MMS confusion??

MMS confusion?? SearchSearch
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Sharyn Doolan
New member
Username: Sharyn

Post Number: 4
Registered: 06-2007
Posted on Monday, July 09, 2007 - 06:43 am:   

Hiya Bryce!!

I've been reading thru all the posts, to the point where I am now thoroughly confused.
application/x-zip-compressedDebug files
MMSCDEBUG.zip (5.4 k)

Here's SMS & MMS debug files.. hopefully they explain where I'm going wrong.
In your old file mms test file for BT Ignite... that is exactly what I want to do!!!!
I have received it on my phone via the web interface and using the 'mms notification'.
I don't have a separate web page to upload mms messages but that can be created if required...I was however hoping to use the web interface to combine the elements.. the audio and the pics...and then send them as a mms push, a wap multimedia.. or mms message.
Thanks for your help!

Sharyn
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 7329
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 09:26 pm:   

Hi Sharyn,

It is confusing ... MMS is not as cut-and-dried as SMS ... there are a lot more variables. Lots of people with very different configurations, different operator issues, etc.

If you haven't already read http://www.nowsms.com/howmmsworks.htm, that link provides some good background information that i find myself referring back to quite a bit.

So let me ask you this ...

What actually works?

It sounds like you were able to use the NowSMS web interface to send an MMS notification for the old BT Ignite sample MMS ... and you received the MMS message. That is a good sign, as most mobile operators block external MMSC delivery like this (refer back to the "How MMS Works" link for more info on the subject of blocking).

So it looks like you are trying to repeat this "Send MMS Notification" success with URL pointers on your own web server. From the debug logs it looks like the web server is returning errors indicating that the URL is invalid. So confirm that the URL is ok. Another issue that you will run into is that in order for "Send MMS Notification" to work, the URL content that you point to must return the correct MIME content type ... application/vnd.wap.mms-message.

If the content type is not right, then the phone that receives the notification would complain when it tries to fetch the URL ... so NowSMS checks that the content type is right before it sends a notification.

-bn
Sharyn Doolan
New member
Username: Sharyn

Post Number: 5
Registered: 06-2007
Posted on Thursday, July 12, 2007 - 04:03 am:   

Hiya Bryce!!!

Ooh... I wish I could just pop your brain in my head for an hour or so.... lol...then I could nut this out

Okay... what works:
I can send sms, and it's received by my phone.
Your BT Ignite mms sent via MMS notification worked.

When I try to send anything else via wap push, wap multimedia, mms message, or mms notification it doesn't work. I also tried to send just a general url via wap push. In all instances, the phone looks like it wants to retrieve something... (the phone lights up.. but nothing else happens)

The http connections are as follows:
Text: http://api.clickatell.com/http/sendmsg?api_id=xxxx&user=xxxxx&password=xxxxx&to=@@PhoneNumber@@&text=@@Text@@

Binary: http://api.clickatell.com/http/sendmsg?api_id=xxxxx&user=xxxxx&password=xxxxx&to=@@PhoneNumber@@&udh=@@UDH@@&text=@@Text@@

Are these correct for sending wap push?

Here's screen shots of each tab in the gateway.

application/x-zip-compressedNowSMS screen shots
NowSMS screen shots.zip (1405.4 k)


Also... what software do you use to create the xxx.mms

I can create audio, 3gp video, animated gif etc... but I haven't found the means to combine them with text and the extension .mms (like your BT Ignite)

The only way I've found was via your web interface loading separate files... but if I'm going to send wap push, the files need to be complete mms doesn't it?

Could you also give me the details on setting up the web page properly to download mms files, like you have with the BT Ignite?
Is it one file per page or can several be popped up on the web page?

All these questions.... sorry sweetie...but I do appreciate your help!

Sharyn

Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 7365
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Thursday, July 12, 2007 - 11:42 pm:   

And I wish I could pop my brain out of my head for an hour or so, so that would work out well.

But seriously, I got delayed on a couple of things today, so I will reply back tomorrow.
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 7371
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Friday, July 13, 2007 - 09:42 pm:   

Hi Sharyn,

Ok ... let's see.

Most of the tools for creating the binary MMS message are found on developer web sites. Nokia NMIT (www.forum.nokia.com), SonyEricsson also has a tool that I don't recall the name of (www.sonyericsson.com/developer). There's also the MMSCOMP command line tool that is included in NowSMS (described at http://www.nowsms.com/documentation/ProductDocumentation/mms_notifications_and_c ontent/Creating_MMS_Message_Files.htm).

It gets a little more confusing though ...

The binary MMS message format that we're talking about here is the actual format of the MMS message when it is delivered over the air.

However, in the real world, most mobile operators won't let you send out an MMS notification (over SMS) pointing to your own binary MMS content. (In the UK, it's 2 out of 5 that allow it. Ratios are lower in most of the rest of Western Europe.)

The operators don't block the MMS notification message itself ... you can send that ... however the operator's MMS settings on the mobile phone only allow MMS messages to be retrieved from the operator's MMSC. (There's a lot more about this at the http://www.nowsms.com/howmmsworks.htm link.)

The above limitation makes the binary MMS files less useful when you're sending to recipients who are subscribers on such an operator.

The alternative is to use MM7 to connect to an MMS provider, instead of connecting to an SMS provider. However ... while SMS providers are everywhere, MMS providers are more difficult to find (and more exclusive/expensive/major accounts only). So the alternative is sending MMS messages out via an operator MMSC over a GPRS modem ... or sending out conventional WAP push links to your content.

-bn