Server Side Playlist, Wallclock, Start/Stop movie clips

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

RParker - 24 Sep 2007 15:36 GMT

All,

I just can't find specific help for this, so I'm asking all of you. I have
done everything I can think of to try to get this to work. This is obviously
very simple for others to get to work, so I need someone to look at this. I
am simply wanting to schedule movie clips within the playlist to begin and
end at specific date/time using "wallclock". Per the tutorial at
http://blogs.iis.net/vsood/archive/2007/07/29/server-side-playlists-wall-clock-f
eature-and-tech-ready.aspx,
I have specified the correct syntax, but something is still wrong.

Here is my playlist:

<?wsx version="1.0"?>
<smil>
<media src="C:\wmpub\WMRoot\Louisiana\labnsplashe.jpg"/>
<excl>
<priorityClass peers="Pause">
<media ID="Pinball" src="pinball.wmv" begin="wallclock(
2007-09-24T10:36:00 )" end="wallclock( 2007-09-24T10:38:00 )"/>
<media ID="Racecar" src="racecar_300.wmv"
begin="wallclock( 2007-09-24T10:39:00 )"/>
</priorityClass>
</excl>
</smil>

When running the PPoint, the media file labnsplashe.jpg runs, but that's the
ONLY element in the playlist that will run, even when the date/time specified
for "pinball.wmv" passes. I can "jump to" the pinball and racecar clips -
they play once, and then go back to the labnsplashe.jpg, or sometimes the
Windows Media Player on the client will say "Waiting".

Can someone tell me the bottom line to get this going? All I want to do is
be able to schedule clips at particular date/time, and that's when the clip
plays - PERIOD.

Your help is greatly appreciated!!!

Robby

Reply to this Message

Neil Smith [MVP Digital Media] - 24 Sep 2007 18:54 GMT

Wallclock values are timezone dependent. Your timezone (PST) according
to your news posting is -07:00 relative to UTC (00:00 hrs). I believe
you're still in daylight saving time there.

Therefore your elements below are actually scheduled to start an hour
out. If you review the docs on this page
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms755434.aspx

you can see "The wallclock value does not honor Daylight Saving Time
(DST). If you are streaming media from a time zone that honors DST,
you should use a UTC time zone offset when specifying your time
values"

So adding -07:00 to that ought to be enough to sync your wallclock
value to the actual DST value you're using.

Another thing to check is you have the appropriate server version (you
didn't say which you have). The docs above state "x64-based versions
of Windows Server 2003 and in the 32-bit versions of Windows Server
2003 with Service Pack 1 except for Windows Server 2003, Web Edition"

I'd check to make sure you have server 2003 R2 there.

HTH
Cheers - Neil

>I just can't find specific help for this, so I'm asking all of you. I have
>done everything I can think of to try to get this to work. This is obviously
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
>be able to schedule clips at particular date/time, and that's when the clip
>plays - PERIOD.

------------------------------------------------
Digital Media MVP : 2004-2007
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/mvpfaqs

Reply to this Message

RParker - 24 Sep 2007 19:44 GMT

Neil, thanks for the reply. I have read the sdk article. I tried using the
UTC-7 format (along with other -values just for testing), and I get the same
results. Here is the newest playlist.

============
<?wsx version="1.0"?>
<smil>
<media src="C:\wmpub\WMRoot\Louisiana\labnsplashe.jpg"/>
<excl>
<priorityClass peers="Pause">
<media ID="Pinball" src="pinball.wmv" begin="wallclock(
2007-09-24T01:38-07:00 )" end="wallclock( 2007-09-24T01:39-07:00 )"/>
<media ID="Racecar" src="racecar_300.wmv" begin="wallclock(
2007-09-24T01:39-06:00 )" end="wallclock( 2007-09-24T01:40-06:00 )"/>
</priorityClass>
</excl>
</smil>
============

If you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear them. I am running Win2k3
Standard. The GUI Windows Media Server confirms that I have access to these
attributes as well - I just can't figure out the magic to getting it to work!!

Thanks,
Robby

> Wallclock values are timezone dependent. Your timezone (PST) according
> to your news posting is -07:00 relative to UTC (00:00 hrs). I believe
[quoted text clipped - 57 lines]
> Digital Media MVP : 2004-2007
> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/mvpfaqs

Reply to this Message

RParker - 24 Sep 2007 22:18 GMT

Well, somehow my playlist started working - I swear I tried this exact setup
before, but anyway. Here's a playlist that works with the local clock on the
server:

=========
<?wsx version="1.0"?>
<smil>
<media src="snowboard_300.wmv" dur="5" repeatCount="indefinite"/>
<excl>
<priorityClass>
<media id="one" begin="wallclock( 2007-09-24T15:16:00 )"
src="pinball.wmv"/>
<media src="snowboard_300.wmv" begin="wallclock(
2007-09-24T15:16:15 )"/>
</priorityClass>
</excl>
</smil>
=========

My new prob is this: the media element in the root of <smil/> is not
behaving as expected. I need a "splash" screen to play when no other media
element in my <excl> group is running. The problem is that no media element
in my <excl> group will STOP the root <smil/> element (snowboard_300.wmv).
They will play, however, once the snoboard_300 root element is done playing.
I tried putting in a JPG, setting the duration to 1sec and loop to indefinite
hoping that the <excl> elements would stop the root <smil> element but they
don't. Can anyone offer a suggestion on how I can have a splash image or
generic wmv to play when none of my wallclock scheduled elements are up?

Thanks,
Robby

Reply to this Message

Neil Smith [MVP Digital Media] - 24 Sep 2007 23:39 GMT

Glad you got it working - perhaps the previous WSX had to timeout ;-)

If I remember, sometimes the publishing point needs to be restarted to
clear existing playlists, so it's possible it worked once you did that

On to the next one : In these docs
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms752551.aspx

It looks to me like you should add the jpeg file to another
<priorityClass /> container, and that should be after the interrupting
elements (i.e. it has a lower overall priority in the playlist)

Additionally, you'd want to set it to peers="stop" since as noted in
the docs there's no facility to pause a JPEG and resume it later.

The WMV should work though - as a workaround if you ~must~ use a JPEG
you might be able to add a second instance of it to the playlist, to
play "after" the other elements have played.

I don't have my server running now and it's 23:45 so I'm off to bed.
But : I'd try this playlist variation and see if it works as intended

<?wsx version="1.0"?>
<smil>
<excl>
<priorityClass>
<media id="one" begin="wallclock(2007-09-24T15:16:00)"
src="pinball.wmv"/>
<media id="two" src="snowboard_300.wmv"
begin="wallclock(2007-09-24T15:16:15)"/>
</priorityClass>
<priorityClass higher="pause">
<media id="three" src="snowboard_300.wmv" dur="5"
repeatCount="indefinite"/>
</priorityClass>
</excl>
</smil>

It should run the snowboard clip "three" in a loop until the wallclock
value for "one" is reached, pause and play that...

Possibly reverting to "three" if the time for "two" is later than the
duration of "one" - then when "two" completes, you should be back in
the loop of "three" again, which is no longer paused.

Pls test by changing the source clip for "two" to something else, so
you can tell the conditions / steps apart !

>Well, somehow my playlist started working - I swear I tried this exact setup
>before, but anyway. Here's a playlist that works with the local clock on the
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
>Thanks,
>Robby

------------------------------------------------
Digital Media MVP : 2004-2007
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/mvpfaqs

Reply to this Message

RParker - 26 Sep 2007 15:46 GMT

Thanks Neil, you nailed it! I just created a short wmv of the splash JPG and
it works perfectly. Thanks for your help!

Robby

> Glad you got it working - perhaps the previous WSX had to timeout ;-)
>
[quoted text clipped - 78 lines]
> Digital Media MVP : 2004-2007
> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/mvpfaqs

Reply to this Message