Content Library Overview

The Content Library is a Media Repository component that houses raw media files that are used for Mashups. Content Library also houses Draft and Published Mashups. The library provides several features to easily and rapidly access contained items via searches, tags, categories and filters. The meta-information that users provide for each item, is used to display an Info-Tip, again to make it easy for users to get to the right content fast.

The Content Library also stores the references of contents that have been linked via URL references. This includes videos, images and audios residing on media sharing sites like YouTube, GoogleVideo, Flickr, etc.

Content Types and Formats

The Content Library can store contents of many types and formats:

• Video: VC-1 and WMV supported at this time. Support for other formats will be added soon.
• Audio: MP3 and WMA supported at this time. Support for other formats will be added soon.
• Images: JPG, PNG,
• Captions: Designed using Ultra Mashup Studio
• Feedback Forms: Designed using Ultra Mashup Studio
• Mashups: Designed using Ultra Mashup Studio - whether published or saved as draft

Content and Mashup Storage

The Content Library houses raw contents that become part of a Mashup. The library also stores the Mashup itself.

Video, Audio and Image files are uploaded by users to the Content Library. These are stored on File Servers and linked in the Library Database. During play, the content files are read off the file server and can be cached close to the organization infrastructure edge.

Video, Audio and Image content can also be linked into the Content Library by providing URLs These URLs are stored in the Library Database. During play, these contents are read off the original locations such as Youtube or Flickr. Caching technology can optimize repeated access of this data.

Text captions and feedback forms are stored within the Library Database itself. They are not stored as files, but are rendered from the Library Database server.

Mashups are stored as "meta-information" in the Library Database. During Mashup play, this meta-information is first loaded, and governs the loading of the constituent contents from their respective locations.

External References

Ultra Mashup Studio and Player technologies provide a powerful ability to embed externally residing contents into Mashups. Image files from sites such as Flickr and Photobucket, Videos from sites such as YouTube and GoogleVideo, and Audio from Zune or other sites, can be easily embedded. As long as the formats are supported and the deployed server can acccess that location, these files can practically be residing anywhere.

Content Library stores these references in the Library Database. At the time of Mashup play, this content is pulled from the original location based on instructions in the Mashup meta-information also residing in the Content Library Database.

Public and Private Content

Among the many features provided by the Content Library is the ability for users to mark their contents as public or private.

Marking a content items as private restricts its accessibility to the Author himself/herself. It does NOT prevent the item from being played as part of a Mashup that the Author has created using their private content. Other authors cannot list or see private contents from any other author in the Ultra Mashup Studio.

Public content on the other hand is available to any other author within a deployment scenario. By this we mean that because these technologies and solutions built on these technologies can be deployed in many ways (such as in an Enterprise environment, as an internet service, as a public website, etc.), the users who are allowed to author content can different in each scenario. Thus depending on the deployment scenario, Authors can view public contents of other Authors within an installation context.

Public and private content includes uploaded as well as linked content from external sources. Mashups are assumed to be for public viewing and cannot be marked as private. Authors can save Mashups as Draft. Before publishing, the Mashups remain privately accessible and editable to the Author. After publishing, Mashups become public or are governed by access restrictions based on the deployment strategy.

Keyword Tags, Title, Descriptions

Users can tag the contents they have uploaded or linked in the Content Library, using keywords that make the content easily searchable. Users can also create a title and provide description to each item.

Each Mashup can also be keyword-tagged, titled and described via the Ultra Mashup Studio. These tags and titles make the Mashups easily searchable, and are displayed on the Ultra Mashup Player page. A Tag Cloud makes it easy for Viewers to find the Mashup of their choic.

Categories

Mashups can be categorized into any of the various categories defined during solution deployment (or modified later). Categorizing Mashups provides viewers an additional way to browse and find the Mashup of their choice. This ability is complemented by Keyword Tags, Title and Description, which are all searchable attributes.

Search and Filter

Both Content Items that are used in Mashups, and Mashups themselves can be searched on the titles, descriptions and tags created for them.

Mashups can additionally be Categorized to allow richer browsing and filtering capability. Search and category-browsing for Mashups can be featured in the relevant part of a solution that uses this technology. For example, the UltraLearn solution created by Softech for the eLearning market, allows viewers to search and browse for Mashups from any place on the solution web.

Searching for Contents is available within the Content Browser pane in the Ultra Mashup Studio. This makes it very easy to quickly find the required content, preview it right away with a single click, and include it in the Mashup timeline with another single click on the Insert button.