Need big help for a small app

[jeibros]

Hi all,

I'm trying to do which in my opinion is a very simple app. I want to creat an app for android which shows a list of videos which are already on the net in Brightcove format. The case is that I'm overwhelmed by the big amount of data and don't know at all what way to follow. I think the best idea is to do it with app cloud, but neither with app cloud or SDK Development Kit, I don't know how to make reference to the playlist ID of the videos I want to show.

Need a help to start, please.Very basic steps to start.

Thanks a lot

[universeinside]

Hi Julián,

Thanks for your post and inquiry. I've been asked to add some clarity to what it seems a bit of confusion on your understanding of the tools BCOV provides. Don't worry, as the explanation is very simple. :)

BCOV provides two different SaaS platforms: Video Cloud, which is an online video platform that solves the complexities of working with online video and allows to publish and distribute professional video worldwide, and App Cloud, which is a content app platform, and allows to manage the full lifecycle of content applications, from building the prototype to launching to the appstore and managing its lifecycle (all the updates and improvements).

Where the cofusion might come:

1) Video Cloud, as a full online video solution, that allows you, in this case, to publish video apps, and for that purpose offers Android and iOS SDKs and, 3 reference apps for iPad, iPhone and Android smartphones (search for Brightcove "One Planet" app within the app stores). These 3 ref apps are available for you to download from the app stores to play with them. The idea behind is that for a quick time-to-market you can download the professionally developed Ref Apps and use the SDKs to customize the look and feel (eventually make this ref app into a full media app, if you have the app development knowledge) and connect them to your Video Cloud library of videos, and voilà! you have a full set of video apps already made and ready to be launched. :)

[Video Cloud also offers SDK and Ref App for LG SmartTVs, for example]

The emphasis here is on VIDEO apps, as they do not contain any other media such as texts, photos etc., at least as you access them, being reference apps. With the use of the provided SDKs any developer with know how can easily add the additional media (texts, photos) and navigation, etc., and extend into full media apps.

2) App Cloud: as a full solution to build, develop and manage the full lifecycle of content apps, App Cloud allows you to create a full media content app (that is it contains all possible media elements, from video to text, to images, etc., not only video content as it happens with the above example of Video Cloud) from start to end by using open standards such as HTML5, Javascript and CSS. App Cloud brings the same dynamics and agility of wed development to the world of content app development. Thanks to the development app called "Brightcove Workshop", you can instantly test the progress of your app with the real device, trying the results and improving them until you are satisfied, exactly as you do when developing websites (design and dev in your local server, try, tweak, improve, test and launch).

To create something like the app you mentioned (Ted Talks Video for Android), you would need to use App Cloud, which comes with its own SDKs and demo app, which you can connect to your content sources (including your Video Cloud library of course! (you will need your read API token)) and very quickly make it your own app, at least for starters.

If you would like to start from scratch with the SDK, the process is:

0) Open an App Cloud free account

1) Create your first app Template with the open standard technology mentioned above

2) Upload your template to your App Cloud account (I understand you have a free account so far)

3) Create your app

4) Connect the Content sources to your app (that is any media type, such as video, photos, text, etc).

5) Download the Brightcove Workshop dev app for Android or iOS

6) Open the Workshop app, select the QRCode from the Edit App preview screen in order to transfer your new app to your Android or iOS device (you need to have your mobile/tablet and your computer on the same network). You will now be playing with your creation on the real device. Cool! :)

7) Go back to the App Cloud Studio and improve your app until you are happy with it. The lenght of this dev cycle is up to you ;) and your perfectionism :)

8) If you have purchased a paid account of App Cloud, then you will be then able to publish your content app to the App Stores of your choice (Android + iOS). The platform will render native apps for your chosen devices (smartphones and/or tablets) and automatically (if you like you can do this manually) upload your apps to the app stores.

From this moment, once they are approved, the public will be able to download and interact with your content apps, which you can update at any time from the App Cloud Studio without needing to resubmit the apps to the app stores.

I trust this helps clarifying your choices and the right tools to use for each goal.

Saludos desde Barcelona,

[universeinside]

Hi Julián,

How are you? Following up on my reply ... yesterday a sample App template was posted into the opensource BCOV repository: http://opensource.brightcove.com/project/App-Cloud-Beantown/

It might be helpful to get you started :)

Hope it helps.

Cheers!

[jeibros]

The videos I need to include are based on a playlist, and I read that I need an API Token in order to manipulate them. The case is that I have a trial account and I don't have a token... is there an alternative then?

Thanks