Vizky

Architecture

Introduction

The Viz Multi Platform Suite was developed to streamline the process of distributing content to multiple devices with different technical specifications. The goal was to provide a solution that produces the best possible content for each individual format; without the need for additional production pipelines.

The solution is a part of Vizrt's product suite, and as such integrates seamlessly with existing Vizrt content creation and control tools. Viz Artist 3.0 remains the designers' choice for graphic scenes creations, while Vizrt's control tools, Viz Trio and Viz Content Pilot, combined with the Viz Multi Platform Suite, are capable of updating thousands of client-displays with video and graphical content. Viz Multi Platform Suite allows the distribution of content with the push of a single button: effortlessly, fast, and to standard TV as well as all Viz Multi Platform Suite client platforms.

Viz Multi Platform Suite also integrates with the the Ardome media asset management solution. With this option integrated in the solution content can be published to the web and to mobiles directly from the video search and edit interface. Again, the push of a single button is all that's required to "publish to mobile" or "publish to web".

There are four main methodologies in Viz MPS:

MPS Publish
MPS Broadcast
MPS Graphics on Demand (G.O.D.)
MPS Images on Demand (I.O.D)

MPS Publish enables you to create interactive components for your website based on the same technology as the broadcast graphics solutions from Vizrt. The scenes created with Viz Artist can be published directly to a website.

To add live data from external data sources and feeds, turn to MPS Broadcast, which requires the MPS Broadcast Workflow. This tool allows you to take interactivity and real-time data visualization to the next level, offering unique opportunities to generate revenue in novel ways.

For example, Personalization empowers you to differentiate the user experience based on the individual profiles of your users. This can be deployed for customized ads based on any demographic information in your data source. It can also allow for customized content based on demographics or geography.

G.O.D. (Graphics On Demand) converts data you have stored into custom visualizations using stellar 3D Viz graphics. This powerful feature can be deployed for scenarios such as the visualization of financial or other statistical data, or even customized greeting cards.

Taken together, for television broadcasters, entirely new viewing paradigms can be created, whereby the viewer watches a show, such as a sporting event or game show, and follows along with the laptop on the coffee table, either viewing more details or even participating in the event. Add customized advertising to the mix and you have the potential to harness an especially lucrative new revenue stream.

MPS workflows

This section contains information on the following topics:

MPS Publish Workflow
MPS Broadcast Workflow
Graphics on Demand (G.O.D.) Workflow
Images on Demand (I.O.D) Workflow

MPS Publish Workflow

MPS Publish consists of two components:

Viz Artist
Vizky Client

Scenes are created (or adapted) in Viz Artist in much the same way as broadcast graphic templates. Once published, using the powerful Vizky API, they can be turned into fully interactive and sophisticated addtions to your website.

On the web server as MPS files, scenes can be viewed in any web browser, once the Vizky client plug-in is installed, as simply as you would install any ActiveX plug-in.

The Vizky client is a rich client with a built-in video decoder and player embedded in a browser.

Publishing graphics to the web has the following workflow:

Creating a scene in Viz Artist 3
Publishing the scene to an MPS file
Using the Vizky API to create interactivity (HTML + JavaScript)

MPS Broadcast Workflow

In some ways, the workflow for MPS Broadcast to the web is similar to that of the Viz Engine workflow when speaking of TV production. Production tools, such as Viz Trio, Viz Content Pilot and Viz Multichannel, are traditionally used to control Viz Engines, which generate digital video. In the case of the MPS Broadcast, these same production tools talk to the MPS Server, which in turn produces and delivers graphic files to the connected Vizky clients.

Broadcasting graphics over the web has the following workflow:

Production tools, such as Viz Trio, Viz Content Pilot and Viz Multichannel, send Viz Commands to the MPS Server component called Viz Emulator. Alternatively custom-written control software can talk directly to the MPS Server component called MPS Director, via the Director Web Interface API (documented in the MPS Server Manual).
The MPS Director instructs the MPS File Generator to create the requisite MPS files and to upload them to the MPS Transfer Manager.
The MPS Director then causes the MPS Communicator to tell the Vizky client that the requisite MPS file is availble for download on the MPS Transfer Manager.
The Vizky client downloads the MPS file and displays it in the web browser.

Graphics on Demand (G.O.D.) Workflow

The Graphics On Demand server interface creates a single MPS file based on a specific request. G.O.D. is used via the Director Web Interface API (documented in the MPS Server Manual).

G.O.D. has the following workflow:

Request is sent via the GetGraphics function.
The MPS Director instructs the MPS File Generator to create the requisite MPS files and to upload them to the MPS Transfer Manager.
A URL to an MPS file is sent back to the requesting party. The actual MPS file can be sent too, if a redirect is specified.

Images on Demand (I.O.D) Workflow

The Images On Demand server interface creates a single MPS file based on a specific request. I.O.D. is used via the IOD.aspx interface.

G.O.D. has the following workflow:

Request is sent via the IOD.aspx interface.
The MPS Director instructs the MPS File Generator to create the requisite MPS files and to upload them to the MPS Transfer Manager.
A URL to a PNG or JPG file is sent back to the requesting party. The actual PNG or JPG file can be sent too, if a redirect is specified.

MPS Server

The MPS Server is comprised of the following modules, which execute all functions of the graphic delivery solution.

MPS Server Architecture: Overall server control center
MPS Communicator: Handles client interactions
MPS File Generator: Acts as a load controller and balancer of Viz Engines to generate scenes
MPS Transfer Manager: An enhanced web server to support optimized MPS file transfers
Viz Emulator
Vizky: Local renderer on client machines
MPS Mission Control: Server monitoring and troubleshooting tool

MPS Server architecture

MPS Server Component Functions

Client logs into MPS Director
Registers to a channel; communication established
Commands sent to MPS Director
MPS Director goes to MPS File Generator, to build the MPS file
MPS File Generator builds MPS file and uploads to MPS Transfer Manager
MPS Director talks to MPS Communicator to let clients know that file is ready and where it is located
Client downloads MPS file from MPS Transfer Manager

MPS Director

Ability to generate personalized scenes according to Personalization user profiles
System-wide licensing controller
Seamless communication with Viz Trio, Viz Content Pilot and Viz MCP via the Viz Emulator enabling a gateway to enhance broadcasting to the online world
Director Web Interface API enables you to create control applications for highly flexible and customized projects
Web-based interface for monitoring and configuration

MPS Communicator

Receives commands from MPS Director and forwards them to connected clients
Manages connected clients

MPS File Generator

Manages, monitors and load-balances the Viz Engine(s)
Exports Viz Artist scenes to MPS format and uploads the files to MPS Transfer Manager
Cache capability enables frequently-used scenes to be exported faster
Web-based interface for monitoring and configuration

MPS Transfer Manager

Implements Incremental Update to optimize bandwidth when downloading MPS files
Web-based interface for monitoring and configuration

Viz Emulator

Translates legacy Viz commands into Director Web Interface API commands (documented in the MPS Server Manual).

Vizky

Installed on end-users devices
3D renderer including video and audio decoding based on OpenGL, DirectX, and OpenAL technology
Extendable video codec, enabling users to play standard supported formats and also download extra video codec plug-ins
Employs only one core engine per machine to share resources from all display windows
Displays windows using ActiveX technology, controlling the plug-in via JavaScript
Supports custom applications written for it in C, C++ and/or C#
Supports Internet Explorer versions 6 and 7 (plus any browsers using the IE engine) as well as Firefox version 3.xx and Safari version 3.xx
Supports Incremental Update
No license required
Demos, code samples and other material available from http://www.vizky.com.

MPS Mission Control

Allows you to monitor all MPS Server components
Installed on a separate web server machine.
With MySQL, it creates and maintains a database for effective monitoring functions.

Incremental update and Object Instancing

Incremental Update

Incremental update is the process and system by which the Vizky client downloads non-cached objects.

Without incremental update, the client downloads a full MPS file every time it needs a file to be displayed. With incremental update, the client initiates a request to download an MPS file to the Transfer Manager along with the data that contains what the client already has (called a hash list). With the given file name and the hash list, the Transfer Manager can strip an original file down to one that contains only the objects that are not in the client. The client then downloads only the objects needed.

Without incremental update, Vizky client will always request the full MPS file.

With incremental update, Vizky client downloads a stripped-down version of an original file.

Scene A:

Without Incremental Update

Vizky client downloads Scene A.
Vizky client downloads Scene B, even though the green cube has been downloaded already. This wastes both time and internet bandwidth.

With Incremental Update

Vizky client downloads Scene A and saves the content into its local cache. The local cache now contains the blue sphere and the green cube.
Vizky makes a download request along with the hash list to Transfer Manager.
The Transfer Manager strips down Scene B based on the hash list given. According to the hash list, the Transfer Manger knows that the client already has the green cube. It then modifies Scene B by removing the green cube.
Vizky downloads the stripped-down version of Scene B.

Object Instancing

Consider the following scene.

These six cubes are identical in term of their vertices topology. Even though their material and transformation are not the same, the Vizky client considers them as same mesh object. The Vizky client stores them in its memory as one cube and uses different transformation and material to render them. This technique is called object instancing. By storing one cube instead of six identical cubes, you reduce memory usage and increase rendering performance. This technique also applies to other objects such as image, material, animation and channels, among others.

Both incremental update and object instancing help reduce memory usage, disk space and download time.

Important! When making scenes for Vizky, try to reuse existing objects as much as possible.