Last updated on March 31, 2016

Transcoder Plugins


The Appspace Content Transcoding is a plugin framework that allows Appspace administrators to install transcoding engines that allow you to convert media files into a format compatible for playback on your selected your Appspace supported device. Transcoder plugins are not pre-installed with Appspace. You can install Appspace provided transcoders available in Downloads, or you can create and install your own custom plugins.

Appspace provides the following transcoders, which are available in Downloads:

  • Video Transcoder - Convert your video content into an alternative video format for playback on your Appspace supported device. Formats supported include: WMV, AVI, MPEG, MPEG_TS, MP4 and MOV.


  • PowerPoint Transcoder - Convert your PowerPoint files into either video (WMV VC-1) or HTML format for playback on your Appspace supported device.


This article provides the instructions to import transcoder plugins, create custom transcoder plugins, and delete transcoder plugins,

Importing Transcoder Plugins

  1. Click the Appspace menu, and select Systems > Downloads.

  2. In Downloads, select the desired transcoder package type, and click the Download link.

  3. Check the End User Agreement check box and click Download. The transcoder will be downloaded to your default download folder.

    Warning

    Ensure the Appspace server is properly configured and meets hardware requirements that are defined in the transcoder. Download and install any software or codec requirements listed for the transcoder to function correctly.

  4. Click the Appspace menu, and select System > Configuration.

  5. In the Transcoding tab, click Import, and click Choose File.

  6. Select the downloaded transcoder package from the default download folder, and click Open.

  7. Click the Apply button to import the transcoder.

  8. Once the transcoder has been imported, click the Apply Configuration tab.

  9. Input the Windows Server Administrator credentials, and click Apply.

  10. Click OK to restart the Appspace server.


Creating Custom Developed Transcoder Plugins

  1. Click the Appspace menu, and select System > Configuration.

  2. In the Transcoding tab, click New Transcoder.

  3. In the Settings tab, input the following details:

    • Transcoder Name - A descriptive name to identify the transcoder.
    • Supported File Types - List the media file extension types, in comma separated list, the transcoder supports. This information is used to determine the possible transcoders a user can use to encode a media file in the content library.


  4. In the Profiles tab, click New Profile.

    Note

    Each transcoder requires a profile to be created to define the function the transcoder performs, similar to a command line argument for the transcoder executable.

  5. Input the following details:

    • Profile Name - A descriptive name that helps explain its function and file format output.
    • Settings - List the various transcoder settings. Click Add Setting to insert additional settings.

    Important

    The below transcoder settings are required.

    • cli.outputext – The resulting file extension for the converted content for this profile.
    • cli.arguments – The command line arguments to pass to the transcoder executable. It should contain the variables, %source% and %destination%.

    Click Apply to save settings.


  6. Click the Apply Configuration tab, input the Windows Server Administrator credentials, and click Apply.

  7. Click OK to restart the Appspace server.


Deleting Transcoder Plugins

  1. Click the Appspace menu, and select System > Configuration.
  2. In the Transcoding tab, click Settings for the transcoder plugin you wish to delete.
  3. Click Delete This Transcoder and click OK to confirm.