Webshots Introduction

Webshots allow users to capture web content and then display this content as a page on your playlist. More specifically, the Webshots feature allows users to automate the login process to access secure, real-time web content. The capture process can be further customized by articulating the size of the capture window when viewing a live website.

TelemetryTV Webshots are a client-based solution where the TelemetryTV Desktop App is used to locally record more intricate and complex browser-based user flows. This allows events such as scrolling, window resizing and various multi-step interactions to be captured. These recorded events are then automated and executed on through the TelemetryTV Desktop App and uploaded to our content servers as screenshots where they will then be streamed to your signage players at set time intervals. This allows for greater access to websites – such as those hosted on your intranet. This also means that you can store sensitive information on your local machine, rather than on an external server, which is a more secure method and allows for greater data sovereignty.

☝️ Please note that you must have the TelemetryTV Desktop App running on a computer in order to push Webshots to your screens. We recommend using a dedicated computer to constantly run the Desktop App which will allow you to run the same secure Webshot(s) across all your signage screens.

How to Capture Webshots in TelemetryTVs

In order to capture Webshots and have them stored on our content servers, you will need first to execute a sequence of steps on the TelemetryTV Desktop App. This means that you need to leave your Desktop App running so that the image captures are updated periodically as desired.

This can be done by following the step-by-step guide below:

1. Login to your TelemetryTV Desktop App

2. Select "Webshots" on the left hand task bar and click "Create Webshot".

3. Insert your URL in the field at the top of the app where it says “Enter URL of site to capture”.

4. Press Enter

Optional: Enter your login & password information

Note: All account information and passwords entered onto Webshots are encrypted and stored locally on your device. Login and password information cannot be accessed by any other devices.

Configuring your Webpage

5. Capture Interval: Select how frequently you want the app to update this screenshot on our servers (milliseconds). The minimum refresh interval is 10000 milliseconds (or 10 seconds).

6. Delay: Select the delay (if any) required for proper page display by changing the second and millisecond values at the top of the capture window. With a delay set, our app will wait the specified amount of time before capturing the image after the page loads.

7. Zoom: Zoom in and Out of your webpage for capture by using the + and – symbols.

8. Saving or Cropping: Configure the Shape of the browser view that you would like to display by cropping, scaling, or scrolling. Note: The dimensions are noted on the top right (1440 x 766 in this example) and can also be configured by contracting and expanding your Webshots window.

Click Save to record the sequence of events and send the picture to our servers OR...

If cropping, select the square freeform icon and scissor icon. Your cursor will change to a crosshair, allowing you to crop the page:

Adding the Webshots to your Playlist

10. Click on Playlists

11. Add a New Slide

12. Select Webshots

13. Select your Webshots from the gallery

14. Click ADD 1 ITEM

The Webshots will now be sent periodically from your Desktop App to your Media Players.

Note: This is a simple use case of the use of the Webshots app. More complex examples may use Browser scrolling, Inputting form details (such as passwords etc) and website navigation and interaction events which should all be recorded. These events are stored locally on your Desktop App and executed when logged into your Desktop App.

There are icons that display in the Webshots interface that indicate whether the PC on which the Webshots was set up is currently active. This is how you can tell whether your Webshot will update. If the Webshot is inactive, it will display the last screenshot taken.