Full Motion Video player

Available with Image Analyst license.

Full Motion Video (FMV) in ArcGIS Pro provides the capability to work with archived and live streaming video data using a video viewing and analysis system called the video player. With the video player, you can visually analyze video data imagery and collect features of interest. It works with video data that includes essential geopositional, sensor, and platform orientation information encoded into the video data stream that enables you to know where the video image is placed on a map. This unique capability gives the video important geographic context as you view and analyze the data.

The video player experience is similar to the ArcGIS Pro map viewer and can be moved anywhere on your display, resized, minimized, and closed.

FMV and the video player

The characteristics of FMV-compliant video data and ArcGIS Pro determine the form and functionality of the FMV player. These characteristics, and how they affect the FMV player, are outlined below:

  • The FMV-compliant video data contains camera-pointing information, platform position and attitude, and other data that is encoded into the video stream so that each video frame is associated with geopositional information.
  • The video player is linked to the map display, enabling the following:
    • Display the video footprint, sensor location, and field of view on the map.
    • Update the map to zoom to the video frame, or follow videos across the map.
  • The video player display and map display are linked with a bidirectional image and map coordinate transformation. Thus, any information collected in the video player is projected and displayed on the map, together with your existing GIS data.
  • Any number of videos can be opened and played at the same time. Each video, and its associated graphical information, is identified by a unique color when displayed on the map.
  • Work with live streams and archived videos.
  • Use intuitive digital video recorder (DVR) controls, image and video clip capture, and analysis tools.
  • Display metadata in real time as the video plays.
  • Create and manage bookmarks.
  • Mark locations and phenomena of interest.

Control playing of the video in the video player

Twelve video formats are supported in FMV.

DescriptionExtension

MPEG-2 Transport Stream

.ts

MPEG-2 Program Stream

.ps

MPEG File

.mpg

MPEG-2 File

.mpg2

MPEG-2 File

.mp2

MPEG File

.mpeg

VLC (mpeg2)

.mpeg2

MPEG-4 Movie

.mp4

MPEG-4 File

.mpg4

H264 Video File

.h264

VLC Media File (mpeg4)

.mpeg4

VLC Media File (vob)

.vob

To play an archived video file, browse to the video file and add it to the Contents pane or the display. The video player will open with the video file loaded and will be docked below the map. The video player can be moved and placed anywhere on your display. It can be resized by grabbing and moving a corner or edge of the player.

Choose a color to identify the video file and associated graphics—such as video footprint—on the map, and feature class data you want to collect on the video.

Video is displayed in the player and footprint is displayed on the map.

FMV project settings

Defining your workspace geodatabases and folders up front allows you to quickly export the different types of data extracted from your videos. Highlight a video in the Contents pane, select the Data tab on the main menu, and click the Configure Workspace button in the Manage group. Define your default geodatabase and folders to save exported metadata files, images, PowerPoint presentations, and video clips for your project. Workspace configuration dialog box for your project

The default workspace settings for saving video data is your project geodatabase, with appropriate subdirectories automatically set up for the different types of exported data.

Full video viewing

To perform video data monitoring, you can quickly expand the video player to full screen mode by pressing the F11 key. If you do not have function keys, you can press Ctrl+Enter to expand the video player to full screen. The video player in full screen mode does not have a close button. To revert back to standard viewing mode, press F11 or Ctrl+Enter again.

If multiple video players are open, the active player will be controlled by the keyboard shortcut keys. If multiple video players are open, only the active player will not have the close button; the other players will operate in standard mode.

Video enhancement

Enhance a video stream of image frames with contrast, brightness, gamma, saturation, and color inversion. These controls are located on the Standalone Video View tab.

Enhance a video stream with brightness, contrast, and invert color tools.

  • Brightness adjustment—Adjust the difference between colors and overall lightness applied to the active video pane. For example, making dark colors lighter and light colors whiter. You can use the slider to modify the brightness offset, or you can type a value.
  • Contrast adjustment—Adjust the difference between the darkest and lightest colors applied to the active video pane. You can use the slider to modify the contrast offset, or you can type a value.
  • Gamma adjustment—Adjust the gamma transformation applied to the active video pane. Gamma adjustment is a display technique in which the background and text color values are adjusted between darker tones and lighter tones. Gamma adjustment represents a numerical parameter that describes the nonlinear relationship between pixel value and luminance (intensity). You can use the slider to modify the gamma adjustment offset, or you can type a value.
  • Saturation adjustment—Adjust the saturation transformation applied to the active video pane. You can use the slider to modify the saturation offset, or you can type a value.
  • Invert Color adjustment—Apply invert pixel color transformation on the active video pane. Invert color flips the bits that make up the color of pixels on the screen. The result is a display where all the colors are the opposite—white turns to black, light colors turn to dark colors. This tool can help with interpreting features in the video image. You can select the Invert Color button to switch the Invert option.
Note:

The video enhancements only apply to the video player window. They are not applied to any captured and saved video image frames, video clips, or PowerPoint reports.

DVR controls

ControlLabelDescription
Play

Play

Plays the video according to the frames per second rate of the video.

When the video is zoomed and playing, the video is played at the selected zoom level and position within the video frame.

After clicking Play, the control changes to the Pause control while the video plays.

Pause

Pause

Pauses the video.

The paused video is at the selected zoom level and position within the video frame.

After clicking Pause, the control changes to the Play control while the video is paused.

Step Forward

Step Forward

Steps the video forward by a number of seconds or frames defined in the FMV toolbar.

Step Backward

Step Backward

Steps the video backward by a number of seconds or frames defined in the FMV toolbar.

Fast Forward

Fast Forward

Fast-forwards the video based on the playback rate of the video player.

The speed increments by a whole number each time Fast Forward is clicked.

Playback speed is reset to 1x when the player is paused or stopped.

Rewind

Rewind

Rewinds the video based on the playback rate of the video player.

The speed increments by a whole number each time Rewind is clicked.

Playback speed is reset to 1x when the player is paused or stopped.

Jump to End

Jump to End

Jumps to the end of the video.

Jump to Start

Jump to Start

Jumps to the beginning of the video.

Zoom and pan the video

You can zoom and pan the video while it is playing:

  • While the video player is active and the pointer is located in the player, use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out of the video.
  • When zoomed, the pointer changes from the default arrow to a hand. In the video player, click to grab the view and pan around in the video frame.
  • When the video is zoomed, an outline of the video frame is displayed in the upper left corner of the player. Within the video frame outline is a graphic that represents the size and position of your zoomed view.
  • Zoom and pan mode works when the video is playing in any mode, or paused.
  • The size and position of the zoomed view persists as the video plays.

Video player is displayed when zoomed in.

Video frame information display

Information about each video frame is displayed in the video player in real time as the archived video is played.

Video player information display

Information displayDescription

1—Video playback slider handle

The video playback slider handle indicates the relative location within the video timeline being displayed in the video player. The video playback slider handle can be grabbed with a left click and moved along the playback slider.

2—Metadata Timestamp

The coordinated universal (UTC) time stamp in human-readable format is displayed as the video plays. This time stamp reflects the position of the video slider along the video file timeline. Click to update the jump to timestamp functionality.

3—Video play time position

Displays time of the current video frame relative to the total time of the video file. Time is displayed in 12-hour format.

4—Video start time

The date and time at the start of the video file.

5—Video end time

The data and time at the end of the video file.

6—Adjust playback rate

Adjust the playback rate with the fine-tune slider as the video plays.

7—Frame center coordinate display

Display the map coordinates of the center of the video frame as the video plays. The map coordinates displayed in the video player are the same as the Map's spatial reference system. Place the pointer on the coordinate display to highlight it, then click to Zoom to frame center on the map.

Note:

If you want to collect a location in the video player, Ctrl+click anywhere in the video player window to copy the coordinate to the clipboard and display a notification.

8—DVR controls

The video player controls, such as play, pause, fast-forward and more. The DVR controls are described in more detail below.

Adjust the playback rate

You can adjust the playback rate of the video with the Fast Forward and Rewind DVR controls.

  • The playback rate is indicated to the right of the DVR controls.
  • The playback rate reflects whole numbers.
  • Click the Pause button to stop the video. The playback rate is reset to 1x.

You can adjust the playback rate with the fine-tune slider.

  • The playback fine-tune slider allows fine-grained control over playback speed.
  • The playback rate is a fractional number based on the slider position. The resolution is .01 second.
  • The playback speed ranges from 0.01x to 8x play speed. This means that you can play a video in slow motion when playing at speeds less than 1x.
  • The slow motion playback rate is reset to 1x whenever any of the time slider or standard DVR controls are used.

Jump to timestamp

The video Metadata Timestamp (video play time display, 2 in the table above) reflects the time of the video slider along the video file timeline. As the video plays, you can right-click in the time display window to copy, cut, or paste a time stamp. When you paste a time stamp into the time display window, the video player will jump to that position in the video file.

Synchronize map time extent to video

Click the clock icon in the map to show all the features whose time stamp matches the current video time stamp. The feature layer must be time enabled and loaded in the Contents pane and active in the map. This allows you to query features from time-aware layers both spatially and temporally for features intersecting with the video footprint and displayed in the video player.

Video player tools

In addition to the DVR controls, important and useful FMV functionality is accessed from tools on the video player. These tools support common video analysis and management operations and workflows.

The following table lists the tools on the video player.

ToolLabelDescription
Measure Distance

Measure Distance

Measure the distance or length of features in the video player.

Measure Area

Measure Area

Measure the area of a polygon in the video player.

Measure Vertical

Measure Height

Measure the height of an object in the video player.

Create Bookmark

New Bookmark

Collect a new bookmark. A dialog box appears and allows you to enter a bookmark name and description.

Zoom to video

Zoom To Video

Zoom to the map location of the video. The view within the map display includes the video frame, as well as the ground track of the imaging platform.

Zoom To Frame

Zoom To Frame

Zoom to the map location of the video’s current frame.

Start Follow

Automatic Follow

Continuously center the map display on the video frame and ground track of the sensor as it plays. The map display will pan as the video reaches the edge of the display.

To stop following the video, click the Automatic Follow video button again.

New North Arrow

North Arrow

Display an arrow pointing north on the video of the active video pane.

Add Graphics

Add Graphics

Add points in the video player display or on the map. The points will be displayed in both the player and the map, and will be displayed in the color identifying the video.

Remove Graphics

Remove Graphics

Remove marks from the video and the map.

Save Graphics

Save Graphics

Save marks to a point feature class. A dialog box opens and allows you to browse to and select the geodatabase, and name the feature class file.

Display Features

Display Features

Display features from the map on the video.

Display VMTI Graphics

Display VMTI Graphics

Display VMTI Graphics on the video and map.

Metadata to Features

Metadata To Features

Save platform, frame center, and frame outline metadata as a feature class to the project's geodatabase, unless you reconfigure it in the Configure Workspace settings.

Metadata to CSV

Metadata to CSV

Save platform, frame center, and frame outline metadata in a comma-separated values (CSV) file.

VMTI To Features

VMTI to Features

Save VMTI centerpoint data to a geodatabase.

Frame Snapshot

Frame Snapshot

Capture a video frame as an image each time the button is clicked. The image is saved in .JPG, .PNG, and .NTF formats in the default directory.

Frame Chip

Frame Chip

Copy a chip from a video frame to the clipboard. Double click to activate persistence mode.

Fame To Images

Frames to Images

Save video frames as images in a directory or in the project geodatabase.

Export to PowerPoint

Export to PowerPoint

Export video content to a PowerPoint presentation.

Record Video

Record Video

Interactively records a segment of video to a file on disk.

Export a video clip

Export Segment

Export a segment of the archived video. Set the start and end times using the markers on the timeline.

Record a live streamed video in segments

Record Segments

Stores a segment of a live streamed video in memory.

Measure features in the video player

You can measure features in the video player. Click the drop-down arrow and choose to measure distance or length Measure Distance, the area of a polygon Measure Area, or the height of an object Measure Vertical in the video player. Click in the video player to digitize vertices and double-click to end collection and calculate the measurement. Next to the measurement calculation value, click the drop-down arrow to select measurement units.

Click Copy Results to copy the measurement result to a clipboard, which can be pasted into a document.

New Bookmark

Video bookmarks can be collected in the different modes of playing a video, such as play, pause, fast-forward, and rewind. Bookmarks are associated with a time stamp from the active video, and can be spatial (2D or 3D) or temporal in the map. A time-enabled map means that spatial bookmarks can be created for a specific point in time.

A bookmark is collected each time you click the New Bookmark Create Bookmark tool. As you collect bookmarks, they are saved in a list and are available with the video and all maps in the project. To help differentiate between your bookmarks, they are captured with a thumbnail map snapshot with a small camera in the lower left of the thumbnail. Bookmarks are described in the Bookmark pane that appears when you collect a video bookmark. Bookmarks are collected and managed in the Bookmarks pane available on the ArcGIS Pro Map tab, in the Navigate group. Bookmarks are saved in the project.

Add Graphics

The Add Graphics tool Add Graphics allows you to digitize a point on the map within the video footprint and displays the point on the video. It also allows you to digitize a point on the video and see the points displayed on the map. If you have several videos, the tool will detect each video's footprint and add points to each video.

The created points are temporary. Click the Save Graphics tool Save Graphics to save the points as a feature class in the project's geodatabase.

The points will remain visible on the map—and in the video player, if the footprint contains the points—until you click the Remove Graphics tool.

Display Features

Feature classes loaded into the Contents pane and displayed on the map can also be displayed on the video in the various play modes. Click the Display Features tool Display Features to display and link features in both the video player and the map.

Features can be created or edited on the map or the video player, and the results are displayed in either viewer. The feature creation and editing experience is consistent with ArcGIS Pro.

Create features in either the video player or the map and see the results displayed in both views.

See Introduction to creating 2D and 3D features and Introduction to modifying features for more details.

Video Moving Target Indicator (VMTI)

FMV supports the display and capture of VMTI information embedded in a FMV-compliant video data stream. VMTI is a machine learning artificial intelligence method for detecting moving objects in videos. The object detection is performed and encoded into the video stream by third-party software providers, as defined in a Motion Industry Standards Board (MISB) document. If VMTI data is encoded in the FMV-compliant video, you can display the data in the video player and map as the video plays. Click the Display VMTI Graphics tool Display VMTI Graphics to display rectangle graphics denoting objects identified in the video file.

A confidence level or object identifier associated with each identified object can also be displayed in the video player and map. With the VMTI-enabled video selected in the Contents pane, click Configure Workspace on the Standalone Video Data tab to open the Full Motion Video (FMV) Properties: Workspace dialog box. Click the VMTI category in the dialog box to specify the VMTI settings for display in the video player and map. You can specify the Confidence Level Threshold for the objects to be identified, and you can display the Confidence Level, Object Location, or Object ID label of the objects identified in the video player and map.

Click the VMTI to Features tool VMTI To Features to save all the objects identified in each video frame to a geodatabase. Specify the file name and location of the geodatabase, and the data capture Frequency for the objects identified. The recorded feature class data includes the centerpoint of each object detected and all the FMV metadata related to the associated video frame. The associated feature attribute table allows you to use existing geoprocessing tools to create object tracks and other statistical information for VMTI features.

Specify the path, file name, and capture frequency of the objects to be identified in your VMTI-enabled video

Specify the path, file name, and capture frequency of the objects to be identified in your VMTI-enabled video.

Frame Snapshot

Click the Frame Snapshot tool Frame Snapshot to save the current video frame as an image. The image is saved in .jpg, .png, and .ntf formats in the project's geodatabase in the Images directory (default), or choose a different geodatabase. The image is also loaded in the Contents pane and map display.

Frame Chip

You can extract an image chip from a video frame and paste it into any application that supports standard clipboard operation. Click the Frame Chip tool Frame Chip and draw a bounding box defining your area of interest in the video player. The area of interest is saved to the clipboard and can be pasted into a standard document at any time. If you collect another video chip, it will overwrite the previously saved image on the clipboard. If you double-click the Frame Chip button, it will stay in video chip collection mode for capturing multiple chips without having to click the button each time.

Frames to Images

Use the Frames to Images tool Fame To Images to capture video frames at an interval and save them as images. When you click the Frames to Images tool, a dialog box appears for you to specify an output directory and file type. You can save video frames as NITF, JPEG, or PNG image file types. The dialog box also allows you to specify an image capture frequency, based on an interval of video frames (the default) or seconds. Check the Add the layers to map check box to load the captured images into the map. When you close the dialog box after specifying the output directory, the frame capture begins. Click the tool again to stop video frame capture.

The captured video frame images are given a unique name based on the frame's time stamp. The metadata associated with the video frame is also saved with the image file.

Metadata to Features

Click the Metadata to Features tool Metadata to Features to save video metadata as a feature class in a geodatabase. A dialog box appears for you to specify a geodatabase and capture frequency as an interval of video frames or seconds. You can also choose to display the features on the map as they are created. The geodatabase is continuously updated while the video plays until you click the Metadata to Features tool again to disable it.

The sensor ground location is stored as a point feature class with the video file name appended with Camera. The video frame center is stored as a point feature class with the video file name appended with Center. The video frame outline metadata is stored as a polygon feature class with the video file name appended with Outline.

Metadata to CSV

Click the Metadata to CSV tool Metadata to CSV to save video metadata to a comma-separated values (CSV) file. A dialog box appears allowing you to save the CSV to the project's geodatabase, or save it to a separate directory. The CSV file will contain all the MISB metadata encoded into the video stream. Click the tool again to stop the recording of the video metadata to a CSV file.

Export Segment

Interactively define the start and end of the segment of the video you want to clip and export.

  1. Click the handle that is at the beginning of the time slider and move it to the point in the video when you want to begin the export.
  2. Click the handle at the end of the time slider and move it where you want to end the clip.

    Position the start and end handles of the time slider to define the extents of your video clip to export.
    • See the video playback during manual adjustment of each handle.
    • The time stamp indicates the position within the video of the beginning or end clip handle on the slider.
    • To return the handles to their original position, double-click one of the handles. Alternatively, you can drag both handles to the beginning and end of the original video.

  3. Click the Export Segment tool Export a video clip. A dialog box appears for you to specify the directory and file name. Choose any of 12 supported video file types. The portion of the video between the two handles will be saved in a separate file.

Export to PowerPoint

Export video content to a PowerPoint presentation. Exported content can include the current frame; full extent of the frame outline; and full extent of the frame center, frame outline, and sensor platform.

While a video is playing or paused, click the Export to PowerPoint tool Export to PowerPoint. The first time you click the Export to PowerPoint tool for a particular video, the Select PowerPoint Presentation dialog box appears listing open PowerPoint presentations for you to select to append the new content. If no PowerPoint presentations are open, you can navigate to a stored PowerPoint presentation, or specify a new file.

Note:

Video data will not be exported to the PowerPoint presentation until the PowerPoint application is open and active on your desktop. Video frame images enhanced with the tools on the Standalone Video View tab are not applied to the images exported to PowerPoint.

You can configure the type of information you want to export to PowerPoint at the bottom of the Select PowerPoint Presentation dialog box by selecting a template.

With PowerPoint open and active, click the Export to PowerPoint tool to create the slides you specified in the Select PowerPoint Presentation dialog box. Each time you click the Export to PowerPoint tool, the new content will be appended to any existing content in your presentation. If you measured an object in the video player window, the measurement will be captured and embedded into your PowerPoint slide.

Metadata pertaining to the video frame is also exported to the PowerPoint presentation in the Notes section. This includes the source video name and file location, and all FMV and MISB metadata associated with the video frame.

Record a live streamed video in segments

Store a segment of a live streamed video in memory so that you can interact with it. This is similar to interacting with an archived video file. You can operate the time slider along the video segment, and use the tools to save a video frame as an image, export a clip, export a frame to PowerPoint, or use another operation.

You can store multiple video segments in memory; the previous segment is overwritten by the new segment. The buffer is configured in Project > Options > FMV > General > Video Stepping. This feature may be restricted by system resources.

Play a live video stream

To play a live video stream, you will need either the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) or Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) address of the video stream.

Note:

The Full Motion Video player supports Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) addresses and both the UDP and the RTSP. MPEG TS streams can be broadcast as UDP unicast or multicast and can include MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and H.264 video decoding, and KLV metadata parsing. RTSP playback is supported for live RTSP streams that use any of the following video codecs: MPEG-1 Video, MPEG-2 Video, H.264, and MJPEG.

When you have verified that your broadband connection is operating, add a live stream video to the map display from the Map tab on the main ribbon, click the Add Data drop-down menu, then click Data from Path, which opens the Add Data From Path dialog box, where you enter the UDP or RTSP address of the video stream and click Add. The live stream video is loaded into the video player and begins to play. The Elapsed time of the live stream is displayed as the video plays.

The video player controls are not enabled in live stream mode. All the video player tools are enabled except for New Bookmark and Export a video clip, and operate the same as with an archived video file.

Two additional tools are available in the video player, Review video stream (UDP only) tool and Record Segments.

The Review video stream (UDP only) tool Video buffer allows you to review the previous 90 seconds of the live stream by enabling some of the video controls similar to an archived video file. When the Review video stream (UDP only) tool is activated, the enabled video controls include Pause, Rewind, and Go to the beginning, which takes you to the beginning of the 90-second segment of the live streaming video. The Elapsed time indicator shows the elapsed time of the video as it plays within the 90-second segment.

Video player live stream tools

Click the Review video stream (UDP only) tool again to deactivate it. The live stream video resumes playing, and the Elapsed time indicator displays the current time since the live stream video was initiated.

The Record Segments tool records segments of the live streaming video and stores them on disk in .ts format FMV files. Click the Record Segments button Record a live streamed video in segments to activate the tool. The Record Live Stream as Transport Stream dialog box opens for you to specify the location of the saved video files, the Video Segment Prefix name of the files, and the value for Length (Minutes) of the video segments. Click OK to begin recording video segments. Video segments of the specified length are recorded and stored as files as long as the Record Segments tool is activated. The files have the prefix name appended with _1.ts, _2.ts, _3.ts and so on. Click Record Segments again to deactivate it and stop recording segments.

Keyboard shortcuts for Full Motion Video

Keyboard shortcuts allow you to work efficiently with your video data. The keyboard shortcuts perform operations on the active video player. These operations behave the same as the corresponding tools on the video player toolbar.

Keyboard shortcutActionComment
Ctrl+Alt+A

Save video frames as images in a directory or in the project geodatabase.

This is the same as the Frames to Images video player tool.

Ctrl+Alt+P

Export the current video frame and map to a PowerPoint Presentation

This is the same as the Export to PowerPoint video player tool.

Ctrl+Alt+Z

Zoom the video pane to the map location of the video.

The view within the map display includes the video frame, as well as the ground track of the imaging platform.

This is the same as the Zoom to Video video player tool.

Ctrl+Alt+F

Enable or disable Automatic Follow.

Continuously center the map display on the video frame and ground track of the sensor as it plays. The map display pans as the video reaches the edge of the display.

This is the same as the Automatic Follow video player tool.

Ctrl+Alt+N

Display an arrow pointing north on the video of the active video pane.

This is the same as the North Arrow video player tool.

Ctrl+Alt+G

Display features from the map on the video pane.

This is the same as the Display Features video player tool.

Ctrl+Alt+I

Apply invert pixel color transformation on the active video pane.

This is the same as the Invert Colors video player tool.

Keyboard shortcuts for Full Motion Video

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