Organize and Add Content

Organizing Content on the Server

The HyperCaster supports a folder (directory) structure with sub-folders for content management and playout. The HyperCaster is configured with a primary media folder labeled vol1 (for Volume 1), with all user media and sub-folders underneath that top-level folder. Some servers also have a shortcut to vol1 called upload. TelVue recommends that you keep all media files in the primary media folder. You can then use the Web Application content management tools including Categories and Series to organize and search within the application based on metadata. Files can be flexibly named, with a maximum of 128 characters supporting alphanumeric characters and special characters dash, underscore, number sign, parenthesis, period, and spaces: – _ # ( ) . 

Adding Content to the Server

There are several methods for adding content to the server.

  • Use the Browser Uploader to upload right from the User Interface
  • Use Samba to Add Content via Drag and Drop
  • Use FTP or SFTP to Add Content
  • Subscribe to the TelVue® Connect™ service for cloud upload, remote contributor upload, and adding programming from the Media Exchange. The HyperCaster will automatically retrieve content securely from TelVue Connect.
  • HyperCasters with CCMS Traffic & Billing integration will automatically search network shares for schedules and associated scheduled media. Scheduled media will automatically be downloaded and imported.

Use the Browser Uploader to Add Content

The easiest way to add new programming is to use the integrated Browser Uploader that allows uploading right from the application browser-based user interface on PCs, Laptops, Tablets, and Mobile Phones. The Browser Uploader is resumable, so if any uploads are interrupted mid-transfer, i.e. due to a network hiccup, you can re-initiate the same upload and it will automatically pick up from where it left off. Navigate to the Content Tab, and click the upload icon on the left sidebar to open the Browser Uploader.

Now you can drag and drop or click browser to select one or more files to upload.

You can keep dropping more files on or click Add More until ready to commence upload. Once ready to upload, click the Upload button.

The uploader will show the progress for each upload as well as statistics including the average transfer rate and estimated time remaining.

Do not close or refresh the browser page from which you initiated the upload, or the upload will be interrupted. If this happens, you can re-initiate the same upload to resume from where the upload left off. Most browsers will warn if you are navigating away while upload activity is in progress, for example on Chrome you will see the following and likely want to Cancel:

If you want to continue to work within the application while uploads are going on, open a separate browser tab or window. If you click the X in the upper right of the Browser Uploader shadowbox, the uploader will hide but the sidebar icon will blink indicating uploads are still in progress. Once the uploads have completed, the Browser Uploader shadowbox will disappear and the upload icon will stop blinking. Uploaded content will be automatically imported in the background. Refresh the Content Tab to see the uploaded content record.

If a file with the same name already exists, the upload for that file will fail and the file will be moved into the import/failed directory. If you want to automatically replace a file that exists with the same name, before clicking the upload button, click the edit icon for that file, check the Replacement Upload? option on, and click Save Changes. You can do this for each file as necessary before uploading.

You will see all import related Tasks from Browser Uploads in the Tasks tab for tracking.

Use Samba to Add Content

You should already have mapped the HyperCaster media drive on a PC or Mac on the same network as your HyperCaster. Samba is recommended only for use on the Local Area Network, and never over the public Internet for security.

  1. Open a window on the PC or Mac and browse to the folder that maps to the HyperCaster media folder.
  2. Drag media files from your local folder and drop them into the mapped drive, typically at the root level. Once file transfer has completed, you can login to the user interface, and import the files into the application from the Content Tab.
  3. Alternatively, you can drop files directly into the import/media hot folder for the files to automatically import into the application upon upload. If a file with the same name already exists, the automatic import will fail and the file will be moved into the import/failed directory. If you want to automatically replace a file that exists with the same name, drop files into the import/replacement_files hot folder.

Use FTP to Add Content

You can use your favorite FTP/SFTP client to upload content to your HyperCaster. Secure SFTP is recommended over FTP whenever possible. If you plan to upload files over the Internet to your HyperCaster, you must forward the appropriate ports on your external firewall. In your FTP client, enter the IP address of your HyperCaster for the Host. You should generally use the default psguser user as the username, and supply the password for that user. Once connected, you can use your FTP client’s command line or graphical interface to transfer files as described for Samba above.

Import Hot Folders & DVD Import

When uploading files using Samba or FTP, a number of import hot folders are available:

  • import/media – Drop files here to have them automatically imported into the application without having to explicitly import in the user interface. Files with the same name as ones that already exist will fail and be moved to the import/failed directory. You can manually delete files from import/failed using Samba or FTP, or directly in the user interface from the Config –> Content page.
  • import/replacement_files – Drop files here to replace already imported files with the same filename. Files that don’t already exist on the server will be imported just like using import/media.
  • DVD_Import – Create a sub-folder with the desired filename, and then drop an entire DVD VIDEO_TS folder in that sub-folder for fast importing of a DVD. DVD VOB files will be seamlessly stitched together to create a single Program Stream, that will be imported, and the temporary sub-folder will be cleaned out. When importing a DVD with multiple titles, each title will be imported as a separate file. If you want the tiles to be joined into a single program, specifically add a ‘+’ to the end of the sub-folder name. For example “MyProgram+” and drop the multi-title VIDEO_TS in that folder to be combined as a single program.

Sub-folders & File Permissions

Samba and FTP provide access to manage the file system including managing and uploading into sub-folders. The Browser Uploader and hot folders will always import to the root directory only, which is generally recommended.

Files uploaded via Samba or FTP that are not yet imported will match standard user permissions so can be renamed, deleted, or moved directly via Samba or FTP. Once a file is imported into the application, the file permissions are locked down so that it cannot be renamed, deleted, or moved directly via Samba or FTP. This acts as a failsafe to prevent accidentally deleting files under the hood that are in use by the application. Imported files can be renamed or deleted within the application interface. Sub-folders that have any imported content in their hierarchy will be locked and cannot be renamed, moved, or deleted via Samba or FTP.

Purging and Deleting Content

Purging content within the application interface hides it from the application, unlocks the file permissions, with the file remaining on the server. Purged files can be re-imported as needed, and will re-attach to the previous content database record picking up previous metadata as well. Content deleted in the application interface are deleted permanently from the server. If a file with the same name is ever re-uploaded and imported, it will re-attach to the previous content database record picking up previous metadata as well.