Using Digital Video
- Background
- Basic Video Playback with Playlist
- Restricting Video Access with External Controls
- Interactive Video Playback
Moving Images in the Current Release of Omeka
Using digital video in Omeka is not necessarily as straight forward as one might want. In Omeka 1.5.3 and in the beta release of Omeka 2.0, you can upload a digital video file as a file for an item. When you click on that file in the public site, depending how you have your browser configured, it recognizes the digital video file and loads it in the file section as a embedded player.
This embedded player then plays the video file from beginning to end and does a progressive download of the video file from the file system of the web server where Omeka is intalled. Trying to move to a part of the file before it has completely downloaded is not possible. This is why, in general, video on the web uses a streaming server which does allow scrubbing through the entire video as soon as the player opens.
In addition, to associate just part of a video file with an item, you must use an application like Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premier or Final Cut Pro to clip the video to the length you want to associate with the item and then upload that clip. If you decide to make the clip longer or shorter, you must clip to the new length, delete the old file and upload the new file.
With the plugins and themes (see the Tools page) that I have created for Omeka, I am trying to avoid some of these issues and create an environment where the owner of an Omeka site can create items by pointing to a video file on a streaming server and designate in the item the start and stop points for that clip and then play back that clip with any annotations that are part of the item.
But even to do this you need to make some decisions about how the segments will be displayed.
Decisions for the Display of Video Segments
The three tabs on this page represent three different ways to display video and are based on different themes you can download from the Tools page in the menu bar. Which of the three ways you choose is based on what you are displaying and how you expect the users of your site to interact with your content.
These themes are all available on the Tools page in the menu bar.
These themes are compatible with Omeka 1.5.3. I am currently working on versions for Omeka 2.0.
Basic Video Playback -- On this tab, I demonstrate the most straightforward playback of segmented and annotated video. This allows the user to move through the entire video to any other segment of the video they want. As the video plays or the user scrubs to a different part of the video, the annotations from new segments are displayed below. A list of segments from the video are displayed on the right and the user can move to a different segment by clicking the link. (In the themes I have developed, this would move the user to a new segment on the same page. Using a Simple Page to make this tabbed display means that clicking on the link displays the default show item page and you move off this page. Return to this page by clicking on the Using Digital Video in the menu bar.)
Items in Collection
- Reality sing 'Alpha and Omega' (beginning missing) [0:00:20--0:04:47]
- The North of Scotland GMVC perform two songs [0:04:47--0:16:20]
- New Life sing 'Sweet Peace' [0:16:20--0:21:11]
- New Life sing 'Be Thou My Vision' [0:21:11--0:23:52]
- The Gospel Male Voice Choir sing 'The King and I' [0:23:52--0:27:22]
- North of Scotland GMVC sing ' 'Till Jesus Comes Medley' [0:27:22--0:29:52]
- Votes of thanks [0:29:52--0:32:03]
- Congregation sing 'In the Sweet By-and By' [0:32:03--0:34:44]
- Prayer [0:34:44--0:36:02]
- North of Scotland GMVC sing 'I'll Go in the Strength of the Lord' [0:36:02--0:39:30]
- Flute band perform 'God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again' [0:39:30--0:40:16]
- Refreshments [0:40:16--0:53:26]
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Restricting Video Access -- For some digital video content, you may want to restrict access to the entire video to make sure that the user only sees one segment at a time and cannot navigate through the entire video. On the previous tab, I used the default control bar of the player. If you do this, you can not restrict the user to a limited segment of the video but the user has the ability to move beyond any start point you give them. To limit access to specific segments and not allow the user to move beyond those segments, I have setup the player with external controls. These external controls interact with Javascript to playback a specific, limited segment. On the right you may notice that the user can still navigate to other segments; they just cannot scrub through the video to get there. (Using a Simple Page to make this tabbed display means that clicking on the link displays the default show item page and you move off this page. Return to this page by clicking on the Using Digital Video in the menu bar.)
Items in Collection
- Cairnbulg Gospel Hall - Walks Soiree (second half) [0:00:20--0:53:26]
- Reality sing 'Alpha and Omega' (beginning missing) [0:00:20--0:04:47]
- The North of Scotland GMVC perform two songs [0:04:47--0:16:20]
- New Life sing 'Sweet Peace' [0:16:20--0:21:11]
- New Life sing 'Be Thou My Vision' [0:21:11--0:23:52]
- The Gospel Male Voice Choir sing 'The King and I' [0:23:52--0:27:22]
- North of Scotland GMVC sing ' 'Till Jesus Comes Medley' [0:27:22--0:29:52]
- Votes of thanks [0:29:52--0:32:03]
- Congregation sing 'In the Sweet By-and By' [0:32:03--0:34:44]
- Prayer [0:34:44--0:36:02]
- North of Scotland GMVC sing 'I'll Go in the Strength of the Lord' [0:36:02--0:39:30]
- Flute band perform 'God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again' [0:39:30--0:40:16]
- Refreshments [0:40:16--0:53:26]
Title
Subject
Description
Date
Identifier
Coverage
Segment Start
Segment End
Segment Type
Video Filename
Video Streaming URL
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Citation
Interactive Video Playback -- Finally, on the last tab, I have used the plugin for Simile Timeline to create an interactive timeline for representing and selecting video segments to play. As the video plays, the sweep moves through the timeline showing you the video segment you are on. In this case, I am using external controls to restrict access to a specific segment. If you want to see a different segment, you must select it on the timeline. (Due to limitations of this demo, you must stop the video before selecting a new segment to play. As before, using a Simple Page to make this tabbed display means that clicking on the link in the timeline bubble displays the default show item page and you move off this page. Return to this page by clicking on the Using Digital Video in the menu bar.)
Segment Info
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Subject
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Coverage
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Video Filename
Video Streaming URL
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Items in Collection
Cairnbulg Gospel Hall - Walks Soiree (second half)
Evening concert and religious service linked to the annual Cairnbulg flute band walk and taking …
Reality sing 'Alpha and Omega' (beginning missing)
Reality are three sisters who sing together at local religious events and are…
The North of Scotland GMVC perform two songs
Following an introduction by conductor Charlie West, the North of Scotland GMVC perform two pieces,…
A female vocal quartet, named New Life, ascend the platform and perform the song,…
New Life sing 'Be Thou My Vision'
New Life, who are standing on the platform at the front of the hall,…
The Gospel Male Voice Choir sing 'The King and I'
The North of Scotland GMVC stand and sing 'The King and I', which is taken from…
North of Scotland GMVC sing ' 'Till Jesus Comes Medley'
The North of Scotland GMVC, who are standing, sing the 'Till Jesus Comes…
Votes of thanks are expressed by the chairman of the Cairnbulg walk committee (John), …
Congregation sing 'In the Sweet By-and By'
Led by Bill Sangster, a member of the North of Scotland GMVC, the congregation…
A speaker, who is standing on the platform at the front of the hall, leads those…
North of Scotland GMVC sing 'I'll Go in the Strength of the Lord'
The combined North of Scotland GMVC stand to sing 'I'll Go in the Strength of…
Flute band perform 'God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again'
The Cairnbulg flute band, who are standing at the back of the gospel…
Most of the congregation stay seated in their places while others stand and talk. A…



