media ingest station asp.net web site – asset creation and

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DigitalGlue * 30100 Town Center Drive, O‐444 * Laguna Niguel * CA * 92677 * 949.388.9078

Media Ingest Station

ASP.NET Web Site – Asset Creation and Transfer UI C# .NET Windows Encoder Hardware Control Service with .NET Remoting C# .NET Client Application – Encoder UI ADO.NET Database implemented with XML file DataSets Problem: With the shift from real time IRDs (integrated receiver/decoders) to store‐and‐forward media players, video must now be encoded into a file format complete with metadata. The metadata is required for targeted distribution and playlist management. Our client manufactures a line of edge devices, but did not have a solution for their customers to encode video in a compatible file format and easily tag content. Digital Glue was contracted to develop a web application that manages assets, encodes video and audio, supports VTR control and EDL (Edit Decision Lists), automatically calculates runtimes, edits metadata, and pushes files to their distribution system or Kencast Fazzt. A turnkey solution was provided by Digital Glue; including design, testing, development, installer, on‐line and printed help, and complete training documents. Source code delivered to the customer included all build scripts and in depth engineering notes. Rapid development was achieved by integrating off‐the shelf tape control components, and using the Visual Studio .NET programming environment. All code was written in C#. The web site uses ASP.NET with considerable server‐side code (C# code‐behind) to give it a custom application look. Simplified ADO.NET Database implemented with XML file DataSets to avoid the administrative complexity of a relational database. At the request of the client, Aladdin USB HASP key control was implemented which gracefully degrades the service and warns the user if the authorization key is missing.

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Use Description The media ingest station designed by Digital Glue creates broadcast quality 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 MPEG‐2 video from analog and digital video sources. Industry standard VTRs that use RS‐422 control interfaces are automatically detected and specific protocol supported. The ingest station packages the media files into "assets" along with descriptive metadata in XML files. The main user interface is a Web site. The operations of creating assets, editing metadata, and sending assets to down‐stream delivery devices is all handled in the web interface. The encoder application is a .NET C# application program that is pushed to the user when the “encode” button on the web site is pressed. A true application is used in this case because of the highly interactive and time sensitive nature of controlling input tape sources with frame‐accurate precision. The user experience is that of a pop‐up from the web‐site. No client configuration is needed and the latest version of software is always delivered from the server. While most users access the ingest station as a workstation, the encoder application is a full client/server application which can run on machines remotely from the ingest server. A Windows service on the ingest station controls the tape deck and dedicated MPEG encoding hardware. For users running directly on the ingest server, predefined web‐launched applications are permitted to allow a coherent workflow and single interface. Applications configured typically include a 3rd party full NLE application to use when captured video requires post processing and editing, as well as proxy generation and frame‐grab tools. There is also a configuration tool which allows editing of the metadata templates, encoder parameter settings, and user administration. Features Web‐lauch of Arbitrary Local Applications Automatic Discovery of Asset Components Added via Windows Explorer Integration with 3rd Party Applications for Automated Thumbnail and Low‐Bandwidth Proxy Videos Configuration File Manipulation via Web‐Launched UI Application Support for Different Customer Branding Multiple Modes of Configuration The original stand‐alone mode allows creation of metadata definitions, assets, and delivery to a distribution system or FTP site. A content management mode makes each ingest station a client limited to creation of assets whose metadata type is defined on the Content Management System (CMS). Assets are delivered to the CMS, where the ability to order delivery of the assets is under a more targeted control. Under a third mode, the captive ingest client is a further restricted to only allow encoding of content for designated CMS assets.

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Code was further modified to support a new generation of encoder cards and related OEM library. Sample Screens

Asset Preview

ODBC Asset Selection with Content Management

Asset Upload to Content Management or FTP Site

System Configurator

media ingest station asp.net web site – asset creation and

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