censhare allows previewing and automatic conversion of videos.
Introduction
censhare allows you to
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Import videos and convert them into a uniform format automatically
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Create preview and stills automatically
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Create videos in different formats and resolutions for different clients and bandwidth automatically
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Create and distribute clips automatically
Various use cases can be covered:
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Manage product videos together with all other information, provide and publish
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Manage Videos from users or customers (user-generated content) and convert them into a uniform format
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Deliver video automatically in the main formats for web browsers and mobile clients
Therefore, it is possible to ensure that all videos are stored in a uniform format. This is useful if the videos are delivered in various formats, such as user-generated content. In addition to the original format, censhare can produce more videos with different resolutions. These can be selected depending on the available bandwidth of each client for playback. In addition, censhare generates previews and stills. Stills can be used as a preview image for the chapter selection of videos.
Supported video formats
MP4 and WebM are so-called container formats. These take video and audio data, still images, subtitles and other data into one file. MP4 uses H.264 as video codec and AAC as audio codec. For WebM, these are VP8 or Vorbis.
Timecode support
The format for the start and end time is hh:mm:ss:ff: the last two positions of the timecode show the video frame.
If you see a semicolon (;) instead of a colon (:) before the video frame, then the frame is a floating number, e.g. 0.002 and not the full number. It is also known as a drop frame and is widely used in TV broadcasting. The purpose is to sync with real time. Consequently, some frame numbers (but not frames) are “dropped”.
Discrepancy between video length in different widgets
When you upload a video to the Censhare system, a few storage items are created from the original one. They are used in different widgets. For now, the displayed number of frames is rounded down for the master file used in the Editor, without the actual asset length being cut. Consequently, in the Editor, the video appears as one frame shorter than in the Preview and Annotation widgets (Overview and Communication tabs respectively).
To fix this, please run the Create Previews server action. Any new assets are not affected by the problem and does not require a fix.
Troubleshooting this issue
For this:
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Find the video asset in the Java Client
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Right-click on it
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Select Preview → Create Previews from the menu
Where to find converted files
censhare stores all videos as storage items on the associated video asset. If users want to access the additional storage items, they must either export the corresponding asset or create the required storage items as separate assets. When exporting an asset, censhare offers the user a list with all storage items to choose from. Or the user drags the appropriate storage item from the info panel by drag-and-drop into the main window of the client in order to create a separate asset.
Editing videos
See Simple video editing in Censhare Web for manual editing of video assets.
With the help of transformation via XSLT (XSL Transformations) censhare can cut certain areas from the videos or reduce them automatically.