Bookmarks (usage)

This feature is only available in certain XProtect VMS products. See the complete feature list, which is available on the product overview page on the Milestone website (https://www.milestonesys.com/solutions/platform/product-index/).

Bookmarks allow you to quickly locate relevant video sequences. You can use the feature in both live mode (see Viewing live video (explained)) and playback mode (see Play back recordings from one camera).

Bookmarks (explained)

A bookmark is, essentially, a small video clip. When you bookmark an incident, the system automatically assigns it an ID and adds the user who created the bookmark.

A bookmark video clip typically contains video from a few seconds before and a few seconds after the bookmarked incident (the time interval is specified by the system administrator) to ensure that the incident is recorded, regardless of any delays.

Depending on your user permissions, you may not be able to add bookmarks from certain cameras due to restrictions. You may be able to view bookmarks even if you cannot add them, and the other way around.

View the bookmark details or play the bookmark video clip

In XProtect Web Client, you can create detailed bookmarks to make it easier to locate the bookmarks after you have created them. You can also listen to audio in your bookmark video clips.

To view the details of the bookmark that you have added and to play the bookmark video clip:

  1. On the Home page, click Bookmarks to open the bookmarks list.
  2. From the Bookmarks list , select All bookmarks to open the complete list of bookmarks created by all users or My bookmarks to open the list of bookmarks that only shows those bookmarks that you have created yourself.

  1. Navigate to the bookmark that you want to view, then click on it. The pane with the bookmark details is displayed.
  2. Optional. If the list of bookmarks is too long, click Load more and repeat step 3.

  3. On the timeline bar , click to play the bookmark video clip forward or to play the video clip backward. In the bottom-right corner , from the Playback speed list, you can select a specific speed for the video playback. In the bottom-left corner , you can drag the slider to define a specific time span for the bookmark video clip.

  1. View the detailed bookmark information.

    Name

    Description

    Headline

    The headline of the bookmark that must contain a maximum of 50 characters. The field is required.

    Description

    The additional description of the bookmark. The field is optional.

    Start timeThe suggested start time of the bookmark clip is a number of seconds before the time of the bookmark event. The start time is specified by the system administrator.
    Bookmark eventThe time in the video clip that shows when the bookmark event was triggered.
    End timeThe suggested end time of the bookmark clip is a number of seconds after the time of the bookmark event. The end time is specified by the system administrator.
    DurationThe duration of the bookmark video clip.
    Camera nameThe name of the camera that streams the bookmark video clip.
    Bookmark ID

    A unique ID number that is assigned to the bookmark automatically.

    Added by

    The user who has created the bookmark.

Add or edit bookmarks

You can add bookmarks to live videos and video recordings.

Steps to add bookmarks to videos in live mode:

  1. On the Home page, select a camera view, then select the required camera in the view.
  2. Click . The bookmark is added with the name Quick bookmark assigned by the system automatically.

Steps to add bookmarks to videos in playback mode:

  1. On the Home page, select a camera view, then select the required camera in the view.
  2. Click to switch to playback mode.
  3. On the playback control bar, click . The Add bookmark window is displayed.

  1. In the Headline field, enter a name for the bookmark.
  2. Optional. In the Description field, describe the incident.
  3. Optional. Although the time of the bookmark event and the start and end time of the video clip is specified by the system administrator, you can adjust these settings. To adjust the time, drag the indicators on the timeline bar.
  4. Click Add.

Steps to edit bookmarks

  1. On the Home page, click Bookmarks to open the bookmarks list.
  2. From the Bookmarks list, select All bookmarks to open the complete list of bookmarks created by all users or My bookmarks to open the list of bookmarks that only shows those bookmarks that you have created yourself.
  3. Navigate to the bookmark that you want to edit, then click on it. The pane with the bookmark details is displayed.
  4. In the upper-right corner, click Edit. The Edit bookmark window is displayed.

  1. Enter your changes in the Headline field or in the Description field, or adjust the time of the bookmark clip by dragging the indicators on the timeline bar.
  2. Click Save.

Delete bookmarks

Depending on your user permissions, you can delete bookmarks created by yourself or others. If you delete a bookmark, it is removed from the database, and you can no longer access it.

Steps to delete bookmarks:

  1. On the Home page, click Bookmarks to open the bookmarks list.
  2. From the Bookmarks list, select All bookmarks to open the complete list of bookmarks created by all users or My bookmarks to open the list of bookmarks that only shows those bookmarks that you have created yourself.
  3. Navigate to the bookmark that you want to edit, then click on it. The pane with the bookmark details is displayed.
  4. In the upper-right corner, click Delete.
  5. On the confirmation message, click Delete.

Filter your bookmarks

To find a specific bookmark, you can search and use filtering . There are three options for filtering bookmarks:

  • You can enter a keyword from the headline, the description, or the complete ID of the bookmark.
  • You can select specific cameras.
  • You can select a predefined time interval. You can also customize the time interval that you want to apply as a filter.

Steps to filter bookmarks by a keyword

  1. On the Bookmarks tab, expand the Filters list.
  2. In the Enter a keyword field, enter a keyword from the headline or description of the bookmark or enter the complete bookmark ID.
  3. To apply the filter, click Apply filters.
  4. Optional. To undo your filter selection, click Clear all filters.

Steps to filter bookmarks by selected cameras

  1. On the Bookmarks tab, expand the Filters list.
  2. Click Select cameras. The Select cameras to filter bookmarks window opens, and the list of all available cameras is displayed.
  3. Optional. To quickly find specific cameras, use the Search for cameras option.
  4. From the camera list, select the cameras that you want to apply as a filter.
  5. Optional. To undo your selection, deselect the check box of each camera or click Deselect all.
  6. To save your selection, click Save.
  7. To apply the selected cameras as a filter, click Apply filters.
  8. Optional. To undo your filter selection, click Clear all filters.

Steps to filter bookmarks by predefined or custom time intervals

You can filter the list of your bookmarks by using a specific time frame with predefined or custom time intervals between the start time and the end time of the video sequences that you have bookmarked. The default duration of the time frame is set to 2 hours.

  1. On the Bookmarks tab, expand the Filters list.
  2. Enable the Show specific time frame setting .
  3. Expand the list of Predefined time intervals, then select one of the following options:
    • Last 2 hours
    • Last 12 hours
    • Last 6 hours
    • Last 24 hours
    • Yesterday
    • Last 7 days

  1. Optional. To customize the time interval between the start time and the end time of the video sequence that you have bookmarked, select to open the time picker and set a custom start time or end time.
  2. To apply the filter, click Apply filters.
  3. Optional. To undo your filter selection, click Clear all filters.