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DVR playback methods

You can view recordings by using the administration web interface or by embedding our DVR player on a web page.

An analog of the player that you see in the web interface can be embedded into your site by using the special embed.html address with the dvr parameter.

Also, you can access recordings via various video protocols by using special URLs.

Accessing DVR recordings by special URLs

URLs for DVR playback

To access a recording by URLs, you can use stream mode or file mode.

A file, compared to a stream, has an end. That is, when playing a file, a player shows a timeline, and the video is limited (it has the beginning and the end). When playing a stream, a player doesn't show progress on the timeline, because the end of a stream is not known.

You can see this difference in URLs too. For example, a file's URL ends with "index-1345345345354-3600.m3u8" (the limits are defined: beginning at 1345345345354 and end after 3600 seconds), and a stream URL ends with "timeshift_abs-1345345345354.ts" (only the beginning is defined).

The URLs depend on the protocol that you use for accessing the DVR.

Electronic Programme Guide (EPG)

DVR can be used with EPG. The modern approach to the provision of television archive is to record the entire video, and then provide access to the archive (or rewind current video) using the EPG.

All metadata will be stored in a middleware and Flussonic Media Server will provide access to this archive as an infinite tape (with convenient navigation).

There are two modes:

  • viewing already recorded video
  • viewing live streams

If the broadcast is already over, the middleware forms the link based on the EPG to view the archive. The user can see the recorded movie as a normal file. For example, if the show is started at 18:15 Moscow time (14:15 UTC) on August 27 and continued for an hour, the middleware should create URL like this:

http://FLUSSONIC-IP:PORT/STREAM_NAME/index-1409148900-3600.m3u8

If the broadcast is not over, the middleware may create special URL to the archive, that allows to rewind live to its beginning.
Unfortunately this feature is supported by few devices and STBs, but nevertheless it exists. The URL for this unfinished broadcast will be like this:

http://FLUSSONIC-IP:PORT/STREAM_NAME/index-1409148900-now.m3u8

Learn more in Middleware in IPTV/OTT.

Viewing the DVR recordings from the web interface

You can see the recordings of the DVR archive in the Flussonic UI. To do that:

  1. Go to the stream settings by clicking on the stream name on the Media tab.
  2. Then go to the DVR tab.

You'll see the DVR media player:

DVR media player interface

1. Current playback time of the recording

2. Start/pause button

3. Align the slider to the center of the timeline

4. Zoom in and zoom out the timeline

5. Go forward/backward along the timeline

6. Adjust the playback volume

7. Adjust the playback speed

8. Playback slider

9. Timeline bar

10. Start marker of a segment to export

11. End marker of a segment to export

12. Take a screenshot of the recording

13. Initial and final time of the fragment

14. Download the segment

15. Calendar

16. Seek per frame

17. Navigate to the next frame or 5 frames forward

18. Navigate to the previous frame or 5 frames back

You can also open the player in a new tab/window using the URL like the following:

http://FLUSSONIC-IP:PORT/STREAM_NAME/embed.html?dvr=true

This is the embed.html player for embedding video to a web page.

You can also play an archive in the Preview Player directly in the Flussonic UI.

The timeline bar (9) consists of several zones indicated with different colors: red color means no recording at this time, green means that a video record exists, blue means the current hour, and gray means the future.

You can click anywhere on the timeline bar or move the playback slider (8) to begin playing the video starting from that point. You can also use the following buttons to browse the timeline:

  • aim sign (3) for aligning the playback slider to the center of the timeline.
  • - and + (4) for zooming a time period, so you can select a time more precisely.
  • <, > (5) for moving forward and backward along the timeline to an earlier or later time than displayed on the screen (you are not moving the video itself).
  • calendar (15) to pick the date to watch or export the record for this day (if the record exists and the date does not go beyond the depth of the archive you defined).

You can also find a particular moment within an archive by seeking per frame. This can be useful, for example, when wathcing a recording from a surveillance camera and seeking for somebody's face or a car's license plate. To do that:

  • Place the slider (8) in the green zone, where you expect the necessary moment to be found.
  • The Seek per frame button (16) will become available. Click it.
  • Use the buttons for navigation to the next frame or 5 frames forward (17) and to the previous frame or 5 frames back (18) to seek for the necessary moment.

Exporting DVR recordings

You can export one or more segments that cover the desired period recorded in the file and export the clips in MP4 format. To do that:

  1. Move the start and end markers (10 and 11) to the start and end time points of the desired segment, or type in the time of the selected interval (13).
  2. Lock them by clicking on the padlock icon (13).
  3. Save the file by clicking the download button (14).

Learn more about DVR export.