Using MediaFlow to Encode Video for Alcorn McBride Video Products
MediaFlow was designed for the vast majority of us that just don’t want to think about the complexities of encoding. The idea is simple. You’ve got a video file of unknown origin and unknown format provided by a content producer, and you’ve got an Alcorn McBride video player that you want to play that content.
With MediaFlow, you just feed in the mystery content, select your Alcorn McBride product, and then click a button to make a high-quality file that is compatible with your product. MediaFlow will even name your files properly and transfer them directly to the unit via Ethernet if you wish.
MediaFlow is available as a free download on the Alcorn McBride website for evaluation purposes. The evaluation version is fully-functional except that it applies an Alcorn McBride logo in the corner of your output video. Once you’re satisfied with MediaFlow, you can contact our sales team to order a licensed version to eliminate the logo.
Installing MediaFlow
The first step in using MediaFlow is to install it! A free evaluation copy of MediaFlow can be downloaded from our website using the following link: Alcorn McBride MediaFlow
Step 1: Settings
MediaFlow uses a simple step-by-step encoding process, and the first of these steps allows you to configure the settings of the file(s) you are about to create. This step includes selecting the product in which you will load your output files, as well as CODEC type, video format, and basic quality settings.
Step 2: Input Files
The next step is to select the list of files you wish to encode for the product you’ve selected. Encoding can often take a while, especially with longer videos, so MediaFlow allows you to specify an entire list of files so multiple files can be created without user intervention. Just click on the ‘Add Files’ button to browse and add the files you wish to encode.
Step 3: Output
Before starting the encoding process , MediaFlow needs to know where to put the newly encoded files and how to name them. Files can be stored locally on the PC, or directly transferred to the player via FTP (Ethernet). The most common naming method is to assign each video with a number to take advantage of the most simple control methods in our video products. All of these options can be configured from this screen.
Step 4: Encode
When you’re ready to go, just click the ‘Encode’ button at the bottom-right. Encoding time will vary depending on file lengths, number of files, etc.