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Running hwdVideoShare on a Windows Server

From HwdMediaShare Documentation

hwdVideoShare has been designed for Linux however, it can also be run on a Windows Server.

Contents

Support For Windows

hwdVideoShare has been designed for Linux and the hwdMediaShare developers work mainly with Linux distributions. We can offer better support for those using Linux due to more extensive experience on these systems. However, we have recently started to give support for Windows. This support includes:

  • New source code specifically written for compatibility on Windows.
  • Better advice on using FFMPEG, FLVTOOL2 and WGET on Windows.
  • Forums responses for Windows server when possible.

Installing

You can install the hwdVideoShare component using the standard installation guide. The only difference between Windows and Linux comes when setting up the video conversion settings.

Configuration & Conversion Software

To configure hwdVideoShare to convert videos you need to change the settings in the Server Settings page to point to FFMPEG, MENCODER, FLVTOOL2 and WGET. On your Windows server the Server Settings will include the Windows path to the package binary files.

Server Settings for Windows Server
Server Settings for Windows Server

Before you can enter the paths to FFMPEG, MENCODER, FLVTOOL2 and WGET you must first install them onto your Windows server.

Installing FFMPEG

Windows and Linux are different!

We have a detailed guide for installing FFMPEG on a Linux server. It is important you understand this guide is useless if you are trying to install FFMPEG on a Windows Server. You need to follow a guide that is specifically written for Windows servers. Many sites provide guides for building FFMPEG on Windows and releases of Win32 FFMPEG binaries.

What are Win32 FFMPEG binaries?

A binary is another name for an Executable. An FFMPEG Binary is simply a file which can be used by a computer to run FFMPEG.

When installing FFMPEG you can either build the binary yourself from the program's source code. However, you can just find a suitable pre-built binary that someone else has already built for your operating system. This is a much easier option and there are many pre-built binaries available for Windows.

Unofficial FFmpeg Win32 Builds

There are no official binaries for FFMPEG however the Unofficial FFmpeg Win32 Builds are here. Once you have the Binary you can upload it to your Windows server and update the path in the Server Settings of hwdVideoShare.

Building FFMPEG under a MSys+MinGW System

If you want to build FFMPEG yourself please visit the FFMPEG for Windows Wiki page. The purpose of this wiki is to provide help on everything that involves FFmpeg under Windows. It originated as a step-by-step guide for building under a MSys+MinGW system, but now also includes guides for using FFmpeg's libraries in your projects (C++, C#). Once you have built FFMPEG on your Windows server you can update the path in the Server Settings of hwdVideoShare.

Resources:

Installing MENCODER

We recommend you do not install MENCODER and use FFMPEG to convert your videos instead.

Installing FLVTOOL2

FLVTOOL2 runs under Windows. Simply download the Binary and upload it to your Windows Server. Then update the path in the Server Settings of hwdVideoShare.

Resources:

Installing WGET

WGET runs under Windows. Simply download the Binary and upload it to your Windows Server. Then update the path in the Server Settings of hwdVideoShare.

Resources:

Can't convert videos?

If you have installed your FFMPEG binary but still can not convert any videos then here are some suggestions to help you move forward.

Run the command in a Windows terminal

If your video conversions are failing you should copy the FFMPEG command from the hwdVideoShare converter and open a Windows terminal. Paste the command into the terminal. If the video is successfully converted then you know your FFMEPG binary is good, if the conversion fails then you know there is probably a problem with the binary.

Check cmd.exe permissions

The hwdVideoShare software uses the exec() function to execute the Windows cmd.exe program. You need to check the web users have permission to execute this program.

Check permissions on the uploaded videos

When hwdVideoShare processes a video upload it will move it into the upload directory. You should check what permissions are given to the video after it has been uploaded. incorrect permissions will mean the video can not be processed and converted by the hwdVideoShare software.

Check your maximum execution time

The PHP software has a maximum execution setting, this might be exceeded hen converting large video files. If the conversion screen goes blank before it completes, you should check if this settings needs to be increased.

Can't playback videos?

Adding .FLV and .MP4 MIME Types in IIS

  1. Open the site to configure in IIS. Right click and select Properties.
  2. Click the HTTP Headers Tab, select File Types under the MIME Map section, and then click New Type. Enter the following:
    1. Associated Extension box: .flv
    2. MIME Type box: flv-application/octet-stream
  3. Repeat the previous step for the .mp4 extension, and assign it the video/mp4 MIME type.
  4. Click OK and close the IIS Properties box
  5. You may need to restart the WWW Publishing Service.

Reporting Problems

We have only just started to give support for Windows servers. Therefore, you might find bugs whilst using hwdVideoShare on a Windows server. Please report any bugs you discover in the hwdMediaShare forums. We will happy modify our source code to remove the bug and improve the support for Windows.

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