The MvTv Video Scheduling System is video scheduling software that allows the creation of “Private, Programmable TV Stations”, with remote video scheduling for digital signage uses. 

The MvTv System is comprised of 3 software programs or components, the MvTv Server, the MvTv Administrator, and the MvTv Client Station, all of which communicate to each other via "IP" or "Internet Protocol". Since communication between the software components is IP based, you can configure the system to listen on specific ports. The components can be installed on the same or different PC's residing anywhere on your LAN, WAN, Intranet or the Internet itself.

MvTv Video Systems come in 2 types: Scheduled Video or Repeated (Looped) Video.

In a nutshell, the MvTv Video Systems allow anyone who has visual content and/or text messages (such as schools, hospitals, doctor’s offices, retail outlets, Video Jockey's, etc.) to deliver it locally or over the Internet to smart MvTv Client Stations which output the scheduled content onto individual TV screens or cable TV plants.  

The MvTv Video System software components are installed onto standard off the shelf hardware with generic Microsoft Operating Systems like Windows XP.

The MvTv Server is a service that operates on the Microsoft Windows family of Operating Systems. Low volume systems can easily operate from Windows 2000, XP, or Vista while heavy load systems should use Windows Server products like 2000, 2003 and soon 2008.

The server stores video content for distribution to the MvTv Client Stations in its Library, and also stores client and playlist information in its database. 

It downloads playlists, scrolling text messages and videos to the MvTv Clients when they request them. 

• Microsoft Windows XP (Pro recommended), 2000 (Pro recommended), or the Windows Server family of Operating Systems, such as 2000, 2003 and 2008.

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+

• MvTv Required Components consisting of Microsoft .Net Framework 1.1.

• MvTv Server Software (and valid license). 

• Optional: Microsoft Access 2000 (or higher)

• Intel Pentium 1 GHz or better processor, and 64 MB of RAM, min. 80 GB drive

• Suggested Minimum Software Requirements for the MvTv Administrator: 

• Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP Home or Pro, Vista

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+

• MvTv Required Components consisting of .Net Framework 1.1.

• MvTv Administrator Software (and valid license).

The MvTv Client Station plays full-motion, full-screen video with or without scrolling text, to TV screens, computer monitors, or even digital and flat panel monitors, by connecting the video outputs on the PC to the video inputs on the display device (or to a modulator if the Client is to provide content for a cable plant). The MvTv Clients continuously poll (every minute is the default configurable setting) the MvTv Server for new playlists and automatically download new content from the MvTv Server when required. Each MvTv Client Station should have a unique ID, so that the administrator using the MvTv Administrator can create unique content for it, or for all MvTv Client Stations in that Group. 

The MvTv Client Station software is smart, in that Internet or network connection disruptions do NOT affect its video playback quality, as all content is stored and played from the Clients' hard drive. Resumption of broken Internet or network connections result in resumptions of downloading content playlists and scrolling text messages without requiring the downloads to restart from the beginning. 

The MvTv Client natively supports MPEG-1 and Microsoft’s Windows Media WMV formats, and also supports MPEG-2 with the use of MvTv approved third party MPEG-2 decoders.

Scheduling content from DVD's (in VOB format) is achieved by using a standard DVD ripper to convert the content to WMV or AVI. They can usually compress the content to at least 1/3 of the original VOB file size without a visible loss of quality. If you want to play MPEG-2 videos, a 3rd party MPEG-2 codec is required, such as InterVideo's DVD XPack. You should only display content on the MvTv System that you have display rights for.

Videos or movies compressed with DIVX and other codecs can be also be used with the MvTv Video System. Most video clips that can play in Windows Media Player on your Client PC can be scheduled to play on the MVTV Video System. Formats supported include AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and WMV. VOB files copied from DVD's are not supported, as they are copy protected, which stops the files being played from hard drives.

Still images can easily be made into WMV videos (and used on the MvTv Video System) by using the free "Photo Story for Windows" program (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/AllDownloads.aspx) or Windows Movie Maker that comes free with Windows. With these programs you can add narration or music to your movies created from still images or digital photographs. You can also zoom in and out, as well as add titles and other special effects.

• Intel Pentium 2.4 GHz or better processor, and 128 MB of RAM, min. 80 GB drive.

• Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP Home or Pro, Vista

• Microsoft Windows Media Series 9 Player or higher

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+

• MvTv Required Client Components consisting of Microsoft .Net 1.1 Framework SP2

• MvTv Client Station Software (and valid license). 

• Optional: MvTv qualified third party MPEG-2 decoder for DVD format video playback

An example of the MvTv System in operation is delivering health content to hospital patient and waiting room TV sets. The hospitals to use the MvTv System are up to a hundred miles apart. The MvTv Server is to be located at one of the Health Organizations' offices, connected to the Internet. By using the Internet for communications, the MvTv System can be deployed using any ISP for the various MvTv Client Stations, including dialup providers where broadband is not available. Since MvTv Clients only play content that is stored on their own hard drives, the speed of their Internet connections are irrelevant regarding their playback performance. 

The MvTv Administrator can be located and operated anywhere there is an Internet or network connection… in the Health Organizations' offices, or even on the video editors’ home edit suite. The MvTv Administrator is used to upload video content or text messages to the MvTv Server, as well as to create playlists and schedule the playlists. In effect, the Health Organizations' video editor can create health content at home, or at the Health Organization's editing suites (located in different physical buildings), and upload the content to the MvTv server from any location. The editor can also (from anywhere) program what content plays in which hospital, at what time, anytime in the future… the schedule is NOT limited to 7x24, it’s an open-ended calendar schedule.

As mentioned earlier, the MvTv Clients are to be located in selected hospitals throughout the Health Organizations' territory. A minimum of one MvTv Client Station is required per hospital (one per TV channel), and is physically located in the hospitals’ cable TV room. There the MvTv Client Station is connected to the Internet via Ethernet. The video output of the MvTv Client Station is connected to an RF Modulator and Trap… so that whatever plays in the MvTv Client Station is viewed anywhere over the hospitals hundreds of TV sets, as long as they’re tuned to the channel that the MvTv Client Station is connected to. 

The MvTv System has been designed with ease of use for the operator in mind. In potential installations where hundreds of MvTv Client Stations could be deployed, programming each Client would be a horrendous task. With this in mind, the MvTv System was designed such that MvTv Clients would be members of groups of stations, where all members of a specific group would play the same content at the same time. Unlimited numbers of groups and clients can be created with the MvTv System. In turn, custom programming can be created for each individual MvTv Client Station or Group.

Rather than push content to each MvTv Client Station individually, the Clients are smart, and pull the content they’re required to play from the MvTv Server. Every minute, the MvTv Clients call the MvTv Server and report on what they’re currently playing, and at the same time, download a new playlist (which tells the MvTv Client what to play and when). If the MvTv Client does not have those video clips already residing on its own hard drive, it will automatically begin to download the files from the server. The MvTv Client is built with real world ISP’s in mind. Should the Internet connection between the MvTv Client and Server fail, the downloads will automatically resume when the Internet connection resumes. The downloading of new content happens in the background, while the MvTv Client Station is playing its current content (playlist). Should clips no longer be required in the playlist schedules, they can be automatically deleted from the Clients via commands received over the Internet… so as not to waste valuable hard drive space on the Client. 

The MvTv Scheduler Clients check their playlists every minute, to see what to play during the upcoming hour. If any new video content has not yet arrived in the Client, the MvTv Client will play the previous hours content. Downloading of video content from the server in most cases is faster than real time play, so that 60 minutes of content might take 45 minutes to download with broadband connections. It is wise therefore to schedule "new" content to play in MvTv Clients no sooner than an hour after it has been added to the MvTv Server. 

Because of MvTv Administrator’s reporting capabilities, it is possible to add “sponsor clips” to playlists, and report to third party programming sponsors, how many times their clips played across the entire MvTv System… during any given day, month, etc., and at which location. This feature rounds out the “Private TV Station” concept… advertisers know their viewing audience, and can be provided reports on their actual played ads (impressions).