Total Disk Space Total amount of disk in GB allocated to user output storage and temporary Quota storage. Temporary storage refers to interim files required during a conversion. These are released when a user’s job completes.

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Table 13-15 General Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Field Description User Disk Space Total amount of disk in GB reserved for each user. Does not count temporary Quota storage while job executes. Admin User ID This is an e-mail address which is the ‘from’ address for user job completion notifications. E-mail is sent from no-reply@[MXE DOMAIN] Email Server Domain URL of e-mail server that you want Cisco MXE 3500 to use.

Figure 13-50 shows the Media File Assets section. Table 13-16 describes the settings.

Figure 13-50 Media File Assets Settings

Table 13-16 Media file Assets Settings and Descriptions

Field Description Bumper File Click Browse to select the bumper file to be attached before the user’s program material in the completed conversion. Trailer File Click Browse to select the trailer file to be attached following the user’s program material in the completed conversion.

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Table 13-16 Media file Assets Settings and Descriptions (continued)

Field Description Watermark File The file that will be superimposed on the video program as a watermark. Note The SUI profiles use a default, Cisco watermark file, watermark.psd.

To replace and permanently delete the Cisco watermark, complete these steps: 1. Name your watermark file watermark.psd. 2. Upload your file. To preserve the Cisco watermark, choose one of these options: 1. RDC to the Windows OS. Go to the media/assets folder. Rename the Cisco watermark.psd file to watermark_cisco.psd. Name your watermark file watermark.psd. Then, upload your file. 2. Name your watermark file whatever you choose. Upload your file. Then, manually modify each SUI profile space preprocessor to reference this new file. Graphic Overlay A Flash SWF file that will be overlaid on the output video, showing user’s text Template input from the Video Conversion Interface such as speaker name and speaker title. Graphic Overlay This is the XML file which is read by the overlay template SWF. Content

Figure 13-51 shows the Show and Share section. Table 13-17 describes the settings.

Figure 13-51 Cisco Show and Share Settings

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Table 13-17 Cisco Show and Share Settings and Descriptions

Field Description Enabled Checkbox that enables upload to Cisco Show and Share, regardless of other (checkbox) settings present. When enabled, user will see a Publish to Show and Share button beside each conversion that uses an SNS file type as output. Authentication Provide the Cisco Show and Share host name and port number to allow the URL Cisco MXE 3500 to communicate with that server. Nominal port number is 443. Admin Userid The admin login name on the Cisco Snow and Share server. Admin Password The admin login password on the Cisco Show and Share server. End Point Location of the Cisco Show and Share API. Use port 443. Upload URL URL on the Cisco Show and Share server where user files are uploaded. Use port 8080. Automatically Check this box to automatically approve for publication on Cisco Show and Approve Video Share for all videos uploaded. If this box is not checked, uploaded videos will (checkbox) wait for an admin to log in and approve them.

Figure 13-52 shows the Stream Server section. Table 13-18 describes the settings.

Figure 13-52 Stream Server Settings

Table 13-18 Stream Server Settings and Descriptions

Field Description Enabled Check this box to enable live streaming of live jobs processed by the Video (checkbox) Conversion Interface. Note The conversion job controlling this activity must also be configured for live streaming.

For instructions on how to use the Video Conversion Interface see Using the Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 Video Conversion Interface on Cisco.com.

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There are two components of API administration, both affecting behavior of the Cisco MXE REST API: authentication mode and authentication password. • Configuring Authentication Mode, page 13-48 • Changing the Authentication Password, page 13-49

Configuring Authentication Mode

Note The authentication mode must be set to unauthenticated mode for Cisco Show and Share integration.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click API Admin. Step 2 Click the + sign beside Configure Authentication Mode. See Figure 13-53.

Figure 13-53 API Admin Page

Step 3 Click Edit. Step 4 Click Authenticated Mode to require basic authentication or Unauthenticated Mode to require no authentication.

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Step 5 Click Save.

Changing the Authentication Password

Note For Cisco Show and Share integration, you do not need to set an authentication password.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click API Admin. Step 2 Click the + sign beside Configure Authentication Password. See Figure 13-53. Step 3 Click Edit. Step 4 Enter and enter again the new password in the input fields. Step 5 Click Save.

LDAP Settings

Use the LDAP Settings page to configure LDAP settings. If LDAP is enabled, SUI user authentication is done with LDAP.

Before You Begin • Ensure that user ID on the LDAP server that you use to authenticate the LDAP configuration settings (1) maps to an attribute that is not composite name and (2) does not require a password change at first log in. Note that the Video Conversion Interface (SUI) requires a single word—not a composite as a user ID —for authentication. • Changes to LDAP mapping require a system reboot to restart the LDAP connection.

Procedure

Step 1 From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click LDAP Settings.

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Figure 13-54 Access LDAP Settings

Step 2 Check Enable LDAP in the LDAP Settings page.

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Figure 13-55 LDAP Settings Page

Step 3 Enter the required information in the input fields. Table 13-19 describes each field.

Note Fields with an asterisk are required.

Table 13-19 LDAP Settings and Descriptions

Field Description Enable LDAP If Enable LDAP is unchecked, all LDAP settings are disabled. (checkbox) LDAP Server IP Address or the fully qualified name of the Enterprise LDAP Server. This field allows 255 alphanumeric characters. LDAP Port Port number to talk to the LDAP Server. This field allows numeric characters only.

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Table 13-19 LDAP Settings and Descriptions

Field Description DN Distinguished Name field on the LDAP Server. This field will allow 255 alphanumeric characters. Search Password The search password along with the email address is used to authenticate the LDAP configuration settings. Search Base Search base field on the LDAP Server. This field allows 255 alphanumeric characters. Validation Email Valid email address. The email address is used to log in to the LDAP Server and validate the LDAP configuration. This field allows 255 alphanumeric characters. (Optional) LDAP If no group is defined, all users from the domain, up to the maximum defined in Group Names the SUI Admin, are allowed to create an account. Maximum number of groups allowed is 10. List each group name on a separate line. Provide the complete group name, for example: CN=LDAP1_all,OU=Employees,OU=People,DC=example,DC=com Note The system does not validate the LDAP Group Names. LDAP Mapping Given Name LDAP given name mapping. This field allows 255 alphanumeric characters. Last Name LDAP last name mapping. This field allows 255 alphanumeric character Email LDAP email mapping. Group Name LDAP group name mapping. This field allows 255 alphanumeric characters. Note The system validates group name mapping only if the LDAP group names are listed in the LDAP Group Names field. User ID LDAP user ID mapping. This field allows 255 alphanumeric characters. Tip Instead of using the default “cn” attribute, you can use the “sAMAccountName” attribute. The “cn” is a composite of last name and first name, such as John Doe, whereas “SAMAaccountName” is a single word (johndoe), which the SUI requires for authentication. Distinguished LDAP DN mapping. Name

Step 4 Click Save.

Shared Folder Access Settings

Use this feature to configure access to shared folders. This sections contains the following topics: • Shared Folder Access Settings Page, page 13-53 • Configuring Access to Shared Folders, page 13-54

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From the Toolbox, expand Administration, and click Shared Folder Access Settings. Figure 13-56 shows the Shared Folder Access Settings page.

Figure 13-56 Shared Folder Access Settings Page

Table 13-20 describes the Active Directory fields.

Table 13-20 AD Settings and Descriptions

Field Description Enable Active Check this field to Enable AD integration. Directory (checkbox) Domain Name The AD domain name. Domain Controller The AD domain controller. Service Account Valid AD user ID. This ties the Cisco MXE 3500 with the AD domain. User Name

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Table 13-20 AD Settings and Descriptions

Field Description Service Account Valid AD password for the Service Account User Name. This ties the Password Cisco MXE 3500 with the AD domain. NetBios Name The Cisco MXE 3500 hostname. This name must match the Cisco MXE 3500 hostname configured in AD. (Optional) Active List one or more group names allowed access to the shared folders. List each Directory Group group name on a separate line. Each group name must be a valid group in the Name(s) AD. Maximum number of groups allowed is 10. If no group is specified, all users in the AD domain will have access to the shared folders.

Configuring Access to Shared Folders

Configure access to the shared folders in one of the following modes: • Open Access Mode, page 13-54 • Active Directory Mode, page 13-54 • Local User Access Mode, page 13-56

Open Access Mode

The open access mode is the default mode for accessing the MXE 3500 shared folders. In this mode, users do not need a username and password to access the shared folders. To enable this mode, uncheck the Secure option in the Enable Secure Access section of the Shared Folder Access Settings page.

Active Directory Mode

• About Active Directory Mode, page 13-54 • Before You Begin, page 13-55 • Enable Active Directory Mode, page 13-55 • Disable Active Directory Mode, page 13-56

About Active Directory Mode The Active Directory (AD) mode allows users access to the Cisco MXE 3500 shared folders with their Enterprise domain login credentials. Integrating with AD eliminates the need to maintain users and their account details on the Cisco MXE 3500 appliance. Users can access the following using their Enterprise login credentials: • The Cisco MXE 3500 Video Conversion Interface. The username and password are verified against the LDAP server in the Enterprise. • The Cisco MXE 3500 shared folders (watch, media, output, temp, and folders shared for a standalone or RM appliance).

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Note The AD settings are saved on the Windows OS under c:\mxe\config with filename activedirectory.properties.

Note If AD is enabled, the administrator manages the mxe-service account and password.

Before You Begin • Ensure that the NTP server is configured. If the NTP server is not configured, see Modifying Network Settings and Admin Password, page 4-2. • Identify or create an account in the AD that is authorized to join the Cisco MXE 3500 to the AD domain. The applications on the Cisco MXE 3500 run as a service. These services are associated with the preconfigured mxe-service user . When AD is implemented, the user associated with the Cisco MXE 3500 services must be changed to a user configured in the AD system.

Enable Active Directory Mode To enable AD, do the following in the Shared Folder Access Settings page:

Step 1 Check Secure. Step 2 Check Enable Active Directory. Step 3 Enter the required information in the input fields.

Tip Fields with an asterix are required.

Step 4 Click Save. Step 5 RDC to mxe_IP_address, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500, to access the Windows OS. Login as admin and enter the password created during initial configuration. Step 6 At the Command Prompt, enter AddServiceUser username password. The username and password are the Service Account Username and Password entered in Step 3. The AddServiceUser.bat script creates the new user on the Windows platform. It then associates all Cisco MXE 3500 services to the new user. Step 7 Restart the Cisco MXE 3500 application: a. SSH to mxe_IP_address. The login prompt appears. b. Login as admin. The Cisco MXE Appliance Configuration Menu displays. c. Select Restart Cisco MXE Application. d. Click OK.

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Disable Active Directory Mode To disable AD, do the following in the Shared Folder Access Settings page:

Step 1 Uncheck Enable Active Directory. Step 2 Click Save. Step 3 RDC to mxe_IP_address, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500, to access the Windows OS. Login as admin and enter the password created during initial configuration. Step 4 At the Command Prompt, enter RestoreServiceUser mxe-service password. The password is the password for the mxe-service user. Step 5 Restart the Cisco MXE 3500 application: a. SSH to mxe_IP_address. The login prompt appears. b. Login as admin. The Cisco MXE Appliance Configuration Menu displays. c. Select Restart Cisco MXE Application. d. Click OK.

Local User Access Mode

The local user access mode allows users access to the MXE 3500 shared folders with a single username and password combination that is set to mxe-user. Users are provided the option to update the password for the shared folder account. Enterprises that do not have an AD or choose not to tie the system with the AD use this mode to secure access to the shared folders. To enable local user access mode, do the following in the Shared Folder Access Settings page:

Step 1 Check Secure. Step 2 Check Local User Access. Step 3 Enter password. Step 4 Click Save.

Additional Administrative Tools

In addition to the administrative tools available on the main the Web User Interface (UI), the Cisco MXE 3500 offers additional features: • Cisco MXE 3500 Tools, page 13-57: Allows you to preview Preprocessor Profile clips or create/edit QuickTime Encoder Profiles • Profile Converter, page 13-58: Normalizes any pre-existing profiles you may have into formats that are acceptable to the current Profile Editor, thereby preventing profile-related job failures. • Database Configuration, page 13-66: A simple management utility that allows you to set up, configure, migrate, and update your Cisco MXE 3500 database.

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• Log Viewer, page 13-67: Allows you to view events taking place across a Cisco MXE 3500 installation.

Cisco MXE 3500 Tools

To access Cisco MXE 3500 Tools, click on the Cisco desktop icon or click Start > All Programs > Cisco > Media Experience Engine > Media Experience Engine Tools.

Note The Cisco MXE 3500 Tools feature does not work interactively with the Cisco MXE 3500 UI.

Click the Cisco icon in the upper left corner to view the Cisco MXE 3500 Tools menu. See Figure 13-57.

Figure 13-57 Accessing Cisco MXE 3500 Tools Options

See also: • Previewing Preprocessor Clips, page 6-40 • Creating a QuickTime Encoder Profile, page 7-53 • Editing a QuickTime Encoder Profile, page 7-54

Setting Independent Profile Space

The Cisco MXE 3500 Tools application has the ability to set a profile space independently of the Cisco MXE 3500 UI profile space. Procedure

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Step 1 Launch Cisco MXE 3500 Tools. Step 2 Click the Cisco icon in the upper left corner. Step 3 Click Options in the lower right corner. See Figure 13-58.

Figure 13-58 Tools Options

Step 4 From the drop-down, select the Profile Space you want to use.

Note Specify the Server Name and Port of the system when Cisco MXE 3500 Tools is installed on an LCS node (controlling the deck) and the ECS, and Cisco MXE 3500 UI are installed on separate machines. Otherwise the ECS and UI Server Names are typically the same.

Profile Converter

The purpose of the Cisco MXE 3500 Profile Converter is to update, through a Wizard, pre-existing profiles so that they are editable by someone using the Cisco MXE 3500 UI. The Profile Converter applies dependency rules and defaults that normalize the profiles and ensure that they will be acceptable to the current Profile Editor in the MXE 3500 UI. In addition to making the profiles compatible with the Cisco MXE 3500, the Profile Converter sets proper defaults and corrects for settings that do not fall into the valid range of values. For example, a setting that is out of range may be corrected, or a tag may list a feature that does not exist in the profile definition. Converted profiles should be evaluated and tested to verify that any changes made during the conversion produce the expected transcoding results in the Cisco MXE 3500. The Profile Converter produces an upgrade log that is written to the root of the selected profile directory before the wizard exits. The upgrade log is an HTML document that can be viewed with a browser. It displays changes and modifications made to each profile, as well as errors that may have occurred during processing.

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Note Profile customizations that are made by manual editing of XML will not be preserved by the conversion process, and their omission will not be reported in the log file. If profiles are not converted, the UI Profile Browser may not be able to load them. However, while not editable, these profiles are compatible for use with the Cisco MXE 3500.

When the Profile Converter runs, it makes a back-up of any profile that it changes. The back-ups are located in the same directory as the profile that was updated with a .bak file extension.

Note The user running the Profile Converter must have write permission to the profile directory being converted.

See also: Profile Converter Log Entries, page 13-61.

Running the Profile Converter

The Profile Converter scans one profile directory at a time and scans for files to upgrade to Cisco MXE 3500 profile standards. The converter is a wizard that runs in several stages: Procedure

Step 1 Click Start > All Programs > Cisco > Media Experience Engine > Media Experience Engine Profile Converter. The Welcome screen displays. See Figure 13-59.

Figure 13-59 Profile Converter Welcome Screen

Step 2 Click Next. At the next screen, Browse to the location of the profiles you want to convert. See Figure 13-60.

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Figure 13-60 Selecting the Profile Directory

Step 3 Click Next. A list of profiles that will be scanned displays. Review the list, and click Next. See Figure 13-61.

Figure 13-61 Profiles to Scan List

Step 4 The bar shows the progress of the scan. See Figure 13-62.

Figure 13-62 Scan Progress Bar

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Step 5 When the scan is complete, the Profile Converter displays a list of Profiles that Require Conversion. Review the list, and click Next. Step 6 When the conversion is complete, the Profile Conversion Complete screen displays. If you want to view the Conversion Log, check the box, and click Finish. If not, uncheck the box, and click Finish. See Figure 13-63.

Figure 13-63 Profile Conversion Complete

Profile Converter Log Entries

When you run the Profile Converter, a conversion log is produced. The log contains two main types of log messages: • The largest number of log messages are tag additions. New tags never cause a problem, and the log message is informational only. • The second main class of messages is value change. In many cases the profile value was incorrect, and in some cases, the correct value could not be determined. In these cases, the default value is set and the change logged. These messages should be examined closely since you may need to open the profile and reset the specific parameter that was changed by the Profile Converter.

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Table 13-21 describes the log entries.

Table 13-21 Profile Converter Log Entries Descriptions Log Entry Description Tag(s) FL8 and Flash Incorrectly fixes UI bug that mismatched parameters.output-format output-format and output-extension values. The Profile Converter changes Flash-8-FLV to Flash-8-SWF to match incorrect swf extension. It should change swf to flv. FL8 These three tag values contained the list values not the export.output.extension selected value in two profiles. The Profile Converter parameters.output-format chooses the default. It is not possible to determine what the desired values were. parameters.video.codec FL8 parameters.video.bit-rate-control.override-quantizer parameters.video.bit-rate-control.quality is changed to correct tag name parameters.video.bit-rate-control.quality FL8 Correctly changes bitrate control values that are parameters.video.bitrate-control.quality higher than allowed to the maximum value. FL8 Correctly changes export max video bitrate value to export.encoder.max-video-bitrate match the parameters value. FL8 Correctly changes export max height value to match export.encoder.max-height the parameters value. FL8 Correctly adds numerous new tags, for example parameters.grid parameters.video.keyframe-control parameters.video.bitrate-control.peak-bit-rate parameters.video.fixed-quality.enabled parameters.video.temporal-resampling.enabled FL8 Incorrectly handles export max audio bitrate values parameters.audio.bit-rate set to 0. The export value is changed to the default export.encoder.max-audio-bitrate value [32] and then the parameters audio bitrate value is set to the default value that the export parameter was set to [32]. If a conversion log has this issues, the profile must be hand edited to set the max audio bitrate export value to the correct value from the parameters audio bitrate. H.264 Fixes bad worker parameters. Constant quality parameters.video.bit-rate-control.mode encode mode is no longer dependant on encode mode VBR and avg. bit rate 0. When converted, it uses only encode mode = VBR-CQT. H.264 Correctly fixes export audio bitrate value. export.encoder.max-audio-bitrate

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Table 13-21 Profile Converter Log Entries Descriptions (continued) Log Entry Description Tag(s) H.264 Correctly adds numerous new tags, for example: parameters.video.write-sequence-parameter-set parameters.subtitles + all subtags to this parameters.video.vbv-buffer.initial-fullness parameters.video.aspect-ratio.enabled parameters.video.advanced-settings.cr-offset parameters.video.scene-change-detection.mode MPEG Incorrectly sets parameters channel mono value to parameters.audio.codec.channels stereo to match export.encoder value. The export export.encoder. audio-channels block value is incorrect due to a UI bug that always sets the export block to stereo. MPEG Correctly restores Layer 2 so that no conversion is parameters.audio.bit-rate necessary on the type. Because the audio bitrates are export.encoder.max-audio-bitrate updated, it is possible that the audio bitrate can be correctly changed. MPEG Correctly adds new tags, for example: parameters.video.afd.enabled parameters.video.afd.value parameters.subtitles + all subtags to this parameters.video.vbv-buffer-type parameters.video.vbv-buffer-size MPEG Incorrectly sets the multiplexer stream value for parameters.multiplexer.stream profiles created in previous interfaces. The previous parameters.multiplexer.stream-display interface used a numeric stream-display value while the new UI uses a string value. The stream-display parameter was used by the UI only because of the limitations of the previous UIs. The new UI does not have this limitation, and the stream-display parameter is obsolete. The profile can be hand edited to remove the value, or set to the correct string value from the previous UI.

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Table 13-21 Profile Converter Log Entries Descriptions (continued) Log Entry Description Tag(s) MPEG Unintended FTP value conversion parameters.video.fps Action: Modify export.encoder.max-fps Tag: parameters.video.fps Old Value: 23.97 New Value: 29.97 Action: Modify Tag: export.encoder.max-fps Old Value: 23.97 New Value: 29.97 Problem: 23.97 is not a valid value. If the MPEG profile was created using an ASP.UI, the profile may save this 23.97 value. 29.97 is the default. Solution: Edit profile in the new UI to 23.976 MPEG Unintended audio channels conversion parameters.audio.codec.channels Action: Modify Tag: parameters.audio.codec.channels Old Value: stereo New Value: mono Problem: There are two competing values in the profile: 1) export.encoder.audio-channels = stereo 2) parameters.audio.code.channels = mono Trying to load a profile in the UI results in a profile error: "Drop-down control 'mpegAChannels' cannot be mapped with the given values from its tags." Solution: Set profile export block manually to the value of mono. MPEG Incorrectly changes sample rate values if sample rate parameters.audio.codec.sample-rate is not equal to 44.1 hz in parameters.audio(1-8).codec.sample-rate blocks. The profile contains a sample rate value in each audio group, but currently all sample rates must be the same. Thus, any values other that 44.1 hz will be changed by the setting of the audio groups 2-8 sample rate default values. MS Correctly adds numerous new tags, for example: parameters.video.aspect-ratio.enabled parameters.video.aspect-ratio.type parameters.video.aspect-ratio.x-ratio parameters.video.aspect-ratio.y-ratio

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Table 13-21 Profile Converter Log Entries Descriptions (continued) Log Entry Description Tag(s) MS Incorrectly handles previous UI bug where targets 2-5 export.encoder.max-fps have incorrect precision (2 instead of 3) for max-fps. parameters.target.video.max-fps The Profile Converter uses the truncated target value instead of the correct export value. PP Correctly fixes bug where list of keys was saved out parameters.video.philips-forensic-watermark.key-ind as default value and not 1 (first key). ex PP Correctly adds numerous new tags, for example: Parameters.video.motion-compensation Parameters.video.vertical-shift.num-lines Parameter.burn-in.subtitiles.enabled PP Correctly fixes audio low pass values that exceed the parameters.audio.low-pass maximum to the maximum allowed value. PP Correctly fixes the field parameters.video.unsharp-mask-radius parameters.video.unsharp-mask-radius, correcting cases where the unsharp mask radius was greater than the maximum allowed value. PP Correctly fixes an issue with the field parameters.burn-in.timecode.font-height-pct parameters.burn-in.timecode.font-height-pct, where the profile had a value that was below the minimum allowed value for this field. PP Correctly fixes cases where parameters.video.watermark[1].height parameters.video.watermark[1].height is greater than the maximum allowed value for the field. PP Correctly fixes cases where export.encoder.fast-start export.encoder.fast-start equaled No instead of 1. PP Correctly fixes cases where parameters.video.color-range parameters.video.color-range is Off instead of Pass. (Off is the displayed value and not the correct saved value for this field). QT UI fps values can have several bugs. 1) the 404 patch parameters.media.target-fps bug with fps truncated to two decimal places. 2) the export.encoder.max-fps export block value is incorrectly translated by string to decimal function and contains extra decimal places. 3) when using QuickTime API values, the parameters fps value is not updated, creating conflicting values. The Profile Converter uses the correct export value. QT UI channel values can differ when using QuickTime parameters.media.audio.channels API values. The previous UI did not update the export.encoder. audio-channels parameters value with the API value, only the export block. If the two are different, the Profile Converter uses the correct export block value.

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Table 13-21 Profile Converter Log Entries Descriptions (continued) Log Entry Description Tag(s) REAL Correctly adds numerous new tags, for example: export.encoder.archive export.encoder.immediate parameters.audio.tracks.track-1 parameters.complexity parameters.startup-latency parameters.quality parameters.target[x].video.maxbit-rate REAL Audio bitrate and sample rate values are modified to the default value. When this occurs, the value in the profile is not valid for the latest music/voice value lists. Thus, the default values are substituted. This case is almost always in disabled targets 2-5, meaning it has no effect on the encoded output. In other rare cases, the default values are incorrect and should be manually modified to the closest valid value. WAV Correctly fixes previous UI bug that used incorrect export/encoder/max-audio-bitrate values for sample rate and sample size to compute max-audio-bitrate. WEBCAST Correctly adds missing tags with the correct default parameters.server[x].server-cdn values. This includes profiles with only five server parameters.server[6-10].enabled tags; The Profile Converter adds five more and child tags. parameters.server[6].user-password

Database Configuration

The Database Configuration Tool is normally used during the installation process to set up, configure, and migrate databases. However, it may also be used by administrators needing to update or maintain their database. This tool offers a simple user interface that allows you to: • Create a new, properly configured Cisco MXE 3500 production database. • Upgrade replaces Cisco MXE 3500 production database with a newer version • Export the system configuration information to an external file. This preserves system setup and customization data. • Import previously stored system configuration information for reconfiguring new or updated systems. • Remove old job information. You define purging parameters. To access the Cisco MXE 3500 Database Configuration tool • Click Start > All Programs > Cisco > Media Experience Engine > Media Experience Engine Configuration. See Figure 13-64.

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Figure 13-64 Database Configuration Tool

Log Viewer

The Log Viewer is not supported in Release 3.2.

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CHAPTER 14

Job Monitoring and Management

This section includes the following topics: • Job Status, page 14-1 • Timed Job Status, page 14-15 • System Status, page 14-17 • Health Status, page 14-19

Job Status

This section includes the following topics: • Job Status Overview, page 14-1 • Monitoring Jobs, page 14-3 • Monitoring Tasks, page 14-5 • Viewing Output Clip, page 14-7 • Viewing Directory/Watch Status, page 14-7 • Showing Job XML, page 14-8 • Rescheduling Jobs, page 14-9 • Stopping Jobs, page 14-10 • Deleting Jobs, page 14-11 • Resetting Job Priority, page 14-12 • Filtering Jobs, page 14-13

Job Status Overview

View job status and perform tasks related to job status from with the Job Status Monitor. It displays all jobs that have not been reaped (deleted by the system). To access the Job Status Monitor: • From the toolbox, select Monitoring > Job Status OR

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• From the main menu, select View > Monitoring > Job Status See Figure 14-1.

Figure 14-1 Job Status Monitor Upper Pane

The Job Status Monitor upper pane displays the jobs that are currently pending, running, complete, or failed. Jobs are color coded based on their status. See also: Monitoring Jobs, page 14-3. The jobs displayed may disappear as you are viewing them because the system automatically removes (reaps) jobs based on the Auto Reap Interval. The Auto Reap Interval specifies how long job information displays on the Job Status Monitor before it is cleared from the Monitor. When the system reaps jobs, it removes data that has been processed and completed. The Auto Reap Interval begins from the time a job completes (or when it fails). The upper pane of the Job Status Monitor provides job information as described in Table 14-1.

Table 14-1 Job Status Fields

Field Name Description Job ID Displays the job ID number as generated by the host. Job Profile Name Displays the name of the job profile that was defined when the watch was set up. Title Displays the job title that was defined when the watch was set up. Author Displays the author of the job that was defined when the watch was set up. Submit Time Displays the time when the job was automatically submitted for processing. This column can be sorted by last submitted job or by first submitted job. Priority Displays the job priority that was defined when the watch was set up. Priority can be 1 - 100, with 1 being the highest priority. Status Displays the status of the job as it is being processed. Values are: • Pending: The job is currently in the queue and has not started. • Running: The job is currently running. • Completed: The job has successfully completed. • Failed: The job failed or the user manually stopped the job. • Stopped: User stopped the job.

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Note Click any of the headings (Job ID, Job Profile Name, etc.) at the top of the Job Status Monitor to sort the open jobs by the selected field. By default, jobs are sorted from most recently submitted to earliest submitted.

If all jobs do not display, use the scroll bars to view the remaining jobs.

Job Options On the Job Status Monitor page, click the arrow to the right of the Job Options button to display the following. Most of the options are self-explanatory, except that Reschedule resubmits the entire job from scratch, and Retry resubmits failed or dependent tasks only. Retry is particularly useful, for example, when the encoding has completed but distribution fails. See Figure 14-2.

Figure 14-2 Job Options

See also: Monitoring Tasks, page 14-5.

Monitoring Jobs

Monitor the status of all jobs submitted in the Cisco MXE 3500 system from the Job Status Monitor page. To access the page, from the Toolbox, expand Monitoring, and click Job Status. Each job contains multiple tasks. To view the tasks associated with a job and their status, double-click the job row in the upper pane (shown here in blue). The tasks display in the lower pane on the Tasks tab. See Figure 14-3.

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Figure 14-3 Job Status Monitor Page

This page shows several jobs that are in progress or that have recently been completed. Jobs are color-coded based on the status described in Table 14-2.

Table 14-2 Job Status Color Coding

Status Color Description Pending Yellow The job has been submitted, but work has not yet begun. Running Green The job has been submitted and work has begun. The job stays in Running status until all tasks in the Job Profile have been executed or until the job is determined to have failed. Completed Blue All the tasks in the job profile have completed successfully. Failed Red One or more tasks in the Job Profile could not be completed successfully. For example, if communication with an FTP service cannot be established, the job will fail because the distribution task cannot be completed successfully. Similarly, if you stop a job, it will fail with the following error message: user stop request. If a job fails, select the Errors tab for a summary of errors that have occurred. (To obtain additional details on why jobs failed, contact your Cisco MXE 3500 administrator.) Take the necessary actions to correct any jobs that have failed, and resubmit or reschedule the job. You may also view the XML code for a selected job for more detail on how it is being processed. See also: Showing Job XML, page 14-8. Stopped Orange User stopped the job.

Tip If all of the jobs are not displayed, use the scroll bars to view the remaining jobs.

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The lower pane of the Job Status Monitor displays job tasks or job errors, depending on which tab you select. Double-click a job in the upper pane to display its tasks or errors in the lower pane. See Figure 14-4.

Figure 14-4 Job Status Monitor Tasks

Each task within the job, and its status, are listed. Task fields are described in Table 14-3.

Table 14-3 Task Field

Field Name Description Task ID Displays a unique numerical ID the Cisco MXE 3500 assigns to each task within the job. Task Type The task type represents the specific type of task that is executed by a given worker (examples: Preprocessor, Flash encoder, File Manager, etc.) on a specific node. The tasks are defined by the Job Profile selected for the job. See also: Job Profiles, page 5-1. Begin Time Displays the time when the task was started. Complete Time Displays the time when the task was completed.

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Table 14-3 Task Field (continued)

Field Name Description % Complete Displays the percentage of the task that is currently complete. Note For Speech to Text tasks, the numbers displayed here represent time elapsed. Task Status Displays the current status of the task. Possible values are: • Dependent Task: Execution is dependent on one or more other task status events (start or complete events). • Pending: The task is waiting to be scheduled. • Provisioned Task: The task has acquired license(s) and a node worker. It is now waiting for notification from the LCS that the task has started. • Running: The task is being executed by a worker on an LCS node. • StopRequest: The task is being halted by the scheduler or operator. A terminate request was sent to the LCS. Waiting for a confirmation from LCS that the task is complete. • Succeeded: The task has completed successfully. • Failed: The task failed on the LCS or was invalid. • UserStopped: The task was stopped at the request of the operator. It will not be rescheduled. • ConditionNotMet: The task cannot be run because a start condition will never be met. • Preempted: The system or operator preempted the task execution. Task should be rescheduled.

Viewing Errors

Click the Errors tab to view task error information as described in Table 14-4.

Table 14-4 Error Fields

Field Name Description Task ID Displays the ID number of the task that was running when the error occurred. Task Type Describes the type of task that was being performed when the error occurred. Failure Describes the error. Typically, these are warning or error level messages returned from Message a given worker executing a task.

Error Types and Possible Solutions There are many types of errors that might display, including the following: • Network errors or permission issues: Try rescheduling the job to see if the network errors clear, and/or recheck permissions. (To obtain additional details on network and permission issues, contact your Cisco MXE 3500 administrator.) • Errors related to Folder Attendant not running: View the Folder Attendant Log to determine a possible cause.

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• Errors related to the system not running: Contact your Cisco MXE 3500 administrator. • Errors related to jobs failing: Check to see that job profiles are set correctly and that valid media is chosen for that profile, and resubmit the job. See also: Troubleshooting Cisco MXE 3500.

Viewing Output Clip

To view the output clip, from the Tasks menu, right-click a task, and click View Output Clip. See Figure 14-5.

Figure 14-5 Viewing Output Clip from Job Monitor Tasks Menu

Note You may only view clips from the same domain on which the clip resides.

Viewing Directory/Watch Status

The Folder Attendant Administration page shows the directories and watches that have been defined. See Figure 14-6.

Figure 14-6 Configured Directories and Watches

If a directory has been defined, but a watch has not been defined for the directory, the Profile, State and # Files fields are blank for the directory. If a watch has been defined for the directory, those fields are populated. Table 14-5 shows the field that are displayed.

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Table 14-5 Folder Attendant Administration Page Fields

Field Name Description Directory Displays the name of the directory currently being monitored. This information is entered when you add a new directory. Profile Displays the profile of the watch, as defined in your Cisco MXE 3500 system that applies to the managed directory. A watch is a unique combination of the Directory and Profile. This information is entered when you add a new watch. If this field is blank, a watch has not been setup for this directory. Priority Displays the job priority of the watch. This information is entered when you add a new watch. If this field is blank, a watch has not been set up for this directory. State Displays the availability of the monitored directory. Possible values are: • Online: Directory is currently being monitored. • Offline: Directory cannot be accessed by Folder Attendant for monitoring (probably because of an error). • Disabled: User has disabled the directory so it cannot be monitored. # Files Displays the number of files (media or XML) submitted in the monitored directory. The information is filled in automatically from the Cisco MXE 3500. If this field is blank, a watch has not been set up for this directory.

You can also filter the directories that are displayed in this page to view only those directories of interest.

Showing Job XML

Job XML provides detailed instructions used by the Cisco MXE 3500 system to execute a job. If you encounter any job submission problems, the Cisco MXE 3500 Technical Support Team may request XML code (and log files) to assist them in troubleshooting the issues. Procedure

Step 1 Access the Job Status Monitor page. Step 2 Select the job, and click Show Job XML. See Figure 14-7.

Figure 14-7 Show Job XML

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Step 3 The XML code displays on a new page. Step 4 If all of the XML code is not displayed in the page, use the scroll arrows on the right side of the page to view all the code. Step 5 When you are done viewing the XML, select the X in the top right corner to return to the Job Status Monitor page.

Rescheduling Jobs

Rescheduling a job will re-queue it. If the job is currently running, all of its tasks are stopped, and then the job is rescheduled. If you reschedule a job that has failed, it will attempt to run again, as soon as it is able. When you reschedule jobs, you do not have the option of specifying an exact time when they will run. If there was a network problem that prevented the job from running, you can reschedule the job after the network problem clears to attempt to process it successfully. However, if the job failed because of a problem with the profile, examine the Error tab on the Job Status Monitor page and the LCS log file, make the necessary changes, and then resubmit the job. Procedure

Step 1 Access the Job Status Monitor page. Step 2 Select the job(s), and from the Job Options drop-down, click Reschedule. See Figure 14-8.

Figure 14-8 Select Job to be Rescheduled

A message displays at the top of the page indicating that the job has been successfully rescheduled. See Figure 14-9.

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Figure 14-9 Successful Reschedule Message

Step 3 Double-click the job to monitor its progress.

Stopping Jobs

You may choose to stop a job for a number of reasons: You may have chosen the wrong profile, or the job may be taking too long to process and you want to stop it to free up resources for other more critical jobs. If you stop a job, the status of the job will change to Stopped. Procedure

Step 1 To stop a job, access the Job Status Monitor page. Step 2 Select the job(s), and from the Job Options drop-down (or right-click menu), click Stop. See Figure 14-10. A stop confirmation message displays.

Figure 14-10 Select the Job(s) to Stop

Step 3 Select OK to stop the selected job(s). A message displays at the top of the Job Status Monitor page indicating the ID number of the job that was stopped. The Status field updates with the current status (failed). Step 4 Select the Errors tab to view the Failure Message. See Figure 14-11.

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Figure 14-11 Selected Jobs Have Been Stopped

Deleting Jobs

When you delete a job, it no longer appears in the status monitor and cannot be stopped, rescheduled, or viewed. Any job (in any state) can be deleted. Procedure

Step 1 Access the Job Status Monitor page. Step 2 Select the job, and from the Job Options drop-down, select Delete. See Figure 14-12. A delete confirmation message displays.

Figure 14-12 Select the Job to be Deleted

Step 3 Select OK to delete the selected job(s). A message displays indicating which job has been deleted. The deleted job is removed from the job list. See Figure 14-13.

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Figure 14-13 Selected Job Has Been Deleted

Resetting Job Priority

Increase or decrease the priority of a job to change the order in which jobs are processed if multiple jobs are pending. Job priority can be set from 1-100 with 1 as highest priority and 100 as lowest priority. Jobs with higher priority (a lower priority number) will be processed before jobs with lower priority.

Note Job Priority is a goal for the Cisco MXE 3500 system. Due to resource availability and the job profile selected, a lower priority job may still be scheduled before a higher priority job. There are also special cases where certain higher priority jobs can preempt a lower priority job (as in the case with live jobs) if there are no resources available. You can only set (or reset) job priority if you have a Resource Manager license.

Procedure

Step 1 Access the Job Status Monitor page. Step 2 Select the job(s), and from the Job Options drop-down menu, select Reset Job Priority. See Figure 14-14.

Figure 14-14 Select the Jobs for which Priority Will be Reset

Step 3 A Reset Job Priority pop-up displays. Enter the new number (1-100), and click Set Priority. The following message displays, and the Priority field is updated. See Figure 14-15.

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Figure 14-15 Priority for the Selected Job Reset

Filtering Jobs

The Filter button on the Job Status Monitor page allows you to display a subset of all the jobs. Filter jobs using any of the following parameters (or any combination of these parameters): • Job ID • Job Profile Name • Title • Author • Submit Time • Priority • Status

Note Even if jobs are filtered, they are still being processed as usual. This function only limits the number of jobs displayed on the page.

Procedure

Step 1 Access the Job Status Monitor page. See Figure 14-16.

Figure 14-16 Jobs Before Filters Have Been Applied

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Step 2 Select the Filter button from the menu bar. The Job Status Filter pop-up displays. See Figure 14-17.

Figure 14-17 Job Status Filter Pop-Up

Step 3 Complete one or more fields to specify how to filter the job status display. For example, if you enter All Streaming in the Job Profile field, that means that only the jobs that have the All Streaming profile are displayed. The filtering fields are described in the following table:

Table 14-6 Directory Filter Fields

Field Name Description Job ID Enter the unique numerical Job ID for the job to be displayed. Job Profile Enter the name of the job profile for the job(s) to be displayed. Name Title Enter the title of the job to be displayed. Priority Enter a numerical priority (between 1 and 100). If the priority for the selected job matches this priority, the job will be displayed. Author Enter the author of the job(s) to be displayed. Status Select the status of the job(s) to be displayed from the drop-down menu. Submit Time Select a start date and time, an end date and time, or both by checking the appropriate boxes. Enter the start and finish data using the calendar selection box to the right of the data fields. Enter the start and end time in hh:mm:ss format.

Step 4 When you have complete the desired fields, click Set Filter. The Job Status Monitor page is updated and displays only jobs matching the filter fields.

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This section includes the following topics: • Timed Job Status Overview, page 14-15 • Working with Jobs in Timed Job Monitor, page 14-16 • Cancelling Future Timed Jobs, page 14-17 • Pausing and Removing Timed Jobs, page 14-17

Timed Job Status Overview

The Timed Job Status page is used to display summary information on timed jobs that are essentially on hold until their designated Start Time. Timed jobs are created by checking the Enable Timed Submission box on the Job Submission page. See Figure 14-18.

Figure 14-18 Timed Job Status Monitor

Table 14-7 Timed Job Status Monitor Headings and Descriptions

Heading Description Job ID Displays the job ID number as generated by the host. Title Displays the job title that was defined when the watch was set up. Author Displays the user who submitted the job or the user-supplied information added in the Author metadata field on the Job Submission page. Start Time Indicates the date and time that the job is scheduled to begin. These values are set in the Start Date and Start Time fields of the Job Submission page. Priority Displays the number that corresponds to the priority assigned on the Job Submission page. Priority can be between 1 and 100, with 1 having the highest priority. Last Added Displays the last time a recurring job was added. Recurring jobs are submitted when the first instance is processed, and again with each new instance. The Last Added date will reflect the date and time that the last instance of the job was submitted.

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Table 14-7 Timed Job Status Monitor Headings and Descriptions (continued)

Heading Description Period Displays the Repeat Interval for the job in seconds. The Repeat Interval is defined using the Repeat Every or the Repeat Interval field on the Job Submission page. Status Displays the status of the job as it is being processed. Possible values are: • Active: Identifies jobs that are set to execute at the time assigned as the Start Time. Active Jobs are identified by a blue background. • Inactive: Identifies jobs that have been paused by a user. Inactive jobs are identified by a yellow background. • Completed: This one time only job has finished.

Working with Jobs in Timed Job Monitor

Figure 14-19 shows available Timed Job Monitor options. Table 14-8 describes the options.

Figure 14-19 Timed Job Monitor Job Options

Table 14-8 Timed Job Options and Descriptions

Job Option Description Delete Deletes the job from the Timed Job Monitor. This ends the cycle of submission for recurring timed jobs. Note Recurring jobs that are no longer needed should be deleted. Leaving unnecessary recurring jobs in the Timed Status view means that the jobs will continue to be submitted. This will result in either unnecessary jobs being processed, or failed jobs because all of the requirements for the timed job are no longer being met. Pause Temporarily prevents the job from processing, even if the Start Time arrives. Pausing a job changes the status of the job from Active to Inactive. Resume Changes an Inactive (paused) job to Active.

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Procedure

Step 1 In the Timed Job Monitor, right-click a job. Step 2 Click Delete Job. Step 3 When the delete confirmation pop-up displays, click OK.

Pausing and Removing Timed Jobs

Procedure

Step 1 To pause a timed job: a. In the Timed Job Monitor, right-click a job. b. Click Pause Job. The job moves to the top of the list, and displays a status of Inactive. Step 2 To resume a timed job: a. In the Timed Job Monitor, right-click a job. b. Click Resume Job. The job moves back to its original position, and displays a status of Active.

System Status

This section includes the following topics: • System Status Overview, page 14-17 • Working with the System Status Monitor, page 14-18

System Status Overview

View information about system components currently involved in processing jobs with the System Status Monitor. This page displays one line of information for each host in the system. Each line contains bars that represent an encoder or other worker. To access the System Status Monitor: • From the Toolbox, select Monitoring > System Status or • From the main menu, select View > Monitoring > System Status See Figure 14-20.

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Figure 14-20 System Status Monitor

The name of the host is displayed in the first column, followed by bars which represent the tasks currently running on the host. The colored bars for each task indicate the type of worker that is running, the Job ID, and the percentage of the task that is complete. For example, the two colored bars below indicate: • A Microsoft encoder running Job ID #28 is 2% complete. • A prefilter running Job ID #28 is 0% complete. If the status area extends beyond the visible area, use the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the page to view all tasks for the host. The status area only shows tasks that are currently running. Once tasks are complete, they no longer display. Similarly, encoders and other workers for which you do not hold that license will not run, and therefore, will not appear on the System Status Monitor.

Note The Max Cap value that appears on the right side of the pane displays the maximum number of tasks that can run on one node at one time. Capacity is set on the Host Administration page. See also: Host Administration, page 13-2.

Working with the System Status Monitor

The System Status Monitor allows you to interact with running tasks. See Figure 14-21 shows the options. Table 14-9 describes the options.

Figure 14-21 System Status Monitor Right-click Options

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Table 14-9 System Status Options and Descriptions

Option Description Set Offline Sets the worker offline, making it temporarily inaccessible to the ECS. A currently running task will be completed before the worker is made unavailable. Preempt Takes the selected task away from the host so that the next available task can start immediately. The preempted task is maintained in the queue to be run as soon as a resource is available. Preempting a task is not the same as stopping a job. Preempting a task changes the order in which tasks will be performed, it does not put the preempted task on hold in any other way. Preempt and Preempts the selected task and sets the worker offline. The task is interrupted and Set Offline reassigned to another host and the worker is taken offline immediately.

Health Status

This section includes the following topics: • Health Status Overview, page 14-19 • Working with the Health Status Monitor, page 14-21

Health Status Overview

Each host configured to function as part of the Cisco MXE 3500 is assigned tasks depending on the workers configured for that Host. The Health Status Monitor allows you to track the performance of these workers over time. See Figure 14-22.

Figure 14-22 Health Status Monitor

Each row in the Health Status Monitor reflects workers run on a particular host. The Host is listed in the column at the far left, and each block in the row shows statistics on an individual worker. Information about each worker is displayed in the worker blocks in two ways: • Color, page 14-20 • Health Counter, page 14-20

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Color

The color of the worker block indicates the general performance history, or health, of the worker on that particular host. Table 14-10 describes the job options.

Table 14-10 Timed Job Options and Descriptions

Job Option Description Green Indicates a worker in good health. Workers that always complete tasks successfully will be displayed in green. Yellow Indicates a warning. Workers that complete the majority of tasks successfully, but do report failure on some tasks will be displayed in yellow. This indicates to the administrator that the worker is generally successful, but may need to be monitored if the number of failed tasks increases. Red Indicates a worker that requires attention. Workers that fail to complete tasks successfully more often than not will be displayed in red. This indicates to the administrator that the worker is not performing as expected and requires attention. Brown Indicates a worker that has been paused or set offline. Offline workers are unavailable to accept work assignments from the ECS. An offline worker displays the word Paused for the duration of the time that it remains offline. Note Only users who have been granted Administration privileges in the User Administration page are able to set workers offline.

Health Counter

The values shown in the health counter reveal more detailed information about the performance of the worker. Where color gives a general reading of the health of the worker, the health counter reflects the exact number of times that the worker has failed to complete compared to the total number of times the worker has been run. The first number indicates the number of failures. The second number indicates the total number of times the worker has run since the last time the ECS was restarted. See Figure 14-23.

Figure 14-23 Health Counter

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The Options menu in the Health Status Monitor allows you to interact with workers. This menu can also be accessed by right-clicking any worker block in the list. See Figure 14-24. Table 14-11 describes the job options.

Figure 14-24 Health Status Monitor Options

Table 14-11 Timed Job Options and Descriptions

Job Option Description Set Online Sets an offline worker back online to resume work. The worker will return to an active state in which it is available to accept tasks assigned by the ECS. This will have no effect on a worker that is not offline. Set Offline Sets a worker offline, preventing it from receiving new task assignments. This can be used to bypass a worker experiencing a high rate of failure or to test and verify configuration changes. For testing, the administrator makes changes to a worker on a specific host and then sets all other instances of that worker offline. This forces the ECS to direct jobs to the desired host to verify the configuration change. Note Setting a worker offline is typically used as a temporary measure during system tuning or troubleshooting until the administrator is able to isolate potential causes of failure. Preempt Stops all tasks of the type reflected in the selected Health Status block. For example, the block reporting the health of the Flash 8 encoder is preempted, all Flash 8 encoding tasks currently running will be preempted. Preempted tasks will remain in the queue and will be run when a resource is available. Preempt and Stops tasks of the type reflected in the selected Health Status block and sets the Set Offline worker offline so that it is unavailable to accept new tasks. Preempted tasks will remain in the queue and will be run when a resource is available.

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Table 14-11 Timed Job Options and Descriptions (continued)

Job Option Description Reset Counter Temporarily resets the health counter ratio for the selected worker back to zero. This allows the administrator to watch new jobs as they are submitted to determine the rate of failure. This is useful mostly for troubleshooting a specific worker that is experiencing a high rate of failure on a particular host. The health counter will reflect the failure rate for total jobs since the ECS was rebooted once the administrator navigates away from the Status page. Reset All Temporarily resets the health counter ratio for all workers back to zero. This allows Counters the administrator to watch all new jobs as they are submitted to monitor the current performance of workers. This is useful during troubleshooting when current statistics are more useful than performance over time. The health counter will again reflect the failure rate for total jobs since the ECS was rebooted once the administrator navigates away from the Status page. Note The total failure rate since the ECS was restarted is stored in the database. The reset option on this menu allows tracking of processed jobs while the page is open, independent of the recorded statistics in the database. Opening the page in a new window allows the administrator to switch back and forth between other sections of the interface and the Status page.

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CHAPTER 15

Reports

This chapter includes the following topics: • Introduction to Reports, page 15-1 • Worker Summary Report, page 15-9 • Worker by Id Statistics Report, page 15-10 • Worker ID Health Statistics Report, page 15-11 • Worker Type Health Statistics Report, page 15-12 • Total Worker Hours Report, page 15-13

Introduction to Reports

The Reports page enables users and administrators to run reports on Cisco MXE 3500 activity. To create a report: • From the Toolbox, click Reports. See Figure 15-1.

Figure 15-1 Reports Page

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Reports may include pre-defined criteria and/or custom report options. The Reports page defaults to the Job Custom Report view that allows users to select criteria for the report, which then returns Job Summary, Task Summary, and Tasks Type Summary information. At the top of the Reports page, the Select Report drop-down allows you to choose from the predefined reports shown in Table 15-1.

Table 15-1 Reports and Descriptions

Field Name Description Worker Displays information on each worker defined, including the Host on which the Summary worker runs, Limit and Expense for the worker, and information on the status of the worker in the current configuration. Worker By Id Displays information on workers including the Host, the name and ID number of Statistics the worker, and the number and total duration of tasks run by that worker. This report will not display information on workers that have been defined but have not yet been assigned tasks. Worker Id Displays information on workers including the Host, the name and ID number of Health Statistics the worker, and the total number of tasks run by each worker, the number that failed to complete successfully, and rate of failure as a percentage of total tasks run. This report is a text representation of the information displayed in the Health view of the Status page. This report will not display information on workers that have been defined but have not yet been assigned tasks. Worker Type Displays summary information by type of worker, the total number of tasks run per Health Statistics type, the number that failed to complete successfully, and rate of failure as a percentage of total tasks run. This report will not display information on workers that have been defined but have not yet been assigned tasks. Total Worker Displays summary information on the amount of work done by each type of worker Hours Summary calculated by comparing the start time and end time of each task run by the worker. Max Queue Displays the number of jobs submitted to the Cisco MXE 3500, but not executed Length over a given time interval (the number of pending jobs).

Custom Report Options

When the Reports page is initially opened, the Job Custom Report options display. From the Select Report drop-down, select Job Custom Report or Task Custom Report. The Query Builder Section lets you specify the search parameters for the custom report. See Figure 15-2.

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Figure 15-2 Job Custom Report Settings

Figure 15-3 shows Task Custom Report Settings.

Figure 15-3 Task Custom Report Settings

Note The Include Job Statistics section shown above adds an additional column to the Task Custom report. For each task record returned by the query, the value(s) of the selected job statistic(s) will also be selected if it exists. Not all workers support statistics data. Many only support a subset of the entire list.

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Table 15-2 Query Builder Fields and Descriptions

Field Description Field The Field drop-down allows you to define the type of data used as the selection criteria for the report. The value selected in this field will determine how Condition and Value are displayed. Job ID Selects records based on the Job Id created when the job is submitted. Every job submitted has a unique Job Id. The Job Id can be seen on the Job Status page. Job Submit Time Selects records based on the date and time the job was submitted. Title Selects records based on the Title value entered in the Title metadata field on the Submission page. Title information can also be viewed on any of the Status pages. Author Selects records based on the Author value entered in the Author metadata field on the Submission page. By default, the Author value will display the username of the Cisco MXE 3500 User logged in when the job was submitted. Author information can also be viewed in the Job view of the Status page. Completion Status Selects records based on their completion status: failed, succeeded, etc. Condition Defines the condition that must be met in order for the record to be selected. The values on this drop-down will be determined by the value selected for Field. Each Field value will cause the Condition options to be updated to match the type of information stored in that Field. Value Allows you to enter a numeric value, date, or text string to be compared against records in order for the selection to be made. Value is always a data entry field, but the format of the field will change to match each Field selection. Rows where no value is entered will be ignored when the report is run. Join Determines how rows of criteria will be compared with or against each other in selecting data from the database. Join values are always the same. • And: Selects records meeting all criteria of rows connected by the Join. • Or: Selects records meeting the criteria of any of the rows connected by the Join. Records are not required to contain values in more than one row. The Custom Report views only allow simple Joins. Mixing Joins or defining multiple lines of criteria can return unexpected results. Currently, it is not possible to nest selection criteria.

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Setting Job Id Criteria

Job Id is a numeric value. When the Field drop-down is set to Job Id, the Condition and Value fields are modified to reflect values appropriate for numeric data. Figure 15-4 shows Field Set to Job ID.

Figure 15-4 Field Set to Job Id

Table 15-3 Condition and Value Settings

Condition Value Equal to: Selects only records that have a Job Id that Value should always be a Job Id number. exactly matches the Value entered to the right. Not equal to: Selects any record that does not match the Value entered to the right. All records other than the one identified by that Job Id will be included in the report. Greater than: Selects all records with Job Ids that are higher numbers than the Value entered to the right. Because Job Ids are assigned in sequence, this is a useful way to select a range of records. Less than: Selects all records with Job Ids that are lower numbers than the Value entered to the right.

Setting Job Submit Time Criteria

Job Submit Time is the date and time that the job was submitted. When the Field drop-down is set to Job Submit Time, the Condition and Value fields are modified to reflect values appropriate for date and time. Figure 15-5 shows the Field Set to Job Submit Time.

Figure 15-5 Field Set to Job Submit Time

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Table 15-4 Condition and Value Settings

Condition Value Equal to: Selects only records that have a Job Value is modified to accept a date and to include a tip Submit time that matches the Value entered to about the format for how the date should be entered. the right. The time information indicated in the format tip is Not equal to: Selects any record that does not shown in brackets, indicating that specifying the match the Value entered to the right. All records exact time that the job was entered is optional. that were submitted at any other time will be Records will be selected correctly only if date included in the report. criteria is entered. Greater than: Selects all records that were The format for date information will vary depending submitted after the Value entered to the right. on the database in use. For Microsoft SQL Server databases, the mm/dd/yy format is used. For Oracle Less than: Selects all records that were databases, enter dates in dd-mon-yy format, where submitted before the Value entered to the right. mon is the three character abbreviation for the month.

Setting Title Criteria

Title is metadata entered when the job is submitted. When the Field drop-down is set to Title, the Condition and Value fields are modified to reflect values appropriate for text string data. Figure 15-6 shows Field Set to Title.

Figure 15-6 Field Set to Title

Table 15-5 Condition and Value Settings

Condition Value Equal to: Selects only records where the Title is an The Value field allows you to type some or all exact match of the Value entered to the right. of the Title to be used for selection. Values are Not equal to: Selects any record where Title does not case sensitive. match the Value entered to the right. Records with any When Contains, Starts with, or Ends with are other Title will be selected. used, it is not necessary to type wild card or Contains: Selects records where the Value entered to other special characters in the Value filed. the right exists anywhere in the Title. This allows users Necessary wildcards will be added to report on records when only part of the title is automatically based on the Condition selected. known or to report on records where all titles have a certain word or phrase in common. Starts with: Selects records where the Title starts with the Value entered to the right. All records that begin with the characters, word, or phrase entered in the Value field will be included in the report. Ends with: Selects records where the Title ends with the Value entered to the right. All records that end with the characters, word, or phrase entered in the Value field will be included in the report.

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Setting Author Criteria

Author is metadata entered when the job is submitted. By default the Author value on the Submission pages will be the username of the Cisco MXE 3500 user logged in when the job is submitted. When the Field drop-down is set to Author, the Condition and Value fields are modified to reflect values appropriate for text string data. Figure 15-7 shows Field Set to Author.

Figure 15-7 Field Set to Author

Table 15-6 Condition and Value Settings

Condition Value Equal to: Selects only records where the The Value field allows users to type some or all of the Author is an exact match of the Value entered Author to be used for selection. Values are case to the right. sensitive. Not equal to: Selects any record where Author When Contains, Starts with, or Ends with are used, it does not match the Value entered to the right. is not necessary to type wild card or other special Records with any other Author will be characters in the Value field. Necessary wildcards will selected. be added automatically based on the Condition Contains: Selects records where the Value selected. entered to the right exists anywhere in the Author field. This allows users to report on records when only part of the author's name is known or to report on records where authors share a common first or last name. Starts with: Selects records where the Author starts with the Value entered to the right. All records that begin with the characters or name entered in the Value field will be included in the report. Ends with: Selects records where the Author ends with the Value entered to the right. All records that end with the characters or name entered in the Value field will be included in the report.

Setting Completion Status

Figure 15-8 shows Field Set to Completion Status.

Figure 15-8 Field Set to Completion Status

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In the empty field, enter a number (0-6) that corresponds with the following: • 0: Not Complete • 1: Succeeded • 2: Failed • 3: User Stopped • 4: Condition Not Met • 5: Preempted • 6: System Stopped

Understanding Reported Information

Table 15-7 shows report results. The data displayed varies by report.

Table 15-7 Report Data and Descriptions

Data Description Report contains Displays the total number of jobs included in the report. Id Displays the Job Id. Submit Time Displays the earliest start time for all jobs included in the report. Completion Displays the last completion time of all jobs included in the report. Time Priority 1-100. 1 is highest. 100 is lowest. Title Job Title entered at the time of job submission. Author Author value entered at the time of job submission. By default, the Author value will display the username of the Cisco MXE 3500 User logged in when the job was submitted. Task Count Displays the total number of tasks included in the report. Tasks that were submitted but did not start because another task in the job failed will not be included in the task count. Completion • 0: Not Complete Status • 1: Succeeded • 2: Failed • 3: User Stopped • 4: Condition Not Met • 5: Preempted • 6: System Stopped

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All of the predefined reports are run by selecting the desired report from the Select Report drop-down and clicking the Run Report button. Figure 15-9 shows the Select Report Drop-Down.

Figure 15-9 Select Report Drop-Down

Filename Requirements

The Filename can be entered as a standard path, beginning with a lettered drive, or can be entered as a UNC name. The location selected for the report output: • must exist • must include a filename and extension, usually .CSV • must be accessible to the IUSR account used by the web server • must be accessible to the user in order to retrieve the file

Worker Summary Report

The Worker Summary Report displays information on: • Each enabled worker • The Host on which the worker runs • Limit and Expense for the worker • The status of the worker in the current configuration

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Figure 15-10 shows the Worker Summary Report.

Figure 15-10 Worker Summary Report

Table 15-8 Report Headings and Descriptions

Heading Description Host Displays the Host that the worker is running on. Type Displays the type of worker identified in this row of the report. Limit Displays the Limit set for the worker on the listed Host. Limit is the maximum number of workers that will run on a Host concurrently, and is set on the Host Administration page. Status Displays the status of the worker at the time that the report was run. • Online: The worker is available to receive task assignments from the ECS. • Offline: The worker is not available to receive task assignments form the ECS. Expense Displays the Expense set for the worker on the Host Administration page. The Expense is the work required by the worker expressed in relation to the overall Capacity of the Host. VideoChannel Displays the Channel value set for Live capture workers in the Host Administration page. Only Live capture workers will display a channel value.

Worker by Id Statistics Report

This Worker by Id report displays information on: • Workers running on the Host • The number of tasks run by the worker • Total duration of tasks run by that worker This report will not display information on workers that have been enabled but have not yet been assigned tasks.

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Figure 15-11 shows Worker By Id Statistics Report.

Figure 15-11 Worker By Id Statistics Report

Table 15-9 Report Headings and Descriptions

Heading Description Host Displays the Host that the worker is running on. Type Displays the type of worker identified in this row of the report. Id Displays the unique ID number of the worker. Total Tasks Displays a count of the total number of tasks assigned to the worker. Total Time Displays the total amount of work done by the worker, measured in seconds.

Worker ID Health Statistics Report

The Worker Id Health Statistics Report displays information on: • The total number of tasks run by each worker • The number of tasks that failed to complete • The rate of failure as a percentage of total tasks run. This report is a text representation of the information displayed in the Health view of the Status page.

Note This report will not display information on workers that have been enabled but have not yet been assigned tasks.

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Figure 15-12 shows Worker Id Health Statistics Report.

Figure 15-12 Worker Id Health Statistics Report

Table 15-10 Report Headings and Descriptions

Heading Description Host Displays the Host that the worker is running on. Type Displays the type of worker identified in this row of the report. Id Displays the unique ID number of the worker. Failed Tasks Displays a count of the number of tasks for this worker (by Host) that failed to complete successfully. Total Tasks Displays a count of the total number of tasks assigned to the worker. Percent Displays a rate of failure calculated from the number of failed tasks compared to the total task assignments.

Worker Type Health Statistics Report

The Worker Type Health Statistics report displays: • Total number of tasks run per type • The number that failed to complete successfully • The rate of failure as a percentage of total tasks run

Note This report will not display information on workers that have been enabled but have not yet been assigned tasks.

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Figure 15-13 shows the Worker Type Health Statistics Report.

Figure 15-13 Worker Type Health Statistics Report

Table 15-11 Report Headings and Descriptions

Heading Description Type Displays the type of worker identified in this row of the report. Failed Tasks Displays a count of system-wide failures for this type of worker. Total Tasks Displays a count of the total number of tasks assigned to the worker system-wide. Percent Displays a rate of failure calculated from the number of failed tasks compared to the total task assignments.

Total Worker Hours Report

The Total Worker Hours report displays high level summary information on the amount of work done by each type of worker as measured in total time elapsed. Figure 15-14 shows the Total Worker Hours Report.

Figure 15-14 Total Worker Hours Report

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Table 15-12 Report Headings and Descriptions

Heading Description Worker Name Lists workers by name. Days Displays the number of 24 hour days worth of work completed by all instances of the worker displayed to the left. Hours Displays the number of hours less than a full day completed by all instances of the worker displayed to the left. Minutes Displays the number of minutes less than an hour completed by all instances of the worker displayed to the left. Seconds Displays the number of seconds less than a minute completed by all instances of the worker displayed to the left. Total Time Displays the total amount of work done by the worker, measured in seconds.

Max Queue Length Report

Displays the maximum number of queued jobs in the Cisco MXE 3500 system over the given start and stop time interval measured every given time interval. Queued jobs are jobs that have been submitted but have not yet run (pending). For example, if you configure the report to look at the queue length during regular business hours (9 to 5) for a day, your start and stop values are: • Start: Month, Day, Year 09:00:00 • Stop: Month, Day, Year 17:00:00 Your time interval is whatever you want it to be, but the smaller it is, the more data that will processed (the more expensive the query will be to run on the database server). If you use: Time Interval: 00:05:00, then the queue will be examined at every 5-minute interval over the configured 8-hour period or: (Twelve 5-minute intervals per hour * 8 hours) + 1 at stop time = 97 data points (09:00:00, 09:05:00 … 17:00:00) If you configure the query to run over time when the Cisco MXE 3500 system has been idle or the value is too large, the interval times are less likely to hit pending jobs. If the interval value is too small, the query will be very expensive and return many duplicate results.

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Figure 15-15 shows the Max Queue Length Report Page.

Figure 15-15 Max Queue Length Report Page

Table 15-13 Report Settings and Descriptions

Heading Description Start Time Start date/time of the job Stop Time Stop date/time of the job Time Interval The time slice of the report

Viewing Report Output in Excel

This section includes the following topics: • Saving the Report, page 15-15 • Viewing the Report in Excel, page 15-16

Saving the Report

Output from the reports can also be saved to a tab delimited text file. This allows the report to be opened for use in other applications, such as Word® or Excel®. The report will always display in the browser window, even if it is also saved to a file. Procedure

Step 1 Click Select Report, and choose the desired report. The report displays. Step 2 Click Save. Figure 15-16 shows the Save Report As Pop-Up.

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Figure 15-16 Save Report As Pop-Up

Step 3 Enter the file name and file extension (such as .txt), and click Save. A “Report Saved” message displays.

Viewing the Report in Excel

Use this procedure from your Windows desktop to view a report by using Excel. Procedure

Step 1 Browse to the location where you saved the file.

Note The file is saved to your current Profile Space profile directory in a subdirectory named Reports. See also: Profile Spaces, page 13-33.

Step 2 Right-click the file, and select Open. Step 3 From the list of available applications, select Microsoft Excel. The file will open with report data displayed in an Excel spreadsheet. Headings are not included in the exported output. Step 4 Using standard Excel functionality, sort data as needed.

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CHAPTER 17

Backing Up, Restoring, and Upgrading

This chapter describes how to back up and restore the Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 data, upgrade the system, restore the defualt system profiles, and reinstall the Cisco MXE 3500 software. • System Backup, page 17-1 • System Restore, page 17-4 • System Upgrade, page 17-5 • Restoring the Default System Profiles, page 17-6 • Reinstalling the Cisco MXE 3500 Release Software, page 17-6

System Backup

You can back up critical system data from the Linux and Windows operating systems into a single backup archive file and use this backup archive file to restore system data.

Note Backup files are version-specific and can only be used to restore data on the same version of the Cisco MXE 3500 software, and on the same IP address.

What is Backed Up?

In clustered deployments, data only on the Resource Manager (RM) appliance is backed up. Resource Nodes (RN) are not backed up.

The following system data are backed up: • System profiles and custom profile spaces • Folder attendant configuration • Simple User Interface (SUI) configuration and LDAP configuration • Active Directory configuration • System configuration including host, IP capture, node attributes, users, roles, permission, system settings, user defined metadata, profile spaces, timed jobs • License files • Media assets in /mnt/media/assets

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 17-1 Chapter 17 Backing Up, Restoring, and Upgrading System Backup

• Watch folder (/mnt/shared, /mnt/watch) and output directory (/mnt/output) configuration (directories only) • Samba configuration • IGMP proxy configuration • Apache2 configuration • Log rotate configuration • Monit configuration • Tomcat configuration • VSFTP configuration • Solr indexes • Database data • User speech model

The following data are NOT backed up: • Custom Nuance configuration • Media files excluding those in /mnt/media/assets

Performing a Back Up

Note Before performing a backup, ensure that all job processing is completed and that no changes are being made to system configuration.

Perform the following steps to back up data:

Step 1 Click Tools > Backup. See Figure 17-1. The System Backup page displays.

Figure 17-1 System Backup Tool

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 17-2 Chapter 17 Backing Up, Restoring, and Upgrading System Backup

The System Backup page, shown in Figure 17-2, displays information about the previous backup (if any) and provides links to the detailed log message and to download the backup archive file.

Figure 17-2 System Backup Page

Step 2 Click on the Backup button to start a system backup. Step 3 Click OK to continue, when prompted to confirm the backup request. Once a backup is initiated, the page will refresh and display the current status of the backup operation. A backup can take several minutes to complete. After the backup has completed successfully, you can download your backup file by clicking the Click here to download link. The backup file is also stored in /mnt/shared/system/backup/backup_IPAddress_YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.mxe, where the IPAddress is the IP address of the Cisco MXE 3500 appliance, YYYY is the year, MM the month, and DD the day of the backup. HHMMSS is the time in hours, minutes, and seconds.

Note We recommend that you save the backup file to a machine other than Cisco MXE 3500.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 17-3 Chapter 17 Backing Up, Restoring, and Upgrading System Restore

Click the Show Logs link to view the log message for the backup. See Figure 17-3 for an example.

Figure 17-3 Example Backup Log

System Restore

Warning Before performing a system restore, ensure that all job processing is completed and that no changes are being made to system configuration.

Note • The restore operation will delete all jobs (excluding timed jobs) and related history from the Cisco MXE 3500 database. After the restore is complete, the job status page will be empty. • The backup archive must be from the same version of Cisco MXE 3500 software. • If the Pulse video analytics feature is enabled, after you have restored the backup file on a appliance you should access the Pulse UI and perform a force synchronization. This will confirm that Pulse has the correct IP address. • The Cisco MXE 3500 is not available during a system restore because the database is being restored and web server is being restarted.

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• For an RMA (backing up on machine A and restoring to machine B with the same IP address), a new license is required.

To restore system data that was previously backed up, follow these steps:

Step 1 Click Tools > Restore. See Figure 17-4. The System Restore page displays.

Figure 17-4 System Restore Tool

The System Restore page displays information about the previous restore (if any) and provides links to display the detailed log messages from the last restore. Step 2 Click the Choose File button. Step 3 Select the backup archive file (backup_IPAddress_YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.mxe). Step 4 Click the Restore button. Once a restore is initiated, the page will refresh and display the current status of the restore operation. A restore may take several minutes to complete. To verify that the restore has completed successfully, refresh the web UI in the browser and click Tools > Restore. Step 5 If you are using Folder Attendant (FA), restart the FA service. Once the restore has completed, you can resume use of the Cisco MXE 3500.

System Upgrade

See Release Notes for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 Release 3.3 for information to upgrade from Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.2 to Release 3.3 and Release 3.3.1.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 17-5 Chapter 17 Backing Up, Restoring, and Upgrading Restoring the Default System Profiles

Restoring the Default System Profiles

The Cisco MXE 3500 ships with a set of default profiles. Use this procedure to restore the default profiles:

Step 1 Go to the Cisco.com software download center at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/cisco/web/download/index.html Step 2 Choose Video, Cable and Content Delivery > Media Transformation > Cisco MXE 3000 Series (Media Experience Engines) > Cisco MXE 3500 (Media Experience Engine) > Media Experience Engine Utilities and download the system profiles file to a location where the Cisco MXE 3500 can access the file. Step 3 RDC to the Cisco MXE 3500 and save the system profiles file to c:\temp. Step 4 Right-click the .zip file and choose Extract. Step 5 Follow the on-screen prompts to uncompress the system profiles file to the following Cisco MXE 3500 folder: c:\program files\cisco\media experience engine\profiles.

Reinstalling the Cisco MXE 3500 Release Software

To reinstall the Cisco MXE 3500 release software, follow the instructions detailed in Chapter 18, “Installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Software DVDs.” This procedure will delete all data on the Cisco MXE 3500. If you reinstall the software or RMA the Cisco MXE 3500, you must obtain and install new software licenses. Follow the instruction detailed in “Obtaining and Installing a License” section on page 3-1 to obtain and install a new license.

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CHAPTER 16

Troubleshooting Cisco MXE 3500

This section includes the following topics: • Logging, page 16-1 • Accessing Network Shares, page 16-1 • Troubleshooting, page 16-2

Logging

The ECS and LCS components are configured to log all informational, warning, and error messages to a rolling daily log file in the [MXE install directory]/logs directory, for example: C:\Program Files\Cisco\Media Experience Engine\logs. Log files are local to each node. The files will be ECS01.log or LCS01.log. For Resource Manager deployments, the Resource Manager device will have both ECS and LCS log files, and the Resource Nodes will have only LCS log files. For standalone deployments, Cisco MXE 3500 will have both ECS and LCS log files. A new log file is created each day with the date. For example, ECS01.log will be the ECS log for the first day of the month, and ECS02.log will be the ECS log for the second day of the month, and so on. Each month, the log files are overwritten during the course of the month. To view the log files: Navigate to the appropriate directory path on the node, and click the log file to open it.

Note Use a text editor to open the file. The extension may need to be mapped for the file to open with the selected text editor.

Accessing Network Shares

By default, the Folder Attendant Windows service is installed to log on and run as a Local System Account. In order for the service to access network share directories, it must be configured to log on and run as an account that has access to read and write the appropriate network share directories. If the Cisco MXE 3500 UI returns an error when trying to access a file or directory, check the IIS impersonation account permissions. Assuming the user is starting with the default configuration, check the following two accounts:

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 16-1 Chapter 16 Troubleshooting Cisco MXE 3500 Troubleshooting

IUSER_[your machine_name] and ASPNET Depending on how the application tries to access the file, either one may be used. Try these steps for ASPNET. If it still does not work, try the other: If the file is local to the machine that IIS is running on, then check the permissions on the directory and ensure the IIS account has the minimum permissions necessary. For input files this is just read, for profiles this is read/write/modify (full control can be used if necessary). If the file is not local to the machine that IIS is running on, or if you would like more information, see: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/891031

Troubleshooting

This section includes the following topics: • Troubleshooting Steps, page 16-2 • Troubleshooting FAQs, page 16-3 • Contacting Cisco TAC, page 16-4 • Reinstalling the Software, page 16-5

Troubleshooting Steps

To isolate an issue, complete the following initial troubleshooting steps: 1. Review the log files. For Resource Manager deployments, each node has its own log files. See also: Logging, page 16-1. 2. Review error messages/codes to identify the problem, file name, and location. 3. With available logging information, answer the following questions: • Is the problem intermittent or consistent? • For Resource Manager deployments, does the problem affect only one or all nodes? 4. Review the following information to isolate the problem:

If the Problem is: Then, the problem is likely: Consistent Intermittent One Node All Nodes — X Local node issue X Network or Resource Manager issue X X System-side issue X X Local node issue X X Network issue (connectivity)

See also: Troubleshooting FAQs, page 16-3.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 16-2 Chapter 16 Troubleshooting Cisco MXE 3500 Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting FAQs

This section includes the following topics: • Standalone and Resource Manager Deployments, page 16-3 • Resource Manager Deployments, page 16-3

Standalone and Resource Manager Deployments

Q. How do I determine if a problem is related to a decode or an encode? A. If the error is occurring on a prefilter, the problem is a decode error. If the error is occurring on an encoder, the problem is an encode error.

Q. Why can I not see the Hosts page when I log in to the Resource Manager or standalone Cisco MXE 3500 as Administrator? A. This issue is due to Internet security settings. Open Internet Explorer, click Tools > Internet Options > Security > Local intranet. Choose "Medium" security level and apply the settings. Then, access the Hosts page again.

Resource Manager Deployments

About Installation, Upgrade, and Licensing

Q. Can I upgrade a standalone Cisco MXE 3500 to a Resource Manager or Resource Node? A. No. There is no patch available to do this in Release 3.1.

Q. Why are the Resource Nodes not transcoding after I upload the software license file to the RM device? A. After uploading the license file, you must configure all the nodes as Hosts in the Resource Manager. See also: Host Administration, page 13-2, Configuring the Host Settings, page 2-5.

Q. Can Resource Manager function as Resource Node and execute a transcoding task? A. Resource Manager does function as one of the Resource Nodes in a group. Resource Manager executes transcoding jobs, as well as load balancing and distributing jobs across the group.

About System Status

Q. How can I find out what jobs are running on the Resource Nodes? A. Log in to the UI. From the Toolbox, select Monitoring > System Status to see the jobs that are running on each Resource Node. See also: Accessing the Cisco MXE 3500 Web UI, page 1-6.

Q. How do I know if a Resource Node is down? A. When the Resource Node goes down or disconnects from the network, Resource Manager sends an e-mail to the system administrator if a valid SMTP server and e-mail address are configured in the System page.

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About Configuration

Q. Can I create a watch on a Resource Node? A. You can create a watch on any Resource Node, but the watch must be accessible to the Resource Manager and all other nodes in the group.

Q. Why do I get an error when I choose a media file in the UI that is local to the Resource Manager device (C:\media)? A. Media files must be in a shared folder with UNC path because transcoding jobs can run on any Resource Node. You cannot choose files on a local machine (C:\media). See also: Configuring the Input and Output Media Directories, page 2-6.

About Nodes That Have Gone Down

Q. If a Resource Node goes down while executing a particular job, can another Resource Node execute the remaining sub-jobs? A. When a Resource Node goes down, the Resource Manager redistributes its remaining jobs. Another Resource Node will start executing a sub-job from the beginning; it will not start from the middle of sub-job.

Q. If the Resource Manager goes down and is brought up, do I need to resubmit all the media files? A. Yes, you must submit all the media files again.

Q. If a Resource Node goes down and is brought up, do I need to reconfigure it? A. No. The Resource Node will automatically become a part of the group, and the Resource Manager will start distributing jobs when it finds that the Resource Node is up.

About Jobs That Have Failed or Are Not Executing

Q. Why are workers failing? A. If a worker is failing on one node but running on others, the problem is likely a local node issue. If a worker is failing across all nodes, the problem is likely a network or Resource Manager issue.

Q. Why is a Resource Node that is configured as a Host in the Resource Manager not executing jobs? A. There are two possibilities: • The Resource Node is not on the network. • There may be a configuration issue. If you configured an SMTP server and provided an e-mail address on the Systems page, you should have received an e-mail specifying the node that is down. If that Resource Node is up and the Resource Manager is accessible to that Resource Node, then it could be configuration problem. Go to the Hosts page and verify that the “permit all” checkbox is checked for that node. See also: Configuring User Settings, page 2-8.

Contacting Cisco TAC

If attempts to rectify a problem fail, or if you have additional questions, please open a Service Request using the TAC Service Request Tool at: http://tools.cisco.com/ServiceRequestTool/create/DefineProblem.do.

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Please have your valid Cisco ID and password available. As an alternative, you may also call one of these numbers: • Asia-Pacific: +61 2 8446 7411 (Australia: 1 800 805 227) • EMEA: +32 2 704 55 55 • USA: 1 800 553-2447 You can find a complete list of Cisco TAC contacts at this URL: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport/contacts

Reinstalling the Software

If you need to reinstall the software to recover the Cisco MXE 3500, we recommend that you back up first if possible. Follow the backup procedures in Chapter 17, “Backing Up, Restoring, and Upgrading.” Then, follow the installation procedures in Chapter 18, “Installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Software DVDs.”

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 16-5 Chapter 16 Troubleshooting Cisco MXE 3500 Troubleshooting

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 16-6 Send document feedback to [email protected].

CHAPTER 18

Installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Software DVDs

Use the procedures detailed in this section only if you need to restore your Cisco MXE 3500 appliance software to the factory default.

Warning Starting this procedure from Cisco MXE 3500 Installation DVD erases all data on the hard drive.

This section describes the steps for installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 software. The following procedures are described: • Installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Installation DVD Software, page 18-2 • Installing the Resource Manager Software, page 18-2 • Installing the Resource Node Software, page 18-3 The following installation Release 3.3 DVDs ship with the Cisco MXE 3500:

Installation DVD Description Cisco MXE 3500, Installation DVD • Installs the common ESXi Hypervisor platform • Orchestrates the complete Cisco MXE 3500 software installation • Cisco Resource Manager, DVD 1-2 Contain the Windows and Linux Virtual machines for RM installations and scripts for setting up networking between VMs and other features • Cisco Resource Manager, DVD 2-2 the Hypervisor needs for the Cisco MXE 3500. Note For purposes of this upgrade, a standalone, Cisco MXE 3500 that is not part of a cluster is considered an RM.

• Cisco Resource Node, DVD 1-2 • Cisco Resource Node, DVD 2-2

Warning Starting this procedure from Cisco MXE 3500 Installation DVD erases all data on the hard drive.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 18-1 Chapter 18 Installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Software DVDs Installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Installation DVD Software

Installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Installation DVD Software

Before You Begin We recommend that you back up your system. See System Backup, page 17-1.

Procedure Perform the following procedure on each standalone or RM appliance and each RN appliance.

Step 1 Power on the Cisco MXE 3500 standalone or Resource Manager appliance by the Power On/Off LED/Button on the front panel. Step 2 Quickly insert Cisco MXE 3500 Installation DVD. The following message displays: Cisco Media eXperience Appliance Install Disk. Step 3 At the boot prompt, press the Enter key to begin. The installation procedure starts, booting from Cisco MXE 3500 Installation DVD. The following messages display: Starting Installation Stage 2 and then Successfully Mounted. Installation takes approximately 12 minutes to complete. Step 4 Upon completion, the Cisco MXE 3500 Installation DVD ejects and the following message displays; Please insert Application Software Disk MXEAPPSW-1. Step 5 If you are installing the software on a standalone or RM appliance, proceed to the “Installing the Resource Manager Software” section on page 18-2. Or If you are installing the software on an RN appliance, proceed to the “Installing the Resource Node Software” section on page 18-3

Installing the Resource Manager Software

Follow this procedure for a standalone or RM appliance only.

Note Install the Resource Manager DVD 1-2 and 2-2 software only on either a standalone or Resource Manager appliance. Resource Node DVD 1-2 and 2.2 are required for an RN appliance.

Procedure

Step 1 Install the Resource Manager DVD 1-2. a. Insert the Cisco Resource Manager DVD 1-2. No other action is required; the installation continues. This installation takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. b. After Cisco Resource Manager DVD 1-2, the system prompts you to insert Cisco Resource Manager DVD 2-2. Step 2 Install the Resource Manager DVD 2-2. a. Insert Cisco Resource Manager DVD 2-2. The installation continues on its own. b. When the installation completes, remove Cisco Resource Manager DVD 2-2. The system powers down.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 18-2 Chapter 18 Installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Software DVDs Installing Licenses

Step 3 Proceed to the “Initial Configuration for the Cisco MXE 3500,” section in the Quick Start Hardware Installation Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500, Release 3.3 on Cisco.com.

Installing the Resource Node Software

Follow this procedure for each RN appliance.

Note Use the Resource Manager DVD 1-2 and 2-2 for a standalone or RM appliance. See the “Installing the Resource Manager Software” section on page 18-2.

Procedure

Step 1 Install the Resource Node DVD 1-2. a. Insert Cisco Resource Node, DVD 1-2. No other action is required: the install will continue. This installation takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. b. After Cisco Resource Node, DVD 1-2, the system prompts you to insert Cisco Resource Node, DVD 2-2. Step 2 Install the Resource Node DVD 2. a. Insert Cisco Resource Node, DVD 2-2. The install procedure continues on its own. b. When the installation completes, remove Cisco Resource Node, DVD 2-2 from the machine. The system powers down on its own. Step 3 Proceed to the “Initial Configuration for the Cisco MXE 3500,” section in the Quick Start Hardware Installation Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 for Release 3.3 on Cisco.com.

Installing Licenses

After installing the Cisco MXE 3500 software, obtain and install the full Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 license with the base PID and any optional feature PIDs. See “Obtaining and Installing a License” section on page 3-1.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 18-3 Chapter 18 Installing the Cisco MXE 3500 Software DVDs Installing Licenses

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CHAPTER 19

Administrative Accounts

The Cisco MXE 3500 application comprises of components running on a Windows operating system (OS) and a Linux operating system (OS). This section describes the accounts available on the Cisco MXE 3500 and how to access the accounts. • Windows Accounts, page 19-2 • Linux Accounts, page 19-3 • Change Admin Passwords, page 19-3 The admin accounts on the Windows OS, Linux OS, and the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI are used for administration purposes. Use the password you set during initial configuration. The Configuration wizard that launches during first boot requires you to change the admin password. This synchronizes the Windows admin, Linux admin, Pulse Anlytics ncpadmin, and the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI admin passwords.

Note If you are upgrading to Cisco MXE 3500 Release 3.3 or 3.3.1, the default Pulse Analytics ncpadmin password is idc. To change the ncpadmin password and synchronize with the Windows admin and Linux admin passwords, see “Modifying Network Settings and Admin Password” section on page 4-2.

All other account information is for your information only; these accounts are used internally by the appliance or for troubleshooting purposes only.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 19-1 Chapter 19 Administrative Accounts Windows Accounts

Windows Accounts

The Window OS hosts the Cisco MXE 3500 software. Table 19-1 describes the accounts on the Windows OS.

Table 19-1 Predefined Windows Accounts

Default Account Password Description Windows OS admin password set The Cisco MXE 3500 web UI is used for most maintenance and operational tasks. Use this during initial account to log in to the Windows OS to restore default profiles and access the Media configuration Experience Engine Tools for the following tasks: • Set independent profile space • Preview preprocessor clips • Create and edit a QuickTime Encoder Profile To access the Windows OS, RDC to mxe_IP_address, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500. To access the Media Experience Engine Tools, follow these steps: 1. RDC to mxe_IP_address, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500. 2. Click Start > Programs > Cisco > Media Experience Engine > Media Experience Engine Tools. Windows MXE Web UI admin password set The Cisco MXE 3500 web UI is used for most administrative tasks, profile management, and during initial monitoring. configuration After initial configuration is completed, access the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI at this URL: http://mxe_IP_address/mxeui/, where mxe_IP_address is the hostname or IP address for the Cisco MXE 3500. Note Click Change Password in the the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI to change the web UI admin password. This only changes the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI admin password. It does not change the Windows OS or Linux OS admin password.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 19-2 Chapter 19 Administrative Accounts Linux Accounts

Linux Accounts

The Linux OS provides external services, such as FTP and HTTP, and acts as a proxy to services on the Windows system for added security.

Table 19-2 Predefined Linux Accounts

Default Account Password Description mxe-user — Used to access default shared folders Note This account is disabled by default. When you enable access to shared folders in the Linux configuration utility, you are prompted to enter a password. admin password set This is the administrator account for Linux that gives you access to the Linux configuration during initial utility and the Linux command prompt. The Linux configuration utility is used to update or configuration change the IP address, DNS settings, and NTP settings. It is also used to enable integration with Cisco TelePresence Content Server and Cisco Show and Share. To access the Linux configuration utility, SSH to mxe_IP_address and log in as admin. The Cisco MXE Appliance Configuration Menu displays.

Change Admin Passwords

• Change the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI Admin Password, page 19-3 • Change the Windows OS admin, Linux OS admin, and Pulse Analytics ncpadmin Passwords, page 19-3

Change the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI Admin Password

Click Change Password in the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI to change the web UI admin password. This only changes the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI admin password. It does not change the Windows OS admin, Linux OS admin or Pulse Analytics ncpadmin password.

Change the Windows OS admin, Linux OS admin, and Pulse Analytics ncpadmin Passwords

See “Modifying Network Settings and Admin Password” section on page 4-2.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 19-3 Chapter 19 Administrative Accounts Change Admin Passwords

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CHAPTER 20

Security Best Practices

This section includes the following topics: • Security Best Practices for Cisco MXE 3500, page 20-1 • Cisco MXE 3500 Microsoft Hot Fix Release Policy, page 20-1 • Windows Services, page 20-2

Security Best Practices for Cisco MXE 3500

Cisco MXE 3500 ships with ESXi, RHEL4.7, and Windows 2003 Server settings, which ensures a high level of security. We recommend that you follow these security best practices: • Do not install additional software, applications, or firmware on Cisco MXE 3500 unless Cisco recommends that you do so in the product documentation. See also: “Cisco MXE 3500 Microsoft Hot Fix Release Policy” section on page 20-1. • Do not use Cisco MXE 3500 for any purpose other than those we specify in the product documentation. • Do not use Cisco MXE 3500 as a general purpose Windows or Linux device. • Do not browse to any Internet site on Cisco MXE 3500 other than www.cisco.com and www.microsoft.com to download product documentation and patches. • If you need to modify Windows or Linux components from the configured defaults, do so only from the Cisco MXE 3500 web UI or the Cisco MXE Appliance Configuration Menu as specified in the product documentation. • Do not change the Services startup types except for supported changes that are documented in the product documentation. • Back up Cisco MXE 3500 regularly.

Cisco MXE 3500 Microsoft Hot Fix Release Policy

Microsoft releases a list of security hot fixes Every 2nd Tuesday of the month. Every 3rd Tuesday of the month, excluding holidays, Cisco will release a technical bulletin with the Microsoft security bulletin hot fix identifiers that Cisco recommends you install on Cisco MXE 3500, at which time you should compete the following tasks: 1. Download and read the Cisco technical bulletin for each recommended hot fix.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 20-1 Chapter 20 Security Best Practices Windows Services

2. Download and read the Microsoft security bulletin. 3. Download each recommended Microsoft hot fix. 4. Follow the procedures that Microsoft provides to install the hot fixes on Cisco MXE 3500. If Microsoft releases a security hot fix for a catastrophic problem outside of the monthly cycle, Cisco will release a corresponding technical bulletin. You can access Cisco MXE 3500 technical bulletins at the following URLs: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps9892/prod_bulletins_list.html http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps12130/prod_bulletins_list.html

Windows Services

Table 20-1 lists Cisco MXE 3500 Windows 2003 Server services and startup types. Table 20-1 Windows 2003 Server Services on the Cisco MXE 3500

Service Name Startup Type .NET Runtime Optimization Manual—Not started Alerter Disabled Application Experience Lookup Automatic Application Layer Gateway Manual—Not started Application Management Manual—Not started ASP .NET State Manual—Not started Automatic Updates Manual Background Intelligent Transfer Service Automatic started ClipBook Disabled COM+ Event System Automatic COM+ System Application Manual—Not started Computer Browser Automatic Cryptographic Services Automatic DCOM Server Process Launcher Automatic Distributed File System Manual—Not started Distributed Link Tracking Client Automatic Distributed Link Tracking Server Disabled Distributed Transaction Coordinator Automatic DNS Client Automatic Error Reporting Service Automatic Event Log Automatic File Replication Manual—Not started Help and Support Automatic HID Input Service Automatic HTTP SSL Manual—Not started

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Table 20-1 Windows 2003 Server Services on the Cisco MXE 3500 (continued)

Service Name Startup Type IIS Admin Service Automatic IMAPI-CD Burning COM Service Disabled Indexing Service Disabled Internet Connection Sharing Disabled Intersite Messaging Disabled IPSEC Services Automatic IPSEC Policy Agent Automatic Kerberos Key Distribution Center Disabled License Logging Service Disabled Logical Disk Manager Automatic Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service Manual Messenger Disabled Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider Manual—Not started MXE CAM Automatic MXE ECS Automatic MXE Encoder Automatic MXE Folder Attendant Automatic MXE Log Service Automatic Net Logon Manual Net .tcp port Sharing Disabled Netmeeting Remote Desktop Sharing Disabled Network Connections Manual Network DDE Disabled Network DDE DSDM Disabled Network Location Awareness Manual—Not started Network Provisioning Service Manual NT LM Security Support Provider Manual Performance Logs and Alerts Automatic Plug and Play Automatic Portable Media Serial Number Service Manual Print Spooler Automatic Protected Storage Automatic Remote Access Auto Connection Manager Manual Remote Access Connection Manager Manual Remote Desktop Help Session Manager Automatic Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Automatic

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Table 20-1 Windows 2003 Server Services on the Cisco MXE 3500 (continued)

Service Name Startup Type Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator Disabled Remote Registry Service Automatic Removable Storage Manual Resultant Set of Policy Provider Manual Routing and Remote Access Disabled Secondary Logon Automatic Security Accounts Manager Automatic Server Automatic Shell Hardware Detection Automatic Smart Card Manual Special Administration Console Helper Manual SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER) Automatic SQL Server Active Directory Helper Disabled SQL Server Browser Disabled SQL Server VSS Writer Automatic SNMP Service Automatic SNMP Trap Service Manual System Event Notification Automatic Task Scheduler Automatic TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service Automatic Telephony Manual Telnet Disabled Terminal Services Manual Terminal Services Session Directory Manual Themes Disabled Uninterruptible Power Supply Manual Virtual Disk Service Manual Virtual Shadow Copy Manual WebClient Disabled Windows Audio Automatic Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) Disabled Windows Cardspace Manual Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) Disabled Windows Installer Manual Windows Management Instrumentation Automatic Windows Management Instrumentation Driver Extensions Manual

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Table 20-1 Windows 2003 Server Services on the Cisco MXE 3500 (continued)

Service Name Startup Type Windows Time Automatic Windows Presentation Foundation Font Cache 3.0.0.0 Manual Windows User mode Driver Framework Manual WinHTTP Web Proxy Auto-Discovery Service Manual Wireless Configuration Automatic World Wide Web Publishing Service Automatic

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 20-5 Chapter 20 Security Best Practices Windows Services

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CHAPTER 21

Troubleshooting Folder Attendant

This section includes the following topics: • Folder Attendant Problems and Solutions, page 21-1 • Restarting the Folder Attendant Program, page 21-2

Folder Attendant Problems and Solutions

Symptom Folder Attendant jobs never start.

Possible Cause – The folder that files are submitted to may not be configured as a watch folder. – The folder may not be set up to watch the file extension of the media being submitted to it. – Submitted files may be “read only” files. Files in certain formats may not work properly with Folder Attendant when they have a “read only” attribute. – Folder Attendant may not be running.

Recommended Action 1. Verify that the folder submitted to is configured as a watch folder. 2. Verify the watch is configured for the extension of the file you want to submit. 3. See if the Folder Attendant client is able to connect to the Folder Attendant Server. 4. If it cannot, check the Folder Attendant program. If you are running Folder Attendant as a Windows service, check the program from the services control panel. 5. Make sure the file submitted is not “read only”.

Symptom Jobs are not processing. Error message: Unable to communicate with the ECS.

Possible Cause ECS is not running.

Recommended Action Start the ECS service: Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services > Mxe ECS > Start Service

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 21-1 Chapter 21 Troubleshooting Folder Attendant Restarting the Folder Attendant Program Send document feedback to [email protected].

Symptom Cannot view the Folder Attendant director or monitor jobs. Error message: Unable to contact the Folder Attendant Service.

Possible Cause Folder Attendant is not running.

Recommended Action Start Folder Attendant. Go to Start > Control Panel > Services> Mxe Folder Attendant > Start Service

Symptom The error pop-up, similar to Figure 21-1, displays.

Possible Cause Folder Attendant is not running.

Recommended Action Start Folder Attendant. Go to Start > Control Panel > Services> Mxe Folder Attendant > Start Service

Figure 21-1 Error Pop-up

Restarting the Folder Attendant Program

If the Folder Attendant program is restarted, it will determine which files in a monitored directory have not been successfully submitted and will attempt to submit the jobs to the Cisco MXE 3500 platform. For each successfully submitted file, a control file (named [submittedFileName].ctl) is placed in a subdirectory called “status” in the monitored directory which tracks the following file attributes: 33427619 126044516672343750

Note This feature is not supported for FTP directories.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 21-2 Send document feedback to [email protected].

CHAPTER 22

Folder Attendant XML Reference

This section includes the following topics: • Reference XML Configuration File, page 22-1 • Reference XML Application Configuration File, page 22-5 • Submitting Media and XML Files, page 22-6

Reference XML Configuration File

The Folder Attendant Configuration file (faConfig.xml) defines the directory watch configuration. This file can be found at C:/Program Files/Cisco/Media Experience Engine/Folder Attendant/bin/faConfg.xml. This section describes the following tags: • General Tags, page 22-2 • Directory Tags, page 22-2 • Copy Complete Tags, page 22-3 • Watch Tags, page 22-3 • Extension List Tag, page 22-3 • Extension Tags, page 22-3 • Job Tags, page 22-4 • Meta Data Tags, page 22-4 • File Input Tags, page 22-4 • System Setting Tags, page 22-5

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 22-1 Chapter 22 Folder Attendant XML Reference Reference XML Configuration File Send document feedback to [email protected]. General Tags

Tag Description agilityHost Host name of platform (ECS). Port defaults to 3501. monitor-window Specifies whether preprocessed and encoded images should be displayed in a monitor window. Possible choices are: • On • Off

Directory Tags

The file may contain one or more tags.

Tag Description enabled Possible choices: • true, if directory is enabled for monitoring. • false, if not. id Unique identifier for directory (integer > 0) path Directory path to watch. Can be a network share or FTP URL: ftp:\\[username:password]@hostname[:port]\dire ctory refresh Frequency at which directory is monitored (in seconds). maxSubmitRetries Maximum number of attempts to resubmit a failed job submission. submitRetryInterval Frequency at which failed jobs are resubmitted (in seconds).

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 22-2 Chapter 22 Folder Attendant XML Reference Reference XML Configuration File Send document feedback to [email protected]. Copy Complete Tags

Directory may contain one tag. The following parameters are used to assign method for determining when a file has been completely copied to the monitored directory and is ready for submission. These methods will behave differently on different operating systems.

Tag Description method Method for determining when file copy is complete: • rename-to-self: Attempt to rename file to itself. • rename-to-tmp: Attempt to rename file to [filename]-tmp and back to original file name. • file-size-delay: Wait fileDelay seconds since last file size change. • file-modified-delay: Wait fileDelay seconds since last modified time change. • control-file: Wait for control file ([filename].ctl) to be added to directory. • exclusive-open: Attempt to open file exclusively. • immediate: Process file immediately without waiting for file to be completely copied. fileDelay Minimum time (in seconds) since last file change indicating that file copy is complete. This parameter only applies to file-size-delay and file-modified-delay methods.

Watch Tags

A directory may contain one or more tags.

Extension List Tag

A watch may contain one tag.

Extension Tags

An extension list may contain one or more tags.

Tag Description ext File extension to watch for (.mov, .xml, etc.).

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 22-3 Chapter 22 Folder Attendant XML Reference Reference XML Configuration File Send document feedback to [email protected]. Job Tags

A watch may contain one tag.

Tag Description job-priority Job priority. Positive integer between 1 and 100, with 1 indicating the highest priority.

Meta Data Tags

Tag Description meta-title Defaults to filename of source clip if not specified. meta-author Job author. meta-description Job description. meta-copyright Copyright notice. meta-rating Audience rating. meta-keywords Comma-separated list of keywords. meta-timecode Start timecode taken from the media file. udm-item User defined meta data item. The item name and value are given as attributes of the tag, as shown:

File Input Tags

Tag Description profile Name of the job profile (i.e. conform.job.awp). The path is constructed using the system profile directory (as configured in the system settings). source-inpoint Starting point for encoding relative to start of the clip. Format is HH.MM.SS.XXX. source-outpoint End of encoding for the clip. If this number is positive, it specifies the end point relative to the beginning of the clip. If this number is negative, it specifies the end point relative to the end of the clip. In other words, -3.0 means that encoding stops 3 seconds prior to the end of the clip. This must be in HH.MM.SS.XXX format. Not available with file formats that are non-seekable. delete-source-after-process Indicates if the source clip will be deleted after successful processing. Deletion is done by the File Manager worker at the end of the Cisco MXE 3500 job. Source clips are not deleted when a job fails. Valid values of “true” or “yes” will turn this option on. It is false by default. Note XML files are not deleted.

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 22-4 Chapter 22 Folder Attendant XML Reference Reference XML Application Configuration File Send document feedback to [email protected]. System Setting Tags

A watch many contain one tag.

Tag Description output-basename Specifies the output base name. That name is available in the Output profile through the $(basename) variable. All encoded files receive names derived from this base name. These tags all define output directories for various types of Cisco MXE 3500 output. A complete directory specification, including machine name or drive letter is expected. report-dir Location of file report of job execution (from HTTP POST notification). captionextract-output-dir Output directory for extracted closed caption data. flash-output-dir — flash8-output-dir — h264-output-dir — index-output-dir Data and thumbnails from indexer. mpeg-output-dir — mp3-output-dir — ms-output-dir — pp-output-dir — qt-output-dir — real-output-dir — thumb-output-dir Thumbnail images output directory. wav-output-dir —

Reference XML Application Configuration File

The following application configuration parameters are defined in the FolderAttendantService.exe.config file:

Tag Description folderAttendant.adminPort Port for administration command listener (3515). This value must be changed if running on same machine as legacy FA folderAttendant.configFile Fully qualified path for FA configuration file (c:\program files\Cisco\Media Experience Engine\Folder Attendant\bin\faConfig.xml) folderAttendant.xmlExtensions File extensions for XML files (.rdf, .xml, etc.) folderAttendant.fileExclusionRegex Regular expression for file names to exclude from processing (i.e., ^\. to ignore files that start with a period)

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 22-5 Chapter 22 Folder Attendant XML Reference Submitting Media and XML Files Send document feedback to [email protected].

ecs.host Default ECS host name (localhost). This value must be changed if the ECS is installed on a different machine. Ecs.port Default ECS port (3501) ecs.receiveTimeout Timeout in milliseconds for receiving response from ECS plannersFile Planner/XSLT transform configuration file plannersAssemblyPath Root directory for configured planner assemblies transformsPath Root directory for configured XSLT transforms profileTypesFile Config file containing list of profile types settingsDefinitionFile System setting definition file basePath Fully qualified path to API root directory (c:\program files\Cisco\Media Experience Engine\API)

Submitting Media and XML Files

Once a directory is monitored by the Folder Attendant for a given set of file extensions, if a new or updated (change in file size or last modified date) media or XML file, with a matching file extension, is copied to the directory, the Folder Attendant will submit a job to the Cisco MXE 3500 platform. For media files, a XML document containing a of nested s each containing XML for each matching directory watch will be submitted to the Cisco MXE 3500 platform. Each nested will contain the system settings configured for the given directory watch. The XML will include the media file name and configured job parameters (meta data, priority, etc.) for the given directory watch. For example, consider a directory that has been configured for 2 directory watches, each watching for .MOV files and assigned a different job profile and meta data. The following plan XML will be generated by the Folder Attendant and submitted via the API to the Cisco MXE 3500 platform:

filename of .MOV file watch1 settingValue … watch1 configured job profile filename of .MOV file watch1 meta title ….

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 22-6 Chapter 22 Folder Attendant XML Reference Submitting Media and XML Files Send document feedback to [email protected].

watch2 settingValue … watch2 configured job profile filename of .MOV file watch2 meta title ….

For XML plan files, a XML document containing the contents of the XML file and any system settings configured for the given directory watch will be submitted to the Cisco MXE 3500 platform for each matching directory watch. Note that any job parameters (such as meta data, job priority, etc.) configured for the directory watch are ignored. A file is processed as an XML file if the file extension is configured in the following application configuration file parameter (folderAttendant.xmlExtensions). Currently (.xml and .rdf ) are configured as default XML file extensions. The XML document can support any plan XML format supported by the API including: • • • • (if licensed) • Custom plan XML if supported by configured API planners and transforms

Administration Guide for Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 22-7 Chapter 22 Folder Attendant XML Reference Submitting Media and XML Files Send document feedback to [email protected].

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