Using IP/TV in a Web Browser

5 Chapter

IP/TV can be incorporated into a Web browser as either a plugin or helper application. This chapter describes the procedures for using IP/TV Viewer as a browser plugin and helper application.

There are two ways to incorporate IP/TV into your Web environment, each requiring varying levels of customization on your part. The two methods are using IP/TV Viewer as a browser plugin and as a helper application.

Using the IP/TV Viewer as a plugin lets you watch an IP/TV program that is embedded directly in your browser web page.

Using IP/TV Viewer as a helper application lets you launch IP/TV Viewer directly from your browser so that it runs in its own window. Most users create a web page that automatically launches the plugin.

Refer to the IP/TV Administration and Configuration Guide for detailed information on how to create and customize an IP/TV plugin or helper application.

Using IP/TV as a Plugin

The following sections describe how to launch and run an IP/TV program plugin, and how to access the IP/TV sample plugin.

Note To run a browser plugin, an IP/TV Content Manager must be running in your network. You need to have IP/TV Viewer installed on your system with plugins. Note also that the IP/TV Viewre demo CD has an HTML page that you can load into your browser that works with the demo installation.

Launching the Plugin

To launch IP/TV Viewer as a plugin, open your browser and enter the plugin's URL. Ask your system administrator for the exact location and name of the browser plugin web page. For example, the URL: http://<mywebserver>/yourplugin.htm will jump to the web page named yourplugin.htm, which is located on the web server named webserver.

Running t he Plugin

After you launch the plugin, the browser web page with the embedded IP/TV plugin window appears. If your system administrator has not changed the default toolbar parameter settings, your plugin will look similar to Figure 7-1.

Note Figure 7-1 is an example on an on-demand program plugin window.

Figure 7-1: IP/TV as a Plugin---On-Demand Program

The VCR controls for an on-demand program include: Stop/Play, positioning buttons, Position Control slider, Mute button, and volume control. For a scheduled program, the VCR controls include: Stop/Play, Mute button, and volume control.

See the "Menu Bar and Tool Icon Reference" appendix for a complete listing of viewer plugin toolbar buttons and icons.

Using the IP/TV Sample Plugin

If desired, you can use the sample plugin that comes with IP/TV which is useful if you want to launch and run IP/TV Viewer solely from a browser without any customization. Follow these steps:

Step 1 Open your browser.

Step 2 In your browser enter the URL http://<mywebserver>/iptvfiles/iptv.htm

: where mywebserver is the name of your Content Manager.
: The IP/TV Viewer window plugin appears with the title IP/TV Web Video. All programs on the Content Manager are listed in the Change Program list.

Using IP/TV Viewer as a Helper Application

You can set up IP/TV Viewer to be used as a helper application. The following sections describe how to launch and run the IP/TV helper application.

Note To create a helper application, an IP/TV Content Manager must be running in your network and IP/TV Viewer must be installed.

Launching the Helper Application

To launch IP/TV Viewer as a helper application, open your browser and go to the web page that contains the IP/TV Viewer helper application link. Ask your system administrator for the exact location and name of the web page that contains this link. Click the link to launch IP/TV Viewer.

Running the Helper Application

After you launch the IP/TV helper application by clicking its web link, the IP/TV Viewer main window and then viewer window appear. The designated program begins to play in the viewer window. The program behaves exactly the same as when you launch IP/TV Viewer as a standard application.

Table of Contents

Using IP/TV in a Web Browser

5 Chapter