Using The Media Manager

Uploading and storing media items and documents in Korbyt

Written By Ed Kinne

The Media Manager is the central library where all assets are stored and categorized by folder.

Once stored in the Media Manager, you can add items to a Playlist or use them in the Layout Builder Tool to create a new piece of content.

Open by either opening the Content section of the side Navbar and clicking on Media Manager, or, if you have our classic interface, click the Mega Menu, and then in the Content column, click Media Manager

Assets can be image, video, audio, and document files. For more information about the specifications for each asset, see Supported Media Specification

Uploading New Items

  • Click on the Folder on the left-hand side you want to add the items to

    • If you need to create a new folder, see the Media Manager Folder section below

  • Click the blue Import Media button in the upper right; this will open the Import Media modal

  • If you want the system to fully replace an older file with a new version (replacing a logo file or a CSV data sheet), click the Overwrite media if file already exists checkbox before selecting your items

    • The new version needs to have the exact same file name as the old version and be saved into the same folder of the Media Manager as the old version

  • Select your assets by one of the methods below:

    • dragging and dropping files in the center window

    • clicking Browse or Choose File to select files from your computer.

    • OR selecting files from a cloud drive such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Box.

    • Enter any Tags that should be attached to all the media being imported, possibly automating them onto a Playlist

    • Enter Any Validity Dates that you would like attached to the items, controlling when a media player considers them valid to display

  • Click Save.

Depending on the item type, there may be edit actions you can take on the item. See the Editing Items section of this article for more details.

Moving Items from Folder to Folder

You can move items by clicking and dragging

  • You have to click the item or folder on the right-hand “Item” side and drag it to the new folder on the Folders view to the Left

Managing Multiple Items

You can also move, copy, and delete selections of items using a drop-down menu

  • Click to the left of the item’s thumbnail to select an item

    • You can select multiple items by holding either the Ctrl key or Shift key on your keyboard while clicking

  • Once you have your items selected, use the Drop-Down in the upper left to select the action

    • Just above the Folders Window

    • Move - Moves the items to a new folder

    • Copy - Creates copies of the items in a selected folder

    • Delete - Deletes the items (only available to administrative-level users)

      • Deleting will request confirmation

      • Deleting is permanent

Media Manager Folders

You can customize your folder structure as needed.
Folders can be used for Organization, Automation to Playlists, and for locking content so that it is only available to certain User Groups

Creating Folders

Folders can be created in two ways

In the Folder Window on the left

  • Using the three dots next to a folder

  • After clicking the dots, you can add subfolders by clicking the Folder+ icon, and delete the entire folder by clicking the trash can

    • Deleting will request confirmation

    • Deleting is permanent

  • To rename a folder, double-click on the folder’s name in the Folders Window, or click on the Pencil icon for the folder in the Content window to the right

In the Content Area to the right

  • Click on the parent folder to the left to select that directory

  • Click the Add Folder button at the top to create a new subfolder

  • To make changes to a folder, use the action buttons to the right

    • Pencil will let you rename the folder and apply Folder-Wide changes to some item information

    • Lock will restrict the folder (See below)

    • Trashcan deletes

The Root folder can not be edited or deleted

All folders will be under Root, and all users will have access to Root level

Folder-Wide Changes to Items

When you click the pencil icon for a folder, it will open a window where you can change the folder’s name and apply folder-wide changes, including subfolders, to Proof of Play and Validity Dates.

Proof of Play is a subscription feature, for more information see Proof Of Play

Folder Permissions to Restrict Access

Folder Permissions allows Tenant Administrators to restrict access to a folder and it’s contents to certain CMS User Groups

If you need assistance creating User Groups see How To Manage CMS Users And User Groups

  • In the Media Manager, use the folder structure on the left to click on the parent of the folders you want to modify. This will show folders in the main window

    • In this example, I want to modify the permissions for the items in the Branding folder, so I click on Branding on the left, and it shows all the subfolders as items in the main view

  • Click on the Lock button to open the user Group Access.

  • In this window, select the user group you are authorizing to access the selected folder. Tenant Administrators must always have access, and you will receive an error message if they are not selected.

  • Click on the OK button to apply the changes

    • If you do not select all Tenant Administrator groups, you will receive an error. Select the groups that the error instructs are required

  • You will be asked if you want to apply these new permissions to all subfolders under the one you are editing

Add URL

You can add compatible URLs as Media Items and then schedule them to display through a Playlist.

The URLs used must support remote playback

If there is a restriction in the Website’s security you will see a “Failed” message when saving

  • Click Add URL

  • Enter the URL Information

  • URL Title will be the name of the item in Korbyt

  • External URL is the web address, including https:// for the site

  • The form allows for Form-Based Authentication through POST or GET methods

  • Click Save

The more modern Layout Builder & Extneral URL Element might be a more powerful way to integrate a URL to your screens including the abilityt o use other forms of Authentication instead of Form-Based.

For more infromation see How To Use An External URL Element

Pixabay Stock Photo Integration

Korbyt includes a connection to the Pixabay stock photo service.

Pixabay is not available for On-Premises server deployments

  • Click the blue Pixabay button in the upper right

    • Accept the Terms of Service if it's your first time using it

  • Then search Pixabay based on keywords that describe the type of stock photo you’re looking for

  • Click on up to 5 images to copy them into your Tenant

  • Click Save

  • You will now have copies of those images in your Tenant

Editing Items

Editing items is done with the Action buttons to the right of each item

The actions available to edit an item, and the information that can be edited, will depend on the individual User’s Role in Korbyt and the Type of Item

  • The Trashcan will delete an item

    • Deleting Items requires the user to be an Approver level or higher

    • Deleting is permanent and will always ask for confirmation

Working With Images

Images have 3 actions available besides delete

  • Pencil - Opens the Image’s Details such as Name, Tags, and Validity Dates

    • Tags can be used for Organization and Automation

    • Validity Dates will control if an item gets played based on a specific date and time

  • Crop - Opens a window to create an adjusted and cropped image

    • Use the tools at the top to make adjustments

    • Clicking an Aspect Ratio in the upper left will lock the selection window into that ratio

    • This will create a new image file in the Media Manager

    • The new file will not inherit any of the Tag or Validity Date details of the original

  • Apply Filter - Opens a window to apply a color filter to the image

    • Select a filter from the available effects listed along the bottom

    • This will create a new image file in the Media Manager

    • The new file will not inherit any of the Tag or Validity Date details of the original

Working with Videos

Videos have 3 actions available besides delete

  • Pencil - Opens the Video Details such as Name, Tags, and Validity Dates

    • Tags can be used for Organization and Automation

    • Validity Dates will control if an item gets played based on a specific date and time

  • View Metadata - Opens a window to view all the video files’ metadata

    • There is considerable metadata associated with video files, and you may have to page through them

  • Transcode Information - Shows information about contacting support for a video file with a Bitrate that is too high

    • Actual transcoding of the video file will be done locally on a computer and not in the cloud

Working with other Document Types

Documents (PPT, Word, CSV, and others) can not be scheduled to Playlist directly

  • Documents in Korbyt can be added to the screen through the Document Element in the Layout Builder

    • Documents can also be shared as Resources through the Mobile & Web application

  • CSV Documents are used in CSV Data Adapters

When you click the Pencil Icon, you can

  • Change the file’s name

  • Add tags for Organization, but they will not automate to screens

There is a section for Validity Dates, but Docuemtns can not be schedule to playlists, so the Validity Date section is not applicable for Playlist controls

PowerPoint (PPT) and PDF Documents

When a PPT or PDF file is imported to the Media Manager, the Korbyt system will automatically translate the file into a series of PNG images and save them in a new folder that shares the same name as the original file.

The system does this to be helpful because PPT and PDF files can not be scheduled to a Playlist directly, but the PNG Images can.

Due to the nature of custom fonts available, it is possible that in this process the fonts in your files will be changed to more redily available MS Fonts.

To avoid this, it is Advised to save PPT and PDF files as images on your local computer, then upload the image files

Item Usage Tracking in the Media Manager

Image and Video files that are used in the system (In a Playlist or added to a Layout & Messages) will show their usage count in the Media Manager

  • In the Media Manager, the usage count is located next to the action icons in the Media Manager

  • Clicking the number shows the details on the usage