COVE Webinar II
Preparing for COVE
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Overview
Walkthrough of the key components a station should have in place to
prepare to implement the Local/National Video Player powered by COVE.
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Encode video to COVE specification
Obtain video hosting solution
Generate metadata and media assets
Develop content strategy
Q&A
Preparing Video - Encoding
Jasmine Bulin
Digital Video Producer
Video Content, General Audience
The Web Delivery Video Spec
General
• File Format: MPEG-4 (.mp4)
• Total Stream BitRate: 448 Kbps
Video Stream
• Codec: AVC (H.264)
• Frame Size 16/9: 512 x 288
• Frame Size 4/3: 480 x 360
• Frame Rate: 15 fps
• Video Standard: NTSC
• Scan Type: Progressive
• Video Stream BitRate: 400 Kbps
• Video Stream BitRate Mode: VBR
Audio Stream
• Codec: AAC
• Audio Stream BitRate: 48 Kbps
• Audio Stream BitRate Mode: CBR
• Number of Audio Channels: 1 (Mono)
• Audio Channel's Positions: C
• Sampling Rate: 44.1 KHz
• Bit Depth: 16 bits
Why H.264
• Industry Use
• Flexibility
– Multi-platform Codec
– Encoding Options
– Future implementations
• Number of users on flash 9.0.115.0 and higher
• Compression ratios
Encoding Suggestions
Watch out for
• Cropping and letterboxing
• Color and saturation
• Levels/contrast/gamma
• Artifacting/blocking
• Interlacing
• Synch Issues
Test
• Different software
applications use different
encoding profiles
• Set up multiple templates
Video Hosting
• COVE uses two types of delivery – streaming and HTTP
• Implementing a COVE video player requires the ability to
host Flash video content
• National content and Local content
• Sources of streaming service
– “In-house” server
– Hosted streaming solution
– Content Delivery Network (CDN)
• PBS/Limelight Deal for Stations
(contact: pbsi_stationservices@pbs.org)
Video Hosting
Rob Vincent
Internet Development Manager
Oregon Public Broadcasting
OPB’s Online Video Process
Digitizing and Metadata
• Pipeline
– Standard Definition, single channel
– Remote control from dedicated Mac mini
– Outputs to IMX 50 Mbit
• Transcoding
– ffmpeg converts from IMX to MPEG-4, H.264
• Metadata and Images
COVE and Video Server
• Metadata on thePlatform
– Includes reference to video hosted on video.opb.org
• video.opb.org
– Wowza streaming server
– Apache serves thumbnails and some management
tools
Bandwidth and Traffic
• OPB’s ISP is Nero with no cap on outgoing traffic,
but cost is based on peaks.
• Outoing peak is usually 40Mbit/s, in December
2008 it was near 100Mbit/s.
• From November 2008 and March 2009, Electric
Car Drag Racing was served 1 Million times.
• In March 2009 OPB served 33k video views.
Cost and Resources
• Network bandwidth
– Monthly cost for 7Mbit connection is about $21,000
• Staff
– Master Control Operators
• 80 hours of video takes about 100 hours
– Coding and Graphics
• About one hour for a 30 minute program (3 segments)
Cost and Resources
• Telestream Pipeline
– video capture device = $1950
• Server Hardware
– Apple XServe with 1 TB = $4500
• Streaming Server
– Wowza Pro Unlimited = $995
Metadata and Media Assets
• Metadata – Required, Optional and Chapters
• Worksheet and Publishing Tool
• Media Assets
– Images
• Thumbnails
• Episode Cards
• Program Background Images
• Logos
– Customization
• CSS File
• Masthead
– Text files
• Transcripts
• Closed-Captioning (SAMI)
Metadata and Media Assets
Angee Simmons
Executive Producer, Promotions & New Media
KCPT – Kansas City, Missouri
Preparing Metadata
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Use the Metadata worksheet - It’s your Friend.
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Who’s going to get me all this content? Identifying Providers
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Working with the Admin Tool - You Don’t Have to Do it All!
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Program Producers
Web Producers
Public Information/Communications
Traffic
Graphic Designers - create templates
It’s easier than it sounds!
Conduct a training with content providers
Workflow
Metadata Worksheet
Admin Tool
Static Images & Sizes
Logo (454x90)
Background Image (950 x 356)
Title Card (454 x 255)
Stack Images (454 x 255)
Developing a Video Content Strategy
A good video strategy . . .
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Is the first step to delivering video
Distinguishes what content to distribute online
Identifies the appropriate audience(s)
Determines how content will be “programmed”
Coordinates inter-departmental personnel and resources
Maximizes unique opportunities to cross-promote platforms and
content
Developing a Video Content Strategy
Two of the most important questions:
1. How do we want to syndicate our content?
2. What kind of video experience do we want to create?
Developing a Video Content Strategy
How do we want to syndicate our content?
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Syndication = Sharing content with COVE stations
Your Audience is Anywhere
“Cover” stories without producing content
The power of COVE is in syndication
Station hosts content wherever it plays
Developing a Video Content Strategy
What kind of video experience do we want to create?
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Full Player Experience – a completely customized portal with
local, national and syndicated content from entire COVE system
Single clip – Uses single clips of video to embed in program web
sites, blogs or video aggregation pages
Fully-branded national portal – National content only, full local
branding; complement existing local video section
Syndicated Content Player – Content syndicated from other
stations in COVE is programmed into unique collections that
address the community’s needs
Developing a Video Content Strategy
Tim Bischoff
Director of Marketing
KET – Kentucky Educational Television
Online Content Strategy
• What are our strengths?
• What are our challenges?
• What do our audiences expect?
Online Content Strategy
• What are our goals?
• Embrace online video as a co-primary distribution platform –
in addition to broadcast, rather than to only support or
promote broadcast – that provides an experience that is
easily navigated and engages users in aggregated local,
national, local-to-local and educational content.
• Use online video to increase the overall viewership and
impact of our programs and services.
Online Content Strategy
• Where to begin?
• More than 4,600 episodes of video available now on-line.
• Each year, we produce more than 1,200 hours of local
programming for both on-air and online distribution.
Online Content Strategy
• What are our audiences watching on-air and
online?
– Examined Nielsen’s and our current online video
viewership analytics
• PBS
• Local
• Education
Online Content Strategy
• Content at launch
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Homepage “Featured Video” Area
Portal experience: local/national
Need link to “old” video…. all the video that is not in COVE
Series-based pop-up for One to One
Online Content Strategy
• Level of Content Available by end of CY09
• Series-based pop-ups for all weekly, local series
» With “cross linking” between series
• Embedded video
» in our blogs
» Social Bookmarking/everywhere
• Micro-player for K-12 Educational series “News Quiz”
Online Content Strategy
Aspirational Goal:
All rights-clear content available in a
unified video experience.
COVE Webinar II – Preparing for COVE
Thank You
For more information,
contact pbsi_stationservices@pbs.org