NetworkTV Live & Content Management System Functionality
Management Portal
The NetworkTV management interface is simple to use with each function labelled to direct you to the area of your choice as you can see in the screenshot below including live channels, recording, content management, playlists, virtual matrix and set top boxes.
Live Channels
The Manage Live Channels function allows Administrators to create and configure live channels. A Live channel can be a DVB or ATSC broadcast TV channel, an encoded feed, an IP camera or a third party stream.
Broadcast Channels
NetworkTV Live provides the capability to manage terrestrial, satellite and cable tuners simultaneously. Scan the tuners, choose the channels and set the multicast details and publish the channels. Alternatively, insert specific tuning and multicast details into the tuner.
Create HLS streams
Click the button to repurpose any live H.264 stream into a Native or Transcoded HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) channel. A new channel will be added to the bottom of the live channels list viewed in PC browsers, mobile devices like iPhones, iPads, Android tablets and phones.
Manage Any Live Stream
NetworkTV can manage live streams from IP cameras or either NetworkTV or 3rd party encoders and can even include Internet streams as part of the live channels list. Add the multicast or unicast address and details into the Manage Live Channels page.
SAP Announcements
NetworkTV automatically publishes Session Announcement Protocols (SAP) which identify the TV channel by name. Therefore, as well as being able to watch the live channels in a web browser, the user can also use a media player such as VLC to see the list of live channels.
Content Library
From a PC web browser, the user can see the pre-recorded content stored in the central library. Each piece of content is stored with a thumbnail image and the user can filter content by type, genre, metadata tags etc.
STB Access
In addition, the live channels are also simultaneously available to set top boxes when installed as a decoder for a display. And of course, the live channels can be TV channels or encoded sources. The STBs are managed either locally via an RCU or centrally via the management portal or room control system.
My Channels
Managing video and audio content in NetworkTV is very simple and accessed via the management portal HTML5 web browser giving you control over all the functionality of the system. There are two key areas, ‘My Channels’ and ‘Manage Content’.
Organising the Library
‘My Channels’ allows you to configure categories in the database where the type/genre of content applicable to your organisation is accessed such as Recordings, Health & Safety, Corporate Communications, Training etc. and provides access to the pre-recorded video content stored within the library. The My Channels are listed by those categories and each category can hold an unlimited number of pre-recorded videos relevant to that category.
Manage Content
Then to manage this content, you access it via the ‘Manage Content’ function. The ‘All Channels’ tab displays all of the content in the library database but you can filter the content by channel. NetworkTV will simultaneously support all of the main video formats including MPEG2 TS, H.264, MP4, AVI, MOV, FLV and WMV. NetworkTV can already support 1080P HD as well as 4K UHD streams and content. The system also allows you to find your video in the library with full search facilities using favourites, metadata tags, and thumbnails.
Recording
As well as uploading content into the library, you can also record live streams directly into the content management system. The NetworkTV system provides the capability to record a number of channels simultaneously which can be scheduled or started with either the click of a button. All of the functionality is available as commands within the NetworkTV Control API so this functionality is available via third party control systems.
Pulling & Pushing VoD
Any device accessing the NetworkTV system can browse the library or search for content to play as Video-on-Demand (VoD). However, an Administrator of the NetworkTV system can also push specific content to an individual STB, group or all STB users by browsing the content library and sending it to the display. This is useful functionality for turning every display onto a specific live channel or playing a piece of pre-recorded content at a designated time (ie town hall meetings, corporate messaging etc).
Smart TV Apps
The NetworkTV Smart TV App provides a simple user interface on a compatible Samsung or LG Smart TV. The App determines the type of content that is being requested and manages the mechanism depending on whether the content is live or video-on-demand, as well as whether it is encrypted or not. The NetworkTV Smart TV App can also be customised with client branding.
Playlists
NetworkTV provides the functionality to create Playlists. A Playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back sequentially in a loop to create your own live in-house channel. Multiple Playlists can be created to run simultaneously so that users can select the Playlist Channel they want to watch from the Live Channel List.
Virtual Matrix
The NetworkTV Virtual Matrix will allow you to set up a matrix of routes that take the input from IP encoders or live TV streams to destination endpoint decoders. So the matrix can route one live stream to a specific decoder (eg encoder in room 1 to show on the displays in rooms 2, 3, 4, 5 or all the displays). Once you have created your list of routes, this can be saved as a unique matrix which can be recalled and run at any time or against a pre-determined schedule.
Digital Signage
NetworkTV now offers functionality to provide simple digital signage with a number of standard templates with access to
video, pictures, graphics, slides and RSS feeds. Easily distribute and manage the signage output to STBs or smart TVs.
DRM
NetworkTV provides integration with Samsung Lynk™ and LG Pro:Idiom® to provide Digital Rights Management for Hollywood movie content and premium TV channels.
Active Directory
Integrate NetworkTV with your AD system to manage administration access.
Restream
Take any live stream and convert it into a Unicast to deliver over a WAN then re-stream it at the remote location as a multicast for transmission to multiple set-top-boxes or smart TVs. The Restream functionality supports multicasts, unicasts, RTSP, RTMP and HLS stream formats.