Streaming Media - December 2008/January 2009 - (Page 68)

review Datmedia Datpresenter Figure 3 (far left). Once content is uploaded and the wizard is through, you’ll be met with a cryptic response that says, “Asset ‘1945’ has now been created.” Apparently, this has something to do with the number of the asset in Datpresenter’s content management system. Figure 4 (near left). When playback is chosen, the first thing Datpresenter does is check the types of players available on the local machine. flavors: Windows Media, Real Media, Flash, and QuickTime, as well as 3GPP content, which can be played back via QuickTime, Real, or Flash servers, depending on the wrapper. Files are uploaded one at a time instead of as a bundle, so be prepared to spend a bit of time. Once content is uploaded and the wizard is through, you’ll be met with a cryptic response that says, “Asset ‘1945’ has now been created” (Figure 3). Apparently, this has something to do with the number of the asset in Datpresenter’s content management system. Three options are presented: Launch in Administrator, Create Another Programme, or Launch Slide Push. What About Playback? When playback is chosen, either in administration mode or the video player in the dashboard, the first thing Datpresenter does is a check of the types of players that are loaded on the local machine. For instance, I chose immediate playback after the asset is created (Launch in Administrator). The system then checked the new computer I was using and presented the information shown in Figure 4. Unavailable players were grayed out, as were the icons for the corresponding player on the actual presentation page. The wizard also checks for playback speed (High Speed, Low Speed) and offers an Audio Only option. Going back to the dashboard for playback yields the same experience, but only the first time content is played on a particular machine or after a player is added—this was confirmed by the addition of the Real player on a Windows XP machine during testing. Choosing My Player from the dashboard launches the player at the top of the page, along with a list of programs in that channel for playback. Playback is driven by a number of JavaScripts, which turned out to be the Achilles’ heel in Datpresenter. I’m a sucker for a great user interface (UI) and really like the 68 STREAMING MEDIA December 2008/January 2009 flow of the dashboard and the wizards. However, the number of errors I initially experienced in playback caused a variety of issues, including a few JavaScripts, even with the demo content provided as part of the demo account. I checked this issue out on numerous Mac and Windows machines and seemed to have the same issues with Internet Explorer and Firefox on both platforms, even with the most recent Java updates. So I contacted Datmedia and pointed out the errors. What happened next was a good testament to customer service: The CTO and CEO both looked at the errors, sent out an updated set of system requirements (which differed from the online system requirements; a corrected version was posted on Oct. 13), and then added a few patches. This is one of the benefits of software as a service (SaaS) if the company is open to phasing in patches between major updates; still, it is worth checking out your typical playback machines in a demo phase before committing to the monthly fee. As a quick update on the browser/system requirements, I’m going to mention those here, as provided by Datmedia CTO, Jay Pritchard. Formats for playback in Internet Explorer on Windows are Windows Media Player, Real, Flash, and QuickTime, while formats for playback on Firefox on Windows are Real, Flash, QuickTime, and Windows Media Player. With Firefox, to avoid an issue with Windows Media Player that I ran into, see the details at http://port25.tech net.com/pages/windows-media-player-firefox-plugindownload.aspx. You’ll be glad you did. Formats for playback on Firefox on a Mac are the same, except for Windows Media playback: Since Microsoft ended support for Windows Media Player for Macintosh, there are limitations on such basics as stream duration. Pritchard also said that a future update would add H.264 playback support for Flash as well as support for the Opera browser. http://port25.technet.com/pages/windows-media-player-firefox-plugin-download.aspx http://port25.technet.com/pages/windows-media-player-firefox-plugin-download.aspx

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Streaming Media - December 2008/January 2009

Streaming Media - December 2008/January 2009 Table of Contents User-Generated Politics Netflix Needs a Business Model Technology and Business Trends by the Numbers Improving Video Color Quality What Makes for Compelling Video? Game On: Bringing the NHL to IPTV Give! The New Era of Corporate Communications New Video Frontiers: Taking It Beyond the PC The HD Showdown: Codec Vendors Battle It Out for Supreme Quality The Ultimate Guide to Creating Online Video Content That Works, Part 2 Planning for Webcasting Success: Considerations for Deploying an Enterprise Video Communications Platform All Mobile Devices Are Not the Same Datmedia Datpresenter LSI Tarari Encoder Accelerator LCPX-6140 Gomez Active Streaming XF Transcoding for Global Reach Executive Visions 2009 The Revolution Is Being Televised

Streaming Media - December 2008/January 2009

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