MiddMedia

About MiddMedia

MiddMedia is a audio/video storage and streaming service hosted by the college. It is developed and supported by LIS with the goal of providing high quality video streaming for both academic and administrative needs.

MiddMedia is not a video browsing and search service. To share a video with others you must embed it in a website visible to your intended audience. This website might be a Segue site, a WordPress blog, a MediaWiki wiki, or another site on campus or elsewhere on the internet. See below for instructions on embedding audio and video.

Comparison with other services

I can upload videos to YouTube, why would I want to use MiddMedia?

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com

Pros

1. Popular
2. Free
3. Easy to use
4. Large audience
5. Built-in commenting and rating

Cons

1. Maximum video length of about 10 minutes.
2. Only supports videos in standard aspect rations
3. Hard to restrict access to videos: private videos can only be shared with 25 people, all of whom must have YouTube accounts.
4. Terms of service require granting YouTube liberal redistribution and derivative creation rights. (See section 6.)
   
5. Videos cannot be downloaded, only watched in the web browser.

MiddMedia

https://middmedia.middlebury.edu
Pros

1. Free for Middlebury College users
2. All users get 500MB of storage space by default
3. Requests for additional storage space will be granted if appropriate.
4. Video quality is not restricted and MPEG4 and FLV video is not reprocessed, DVD-quality is possible
5. Video length is not restricted, only total storage-space usage.
6. Local network location means that high quality videos can be streamed instantly around campus.
7. Videos can be of any aspect ratio (such as tall and narrow)
8. Supports MP3 audio
9. Video uploads are private, access control is totally dependent on where you embed the video (if anywhere).
10. Download links are available for all audio and video.
11. Upload and insertion plugins are available for Segue and WordPress.

Cons

1. Extra steps needed to embed video in another system or email download links in order to share videos with others.

Using MiddMedia

The MiddMedia service can be accessed by going to https://middmedia.middlebury.edu/. After you log in you will shown your personal directory and any shared directories to which you can upload audio or video media.

1. Go to https://middmedia.middlebury.edu/
   
2. Log in
   
3. Upload audio or video files of a supported format.
   

Overview: (Click to play)
<middmedia dir="achapin" file="middmedia_intro02.mp4" width="706" height="560" />

Using audio/video from MiddMedia in Segue (segue.middlebury.edu)

Segue includes a media-library plugin for MiddMedia that provides access to MiddMedia within Segue. To insert MiddMedia audio/video in Segue do the following:

1. Go to the Segue site in which you want to insert the audio/video.
   
2. If you are not logged in, log in.
   
3. Edit a Text and Images block or create a new Text and Images block.
   
4. Click the Embed Audio/Video button below the editor.
   
5. The media-library will open, click on the MiddMedia tab.
   
6. Upload an audio/video file if desired, or choose one already uploaded to MiddMedia.
7. Click the Use button to insert a text-template for the embedded audio/video.
8. Save the Text and Images block. The audio or video should now display in the page as an audio/video player.

Segue Usage: (Click to play) <middmedia height="560" width="706" file="middmedia-segue02.mp4" dir="achapin" />

Using audio/video from MiddMedia in WordPress (blogs.middlebury.edu)

We have expanded the Media Library in Wordpress to include an option for MiddMedia.

WordPress Usage: (Click to play)

Enable the MiddMedia plugin

1. Go to your blog's administration interface.
2. Click the Settings link in the upper right after you log on
3. Scroll down until you see the line for the MiddMedia plugin and click Activate.

Note: We recommend that you Deactivate the MiddTube Video Plugin if you previously had it enabled. All of your videos will continue to work, provided you've enabled the MiddMedia plugin. We will eventually phase out support for the MiddTube Video Plugin.

Access the MiddMedia dialog

1. Begin editing the post or page. Place the cursor in the content area where you would like the media to appear.
2. Click the Add Media starburst in the upper-right corner of the editing window.
3. Click the MiddMedia tab in the frame that opens.

Uploading Media

1. In the Upload Media section, select the Directory from the drop down dialog you will upload to.
2. Click the Browse button and locate the media to upload on your computer.
3. Click the Upload File button.

Note: Your file is first uploaded to the Wordpress server, which then uploads the file to the MiddMedia server. For large files, this process can take a long time since we're uploading it twice! If you're uploading a large video file or many files, we recommend using the MiddMedia service directly.

Including Media in your Posts and Pages

1. In the Insert Media section, select the Directory from the drop down dialog you want to view files from.
2. Click Show Files
3. Click the Use button to the left of the file you want to include in your content.

This will add a line to your post or page resembling "[middmedia username directory filename.ext]". When the post is displayed to someone reading your blog, the Wordpress server will use this information to contact the MiddMedia server and fetch the video information. You can edit this information manually if you like, or delete the line from your post to remove the video.

Deleting Media from MiddMedia

1. In the Insert Media section, select the Directory from the drop down dialog you want to view files from.
2. Click Show Files
3. Click the Delete button to the left of the file you want to delete.
4. Click the Yes button in the confirmation message that is now displayed.

Using audio/video from MiddMedia in MediaWiki

Audio and video can be embedded in MediaWiki pages for wikis that have the 'MiddMedia' plugin installed. See the Special:Version page for your wiki to determine if the 'MiddMedia' plugin is installed.

To insert video in a page:

1. Upload the video to MiddMedia.
2. Open a new browser window and go to your wiki.
3. Click the edit tab to edit the page.
4. If using the WYSIWYG editor, click the 'Wikitext' button to go into text-mode.
5. Type in a custom tag where you want the video to go. Replace the dir and file values with those for your video as seen in your MiddMedia listing.
   

<middmedia height="160px" width="300px" dir="afranco" file="MIDDLEBURY KICKOFF.mp4"/>

1. Save the page.

Using audio/video from MiddMedia in other places

Embedding Audio/Video

Audio and video can be embeded in static web pages as well as in many blogging systems. Please be aware that some systems do not allow users to insert embed code for security reasons and will strip it out when you attempt to save your content.

1. Go to MiddMedia and log in.
2. Find the audio/video you wish to use
3. Click on the Embed Code & URLs link
4. Copy all of the embed-code from the first text area
5. Paste the embed code into the HTML source of you page.

Download links to Audio/Video

If you wish to allow users to download your audio/video file rather than play it directly in a web-page, MiddMedia provides you with a download link.

1. Go to MiddMedia and log in.
2. Find the audio/video you wish to use
3. Click on the Embed Code & URLs link
4. Copy the HTTP URL link from the second text-field.
5. Paste the link into your web page or email.

Supported Formats

The supported audio and video formats are described below. If you need additional support creating audio/video files of the proper format, please contact the Digital Media Tutors in the Wilson Media Lab.

Video

MiddMedia supports Flash video (.flv) and MPEG-4 video with H.264 encoding (.mp4). Other video formats are not currently supported and can not be uploaded to MiddMedia. MPEG-4 video with H.264 encoding provides the best quality and is the preferred format.

How to create MPEG-4 video with H.264 encoding (.mp4)

OS X - QuickTime Player

1. Go to File --> Export...
2. Select Export: Movie to MPEG-4
3. Select Use: LAN/Intranet
4. Click the Save button.

OS X - IMovie

1. Go to File --> Export...
2. Choose the quicktime icon
3. Select Expert Settings in the dropdown menu
4. Click the Share button.
5. Select Movie to Mpeg-4 in the Export: dropdown menu
6. Click the Options button.
7. Select MP4 in the File Format: dropdown menu
8. Select H.264 in the Video Format: dropdown menu
9. Click the OK button.
10. In the Save As and Where menus choose a location to save.
11. Click the Save button.

Windows - Adobe Premiere Pro CS3

1. Select the sequence to be exported and select File --> Export --> Adobe Media Encoder.
2. In Export Settings select H.264.
3. Choose a preset or choose custom settings for Video (resolution, frame rate, bitrate, etc.) and Audio (codec, frequency, quality, bitrate, etc.), and click OK.
4. Choose a filename (default extension is mp4) and file location, and click OK to start rendering.

Optimal Encoding Mpeg Streamclip

mp4:h264

{quality=0.25

or data rate=512 kb/s}

dimension=640X480

Audio

MP3 audio is the only audio format supported by MiddMedia. Other audio formats are not currently supported and can not be uploaded to MiddMedia.

System Requirements

You can find out the version of Flash Player that you have installed here: Version Test for Adobe Flash Player

You can upgrade your Flash Player here: Get Adobe Flash Player

File-Management UI

The Flash File-Upload control has been tested on the following platforms, browsers, and Flash Player versions:

• Windows XP:
  • FireFox 3.0.6
    • Flash 10.0.12.36 - Works properly
      
    • Flash 9.0.151.0 - Works properly
      
    • Flash 8.0.42.0 - Upload button does not display.
      
  • FireFox 2.0.0.20
    • Flash 10.0.12.36 - Works properly
      
    • Flash 9.0.151.0 - Works properly
      
    • Flash 8.0.42.0 - Upload button does not display.
      
  • Internet Explorer 7
    • Flash 10.0.12.36 - Upload success, but requires the page to be refreshed after uploads complete.
      
    • Flash 9.0.151.0 - Upload success, but requires the page to be refreshed after uploads complete.
    • Flash 8.0.42.0 - Upload button does not display.
      
  • Internet Explorer 6
    • Flash 10.0.12.36 - Upload success, but requires the page to be refreshed after uploads complete.
      
    • Flash 9.0.151.0 - Upload success, but requires the page to be refreshed after uploads complete.
    • Flash 8.0.42.0 - Upload button does not display.
      

Video Playback

• Windows XP:
  • FireFox 3.0.6
    • Flash 10.0.12.36 - Works properly. Streams MP4 and FLV video, plays MP3 audio
      
    • Flash 9.0.151.0 - Works properly. Streams MP4 and FLV video, plays MP3 audio
      
    • Flash 8.0.42.0 - Streams FLV video. MP4 video streaming does not work. MP3 audio playback does not work.
      
  • FireFox 2.0.0.2
    • Flash 10.0.12.36 - Works properly. Streams MP4 and FLV video, plays MP3 audio
      
    • Flash 9.0.151.0 - Works properly. Streams MP4 and FLV video, plays MP3 audio
      
    • Flash 8.0.42.0 - Streams FLV video. MP4 video streaming does not work. . Plays MP3 audio.
      
  • Internet Explorer 7
    • Flash 10.0.12.36 - Works properly. Streams MP4 and FLV video, plays MP3 audio
    • Flash 9.0.151.0 - Streams MP4 and FLV video, plays MP3 audio
      
    • Flash 8.0.42.0 - Streams FLV video. MP4 video streaming does not work. Plays MP3 audio.
      
  • Internet Explorer 6
    • Flash 10.0.12.36 - Works properly. Streams MP4 and FLV video, plays MP3 audio. Pop-up confirmation dialog occurs.
    • Flash 9.0.151.0 - Streams MP4 and FLV video, plays MP3 audio. Pop-up confirmation dialog occurs.
    • Flash 8.0.42.0 - Streams FLV video. MP4 video streaming does not work. Plays MP3 audio. Pop-up confirmation dialog occurs.