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Video Asset

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Supported Video Formats

DISCLAIMER: Although we list all sorts of formats and codecs supported by Intuiface, we really recommend you create or use .MP4 with H.264 codec videos. 

This will offer you the most compatibility and assure that your videos will play on most platforms.

Handbrake

To ensure your video files are fully optimized to be used in Intuiface or if you have some playback issues, we strongly recommend to encode/reencode them using Handbrake.

Tool website: https://handbrake.fr/

Handbrake is an easy-to-use tool for re-encoding video with a framerate more appropriate for its usage in Intuiface. For regular Full HD projects, the fast 1080p30 preset works well, but you can test multiple presets or set your own parameters. 

mceclip6.png

This will help you reduce the size of your video files and increase the smoothness of the playback.

On Windows

Intuiface uses Windows Media Player (WMP) as the default video rendering engine and thus supports all video codecs supported by WMP. This includes:

  • MP4
  • WMV
  • MOV
  • MKV
  • AVI

For a complete list of codecs supported on Windows devices, see this page for more details.

For alpha channel videos (i.e. for transparent video background), see this section for more details.

For streaming protocols such as MMS. See this section for more details.

Video Style

NOTE: The Video Style is only relevant for videos playing in experiences on Windows-based devices. It doesn't impact videos on Android, iPad, ChromeOS, etc.

There are, in fact, two video rendering engine "Video Styles" in Intuiface:

VideoAssetStyle.png

Windows Media Player has better performance than VLC for 4k and 8k videos and has equivalent performance to VLC for equally supported video codecs.

Only choose VLC for:

  • videos accessible only via HTTPS
  • videos with transparency (aka alpha channel)
  • videos using WMP-unsupported codecs like FLV and Webm
  • videos using RTSP stream protocol

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • When played on a secondary screen, videos may suffer from performance issues or even freeze in some instances. This limitation may be caused by low performances of the installed Graphics card or due to Windows graphics management (drivers, etc.)

  • In some cases, depending on the graphics card's capabilities and installed driver versions, we have noticed that a particular video style may be more fluid than another.
    If you notice rendering issues, consider testing on both video styles to identify which is more suited for the device you are using. See installing manufacturer video drivers on Windows devices for more details about installing suited drivers for your device.

  • If your video is correctly rendered in the Windows application Windows Media Player but not in Intuiface, update the driver for your PC's graphics card as described in this article.

  • Be sure to have the latest Windows Updates installed on your device to be sure your Windows Media Player is up to date.

  • Windows Media Player style is known not to resume properly after Windows exit from sleep or hibernation mode.

  • Windows Media Player style may prevent the PC from going into sleep or hibernation mode. This can be avoided by following the instruction here.

About videos with a transparent background

WARNING: Starting with After Effects Version 15.1, Adobe discontinued their support of the Quicktime 7 codec required to create Intuiface-supported transparency formats.

This means the most recent versions of Adobe After Effects and Adobe Media Encoder are not viable options for exporting transparent videos compatible with Intuiface.

If you have access to a copy of After Effects before version 15.1, you will be able to export videos using the settings displayed in the following image (shown using Adobe Media Encoder):

videoCodec.jpg

While Adobe Media Encoder and After Effects can no longer export compatible transparent video, Sony Vegas Pro still has the Quicktime 7 codec needed for Intuiface-supported transparency!

Here are the export settings for Vegas Pro 16.0. You must start with a QuickTime (MOV) video.

  • Import the video
  • Right click on it > Properties > Media > Alpha Channel: Premultiplied > OK
  • File > Render As
  • In the dialog box, choose Quicktime 7 - 512 Kbps Video (Kbps will determine the quality and size)
  • Click on Customize Template
  • Select Video Format: PNG / Compressed Depth: 32bppp color > OK
  • Click on Render

In addition, transparent videos are only supported on Windows-based devices and require the use of the VLC Media Player and the following formats / codecs:

  • Apple Quicktime (MOV) with PNG compression (32bit)
  • Uncompressed AVI (32 bit) with RGBA codec.

transparentVideo.gif

WARNING: Transparent videos can consume a large amount of system resources.

  • Limit frame rate and resolution to no more than necessary for your project. We recommend not exceeding 800x600 resolution and/or a frame rate of 25fps.
  • If possible, play only one transparent video at a time.
  • Be sure to assess performance in Player for Windows on your target device. Don’t assume good performance in Composer will be a predictor.
  • Think twice about your need. Perhaps an animated GIF would be sufficient while consuming far fewer system resources.

You can download a sample file here

Frequently encountered issues

  • Make sure your graphic card drivers are up to date (see this article for a look at how to update your drivers).
  • Install GPU manufacturer drivers such as Nvidia, AMD, or Intel instead of using generic drivers provided by Microsoft or laptop manufacturers.
  • Ensure the color profile of your PC is set to 32 bit, aka "True Color".
  • According to some customer feedback, various options of the AMD FirePro video card family may hinder the correct playback of some videos. There is no hard and fast rule but reconfiguration of the FirePro may improve performance.
  • If you want to hide the "Play icon" displayed when pinning the Video asset, deselect the Scene property "Show usage animation".
  • Rendering video content in Composer's Play mode might be less fluid than on the standalone Windows Player. If you encounter rendering stuttering, please try to run the video on Player instead of Composer.

Addressing White Balance and Contrast

NOTE: These instructions should only be followed when specific videos are displaying harsh contrast or inaccurate representations of white. Do not make changes "just in case".

Most video produced by the content and broadcast industry uses a studio range of 16 to 255 for YUV values. The video player used by Intuiface defaults to this studio range. As a result, a video created using the extended range from 0 to 255 (e.g. through the use of webcams) may display with harsh contrast and/or inaccurate rendering of white.

If your video displays inaccurate representations of white or harsh contrast, adjust your video driver to use the extended range of YUV values.

  • NVIDIA
    NVIDIA Control Panel -> Advanced -> Dynamic range -> Full (0-255)
  • ATI
    Catalyst Control Center -> Advanced Color -> Dynamic Range -> Full (0-255)
  • Intel HD
    Intel HD Graphics Control Panel -> Video -> Basic -> Input Range -> Driver Settings -> Full

On all other Player-supported platforms

Intuiface supports the following codecs:

  • MP4 H.264 codec: iPad, Android, Chrome OS, Samsung SSP
  • WEBM with VP8 codec, MP4v-20 codec, MP4 H.264: Chrome OS
  • MP4 H.264, H.265: BrightSign

About MP4

Having the .mp4 extension is not enough. For your mp4 videos, we recommend using the H.264 video codec. The following specifications are for example purposes, excepting the codec, settings may vary:

H.264 codec video (Example):

  • Baseline Level 3.0, Baseline Level 3.1, Main Level 3.1, and High Profile Level 4.1
  • 1080p
  • 60 frames per second
  • using AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, up to 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Playing local file-based videos

Video files can, of course, be stored on the same PC as Intuiface Composer. You can either:

  • import a video from your hard drive by either dragging & dropping it from Windows Explorer or using the Import Content button in the Content Library,
    OR
  • reference, rather than import, a video by entering its file path or Web URL in the Video property of the Video Asset

Composer automatically copies imported video files into your Intuiface project's file structure. As a result, there is no need to store a separate copy of each video on the computers hosting Player.

Referenced video files must have paths/URLs that are universally consistent from one device to the next to ensure successful deployment across multiple PCs.

Playing file-based videos on a file server

Video files on a file server can be referenced if Intuiface Composer and Player are on the same local network.

If the video path is \\yourserver\dir\video.wmv, then in the Video asset Video property, type the following URI: file://yourserver/dir/video.mwv

Directpath-file-video.jpg

We recommend you use progressive download encoding for server-based video files. Otherwise, the entire video must load before it plays, thus increasing response time.

Playing file-based videos on a Web server

Video files on a Web server can be referenced by Composer and Player. No special encoding is necessary as these videos are progressively downloaded automatically, meaning they will play almost immediately, depending on the speed of your network.

Type the video URL in the Video asset content property.

NOTE: The https:// protocol is not supported when using Windows Media Player option in Composer or Player on Windows. In this case, the video must have a URL starting with http://.

Playing video hosted on streaming servers

If you have your own video streaming server, you can use it with Intuiface.

The following streaming protocols are supported:

  • MMS: Windows only
  • RTSP: Windows only with VLC 
  • HTTP Live Streaming (HLS): Windows, iPad, Android

To configure the Video asset for live streaming, paste the stream's URI into the asset's Content field located in the Properties panel. To try this for yourself - assuming you have a live Internet connection - paste in the following URI and launch play mode: rtsp://wowzaec2demo.streamlock.net/vod/mp4:BigBuckBunny_115k.mov.

This feed is from a third-party source and thus, we cannot stand by the quality of its content or availability.

NOTE:

  • Only VLC Media Player style supports RTSP.
  • Video streams from YouTube can be played using the YouTube asset. Video streams from other platforms, like Vimeo and DailyMotion, can be displayed using the Web Browser Asset.

Limitations for streaming videos

  • Streamed videos cannot be exported to a local file.
  • The Speed property will have no effect on a video stream.
  • For some video streams, the progress timeline will not operate because the stream is perceived as having an unlimited length. In this case, the timeline bar will remain in its original position.

Properties, Triggers & Actions

Properties

See our list of common properties for details about properties shared by all asset types.

Appearance

The Poster subcategory enables you to specify what image should be displayed when the video first appears in a scene or collection.

  • Poster: Choose the image you wish to display. There are two options:
    • Time in video: Select the video frame
      NOTE: On certain devices, a poster frame might not be generated when using data-feed videos blocking the video rendering altogether, in this case using "External image" will solve the problem.
      • If you want to assign a specific time through binding, make sure the time is formatted as hh:mm:ss:fff. For example, passing in 00:01:35:500 means 1 minute, 35 seconds, 500 milliseconds.
      • If using Excel to store timestamps, the cell format could be Text or Time. Either way, the above-mentioned format must be observed.
    • External image   Select the image
    • Time: [displayed when Poster is set to Time in video] specify the time in seconds from within the video that the poster image should be taken

  • Image: [displayed when Poster is set to External image] selection of a file either in the Content Library or on the file system.

  • Controls

    • Show controls: Show video controls (play, pause, rewind)
    • Show controls behavior: Specify whether the video controls should fade away during playback or if they should be visible at all times. Setting to "Temporary" means they will fade; a tap of the video will cause the controls to reappear.
    • Show timeline: Show the video's timeline
    • Show sound control: Show the video's sound controls to adjust the volume

Behavior

This set of properties controls various aspects of how the video will play in your experience.

  • Autoplay: plays the video automatically as soon as the video is displayed
  • Autoplay on rewind: restarts the video automatically when it is rewound
  • Play loop: plays the video in a loop. NOTE: To loop properly, the video must be longer than one (1) second.
  • Behavior when ended: select whether to display the first or the last image when the video ends (version 3.5 and later)
  • Pause when hidden: pauses the video while it is not displayed
  • Volume: defines the volume of the video soundtrack
  • Speed: defines the video play speed

TransparentPixel.png

Triggers

See Triggers Overview to get details of common triggers shared by all assets

Video specific triggers:

  • Ends: Raised when the end of the video has been reached.
  • Is paused: Raised when the video has been paused.
  • Is rewound: Raised when the video has been rewound.
  • Loops: Raised when the video has looped.
  • Reaches time: Raised when the specified timestamp has been reached.
  • Starts to play: Raised when the video begins to play.
  • Time changes: Raised when the time has changed.
  • Timeline is moved: Raised when the timeline has been moved by the user.
  • Volume is changed: Raised when the volume has been changed.

The screenshot below illustrates the set of triggers specific to the Video Asset (click to zoom)
T_A-video.jpg

Actions

See Actions Overview to get details of common actions shared by all assets

Video specific Actions:

  • Pause: Pause the video.
  • Play: Play the video.
  • Rewind: Rewind the video to the beginning.
  • Set timeline: Set a playback position on the timeline.
  • Set volume: Set the volume of the video.
  • Stop: Stop the video.
  • Toggle play/pause: Play the video if paused; pause the video if playing
  • Turn Autoplay mode off: Turns off the video's auto-play.
  • Turn Autoplay mode on: Turns on the video's auto-play.
  • Change video: Replace the current content with new content located at a specified URI.
    • Start from the previous video's timestamp: Starts the playback of the new video from the time-stamp of the previous one.
  • Turn Loop mode off: Turn Loop mode off.
  • Turn Loop mode on: Turn Loop mode on.

The screenshot below illustrates the set of actions specific to the Video Asset (click to zoom)
TogglePlayPause.jpeg

 

Limitations in Player on Windows

  • The Video Asset, when using the Windows Media Player container option, only supports the HTTP protocol when referencing video URLs. The video must have a URL starting with http://. Video URLs using the HTTPS protocol (https://) will not be displayed.
  • Video will stop playback when using Windows Media Player video style if the device wakes up from sleep mode.
  • Video Timeline manipulation will restart the video if it is nested within a collection with Auto-Scroll behavior and "Play Video in focus" is enabled.
  • Animations or other moving content (such as video) running behind or on top of the playing video will provoke brief dark flashes when the video loops if using Windows Media Player Video Style.
  • VLC video style does not take into account the defined Speed Property. The video has to play in order to set its speed. Changing this property during playback using bindings will work.
  • When using Player on any platform but Windows, the video path must end with the video's extension. Otherwise, the video will not load. 

Limitations in Player on all non-Windows platforms

  • Native web browsers (e.g. Safari on the iPad) do not allow the video to autoplay until the website is interacted with.
    Workarounds:
    - Have a user interact with the website 
    - Set the volume property of the Video Asset to 0 

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    Ralph Laurette

    Maybe it's a difference in the version I'm using, or maybe nobody else used this feature, but when the poster "Time in video" is read from an Excel file, having hour : minute : seconds : millisecond in the cell did not yield expected results. Going by the above, a poster from the 11 second mark should require the Excel cell to contain the text "00:00:11:000". However when I used that, I end up with a poster from 11 minutes into the video. To get a poster from 11 seconds, I had to place "00:00:11" into the Excel cell.

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