• Support

Introduction

This document provides instructions on how to manage a collection (Channel) of Net-Top-Boxes (NTBs) using the NTB's in-built Channel Manager facility.

The Channel Manager facility of the NTB has three elements:

1. Publisher. The NTB at HQ on which the content of the Channel is put together by the Channel Administrator.
2. Channel Content Server (CCS). A computer on the Internet that is an FTP server. FTP servers allow files to be uploaded onto them and downloaded from them given the correct usernames and passwords. The Publisher NTB uploads all the content for the Channel onto the CCS automatically when instructed to publish.
3. Subscribers. NTBs on each site that access the CCS over the Internet and check periodically for changes to the Channel. They will download these changes as required.

  Note: In smaller networks (say, five Subscribers) the Publisher can be the CCS.

The content of the Channel is the set of Layouts in the Schedule on the Publisher at the time of publishing. The Schedule is the default Layout plus any other Layouts that have been scheduled to override it at certain times of the day and/or days of week.

  Note that there may be other Layouts that do not appear in the Schedule, these Layouts will not be published.

A Layout is a collection of one or more rectangular Zones that will be displayed on the screen. Each Zone has a PlayList that may contain one or more items of Content. The Content may include:

• Video files,
• Live TV or a video signal (camera / DVD / Sky Box etc)
• Audio files
• Images
• Web-pages from the Internet or stored on the NTB
• Flash animations
• Text - scrolling or stationary and including news tickers