Axis 24533R3 User manual

Axis Media Control (AMC)
User's Manual

2 AMC
About This Document
This manual is intended for administrators and users of the AXIS cameras and servers that want more detailed information about configuring
the AXIS Media Control.
Intellectual Property Rights
Axis AB has intellectual propert rights relating to technolog embodied in the product described in this document. In particular, and without
limitation, these intellectual propert rights ma include one or more of the patents listed at http://www.axis.com/patent.htm and one or more
additional patents or pending patent applications in the US and other countries.
Liability
Ever care has been taken in the preparation of this manual; Please inform our local Axis office of an inaccuracies or omissions. Axis
Communications AB cannot be held responsible for an technical or t pographical errors and reserves the right to make changes to the
product and manuals without prior notice. Axis Communications AB makes no warrant of an kind with regard to the material contained
within this document, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantabilit and fitness for a particular purpose. Axis
Communications AB shall not be liable nor responsible for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing,
performance or use of this material.
Trademark Acknowledgments
Internet Explorer, Microsoft, Windows and WWW are registered trademarks of the respective holders.
Axis Customer Ser ices
Should ou require an technical assistance, please contact our Axis reseller. If our questions cannot be answered immediatel , our reseller
will forward our queries through the appropriate channels to ensure a rapid response. If ou are connected to the Internet, ou can:
Download user documentation and firmware updates
Find answers to resolved problems in the FAQ database. Search b product, categor , or phrases
Report problems to Axis support staff b logging in to our private support area
Visit the Axis Support Web at www.axis.com/techsup/
Axis Media Control (AMC) User's Manual
Revision 1.0
Dated Jul 11, 2006
Part no 24533 r1.0
Cop right© Axis Communications AB

AMC 3
Table of Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 5
AMC & MPEG-4 Decoder ........................................................................................................................ 6
Installing AMC .................................................................................................................................... 6
Removing AMC ................................................................................................................................... 6
Installing an AAC Decoder ................................................................................................................ 7
Removing an AAC Decoder ............................................................................................................... 8
Installing an MPEG-4 Decoder .......................................................................................................... 9
Removing an MPEG-4 Decoder ...................................................................................................... 10
Installing Windows Media Format Runtime .................................................................................. 11
Toolbar Controls .................................................................................................................................... 12
General Controls ............................................................................................................................... 12
Audio Controls .................................................................................................................................. 12
Pan/Tilt/Zoom Controls .................................................................................................................... 13
Center Mode .............................................................................................................................. 13
Emulated Joystick Mode ........................................................................................................... 13
AMC Control Panel ................................................................................................................................ 14
General Tab ........................................................................................................................................ 14
Versions .................................................................................................................................... 14
Network Tab ...................................................................................................................................... 15
Timeout ..................................................................................................................................... 15
Reconnection Strate y .............................................................................................................. 15
Multicast Network Interface ..................................................................................................... 15
MPEG-4 connection order ........................................................................................................ 16
Recording Tab ................................................................................................................................... 17
Recordin Folder ....................................................................................................................... 17
Feedback ................................................................................................................................... 17
Limit Recordin ........................................................................................................................ 18
Windows Media Format Runtime ............................................................................................. 18
Snapshot Tab ..................................................................................................................................... 19
Snapshot folder ......................................................................................................................... 19
Feedback ................................................................................................................................... 19
Audio Tab .......................................................................................................................................... 20
Start Settin s ............................................................................................................................. 20
Talk Button Option ................................................................................................................... 20
MPEG-2 Tab ...................................................................................................................................... 21
Video Processin ....................................................................................................................... 21
Default Video Decoder ............................................................................................................. 21

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MPEG-4 Tab ...................................................................................................................................... 22
Video Processin ....................................................................................................................... 22
Default Video Decoder ............................................................................................................. 22
PTZ Tab .............................................................................................................................................. 23
Joystick Settin s ........................................................................................................................ 23
Miscellaneous ............................................................................................................................ 24
Axis 295 Video Surveillance Jo stick ................................................................................................. 25
Jo stick Button Configuration ........................................................................................................ 26
Usin Your Mouse .................................................................................................................... 26
Usin the Axis 295 Video Surveillance Joystick ...................................................................... 27

AMC 5
Introduction
This document gives ou an overview of the controls provided b AXIS Media Control (AMC). AMC is
an ActiveX component that enables live video to be viewed in a Web browser. Administrator or
Operator rights are required to install and use AMC.
Table 1: Technical Requirements
M-JPEG MPEG
Internet Browser Internet Explorer 6.0 or later Internet Explorer 6.0 or later
Operating System Windows 2000
Windows 2003 Server,
Windows X
Windows 2000
Windows 2003 Server
Windows X
C U Intel entium III 500 MHz or higher (1 GHz
recommended), or comparable AMD processor
Intel entium III 1 GHz or higher, or comparable
AMD processor
Memory 128 MB RAM 128 MB RAM
Graphics Card 16 MB video memory (32/64 MB recommended
for high resolution/color depths)
AG card with DirectX support
64 MB video memory
Software DirectX 9.0 or higher
In addition to supporting streaming video, AMC provides additional camera controls. The controls
provided b AMC will var according to the features of the Axis camera and include controls for
MPEG-2, MPEG-4, audio, motion detection, and Pan/Tilt/Zoom.
The status bar
gives feedback on
the connection to
the camera
AMC toolbar with
controls, e.g., for
starting and
stopping video

6 AMC
AMC & MPEG-4 Decoder
Installing AMC
If you are lo ed in and have Administrator ri hts to your computer, AMC will be installed when
you access an Axis camera or video server for the first time, or when a newer version of the AMC is
required by the Axis camera or video server.
Note: A system administrator may also allow other types of users to install and update AMC. If you have a
problem installing AMC, please see you system administrator.
1. Start the Web browser and enter the IP address or domain name for the camera or video server
ou want to access.
2. A Securit Warning dialog will appear. Click Install to proceed with the installation.
Note: Make sure that Axis Communications AB is listed as the ublisher!
3. AMC is now installed and can be configured b opening the AMC Control Panel. Open the
control panel either b right clicking in the video window, or b clicking Start > Settings >
Control Panel > Axis Media Control. For more information about AMC configuration see AMC
Control Panel.
Re oving AMC
1. If ou need to remove AMC from our computer, click Start > Settings > Control Panel >
Add/Remove Programs to remove the program.
2. Select AXIS Media Control Embedded. Do not delete the AXIS Media Control program since
other Axis products may use it.

AMC 7
Installing an AAC Decoder
If ou want to hear or transmit audio from our Axis camera over our network or over the Internet,
and our hardware supports AAC audio, ou will need to install an AAC decoder.
1. To start the installation, select the Click here to install or u grade the MPEG-4 and AAC
Decoder link in the Live View page as shown in the figure below.
2. Read through the MPEG license agreement that appears, and if ou agree to the conditions,
select I acce t the License agreement and click OK.

8 AMC
3. Finall , click Install (1), and when the green status bar (2) has finished, click Close (3) to
complete the installation.
Re oving an AAC Decoder
To remove the decoder:
1. Open the C:\WINDOWS\Downloaded Program Files folder.
2. Right-click the file CAxAacDec Class and select Remove.
(1)
(3)
(2)

AMC 9
Installing an MPEG-4 Decoder
If ou want to view the live video from our Axis camera over our network or over the Internet, ou
will need to install an MPEG-4 decoder.
Note: A system administrator may prevent users from installing and updating the M EG-4 decoder. If you have a
problem installing the M EG-4 decoder, please see you system administrator.
1. To start the installation, select the Click here to install or u grade the MPEG-4 and AAC
Decoder link in the Live View page as shown in the figure below.
2. Read through the MPEG license agreement that appears, and if ou agree to the conditions,
select I acce t the License agreement and click OK.
3. Finall , click Install to complete the installation.

10 AMC
Re oving an MPEG-4 Decoder
To remove the decoder:
3. Open the C:\WINDOWS\Downloaded Program Files folder.
4. Right-click the file CAxMP4Dec Class and select Remove.

AMC 11
Installing Windows Media For at Runti e
Windows Media Format Runtime (WMFR) is used to create a high-definition Windows Media Video
files. This is the file format AMC uses to store recorded video. For more information see the Recording
Tab.
If WMFR is not alread installed on our computer when ou install AMC, ou will be prompted to
install it.
Note: WMFR is included in Windows XP SP2, and will automaticall be installed when ou download
and install XP SP2.
You can wait to install WMFR, but ou cannot record video using AMC until it is installed. See the
Recording Tab.

12 AMC
Toolbar Controls
The AMC toolbar, visible below the video image in the Live View page of an Axis camera or video
server, will have general controls for pla ing or stopping the media stream. The Live View page ma
also have other controls depending on the Axis product and how it has been configured in the Setup
page. This section gives a description of all the AMC controls.
General Controls
There are AMC controls that are common to all cameras.
The Play button connects to the Axis product and starts pla ing a media stream.
The Sto button stops the stream being pla ed and terminates all network traffic with the Axis
product.
The Sna shot button takes a snapshot of the current image. The location where the image file is
saved can be specified using the AMC Control Panel.
Click the View Full Screen button and the video image will fill the entire screen area. No other
windows will be visible. Press Esc (Escape) on the computer ke board to cancel full screen view.
The record button is used to record the current video stream. The location where the image file
is saved can be specified using the AMC Control Panel.
Audio Controls
There are some AMC controls that are specificall for audio, but are onl visible if audio is enabled in
the Web Setup page for our Axis Camera. These controls change the settings for the speaker and
microphone connected to the camera or video server that is being configured.
Click the S eaker Button to switch the sound off and on to our computer's speaker.
If ou have set our camera to half duplex mode and the half duplex Listen button appears in
the live view page of our Axis camera, ou are onl able to receive audio from the built-in or
external camera microphone. To be able to send audio, click this button. See note below.
If ou have set our camera to half duplex mode and the half duplex Talk button appears in
the live view page of our Axis camera, ou are onl able to send audio to the speakers
connected to our Axis camera. To be able to receive audio, click this button.
Click the Micro hone button to switch the sound off and on to our computer's microphone.
In Simplex - speaker onl mode, ou can click this button to stop sending audio to the camera.
See note below.
Note: In Simplex – speaker only mode microphone only, you can use either the Microphone button or the
half duplex Talk button to stop sending audio to the camera. To send audio, both buttons must be enabled.
Use this scale to control the volume of the speakers and the microphone.

AMC 13
Pan/Tilt/Zoo Controls
Center Mode
The default setting for PTZ is the Center Mode. When in Center Mode, click on an part of the
image other than its exact center and the camera will move so that the point ou clicked on
becomes the new center of the image.
E ulated Joystick Mode
If ou select Emulate Jo stick Mode, the camera moves in the direction of the mouse pointer. If
ou click and hold down on the left mouse button, and then point our cursor at the lower left
hand corner of the image, the camera continues to move left and down until ou release the
mouse button.

14 AMC
AMC Control Panel
The AMC Control Panel is used to configure AMC. The figure below, General Tab, shows the different
parts of AMC that can be configured such as audio and PTZ, for example. The sections below describe
each of these AMC tabs and how to configure AMC.
Open the AMC Control Panel b clicking Start > Settings > Control Panel > Axis Media Control.
Depending on which camera ou are using, ou will have either some or all of the following tabs
shown in the figure below.
Note: If you are using a simpler Axis camera, not all of the tabs shown below will be visible. If you then log into
a camera with greater functionality, the necessary software will also be installed for use with that camera. If you
later go back to the simpler camera, while not usable, the additional tabs will still be visible.
Note: Also note that any changes you make to the settings tabs in AMC will not appear in the live view until you
refresh your browser (Click View > Refresh).
General Tab
Versions
Versions shows the software that has been installed to use with AMC and our Axis camera together
with its version number.
The figure above shows version information about M-JPEG, MPEG and audio components.
Click on View License to open the Axis AMC support site in ou Web browser:
http://www.axis.com/techsup/cam_servers/amc_software/license.htm.
Click on View readme to open a text document providing more information about our specific version
of AMC.

AMC 15
Network Tab
Note that an changes ou make to this tab will not appear in the live view until ou refresh our
browser (Click View > Refresh).
Ti eout
Timeout is the maximum time (seconds) that AMC will attempt to connect to an Axis product before
displa ing an error message. The maximum timeout is 999 seconds; the default is 15 seconds.
Reconnection Strategy
If for an reason AMC looses its connection with our Axis camera, a Reconnection Strategy can be
used to set up a reconnection schedule. The default strateg is for AMC to tr to reconnect to the
camera ever 20 seconds for 5 minutes. If AMC is not able to reconnect to our camera within 5
minutes, an error message will pop up telling ou that AMC was not able to reconnect to the camera.
If ou still want AMC to keep tr ing to reconnect to our camera, ou can also set up a second and
even a third period of time. If ou want AMC to keep tr ing indefinitel to reconnect to our camera,
click the infinite box.
Multicast Network Interface
The Multicast Network Interface is the interface that AMC will use to connect to the multicast stream
sent from the Axis camera or video server. Windows will use the default interface (see the figure abve),
unless ou specif a specific interface listed in the drop down menu IP address of multicast interface.
For example, a specific IP address can be selected if the multicast stream sent from the network camera
or video server is not visible. Or, if ou have more than one network interface, ou can select which
network interface AMC will use to connect to the multicast stream sent from the Axis camera or video
server listed.

16 AMC
MPEG-4 connection order
AMC will use one of the protocols listed above depending on our network environment. It will tr
each protocol in the order ou specif and use the one that works best.
The default setting is shown in the figure above, but ou can either deselect a protocol or change the
order AMC uses to select a protocol, b highlighting a protocol and clicking Move U and Move Down.

AMC 17
Recording Tab
Note that an changes ou make to the Recording tab will not appear in the live view until ou refresh
our browser (Click View > Refresh).
Recording Folder
Specif the recording folder where recordings will be stored when the recording button is clicked. The
default recording folder is My Documents\AXIS Media Control – Recordings. This folder will be
created if it does not alread exist.
If ou want to save our recording to another folder, simpl click on the Browse button and choose the
folder ou would like to use to save our recording.
If ou have not alread installed Windows Media Format Runtime (WMFR), see Installing Windows
Media Format Runtime below.
Feedback
It is also possible to specif the form of feedback given when making a recording.
When a recording has finished – Windows notifies ou that our recording is either complete or
failed via one of its s stem sounds (See Assign sounds to program events in our MS Help and Support
files). You can also select if ou want the recording folder to open up in the background for quicker
access to our recordings, and for an on screen message to appear when a recording is being made.
Show an error message – If ou would like to be notified of an error with our recording via a
message on the Live View page, select this option. See the figure below for an example.

18 AMC
Li it Recording
You can select to not record audio, and to limit the amount of time of our recording. Choose Sto
recording after and set the number of minutes, or seconds for our recording. Or to conserve storage
space, ou can limit our recording to a specific size measured in megab tes.
Windows Media For at Runti e
If ou have not alread installed WMFR, ou will not be able to record and the Recording tab will
appear as the example below. To install WMFR, simpl follow the instructions in the Recording tab as
shown in the example below.

AMC 19
Snapshot Tab
Note that an changes ou make to the Snapshot tab will not appear in the live view until ou refresh
our browser (Click View > Refresh).
Snapshot folder
Specif the snapshot folder where snapshot images will be stored (when the Snapshot button is clicked).
The default snapshot folder is My Documents\AXIS Media Control - Sna shots. This folder will be
created if it does not alread exist.
If ou want to save our snapshot to another folder, simpl click on the Browse button and choose the
folder ou would like to use to save our snapshot.
Feedback
It is also possible to specif the form of feedback given when taking a snapshot.
When a sna shot is taken - Windows will notif ou that our snapshot has been taken or failed to be
taken via one of its s stem sounds (See Assign sounds to program events in our MS Help and Support
files). You can also select if ou want the snapshot folder to open up in the background for quicker
access to our snapshots, and for an on screen message to appear when a snapshot is taken.
Show an error message – If ou would like to be notified of an error with our snapshot via a message
on the Live View page, select this option. See Recording Tab Feedback for an example.

20 AMC
Audio Tab
The Audio Tab controls the default settings for our PC's speakers and microphone and audio buffering.
Note that an changes ou make in this tab will onl take effect after ou refresh the web page
showing our Axis camera (Click View > Refresh).
Start Settings
Mute s eakers – Turn off the sound from our PC's speakers.
Mute micro hone – Turn off the sound from our PC's microphone.
Audio buffering – The audio buffer size can be adjusted from min to max depending on the qualit of
our network connection. For networks with lower bandwidth, a higher audio buffering level will
reduce audio break-up, but ma introduce a noticeable lag in audio transmission. The default value is
minimum (Min), which assumes an internal network or a network with good bandwidth.
Talk Button Option
Push-to-talk – If ou have configured ou Axis camera to be in half duplex mode, select this option to
speak b clicking and holding down the microphone button. Let go of the microphone button to be able
to hear.
Toggle - Click once to talk and click once to listen. Note that this option is onl valid in Half duplex
mode and in Simplex - speaker onl modes. In Simplex - mode, ou switch between talk and secrec
(i.e., no audio is transmitted).