• Video Thumbnails
• Video Renditions
• Additional Features
• Video Embeds

Figure 1: Managing Video is much richer in SharePoint 2013

The Asset Document Library

SharePoint provides a lot of great new video functionality, but in order to use that functionality, you will need to use a type of document library called an Asset Library. This type of document library comes configured with all the necessary functionality including the new Video
content type, which is based on a Document Set. Using a document set to store videos may be confusing at first to an end-user, but it makes perfect sense in order to support the Video Renditions feature.

Note: A SharePoint 2013 Asset Library also comes pre-configured with the Image and Audio content types. More information on Asset Libraries can be found at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/set-up-an-asset-library-to-store-image-audio-or-video-files-HA102785730.aspx.

The Video Content Type

Figure 3: Video Processing and Playback Settings

Video Thumbnails

One of the most useful features in SharePoint 2013 is the ability to have SharePoint create thumbnail images automatically for you

SharePoint 2013 does NOT generated the thumbnail for you automatically when you upload a video. Rather, you have to perform this manually for each video you upload. To change the thumbnail, simply navigate to Edit Properties -> Change Thumbnail, and choose the Capture Thumbnail from Video option. This will allow you to navigate through the frames of the video using Switch to the Next Frame/Switch to the Previous Frame (denoted by the next and previous icons). To set the thumbnail, simply click Capture Thumbnail (denoted by the camera icon).

Requirements for Capturing Video Thumbnails

Figure 4: Missing the option to have SharePoint 2013 capture the thumbnail from video? Make sure you are setup correctly!

Important! The option to have SharePoint capture the thumbnail from video may not appear for you. Video Thumbnails may not show up depending on a couple of things. There is a browser requirement as well as a server-side dependency. See the following list for the necessary prerequisites for video thumbnail generation.

• The Windows Desktop Experience Feature must be enabled on each Web Front End in the farm. See “Plan digital asset libraries in SharePoint Server 2013” under the section “Plan for Video Thumbnails“.
  • Note: You will need to have a farm/server administrator perform this task.
• You must be running a browser that supports a subset of HTML5. This includes:
  • Internet Explorer 9.0
  • Internet Explorer 10.0.
  • Latest release of Chrome.
  • Latest release of Firefox.
  • Latest release of Safari.

If you do not have a capable browser, or your server administrator has not enabled the Desktop Experience feature on the server, you can still manually specify a thumbnail for the video (very similar to the experience in SharePoint 2010).

Video Renditions

Video Renditions in SharePoint 2013 give you the ability to specify more than one rendition of a video for a user to select from. For example, users that have a fast internet connection can select to view the “Full” rendition, and users that have a slower internet connection (or a mobile device) can select to view the “Small” rendition.

Video renditions can be configured by clicking the Manage Renditions link on the Edit Properties form for a Video. From this screen, content authors can upload multiple video renditions of a particular video. SharePoint will detect the certain properties (such as frame width, frame height, and bit rate) and automatically fill in the backing columns for the rendition.

Figure 5: Managing Video Renditions

By default, SharePoint 2013 plays the video rendition with the lowest bitrate, but you can override this by selecting a rendition from the drop down menu. In addition, end-users can choose their desired rendition by clicking anywhere in the player and then clicking the Switch Rendition icon. Note: the name of each rendition is taken from the value of the Label column for each rendition. SharePoint insert a default value when the rendition is uploaded. To change this value, simply choose Edit Properties -> Manage Renditions, then select the rendition and change the value of the Label column.

Figure 6: Choosing a Video Rendition

Additional Features

Allow/Disallow Download

SharePoint provides the ability to disable the download link for the user. This doesn’t necessarily prevent the user from downloading the file if they have the “know how”, but it does a make it more difficult. The user interface doesn’t give very many clues as to the internal structure of how the video is stored (remember, it is a Document Set), so it would take a user with knowledge of HTTP inspection tools to ascertain how to download the video.

Update: While playing around, I discovered that the video player control will allow you to download the video simply by right clicking and choosing the Save Video As menu item regardless of the download settings for the video. Oops…

Figure 7: Disabling the download link doesn’t really prevent an end-user from grabbing the file, but it does make it a little more difficult.

Allow/Disallow Embed Sharing

SharePoint 2013 introduces the concept of Embeds, which are small snippets of HTML code that can quickly be inserted into a page. Many content types within SharePoint 2013 support the use of embeds (Word Documents, PowerPoint Documents, etc.), and Videos are no exception. However, some content authors may not wish to allow users to embed their videos, and SharePoint 2013 provides a way to hide the embed information from users. Selecting this option in the video’s Edit Properties screen hides all embed details from end users.

Tagging People in the Video

SharePoint 2013 also provides the ability to “tag” people in the video via the “People in Video” column. This column is implemented as a field of type Person or Group, which will resolve account names, display names, email addresses against the backing directory provider. Note: if you try to enter a value that does not resolve, you will get an error like the image below when you try to save the properties. If you need to enter an external email address or name, you will need to create another column to do this (you can use Single Line of Text or Multiple Lines of Text).

Video Embeds

If your video is hosted elsewhere and you don’t want to upload it to SharePoint 2013, no problem. You can now easily embed videos within SharePoint. This is a great way to include content from social video sources such as YouTube, Bing, and even other videos hosted in SharePoint.

Video can even be embedded within SharePoint 2013 Rich Text content as well. The following blog post has a video that shows you how to do this: http://blog.sharepointedutech.com/2013/02/16/embed-a-video-in-sharepoint-2013/.

While the app does not seem to allow POST methods, it is a valuable tool for examining JSON results returned from SharePoint.

Details about the app and its developers can be found at http://www.sharepointfriends.com/#!/p/jsonviewer.html. The app can be downloaded here.

I am a huge fan of the Roku player. In rooms where I don’t have an Xbox, I have a Roku. It’s a wonderful device: small, easy to use, and powerful.

If you are like me, you may misplace the provided remote control for your Roku from time to time. If this sounds like you, you will probably be pleased to discover there is an app from TreeTen that will allow you to control your Roku player from your Windows 8 or Windows RT device, and it is simply called Remote for Roku Player.

Connect to Roku

Once you download and install from the Window Store, run the app from the Start screen. You should see a screen similar to Figure 1. This screen allows you to discover and connect to your Roku devices. There is an option to enter the manually IP address of your Roku device along with a friendly name, but I could not get this to work. I received a “could not connect” error each time I clicked the “add” button. Not sure if this was user error or a bug.

The good news is that the software automatically discovered my two Roku players very quickly, so my only dilemma now was to determine which one was the one I wanted. For non-technical end users, this might present a challenge, as the only information you are given is the IP Address, the Model number, and some sort of serial number for each device. You could find the IP address of your Roku player from its network setting, but I think the easiest way is probably to just test through trial and error. If you connect to one of the Rokus, and it responds to your commands, you have selected the correct one.

Figure 1: Discovering Roku Players – If you have more than one, you’ll need to figure out which one you want to use.

Using the Remote

Once you have connected to your Roku player, you will get a tiled list of all major Roku channels. These tiles are always visible, so this makes changing channels very easy. You will also get an virtual representation of the familiar Roku remote, and the good news here is that all the buttons work. In my testing, clicking on the ‘dedicated’ Netflix and Pandora buttons immediately switched to those channels.

Clicking buttons on the virtual remote even causes the Roku device to emit the familar ‘da-dunk’ sound.

I really like having all my Roku channels as tiles, as this makes it possible to rapdily switch channels – no having to navigate using the ‘back’ button. The ‘virtual’ remote functions executed so quickly, I originally wondered if some sort of IR was being used. Of course, after switching my WiFi off, I was able to see that device-to-device communication was achieved over good ole TCP/IP.

The SmartGlass team might want to take note: While not as powerful and feature rich, Remote for Roku Player does make SmartGlass feel a little “laggy”.

Figure 2: Connected to my Roku Player

App Settings

With this release, the options for configuring are rather limited. Aside from the typical options for any Modern app (Rate and Review, About, etc.), there are only options to discover Roku players and reset settings to their defaults. As previously mentioned, you can only connect with one player at a time, but it is pretty easy to discover other Roku players and connect to them. A nice option to be able to customize the dedicated buttons on the ‘virtual remote’ would have been cool… but I think I am being a little picky here.

Figure 3: Configuration options are limited

Conclusion

This is a very nice app. I have been using it quite a bit. I was impressed enough that I went ahead and purchased it. If you can live with ads, then it is a great free alternative when you misplace your Roku remote or the batteries run down. Users with only one Roku device on their network should not have any issue connecting, but if TreeTen works out the kinks with discovering and connecting to multiple Roku players, I will easily be able to give it 5 stars.

SharePoint Document Libraries

SharePoint document libraries enable you to store and manage documents. Document libraries can be configured with many features to facilitate creation, management, and security.

SharePoint document libraries I: An introduction

Wondering how to use Word with SharePoint? Excel with SharePoint? How about PowerPoint and OneNote with SharePoint? Use a SharePoint document library. This course will show you the basics.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/sharepoint-document-libraries-i-an-introduction-RZ101930528.aspx>

SharePoint document libraries II: Organize and configure a library

Organize a SharePoint document library with folders and columns. Plus, learn how to set up SharePoint version history, and how to give people permissions to a SharePoint site.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/sharepoint-document-libraries-ii-organize-and-configure-a-library-RZ102410290.aspx?CTT=1>

Collaborate on documents and projects more efficiently

Learn how to make the most out of SharePoint calendars, how to allow multiple people to author a document simultaneously, take your documents offline and then reconnect by using SharePoint Workspace, and how to manage a project in SharePoint and by using Project Task lists.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/collaborate-on-documents-and-projects-more-efficiently-RZ101827937.aspx?CTT=1>

Approve or reject items or files in a site list or library

If someone submits an item or file to such a list or library, it is in Pending status until it is approved by someone who has the necessary permissions to do so. While it is waiting for approval, or after being rejected, it remains in Pending status. Usually, when an item or file is in Pending status, only the creator of the item or file and people who have permissions to manage lists and libraries can see it. It becomes visible to others only after its status changes from Pending to Approved.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/approve-or-reject-items-or-files-in-a-site-list-or-library-HA101852685.aspx?CTT=1>

Content Types

Content types enable organizations to organize, manage, and handle content in a consistent way across a site collection. By defining content types for specific kinds of documents or information products, an organization can ensure that each of these groups of content is managed in a consistent way.

Use content types to manage content consistently on a site

This article provides an overview of SharePoint Content Types.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-foundation-help/use-content-types-to-manage-content-consistently-on-a-site-HA010375560.aspx>

Create or customize a site content type

This article explains how to create new site content types or modify existing site content types.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-foundation-help/create-or-customize-a-site-content-type-HA101884501.aspx?CTT=3>

Document IDs

Document IDs help you manage your documents by providing an easy way to track items regardless of their location. For example, if a legal contract gets moved from a document library on one site to a document library on another site, the contract would be easy to locate based on its Document ID. Document ID’s are automatically assigned to uploaded documents and this ID will follow the item throughout its entire life cycle. Document IDs can also be assigned to Document Sets.

Enable and configure unique Document IDs

In this article you will learn about the benefits of using Document IDs in document or record management. You will also learn how to enable the Document ID service for a site collection, and how to configure the Document ID options for custom file naming conventions.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/enable-and-configure-unique-document-ids-HA101790471.aspx?CTT=1>

Managed Metadata

The new managed metadata features in SharePoint Server 2010 are enabled by a new Managed Metadata Service application that provides support for two key things: Content Type Publishing and Taxonomies.

Introduction to managed metadata in SharePoint Server 2010

This article provides an overview of some of the key concepts related to working with the new managed metadata features in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010. It discusses how the new managed metadata features provide support for the implementation of formal taxonomies through managed terms. It also explains how social tags work, and how they relate to managed metadata features such as managed terms and enterprise keywords.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/introduction-to-managed-metadata-in-sharepoint-server-2010-HA101859256.aspx?CTT=1>

Create and manage terms within term sets

The new managed metadata features in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 provide support for the implementation of formal taxonomies through managed terms. This article explains how to create and manage terms within term sets.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/create-and-manage-terms-within-term-sets-HA101631581.aspx?CTT=3>

Create a Managed Metadata column

A Managed Metadata column is a new column type that can be added to lists, libraries, or content types to enable site users to select values from a specific term set of managed terms and apply these values to their content. You can create and configure a Managed Metadata column to map to an existing term set or term, or you can create a new term set specifically for a Managed Metadata column.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/create-a-managed-metadata-column-HA101631602.aspx?CTT=1>

Content Organizer

Business documents originate from many different sources and often need to be stored in a way that decreases vulnerability to regulatory compliance and litigation risks. After configuring the Content Organizer to route records, you can establish and program specific Content Organizer rules that enable you to automatically store records based on unique business rules and requirements.

Configure the Content Organizer to route documents

This article shows you how to perform initial configuration of the Content Organizer.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/configure-the-content-organizer-to-route-documents-HA010378237.aspx?CTT=3>

Create Content Organizer rules to route documents

Once the Content Organizer is configured, you need to create rules to route documents. This article shows you how to create Content Organizer rules.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/create-content-organizer-rules-to-route-documents-HA101807927.aspx?CTT=1>

Records Management and Compliance

Introduction to Records Management and Compliance

This training course will introduce you to some of the new and improved records management and compliance features in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010. In the examples throughout the course, we will look at how a fictitious, medium-sized company, Contoso, uses SharePoint Server 2010 to manage records.

Located at <http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/introduction-to-records-management-and-compliance-RZ101825173.aspx?CTT=1>

Misc. Content

Create a file plan to manage records in SharePoint Server 2010

Determining which active documents in your organization might be declarable as records requires the collaboration of records managers, lawyers, compliance officers, and content managers. Note that, even if your enterprise is not in a highly regulated industry, there are general laws that might obligate your enterprise to keep records. Along with general business laws, you must evaluate legal requirements that are specific to your enterprise.

Located at <http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc261708.aspx>

“The procedure entry point _Atomic_fetch_sub_4 could not be located in the dynamic link library C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0Common7IDE“

Figure 2: Error when launching Visual Studio.

No matter how many times I tried, I could not launch Visual Studio. I even tried re-installing.

After some investigation, I found out that there is a conflict between the C++ libraries installed with Office 2013 Preview. To learn more (and fix this problem), check out July 2012 Update for Visual Studio 2012 Release Candidate.

Regards,

Tyler

Office 2010 comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit editions. While 64-bit computing has been the norm on high-powered servers and workstations for several years, it has taken some time to gain traction on consumer desktops. Most modern laptops ship with 64-bit edition of Windows, which allows for the use of RAM beyond 4 GB. A very good explanation of 32-bit vs. 64-bit Windows can be found at: http://www.w7forums.com/windows-7-64-bit-vs-32-bit-t484.html

90% of the time I recommend to my customers to use the 32-bit Version of Office, especially if

• You use Office 2010 for common day-to-day work.
• You need to maintain compatibility with legacy 32-bit add-ins.
• You do not need to author large PowerPivot enabled spreadsheets.

Use the 64-bit version of Office if

• You want to maximize usage of system resources.
• You don’t need to maintain compatibility with legacy 32-bit add-ins.
• You need to author large PowerPivot enabled Excel spreadsheets.

Important:
Regardless of the edition you run, keep the edition the same for the following Office 2010 applications:

• SharePoint Designer 2010
• Visio 2010
• PowerPivot for Excel 2010

What about Microsoft Lync 2010?

While Lync 2010 integrates with other Office 2010 components, the edition you install must match the edition of your operating system. For example, if you are running the 64-bit edition of Windows 7, you must install the 64-bit edition of Lync 2010.

Installing the 64-bit Edition of Office 2010

By default, the 32-bit edition of Office 2010 is installed. If you wish to install the 64-bit edition of office, you will need to hunt for it in the folders of the installation media:

1. If you were running Office 2010 Setup from the root folder, and you clicked Customize, click Close to exit Setup.
2. When prompted, click Yes to cancel Setup, and then click Close .
3. Go to the x64 folder on the Office 2010 installation media, and double-click Setup.exe to run the 64-bit version of Setup.

Further Reading

• [Office] Choose the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Microsoft Office
• [Technet] 64-bit editions of Office 2010
• [Tip] Using 64 bit Office 2010 with SharePoint 2010? Use the 2007 Office System Driver to get back the Datasheet view

To determine if you are using the 32 bit or the 64 bit version of Excel, simply go to File -> Help then look under About Microsoft Excel. You will see either 32-bit or 64-bit next to the Version number.

Figure 1: Determining the Version of Office 2010

Further Reading

• Which Edition of Office Should I Use: 32 bit or 64 bit?

Analysis Services service account must be the same for all instances in the farm. Change you service properties to log on using account: NT AUTHORITYLOCAL SERVICE

I (thought) I had run everything correctly. However, I noticed that when I clicked on the PowerPivot Management Dashboard in Central Administration, I got another error. After investigating the ULS logs, I found a peculiar entry:

Microsoft.AnalysisServices.SharePoint.Integration.Redirector.RedirectorException: The PowerPivot service application could not connect to the Analysis Services instance

After digging around, I found the problem and the solution. Apparently, there may be an issue with how the PowerPivot instance is configured when you install in an existing SharePoint farm. It could also be I missed a step (LOL)

To resolve and get back on track:

1. In Central Administration, go to Security –> Configure Service Accounts.
2. In the Credentials Management, select Select "Windows Service – SQL Server Analysis Services: from the dropdown list.
3. Ensure that the specified account is NOT LOCAL SERVICE. If it is, change it to your desired service account.
4. Click OK.
5. Try to run the PowerPivot Configuration Tool again.

Much thanks to ElayarajaEswaran for this helpful tip!

The SharePoint 2010 User Information List can be accessed from the browser using a URL like the following:

http://your-site-name/_catalogs/users

A couple of things to note about the User Information List:

• The User Information List does not specify a UI similar to other SharePoint lists. You will not see the standard list operations on the Ribbon.
• The User Information List only appears in the top-level, or root web site of your Site Collection.

A SharePoint OData feed is provided by the ListData service, which is a component of the SharePoint 2010 REST Interface. For an introduction into the SharePoint REST interface, please refer to Intro to Querying Lists with REST and ListData.svc in SharePoint 2010.

The trick to querying the User Information List is knowing where it is in relation to the site structure. While SharePoint provides a basic UI for interacting with the User Information List at http://your-site-name/_catalogs/users, you will get an error if you use this path with the ListData service.

Instead, you need to pass the internal name of the list to the ListData service:

http://your-site-name/_vti_bin/ListData.svc/UserInformationList

The returned XML should look very similar to the following:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>
<feed xml:base="http://composites.contoso.com/_vti_bin/listdata.svc/"
      xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices"
      xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices/metadata"
      xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
  <title type="text">UserInformationList</title>
  <id>http://composites.contoso.com/_vti_bin/ListData.svc/UserInformationList</id>
  <updated>2011-09-16T19:09:07Z</updated>
  <link rel="self" title="UserInformationList" href="UserInformationList" />
  <entry m:etag="W/&quot;3&quot;">
    <id>http://composites.contoso.com/_vti_bin/listdata.svc/UserInformationList(1)</id>
    <title type="text">Tyler Durham (Administrator)</title>
    <updated>2011-09-15T17:00:09-05:00</updated>
    <author>
      <name />
    </author>
    <link rel="edit" title="UserInformationListItem" href="UserInformationList(1)" />
    <category term="Microsoft.SharePoint.DataService.UserInformationListItem"
              scheme="http://schemas.microsoft.com/ado/2007/08/dataservices/scheme" />
    <content type="application/xml">
      <m:properties>
        <d:Name>Tyler Durham (Administrator)</d:Name>
        <d:Id m:type="Edm.Int32">1</d:Id>
      </m:properties>
    </content>
  </entry>
</feed>

One issue you may face is that both users and groups are returned. If you only want to get users, use the following:

http://your-site-name/_vti_bin/ListData.svc/UserInformationList?
$filter=ContentType eq ‘Person’

To get a specific row by Account, use the following:

http://your-site-name/_vti_bin/ListData.svc/UserInformationList?$filter=Account eq ‘contosoadministrator’&$select=Id,Name

To conserve bandwidth, you may want to return only the fields you need. To return only the Id and Name fields, use the following:

http://composites.contoso.com/_vti_bin/ListData.svc/UserInformationList?$filter=ContentType eq ‘Person’&$select=Id,Name

Further Reading

• WCF Data Services
• Using the SharePoint 2010 REST Interface