Table of Contents
Release Notes for IP/TV Viewer Release 3.0
October 1999
These release notes cover information relating to the IP/TV Viewer Release 3.0.
These release notes summarize the following topics:
The IP/TV Viewer may be freely distributed when used in conjunction with an IP/TV 3400 Series Server, IP/TV Server or IP/TV Content Manager. The IP/TV Viewer software is included with all IP/TV 3400 Series Servers, IP/TV Server, and IP/TV Content Manager products. Technical support for the IP/TV Viewer will be covered by any service contract associated with the IP/TV 3400 Series Servers, IP/TV Server, and IP/TV Content Manager Products.
IP/TV Release 3.0 introduces the following new features:
- Quality for low-end and high-end video for live and prerecorded has been improved. IP/TV extends high-quality video by including MPEG2 at full resolutions (720 x 480). Additionally, IP/TV enhances low-end quality by supporting MPEG4 for low-bitrate streams.
- Quality for low-end audio has been improved with the inclusion of MP3 and Windows Media Audio support.
- Management of IP/TV video services has been extended to support multiple IP/TV Server Clusters and IP/TV Viewer proximity groups. IP/TV Server Clusters allow the user to group servers based upon video content, geographical locations, or any combination thereof. IP/TV Viewer proximity groups allow the administrator of an IP/TV system to create viewer sets that pull content from specific IP/TV Server Clusters. The enhanced management features allow for flexible video service management schemes.
- Data integration enhancements
- Data Integration has been greatly enhanced for easier delivery of nonvideo and audio data types. Web Presenter provides the ability to send information via web pages along with audio and video. IP/TV has incorporated the ability to supports Streaming Format (ASF) content, which support many features such as content markers. Content markers are used to 'mark' specific places within a stream for quick location indexing.
- Windows Media Technology (WMT) integration
- IP/TV has integrated Windows Media Technology (WMT) with IP/TV to provide the best of both intranet and Internet streaming video.
- IP/TV client enhancements include easier to use video controls and enhanced plugin capabilities.
- Relative file paths, based on the defined Server MediaRoot, are now supported for scheduled programs and recordings. There is now multihomed server support for SDP listening.
- The standard CD-ROM installation does not prompt you to enter your name, company name, and serial number. Ignore Step 4 on page 3-3 in the IP/TV Viewer User Guide.
- The DEMO CD-ROM does not prompt you to enter your name, company name, or serial number. Instead, the User Information window (Step 5, page 3-5) displays two radio buttons: Demo and Full.
- Select the Demo installation option to begin streaming video quickly. Use this option in conjunction with the Demonstration installation of the IP/TV Server.
- Use the Full installation in conjunction with the Cisco 3400 series video servers or if IP/TV software is installed on your own computer. The Full installation will not work with the demonstration of the IP/TV Server.
- In order to retain the current Content Manager setting when upgrading from IP/TV Viewer 2.0 to IP/TV Viewer 3.0, you must edit the setup.ini file to enable the Admin Mode Install (EnableAdminModeInstall=1) and you must specify the desired Content Manager in the Guide Server parameter (GuideServer={CM}) before the upgrade.
- When IP/TV Viewer is configured for a Content Manager with a program listing of greater than 200 programs and the polling value is set to the default of 10 minutes, the amount of time repeatedly needed to complete a program listing fetch may cause synchronization issues and frame droppage. In order to prevent these symptoms, set the polling interval under Settings>ContentManagers to 12 hours (720 minutes) or, if possible, turn polling off.
- If you receive the error message
Error loading amovie.ocx. The specified module could not be found when trying to view the IP/TV Introduction Video, install Active Movie from the following location on the CD: IPTV\Support\mpfull.exe.
- DirectX foundation must be installed before you install Optibase VideoPlex XPress driver. DirectX foundation can be found on the VideoPlex XPress CD under \DirectX6.0\DirectX Foundation\ directory.
- If you are installing the Optibase VideoPlex XPress MPEG decoder board, you must use the latest driver installation image included in this CD under \Optibase\VPXpress after you install DirectX foundation.
- When using the Optibase VideoPlex XPress MPEG decoder card with the IP/TV Viewer, the fullscreen mode works only on Win95 or Win98 when the VideoPlex XPress is in the VPE mode and used in conjunction with an ATI VGA card.
- The Printing program listing is not supported.
- Minimum requirements are: 100-MHz Pentium processor (133-MHz for MPEG1, 300-MHz for MPEG2 at 3 Mbps,400-MHz for MPEG2 at 6 Mbps). Frame rate may vary depending on your VGA adapter and network interface card.
- The DSP Group Truespeech ACM codec is not capable of handling packet loss and is unsuitable for streaming in the IP/TV environment. Audio distortion occurs after tuning in for a long period of time (greater than 24 hours). Once the audio problem occurs, you must close the program and retune into the same program.
- Indeo codecs are not supplied with IP/TV. You can download them from the following website if needed:
- http://developer.intel.com/ial/indeo/video/driver.htm
- When viewing a program containing a video stream, The Edit>Copy Image menu item in the client video window may result in a blank image copied to the clipboard. This problem is due to limitations in some graphics cards and video codecs.
- When using the Optibase VideoPlex XPress to watch video over a long period of time, on some PCs the video may eventually break up into a blocky static. This problem is a result of a bug in the hardware of the Optibase card.
- The Optibase Live Capture Video Card is not supported on Windows 95 for the Demo Server.
- Presenter program fails to work with Web pages using ShockWave plugin.
- True Speech audio served with MPEG-4 video may experience audio distortion in rare occasions.
- Slow systems (less than 166MHz) may experience audio/video out of sync problem for MPEG4 encoded programs.
- Viewing multiple MPEG2 programs simultaneously is not supported at this time.
- CSCdm49161 The Source Port and Encoding fields on the advanced Program Information dialog box are currently not implemented.
- CSCdm40410 You cannot add a Content Manager as new, if that Content Manager was previously removed.
- CSCdm45187 The Window>Scale Down command on the video window is not working properly. If used, the toolbar buttons disappear.
- CSCdm44407 The IP/TV Web Presenter feature does not support web pages that have both audio and video streams.
- CSCdm46300 IP/TV Viewer cannot properly decode G.723 audio due to a codec problem.
- CSCdk86892 The URL Flipping option on the Select Stream dialog box appears unenabled, but is enabled.
- CSDdm08011 There is no indication on the IP/TV Viewer Program Listing window if a Windows Media Multicast Station contains URL flips.
- CSCdm30247 Only one MPEG2 stream is supported by IP/TV Viewer.
- CSCdm63174 Both audio and video pause when selecting Pause Video in an on-demand WMT program.
- CSCdm64603 When shifting focus from an IP/TV program to a WMT program, the audio streams from both programs are heard simultaneously.
- CSCdm64241 When you detach a password protected plugin program using the Detach button, you are prompted for the password again.
- CSCdm59843 The scale up and scale down feature does not work for WMT programs in Fullscreen mode.
- CSCdm19108 The URL flipping feature does not work unless Internet Explorer 4.0 is or later installed on the same computer as IP/TV Viewer.
- CSCdm83439 When enabling the SDP Listener in Demo mode, you need to assign a the Content Manager as 127.0.0.1 and the UDP port number as 8080. This only applies to the SDP Listener in Demo mode.
CSCdk66203 Set MaxRenderersPerSession in IPTV.INI file to restrict the number of concurrent streaming windows.
CSCdk71168 ATL.DLL is added at install and registered.
CSCdk40509 IP/TV Viewer can be installed over older version of the IP/TV Viewer.
CSCdk42518 SDP Listener registry settings updated for NT.
CSCdk61017 The sample program file "sample.sdp" uses TTL of 15.
CSCdk72968 SDP Parse accepts program when there is no text after the SAP attribute "p=".
CSCdk45095 Switching sources on multiple sessions no longer causes IP/TV Viewer hang.
CSCpr03526 You can now simply drag a program into the subscription window.
CSCpr03884 Exiting IP/TV with an empty VOD program video window up no longer causes a GPF.
CSCpr04713 Program listing fetches secondary Content Manager only if primary the primary Content Manager fails.
CSCdk52821 Time limit for http time out when CM fails and SDP listener is used.
CSCdk35309 Plugin no longer crashes on IE or Netscape.
CSCdk40513 Plugin in IE no longer shows failed to initialize properly.
The manuals for the IP/TV 3.0 release have been reorganized as follows:
- The IP/TV Administration and Configuration Guide includes installation, administration, and configuration information for IP/TV Content Manager and IP/TV Server. It also includes information about completing a network installation of the IP/TV Viewer.
- The IP/TV Content Manager User Guide includes information about how to create scheduled programs, on-demand programs, and recordings. Also includes examples showing how to create these IP/TV elements within the context of a sample network environment.
- The IP/TV Viewer User Guide includes information about how to install and use IP/TV Viewer.
The following information lists corrections to the IP/TV Viewer User Guide Version 3.0:
- Page 4-4: The following paragraphs should read: "You can display scheduled programs by the current day, week, month menu item or clicking column headers.
- Page 5-6, Table 5-1: The Source Port, Encoding, and Default FPS fields are currently not implemented.
- Page 5-19: Omit the following paragraph: "If you have subscribed to more than four programs that simultaneously, you will only receive four programs at one time. When one program ends and you close that viewer window, another program will begin playing."
- Page 5-24: The Slidecast window does not contain a Pause and Restore button. The Copy Image button is not currently implemented.
- Page 5-30, Table 5-6: Omit the Administrator field.
- Page 5-33: Omit the second paragraph. The beginning of the third paragraph should read: "Click Settings>Advanced Options."
- Page 6-4: The first paragraph should read: "To access the docking command, place your cursor in the Content Manager pane gripper bar and click the right mouse button."
- Page 6-7: Step 1 should read: "...click Settings>Customize Toolbars."
Use this Release Note in conjunction with the following documents:
- IP/TV Content Manager User Guide
- IP/TV Administration and Configuration Guide
- Cisco IP/TV 3400 Series User Guide
- Regulatory Compliance and Safety Information for Cisco IP/TV 3400 Series
- Release Notes for the IP/TV Content Manager and IP/TV Server
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Posted: Tue Dec 7 12:28:38 PST 1999
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