VBrick Systems EtherneTV v4.2.1 Portal Server, Admin Manual

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10 © 2008 VBrick Systems, Inc.
WM IP Receiver
VBrick's WM IP Receiver is similar to a conventional set top box but is significantly more
stable, rugged, and reliable. It is designed for 24x7 operation, and built for enterprise
networks that require a high degree of stability, security, and scalability. The WM IP Receiver
is a robust, state-of-art device that meets the demanding requirements of VBrick's
EtherneTV Media Distribution System. The WM IPR plays Windows Media streams from
VBrick WM appliances and Windows Media servers. The WM IPR is also a fully-featured
VBrick EtherneTV client. This means that in addition to the ability to deliver video,
subsequent WM IPR releases will provide scheduling, access logging, and device control
from the Portal Server. For more information about the WM IPR, see the
IPR Admin Guide
in the Portal Server online help.
Portal Server Installation
Complete installation instructions for the Portal Server are provided in the ETV Portal Server
Release Notes . Once the Portal Server is installed, end users on Windows, Macintosh, and
Linux machines may be prompted for additional download components as explained below.
This only happens the first time they access the Portal Server. The Portal Server supports a
wide variety of clients and video formats. See Supported VBrick Clients and Video Formats
for a complete list.
Downloading Components
Windows PCs
If configured with the appropriate components, Windows PCs (with Internet Explorer or
Firefox) can play all stream types including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and Windows
Media. For Windows-based PC users, the Portal Server uses VBrick StreamPlayer software-
based components to decode video streams on user desktops. The Portal Server downloads
these components to each client machine the first time you access the Portal Server
(depending on the
Specify Components to Download to Clients
setting in Global
Assignments). No download is necessary for subsequent access. If this is a new installation,
end users must answer Yes to security requests to download these components. After a
download, you don’t have to restart your computer but must you must close the browser.
These components are downloaded using .cab files.
In certain circumstances however, the use of .cabs is either not allowed or not feasible. In
these cases, VBrick provides an
.msi
installer called
VBrickComponents.msi
. This installer
installs the same components and allows end-users who cannot download .cabs to have full
Portal Server functionality. This installer is located in the
Program Files\VBrick\MCS\utils
folder.
With Firefox, users will also be prompted to install additional components the first time they
launch a stream—if they are configured to receive these download components. Links for the
appropriate stream types (MPEG-1/2/4 and/or WM) will be displayed in the area where the
embedded player is normally displayed. These additional plugins
must be installed. Firefox
Note The component download setting will not affect previously-installed components. For
example if you have StreamPlayer installed, you will be able to play MPEG-2 streams
regardless of what components you specify for download.