SnapStream does not sell the Enterprise TV software stand-alone. In order to utilize the SnapStream Server's features, you must purchase one of our complete turnkey hardware/software solutions.
No, there isn't a monthly subscription fee, but there is a required annual service and support contract that provides you with software patches, updates, and program guide data for the United States and Canada.
The SnapStream Server runs Windows XP Professional.
The SnapStream Server records whatever signal you plug into it. Accordingly, you are limited to capturing television content available through your cable or satellite feed. Note: some satellite providers can provide local market television channels from other markets. Check with your satellite provider to see if this service is available to you.
No, there is not a native Linux or OS X version of Enterprise TV Link. But Enterprise TV Link does work through the Parallels emulation software on Intel-based Apple computers.
For use with the SnapStream Mini and SnapStream Server, SnapStream Link requires a PC running Microsoft Windows XP (Home or Pro), Windows 2000 or Windows Vista. Minimum processor requirement are Pentium, Celeron or AMD Athlon at 700MHz (though we recommend 1.5GHz and above). The video card should be compatible with DirectX 9.0 (or greater) and it should be an nVidia GeForce 2 or above, ATI Graphics Radeon 7500 or above or any other graphics card with 16MB RAM and 3D acceleration.
For use with the SnapStream Server ATSC/QAM, Enterprise TV Link requires a PC running Microsoft Windows XP (Home or Pro) with Service Pack 2, Windows 2000 or Windows Vista. Minimum processor requirements are Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon at 1.7 GHz or above. The video card should be compatible with DirectX 9.0 (or greater) and it should be an nVidia GeForce FX5200 or above, ATI Graphics Radeon 9550 or above or any other graphics card with 128MB RAM, 3D acceleration and full hardware DirectX 9.0 compatibility.
No, at this time we do not have a reseller program.
No, at this time we do not have a reseller program for SnapStream Enterprise.
Yes, the SnapStream Enterprise TV interface is designed to be used both on a desktop PC with a keyboard and mouse as well as on a traditional televisions with a remote control. See our Harris County Sheriff's Office case study for an example of this.
Many video editing systems do not support MPEG-2 program streams. To import a clip or recording made with SnapStream Enterprise on video editing systems like these requires a few extra steps.
One approach is to transcode the recording or clip that you wish to import into a format that your video editing system supports. The SnapStream Server and SnapStream Server ATSC/QAM have built-in support to ShowSqueeze to the H.264 and Windows Media formats (the SnapStream Mini does not have this capability). Or you could use dedicated transcoding hardware (such as Telestream's FlipFactory) or software (such as Sorensen Squeeze) to convert from a SnapStream Enterprise-recorded MPEG-2 to a format such as DV25.
Another approach to ingesting SnapStream Enterprise-recorded videos into a video editing system is to use a third party graphics card with an SDI output, such as the Blackmagic DeckLink. Installed on a PC running SnapStream's Link client software, SnapStream-recorded videos can then be captured directly on your video editing system using the SDI output.
Yes, the SnapStream Mini and SnapStream Server can be configured for a custom channel line-up. For example, if you receive television through a satellite system and have your own in-house cable plant where you re-modulate it throughout your facility using RF cabling, a custom line-up for your re-modulated feeds can be created so the program guide in SnapStream Link matches your custom in-house cable line-up.
This depends on the quality at which recordings are made. As an example, using the default MPEG-2 recording quality (MPEG-2 Fair), a 1-hour show will be stored on disk as a 1 gigabyte (GB) file. See more information on MPEG-2 qualities here. Recordings made with the ATSC/QAM server will take up about 7 GB per hour.
Yes, as a complement to our standard SnapStream Server appliances, we also offer a SnapStream Server ATSC/QAM, which supports recording up to 5 QAM or over-the-air ATSC channels at once. For more information about this product, contact us.
Yes. SnapStream offer two methods to bring video into editing suites: SDI Playout, and File Importation. View our video editing compatibility document for more information.
Nope, at this time, SnapStream Enterprise only supports over-the-network playback of live or recorded television through its SnapStream Enterprise TV Link client software. There is a web interface that can be used to schedule recordings, search recorded shows, setup alerts and more, but all playback is done through SnapStream Enterprise TV Link.
Yes, the Link clients and SnapStream Server work across different subnets. To connect across subnets, you must manually configure the Link clients to connect to the server's IP address.
We recommend that you have at least a 100 Mbps wired network to support multiple simultaneous users. At the default recording quality (MPEG-2 Fair), video bit rates are 2 Mbit / sec. For the ATSC/QAM server, we strongly recommend a 1 Gbps wired network, as a single user playing back HD content will use 15Mbit/sec of bandwidth.
If the network connection at your remote location provides enough bandwidth, you could VPN into your organization's LAN (the same one that your SnapStream Server is located on), connect to the SnapStream Server using Link and do all the normal things you can do with Link. The default recording quality (MPEG-2 Fair) would necessitate at least 2 Mbit / second of bandwidth between your remote location and your organization's LAN.
You can also use the server's web admin to watch shows inside your browser using Enterprise TV's placeshifting feature.
SnapStream Enterprise intelligently manages the system's available TV tuners. For example, if a show is being recorded on a particular channel and a user wants to watch that same channel live, only one tuner is used to serve both the recording and the user's live TV session. And if all the tuners on a SnapStream Enterprise system are in-use, a user trying to watch live TV is prevented from interrupting a recording or another user's live TV session and can only choose from amongst the channels that are already being tuned.
Yes, the SnapStream Server will allow you to record a channel around the clock. You can also configure the recording to happen in time blocks of 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 4 hours, or 6 hours. And you can record as many channels 24x7 as your SnapStream Server has the tuners to record.
Yes, multiple channels can be watched live at the same time, but only on multiple PCs. However, SnapStream does not have any picture-in-picture capabilities or the ability to playback multiple live TV channels on a single PC. SnapStream's Enterprise TV Server's limitation is that a single PC can playback one live or recorded TV session at a time.
Yes, you are able to use 3rd party video editing software as long as the 3rd party software supports MPEG-2 program streams or Windows Media Video (WMV).
SnapStream Enterprise has "padding" settings that allow recordings to start a specified number of minutes before the scheduled start time and end a specified number of minutes after the scheduled end time. This setting can be made on a recording by recording basis or universally for all recordings. Also, while a recording is being made, a user can dynamically extend that recording from the live TV screen if it appears that the event may end past the scheduled end time.
Yes, SnapStream's video folders and drive pooling capabilities allows for any 3rd party network attached storage (NAS), storage area network (SAN) or USB-connected direct attached storage device to be used to archive recordings. If your storage solution can be mounted on the SnapStream Server, it can be used to store recordings made by SnapStream Enterprise. The SnapStream Server does not have any kind of FibreChannel or eSATA connectors on it.
As the hard-drive fills up with video, the SnapStream Server's software will automatically purge the oldest content on the machine. You can also limit the "Max number of shows" for a particular show so SnapStream Enterprise will delete episodes of that show once you hit that limit. You are able to mark a specific show or clip as "locked", meaning when it comes time to purge video, the "locked" video will not be erased.
Yes, any compatible video file can be copied into a video folder and it will appear in the library of available videos in SnapStream Enterprise. You can also add meta-data, such as show title and description, after such an import. You can also add time-coded metadata (such as a transcript) in the SRT file for such an imported video. Compatible video files include .mpg (MPEG-2), .wmv (Windows Media Video), .mp4 (H.264), .avi, .divx, .ts and .tp (MPEG-2 transport streams) and .dvr-ms.
Yes, an archive of videos in the VHS or DVD format can be manually recorded onto a SnapStream Server system. Doing this simply involves connecting the analog video and audio outputs from a VHS or DVD player to the corresponding inputs on the SnapStream Server and playing the media on the player and manually recording it on the SnapStream Server. The resulting videos on SnapStream Enterprise may be searchable, depending on whether or not your original media includes the closed-captioning data.
Not necessarily. The SnapStream Mini is designed to be situated in an office. The SnapStream Server and SnapStream Server ATSC/QAM are designed to be rackmounted in a server rack and are much too loud to be located in an office, but SnapStream offers an optional tower case for TV Servers that will be located in an office. Please be sure to inform your sales representative if you intend to use the SnapStream Server without a server rack.
Today, SnapStream Enterprise's primary means of searching television recordings is closed-captioning data embedded inside of all television broadcasts. Today, the FCC requires most broadcasters include closed captioning data on all of their television programs. There are some exemptions to the requirement for FCC, but, in general, most television programs in the United States include closed captioning data.
SnapStream Enterprise indexes new recordings while they are progress, so except for a short lag, recordings are searchable as they are being made.
SnapStream Enterprise allows you to do simple searches on television, including boolean logic but it also lets you refine your searches by a variety of television-specific parameters, including:
See SnapStream Enterprise's full television search syntax for more details.
Yes, through SnapStream Enterprise's advanced search screen, the full transcript for any recording can be viewed or downloaded.
Yes, with SnapStream's TV Alerts feature, keywords can be saved and results can be emailed to users on a real-time, daily or weekly basis. The e-mails include an excerpt of the text transcript, with matches highlighted, along with a link to the matching video clip.
Also, using SnapStream's advanced search interface, common searches can be saved as bookmarks in your web browser and then those bookmarks can manually be run and scanned or watched on a daily basis.
Yes, SnapStream Enterprise is designed to support concurrent usage by many users at the same time.
The SnapStream Server only supports NTSC video signals. So it works in any country where the NTSC standard is used, though, the "Search recordings" feature relies on closed captioning data, which may not be there in countries outside the United States and Canada. There is no PAL or SECAM support at this time. Also, SnapStream Enterprise does not support the CC2, CC3, or CC4 data channels at this time.
The SnapStream Server includes access control that allows you to control the functions users have access to. For example, some of the permissions you can grant or deny include:
- watch/search recordings
- watch live TV
- create clips
- burn DVDs
- schedule recordings
- administration
SnapStream Enterprise's access control can be integrated with Microsoft's Active Directory so your users can login with their existing usernames and passwords.
Typically, it takes SnapStream approximately 3-4 weeks to build, test, burn-in and ship a configured box to our customers.
All recordings are made in an unencrypted MPEG-2 program stream format. After a recording has been made, SnapStream's ShowSqueeze technology allows you to re-compress your recordings into the Windows Media Video (WMV) or H.264 formats. The specific parameters for recordings made in MPEG-2 or those ShowSqueeze'd to Windows Media or H.264, such as video resolution and bit-rate, are configurable by the administrator. See more information on pre-configured MPEG-2 qualities.
Yes, all MPEG-2, Windows Media Video (WMV) and H.264 encoding profiles are highly configurable, from resolution and bit-rate to frame rate to audio frequency and bit-rate.
Yes, the SnapStream Server has full support for recording from digital cable and satellite television sources. For a SnapStream Server setup involving satellite or digital cable, you will need one set-top box (provided by your television provider) for each tuner. For example, if you are setting up a 10-tuner SnapStream Server to record from a DISH satellite television system, you will need quantity of 10 DISH set-top boxes (one for each input on the SnapStream Server). For most television sources that require a set-top box, SnapStream Server controls each set-top box using an IR blaster (see our IR blaster quick-start guide). For compatible DirecTV set-top boxes, SnapStream Server controls each set-top box using serial tuning (see our serial tuning quick-start guide).
The SnapStream Server can record any device that has analog audio and video outputs (NTSC-only). Specifically, the SnapStream Server has one RF coax input, two S-video video inputs and two 3.5mm (1/8") audio inputs for every two tuners. However the SnapStream Server is specifically designed for recording and searching television, so your mileage may vary for other applications. For example, with video source inputs other than television, the SnapStream Server's search technology is likely to not work.
The following inputs are available on an Enterprise TV Server, for every two tuners:
one RF coax input
two S-video video inputs
two 3.5 mm (1/8") audio inputs
Only analog NTSC is supported. PAL and SECAM are not supported at this time. Also, the SnapStream Server does not have any SDI or HD/SDI inputs or any support for ATSC or FM Radio.
It depends on the bandwidth available on your network and the video quality settings on the SnapStream Server. For example, if are recording at SnapStream's default quality of "MPEG-2 Fair", each live TV or recorded TV stream consumes about 2 Mbit/sec of bandwidth. Accordingly, to support 10 concurrent playback sessions, you would need approximately 20 Mbit / sec of available bandwidth. Also, each PC playing back live TV or recordings needs to have SnapStream Enterprise TV Link installed. Each SnapStream Server includes 5 Enterprise TV Link client license per tuner. For example, SnapStream Server 4 includes 20 Enterprise TV Link client licenses and SnapStream Server 10 includes 50 Enterprise TV Link client licenses.
It depends on the quality at which video is being recorded to the SnapStream Server and the size of the disk-array on the server. When recording at the default quality (MPEG-2 Fair), our standard 4-tuner SnapStream Server can store about 580 hours of video, while our 10-tuner SnapStream Server can store over 2,300 hours.
You are able to use multiple SnapStream Servers in one organization. The SnapStream Link client software can connect to any one of multiple servers at a time. However, at this time, there is no clustering support -- each SnapStream Server is an independent entity and recordings must be scheduled on each independently.
No, when you purchase a particular configuration of SnapStream Server, it is not possible to later add additional tuners. A 4-tuner SnapStream Server, for example, cannot latter be upgraded to make it a 6-tuner or 8-tuner SnapStream Server.
The SnapStream Server is equipped with dual hot-swap power supplies that are both redundant, and load-balancing. The particular power requirements very depending on the configuration. View our power and thermal document for more information.
SnapStream recommends that 2 independent battery backup units are used. View our power and thermal document for more information on best practices.
To view the thermal output of the SnapStream Server, view our power and thermal document.
Can I e-mail a clip to someone in a remote office or within my office?
Yes, SnapStream Enterprise TV has a built-in feature for e-mailing clips.
It's also possible to e-mail a URL to a colleague. This URL, when clicked on, will launch the SnapStream interface and load the designated video at the specified time. This method requires the recipient to have the SnapStream Link software installed.
If I want to customize the SnapStream Server software, where do I start?
The SnapStream Server software has a rich API, which gives you access to customizing the software as you see fit. More information on the SnapStream Enterprise API can be found by visiting the SnapStream SDK page or see the SnapStream Enterprise API.
Here are some of the web services that are part of the SnapStream Enterprise API:
SubmitClip: method to clip a section of a recording
SubmitRecompress: method to submit a recording/clip for ShowSqueeze to Windows Media or H.264
SearchCC: get search results for any query term
AdvancedSearchCC: advanced search mechanism (allows for retrieval of complete transcripts)
Typically, it takes SnapStream approximately 3-4 weeks to build, test, burn-in and ship a configured box to our customers.
The SnapStream QAM/ATSC server provides 5 RF coax cable inputs for capturing HDTV.
The SnapStream Server QAM/ ATSC records in an MPEG-2 transport stream, in a file with the extension .tp. After a recording has been made, SnapStream's ShowSqueeze technology allows you to re-compress your recordings into the Windows Media Video (WMV) or H.264 formats. The specific parameters for recordings ShowSqueezed to Windows Media or H.264, such as video resolution and bit-rate, are configurable by the administrator.
The bitrate and resolution of ATSC and QAM recordings are fixed and cannot be changed. However, the WMV and H.264 profiles used for ShowSqueeze highly configurable, from resolution and bit-rate to frame rate to audio frequency and bit-rate.
Unfortunately, the SnapStream Server QAM/ ATSC is unable to support any HD video formats other the specific type of MPEG-2 transport streams created by its tuning hardware.
The SnapStream Server QAM/ ATSC does not support recording SD content, but SnapStream does offer the standard SnapStream Server for recording SD channels.
No, unfortunately the SnapStream Server QAM/ ATSC capabilities requires you to know the frequencies of your QAM channels. The SnapStream Server QAM/ ATSC cannot scan for clear QAM channels on a cable feed. The server cannot decrypt HD channels on a digital cable or satellite feed, nor can it capture HD content from a digital cable or satellite set-top box. For capturing HD channels from digital cable or satellite, we recommend using a set-top box with an S-video output with the Best MPEG-2 quality on our standard SnapStream Server, which will provide very high SD image quality.
It depends on the bandwidth available on your network. Playback of HD content through Enterprise TV Link requires roughly 15 mb/s of bandwidth, compared with 2-7 mb for SD content. For this reason we strongly recommend setting up the ATSC/QAM server on a gigabit network. Also, each PC playing back live TV or recordings needs to have SnapStream Enterprise TV Link installed. Each SnapStream Server QAM/ ATSC includes 25 Enterprise TV Link client licenses.
A QAM/ ATSC server with 4 TB of storage space can store about 650 hours of HD content, while a server with 8 TB can store about 1,300 hours.
HD video contains substantially more data than SD video, and therefore it requires more space and computing power for both capture and playback. An HD broadcast contains roughly twice as much data as SnapStream's Best (7Mb/s) SD MPEG-2 quality, or more than seven times as much data as the default SD quality, Fair (2Mb/s). Playback of HD content also requires 3D Acceleration and is not compatible with software rendering. In addition, hardware limitations prohibit the installation of more than 5 HD capture devices on a single server.
You are able to use multiple SnapStream Servers in one organization. The SnapStream Link client software can connect to any one of multiple servers at a time. However, at this time, there is no clustering support -- each SnapStream Server is an independent entity and recordings must be scheduled on each independently.
No. SnapStream is unable to support the addition of hardware to the QAM/ ATSC server. Attempting to do so will violate the server's support agreement.
The SnapStream QAM/ ATSC Server is equipped with dual hot-swap power supplies that are both redundant, and load-balancing. The particular power requirements very depending on the configuration. View our power and thermal document for more information.
SnapStream recommends that 2 independent battery backup units are used. View our power and thermal document for more information on best practices.
To view the thermal output of the SnapStream QAM/ ATSC Server, view our power and thermal document.
Yes, SnapStream Enterprise TV has a built-in feature for e-mailing clips that will automatically ShowSqueeze the clip to a manageable size.
It's also possible to e-mail a URL to a colleague. This URL, when clicked on, will launch the SnapStream interface and load the designated video at the specified time. This method requires the recipient to have the SnapStream Link software installed.
If I want to customize the SnapStream Server software, where do I start?
The SnapStream Server software has a rich API, which gives you access to customizing the software as you see fit. More information on the SnapStream Enterprise API can be found by visiting the SnapStream SDK page or see the SnapStream Enterprise API.
Here are some of the web services that are part of the SnapStream Enterprise API:
SubmitClip: method to clip a section of a recording
SubmitRecompress: method to submit a recording/clip for ShowSqueeze to Windows Media or H.264
SearchCC: get search results for any query term
AdvancedSearchCC: advanced search mechanism (allows for retrieval of complete transcripts)
Yes, the HD-SDI Playout Node uses SMPTE 259M and 292M.
The bitrate is 1 x 10 bit SD/HD switchable.
720p50, 720p59.94, 720p60, 1080PsF23.98, 1080p23.98, 1080PsF24, 1080p24, 1080PsF25, 1080p25, 1080PsF29.97, 1080p29.97, 1080PsF30, 1080p30, 1080i50, 1080i59.94 and 1080i60.
It provides 10 bit.
It uses 4:2:2 YUV color encoding.
The HD-SDI Playout Node can connect to 1 SDI device/router.
It connects using a BNC connector.
Native or Fixed (480, 720, 1080)
Yes, it's a 1U rackmount chassis which includes rails and mounting accessories.
Yes.
