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Since support for JW Showcase will cease on **31 December 2023**, you must transition any existing JW Showcase implementations to Apps.

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## Overview

JW Showcase has been JWP's cloud-hosted video gallery web app solution. This solution leverages playlist and player settings from the your JWP dashboard to distribute your content on desktop and mobile web. JW Showcase will be replaced with Apps. While maintaining this functionality, Apps, **incorporates new frameworks** and **introduces an app config**.

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### New Frameworks

Apps incorporates open-source frameworks to help you develop apps for desktops and mobile web. For each supported platform, JWP will collaboratively develop a new framework. JW Web App is the first new framework.

JW Web App replaces the viewer-facing Showcase site and consumes an app config to control its content. Built on React, this framework seamlessly integrates with the JWP infrastructure to provide several new features:

  • Monetization options, such as **subscription** and **pay-per-item**

  • Easier workflows with **alternate thumbnails**

  • Stronger content protection with **URL signing** and **DRM**

  • 24X7 live channels with channel guides, DVR, and replays

  • Ability to use app configs to manage multiple apps from a single property

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### App Config

An app config enables you to manage the content and configurations for all of your apps. An app config is built within your JWP dashboard. And each property can support multiple app configs. Through the app config, you can control the following aspects of your apps:

  • Order and content of playlist shelves

  • Monetization settings, such as subscription and pay-per-item

  • User login support

These settings are published through JWP's Delivery API and are consumed by the open-source frameworks for your apps.

<br /> <hr />

## Quick Start

To migrate to Apps, you will need to create an app config. For some migration use cases, you will also need to build the JW Web App. The following sections explain each type of migration use case.

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### Use Case 1: JWP-hosted Showcase for a web gallery

A video-based website has been built using the settings offered in the JWP dashboard.

If this use case apply to you, use the following steps:

  1. On the <a href="https://dashboard.jwplayer.com/p/apps" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">**Apps**</a> page, click **Showcase (legacy)**. The legacy **Showcase** page appears.

  2. Click **COPY TO APPS**. A new app config is created and the app config details page appears.

    

    As an alternative, you can create a new <a href="/platform/docs/apps-app-config-overview" target="_blank">app config</a> and manually add content to the app config.

  3. Click **Preview** to ensure that all settings have transferred correctly.

  4. Copy the **CONFIG ID**.

  5. [Build the JW Web App](🔗) with the config ID.

<br /> <br />

### Use Case 2: JWP-hosted Showcase for apps

With the assistance of an app partner, an app has been created using the settings offered in the JWP dashboard.

If this use case apply to you, use the following steps:

  1. On the <a href="https://dashboard.jwplayer.com/p/apps" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">**Apps**</a> page, click **Showcase (legacy)**. The legacy **Showcase** page appears.

  2. Click **COPY TO APPS**. A new app config is created and the app config details page appears.

    

    As an alternative, you can create a new <a href="/platform/docs/apps-app-config-overview" target="_blank">app config</a> and manually add content to the app config.

  3. Click **Preview** to ensure that all settings have transferred correctly.

  4. Copy the **CONFIG ID**.

  5. Share the config ID with your app partner. Your app partner or JWP representative can assist you with hosting and customizing your app.

<br /> <br />

### Use Case 3: Self-hosted Showcase

A developer has compiled, built, and hosted a JW Showcase from precompiled code or source code.

If this use cases applies to you, use the following steps:

  1. Create a new <a href="/platform/docs/apps-app-config-overview" target="_blank">app config</a> and manually add content to the app config.

  2. Click **Preview** to ensure that all settings have transferred correctly.

  3. Copy the **CONFIG ID**.

  4. [Build the JW Web App](🔗) with the config ID.

<br /> <hr />

## JW Web App



This section only applies to [Use Case 1](🔗) and Use [Case 3](🔗) above. If [Use Case 2](🔗) applies to you, you can skip this section.

<br />

When **self-hosting** the JW Web App framework, you decide and control the following aspects:

  • Hosting service for the framework

  • Maintenance of the framework, including infrastructure and technical resources

While the framework is hosted and managed by you, the app config is hosted by JWP. You can deploy this framework using prebuilt assets or the build source code yourself.

<br />

### Build the JW Web App



If you prefer, you can [manually compile and deploy the JW Web App](🔗) from the source code.

<br />

Use the following steps to deploy a **self-hosted** JW Web App from prebuilt assets:

  1. Under the **Apps** section on the app config details page, click **Web App (GitHub)**. The ott-web-app GitHub repository opens.

  2. Under **Assets**, download the prebuilt artifact file.

  3. Unzip the file.

  4. Add <a href="https://github.com/jwplayer/ott-web-app/blob/develop/docs/initialization-file.md" target="_blank"><strong>.webapp.ini</strong></a> to the root directory.

  5. Within **.webapp.ini**, set the Config ID as the value for `defaultConfigSource`.

    

    The **.webapp.ini** file might be hidden by your operating system. Use the command-line client or consult your operating system documentation to reveal hidden files.

  6. Upload the JW Web App to your web server.

<br />



For general support, contact your JWP representative. For customizations, work with your app partner.

<br /> <hr />

## Detailed comparison

In addition to the aspects highlighted in the overview, the following table shows a side-by-side comparison of the features of Apps and JW Showcase.

<table> <thead> <tr> <th> Feature </th> <th> Apps </th> <th> JW Showcase </th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td width="30%"> <strong>App Management</strong></td> <td width="35%"> Numerous app setups, managed by separate app configs, can be created within a single property.<br /><br />Each app config can be configured a specific platform or environment.</td> <td width="35%">Only a single app setup can be created by property.</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong>App Support</strong></td> <td> <strong>JWP-hosted</strong>: <ul> <li>JWP provides support for app config issues.</li> <li>An app partner provides application support.</li> </ul> <br /> <strong>Self-hosted</strong>: <ul> <li>JWP provides support for app config issues.</li> <li>Customer manages all application support.</li> </ul> </td> <td> <strong>JWP-hosted</strong>: <ul> <li>JWP provides support for all Showcase issues.</li> </ul> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong>Content Protection</strong></td> <td> <strong>Supported Features</strong>: <ul> <li>DRM</li> <li>Geoblocking</li> <li>URL-signing</li> </ul> </td> <td> <strong>Supported Feature</strong>: <ul> <li>Geoblocking</li> </ul> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong>EPG</strong><br /><em>(Electronic Programming Guide)</em></td> <td> A combination of Broadcast Live and an app config is used to create a live channel schedule.</td> <td> <div style="text-align: center;"> --- </div></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong>Live Channels</strong></td> <td> <strong>Supported Features</strong>: <ul> <li>DVD</li> <li>Replays</li> </ul> </td> <td> <strong>Supported Feature</strong>: <ul> <li>DVR</li> </ul> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong>Monetization</strong></td> <td> <strong>Supported Features</strong>: <ul> <li>Advertising <em>(No display ads)</em></li> <li>Subscription</li> <li>Pay-per-item</li> <li>Premium</li> </ul> </td> <td> <strong>Supported Feature</strong>: <ul> <li>Advertising <em>(Inclusive of display banner ads)</em></li> </ul> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong>User Accounts</strong></td> <td> <strong>Supported Features</strong>: <ul> <li>JWP service</li> <li>Non-JWP service</li> </ul> </td> <td> <div style="text-align: center;"> --- </div></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <strong>Video-based Website Support</strong></td> <td> <ul> <li>JWP provides support for app config and some framework support.</li> <li>Customer handles all development, hosting, and deployment support.</li> </ul> </td> <td> <ul> <li>JWP provides complete support for JW Showcase.</li> </ul> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

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## Inline Player

The web app includes an inline player feature that achieves the aesthetics of JW Showcase– a video player inline with recommendations on the right.

1600


Inline player

<br /> <br />

### Enable the Inline Player

Use the following steps to enable the auto-playing inline player:

  1. From the <a href="https://dashboard.jwplayer.com/p/apps" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">**Apps**</a> page, click the name of the app config. The settings for the app config appear.

  2. Enable the <a href="https://docs.jwplayer.com/platform/docs/ott-configure-user-experience-features#basic-user-experience-features" target="_blank">player feature</a>.

  3. Enable the inline player:

    • Under **Custom Parameters**, in the Key field, enter `inlinePlayer`.

    • In the **Value** field, enter **true**.

  4. Click **Save**.

-->

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