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A video server is a computer-based device that is dedicated to delivering video. Video servers are used in a number of applications, and often have additional functions and capabilities that address the needs of particular applications. For example, video servers used in security, surveillance and inspection applications typically are designed to capture video from one or more cameras and deliver the video via a computer network. In video production and broadcast applications, a video server may have the ability to record and play recorded video, and to deliver many video streams simultaneously.
In TV
Viewing Your Security Camera on Your Android Smartphone with MPRMS
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A video server is a computer-based device that is dedicated to delivering video. Video servers are used in a number of applications, and often have additional functions and capabilities that address the needs of particular applications. For example, video servers used in security, surveillance and inspection applications typically are designed to capture video from one or more cameras and deliver the video via a computer network. In video production and broadcast applications, a video server may have the ability to record and play recorded video, and to deliver many video streams simultaneously.
Video broadcast and production
In TV broadcast
Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...
industries, a server is a device used to store broadcast quality images and allows several users to edit stories using the images they contain simultaneously.
The video server can be used in a number of contexts, some of which include:
* News: providing short news video clips as part of a news broadcast as seen on networks such as CNN, Fox News
The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
and the BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
.
* Production: enhance live events with instant replays and slow motion and highlights (sport production) (see OB Vans)
* Instruction: delivering course material in video format.
* Public Access: delivering city specific information to residents over a cable system.
* Surveillance: deliver real-time video images of protected site.
* Entertainment: deliver anything used for entertainment. It can be gaming, news, movie trailers, or movies.
A professional-grade video server performs recording, storage, and playout of multiple video streams without any degradation of the video signal. Broadcast quality video servers often store hundreds of hours of compressed audio and video (in different codecs
A codec is a computer hardware or software component that encodes or decodes a data stream or signal. ''Codec'' is a portmanteau of coder/decoder.
In electronic communications, an endec is a device that acts as both an encoder and a decoder o ...
), play out multiple and synchronised simultaneous streams of video by, and offer quality interfaces such as SDI for digital video and XLR for balanced analog audio, AES/EBU digital audio and also Time Code. A genlock input is usually provided to provide a means of synchronizing with the house reference clock, thereby avoiding the need for timebase correction or frame synchronizers.
Video servers usually offer some type of control interface allowing them to be driven by broadcast automation
Broadcast automation incorporates the use of broadcast programming technology to automate broadcasting operations. Used either at a broadcast network, radio station or a television station, it can run a facility in the absence of a human oper ...
systems that incorporate sophisticated broadcast programming
Broadcast programming is the practice of organizing or ordering (scheduling) of broadcast media shows, typically radio and television, in a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or season-long schedule.
Modern broadcasters use broadcast autom ...
applications. Popular protocols include VDCP and the 9-Pin Protocol.
They can optionally allow direct to disk recording using the same codec that is used in various post-production video editing software
Video editing software or a video editor is software used for performing the post-production video editing of digital video sequences on a non-linear editing system (NLE). It has replaced traditional flatbed celluloid film editing tools and analo ...
packages to prevent any wasted time in transcoding.
Features
Typically, a video server can do the following: * Ingest of different sources : video cameras (multiple angles),satellite
A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
data feeds, disk drives and other video servers. This can be done in different codecs
A codec is a computer hardware or software component that encodes or decodes a data stream or signal. ''Codec'' is a portmanteau of coder/decoder.
In electronic communications, an endec is a device that acts as both an encoder and a decoder o ...
.
* Temporary or definitive storage of these video feeds.
* Maintain a clear structure of all stored media with appropriate metadata
Metadata (or metainformation) is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data itself, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including:
* Descriptive ...
to allow fast search : name, remarks, rating, date, time code, etc.
* video editing of the different clips
* Transfer those clips to other video servers or playout directly (via IP interface or SDI)
Generally, they have several bi directional channels (record and ingest) for video and audio. A perfect synchronisation is necessary between those channels to manage the feeds.
Video surveillance and inspection
In some surveillance and inspection applications, IP video servers are employed which convert analog video signals into IP video streams. These IP video servers can stream digitized video over IP networks in the same way that an IP camera can. Because an IP Video server uses IP protocols, it can stream video over any IP-compatible network, including via a modem for access over a phone or ISDN connection. With the use of a video server attached to an analog camera, the video from an existing surveillance system can be converted and networked into a new IP surveillance system. In the video security industry a video server is a device to which one or more video sources can be attached. Video servers are used to give existing analog systems network connectivity. Video servers are essentially transmission/ telemetry / monitoring devices. Viewing is done using a web browser or in some cases supplied software. These products also allow the upload of images to the internet or direct viewing from the internet. In order to upload to the internet an account with an ISP (internet service provider) may be required. Phone apps that send direct security video feed to smartphones from security video servers are another recent security video server application innovation. This allows smartphone users to view security video server feed from anywhere they can use their smartphone./ref>
See also
*Broadcast automation
Broadcast automation incorporates the use of broadcast programming technology to automate broadcasting operations. Used either at a broadcast network, radio station or a television station, it can run a facility in the absence of a human oper ...
and playout
* Centralcasting
* Media server (Consumer)
References