E-mail this pageSon of MediaFileThingy: Encode an Existing Media File
When you already have a media file on hand that you would like to post to the streaming media server, your first step will be to click on the Encode Existing Media File button. This will launch the process that converts your media file into a multiple-bitrate format that is optimized for use on the college's streaming media server. When you click the Encode Existing Media File button, you will immediately be prompted to identify the file that you would like to encode.
In the Select Media Source File window, navigate to the file location, click on the file name, and then click the Open button.
The media file will then be loaded into a preview player, and existing file information will automatically be extracted into information fields pertaining to the media file's Title, Copyright, Author, and Description. If the information is inaccurate or incomplete, change it before encoding the file. Please note that the information fields must not include any symbols, accented characters, or quotation marks.
The appropriate encoding profile (PSUVideo MBR for multiple bitrate video; PSUAudio MBR for multiple bitrate audio) will automatically be selected and entered in the Encoding Profile field. You may change the encoding profile by clicking on the profile name, but this is not generally recommended.)
Once the information is in order, click the Encode It button to begin the encoding process, or, if you change your mind about encoding the file, click the cancel button to return to the program's main screen.
After the Encode It button has been clicked, you will see three options (Start Encoding , Stop Encoding , and Cancel ) along with a progress bar indicating the progress of the current encoding.
To begin the encoding process, click the Start Encoding button. To end the encoding before the end of the source file, a click on the Stop Encoding button will preserve all that has been encoded to that point. A click on the Cancel button will discard the entire encoding session and return you to the program's main screen.
If the source file supports a preview window (as will most video files), you will also see a pair of preview windows--once encoding begins, the preview windows will show a representation of the original source file on the left side of the screen and a representation of the encoded file on the right. As the file is encoded, you will also see, in the status bar at the bottom of the screen, an indication of progress and an estimate of the time remaining. If you are encoding a video file that does not support a preview, you will see no preview windows, but a message indicating that previews are not available.
Once the encoding has finished, or once the Stop Encoding button has been clicked, you will be given the opportunity to review the encoded file and save it to your hard drive. To save the file, click the Save button. To discard the encoded file, click on the Cancel button, and the current encoding session will be scrapped and you will be returned to the main program screen.
If you click the Save button, you will be presented with a standard Save As... dialog window. Give your file an appropriate name (without any spaces or accented characters), and click the save button to save the file to your hard drive.
Once you have saved the encoded media file, you are ready to pursue the Post-Processing or Publishing functions.