With the Cisco TelePresence® Content Server (UCS C220 M3 Hardware), your organization can share knowledge and enhance communication by recording video conferences. You can access live and on-demand presentations, distance education classes, and corporate training sessions-anywhere, anytime. In addition, you can distribute live or recorded content to any computer or download to your favorite portable media device.
Figure 2. Cisco TelePresence Content Server
Combine Cisco TelePresence Content Server with Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500, to provide comprehensive multimedia transcoding capabilities, automatically converting video files into a wide array of formats and bitrates for optimal viewing on any device. Cisco Media Experience Engine 3500 also creates a simple and automated way for customers to make their videos look more professional before posting through the addition of graphics, such as a "lower third" graphic containing the speaker's name and title or the company logo as a watermark. The MXE 3500 can also add a short introductory video known as a bumper, and add a closing "trailer" video to each recorded call before creating versions in different formats and speeds.
Features and Benefits
Table 1 summarizes the key features of the Cisco TelePresence Content Server.
Table 1. Cisco TelePresence Content Server Feature Summary
Feature
Benefit
Design features
• Appliance-based architecture for easy deployment and high reliability
• Ability to interoperate with a range of complementary multivendor products
Application features
• Live and on-demand streaming
• Scheduled and impromptu call support with dial-in and -out capabilities
• Ability to record and stream video and H.239 dual-stream presentations from any H.323 or Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) video conferencing unit
• Content creation from anywhere using Cisco TelePresence Expressway technology
• Compatibility with all major streaming formats, including Windows Media, Flash, and QuickTime
• Support for major distribution servers and corporate web portals
• Editing and library features for simple content creation and retrieval
• Support for download of content to PC, Mac, and portable media devices
Performance features
• Hosts up to five concurrent calls (up to 10 calls with Additional Five Port Option), up to two of which can be streamed live
• Video-conference bandwidth up to 4 Mbps (with premium Resolution Option)
• Synchronized streaming of video and presentation in live and on-demand modes
• Unicast and multicast streaming support
• Internal and external storage capabilities
• Support for Active Directory authentication through Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
• Call configuration and access rights management
• Ability to cluster up to 10 content servers
• Support for SQL Server 2008 with Content Server clusters
• Ability to export and import recordings from one Content Server to another
Product Specifications
Table 2 lists the physical specifications; Table 3 gives video and audio specifications; and Table 4 gives network, security, and management specifications for the Cisco TelePresence Content Server.
Table 2. Product Specifications
Product compatibility
• Support for recording initiation from all standards-based endpoints
Components
• Simplified, common format, complete solution for streaming, all in one component
Recording
• Predefined template-based recording options
• Recording flexibility through a built-in web-based template editor
• Personal and system recording aliases for ultimate flexibility
• Support for automated creation of personal recording aliases
• Ability to record presentations or video from a live dual stream (H.264, H.239, or DuoVideo)
• Support for H.323 endpoints, multipoint control units (MCUs), gateways, and the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
• Ability to record up to five simultaneous H.323 or SIP video calls
• Ability to receive calls at up to 4 Mbps, up to 1080p high-definition (HD) resolution for the main camera and for the second input source
• Ability for calls to include main video or audio and H.264, H.239, or DuoVideo
• Transcoding of recorded calls into streaming and downloadable file formats, including Windows Media, Flash, and MPEG4 formats
• Recording of every call directly to disk for "offline" transcoding after the call completes
• Optional record start countdown
• Record PIN-protected MCU Conferences
• Personal sandbox for safe working on recorded content before publishing
• Optional automated email notifications to content owners on completion of recording
• Recording indicator on Cisco TelePresence MCU calls
Live and on-demand streaming
• Ability to live stream up to two calls (of the total five) in a single format and size
• Native Windows Media Streaming Server is embedded
• When integrated with customer-provided Wowza Media Server, the content server streams Flash* content.
• When integrated with customer-provided Apple Quicktime or Darwin Streaming Servers, the content server streams MPEG4 QuickTime content
• Flash and QuickTime Media can be viewed as a progressive download without external streaming servers
• Static URLs for live streaming of MPEG-4 for Flash content from a Wowza Media Server
Streaming
• Live (unicast supported natively and multicast supported by external Microsoft Windows Media Server)
• On demand (unicast)
• Native support for streaming Microsoft Windows Media through an embedded Windows Media Server
• Support for external streaming servers (Microsoft Windows Media Server, Wowza Media Server, and Apple QuickTime Streaming Server)
Portable devices
• Support for media download, then sync with Apple iPod and MPEG-4 capable devices
Distribution server
• Support for Cisco MXE 3500 transformation engine
• Support for Cisco Show and Share
Content library
• Download options
• Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed subscription to provide alternate access to content library
• Searchable content library web interface, with thumbnail images and categories for easy content searching
• Ability to preconfigure recording outputs, media access, metadata
• Ability to share links to recording, allowing you to easily identify and share recordings
• Ability to view live and recorded content through content viewer web interface and telepresence endpoints (PIN Protection available)
• Editable indexes
• Content editor that enables trimming and joining recordings
• Support for major web browsers (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari)
• Context-sensitive help in the interface
• Simplified graphical template editor for easy creation of new recording templates
• Automatic and manual bandwidth detection, to provide the best viewing experience for your Internet connection
Content viewer
• An intuitive content viewer supports Windows Media, Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight, and QuickTime plug-ins
• Multiple video layouts are supported, including:
• Switching layout
• Joined layout
• Fixed aspect ratio 16:9 joined layout
• Picture-in-picture video layout
• Stacked layout
• Dual-stream or still-image content is presented fully synchronized with the main video
• Video, audio, and content are fully synchronized
• Pause and seek in recordings
Storage
• Large-capacity internal storage (600-GB hard disk in RAID 1 redundancy)
• Support for external network storage using network-attached storage (NAS)
Language support
• English, French, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese
Physical dimensions
(H x W x D)
• 1RU: 1.7 x 16.9 x 28.5 in (4.32 x 43 x 72.4 cm)
Power
• 100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz, 650W maximum
* Requires Flash Player 9 Update 3 or later
Table 3. Video and Audio Specifications
Bandwidth
• H.323 and SIP up to 4 Mbps
Video standards
• H.261
• H.263
• H.263+
• H.264
Live video resolutions
• QCIF (176 x 144 pixels)
• CIF (352 x 288 pixels)
• VGA (640 x 480)
• 4CIF (704 x 576)
• SVGA (800 x 600)
• XGA (1024 x 768)
• 448p (576 x 448)
• w288p (512 x 288)
• w448p (768 x 448)
• w576p (1024 x 576)
• 720p (1280 x 720): Supported for H.264 only
Audio standards
• G.711
• G.722
• G.722.1
• AAC-LD
Frame rates
• Up to 60 frames per second (requires premium resolution option)
Table 4. Network, Security, and Management Specifications
System management and scheduling
• Allows for easy configuration using serial port management console
• Allows for total management through embedded web server
• Provides application programming interface (API) for customized integration with third-party solutions
• Allows for one click to record scheduled conferences with Cisco TelePresence Management Suite
• Allows for simple addition of audio-only outputs for recording of scheduled conferences with Microsoft Outlook or IBM Lotus Notes
• Uses Cisco TelePresence Management Suite to monitor Content Server status, such as free disk space
• Allows administrators to set maximum streaming bandwidth limits to fit their network rules
Network interfaces
• Two 1 GB Ethernet interfaces
Firewall traversal
• Cisco TelePresence Expressway technology
• Auto Network Address Translation (NAT)
• H.460.18
• H.460.19 Firewall Traversal
Quality of service (QoS)
• Dynamic jitter buffering
• Packet-loss concealment
Security features
• Secure management through Secure HTTP (HTTPS)
• Integration with Active Directory through LDAP for access
• Password-protected recordings
• Full access control lists (ACLs) on all content library items
Cisco and our partners provide a broad portfolio of intelligent, personalized services and support that can help you realize the full value of your Cisco TelePresence investment by increasing business agility and network availability. This portfolio of services accelerates business innovation through a network-based collaboration platform that enables businesses to collaborate anywhere, anytime. For more information about these services, please visit: http://www.cisco.com/go/telepresenceservices.
For More Information
For more information about the Cisco TelePresence Content Server, please visit http://www.cisco.com/go/videoplatform or contact your local Cisco account representative or authorized Cisco partner. Product specifications are estimates and subject to change without notice.
