The document describes the University of Toronto Libraries' media server called MyMedia. It provides the following key details: 1. MyMedia allows university faculty, staff and students to upload, store, encode and publish various media formats for teaching and research purposes. 2. The media server was built in 4 weeks to support pandemic preparedness efforts and provides tools for easily publishing media to web pages from a central storage location. 3. The system utilizes various open source software components including a MySQL database, ffmpeg for encoding, and a PHP/Flash based interface for viewing media. Media can be streamed or downloaded depending on access permissions.

1. http://mymedia.library.utoronto.ca
sian.meikle@utoronto.ca
gordon.belray@utoronto.ca
bilal.khalid@utoronto.ca
graham.stewart@utoronto.ca

2. Sian Meikle
Digital Services Librarian
Information Technology Services
University of Toronto Libraries
sian.meikle@utoronto.ca

3. Overview
• How the media server came to be
• How to use the media server
• How the media server was built
• Rapid application deployment:
media server as a case study
• What’s next

4. Why a media server?
• Give university a home for media
storage
• Provide tools for publishing media
to web pages easily
• Integrate media resources into
discovery tools such as library’s
discovery layer, university search
engine

5. Why a media server? File format
Creators can make video in many formats
13 very common formats
.3g2 .3gp .asf .asx .avi .flv .mov .mp4 .mpg .rm .swf .vob .wmv
23 common formats
.diva .dream .dvr-ms .f4v .fbr .hdmov .m4v .mkv .moi .mpeg .mts .mxf .
ogm .rcproject .rmvb .scm .smil .srt .stx .ts .vro .wtv .xvid
172 average or less common file formats
.3gp2
.3gpp .3mm .aep .ajp .amv .amx .arf .avb .avs .avs .axm .bik .bin .bix .box .bsf .byu .camrec .cvc .d2v .d3v
.dat .dce .dir .dmb .dpg .dv .dvx .dxr .evo .eye .fbz .fcp .flc .flh .fli .flx .gl .grasp .hkm .ifo .imovieproj .
imovieproject .ivf .ivr .ivs .izz .izzy .lsf .m1pg .m21 .m21 .m2t .m2ts .m2v .m4u .mgv .mj2 .mjp .mnv .moov .
mp21 .mp21 .mpv .mqv .msdvd .msh .mswmm .mtv .mvb .mvc .mvd .ncor .nsv .nvc .ogv .par .pds .piv .playlist
.pmf .prel .pro .prproj .pxv .qtch .qtl .qtz .rdb .rec .roq .rp .rts .rts .rum .rv .sbk .scn .sfvidcap .smi .smk .spl .ssm
.svi .swi .swt .tda3mt .tivo .tod .tp .tpr .trp .vc1 .vcv .vdo .veg .vf .vgz .vid .viewlet .viv .vivo .vlab .vp6 .vp7 .w32
.wcp .wm .wmd .wmmp .wmx .wp3 .wvx .yuv .zm1 .zm2 .zm3 .zmv .dsy .gvi .m4e .mmv .mod .mpf .mpg2 .
mpv2 .scm .60d .dav .ddat .dif .gvp .iva .lsx .m1v .m2a .meta .mjpg .modd .movie .mp2v .mp4v .mpe .pva .qt .
sbt .smv .str .vem .vfw
MyMedia converts media to just 3
formats for users
flash
mp4
mp3

6. Why a media server? File size.
Text: 5 MB / 1000 pgs (5 kb / pg)
Sound: 460 MB / hour (128 kb / s)
Video: 5 GB / hour ( 1.4 Mb / s)

7. Why a media server NOW?
• Exploratory work since early 2008
• Commercial options megalithic, expensive
• August 2009: pandemic preparedness
• Media server built and deployed in 4 weeks

8. 1.
Upload media
a) Got media?
Upload it to MyMedia
b) Need to make media?
Use a tool like Camtasia
Relay to capture video.
Camtasia Relay saves
your media to the media
server.
2.
Describe media
Fill in a web form:
i) rights: UofT / world
ii) play type:
stream / download
iii) metadata:
keywords title description
3.
Publish media
i) Embed it in your web
page
ii) Link to it on media
server
Capture media
(eg Camtasia Relay)
Upload
media
1
2
Describe
media
Library
Media Server
Media creator
3
Publish
media
UofT Portal (Blackboard)
University web sites
Any web page

9. How people use the media server
•
Instruction
– Lecture capture
– 3rd party content
– How-to:
Library, Blackboard, …
•
Public
access
38%
UofT only
62%
Scholarship
– Conferences, invited lectures
•
University life
– Video contests
•
NOT live web casting
Download
/ stream
36%
Stream
only
64%

10. Gordon Belray
Systems and Interface Designer
Information Technology Services
University of Toronto Libraries
gordon.belray@utoronto.ca

11. • Pandemic planning required rapid integration with
Camtasia Relay server
• https://eclasscam1.erin.utoronto.ca/Relay

12. •
•
•
•
•
•
•
What is streaming?
Checks the connection speed of the user and buffers a small
portion of the video using a Flash player
Uses RTMP (real time messaging protocol) on a Flash Media
Server
File formats: Flash (.flv) MPEG4 (.mp4) encoded with H.264
codec, and MP3s
Progressive Downloads
Media must be downloaded to the end user’s browser
Cannot scrub beyond point of download

13. •
Demo

14. •
Login using UTORid

15. •
Home page showing processed and unprocessed media

16. •
Media management page

17. •
Example of published media using the myMedia links

18. •
Permanent link to play media

19. Bilal Khalid
Senior Application Developer,
Information Technology Services
University of Toronto
bilal.khalid@utoronto.ca

20. Software Components
• Database Schema (MySQL 5)
• Monitoring script for Camtasia (perl)
• MyMedia administrative interface
(Java/WebObjects)
• Video encoding using ffmpeg
• Media viewing interface (PHP)

21. Database Schema
filedump
t_user
t_media
• Temporary staging area for files
uploaded through Camtasia
• Populated by perl script
• Stores user information
• Populated using LDAP feed, after
WebLogin
• Maintains media information
• Populated by user input/video file
analysis
Note: A transition to a more comprehensive schema is planned for the next
phase of development.

22. Camtasia Monitor
• Camtasia has been setup to
transfer uploaded user videos to
our server
• Perl script detects any newly
transferred files, creates entry in
filedump table
• Media file is renamed using
randomized string token
• Accompanying xml file contains
file information (e.g. duration,
resolution etc.)
• Email sent to user, pointing them
to MyMedia application
Comic Source: http://www.agileali.com/myblog/2009/10/02/script-to-see-if-perl-is-working-e/

23. MyMedia Application
•
•
•
•
http://mymedia.library.utoronto.ca
Media administration
Developed in Java/WebObjects
Source can be Camtasia OR direct user
uploads
• WebLogin-based authentication, followed by
user profile creation
• Media metadata management (e.g. title,
description, keywords etc.)

24. Media Access Options
• Four profiles offered, analogous to server-side
directories with permissions
–
–
–
–
uoft + stream-only
uoft + download/stream
public + stream-only
public + download/stream

25. User Uploads/Media Encoding
• Alternative to Camtasia
• Incoming files encoded using ffmpeg (http://www.
ffmpeg.org/)
• Many supported file formats
(e.g. .avi, .mov, .m4v, .
m4a .wmv)
"/opt/local/bin/ffmpeg -i /upload-dir/incoming_file -acodec libfaac ab 128k -ar 44100 -r 20 -vcodec libx264 -b 256000 -s 800x600 cmp +chroma -partitions +parti4x4+partp8x8+partb8x8 me_method umh -subq 5 -trellis 1 -refs 2 -bf 1 -coder 1 -me_range
16 -g 300 -keyint_min 25 -sc_threshold 40 -i_qfactor 0.71 -bt
256000 -maxrate 4M -bufsize 4M -rc_eq 'blurCplx^(1-qComp)' qcomp 0.6 -qmin 10 -qmax 51 -qdiff 4 -level 21 /encoded-outputdir/output_file.mp4";

26. Media Viewing
•
•
•
•
•
http://media.library.utoronto.ca
Written in PHP
WebLogin layer activated
depending on access
permissions of media
Basic metadata displayed on
page below media
LongTail Video - open source
player used for media display
(http://www.longtailvideo.com/)

27. Scenario 1: Camtasia Recording
1. User generates
video via local
Camtasia Relay
Client
8. Media made
viewable at
media.library
2. Media uploaded
to Camtasia
Server, encoded
into mp4
3. Media transferred
to stream.library
Server via SMB
mount
7. User edits
Media info (stored
in ‘t_mediaᾼ)
6. User logs
onto MyMedia
(via WebLogin)
6b. Profile creation
for first-time login
(stored in ‘t_userᾼ)
4. Perl script
detects file,
creates entry in
‘filedumpᾼ
5. Email with
link to MyMedia
sent to user

28. Scenario 2: Direct File Upload
1. User obtains
Media by own
means
2. User logs
onto MyMedia
(via WebLogin)
3. User uploads
Media to Server
4. User edits
Media info (stored
in ‘t_mediaᾼ)
2b. Profile creation
for first-time login
(stored in ‘t_userᾼ)
6. Media made
viewable at
media.library
5. Media encoded
using ffmpeg

29. Graham Stewart
Network and Storage Services Manager,
Information Technology Services
University of Toronto graham.
stewart@utoronto.ca

30. MyMedia hardware
• Servers: Apple XServe / Dell
PowerEdge
• OS: Mac OS X / Redhat Linux
• Storage: Pillar Data Systems SAN
• Network: gigabit Ethernet from MyMedia
servers to campus backbone and
gateway.

31. Modular service design
•
•
•
•
6 services: front end, upload, conversion, stream, download,
database.
Currently running on 3 servers: can expand to 6 or more as
demand increases.
Target for Fall 2010: file conversion on separate server.
Target for January 2011: full virtualization of most services
allowing for quicker resource allocation. We do virtualization on
Ubuntu Linux using KVM/QEMU.

51. MyMedia components
UTORauth
MyMedia
stream.library
Storage
media.library
MySQL
User: HTTP, HTTPS
Inter-server: iSCSI, NFS, MySQL, SMB
Media
Conversion

52. Open Source vs. Proprietary

53. Rapid application deployment
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sudden requirement
Staff pulled away from other projects
Intensive 4 week schedule
Several versions / iterations
Modular application development and testing
Staff flexibility
Management support

54. What’s next?
• Deepen metadata:
– Preservation metadata (PREMIS)
– Rights metadata: more granular
– Descriptive metadata (CanCore, IEEE LOM)
• Integrate content:
– Build feeds for public content to university search
engines
– Build embed tools for selected targets
(FADIS, Blackboard)
• More tools for content creators:
– Batch upload
– File conversion tailored to purpose

55. Questions?
Web address:
http://mymedia.library.utoronto.ca
Media server support:
mymedia@library.utoronto.ca
Camtasia video production support:
camtasia.support@utoronto.ca
We welcome your input, suggestions and videos!