VPCScreen is a video producer service for the AccessGrid that captures your desktop (or part thereof) and sends it as an H261, H261AS or JPEG video stream.

It is particularly useful for when you wish to send only part of a display, or just a single window.

VPCScreen is available for Linux, MacOS, and Windows.

Installation

Windows

Option1 (requires that agpm be registered as a handler for agpkg3 files)


• Click here. The agpkg3 file will be downloaded and installed.

Option2

• Download the http://www.accessgrid.org/files/VPCScreenProducerService.agpkg3 file

• Start up a command prompt. This can be done by running “cmd” in run.

• Run the following command: "\Program Files\AGTK-3\bin\agpm3.py" –p "\where-ever-file-is-located\VPCScreenProducerService.zip"

• VPCScreen Capture should now be installed

   

Linux


For Fedora 4 users (and later)


• VPCScreen gets installed by default with the AccessGrid 3.1 toolkit

For Debian & Ubuntu users


• VPCScreen is available via the Vislab repositories or, for full instructions, see: http://www.vislab.uq.edu.au/research/accessgrid/software/debian/vpcscreen.html

Other Linux users (with rpm based distro's)


• Download the http://www.accessgrid.org/files/VPCScreen-0.2-1.i386.rpm file

• Open up a terminal window.

• As “Super User”, execute the command: rpm –ivh VPCScreen-0.2-1.i386.rpm

MacOS

For 10.5 (Leopard) Intel only

• Download the http://www.accessgrid.org/files/VPCScreenProducerServiceOSX.agpkg3 file

• Open Terminal.app.

• Become superuser: sudo -s

• Source the environment

• For sh, execute the command: . /Applications/AccessGridToolkit3.app/Contents/Resources/setupenv.sh (not the leading dot and space)

• For csh, execute the command: source /Applications/AccessGridToolkit3.app/Contents/Resources/setupenv.csh

• Run the following command: pythonw `which agpm3.py` -z "where-ever-file-is-located/VPCScreenProducerService.zip"

• Exit the superuser session: exit

• VPCScreen Capture should now be installed

Usage

To use VPCScreenCapture, the service must be added to your Venue Client configuration.

In Tools->Configure node services..., select the Service Manager, select AddService, select the VPCScreenProducerService, and OK. VPCScreenCapture will start. At this point you have three options:

Whole Screen

With this option, your entire screen will be streamed when you press Start.

Screen region

With this option, you will be prompted to drag out a region of the screen; when finished, that region will be streamed when you press Start.

Select Window

With this option, you will be prompted to select a window; when finished, that window will be streamed when you press Start.

If you want to switch between these modes while VPCScreen is running, you must Stop and Start.

VPCScreenCapture Uses

• Streaming of a PowerPoint or equivalent presentation

• Streaming a video/animation

• Streaming a unique application

• Streaming any particular item from your desktop to everyone else

VPCScreenCapture Benefits

• If using H261AS and transmitting at custom size, this allows pixel to pixel screen resolution and doesn’t require any additional applications to view the stream. This is very useful for sessions that have lots of connections which "VNC" or "Share Presentations" become problematic! See "Service Config Dialog" image below for an example of settings to use.

• All is required is the latest version of vic, which come supplied with the AGTK 3.1Beta2 (or later) release

• Because video stream is injected into the multicast stream, you can record (using AGVCR or similar) presentations as part of the recording.

Additional Notes

Developers

Rhys Hawkins – Original developer (also did the windows H261AS fix)

Yifan Lu – Windows Port

Thomas Uram - MacOS Port