DVC player allows a teacher to design and deliver a digital lesson – they simply create it from home or the staffroom, save to their own personal folder and when they’re ready to use it, they can simply stream it to the classroom from their laptop or interactive whiteboard.
DVC is a Content Management and distribution system which gives you access to over 4000 educational titles for free .
DVC really is ‘So Much More’ than any other system available. DVC is also a….
…Camera Management System, Digital Signage System, Free to air & Foxtel recording system, Editing System, Content Package and a Networked control system.
DVC further differentiates itself by being able to legally play copyright protected content across your schools IT network. See below for further info….
Key Differences:
- DVC will play copyrighted content.
- DVC is more cost effective.
- Content is for free, or at low cost individual purchase rather than renting large expensive libraries that may only be utilised to 10-20%.
- DVC uses the latest in RTSP (Real time streaming protocols) so is less bandwidth intensive.
- DVC has a built in Electronic Program Guide (EPG) so is very simple to record free to air TV along with a simple and fast video editor.
- DVC will control Foxtel boxes, further simplifying recording.
- DVC is sold as a complete system, hardware and software and is installed by authorized and experienced technicians.
- DVC can push serve as well as pull serve, meaning digital signage functions are available (School Message Board).
- DVC has a built in control system allowing you to control equipment such as projectors and Interactive White Boards from the classroom or across the web.
- No ongoing fees.
Content
Recent experience and market feedback has shown that schools no longer see the value of paying large amounts on a yearly basis to rent a big video library that they may only use 10% of.
This is why DVC is now offering content from the following providers for free.
ABC, ABC2, SBS, Enhanced TV, BBC World, Ch.Ten, Ch.Nine, Ch.Seven, History Ch, Discovery Science, Nat Geographic and many more. Even Hollywood blockbusters and classics are included.
For new DVC purchases, the DVC server will come pre-loaded with content. From then on, DVC clients will be able to go on-line and download any new content that becomes available (also for free).
Digital Signage
DVC really does offer ‘So Much More’ than any other digital deliver system available. As well as all the other features, DVC is a full and comprehensive Digital Signage System that allows you to send any content to any PC, Laptop, IWB, Plasma, TV etc at any time.
This is known as digital signage, schools may refer to this as ‘School Message Board’.
What Can the DVC Digital Signage system do?
- Send any content to any Plasma, TV, PC, Laptop or IWB.
- Turn the plasma or TV on if a message is sent to it.
- Emergency Evacuation – At a click of a single button, DVC will send the applicable emergency evacuation messages to all rooms and buildings.
- Schedule content to be sent at a particular time/date.
- Create Zones or send to individual displays.
- Save schedules and open and edit.
- Turn display devices on/off automatically when content is sent (regardless of make or model).
What content can DVC send?
- Digital Video - MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, ASF, ASX, H264, WMV
- Images - JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP
- Audio - MP3, WMA, WAV
- Documents - Word, Power Point, Excel, PDF, HTML, Text
- Scrolling Text
- Live - Cameras, Free To Air TV, Foxtel, DVD, VCR
More Info
The DVC system really does become a complete solution rather than simply addressing one need/issue. DVC is a digital signage system, but becomes so much more because of the added technologies.
The added control system (CommBox Control) ensures that if you send content to a particular display device, the system will know if that display is off and turn it on automatically. This is because of the built in smart CommBox technology. You are even able to schedule equipment such as lighting, air conditioners, plasmas etc to turn off at a certain time.
Display Devices
DVC will allow you to send content to the following display devices:
- PC
- Laptop
- Interactive White Boards
- Plasma
- LCD TV
- Normal CRT Televisions (regardless of age)
A PC or laptop will have the DVC player and digital signage software loaded. This will allow you to browse, search, view and play content on demand.
A plasma, LCD or TV will be connected to the PC network via a DVC Set Top Box. These Set Top Boxes are called Media Retrievers.
The Media Retriever is connected to the PC network (Ethernet) and will decode the signal to the Plasma or TV. The Plasma or TV is connected to the Media Retriever via composite video, S Video or RGBHV (VGA).
If you have a PC or Laptop in the classroom, then there is no need for a Media Retriever.
Administration
A PC is used to carry out Administrative DVC duties. These duties are functions such as:
- Adding content
- Renaming content
- Exporting content to thumb drive or DVD
- Setting security to content
- Adding users and groups
- Recording free to air TV using the point and click Electronic program guide
- Recording and controlling Foxtel
- Editing recorded shows
- Digitising existing tape and DVD libraries
- Transcoding content
- Browsing and downloading extra content
We recommend the following specs for the administration machine:
- Operating System – Windows XP or Vista
- CPU – Min of Duo Core 3GHz
- RAM – Min 2Gb RAM
- Network Port – Min 1000mbit
Interactive White Boards
The DVC player has been specifically designed to work seamlessly with Interactive White Boards.
An Interactive White Board is essentially a large touchscreen.
DVC provides a holistic approach to bringing all the teaching resources and content to the teachers fingertips.
Play Copyrighted Material
DVC is the only digital delivery system that can legally play copyright protected content
An example of copyright protected content would be a DVD that your school has purchased from Marcom or the ABC.
You can have a rack of DVD’s, VCR’s and Foxtel Boxes mounted in the library (or anywhere in the building). These are plugged into DVC. You place a disc in the DVD machine and DVC will stream to one or more PC or TV’s. The user at the other end has full control of that DVD machine (play, stop, channel up down etc). This control comes from the built in CommBox control technology.
DVC has 5 built in TV tuner cards. This means that you can watch live TV from any PC or TV. If more than 5 TV channels are wanted, add a capture expander to allow an additional 5. Add as many expanders you want to build the appropriate system size.
Editing
What does a school normally need to do:
- Chop off beginning and end of recorded shows (Top and Tail)
- Chop out the adverts
- Add the legal screenrights copyright notice
The problem so far with traditional editors is that they have been difficult to learn or use.
DVC provides the basic functionality with a very simple point and click user interface. It does not do fancy transitions or fade effect; instead it performs necessary tasks only very quickly and very easily.
The second main difference of the DVC editor and others available is the speed at which it saves the file. The DVC editor does not need to render. Instead it uses the latest GOP chop technology. This greatly reduces time.
Room Control
DVC has the CommBox control technology built in. This means that DVD machines, VCR’s, Foxtel boxes etc that are housed in a central location such as the library can be controlled from any PC or TV on site no matter how far away.
This also means that when using digital signage, screens and displays are automatically turned on when sending them a message or content. This is ideal in situations such as Pubs, Clubs, shopping centers etc.
DVC can control room equipment from a central location and can perform automated events such as turn all equipment, lighting
and air conditioners off at a certain time at night.
The DVC Set Top Boxes contain the CommBox processor, which allows local control of rooms. Control room devices such as Projectors/plasmas, AV source equipment, switchers, Video Conference systems, Air Con, lighting etc.
Camera Management
DVC allows you to connect digital cameras to your standard PC network, Ethernet, LAN etc. Once connected, these cameras can be viewed through DVC on any PC, laptop, IWB or even plasma or TV.
Users will need to enter their access code to be able to view these cameras.
These cameras can even be controlled (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) or recorded on the DVC system.
You can plug up to 256 digital cameras (IP Cameras) into your standard PC network.
These cameras need to have standard video compression and standard ‘network protocol’. We recommend the TBA
This is just one of the reasons why Universities are interested in DVC and in fact why Bond University QLD and Botswana University South Africa installed the system.
Universities use the cameras to view live for overspill rooms and record for lecture playback at a later date. Corporate users may use the cameras to record training sessions. Other uses are security.
The built in CommBox technology allows you to control the Pan Tilt and Zoom capabilities of the cameras.
World Wide Web
DVC allows traditional display devices such as projectors and televisions to become multimedia workstations. Using a Media Controller a television can transform into an internal portal, allowing teachers to access online content at the touch of a button.
Record Free to Air and Foxtel
There is no system available worldwide that allows you to record free to air TV as easy as DVC.
DVC has a built in EPG (Currently Australia only). An EPG is an Electronic Program Guide. DVC gives you up to 2 weeks information of what programs are on TV.
To record a program, you simply point and click with your mouse.
The program will then be recorded on to DVC where someone can go to a PC or TV to replay.
When you click that TV program to record, all your ‘Metadata’ is already filled in automatically including the synopsis (description) of the program. (See Screenrights for more information).
Metadata is information that is stored with a file, information such as Title, duration, synopsis or description etc.
DVC allows you to capture from 5 TV channels at once (more with expanders).
DVC has perfect recording results. It does not ‘drop frames’ or reduce quality.
Recording from Foxtel
DVC allows you to schedule recording from Foxtel boxes. DVC will even control and switch channels on the Foxtel box for you. This means that you can record from multiple Foxtel channels overnight, over the weekend or even over the school holidays.
More detailed info…The EPG comes from a data feed provided by ICE TV across the internet. DVC then converts that data feed into a nice graphical interface. This service is free for 3 months and is then $99 per year which the users pay on-line direct to ICE TV. Very simple.
File Management
DVC … is a content management and distribution system.
Content is videos, music, photos, documents (word, PowerPoint) etc
Management means storing the content in folders, naming content and its folders, adding information to content that makes it easier to search for content (metadata) etc
Distribution – DVC allows you to send or request any content to any PC or TV.
Video Formats possible within DVC:
- MPEG1
- MPEG2
- Mpeg4
- H.264
- WMV
- ASF
- ASX
Audio Formats
- WAV
- MP3
Document Formats:
- Word
- PowerPoint
- Excel
- Flash
- Text
Images
- JPEG
- GIF
- PNG
Content Management duties are:
- Adding content
- Renaming content
- Exporting content to thumb drive or DVD
- Setting security to content
- Adding users and groups
- Recording free to air TV using the point and click Electronic program guide
- Recording and controlling Foxtel
- Editing recorded shows
- Digitising existing tape and DVD libraries
- Transcoding content
- Browsing and downloading extra content
DVC Server
The DVC server is built upon server grade infrastucture to ensure reliable and robust operation.
- All drives are Segate ES series enterprise class drives designed for 24/7 use.
- Drives are striped across a RAID5 array to ensure data redundancy in case of a single drive failure.
- Based on Linux architecture providing flexibility as well as reliability
- Security settings are automatically handled by the server
- Remote access possible for maintenance and upgrades via remote connection.