Estimated Time To Complete: 1 hour
Objectives
Upon completing this lab, you will be able to use Windows
Media On-Demand Producer to:
- Load a video.
- Insert captions through commands and markers.
- Publish or export a captioned video.
Prerequisite Knowledge
To gain the most from this lab on Windows Media On-Demand Producer (WMODP), you should have familiarity with:
Version Information
Windows Media On-Demand Producer works only with:
- Windows Operating System more recent than Windows 3.1 and having the latest Java Runtime Environment (JRE).
- Video formats of .AVI (Audio Video Interlaced) or .WAV files.
Files
Note: Files You Need for Module 4 are available in one compressed file for download in Windows and MacIntosh formats;
upon saving, this compressed file automatically extracts into a folder called "mod4lab" on your hard drive.
For this lab on Windows Media On-Demand Producer, you
will need the following:
The Lab Begins ...
Load the Video
- Start Windows Media On-Demand Producer by two options:
- Select the 'On-Demand Producer' icon on your desktop.
- Or, go to the 'Start' menu and select the 'Windows Media Producer'
item.
- Change the mode of the screen to 'full view.'
- Load video file (UbiCompSmall.avi) by:
- Go to 'File menu' then 'Open/Add.'
- Browse to and select the desired video file.
Note: The video screen will be black (see
Image 16)
.
- Select the space bar to view the video; this provides an idea of the
speed at which the video plays, as well as the video content.
Caption the Video
A. Get the transcript
- Print or open in a text editor (such as Notepad) the transcript file (UbiCompText.txt).
Note: If using a text editor, resize the
windows such that Windows Media and the transcript file can be seen
at the same time (see
Image
17)
.
B. Insert commands
When inserting commands, it is recommended to follow
along with the transcript file and add commands at the beginning of each
sentence while the video is playing.
Note: The lab video file has eleven sentences; you should have eleven commands.
To insert commands:
- Select the 'Beginning' button in the playback toolbar to ensure you
are at the start of the video.
Note: The first sentence in the lab video
file starts very close to the beginning of the video.
- Select the spacebar or the 'Play' button in the playback toolbar to
start the video.
Note: If using a text editor to view the
transcript, it may be necessary to periodically pause the video and
scroll to view more of the text in the editor.
- Insert commands at the beginning of each sentence until the video
ends by two options:
- Place your cursor in the timeline window and select the 'C' key.
Note: The cursor needs to be in the
timeline for this key to take effect. Otherwise, because this command
is a
URL command,
an attempt to change the address of the web browser you are in will
occur.
- Or to insert commands, select the 'C' button in the lower-left of the
timeline (directly below the 'M' button):
Note: Try to get the location of the command
as close as possible but do not worry if it is not exact; you can adjust
the location (or timing) of the command by sliding it left and right.
You can also remove the command by right-clicking on it, then selecting
'Remove.'
C. Convert commands to closed captioning
- For each command, access the 'Script Commands Properties' dialog box
by two options:
- In the timeline, right-click on the command and then select 'Edit.'
- Or, go to the 'Edit' menu and then select 'Commands'. This opens the 'Edit Command' dialog box, which
provides a view of all the commands created for the video. Select a command and then select the 'Edit' button
(see Image 18) .
Note: Although you can view all of the commands in the 'Edit Command' dialog box,
Windows Media Producer does not allow you to convert all the commands at once or automatically apply an imported transcript
to all commands. You must convert each command individually.
- To convert each command, perform the following two steps in the 'Script
Commands Properties' dialog box (see Image
19):
- Copy the sentence that correlates to the command from the transcript file (UbiCompText.txt) and paste it into
the first textfield (called "Parameter")
- Change the third field (a select box called "Type") to 'WMClosedCaption.'
Note: For a list of all commands or to view your progress in converting the commands, open the
'Edit Command' dialog box. A converted command will have the second column ("Type") listed as 'WMClosedCaption' and
the third column ("Command") will contain the relative sentence from the transcript (see
Image 20).
You can adjust the column headers to view its information by sliding the beginning or ending column line to be smaller or wider.
Insert Markers
Windows Media On-Demand Producer (WMODP) features the
ability to indicate the beginning of a sequence of scene, such as a fight,
by inserting markers in the video. Markers allow the user to skip ahead
or back to designated points; this is an important accessibility feature
for individuals with learning disabilities but is also beneficial to all
users.
Note: The lab video file has four topics; you should have four markers named:
- Introduction,
- Laptops,
- Personal digital assistants, and
- Virtual reality.
To insert markers:
- Select the 'Beginning' button in the playback toolbar to ensure you are at the start of the video.
- Select the spacebar or the 'Play' button in the playback toolbar to start the video.
- Insert each marker slightly prior to the actual time of its occurrence throughout the video by two options:
Note: The marker needs to be placed just
before its occurrence to provide buffering time for the video to catch
up. Try to get the location of the marker as close as possible but do
not worry if it is not exact; you can adjust the location (or timing)
of the marker by sliding it left and right. You can also remove the
marker by right-clicking on it, then selecting 'Remove.'
Save the Captioned Video as .ASF file
Now that the commands and markers have been inserted,
you need to save the video as a .ASF file, which is a streaming version
of the video.
A. Start saving the video
- Go to the 'File' menu then select 'Save as Windows Media.'
- You will be presented with a 'Save as Windows Media Wizard' dialog box asking if you
want to encode a new file or a current file. Leave the default value of "Encode Current File"
and select the "Next" button.
B. Select an encoding template
Now, the 'Save as Windows Media Wizard' dialog box prompts you to select an encoding template. This template is based on the connection speed of the audience
and is used to determine the compression of the video file.
Note: Most of the
standard templates that are built into the 'Save as Windows Media
Wizard' will be appropriate. However, if you have specific requirements
such as large bandwidth or changing the size of the video to something
other than 320 pixels wide by 240 pixels high, a custom template is
needed. To create a custom template, select the 'Custom' button when
prompted to select an encoding template.
- Select an encoding template from the drop down list.
If uncertain of the connection speed of the audience, choose the 250 Video option (see Image 21).
- Select the 'Next' button.
- The 'Save as Windows Media Wizard' prompts you to specify the location
for storing this file. For this example, enter the text "c:\temp."
- Select the 'Finish' button.
- You will see the video being encoded. When the process is done, an
'Encoding Complete' dialog box will appear; you have the option of viewing
the encoded file at this time.
Generate the HTML Page to Hold the Captioned Video
To publish the video to the Internet, the video must
be embedded into an HTML file.
Note: Typically
the video is published to a web server. However, for this lab, you should
publish the video locally to your computer at c:/temp.
A. Start publishing the video
- Go to the 'File' menu then select 'Publish Windows Media.'
- The 'Publish Windows Media Wizard' dialog box appears; select the "Next" button.
B. Create a redirector file
The 'Publish Windows Media Wizard' dialog box prompts
you to create a redirector file, which is an .ASX file.
- Select the checkbox "Generate Redirector File"; this activates the
three textfields in the wizard screen (see Image
22).
- The first textfield should contain the name of the encoded video file created in the previous section ("Saving as .ASF file").
- Since saving locally for this lab, the second and third textfields
for the server path and redirector file destination should each be set
to "c:\temp."
- Select the 'Next' button.
C. Create the HTML file
The 'Publish Windows Media Wizard' dialog box prompts
you to create the HTML file that will hold the captioned video.
- Select the checkbox "Generate HTML File"; this activates the four textfields in the wizard screen.
- The first textfield should contain the name of the redirector file (.ASX) created in the previous step (B. Create a Redirector File)
- Since saving locally for this lab, set the second textfield for the redirector file URL to "c:\temp".
- Set the third field ("HTML Template") to "WMClosedCaption".
- Set the fourth field on the destination for the HTML file to "c:\temp".
- Select the 'Finish' button.
- You should now see a dialog box that states "Successfully saved files"; select the 'OK' button.
View the Final Product
Note: Typically the video is published to a web server.
However, since this lab is published locally to your computer at c:\temp, some changes must be made so the
final product of the lab can be viewed.
To view the HTML file locally, make these changes:
- Open a text editor, such as NotePad.
- Go to the 'File' menu then select 'Open.'
- Browse the c:/temp directory and open the file "UbiCompSmall.asx."
Note: When a file is opened in Notepad,
it looks for .txt files by default. You will need to change the "Files of Type" to be "All files."
- Go to the 'Edit' menu, then select 'Find'. Search in this .asx file
the code containing:
"c:\temp/."
- Once located, change the forward slash to a backslash; it should now
read
<a href = "c:\temp\UbiCompSmall.asf">.
- Save the file and leave the text editor open.
- Open another file within the text editor by browsing to c:\temp and
locating a directory that ends with _WMCC. Within that directory, select
the file named "default.htm".
- Repeat steps 4-5 to find the
c:\temp/ code and change the forward
slash to a backslash. once changed, the code should read like ...src="c:\temp\UbiCompSmall.asx".
Note: Within this HTML file, the incorrect forward slash appears in 2 places; be certain to find
and change both instances.
You can now view the final product by starting your
browser, and opening the default.htm file located in the directory: c:\temp\
within the folder ending in _WMCC. You may also compare your final product
to the Example of Final
Product Created from Lab: Windows Media (5.22 KB, 
).
The next page provides information on the features,
requirements, and installation of a video editing software that can be
used for captioning video, Media Access Generator (MAGpie).
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).
(or later version).
Image 19: Converting a command in 'Script Command Properties' dialog box
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