ContentDepot® Installation
The ContentDepot® is easy for most stations to get up and running. A minimum level of connectivity and interface to your audio setup is required for ContentDepot to operate. After the initial installation, you may elect to integrate the ContentDepot into your production systems in more complex ways as required by your operation. Please refer to the ContentDepot Station Installation Guide for specifics on installing your equipment. Printed copies will be shipped with your equipment.
The following summaries are also available:
If your station is interested in becoming interconnected to receive programming via the ContentDepot, please refer to our
"New Station Planning"
If your station is interested in becoming interconnected to receive programming via the ContentDepot, please refer to our section.
________________________________________________________________________________________
During 2006, ContentDepot® equipment was shipped to every interconnected station. The station complement consisted of:
- Two storage receivers for pre-recorded (file-based) content. One storage receiver will provide the capacity your station requires to receive ContentDepot programming. The second storage receiver is a hot standby.
- Two streaming decoders for live programming. Each streaming decoder has two stereo outputs for a total of four live stereo outputs per station.
- If your station did not have a compliant automation system in 2006, you also received a basic automation system.
The ContentDepot is easy for most stations to get up and running. A minimum level of connectivity and interface to your audio setup is required for ContentDepot to operate. After the initial installation, you may elect to integrate the ContentDepot into your production systems in more complex ways as required by your operation.
What the installation entails
- You will need to install up to six rack units of new equipment.
- You will need to be able to break into your existing IFL (inter-facility link) to add another L-band splitter or to arrange your station's cutover from the current system. You may need to purchase or build additional IFL cables.
- If you received basic automation, you will need to install a third-party product from ENCO Systems, Inc., and interconnect it with a storage receiver by providing network connections. The network connection can be as simple as crossover cable connection from a storage receiver to the automation system. Documentation and support for the basic automation installation will be provided by ENCO.
- You will need to be able to modify your existing audio interconnection wiring.
- Move wires from existing receivers to new receivers.
- If you're adding basic automation, you will need to connect it to your audio chain.
- You'll need to access the Internet (dial up is acceptable) to register your equipment and set up your ContentDepot accounts, much like establishing service with your ISP.
That's it! With these five steps, ContentDepot can be up and running at your station. The detailing of firewalling, setting up a full-time Internet backchannel for the storage receivers, and more complex networking is your option. These configurations should be a secondary activity after you establish basic operations.
________________________________________________________________________________________
ContentDepot® Installation
The following is an outline of the steps to install the new ContentDepot® equipment. More detailed installation instructions will be provided with your equipment and is available online.
Installing and Configuring a Stream Decoder:
- Take the decoder and its power supply out of the carton. Save the carton and packing materials in case you ever need to send the unit back to the Satellite Depot for repair.
- Place the decoder in your equipment rack.
- Connect an L-band cable from your receive system to the L-Band inlet.
- Connect audio cables to the decoder outputs. Remember that each stream decoder has two audio outputs, and that each audio output is available in either stereo analog or stereo AES digital formats. Check your online or supplied documentation for connector and pinout specifications. The analog audio output connectors are identical to the ComStream ABR700 connectors.
- Plug in the power supply and allow the unit to start up/acquire its satellite signal. The unit has been pre-configured with the satellite receive frequency for the ContentDepot. You do not need to "tune" to a satellite channel.
- The decoders will automatically start playing the test satellite channels if you have subscribed to them using the ContentDepot portal. Changing a decoder from program-to-program is accomplished by commands sent via the ContentDepot headend; there is no local tuning to programs.
After you confirm the test audio, you may optionally configure the IP interfaces on your stream decoders so that you can check performance parameters using a web browser from anywhere on your local area network (LAN). Be sure to discuss this installation with your local LAN administrator (or the person responsible for your computers).
Configuration of the stream decoders is performed from the front panel. In general the "check" button is used to confirm selections and move down through menu items. The "X" button is used to move up menus and to cancel a selection. The up, down, left, and right buttons are used to move in a display and to select items in a display. To set the Ethernet interface on the back of the stream decoder to an IP address of 192.168.1.100, for example, you would do the following:
- Press the "X" key four times. That should bring you to the top-level display on the unit.
- Press the "check" key once.
- Press the down arrow until you see "eth interface" on the display.
- Press the "check" key once.
- Press the up arrow until "1" is displayed in the first position. If you go past "1," just press the down arrow until you see "1" in the first position.
- Press the right arrow until the next digit is highlighted.
- Press the up arrow until "9" is displayed. Keep pressing the right arrow then the up and down arrows until the correct IP address is displayed.
- Press the "check" key to confirm and store the new address.
- Press the "X" key four times to take you up to the top-level display.
When you're done entering your specific IP parameters into your stream decoder, connect an Ethernet cable from your LAN to the decoder. You can now view and manipulate several performance and monitoring parameters in the decoder.
There are a number of parameters that can be configured with the front panel of a stream decoder. Check the documentation provided with your equipment for more information and examples.
Installing a Storage Receiver:
Storage receivers share a common heritage with the SR200Pro stream decoders, so the installation steps are very similar. Each unit comes to you preconfigured to receive the ContentDepot satellite channel and each unit has a built-in web server so you can view performance and monitoring parameters.
The storage receivers are different from stream decoders in that they do not have any front-panel controls, and there are additional steps to connect them to your LAN and your automation system. Again, the following is not an exhaustive installation guide; check the materials delivered with your equipment for additional information and any updates before you start your installation.
- Take the receiver and its power cord out of the carton. Save the carton and packing materials in case you ever need to send the unit back to the Satellite Depot for repair. Your ContentDepot installation should only have one storage receiver active at any time.
- Place the receiver in your equipment rack.
- Connect an L-band cable from your receive system to the L-Band inlet.
- Connect a locally-supplied keyboard, mouse, and monitor to the ports on the back of the unit. This is only necessary for initial startup and configuration.
- Plug in the power cord to the unit and then to your AC power. As with the stream decoders, the storage receiver is preconfigured to receive the ContentDepot satellite channel, so you don't have to "tune" anything. It will take a few minutes for the receiver to start up and to acquire the satellite channel.
- The unit is ready for configuration when you see the green "control" LED on the front panel flashing steadily. That means the unit is receiving and properly decoding the ContentDepot satellite channel.
At this point, you should be able to see the ContentDepot welcome screen on the computer display. Procedures to follow from here vary depending on the version of ContentDepot software and the specifics of your automation system. Please refer to the materials provided with your equipment for more information.
The following is a short discussion of how to set the IP address for the Net1 Ethernet port using a prototype version of the storage receiver software. It is not meant to be correct for all installations.
- Click on "receiver setup."
- Click on "identity."
- Select "edit" to change the IP parameters.
- Select "send update" to accept your changes.
- You may now disconnect the monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
- Plug an Ethernet cable from your local production LAN into the "Net 1"' port of your storage receiver. You should be able to use a standard web browser to view and make parameter changes in your storage receiver.
Integrating a storage receiver with an automation/playout system is beyond the scope of this overview. If you have any questions about this activity, please discuss with your automation vendor.
Connecting a Storage Receiver to Basic Automation:
The following is a quick discussion of integrating a storage receiver with the basic automation system provided to some stations as part of the ContentDepot rollout. It assumes that you have properly installed your storage receiver, connected it to your satellite receive system, and properly connected it to the Local Area Network (LAN) that also hosts your automation system. It's also assumed that you have installed and tested your basic automation system, and it's plugged into the LAN.
- Make sure that your storage receiver has been running for at least an hour, and that you have properly subscribed to the test programs in the ContentDepot portal. You should now have a number of program files in your storage receiver.
- From the desktop of the basic automation system, double-click "My Network Places."
- Select "Map Network Drive."
- Browse the ContentDepot workgroup for the computer "CDFile1", and the directory /data/xdcache/CDLongname. Map that as drive X.
- Start up the ENCO application suite by double-clicking on the icon on the desktop. Basic automation systems come pre-configured to search drive X for the ContentDepot test audio files and import them into an included playlist. If the files are in the ContentDepot storage receiver, and you've correctly configured the storage receiver and properly mapped the directory, you should see the basic automation start importing files.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The following documentation is available to assist you with the installation of ContentDepot Equipment:
Resources
The following is information from vendors who have products that they are offering for use in connection with the Content Depot. This information does not constitute an endorsement of any of the organizations or products listed, and all content is subject to change.
StudioHub+: "AS" Dongle and Dual TA3 Adapter
Top of Page
