Brightcove Publishpod

Publishpod is a simple but powerful tool for encoding and uploading video and images for use with your Brightcove account. Publishpod is available for Windows and Mac OS X (see system requirements below).

Windows

Windows XP SP2 with Microsoft's .Net Framework 2.0 or Higher
Broadband Internet connection, 768 kbps or greater (minimum)

Mac

Mac OS X 10.4.8 or higher
Broadband Internet connection, 768 kbps or greater (minimum)

Windows Installation Instructions

1. Sign into the Brightcove Publisher Console
2. Select the Assets tab, open File Upload and click Get Publishpod
3. Click the checkbox indicating that you read and agree to the license agreement and download the .msi file to your Desktop.
4. When the download completes, close your Browser and double-click the .msi file to launch the Publishpod installer.
5. Follow the prompts in the installer to complete the installion.

Macintosh Installation Instructions

1. Sign into the Brightcove Publisher Console
2. Select the Assets tab, open File Upload and click Get Publishpod
3. Click the checkbox indicating that you read and agree to the license agreement and download the .dmg file to your Desktop.
4. When the download completes, close your Browser and double-click the .dmg file to mount the disk image.
5. Copy the Brightcove Publishpod application into your Applications folder by dragging it from the disk image.
6. Eject the disk image.

You can use Publishpod to perform the following tasks:

• Encode video assets into the Flash video format and upload encoded assets into your Brightcove account (see below for supported input / output formats)
• Capture video stills and thumbnails from your source videos
• Upload still images or video assets that have been encoded to the FLV or WMV format in another application such as Flix Pro or Windows Media Encoder

To import assets into Publishpod, do one of the following:

• Click the Browse button and navigate to the file or files to import (change the File Type down on Windows to restrict browsing to particular file types)
• Drag and drop a file or files into the file list area of Publishpod (dragging into other areas of the Publishpod interface will not import the file)

The Brightcove Publishpod encodes standard video formats into the Flash FLV format for use with the Brightcove service. Publishpod accepts the following source formats:

• QuickTime
• MPEG-1
• MPEG-2
• MPEG-4 (Macintosh Only)
• AVI (Windows only)
• WMV (Windows only)

Source videos should be the highest-resolution possible, using minimal or no compression. Uncompressed or mildly compressed production codecs (DV, HDV, DVCPRO, etc) are recommended.

While Publishpod has been tested with common audio and video codecs, not all audio and video codecs yield satisfactory results for encoding. Specifically, avoid re-encoding videos that have already been encoded for online delivery.

Publishpod for Mac OS X encodes Flash 7 video using the Sorenson Spark codec. Publishpod for Windows encodes Flash 8 video using the On2 VP6Pro codec.

You can bypass the Publishpod's encoding feature if your video is already in Flash format.

Publishpod defaults to Brightcove's recommended encoding specifications when a source video is imported. Publishpod also includes settings for other common resolutions and options used with the Brightcove service, including 16:9 video and options for use in smaller players.
Publishpod encoding options are:

Encoded File Name

• You can change the file name of the resulting FLV file before encoding the file (you can also rename the file in the Console after upload)

Standard Resolutions

• 480 x 360 - The standard resolution for traditional 4:3 aspect ratio video used with Brightcove players
• 480 x 270 - The standard resolution for 16:9 aspect ratio video used with Brightcove players. If your video contains letterboxed video (with black bars on the top and bottom) choose this option and then crop the video to 16:9.
• This method avoids using valuable resources to compress the letterbox matte areas. Brightcove players will automatically letterbox content which is not a 4:3 aspect ratio. The Single Player and Chromeless Single Player can be resized to native 16:9 sizes so no letterboxing with be visible.

Compact Resolutions

Full-resolution video can be used with smaller Brightcove player templates. The player will scale down the video as needed. Only encode to the compact size if you do not plan to use the video in a larger player.

• 320 x 240 - The compact 4:3 aspect ratio resolution for use with the Compact Player template and resizable players.
• 320 x 180 - The compact resolution for 16:9 aspect ratio resolution for use with the Compact Player template and resizable players. If your video contains letterboxed video (with black bars on the top and bottom) choose this option and then crop the video to 16:9
• This method avoids using valuable resources to compress the letterbox matte areas. Brightcove players will automatically letterbox content which is not a 4:3 aspect ratio. The Single Player and Chromeless Single Player can be resized to native 16:9 sizes so no letterboxing with be visible.

Cropping

Cropping is available in Publishpod for Mac only

Generally video should be cropped to the TV Safe area of the picture (sometimes called picture safe). This removes 4% of the image on each side and presents the video in a manner similar to viewing it on a television. Most importantly, cropping to TV Safe removes the noisy black area visible on the edges of most standard definition video.
Choose from the cropping options below:

• Crop 4:3 to 4:3 TV Safe - Recommended for Standard Definition 4:3 aspect ratio video.
• Crop 4:3 to 16:9 - Removes the letterboxing for more efficient compression (does not trim the sides of the video). Choose a 16:9 resolution (above) with this option.
• Crop 4:3 to 16:9 TV Safe - Recommended for letterboxed video. Removes the letterboxing for more efficient compression and trims black noisy areas from the sides of the image. Choose a 16:9 resolution (above) with this option.
• Crop 16:9 to 16:9 TV Safe - Recommended for full frame anamorphic widescreen video (not letterboxed). Trims black noisy areas from the sides of the image. Choose a 16:9 resolution (above) with this option.
• No cropping - The video is scaled to the specified resolution with no cropping. Use the option with HD video and other sources which no not require cropping to TV Safe.

Data Rate

Brightcove recommends using the standard 500kbps data rate for the highest quality. If your viewers have slower broadband connections or if you are encoding to a compact resolution, you can choose a lower data rate.

Encoding Quality

Choose Better Quality whenever possible to ensure the optimal video quality.

Encoding using Publishpod for Windows takes considerably longer than Publishpod for Mac OS X because the high quality On2 VP6 Flash 8 codec used with Flash 8 video is extremely processor intensive.

Deinterlace

Deinterlacing is strongly recommended for all non-progressive video.

Deinterlace the following formats:

• All standard NTSC or PAL video (60i)
• Interlaced HD video (1080i)
• Previously deinterlaced video which has been interlaced during the editing process

Do not deinterlace:

• Native 24p or 30p (progressive) NTSC video
• Film footage which has already gone through a reverse telecine process and had the 3:2 pull down removed
• Progressive HD formats (480p and 720p)
• Video from digital still cameras
• Video which has been scaled vertically (scaling interlaced video often results in large vertical bands in the image)

Publishpod for Mac OS X provides the option to keep the encoded FLV on your hard drive. This option allows you to encode without being signed in to your Brightcove account for later upload.

Trimming Video

Trimming is available in Publishpod for Mac only.

Publishpod allows you to trim a video before encoding. This is useful if the source video you are uploading contains information at the beginning or end that you would like to remove from the online version (for instance: color bars, slate, bumpers, etc).

To trim a video using Publishpod, perform the following steps:

1. Using the video preview controls, place the playhead on the start frame of the video that you want to remove.
2. While holding down SHIFT, click on, or drag the playhead to, the end frame of the video that you want to remove.
3. Control-Click on the video and choose  cut  to remove that area of the video.
4. Repeat this process for other sections of that video that you want to remove.

Frame Capture Options

Brightcove Publishpod allows you to capture video stills and thumbnail assets for use in creating titles.

To capture a still image:

1. Using the video preview controls, place the playhead on the desired frame
2. Select Thumbnail or Video Still from the  Image Size  dropdown
3. Click Capture
4. The asset is placed in the file list and queued for upload.

Publishpod can be used to upload all video and still image assets used with the Brightcove service. Be sure and assign the correct Asset Type in the asset list before processing the file for upload.

When you have selected the correct encoding options and/or asset type for the files you are uploading, click  Process  to begin uploading the assets to your Brightcove account. If you have access to multiple Brightcove accounts, be sure to confirm that you have selected the correct one. Once the encoding and upload process begins, you cannot change the active account.

You can use the Brightcove Publishpod to upload Flash video encoded with Flix Pro, Sorenson Squeeze, or another application on Mac OS X or Windows. If your video is already in Flash format, choosing the Video Full-Length or Video Preview Asset Type will bypass the encoding step and upload the file directly to your account. If your video is already in WMV format, choosing the Windows Media Full-Length or Windows Media Preview Asset Type will bypass the encoding step and upload the file directly to your account, without re-encoding the file.

Publishpod automatically uploads all of the files in the file list as long as no interaction is required. Be sure you have set the correct asset types and encoding settings for all of the files you are encoding or uploading.

Assets uploaded with Publishpod my not be visible in the Brightcove Console immediately. Please allow up to twenty minutes for assets to be fully available for use in the Console.

Uploading with a Proxy Server

Brightcove Publishpod is designed to upload through HTTP proxy servers using ports 80 and 443. Publishpod can automatically detect proxy server information from your operating system or you can enter the information in the Settings area (Windows only). Proxy server information for your operating system can be configured in the following locations:

Mac OS X

Apple Menu > System Preferences > Network > Proxies

Windows

Internet Explorer > Tools > Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings > Proxy Server

Proxy server settings for Publishpod for Windows can also be configured directly in the application. Click  Settings and enter the information for your proxy server. Note that if your proxy server requires authentication, you will need to configure the proxy settings in Publishpod for uploading to function correctly.

While the Brightcove Publishpod is designed to automatically detect most proxy settings configured in your operating system, you may notice significantly slower upload speeds when using some proxy servers.