Overview

MvTv Server

The MvTv Video Broadcast System is Video Broadcast software that allows the creation of “Private, Programmable TV Stations”, with remote Video Broadcast for uses such as scheduled broadcasting for cable TV or IPTV, low power TV stations and digital signage type scenarios. 

The MvTv Video Broadcast System is comprised of 3 software programs or components, the MvTv Video Broadcast Server, the MvTv Video Broadcast Administrator, and the MvTv Video Broadcast Channel, all of which communicate to each other via "IP" or "Internet Protocol". Since communication between the software components is IP based, you can configure the system to listen on specific ports, port 80 being the default. The MvTv Video Broadcast components can be installed on the same or different PC's residing anywhere on your LAN, WAN, Intranet or the Internet itself.

MvTv Video Broadcast Systems come in 2 types: the MvTv Video Broadcast Repeater, and the MvTv Video Broadcast Scheduler Systems. The MvTv Video Broadcast Repeater System plays the content it finds in its playlist, starting at any time, and then "repeats" the content in the playlist over again, and continues to do so until  it finds a new or modified playlist. Hence the name "Repeater" System.

The MvTv Video Broadcast Scheduler System on the other hand, is based on time... in that it plays content according to a schedule, using playlists that contain videos totalling up to 4 hours in duration. Example: at 10am the MvTv Video Broadcast Scheduler Channel plays "X" playlist which contains a 2 hour movie, then at 12 pm, it plays the "Y" playlist. It does NOT repeat any content... it just plays the clips found in its playlist once when the playlist is scheduled. If there isn't a playlist scheduled at 12pm, then the 10 am playlist will play... and play again every hour until a new playlist is scheduled. New to the MvTv Video Scheduler is the ability to schedule "live" broadcasts. Now you can schedule a "live" breakfast show at 9 am, then a movie at 10 am, and "live" news at noon.

The MvTv Video Broadcast Systems allow anyone who has visual content and/or text messages (such as universities and colleges, high schools, hospitals, doctor’s offices, retail outlets, etc.) to broadcast their content locally or over the Internet using smart MvTv Video Broadcast Channels which output the scheduled content onto individual TV screens or cable TV plants.  

The MvTv Video Broadcast System software components are installed onto standard off the shelf hardware with generic Microsoft Operating Systems like Windows XP, Vista and 7.

New MvTv Video Broadcast Systems are constantly being upgraded. Check back often for the latest offerings!

MvTv Video Broadcast System Components and Hardware / Software Requirements:

MvTv Video Broadcast Server:

The MvTv Video Broadcast Server is a service that operates on the Microsoft Windows family of Operating Systems. Low volume systems (under 10 Channels) can easily operate from Windows XP, Vista and 7 while heavy load systems should use Windows Server products like 2000, 2003 and 2008.

The server stores video content for distribution to the MvTv Video Broadcast Channels in its Library, and also stores Channel and Playlist information in its database.  The default installation databases are MS Access, but can be upgraded to MS SQL.

The MvTv Video Broadcast Server uploads playlists, scrolling text messages and videos to the MvTv Video Broadcast Channels as they're required. 

Suggested Minimum Hardware Requirements for the MvTv Video Broadcast Server:

Intel Pentium 1 GHz or better processor, and 128 MB of RAM, min. 80 GB drive, Internet access to retrieve valid MvTv licenses

Minimum Software Requirements for the MvTv Video Broadcast Server:

• Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista or 7, or the Windows Server family of Operating Systems, such as 2000, 2003 and 2008.

• Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5.

• MvTv Broadcast Server Software (and valid license). 

• Optional: Microsoft Access 2000 (or higher) or MS SQL depending on database configuration.

MvTv Video Broadcast Administrator:

The MvTv Video Broadcast Administrator is used to create MvTv Video Broadcast TV Networks and Channels, create scrolling text messages, upload video content to the MvTv Video Broadcast Server, as well as create and schedule playlists for the MvTv Video Broadcast Channels. The MvTv Video Administrator can also (optionally) provide complete reporting of all clips played by the MvTv Video Channels.

Suggested Minimum Requirements for the MvTv Video Broadcast Administrator: 

• Intel Pentium 1 GHz or better processor, and 64 MB of RAM, min. 80 GB drive

• Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista or 7, or the Windows Server family of Operating Systems, such as 2000, 2003, 2008.

• Microsoft Windows Media Player 9 or higher

• Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5.

• MvTv Video Broadcast Administrator Software requires the MvTv Video Server to have valid component licenses.

MvTv Video Broadcast Channel: 

The MvTv Video Broadcast Channel plays full-motion, full-screen video with or without scrolling text, to TV screens, computer monitors, as well as digital and flat panel monitors, by connecting the video outputs on the PC to the video inputs on the display device (or to a modulator if the Channel is to provide content for a cable plant). The video output can also be screen captured, or connected to video capture cards, and streamed to the Internet.

The MvTv Video Broadcast Channels continuously poll (every minute is the default configurable setting) the MvTv Video Broadcast Server for new playlists and automatically download new content from the MvTv Video Broadcast Server when required. Each MvTv Video Broadcast Channel can have a unique ID, so that the administrator using the MvTv Video Broadcast Administrator can create unique content for all MvTv Video Broadcast Channels in that TV Network. 

The MvTv Video Broadcast Channel software is smart, in that Internet or network connection disruptions do NOT affect its video playback quality, as all content is stored and played from the Channel's hard drive. Resumption of broken Internet or network connections result in resumptions of downloading content playlists and scrolling text messages without requiring the downloads to restart from the beginning.  (Broken Internet or network connections however WILL affect "live" streaming content).

The MvTv Video Broadcast Channel supports any Codec that runs on the Windows platform, such as ASF, AVI, MPEG-1 and 2, Microsoft’s Windows Media WMV formats, FLV, DIVX, VOB, and even MOV, as long as the corresponding DirectShow filters are installed on the MvTv Video Broadcast Channel PC. (Note that the MvTv Video Broadcast products do NOT include any Codecs or DirectShow filters other than those provided with Windows, and licensing of DirectShow filters is up the the end-user). New Codecs like VC-1, and H.264 allow the playback of High Definition content on MvTv Video Broadcast Channels. You should also ensure that you only display content on the MvTv Video Broadcast System that you have display rights for.

Still images can easily be made into WMV videos (and used on the MvTv Video Broadcast System) by using Windows Movie Maker that comes free with Windows XP, Vista and 7. With these programs you can add narration or music to your movies created from still images or digital photographs. With Windows Movie Maker, you can also zoom in and out, as well as add titles and other special effects to your videos.

Suggested Minimum Hardware Requirements for the MvTv Video Broadcast Channel:

Intel Pentium 1 GHz or better processor, and 128 MB of RAM, min. 80 GB drive, Internet access

Suggested Minimum Software Requirements for the MvTv Video Broadcast Channel: 

• Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista or 7, or the Windows Server family of Operating Systems, such as 2000, 2003, 2008.

• Microsoft Windows Media Player 9 or higher

• Microsoft .Net 3.5 Framework

• MvTv Video Broadcast Channel Software requires the MvTv Video Broadcast Server to have valid component licenses.

• Optional: additional Codec Packs (DirectShow filters) to playback various types of video content other than Windows Media

Scenarios of the MvTv Video Broadcast System at work:

Scenario 1: Video Broadcast for Internet Video Broadcasting:

By connecting the MvTv Video Broadcast Channel's video and audio outputs to a video capture card, other video formats can be sent to your UHF or VHF transmitter, such as H.264, or MPEG4/2.

Scenario 2: Video Broadcast for Low power TV stations:

The MvTv Video Broadcast Internet broadcasting system combines the MvTv Video Broadcast Server, Channel, and video encoding software... all on the same PC, in order to broadcast high quality videos to your UHF or VHF transmitter.

By connecting the MvTv Video Broadcast Channel's video and audio outputs to a video capture card, other video formats can be sent to your UHF or VHF transmitter, such as H.264, or MPEG4/2.

Another example of the MvTv Video Broadcast System in operation is delivering health content to hospital patient and waiting room TV sets. Suppose the hospitals wish to use the MvTv Video Broadcast System are up to a hundred miles apart. The MvTv Video Broadcast Server is to be located at one of the Health Organizations' offices, connected to the Internet. By using the Internet for communications, the MvTv Video Broadcast System can be deployed using any ISP for the various MvTv Video Broadcast Channels, including dialup providers where broadband is not available (as long as the "live" streaming feature is not required). Since MvTv Video Broadcast Channels play content that is stored on their hard drives, the speed of their Internet connections are irrelevant regarding their playback performance. 

The MvTv Video Broadcast Administrator can be located and operated anywhere there is an Internet or network connection… in the Health Organizations' offices, or even on the video editors’ home edit suite. The MvTv Video Broadcast Administrator is used to upload video content or text messages to the MvTv Video Broadcast Server, as well as to create playlists and schedule the playlists. In effect, the Health Organizations' video editor can create health content at home, or at the Health Organization's editing suites (located in different physical buildings), and upload the content to the MvTv Video Broadcast Server from any location. The editor can also program (from anywhere) what content plays in which hospital, at what time, and at anytime in the future… the schedule is NOT limited to 7x24, it’s an open-ended calendar schedule.

Smart MvTv Video Broadcast Channels:

The MvTv Video Broadcast System has been designed with ease of use for the operator in mind. In potential installations where hundreds of MvTv Video Broadcast Channels could be deployed, programming each Channel would be a horrendous task. With this in mind, the MvTv Video Broadcast System was designed such that MvTv Video Broadcast Channels would be members of an MvTv Video Broadcast Network, where all members of a specific MvTv Video Broadcast Network would play the same content at the same time. Unlimited numbers of TV Networks and Channels can be created with the MvTv Video Broadcast System. In turn, custom programming can be created for each individual MvTv Video Broadcast Network.

Rather than push content to each MvTv Video Broadcast Channel individually, the Channels are smart, and pull the content they’re required to play from the MvTv Video Broadcast Server. Every minute, the MvTv Video Broadcast Channels call the MvTv Video Broadcast Server and report on what they’re currently playing, and at the same time, download a new playlist (which tells the MvTv Video Broadcast Channel what to play and when). If the MvTv Video Broadcast Channel does not have those video clips already residing on its own hard drive, it will automatically begin to download the files from the server. The MvTv Video Broadcast Channel is built with real world ISP’s in mind. Should the Internet connection between the MvTv Video Broadcast Channel and Server fail, the downloads will automatically resume when the Internet connection resumes. The downloading of new content happens in the background, while the MvTv Video Broadcast Channel is playing its current content (playlist). Should clips no longer be required in the playlist schedules, they can be automatically deleted from the Channels via commands received over the Internet… so as not to waste valuable hard drive space on the Channel. 

The MvTv Video Broadcast Scheduler Channels check the server for updated playlists every minute, to see what it needs to play during the upcoming hour. If any new video content has not yet arrived in the Channel, the MvTv Video Broadcast Channel will play the previous hours content. Downloading of video content from the server in most cases is faster than real time play, so that 60 minutes of content might take 45 minutes to download with broadband connections. It is wise therefore to schedule "new" content to play in MvTv Video Broadcast Channels no sooner than an hour after it has been added to the MvTv Video Broadcast Server. 

Because of MvTv Video Broadcast Administrator’s (optional) reporting capabilities, it is possible to add “sponsor clips” to playlists, and report to third party programming sponsors, how many times their clips played across the entire MvTv Video Broadcast System… during any given day, month, etc., and at which location. This feature rounds out the “Private TV Station” concept… advertisers know their viewing audience, and can be provided reports on their actual played ads (impressions).

Click here to preview the MvTv Video Broadcast Scheduler System Interface

Purchasing MvTv Components:

MvTv Video Broadcast Scheduler System Components can be downloaded for free from http://4mvtv.com/mvtv_download_page.htm. Demo licenses and pricing may be obtained by requesting them by emailing support@microvideo.com, or by calling 403-286-0913.

MvTv Video Broadcast Scheduler System Contact Info:

Phone: 403-286-0913

Email: support@microvideo.com