/tutorials/ QTSS Publisher
soundscreen
Embedding QuickTime
Illustrated Embed Tag
Embed Tag Attributes
New Plug-In Features
Interactive Form
Detecting QuickTime via JavaScript
Basic Streaming
Basic Server Setup
Compression for Streaming
Using QTSS Publisher
Posting Files to the Server
Linking Pages to Streams
Using Playlists
Live Streaming
Advanced Streaming
Authenticating Media Access
Streaming through Firewalls
Setting up Relays
Using CGI to Create Pages
Resources & Downloads
Downloads on this Site
Links to Other Sites
Cool Examples
Streaming Directory Listing
Movie Database
Synchronized Web Presentation
Interactive Examples
Other Sites with Cool Stuff
Page Contents
Introduction
Prerequisites and Setup
Logging in to QTSS Publisher
Uploading Files
Media Settings
Link Settings
Playlists
Making Web Pages

QTSS Publisher

↑ Introduction

QTSS Publisher is a Mac OS X Application for managing content on the Streaming Server. The application is one of the value-added features of QuickTime Streaming Server: It is not included with Darwin Streaming Server.

QTSS Publisher provides the following capabilities:

↑ Prerequisites and Setup

Before using QTSS Publisher, you must enable the Apache web server on Mac OS X Server. If you want to stream over Port 80, be sure to run the web server on a different port number.

You nay also need to copy files from the Images folder from for web page templates to your web server. The Images for individual templates are located in
/Library/Application Support/Apple/QTSS Publisher/Templates/<template name>/images

To copy all the images to your web server in one fell swoop, you can use the Terminal application command-line on the server:

  1. First create the directory for images if one doesn't already exist:
    mkdir /Library/WebServer/Documents/images
  2. Then copy all the images from the templates into that directory (the command below should be typed on one line):
    cp /Library/Application Support/Apple/QTSS Publisher/Templates/*/images/* /Library/WebServer/Documents/images/

↑ Logging In to QTSS Publisher

Currently QTSS Publisher requires connecting to QTSS as an Administrative User. Connecting as a non-administrative user will have unpredictable results. To Connect to the server, click on the Connect icon, enter the IP address or DNS name of your server, your administrative user name and password in the login slip that appears.

↑ Uploading Files

Once connected, the Media area of the application will open. The Media area can be activated at any time by clicking the Media icon in the toolbar. To upload files, select Media Library for .mov or .mp4 files or MP3 Library for .mp3 files from the Source pane of the Media area. Then drag media files from the Finder into the Media Library pane of the Media area of the application:

Note: Uploaded files or existing playlists can be deleted by selecting the file/playlist and pressing the Delete key on the keyboard or selecting Delete from the Edit menu.

↑ Media Settings

Individual Media, MP3 files and Playlists each have associated Settings. Settings for .mov and .mp4 files include annotations for the file (i.e. Full Name, Author, Copyright and Description). For .mp3 files you can use Settings to edit the ID3 tags of the .mp3 files. These annotations can appear in web pages when you use QTSS Publisher to generate web pages. To set the Annotations for an individual file or playlist, select it from the Source pane, then click the Settings button in the Toolbar. The Media tab of the Settings pane is the place to enter and apply annotations.

The URL tab of the Settings pane is very useful. With .mov or .mp4 files, check boxes are available to make the media available via http fast-start (Media is available for download) or for streaming (Media is available for streaming). You can also make individual .mp3 files available for download in the URL area:

↑ Link Settings

Methods for linking can be configured via the "Link Settings" button of the URL tab, or by clicking on the Links icon in the Toolbar. Media files/playlists can playback in QuickTime Player, in the web browser when clicked, or automatically in the web browser.Custom icons can be configured for media files and playlists (note: it is a good idea to drag and drop these files from the "images" folder on your web server). For .mp3 files/playlists the Display tab in the Links pane provide the ability to name the html link. Captions can be entered which can appear when using QTSS Publisher to generate web pages:

The HTML tab in the Links pane provides an easy way to copy and paste html into custom web pages. It can be used with any html editor or on-line utility for generating web pages. This tab provides a seamless way to add the media to your custom site or web application. Just copy and paste or drag and drop the html from the HTML pane.

↑ Playlists

Playlists can be created for movies or mp3 files via the New Playlist button in the toolbar. Note: All audio tracks in Media Playlists must use the same encoding, sampling rate, compression, and bit rate. All video tracks in Media Playlist must use the same encoding, compression, bit rate, and frame size. All MP3 files in MP3 Playlist must use the same sample rate. To create a New Playlist click on the icon in the toolbar and drag files into the playlist area.

There are three play modes for a playlist:
Sequential
The Playlist will start at the beginning, play through each file, and stop when the last item has been played.
Sequential Looped
The Playlist will start at the beginning, play through each file, and repeat this process over and over. Looped playlists will play indefinitely until stopped.
Weighted Random
The Playlist randomly play files on the list. The weighting on individual files can be set from 1 to 10; 1 being the lowest and least likely to play. Weighted random playlists also use the Repetition setting. This number determines how many files must play before a playback of a file is repeated. Weighted random lists will play indefinitely until stopped.

Note: Existing Playlists can be edited by clicking on the Media button in the toolbar, selecting the Playlist and clicking on the Settings button in the Playlist. In this manner, playlists can be dynamically controlled via QTSS Publisher. URLs for Playlists can be accessed via the URL tab. Advanced Playlist Settings can be used to sent a Playlist to another server, which can be used to scale your playlists to larger audiences with multiple servers and relays.

↑ Making Web Pages

QTSS Publisher can automatically build web pages using CSS and XSL templates. The application comes with pre-defined templates located on the server in the directory
/Library/Application Support/Apple/QTSS Publisher/Templates/

To create a web page using a pre-defined template, click on the Links icon in the toolbar. Then select the files and/or playlists that should appear on the web page (hold down the Command key while clicking to select multiple items). Once the items are selected, click on the Make Web Page button in the Toolbar. From the Slip, select the Template that you want to use, specify a Title and Description. By the URL will automatically be created based on your title, but you can optionally specify a specific URL. Click the Create Page button to generate your web page and open it in the web browser.

Note: Custom templates can be created by adding new folders in the Templates directory on the server. In addition to creating the .css, .xsl and supporting files, you need to modify the config.plist file in the template's directory with the name of the template. Creating new templates requires knowledge and experience with xsl and css.