Adding media elements to the playlist file

  • Article

When adding media elements to your playlist, you can choose from any of the following types of content and then specify the appropriate path:

  • File. The content is in a supported file format and stored in an accessible location, such as a local drive, a shared network drive, or database. By default, Windows Media Services can stream files with the following file name extensions: .asf, .wma, .wmv, .mp3, and .wsx. Type the path to the file or click Browse to locate the file, for example, C:\folder\file. If you click Browse, you can make multiple file selections by pressing the CTRL key while you click other files that you want to select. The files will appear in the playlist in the order they were selected. To select multiple consecutive files, click the first file, press and hold SHIFT, and click the last file.

  • Encoder. The content is being streamed from an encoding program, such as Windows Media Encoder. Type the URL of the encoder; for example, https://encoder:port.

  • Remote publishing point. The content is being streamed from a broadcast publishing point on another Windows Media server to be redistributed from this publishing point. When distributing content from a remote publishing point, be sure to use a reliable connection protocol such as Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) or Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) when specifying the connection URL; for example, rtsp://origin_server/publishing_point.

  • Dynamic source. The request for a content item is being generated by an Active Server Page (ASP) or a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script. Type the URL of the ASP page; for example, https://web_server/content_requests.asp.

  • Playlist. The content is referenced by a playlist. By default, Windows Media playlist files have a .wsx file name extension. Type the path to the playlist file or click Browse to locate the file; for example, C:\folder\file.wsx.

  • Directory. The content is located in a locally accessible directory. Only the content in the directory specified is streamed. Subdirectories are not included. Type the directory path or click Browse to locate the directory (wildcard characters are not necessary); for example, C:\computer\folder.

Note

To ensure reliable rendering in Windows Media Player, content used with Windows Media Services must meet or exceed the minimum content length supported by the Player. The minimum supported content length for Windows Media Player 9 Series or later is 5 seconds. The minimum supported content length for previous versions of Windows Media Player is 30 seconds.