Playing media in Nudgis is an interactive experience that goes beyond simple viewing, giving the audience the opportunity to take ownership of the content and become act on it. In that spirit, our dynamic Rich Media player is the fundamental tool that will enable both the user and the content creator to enrich the original media, and turn it into an evolving knowledge object.

 

TABLE OF CONTENT

1/ PLAYBACK CONTROLS

2/ THE SIDE PANEL

3/ DYNAMIC RICH MEDIA AND AUTO PILOT

4/ PLAYER SETTINGS

 

PLAYBACK CONTROLS

Let's begin with a few general points, starting with the appearance of the Nudgis player :

We can find the classic media player functions : the video can be started and paused by clicking anywhere on the screen (a function manifested by the large central play button), and at the bottom of the screen is a lower bar of controls for playback, quality and other settings. The third element is the side panel, which gives you access to the player's interactive content, such as slides from the presentation, for example. These functions will be covered in detail in a later chapter.

Before playback starts, a thumbnail is displayed on the screen, which can be automatically extracted from the media, or an image chosen by the Speaker. Above the video, in the Nudgis page, the title of the content is displayed, as well as the breadcrumb trail enabling the user to find the tree structure of the channels from which the content originates.

The playback control bar offers a number of options :

• Play/pause
• Rewind 5 seconds
• Timecode / total video duration
• Playback speed control (0.5x to 2.0x)
• Display of the current slide (clicking on it opens a window displaying it as a larger image)
• Volume control
• Activation/deactivation of Auto-Pilot, which we will talk about in one of the chapters of this article
• Trigger automatic subtitles available in the language transcribed by the Speaker (this button only appears if a transcription has been made)
• Switch to full screen

You may have noticed that one button is missing from the list above : the player settings. This last parameter contains a few subtleties :

The first option is to choose to automatically hide the lower control bar. You can also leave it permanently displayed.

You can then set the automatic subtitling. By default, subtitles will be displayed in the "Preferred Language" which you can set under the other options. It is natively set to the language defined in your browser, on the assumption that this is your mother tongue. But you can change it to any of the many languages supported by the subtitling service. We invite you to discover the full list using the drop-down menu that appears when you click on "Preferred language". This choice of language is fundamental to the behaviour of automatic subtitling, as it is the basis for the rest of the options available for this feature. Once you have chosen your preferred language, you can adjust the behaviour of the subtitles. There are four possible choices :

• No subtitles
• Display in preferred language if the media is in an idiom other than your preferred language (default setting)
• Always in preferred language, meaning that subtitles will be displayed in your preferred language on all videos played, regardless of the Speaker's language, including the preferred language
• Always in the language of the video, meaning that subtitles will be displayed on all videos, but in the Speaker's idiom

You therefore have total control over the automatic subtitling option of the media you view on the Nudgis player, and you can change the settings at will, from video to video, or during playback. Note that the behaviour you choose remains persistent on the player. This means that if you choose one of the four options, it will apply to all media played on Nudgis until you change it. This choice remains under the control of the viewer, and obviously has no impact on other users. For full details of this feature, see the article Subtitles in Nudgis.

If no transcription/translation into the preferred language has been started by the Speaker or the administration team on the media, subtitles will consequently not be available, regardless of the setting chosen

Finally, you can choose the resolution of the media being played. By default, this setting is "Auto", which means that the player will automatically adapt to your bandwidth to offer you the best quality available, ensuring smooth playback with no loading times. But you can change this setting for the qualities available. This depends on the transcoding qualities authorised by your administration team for the media present on the site. Generally speaking, however, you will find the following resolutions in the list : 1080p (i.e. full HD), 720p (HD) and 540p (360p is also possible, but this very low resolution is rarely used). However, depending on the quality of the video being uploaded, other formats may be available : 1440p (QHD) and 2160p (4K). You can therefore choose the resolution that suits you, regardless of the automatic setting. In most cases, however, we recommend that you keep the "Auto" setting, which will ensure optimum playback of your media.

 

THE SIDE PANEL

In this chapter, we will explore the possibilities for interaction between the Speaker and his audience. In the side panel, you will find four tabs :

• Timeline, where you can chapter the video, leave comments, attach files and even create activities.
• Slides, where you can find the images automatically extracted from your presentation.
• Search, where you can find slides, comments and other annotations by keyword.
• Share, where you can embed video download links, embed codes, or the permanent media link

By hovering over the side panel, the possible choices are listed :

Click on one of the choices to open the side panel on the corresponding tab. The first is Timeline :

As you can see, there are numerous annotations, made by both the Speaker and the audience. This is the ideal channel for communicating with your viewers, where you can interact with them and organise your video as you see fit. Chapters, comments, personal notes, additional content and quizzes are all just a few clicks away. However, this functionality is so extensive that we won't go into it in more detail here. We invite you to consult the dedicated article Chapters, comments and annotations in Nudgis media to explore all the possibilities.

The side panel can be opened and closed at will while the media is being viewed

The next tab lists the slides taken from the presentation. They are ordered chronologically, and also serve as navigation markers in the video :

You can change the size of this list by using the "+" and "-" magnifying glass icons at the bottom left of the tab, according to your preference.

Each slide is accompanied by a time marker that indicates when the related image appears in the presentation. By clicking on the slide of your choice, playback resumes directly at that point. This allows you to navigate easily through the media and find the parts of the video that interest you. You can also right-click on the slides to unlock other possibilities :

 

 

You can delete the slide, turn it into a chapter and display it full screen. If you click "Edit", you can also replace it with another image if the slide is unsuitable, by selecting a file from your computer. The image extracted from the presentation will then be replaced by the file chosen from the list of slides.

The image will not be replaced in the video, but only in the list of slides

Finally, from this tab, you can download all the slides in a single zip file, but also add others on the fly : position yourself on the moment in the video to which you wish to add the image, and click on the "+" button, then select the required file on your computer. A new slide with the corresponding cue point will then appear in the list. Note that each time you add a file from your computer, you can enter the time code you want, so that you do not have to position the playback head where you want it :

The tab offers only partial, but useful and intuitive, management of the editing of your slides. To find out more on this subject, please see the article Edit your Nudgis media slides.

The third tab is used for keyword searches.

You can filter the search by several categories to refine the results. Do not hesitate to use the "Unselect all" button to help you choose your categories.

Finally, the last tab is "Share", where your viewers can find links to easily distribute your content on a multitude of media and platforms.

You can share the media on your social networks or by email, link the video as well as the player and its functions using a permalink, integrate it into one of your third-party sites using a customisable iframe, offer links to download the media in mp4, mp3 (audio only), as well as slides in a zip file. You can also download an HLS link so that an external player (such as VLC) can play the stream.

Note that this list is exhaustive, and can be adapted by accessing the "Community" tab in the video editing mode, as well as other behaviours and authorisations linked to the sharing section. For details, see the article Sharing and community in Nudgis media.

Let's take a closer look at how these sharing options work, exploring them by sub-section. First of all, "Share this media" gives you a list of social networks on which to share the video. Simply click on the corresponding link to open a new page displaying the chosen social network. Log in and share the video with your followers. To share by email, it is the same principle, except that your media will be sent via the email inbox configured on your computer.

The "Link this media" sub-section offers other options, which we will now describe in detail.

This option allows you to link the media to other content, using a permanent link (permalink). You can choose to make this link via a URL, a clickable thumbnail, or a QR code. But you can also select other adjustments for video playback : you can enter the timecode at which the video will start, order playback to take place automatically when the media is opened, deactivate Auto Pilot, i.e. the dynamic and automatic full-screen display of feeds, and finally choose to integrate the content with the player only, without the rest of the start page (in particular the header and footer), so that the media appears without any trace of its origin. In addition to these options, the QR code and thumbnail can be opened in a new tab. To access these functions, simply select the type of link you want, then click on the small gear shaped-icon to the left of the proposed link. The adjacent button allows you to copy the link once you have made your settings.

"Embed this media" allows the media to be displayed on a third-party site via an iframe, which can also be customised. To do this, click on the gear-shaped icon to find the following options :

Here again, you can set the media to play automatically on opening, at the timecode of your choice, and disable Auto Pilot. But you can also define the exact size of your iframe, order the side panel to be closed when the media is played, or request an iframe that only plays the media's audio. Once you have made your settings, you can copy the link using the adjacent button.

You can also make all or part of the media downloadable, in different qualities if you wish. In the "Resources" tab of your video's editing mode, simply click on "Downloadable" in the resource that interests you, then go to the "Community" tab if you want to make the download public. On this page, simply click on "Allow downloads" and "Show download links" to make the selected files available to viewers. Below, you can also click on "Show help for external players" to make the HLS link accessible (if it is available in the resources). This link allows you to play the media in an external player, such as VLC, for example.

We have now covered all the features of the Nudgis player, with one exception.

 

DYNAMIC RICH MEDIA AND AUTO PILOT

We have already mentioned the Auto Pilot function several times, and this player parameter is closely linked to the video's media format.

In Nudgis, your videos can have three formats, which you can change at will in the editing settings, "Player settings" tab :

• Rich Media Dynamic, i.e. the mode that automatically displays sources in full-screen mode according to a scheme that will be described in more detail below.
• Rich Media HD, i.e. the display of two (or more) sources allowing video to be integrated into your presentations, but without the dynamic display capability offered by Dynamic mode.
• Rich Media Classic, i.e. displaying two (or more) sources with Jpeg slides

While there is no need to explain the last two modes further, Rich Media Dynamic has the unique feature of allowing you to click on each source during playback to switch it to full screen. Clicking again returns the chosen source to its original size, allowing you to display the desired information in full screen mode at will for the duration of the video. This allows the viewer to choose the elements on which to focus their attention, and to become active within the video playback, provoking renewed interest in the content.

What is more, the Rich Media Dynamic format allows you to display the Auto Pilot option, which, as its name suggests, will play the proposed sources dynamically and automatically.

This feature, which is unique to the Nudgis player, can be activated or deactivated at will on the media playback bar, and can be configured in the video's Edit mode. Go to the "Player settings" tab, "Layout" section.

Here you can :

• Enable or disable the AutoPilot option in the playback bar
• Enable transition animations for AutoPilot, i.e. enable smoother animations than a sudden appearance of the slide in full screen mode
• Define a display duration for slides switched to full screen. By default, this is six seconds
• Enable user control, i.e. the ability to switch streams to full screen by clicking on the selected stream
• Enable transition animation during user control, i.e. the same functionality as described above, but applied to user control
• Define the duration of transition animations

The AutoPilot feature can therefore be configured for each video, to give your viewers the degree of control and interactive playback you want over the display of sources, from full control to total automation. However, if you are an administrator, you can also define the default behaviour of this option in the "Player settings" area of the admin panel.

 

PLAYER SETTINGS

Controlling the many options of the AutoPilot feature from the "Player Settings" tab in the Edit mode of your video is just one of the possibilities on this page, and it is important that we take a look at all of them together.

First of all, at the top of the page, you can change the size and position of the streams to refine your rendering to your liking. By selecting one of the streams, it will be surrounded by a red border, the junctions of which, symbolised by the squares in the border, allow you to resize the image freehand, using your mouse.

You can also change the position of the stream manually, using the mouse or keyboard arrows. This gives you total control over the layout of your sources in the final render :

But other operations are possible, by right-clicking on the feed. You can :

• Move the stream forwards or backwards by one shot (in the event of an overlap, for example)
• Automatically position the stream within the rendering frame (top, bottom, centred, etc.)
• Switch the stream to full screen
• Reset changes by sector (zoom, position, or both)
• Order slide extraction from this stream
• Obtain source and resolution information
• Delete the feed

In this way, you can modify the layout of your feeds to your liking so that you get the exact rendering you want.

Once you have done that, you can change other options for your video.

The rendering options differ depending on the format you choose : Rich Media Dynamic, Rich Media HD and Rich Media Classic.

In this article, we will only look at the Rich Media Dynamic options panel, which is the most comprehensive, but feel free to explore the other formats for more details.
In addition to stream positioning, you can also control the following elements :

• The logo displayed on the video
• The background displayed behind the streams
• Pre-roll and post-roll for the media
• The side panel

The logo controls allow you to choose the image you want by selecting it from your workstation and positioning it in the player. You can also activate the default logo defined by your site administrator. Note that it is also possible to display no logo at all.

The same logic applies to the background : you can choose the one you want from your computer, or activate the default, again set by your administrator.

As we saw in the previous chapter, the rest of the controls allow you to finely control the AutoPilot option. Note also that it is possible to activate AutoCam, the automatic tracking of the Speaker in the video. When this option is applied, a closer frame is "cut out" from the original image, and tracks the Speaker as a cameraman would. 

You can control credits in a similar way. In the "Pre-roll and post-roll" section, you can select a video file for the start and end of your video independently. You can also choose the default credits defined in general administration, or not apply any credits at all.

Finally, you can control various features of the player's side panel, which remains the preferred interface to interact for the Speaker and the viewers. Here you can adjust the size of the panel when it is open. This size is expressed as a percentage of the total width of the player. By default, the value is set to 35%. You can also choose which tab of the side panel will be opened between Default, Timeline, Slide, Search, Subtitles, Share, Info and Widgets.

You can also hide each of the tabs in the side panel. Then, you can disable predefined annotation types between Comment, Personal note, Report a problem and I don't understand. You can also select the default value defined by your administration team, or not to hide any annotations if one of them is hidden in the default value.

Click on the question mark tooltips for details of each option

Finally, you can choose to hide the side panel completely, or define its behaviour more finely :

 

We have taken together a tour of the many features of the Nudgis Dynamic Rich Media Player, and as you have seen, it has many facets and adjustment possibilities that you can easily define to suit your needs. Feel free to explore the player's functionalities, whether as a viewer or a contributor, and discover for yourself the wealth of data and exchanges that this tool will bring to your multimedia content. We hope you enjoy using our solutions !

To continue : "Edit your Nudgis media slides"