Introduction
ETV Portal Server Admin Guide 3
Copyright Protection
The Portal Server uses copyright restrictions and content expiration to protect the rights of
content owners and to enforce rules against unauthorized usage or distribution. Copyright
restrictions are specifically used to enforce license requirements. Content is often restricted
to a limited number of viewers and you may need a license, for example, to view MPEG-2
content. In the Portal Server,
Max. Concurrent Viewers is used to enforce copyright
restrictions for any live, stored, or recorded video. If the number of concurrent viewers
exceeds the configured value, the content will not play. (The
Max. Concurrent Users
restriction does not apply to viewers who tune in to a scheduled broadcast.)
Content expiration controls the length of time that specific content can be viewed. Content
expiration is used for time-sensitive, copyrighted, or otherwise protected content that cannot
be legally displayed after a specified date or a period of time. Users with appropriate
permissions (see Copyright Restrictions & Expiration Privileges
on page 113) can assign
expiration dates or a viewing period when they use the Add Video feature. The viewing period
starts at the time the content is added to the server. If desired, administrators can restrict
expiration privileges to particular users or groups in which case only those specified users or
groups (and administrators) can set content to expire.
Administrators can also assign an
Expiration Date or Viewing Period for any stored video
using the Modify VOD Content
page. By default, recordings from live streams have no
expiration date. However administrators can set default viewing periods for content recorded
from specific live streams (see "Viewing Periods" in Stream Restrictions on page 29).
The ETV Portal Server enforces content expiration by preventing the streaming or
scheduling of content that is expired or will expire before the scheduled event. Once content
has expired, administrators can set a new expiration date or viewing period. By default,
expired content will remain in storage indefinitely unless you choose to delete it automatically
using the
Set Expired VOD Content Treatment option in Global Assignments.
The Portal Server writes to a log that tracks content expirations; administrators can view or
purge this log as necessary (see Expired Content Log
on page 89). In many installation an
administrator is assigned to monitor and/or renew content that is about to expire. To
facilitate this process, the Portal Server can be configured to automatically generate e-mail
that notifies the designated administrator when content is about to expire by using the option
in Global Assignments
.