Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Canopus MediaEdge LAN based digital video distribution system
The conversion from VHS to digital videoThe experience at
Penola Catholic College
Leanne Averill - Head of ERCDavid Boyes - ICT Manager
- shelves burgeoning with videos - in reality about 20% being used- constantly chasing media in order to share limited resources- increasingly unable to purchase VHS material - difficult and costly to repair or replace VHS players- the digital age was beckoning
- simply exchanging VCR players to DVD players had problems- needed to use existing infrastructure as much as possible- longevity of solution in time of rapid technological change - money… realistic initial costs & manageable ongoing costs- expertise of staff - investigation of what was on the market
- reasonably cost-effective- is a hardware solution - distribute to multiple classrooms simultaneously- used existing televisions and computer network- also had a PC client- user-friendly for library staff- very easy to use in the classroom- a complete solution- scalable…started small & have extended over time- great support from the vendor
- Principal gave a grant to get started- discussions with tech staff - began with the server, 3 set-top boxes & 1 software license- converted ‘top 50’ titles- decided on menu structure- launched product at a staff meeting & provided ‘training’
….and we were up and running!!!!
Demonstrate 2 key aspects of the Canopus MediaEdge LAN based digital video distribution system
- creating menus- adding content
- The system consists of Canopus MediaEdge-SVS server software running on a Pentium4 at 2.8 GHz, with 1 GB of RAM, and a 250 GB RAID array
- Uses existing Cat 5e & some Cat 5 network cabling although older cabling will struggle.
- Penola uses optic fibre as its backbone and then cat 5e & cat 6 UTP
- Partnered an ISP cable hookup to enable Foxtel onto the site
- All cable broadcasts can now be captured and encoded
ie. History Channel, Discovery etc
- File sizes are an issue. MPEG compression can have different
sizes so pick your format carefully and stick with it
- MPEG 1 produces VHS/VCD quality. A 90 min. film compressed using MPEG 1 will typically take 1.4gb hard drive storage
- MPEG2 produces a DVD quality product. A 90 min. film compressed using MPEG 2 will typically take 2.6gb hard drive storage
- MPEG 4 is the newest version of compression. It produces high quality images faster & can be used to for varying types of technology such as mobile phones, HDTV, divx, etc. A 90 min. MPEG 4 film could take about 0.5gb hard drive storage
- Bit rates are variable also so the storage size can also vary
- Your whole library of digital videos does not have to sit on the
server all the time
- Consider archiving titles on to DVD
- Backup strategies are important, use RAID where possible.
Backup daily
Senior Campus Library (ERC)
Mediaedge server
Main server Office
Microwave To Junior Campus
Fibre optic
Fibre O
ptic
Fibre optic
Fibre optic
Fibre optic
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
Building D 100Mb Switch /Cat 5e
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
STB
Building E 100Mb Switch /Cat 5e
Main Admin 100Mb Switch /Cat 5e
Building G 100Mb Switch /Cat 5e
STB = set top box
Computer labs
- constraints of copyright law- created a copyright statement to add to each file - need for comprehensive library database- ‘made-up’ new procedures & protocols - GMD - barcodes and DDC - titles and series- edit all content so that there are no ads- included ratings at end of title- cable TV
- it is a PARTNERSHIP…- things will go WRONG…- must consider COPYRIGHT implications- you need to BACK-UP your system- you are radically changing THINKING and PRACTICES
- no storage issues - very easy to use- no videos or DVDs - classroom teachers have video on demand - any digital file can be played at any time- no subscription costs
- senior campus- junior campus- specialist areas are purchasing set-top boxes- only commercially produced videos on the shelves- no new videos - DVDs only when essential- MediaEdge upgrade
