How can I manage media file types in SharePoint?
The question of the day comes from Amila on Stump the Panel:
I need the users to be able to view video clips in MOSS. The clips will be saved in a doc library. What are the options available?
[There is] no standard [file type], they have different video files recorded in different ways (digi camera, phones, downloaded clips etc..)
They only need just to click on the file and view… something similar to youtube.
Amila – SharePoint is not a presentation delivery system for video. When content is uploaded to YouTube, it is reformatted into a flash output that is then wrapped in the YouTube interface. Content stored in SharePoint will just be the raw file you upload.
A document library in SharePoint can store any of the filetypes you listed above. However, SharePoint itself is document-centric and isn’t really built to hold the types of files you have described.
I have created a Flash Media Library template that you can download. This is a quick template that will allow you to upload Camtasia Studio screencasts and expose only the HTML wrapper for presenting the screencasts. It might give you some ideas on how to structure a library, if you choose to go that way.
All that said, you can store your large video files on a file share, setup a custom list holding the metadata columns, including a link to the original resource, and then manage the information from within SharePoint. This will let you use SharePoint to its strength, which is managing information about documents, while the file share can do the heavy lifting.
Hope that helps.
Mark
on
Mark,
Glad to see some solid advice on this as there are quite a few people who wants to use SharePoint in this sort of way.
I really can’t blame them as Microsoft is pushing SharePoint as a replacement for the fileserver but as you mention, this is not quite true.
Mark,
I used the template with Mcromedia Captivate and it works just fine.
Michael
Michael – I think the template works well for managing screencasts with Camtasia or Captivate. These types of files are relatively small compared full scale video files.
The problem for other media types is that most people want to just do raw uploads without realizing there should be some kind of HTML wrapper to expose the content in the browser.
Thanks for the feedback. — Mark
Martin – Agreed. MS has done a GREAT job of selling this platform. However, as a user digs deeper, they will realize this is not a replacement for a file server, but is a good platform for managing document content.
My point of view is a little different. I think SharePoint comes as a replacement for file shares, it just happens one step at a time.
A couple years ago people were saying that SharePoint (2003) was for collaboration, not for intranet or internet. Today, you hear that SharePoint (2007) is not a good wiki or social platform. But things change…
A side note: raw file servers are not good at delivering video either, you need to add a streaming service for it to work smoothly.
Christophe
Christophe,
I have no doubt that SharePoint /will/ replace the fileserver, but the current version won’t do it.
And as you point out, the best way to deliver video would be through a streaming server and if I get the time I’ll take a stab at putting together something with IIS 7 and Windows Media Services.
Christophe – I disagree with you on this one. We are not talking about the future and what SharePoint will be, we are talking about what it currently is.
For large files, specifically those that are being talked about such as large media files or CAD type drawings, SharePoint is not the place to store them. That is why I believe file servers are going to be around for a while.
The proposed solution uses each platform to its strengths. Yes, there is also a need for a media server if there is a huge demand for online delivery, but in most cases people getting started can use the infrastructure they have and utilize SharePoint as an interface into that content.
Mark
I agree with the point about video not being a great match for SharePoint, but I’m wondering if you can elaborate more on your points about SharePoint not being a replacement for a file server.
Could you spell out in your opinion when a file server is still appropriate? I’ve been counseling our departments to ditch their file servers as soon as possible in favor of document libraries. Super large files are the exception, of course. What else?
- Jameson
Jameson – Here are some things I have seen that I think would be better done on a more appropriate platform:
Software builds
Massive CAD drawings
On-demand media files
Material that has been archived on a file server and is not accessed on a regular basis… why move it? It’s good where it is. Use SharePoint to manage the access to the archive, not as the archive itself for legacy documents.
That should give you some ideas. I would like to hear input from others on what they are leaving on their legacy servers and why.
Mark
I can attest to why and how SharePoint has been more efficient in my case. I develop and run a small KM group for a large business line in the Global Finance sector. Current environment withstanding, we have multiple corporate wide Content and Learning Management Systems that get bogged down with a corporation’s worth of high level courses and info packets. As an end user, you have to log into portals, systems and then run searches to access materials.
My group needed a way to access multiple 2-3 minute flash based tutorials and soft copies of procedures and (thanks to this site) libraries that automatically send out forms very quickly. These materials possibly can be updated at least once a month. So the need to have control was paramount. Had I gone thru the corporate channels I would have had to have everything documented to be reviewed and uploaded by the perspective team. That would have entailed proposals for server space, development costs for technology and infrequency when updating.
In my case the control pros of MOSS far outweigh the cons in efficiency.
I keep all our ISO-files out of SharePoint as these range from 200 Mb to 4 Gb in size.
You can’t do backups to SharePoint document libraries – you’d need a file server for that if you go that route.
I’d say that most of the time, size decides what goes where and I’d be hesitant to use SharePoint for any type of files that go over 100-150 Mb in size (depending on the performance of your SQL-server).
There are ways to access file shares externally so that shouldn’t be a reason to put all your stuff in SharePoint.
Well, I sat down last night and tinkered a bit with this and came up with a good starting point for serving up media via SharePoint.
Check it out and feel free to get back to me with your thoughts: http://www.sharepointblogs.com/martinnr5/archive/2008/12/03/one-way-to-present-media-with-sharepoint.aspx
Thanks!
Here is an example of how to build a MOSS Page Layout that will play back video. Any format that media player can play. The file can be stored anywhere from SharePoint to a Windows Media Server.
http://www.wssdemo.com/Blog/archive/2008/10/27/creating-a-sharepoint-page-layout-to-play-video-content.aspx
Ian,
that is a great way to manage the layout and the content of the pages you use to serve up media files.
It allows for some really elaborate design. :)