Video Streaming Service

Click here to access the live webcast of the Drew Faust Installation Ceremony.

Click here to access additional information on the live webcast and on user help for the required Real Player media application.

Please refer all inquiries concerning this page to bud_minahan@harvard.edu.

UIS has recently partnered with the Kennedy School of Government's (KSG) StudioKSG MultiMedia Services Group to enhance our Video Streaming Service and offer additional services to our customers. Video Encoding, Video Editing and other services are now available. Visit http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/studioksg/ for more information on KSG Video Services or call StudioKSG directly at 617-495-0493.

UIS Video Streaming Service Description

The UIS Video Streaming Service is a fully managed service offering providing storage and delivery of video content to locations within the Harvard Core Network. The service provides a secure room for customer encoding of video content, a robust video streaming server infrastructure and fast, easy access to video streaming content.

Registered customers electronically transfer their encoded video files to the streaming server which is then made available for streaming automatically, within a one hour timeframe. In addition, UIS maintains a Cannon Digital Video Camera and IBM ThinkPad encoding station (RealProducer) for use by registered customers. This recording and encoding equipment can be used for both record-for-later playback and simultaneous live streaming and recording of video content.

UIS Video Streaming Service Components

The UIS Video Streaming Service provides facilities and management for the following components of the Video Streaming Service:

• Account Registration and Reservation
• Secure Facilities for Encoding Video in various Delivery Formats
• RealNetworks Server for Content Delivery with 500 User License
• User Friendly Graphical FTP Utility to Deposit Content
• Video Streaming Server w/URL access to Video Content
• Canon Digital Video Camera w/IBM ThinkPad RealProducer portable Encoding Station
• 7x24 Service Monitoring & Content Backup Services provided by UIS Network & Server Systems
• UIS Video Streaming Service does not support Video Production Work, however we've partnered with the Kennedy School of Government to provide additional services such as Video Encoding and Editing. Please visit http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/studioksg/ for more information on KSG Video Services or http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/studioksg/pricing.htm for information on pricing.
  

UIS Video Streaming Service Availability

Registration for new accounts and Reservation of encoding facilities/video equipment at 60 Oxford Street, Rm. 104 are available from 9:00am - 6:00pm Monday - Friday by calling the UIS HelpDesk at 617-496-2001. Video Streaming Server is available 7x24x365, with the exception of planned maintenance as stated in the Service Policies

UIS Video Streaming Service Rate Schedule

• Fiscal Year 2002: Free of Charge
• Fiscal Year 2003 and beyond: Cost Model based on storage consumption billed monthly.
  
  Price: $65.00/Gigabytes/Month
  
  
• Fiscal Year 2004: Video Encoding and Editing through KSG's StudioKSG
  
  $40.00/hour during normal business hours. Additional rates and fee structure for StudioKSG services can be found at http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/studioksg/pricing.htm

UIS Video Streaming Service Policies

The author/customer is responsible for the following components and procedures for the Video Streaming Service:

• Digital Master of the Encoded Content
• Obtaining all Necessary and Required Legal Releases
• Video Content on the Server not Accessed in a 6 Month Period will be monitored and an Informational Email message will be sent to the Designated Contact Person informing them of this Inactivity. No Action will be taken to remove the file from the server. To remove content, the Account owner may call the UIS helpdesk at 6-2001.
• Equipment on Loan must be Returned within a 48 hour period Ensure adequate Availability for other Customers
• Damaged or Lost Loaner Equipment will be Replaced or Repaired at UIS' Discretion and billed to the Local Unit

UIS Video Streaming Service - Getting Started

Getting started is easy - call the UIS HelpDesk at 617-496-2001 to Register and obtain a Video Streaming Service Account. Please supply the following information:

• Contact Information: Name, School/Department, and exploder e-mail address or list
• Account name and password for FTP utility (recommend school name as part of the account name)
• 33-digit Department Billing Code
• Billing Contact Name and Email Address
• Estimated amount of video for storage (in hours or Gigabytes)
• Reservation information for use of Video Encoding Facilities and/or Camera Equipment
• FTP Content to Video Server

FTP Content to Video Server

Your video files must be of the following format in order to be stored and streamed from the UIS Video Streaming Server. File extensions permitted are as follows:

.rm	.smil
.rp	.mov
.smi	.rt
.mp3

To ensure proper transfer, send content in binary mode. Note that you will not be permitted to create new directories or change the directory structure on the server. Files transferred will stay with the directory structure of your account:

video2.Harvard.edu/YourAccountName/YourFilename

Once content has been FTP'd to the UIS Video Streaming Server, an email message will be sent within an hour, to the customer account email address on file with UIS. This email will contain the link(s) to your video content. The video content is ready for streaming at this point, unless otherwise indicated in the email message. Please note that the link(s) content is case sensitive.

To FTP content:

• Invoke your FTP utility or client and connect to video2.Harvard.edu
  • Example: ftp video2.Harvard.edu
• You will be prompted for your Username and Password - Your username and password information was given to you by UIS when you set up your VSS account
• Send your digitized file (file will be placed in the existing directory structure)
• Exit FTP utility