MP4 video control
Description
Repeat Signage only supports MP4 video. This is the format used
when you take a video on most mobile phones and is used throughout the
internet as it compresses videos and keeps the files small. MP4
format is also processor and memory friendly so allows you to use less
powerful computers, so run multiple videos files on different screens
(Standard and above editions).
In previous versions of Repeat Signage, we also supported MP4 FLV videos,
but Adobe MP4 has been removed from Windows at the start of 2021, so is no
longer available.
You can convert your videos to MP4 for free. We have tested the two
services:
1.
https://www.freeconvert.com/flv-to-mp4 - This is a quick, free online
converter. Just visit the website, browse and select a MP4 file on
your computer (they also support other video formats. Your file then
gets uploads (1Gb size limit) and then you can download as soon as it has
been converted.
2.
VCL media
player - This is completely free open source software designed for
playing DVD's and video. This also has a 'Convert / Save' open on its
'Media' menu. This allows you to add your video file and then save it
as an MP4 file.
You can display YouTube videos with the MP4 Video control. However,
you have to download them first. See
Playing YouTube videos in Repeat Digital
Signage Software for more information and other ways of displaying
YouTube video with Repeat Signage.
IMPORTANT - LIMITATIONS OF THIS CONTROL
You can play complete MP4 files one after the other in
playlists. However, you cannot specify specific start or end times for
the videos, so you will have to use other software to prepare your MP4 flv
files for use with Repeat Signage. You can choose to mute or un-mute
videos but these apply to the entire current playlist, and you cannot mute
or unmute particular videos.
On the plus side, you can create a play list of MP4 files to schedule
for particular times of the hour, day or week.
Single and playlists of MP4 video files
On the designer screen menu, click on 'Insert' then 'Insert Video'. This
will allow you to add MP4 videos files using the Add button. You can
add just one or as many as you like and each will play until complete and
then go to the next one. At the end of the play list it will
automatically play all the files again in a loop. After adding this
control to the screen, you
can then position and size your Video control as required. Double
click the Video control to view the properties.
Scheduling the playing of MP4 video files (Standard and above editions only)
The information above shows you how to
create a play list that just loops files. However, you can also
schedule playlists of video files on a hourly, daily or weekly basis. On the play list tab, there is
a 'Schedule type' drop down list. You can change this from 'PLAYLIST'
to 'HOURLY', 'DAILY', or 'WEEKLY'. The difference between this and the
'PLAYLIST' option is that when you add items you have to specify 'From' and
'To' time values. You can specify a play list of videos files to play
in a particular period.
For example, an HOURLY scheduler can be used to play a file at the start of
every hour for 1 minute (0 minutes 0 seconds to 0 minutes 59 seconds).
You have to put in files to cover the entire hour. If you don't want
anything playing for the rest of the hour, then insert a blank item that
covers from 1 minute 0 seconds to 59 minutes 59 seconds. At the end of
an hour, the entire hourly schedule will loop again. When you play a
presentation, it displays items based on the current time or day.
When you add a blank item, you can decide whether to make the blank item
display the background of the control (which you can specify a colour or
picture for) or whether to make the entire control invisible. When
adding or editing a blank item, go to the 'Blank item' tab and either tick
or un-tick the 'Entire control is visible' box. This is useful
for scheduling when you want a control invisible.
The DAILY schedule type allows you to specify files and blank items to cover
the entire day. At the end of the day, the schedule will start again.
WEEKLY allows you to schedule what happens on each day of the week (at any
time), and then restarts at the beginning of the next week. Repeat
Signage uses Monday as the first day of the business week. Another
thing to note is that every control that supports scheduling runs
independently of all others, so you can have lots of different controls all
doing different things.
Tools have been added to Repeat Signage to help you test scheduling.
On the designer screen menu, you can click on 'View' then 'View program time
for schedule testing'. Clicking on this puts the time on the bottom
right of the designer screen menu. This is the clock that Repeat
Signage uses with controls. You can change this time using 'View' then
'Change program time for schedule testing'. This allows you to change
either the time or date, so that you can see what will be displayed at any
point. For example, you may have an 'offer of the day' for each day of
the week, made by displaying pictures in a picture control. Changing
the program date to another day will allow you to test that the correct
picture file, with that day's offer on, is being displayed.
Playing MP4 video files from RepeatServer.com or another website
You can create a free
RepeatServer.com
account and use this to upload MP4 video files to your online account.
When you insert a MP4 video file in your presentation you can choose to collect
it from a website and point it at MP4 video files that you have uploaded.
You then get your presentation to monitor the online version for changes.
When it detects that you have uploaded a new version of the, then this is
automatically downloaded and played whilst your presentation is running.
You can do this in the following way:
1. Create a free
RepeatServer.com
if you haven't already done this. This can be done by visiting
www.RepeatServer.com
in your web browser or via the 'RepeatServer.com' tab on the main Repeat
Signage screen.
2. Log onto your
RepeatServer.com
account and on the menu click on 'File' then 'Upload files'.
3. Use the 'Browse' button and then locate your MP4 video files on your
hard disk (hold down your keyboard Ctrl key to select more than one at a
time) and then click the 'Upload' button.
4. On the
RepeatServer.com
menu, click on 'File' then 'Documents and files' list.
5. Find the line in the grid for one of your MP4 video files that you just
uploaded. (You may have to use the page buttons if you can't see your
file on the first page).
6. Back to Repeat Signage. Go to the main screen and select the
'RepeatServer.com' tab. If you haven't already linked your Repeat
Server account to Repeat Signage, then you will need to follow the
instructions on screen. When this has been done, then please click on
the 'Refresh' button to display all your Repeat Server files, which should
include all the files you have uploaded. This needs to be visible before
we can continue.
7. Create a Repeat Signage presentation on your computer or open an
existing one. In the Repeat Signage designer, click on 'Insert'
then 'Insert MP4 video'.
8. Click the 'RepeatServer' option and a list of your files will
be displayed, which will include any you have just added above. Now
select your file by clicking on it, then click on the 'OK' button.
9. Click on 'OK' to insert the control. The next thing to do
is to resize the control to an appropriate size.
10. Double click your new control to see its properties.
Click on the 'Refresh' tab. By default, new controls that are collected
from a website location will automatically check for changes every 15
minutes. You can set this value appropriately. If you need the
presentation to update itself almost as soon as you make a change
online, then set this value to check every minute, or 15 seconds, etc.
To give this a test:
11. Edit the MP4 video file and make some changes (or overwrite it with a
different MP4 video file).
12. Log onto your
RepeatServer.com
account and upload the new version which will overwrite the original.
13. Your
presentation will update itself (even in the Repeat Signage designer)
within 15 seconds.
You don't have to use
RepeatServer.com
as you could use your own website instead and use FTP software to upload and
download files.
Converting Microsoft PowerPoint presentations to MP4 video files
You will need to have Microsoft PowerPoint 2019 (comes with an Office 365
subscription) installed, either the full
or the 60-day evaluation from
www.microsoft.com.
To convert a PowerPoint file to a MP4 flv file:
STEP 1 - Install PowerPoint 2019, either the full or the 60-day
evaluation from
www.microsoft.com
STEP 2 - Open a PowerPoint presentation you want to convert. An
example one is available from:
https://www.repeatserver.com/Users/RepeatSamples/Data/WindyridgeCanteenMonday.pptx
When you click on the above link, you should see an open or save as dialog
box. Save this file to your hard disk and then open it in Microsoft
PowerPoint 2019.
STEP 3 - Export the PowerPoint file directly to a MP4 video file by doing the following:
- Click on the 'File' menu in the top left corner of the screen
- Click on 'Export'
- Click on 'Create a video'
- Select 'Computer and HD display' from the top drop down list in the middle
of the screen
- Select 'Use Recorded Timings and Narrations' from the second dropdown list
- Change 'Seconds to spend on each slide' to '05.00' (seconds) - You can
experiment with values here
- Click on the 'Create video' button
- Select and name and a location for your new video file and then click on
'Save'. This defaults to an MP4 file.
Playing YouTube videos in Repeat Signage
See
Playing YouTube videos in Repeat Signage.