Avid MediaCentral | UX User’s Guide Version 2.
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Contents Using This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Avid Training Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating a New Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Displaying or Hiding Referenced Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Viewing and Editing Interplay | Production Metadata. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Viewing Interplay | Production Thumbnails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding Machine Control Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Adding a Primary Machine Control Instruction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Copying Stories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Locking and Unlocking a Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Saving a Version of a Sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Exporting a Basic Sequence (Interplay | MAM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Recovering Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Opening and Editing an Existing Sequence in the Sequence Pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 6 Working with Video Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 The Media Pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Media Pane: Asset Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Media Pane Menu Options (Asset Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Working with Audio Tracks in Basic Sequences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Audio Monitoring for Assets and Basic Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Panning for Assets and Basic Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220 Working with Audio Tracks in Advanced Sequences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Soloing and Muting Tracks for Advanced Sequences . . . . . . .
Indexed Search Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Wild Card Characters and Operators Supported for Federated Searches in Interplay | MAM Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 The Search Results List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 12 Logging Interplay | MAM Assets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Understanding Strata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331 Logging Overview (Interplay | MAM Assets). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332 The Logging Pane (Interplay | MAM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Creating Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369 Deleting Associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373 Chapter 14 Working with the File Info Pane (Interplay | MAM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Understanding Essences and Essence Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 The File Info Pane. .
The Progress Pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421 Interplay Services in the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423 Chapter 19 Delivering Assets and Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Understanding MediaCentral Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Viewing and Working with Maestro Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471 Editing and Previewing a Graphic Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472 Previewing the Graphic in the Media Pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473 Adding a Maestro Graphic to an iNEWS Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Buttons of the User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518 Customizing MediaCentral | UX Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519 Changing Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520 Accessing the iNEWS Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adding Machine Control Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568 Working with Links in Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 568 Using Presenter Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569 MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using This Guide This guide is intended for all users of an Avid MediaCentral | UX system (formerly Interplay Central). This guide describes product features and basic user procedures, such as user settings and story or asset creation. For initial installation and configuration, see the Avid MediaCentral Platform Services Installation and Configuration Guide. For administrative information, see the Avid MediaCentral | UX Administration Guide.
If You Need Help If You Need Help If you are having trouble using your Avid product: 1. Retry the action, carefully following the instructions given for that task in this guide. It is especially important to check each step of your workflow. 2. Check the latest information that might have become available after the documentation was published. You should always check online for the most up-to-date release notes or ReadMe because the online version is updated whenever new information becomes available.
1 Getting Started The following main topics describe basic user tasks as well as various concepts and features you might encounter when working with MediaCentral | UX.
Signing In to MediaCentral | UX that let archivists, journalist, editors, and producers assign metadata to assets; search, access, and preview assets; arrange assets in sequences and transfer them to the edit bay; and overview and manage business processes. Signing In to MediaCentral | UX Use a supported browser to connect to and sign in to your MediaCentral server. See the Avid MediaCentral ReadMe for a list of supported browsers.
Understanding Layouts and Panes 4. (Optional) If the layout you want is not displayed, select the one you want from the Layout selector. Left: Sign Out button. Right: Layout selector. n Each MediaCentral UX user is assigned one or more roles by the MediaCentral UX administrator. Each role is associated with one or more layouts. For more information about available layouts, see “Working with Layouts” on page 25. For more information about roles, see the Avid MediaCentral | UX Administration Guide.
Understanding Layouts and Panes Icon Pane Description Refer to... File Info A pane that displays the essence packages, essences, and locations of an Interplay MAM asset. “The File Info Pane” on page 375 Help A pane that displays the help system. “Viewing MediaCentral | UX Help” on page 37 Launch A pane from which you navigate to various “The Launch Pane” on page 31 locations. This pane displays remote file systems, local file systems, and other locations for assets.
Understanding Layouts and Panes Icon Pane Description Refer to... Project/Story A pane that displays the contents of a project, its facets, and any associated stories. It can only be opened from the Assets pane, and is therefore not listed as part of the Panes menu. “The Project/Story Pane” on page 79 Queue/Story A pane that displays the contents of a queue with the contents of a selected story in the queue, including the story form and any production cues.
Understanding Layouts and Panes 3 Bar Description Refer to... Search A section of the application from which you can conduct a search. The results of a search can be dragged from the bar and placed in an area as a pane for better viewing. “The Search Bar” on page 252 Working with Layouts The MediaCentral UX Web application is installed with predefined layouts. Not all available panes are included in each layout, but you can open additional panes when you need them.
Understanding Layouts and Panes Layout Description Available To Story Journalists use this layout to edit and create stories that All users, based on include video and audio. By default the Sequence pane is role displayed vertically. This layout is displayed the first time a user signs in. You can switch to another layout at any time by selecting it from the Layout selector. System Settings Administrators use this layout to specify various configuration settings.
Understanding Layouts and Panes 1 5 3 4 2 6 One way to customize this layout is to combine two or more panes into one area, thus reducing the number of areas and allowing more space for the remaining areas. In the following illustration, the layout is composed of four areas and seven panes. The area on the left contains the Queue/Story pane, the Launch pane, and an Assets pane.
Understanding Layouts and Panes You can also move a pane to create a new area. In the following illustration, the Assets pane was moved to the left to create a new area. 4 1 1 2 3 5 If the number of tabbed panes within an area exceeds the area’s space within the browser window, Right and Left Arrow buttons appear next to the Pane Menu button, enabling you to navigate through all of the panes. You can move panes to save screen space and reconfigure panes in a way that best suits your needs.
Understanding Layouts and Panes Drop Zone Position Result Center Top Bottom 29
Understanding Layouts and Panes Drop Zone Position Result Left Right Active Panes An active pane (the pane with user focus) is outlined in orange.This feature helps you to know which keyboard shortcuts are available, because some shortcuts are available only if a pane has focus. For example, pressing the space bar controls playback only when the Media pane has focus. The following illustration shows the Media pane outlined in orange to indicate focus.
Understanding Layouts and Panes The Menu Bar The application’s menu bar includes the following menus: • • Home Option Description User Settings Opens the Settings dialog box with configuration options available for modification to non-administrative users. For more information, see “User Settings” on page 578. About Opens a screen with information about the product Panes This menu lists the panes that you can open in the selected layout.
Adjusting Windows ClearType for MediaCentral | UX Fonts Icon Description Connected Interplay Production system Disconnected Interplay Production system Connected Interplay MAM system Connected iNEWS system Disconnected iNEWS system Project in the iNEWS database iNEWS Project (not started) iNEWS Project (expired) Opening a system, such as an iNEWS newsroom computer system, Interplay MAM system, or Interplay Production system, lets you view the contents of that system’s database in the Assets pane.
Using Plug-ins and MOS Integration Using Plug-ins and MOS Integration MediaCentral UX v2.4 and later provides support for MOS Active-X plug-ins through the MediaCentral UX Desktop. Deko Select is an example of a MOS plug-in for a newsroom computer system’s interface. It allows a user, such as a reporter, to drag and drop graphic templates directly into the story. Other plug-ins are available through third-party manufacturers. These plug-ins are specific to iNEWS workflows.
Support for iNEWS Communities In the following illustration, MUCINEWS is the local system and KIEV-JEN and KIEV-MOB are the remote systems. Any projects listed are associated with your local system. You cannot show projects that are associated with remote systems. In MediaCentral UX, you can perform the following tasks on iNEWS remote systems: n • Browse stories in the Assets pane. • Load queues in the Queue/Story pane. • Display stories in the Queue/Story pane. • Create and edit stories.
Showing Desktop Notifications from Panes Limitation for MOS Placeholder and Project Bucket Features MediaCentral UX checks if the iNEWS server supports the MOS placeholder and project bucket features. These features were added in iNEWS 4.0.0, but the check only succeeds with iNEWS server versions 4.0.3 and later. For this reason, MediaCentral UX only enables workflows using MOS placeholders and project bucket features in iNEWS 4.0.3 and later.
Showing Desktop Notifications from Panes To allow or block notifications in Chrome: 1. Click the file icon in the URL bar. 2. Click the Permissions tab. 3. In the Permissions section, select one of the following options from the Notifications menu: - Always allow on this site - Always block on this site To allow or block notifications in Safari: 1. Select Preferences from the Safari menu. 2. Click Notifications. 3. For the MCS server, select Allow or Deny.
Viewing MediaCentral | UX Help Viewing MediaCentral | UX Help The Help system for MediaCentral UX combines the contents of the following documents: • Avid MediaCentral | UX User’s Guide • Avid MediaCentral | UX Administration Guide • Media | Distribute User’s Guide. You can view help related to a specific pane.
2 Working with Assets The following main topics describe the Assets pane and how you can work with various assets in MediaCentral UX. • The Assets Pane • Working with News Assets • Working with Interplay | Production Assets • Working with Interplay | MAM Assets See also “Working with Remote Assets (Interplay Production)” on page 195. The Assets Pane Assets are items that are stored in a database, such as stories, scripts, video clips, and audio clips.
The Assets Pane To display assets in an Assets pane: t Double-click an item in the Launch pane. The following illustration shows the Interplay Production database selected in the Launch pane and its contents opened in the Assets pane below. The name of the highlighted system appears in the Asset pane’s tab. To open an additional Assets pane, do one of the following: t Select Panes > Assets. t Right-click an item in the Launch pane and select Open in New Assets Tab.
The Assets Pane Button Description Forward button toggles the current view to the next view in the pane. Refresh button refreshes the current view in the pane. Close button closes the pane. Pane Menu button opens a menu providing various options, including opening the help content related to the pane. To expand a folder within the current view, do one of the following: t Click the turn-down arrow to the left of a folder. t Press the right arrow key.
Working with News Assets To rename the shortcut, do one of the following: t Right-click the shortcut, select Rename Shortcut, type the new name, and press Enter. t Select the shortcut, press F2, type the new name, and press Enter. t Select the shortcut, click it again, type the new name, and press Enter. To reorder shortcuts: t Click a shortcut, drag it to a new location, and release the mouse button.
Working with News Assets You can view the contents of an iNEWS database by choosing the iNEWS system in the Launch pane. Likewise, Projects can also be opened from the Launch pane. Projects and iNEWS systems are identified by the following icons.
Working with Interplay | Production Assets Icon Description ALL queue - shows all stories associated with the project and its facets. These stories do not actually reside in the ALL queue. Instead, they retain their original source queue location and permissions. QUERY Search Queue - shows results of a search conducted with criteria predefined for the project in iNEWS. Each project can have only one search queue.
Working with Interplay | Production Assets • “Displaying or Hiding Referenced Assets” on page 47 • “Viewing and Editing Interplay | Production Metadata” on page 47 • “Viewing Interplay | Production Thumbnails” on page 49 • “Restoring an Asset from an Interplay Production Archive” on page 51 • “Working with Remote Assets (Interplay Production)” on page 195 Identifying Interplay | Production Systems and Media Assets Different icons are used to identify Interplay Production assets and indicate statu
Working with Interplay | Production Assets This action expands the directory to show its contents while still retaining a view of the rest of the database file structure. To close the folder, click the turn-down arrow again. To open an asset: t Double-click the asset. The asset opens in the Media pane. If the asset is a sequence and the Sequence pane is open, the asset is loaded in the Sequence Timeline.
Working with Interplay | Production Assets Moving Columns You can rearrange the order of columns displayed in the Assets pane. To move a column: 1. Click the header of the column you want to move. 2. Drag it right or left and release the mouse button when it is repositioned where you want it. An orange line appears as a guide during the drag-and-drop process. Moving or Copying Assets You can move or copy assets in the Interplay Production database by using the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands.
Working with Interplay | Production Assets Creating a New Folder You can create a new folder in the Interplay Production database. Your ability to create a new folder depends on Interplay Production rules. For example, the credentials you use to sign in to the Interplay Production database must allow creation of folders. For more information, see the Interplay | Access User’s Guide or your Interplay Production administrator. To create a new folder in the Interplay Production database: 1.
Working with Interplay | Production Assets q w q w e e r q t q y q 1 Refresh button 4 Editable text box 2 Save button 5 Non-editable field 3 Pane Menu button 6 Custom property drop-down menu The properties that are displayed in the Metadata pane are determined by settings in the Property Layout view in the Interplay Administrator application.
Working with Interplay | Production Assets n You can also display database properties in an Assets tab (see “Adding or Removing Property Columns” on page 45). In an Assets tab, you can display any property from the database, but you cannot edit a property. To open the Metadata pane: t Select Metadata from the Panes menu. To view properties of an asset: t Double-click an asset in the Assets pane. To edit properties of an asset: 1.
Working with Interplay | Production Assets • Marker-based: Shows any frame with one or more markers. A frame with a marker is indicated by a marker in the upper right corner of the thumbnail. • Both time-based and marker-based thumbnails. The following illustrations show each of these arrangements: time-based, marker-based, and both. Note the following: n • You can show thumbnails for master clips and subclips, and sequences when loaded in Asset mode.
Working with Interplay | Production Assets To view thumbnails: 1. Select Panes > Thumbnails. If an asset is already loaded in Asset mode in the Media pane, thumbnails are displayed in the Thumbnails pane. 2. In the Assets pane, do one of the following: t Double-click a master clip or subclip. t Right-click a sequence and select Load in Asset Mode. The asset is loaded in the Media viewer and thumbnails are displayed in the Thumbnail pane, with timecode for each thumbnail below it.
Working with Interplay | Production Assets To restore an asset in MediaCentral UX, the following are required: • Your Interplay Production workgroup must be properly configured with the Interplay Restore service. The workgroup must also have the appropriate Interplay Restore templates available. Templates determine the destination server, the target video quality, and other options. For more information, see the Interplay Production Services Setup and User’s Guide.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets 3. Select a profile from the Name menu. Profiles are created by an Interplay Production administrator. 4. Click Restore From Archive. The job request is sent. You can check the status of the job in the Progress pane. 5. When the job is complete, you can play the asset in the Media viewer. Working with Interplay | MAM Assets An Interplay MAM database holds media assets such as video and audio assets, basic sequences, and graphics.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets • “Renaming a Folder” on page 57 • “Deleting a Folder” on page 57 • “Creating Assets” on page 58 • “Adding Assets to a Folder” on page 63 • “Triggering the Rights Evaluation for a Basic Sequence” on page 63 • “Moving or Copying Assets” on page 65 • “Renaming Asset References” on page 65 • “Removing Asset References” on page 66 • “Deleting Assets and Basic Sequences” on page 66 • “Viewing and Editing Interplay | MAM Metadata” on page 68 • “Viewing Int
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets Identifying Interplay | MAM Media Assets A set of property columns are shown when viewing MAM assets in the Assets pane. These columns display metadata that is associated with assets in the Interplay MAM database. The following columns are available for MAM assets: Name, Thumbnail, Type, and Rights. Different icons are used to identify Interplay MAM assets and indicate rights in the Assets pane.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets Icon Description Column Feature or Feature Version asset placeholder icon. Is shown until a specific image is assigned as a thumbnail. Thumbnail File asset or Default placeholder icon. Is shown until a specific image is assigned as a thumbnail. Thumbnail Graphics asset placeholder icon. Is shown until a specific image is assigned as a thumbnail. Thumbnail Image asset placeholder icon. Is shown until a specific image Thumbnail is assigned as a thumbnail.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets t To create a sibling of the selected folder, click the Pane Menu button and select Create Folder. t To create a subfolder within the selected folder, right-click the folder and select Create Folder. A new folder is created with the name New.Folder. If there is already a folder named New.Folder, .01 is appended to the folder name, and incremented for each unnamed new folder (New.Folder.02, and so on). 3. Rename the folder. See “Renaming a Folder” on page 57.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets To delete folders: 1. Select one or more folders. 2. Do one of the following: t Right-click and select Delete. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Delete. A security prompt opens. 3. Click Yes. If your credentials allow deleting folders the folders are deleted. If you are not authorized to delete some of the selected folders or folders at all a message opens. After closing the message the folders that are released for deletion are deleted.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets 3. Select the type of the asset to be created from the Asset Type list. The list shows all asset types that you are allowed to work with. The fields of the metadata template configured for the selected asset type are shown. n If you have already entered data on the template and then select another asset type, the previously entered data is lost when the new template opens. 4. Type the main title for the new asset in the Main Title field. 5.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets t Right-click a selected asset and select Actions. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Actions. 3. (Optional) Select the MAM system on which the process is to be created. 4. Select the Upload Video process type. The Upload Video process creation dialog box opens. It shows the asset to which you upload the file as an asset card. The dialog box provides preset process options and metadata fields.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets - Select Yes from the Do Video Analysis list if you want to start the video analysis for the uploaded video. This triggers the Video Analysis process that runs in the background and can be monitored in the Progress pane. The process creates the Default stratum, the keyframes set, and a thumbnail. - Select Yes from the Do Caption Extraction list if you want to start a Caption Extraction process.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets To upload an essence to a non-video asset: 1. Select the new non-video asset, such as an audio, image, or document asset. 2. Do one of the following: t Right-click a selected asset and select Actions. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Actions. 3. (Optional) Select the MAM system on which the process is to be created. 4. Select the Upload File process type and then the “Upload file to object” menu item. The Upload File process creation dialog box opens. 5.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets - If the file format is supported, the Upload File and then the Import File process are completed. - If you try to upload a file that is not supported for the asset type, a Approval user task is created. 9. (Optional) Open the Tasks pane, select the “Approve Import to Different Class” task in the Tasks List, and do one of the following: t Click Yes to allow uploading the unsupported file format.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets Therefore the Rights column initially does not show a Rights Indicator icon for a basic sequence. You have to trigger the rights evaluation once, as described in the following procedure. After that, the Rights Indicator icon of the basic sequence is shown during your current user session. You need to trigger the rights evaluation for each session. To trigger the rights evaluation for a basic sequence: t Select the basic sequence in the Assets pane.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets Moving or Copying Assets You can move or copy basic sequences and other assets in the Interplay MAM Workspace by using the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands, or drag and drop. To move or copy an asset to another folder by using commands: 1. Select one or more assets. 2. Do one of the following: t Click the Pane Menu button and select Cut, or right-click and select Cut. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Copy, or right-click and select Copy. 3.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets Removing Asset References You can remove basic sequences and other assets in the Interplay MAM Workspace. Note that this action removes the reference in the folder but does not delete the basic sequence or the asset itself. To remove asset references from folders: 1. Select one or more assets. 2. Do one of the following: t Right-click and select Delete. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Delete. A security prompt is displayed. 3. Click Yes.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets 2. Do one of the following: t Click the Pane Menu button and select Actions. t (Assets and Search pane only) Right-click and select Actions. 3. (Optional) Select the MAM system on which the Delete process is to be created. This must be the system from which the asset was opened. 4. Select the Delete Assets and Sequences process type. The Delete Assets and Sequences process dialog box opens and shows the assets that are to be deleted as attachments. 5.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets Viewing and Editing Interplay | MAM Metadata The Metadata pane displays properties that are associated with a selected asset in the Interplay MAM database, such as Comments or Creation date. Some properties are created automatically and others you can create or edit manually. In the Metadata pane, if a property is editable, a text box, drop-down menu, or other input control is displayed.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets Property Types In Interplay MAM, the following three property types are distinguished: • Single-value property: When you edit metadata that is allocated to a single-value property, there is only one field available in which to enter data, so only one value can be entered for this asset property. For more information, see “Editing Metadata” on page 71.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets Display Field type Description Date/Time Date/Time fields are preformatted. The display format depends on the locale of your account. You can enter the entire Date/Time values manually, or select the date value from a calendar tool. Timecode Timecode and Duration fields are preformatted for different timecode types (PAL, NTSC). They also support pasting copied timecodes. Duration Integer Integer fields require figures.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets Editing Metadata In the Metadata pane, if a property is editable, a text box, drop-down menu, or other input control is displayed. Depending on the configuration of the asset template in Interplay MAM, the metadata might be distributed in several sections on the Metadata pane. Note the following: • If you are editing an Interplay MAM asset, metadata is locked to prevent other users from editing the metadata at the same time.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets t Navigate down the list using the Down Arrow key until you reach the desired value and press Enter. t Start typing the name of the value in the search box to filter the list, select the value, and press Enter. 4. To edit a thesaurus property, click in the field and do one of the following: t Navigate down the thesaurus using the Down Arrow key until you reach the desired term and press Enter.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets 4. To change the position of a value, click the drag icon to the right of the value, drag it and drop it between other values or at the beginning or end of the property’s value list. 5. To remove a property, click the Minus button to the right of the value. 6. Click the Save button, or click the Pane menu and select Save. To discard your changes, click the Refresh button, load a different asset, or close the Metadata pane. To edit compound properties of an asset: 1.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets Viewing Interplay | MAM Thumbnails The Thumbnails pane lets you display a series of small images of an asset. In an Interplay MAM context, these are referred to as “keyframes” that are displayed in Interplay MAM Desktop’s Lighttable view. In MediaCentral UX they are referred to as “thumbnails.” Viewing and doubleclicking thumbnails can help you navigate through video assets more quickly.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets To view thumbnails: 1. Select Panes > Thumbnails. If an asset is already loaded in Asset mode in the Media pane, thumbnails are displayed in the Thumbnails pane. 2. In the Assets pane, double-click a video asset. The asset is loaded in the Media viewer and thumbnails are displayed in the Thumbnail pane, with timecode for each thumbnail below it. 3. To show only time-based thumbnails, click the Marker button so that it is inactive.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets - Shot Boundaries: Shows the thumbnails that are extracted by the Video Analysis for shot boundaries. - Low: Shows the thumbnails that are extracted by the Video Analysis already for small changes in image content. - Medium Shows the thumbnails that are extracted by the Video Analysis during medium alteration in image content. - High: Shows the thumbnails that are extracted by the Video Analysis only when the image content changed significantly. 4.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets q q w w e e r r 1 2 Display or Control Description Pane Menu button The Pane menu for the Documents pane contains the following options: Fit to Page / Fit to Width toggle button • Actions. Creates a process in the MAM system and attaches the asset to the process. See “Creating Processes” on page 434. • Download. Downloads the document.
Working with Interplay | MAM Assets Note the following: • Opening a document requires a “browse” PDF (file with preferred usage “Preview”). You can check the usage preference of a file in the File Info pane. See “The File Info Pane” on page 375. If you open an asset without a browse PDF, the Documents pane shows the “Asset has no document data” message. • Downloading a document requires a “HiRes” document (file with preferred usage “Editing,” “Distribution,” or “Archive”).
3 Working with Projects The following main topics describe the Project/Story pane and how to use projects and facets in news production: • Opening Projects or Facets • The Project/Story Pane • Associating Stories with Projects or Facets • Opening a Project or Facet Associated with a Story Opening Projects or Facets Using projects is a feature of the iNEWS newsroom computer system that provides a way of categorizing stories by topic so that news teams working on a particular topic can find everything
The Project/Story Pane Every project has an ALL queue that displays in the Queue panel all stories associated with the project and its facets. Any indexed story can be associated with a project or facet. Stories associated with a project retain their original source queue location in the iNEWS database; they do not actually reside in the ALL queue. Stories associated with a project also retain their original source permissions.
The Project/Story Pane The Project/Story pane functions similarly to the Queue/Story pane. It can display either a project’s facet or a news story associated with that project’s facet. It can also display both at the same time, as shown in the following illustration: n The title that appears on the pane’s tab changes based on what is selected in the Project/Story pane. Two buttons, Project and Story, are located at the top of the pane.
Associating Stories with Projects or Facets Associating Stories with Projects or Facets Any indexed story can be associated with a project or facet. To associate an indexed story with a project or facet. 1. Navigate to and open the indexed queue in which the story resides. 2. Right-click the story in the Queue/Story pane and select Associate Story to Project. 3. In the dialog box, select the projects or facets to which you want the story associated. 4. Click Apply.
4 Building a Script The following main topics describe the Queue/Story pane, basic techniques of script building, and some typical production tasks.
The Queue/Story Pane q q w w 1 The Queue section 2 The Story section, also called the Script Editor. For more information, see “The Script Editor” on page 86. The name on the tab of a Queue/Story pane changes based on the story you select in the pane. You can move the mouse pointer over the tab to view the entire path name. When only the queue is displayed in the pane, the display is called a grid view. When only the story is shown in the pane, the display is called a story view.
The Queue/Story Pane n If you change queue attributes in iNEWS while you are working in MediaCentral UX, you need to sign out of MediaCentral UX and sign in again to view your changes.” The Queue/Story Toolbar The Queue/Story pane includes a toolbar that has buttons that toggle the display within the pane and provide functions for editing your story. q q w q e q q r q tq y q uq iq o q 1) q 1! q 1@ q 1# q ggq 1% q 1^ Display or Control Description 1 Queue Toggles display of the queue on or off.
The Queue/Story Pane The Script Editor The section of the pane in which the story appears is called the Script Editor. There are three subsections of the Script Editor: Story Form, Cue List, and Story. The following illustration identifies these areas, along with where a story’s timing is displayed.
The Queue/Story Pane To hide the Story Form, do one of the following: t Click the Pane Menu button located at the top right corner of the Queue/Story pane and select Hide Story Form. t Right-click in the Story Form and select Hide Story Form. To show the Story Form: t Click the Pane Menu button located at the top right corner of the Queue/Story pane and select Show Story Form. The Story is the sub-section of the Script Editor in which you write your story or view the text of an existing story.
Creating a Story Creating a Story You can create a story in MediaCentral UX or edit a story previously created in MediaCentral UX or iNEWS. For more information on how to edit existing stories, see “Editing a Story” on page 91. When connected to an iNEWS server version 4.0 or higher, you can create a new story in a queue or a facet. When you create a story in a facet, the story will be associated with that facet and will live in a special “project bucket.
Segmenting Stories Segmenting Stories You can write a story in a single segment or divide it into multiple segments. The following illustration shows a story in a single segment. You can use segments to time the text and integrate it with video, audio, and production cues. See “Adding Media to a Story” on page 98. Multiple timed segments are combined to form the overall story. The following illustration shows the same story as the one in the previous example, but written as a segmented story.
Writing Stories in Right-to-Left Languages To split a segment in two: 1. Position the cursor in the story where you want to split the text into two segments. 2. Do one of the following: t Right-click and select Split Segment. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Split Segment. t Press Ctrl+] (Windows) or Command+] (Macintosh). To rearrange segments in a story: t n Click the header bar of the segment you want to move and drag it up or down into its new location.
Using Annotation to Dictate a Story To manually switch alignment of the segment that has focus, do one of the following: t Press Ctrl+Shift. t Select “Switch to RTL” from the Queue/Story Pane menu. If the story is RTL, select “Switch to LTR.” t Right-click and select “Switch to RTL.” If the story is RTL, select “Switch to LTR.” Using Annotation to Dictate a Story The Annotation feature allows users to dictate their stories, using the Chrome browser's Speech-toText technology.
Editing a Story The standard editing features found in MediaCentral UX are the same as those for most word processing software applications. You can cut, copy, or paste text as you work on a story. When cutting or copying text, the system stores the text in a temporary storage spot known as a clipboard; only one block of text can be stored at a time, so whenever you cut or copy something new, it replaces whatever was previously stored on the clipboard.
Editing a Story To underline text, do one of the following: t Select the text and click the U button. t Select the text and press Ctrl+U (Windows) or Command+U (Macintosh). Formatting a Script When you write a story, the text appears in the normal, the default text style. When you format a story as a script for a news broadcast, you might need to mark certain text, such as instructions for presenters or closed captioning.
Editing a Story When selected, the production cue marker is colored orange, and the information in the production cue is visible in the Cue List. You can copy one or more production cues from one story to another, and you can copy production cues and paste them within an open story. To insert a production cue in a script: 1. Position your cursor in the story where you want to insert the production cue marker. 2. Do one of the following: t Right-click and select Insert Production Cue.
Editing a Story To copy one or more production cues to another story: 1. Open two stories. 2. Click and hold the mouse and select the production cue or cues, or text that includes the production cues. 3. Press Ctrl+C. 4. Position the insert cursor where you want to insert the production cue or cues. 5. Press Ctrl+V. If necessary, the production cues are renumbered to fit sequentially into the target story. You can also drag and drop the production cues from one story to another.
Copying Stories Like other machine control instructions, the instructions you type must be preceded by an asterisk (*) and written in a special format, beginning with a command for the type of device the instruction is for, such as CG for a character generator. To insert a primary production cue: 1. Position your cursor in the story where you want to insert the production cue marker. 2. Do one of the following: t Right-click and select Insert Primary Cue.
Inserting Script Templates Easy locks and key locks can only be applied to a story from an iNEWS workstation, but the security measures are honored within MediaCentral UX. With easy lock, an iNEWS user locks the story to his or her user name, so that only that user or an iNEWS system administrator can access it. If any other user attempts to open an easy-locked story from MediaCentral UX, they will be denied viewing or editing access to the story.
Inserting MOS Placeholders To insert a script template: 1. Position your cursor in the story body where you want to insert the template information. 2. Do one of the following: t Click the Template button in the toolbar. t Right-click and select Insert Script Template. t Press Ctrl+Shift+I. 3. Select the template you want to use from the list by double-clicking on it. n If you already know the name of the template you want, you can also type it in the Search field and press Enter.
Associating a Sequence with a Story The following illustration shows the Open Sequence button and a sequence that is associated with a story. n Saving a story does not save a sequence associated with a story. You must save the sequence in the Sequence pane. See “Saving a Sequence” on page 134. Associating a Sequence with a Story In addition to using MediaCentral UX to create a new sequence for a story (see “Adding Media to a Story” on page 98), you can associate an existing sequence with an iNEWS story.
Associating a Sequence with a Story You can update the timing field for a story when you associate a sequence with it so that the duration of a story matches the duration of the sequence. If you unassociate a sequence from a story, the duration of the story returns to its original value. The following table illustrates the effect associating a sequence with a story has on the story timing.
Associating a Sequence with a Story 4. To specify how the timing field is updated, click the Timing field menu in the Details pane and select one of the following: AUDIO-TIME This field displays the estimated read time for a story. Unless specified manually, the estimated time is based on the length of the story and presenter’s read rate. If there is also a TAPE-TIME field in the story form, the system adds the TAPE-TIME to the AUDIO-TIME to calculate the story’s total time.
Associating a Sequence with a Story n You cannot undo this action. If you want to associate a different sequence with your story, select a new sequence and repeat the procedure. The new sequence becomes an associated sequence. To associate a sequence with more than one story: 1. Open your story in the Queue/Story pane. 2. Open the sequence in the Interplay database that you want to associate with your story. 3.
Creating a Text-Only Story Segment Creating a Text-Only Story Segment For some news stories, you might need to create a story segment that is not associated with video in the story. For example, a story might include presenter text before the video starts. MediaCentral UX v2.1.2 and later lets you create a story segment that does not display a corresponding timing block in the sequence. You can create more than one text-only story segment in a sequence.
Copying and Sending iNEWS Links Copying and Sending iNEWS Links You can copy and send links to stories, queues, iNEWS folders, iNEWS facets, and iNEWS projects. These links are in URL format and can be shared through e-mail, wikis, documents, or chat messages. The links are valid as long as the item exists in the iNEWS database. When you click an iNEWS link or paste it into the address bar of a supported browser, MediaCentral UX opens with the correct layout and asset selection.
Recovering Stories In Case of Disconnect Click the name of the asset to open the last saved version. If the asset is a story, the Queue/Story pane displays three additional buttons: - Recovered: Click this button to open the recovery file (from the local system). - Last Saved: Click this button to open the last saved file (from the Interplay Production database). - Keep This: Click this button to save the version that you display and delete the other version.
Deleting or Recovering a Deleted Story Deleting or Recovering a Deleted Story When an iNEWS story is deleted, it is sent to a folder labeled Dead (the Dead queue), from which an administrator can retrieve it for a limited amount of time. This time frame is pre-determined based on a purge interval set for that queue by each site’s system administrator. To delete a story: 1. Select the story. 2. Click the Pane Menu button located at the top right corner of the Queue/Story pane. 3. Select Delete Story.
Production Tasks 5. Do one of the following: t Select one or more stories, drag them to Media Composer, and drop them into a bin. You can then work with the sequence or sequences as you do with any other Media Composer sequence. Note that editing the sequence and checking it in to Interplay Production might make it uneditable or unplayable in MediaCentral UX. For more information, see “Opening and Editing an Existing Sequence in the Sequence Pane” on page 138.
Production Tasks Grouping Stories You can group stories within a queue to link them together. For example, a producer might want to link a presenter’s intro and tag before and after a reporter’s package as a story group within a rundown. When stories in a queue can be grouped, a Story Group column appears as the second column in the Queue panel located next to first column of selector buttons. n You can only create groups from contiguous stories.
Production Tasks To move a story group: 1. In the Queue/Story panel, click any square within the Story Group column to select the group. 2. Drag and drop the group into its new location within the queue. You can drag and drop a story group anywhere within a single queue or from one queue to another in a different workspace and group associations are retained.
Production Tasks If you reorder a queue, and the preferences were set in your iNEWS client or configuration to provide a confirmation of the action, MediaCentral UX displays a message asking you to confirm the story reordering. Click OK to complete the copy or Cancel to leave the queue unmodified. For more information, see “Setting Confirmation Preferences” in the Avid iNEWS User’s Guide.
Production Tasks Controlling the iNEWS Monitor Server The monitor server is a utility program that runs on the iNEWS server. When turned on, it checks its assigned rundown for machine control events, reports any errors, and creates a playlist. When “loaded,” the monitor server sends its playlist to a specified device automation system, such as iNEWS | Command. n MediaCentral UX v2.6.x and v2.7.x allowed users to turn the monitor server on and off but did not allow users to load the monitor server.
Production Tasks n The MON button is disabled for MediaCentral UX users who do not have permission to invoke the monitor server. Positioning the mouse pointer over the MON button displays a tooltip that states “Current user does not have monitor permissions for this rundown.” To control the iNEWS monitor server: 1. Click the MON button. The Monitor dialog box is displayed in the state it was last set. 2. Do one of the following: t Click On to turn the monitor on.
Production Tasks c t Click Unload to clear the playlist from the devices without turning off broadcast control. t Click Off to turn off the monitor server. This option overrides the automatic shutoff time that appears in the Quit Time field. To avoid having a user accidentally turn off a loaded monitor server, Avid recommends using group security (in MAP story for rundowns) to ensure only specific users have permission to invoke the monitor server from the MediaCentral UX interface.
Production Tasks 4. When you finish editing the field, click another row to save your changes. n Clicking another field in the same row in the queue does not save your edits. 5. If the option to display a confirmation dialog on story save is enabled on your iNEWS server, a dialog box displays asking you to confirm your changes. Click Yes to save your changes. You can click No to discard your changes, or you can click Cancel to return to editing the story’s row.
Production Tasks 3. When you finish editing the field, click another row to save your changes. n Clicking another field in the same row in the queue does not save your edits. 4. If the option to display a confirmation dialog on story save is enabled on your iNEWS server, a dialog box displays asking you to confirm your changes. Click Yes to save your changes. You can click No to discard your changes, or you can click Cancel to return to editing the story’s row.
Production Tasks Printing a Rundown View In the event that you need a printed copy of a show’s rundown, you can print the current rundown view from MediaCentral UX. To print the current rundown view: t Click the Print button. The default browser Print dialog box opens, letting you send the current rundown view to a printer of your choice.
5 Using the Sequence Pane The following main topics describe the Sequence pane and how to use it: • Displaying the Sequence Pane • The Sequence Pane • Understanding Basic and Advanced Sequences • Selecting a Horizontal or Vertical Timeline • Navigating in the Sequence Timeline • Using the Sequence Zoom Bar • Viewing Sequence Information • Creating a Sequence • Saving a Sequence • Saving a Version of a Sequence • Recovering Sequences • Opening and Editing an Existing Sequence in the Se
The Sequence Pane The following illustration shows the two timelines and two orientations and identifies the controls. 1! 1@ 1& 1# 1$1% q q w w e e r e t e y e u e i e o e 1) e 1^ Left: Vertical timeline for an advanced sequence. Right: Horizontal timeline for a basic sequence. Control Description 1 Sequence Pane tab Move the mouse pointer over the tab to display information about the sequence. See “Viewing Sequence Information” on page 126.
The Sequence Pane Control Description 10 Show/Hide Empty Timing Blocks (Script sequence only) Shows or hides empty timing blocks. See “Showing and Hiding Empty Timing Blocks” on page 147. 11 Sequence zoom bar Lets you enlarge a section of the timeline. Displays segments, tracks, and other sequence information. See “Using the Sequence Zoom Bar” on page 124. 12 Track selectors Lets you select the track for an insert edit, an overwrite edit, or a split segment operation (advanced sequence only).
The Sequence Pane n Menu Item Description Insert Dissolve Inserts a video dissolve (advanced sequence only). See “Inserting Video Dissolves (Advanced Sequences Only)” on page 175. Split Divides one or more segments into two at the position indicator. See “Splitting a Segment” on page 172. Delete Deletes the selected item (segment or effect). Modify Start Timecode See “Modifying the Start Timecode” on page 177.
Understanding Basic and Advanced Sequences Understanding Basic and Advanced Sequences When you create a sequence from the Assets pane, you can choose whether to create a basic sequence or an advanced sequence. Interplay Production supports basic sequences and advanced sequences. Interplay MAM supports only basic sequences. • A basic sequence includes a timeline with one video track and one audio track. The single audio track represents all source audio tracks.
Offline Media in the Timeline An administrator can rename the audio track labels. An administrator also determines the audio track mapping, which you can change. For information on renaming, mapping, and configuring audio tracks, and adding audio dissolves, see “Working with Audio Tracks in Advanced Sequences” on page 221. You can add video dissolves to an advanced sequence. See “Inserting Video Dissolves (Advanced Sequences Only)” on page 175. Audio dissolves are added automatically.
Selecting a Horizontal or Vertical Timeline n Segments with partially online media are displayed as online (green). Selecting a Horizontal or Vertical Timeline You can display the Sequence pane with a vertical timeline or a horizontal timeline. You can change the orientation to your preference and the selection will be saved until you change it or reset your layout.
Using the Sequence Zoom Bar Using the Sequence Zoom Bar The Sequence zoom bar is located below the Sequence Timeline for horizontal orientation or to the left of the timeline for vertical orientation. You can use the zoom bar to enlarge a section of the Sequence Timeline so that you can work more easily with long sequences or make precise edit decisions. n The Sequence zoom bar is similar to the Media zoom bar, but the two zoom bars operate independently.
Using the Sequence Zoom Bar The zoom bar includes a position indicator that matches the position indicator in the Sequence Timeline and the Media Timeline. This position indicator is always visible in the zoom bar, which is useful when you are zoomed in to a section of the timeline that does not include the timeline position indicator. Position indicator in zoom bar but not in zoom region. You can click the position indicator in the zoom bar and jump to its counterpart in the timeline.
Timeline Paging During Playback Zoom slider handles, right handle selected. The zoom region moves in or out symmetrically unless one end reaches the end of the sequence. If you want to drag only one end, Alt+click the handle and drag it. t With the Sequence pane active, press the Down Arrow key to zoom in by 50 percent or press the Up Arrow key to zoom out by 50 percent. Press Shift+Up Arrow to reset the zoom level to show the entire sequence.
Viewing Sequence Information The following table describes the information you can view for Interplay Production sequences. Item Description Name The asset name as listed in the Interplay Production database. Format 30i NTSC 25i PAL, 25p PAL 720p/25, 720p/29.97, 720p/50, 720p/59.94 1080i/59.94, 1080i/50 1080p/25, 1080p/29.97 Aspect ratio 4:3 16:9 Raster Dimensions: 720x486 720x592 1280x720 1920x1080 The following table describes the information you can viewfor Interplay MAM basic sequences.
Creating a Sequence Item Description No of Segments Calculated automatically when you add or remove segments. Note Is shown when you open a read-only basic sequence; informs you why the sequence is readonly: due to Interplay MAM access rules or because it represents an external sequence. Creating a Sequence You can create a sequence in MediaCentral UX and save it as an asset in the Interplay Production or Interplay MAM database. You can also create a sequence and associate it with an iNEWS story.
Creating a Sequence Creating an Interplay | Production Sequence There are several ways to create an Interplay Production sequence: • Create a sequence in the Interplay Production database without loading it in the Sequence pane, or with the Sequence pane closed. Use this procedure to create a “placeholder” sequence for later editing. • Create a sequence, edit it in the Sequence pane, and save it. Use this procedure to create a sequence independently from an iNEWS story.
Creating a Sequence The sequence name is grayed out and in italics until online media is added to the sequence and you save the sequence. 4. Rename the sequence in the Assets pane by doing one of the following: t Select the sequence, click the name of the sequence, and type the new name, t Select the sequence, press F2 (Windows) or Enter (Macintosh), and type the new name. 5. Edit the sequence. See “Editing a Sequence” on page 149. 6.
Creating a Sequence You might need to click the Refresh button to see the sequence in the Assets pane. Rules for Creating a Script Sequence (Interplay | Production) Keep in mind the following rules when creating a sequence that you want to associate with a story (referred to as a script sequence): n • When creating a new sequence that you want to associate with a story, first open the Sequence pane, then click the Open Sequence button to associate the sequence with the story.
Creating a Sequence If a video ID is not listed, click in either field and enter the appropriate video ID 3. Open the Sequence pane. 4. Click the Open Sequence button. The name of the story is used for the name of the sequence. 5. (Optional) Edit the sequence. 6. Save the sequence. The video ID is associated with the sequence and the sequence is checked into the Interplay Production database. The video ID is listed with other information about the sequence in the Metadata pane.
Creating a Sequence Creating an Interplay | MAM Sequence For Interplay MAM sequences, you define the target frame rate when you create the basic sequence. By default, you can add clips with a differing frame rate. Note that mixed frame rate editing might be disabled by configuration in Interplay MAM. n For information about working with assets whose media is stored on a remote location, see “Working with Remote Playback (Interplay | MAM)” on page 196.
Saving a Sequence See “Editing a Sequence” on page 149. 11. Save the sequence by doing one of the following: t Click the Save button in the Sequence pane toolbar. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Save Sequence. t With focus in the Sequence pane, press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command+S (Macintosh). Audio-Only Basic Sequences (Interplay | MAM) You can create and save an audio-only basic sequence in the Interplay MAM database.
Saving a Version of a Sequence Saving a sequence automatically saves the markers contained in the sequence. n You can move or copy a sequence in the Assets pane by using the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands. To save a sequence, do one of the following: t Click the Save button in the Sequence pane toolbar. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Save Sequence.
Recovering Sequences To export an Interplay MAM basic sequence: 1. Do one of the following: t Open a basic sequence in the Media pane. t In the Assets pane, navigate to the desired folder and select the basic sequence. t In the Search pane, conduct a search and select the basic sequence in the results list. 2. Do one of the following: t Click the Pane Menu button and select Actions. t (Assets and Search pane only) Right-click and select Actions. 3.
Recovering Sequences Each edit you make is stored, so that the state of the sequence after the last edit can be restored in case of a crash or timeout, and no edits are lost. n For information about recovering stories, see “Recovering Stories In Case of Disconnect” on page 104.
Opening and Editing an Existing Sequence in the Sequence Pane Opening and Editing an Existing Sequence in the Sequence Pane MediaCentral UX lets you open and edit sequences that you created in MediaCentral UX, Avid editing applications, Interplay Assist, and Avid Instinct, and Interplay MAM Desktop. You are limited in the types of sequences you can play and edit.
Opening a Sequence Associated with a Story • Interplay MAM sequences that are edited in Interplay MAM Desktop might contain comments for individual segments. These comments are also displayed in the Sequence pane timeline. • For more information about playback of sequences, see “Playback of Simple and Complex Sequences” on page 190. To open an existing sequence in the Sequence pane: t Double-click a sequence in the Assets pane, the Search pane, the Quick Search pane, or the Tasks pane.
Editing a Sequence Associated with a Story Editing a Sequence Associated with a Story If you are a journalist working on a sequence associated with a story (a script sequence), you need to edit the clips in your sequence to match the script in your story. In MediaCentral UX, both the story segments and the Sequence pane include timing information to help you edit your script and your sequence. In the Story pane, a script is divided into story segments.
Editing a Sequence Associated with a Story As you edit the text in your script and the media in your sequence, the story segments in the Story pane and the timing blocks in the Sequence pane remain synchronized to help you edit media to match your script.
Editing a Sequence Associated with a Story n • If you are working on a script and a sequence together, the same set of Undo/Redo actions applies to both the Story pane and the Sequence pane. If you load a new sequence or close the Sequence pane, the Undo actions are lost in the Story pane. • For some news stories, you might need to create a story segment that is not associated with video in the story. For example, a story might include presenter text before the video starts.
Editing a Sequence Associated with a Story The following examples show the results of adding media to a story segment that is 16 seconds long. In the following illustration, there is no media associated with the story segment, so the timing display is 0:00/0:16. The media duration is red, indicating that more media is needed to match the text duration in the story segment and eliminate any video gaps.
Editing a Sequence Associated with a Story • If you insert a clip that is 20 seconds long, it extends the timing block 4 seconds. The timing display changes to 0:20/0:16. The media duration is black, indicating that there is enough media to match the length of the text. However, there is now a 4 second gap at the end of the text. You can either trim the video to 16 seconds, or add some text.
Editing a Sequence Associated with a Story Editing Media into Timing Blocks Editing media into a timing block is similar to editing media into the sequence (see “Editing a Sequence” on page 149). You can perform insert edits or overwrite edits, trim segments, split segments, and so on. For example, you can insert a video clip into a timing block simply by dragging the clip from the Media viewer to a timing block.
Editing a Sequence Associated with a Story The following illustration shows a selected segment (Video plus NAT plus SOT) in the first timing block. The position indicator is in the middle of the second timing block, which is the location into which you want to extend the segment. The tool tip for the Extend/Retract button displays “Extend.” After you click the Extend/Retract button, the video and NAT for the selected segment extend into the second timing block.
Editing a Sequence Associated with a Story The Extend/Retract button turns orange to indicate that the segment is extended into the next timing block. The tool tip for the button changes to Retract. n If you extend a segment over a hidden timing block, the timing block is displayed. See “Showing and Hiding Empty Timing Blocks” on page 147. To retract a segment: 1. Select the segment. 2. Do one of the following: t Click the Extend/Retract button. t Right-click and select Retract.
Editing a Sequence Associated with a Story The following illustration shows the formerly hidden timing block. The Show/Hide Empty Timing Blocks button turns orange. Note the following: • If you extend a segment over a hidden timing block and into the next timing block, the hidden timing block is displayed and the segment is extended into it. • If you take any actions to change a timing block, such as manually adjusting its duration, the block will always be shown.
Editing a Sequence To manually adjust a timing block: 1. Move the mouse pointer to the outside border of a timing block header so that a two-headed arrow appears. 2. Click the border of the header. The timing block header turns orange. n The timing block does not need to include media. Media does not need to be selected. 3. Drag the border to shorten or lengthen the duration of the timing block. The following illustration shows a timing block duration shortened to match the duration of the video.
Editing a Sequence n • “Performing an Insert Edit in an Advanced Sequence” on page 151 • “Performing an Overwrite Edit in an Advanced Sequence” on page 155 • “Performing a Replace Edit” on page 159 • “Enabling an Audio Track” on page 162 • “Using Match Frame to Add Media to a Sequence” on page 164 • “Undoing and Redoing an Action in the Sequence Pane” on page 164 • “Moving or Deleting Segments in the Timeline” on page 165 • “Adding and Removing Audio Segments” on page 165 • “Creating an A
Editing a Sequence Performing an Insert Edit in a Basic Sequence The timeline for a basic sequence has two tracks: video (V) and audio (A). A basic sequence uses green for video and audio, as shown in the following illustration. For more information on basic sequences and advanced sequences, see “Understanding Basic and Advanced Sequences” on page 121 and “Selecting a Horizontal or Vertical Timeline” on page 123.
Editing a Sequence For information about colors in the timeline and other sequence information, see “Understanding Basic and Advanced Sequences” on page 121 and “Selecting a Horizontal or Vertical Timeline” on page 123. If you are editing an advanced sequence, you can drag a clip from the Media viewer to the Sequence Timeline as either an insert or an overwrite edit (see “Performing an Overwrite Edit in an Advanced Sequence” on page 155).
Editing a Sequence 3. Drag the clip from the Media viewer to a location in the video track or an audio track. Make sure the mouse pointer is below the guideline. The timeline shows where the insert will take place and how it will affect the other clips in the timeline. 4. Release the mouse button. The selected material is inserted into the timeline and the position indicator moves to the first frame of the next segment.
Editing a Sequence n The examples in this topic use a horizontal timeline. If you are editing a sequence in a vertical timeline, the guideline is also vertical, and the edits are determined by dragging to the left or to the right of the guideline. If you release the mouse button below the guideline, you perform an insert edit, as indicated by the yellow arrow and yellow overlay.
Editing a Sequence To perform an overwrite edit using drag and drop: 1. Load a clip in the Media pane and mark In and Out points. The amount of material that you overwrite is determined by the In-to-Out duration of the asset. When you use this method, the Media pane must be in Asset mode. 2. Drag the clip from the Media viewer to a location in the video track of the Sequence Timeline. Make sure the mouse pointer is above the guideline in the middle of the track.
Editing a Sequence The following illustration shows how a video-only overwrite edit is displayed when you drag a clip to the timeline. A thin guideline is displayed through the video track. If you release the mouse button above the guideline, you perform an overwrite edit, as indicated by the red arrow and red overlay. The following illustration shows how a video and NAT overwrite edit is displayed when you drag a clip to the timeline. The NAT track indicator is enabled.
Editing a Sequence Note the following: • You can perform an overwrite edit only in an advanced sequence. • If you use the drag and drop method, and you drop your clip in the Sequence Timeline before the guideline appears (approximately 0.5 second), you perform an insert edit instead of an overwrite edit. To perform an overwrite edit using the Overwrite button or B key: 1. Load a clip in the Media pane and mark In and Out points.
Editing a Sequence 4. Release the mouse button. The selected material overwrites the material in the timeline and the position indicator moves to the first frame of the next segment. - If the selected material is shorter than the segment that you are overwriting, and you are overwriting only video, the audio of the overwritten segment is preserved and creates an Lcut. The following illustrations show an example of the edit in progress and the result.
Editing a Sequence Performing a Replace Edit A replace edit is a quick way to completely overwrite a selected segment in a sequence without changing the duration of the segment. It is similar to an overwrite edit, but a replace edit is limited to an entire segment. qw q w 1 Overwrite button; 2 Replace button To perform a replace edit, use the In point to indicate the start of the video you want to use in the sequence (the source material).
Editing a Sequence To replace video and audio in a basic sequence: 1. Load a clip in Asset mode and mark an IN point. 2. In the sequence, select the segment that you want to replace. You cannot select only video or only audio. 3. Click the Replace button. Video and audio in the selected segment is replaced. To replace only video in an advanced sequence: 1. Load a clip in Asset mode and mark an IN point. 2. In the sequence, select the segment that you want to replace.
Editing a Sequence The selected video and audio is replaced. In the following illustration, the NAT track is selected, and after the edit the Video and NAT tracks are green, to indicate video plus NAT. In the following illustration, both the NAT track and the SOT track are selected. After the edit the video segment and SOT audio segment are colored light blue, to indicate video plus SOT. Light blue is also used for video plus NAT and SOT. To replace voice-over audio in an advanced sequence: 1.
Editing a Sequence The selected audio is replaced. Enabling an Audio Track When editing an advanced sequence, you can enable audio tracks in the following combinations: • Video and NAT track • Video and SOT track • Video and NAT and SOT tracks • VO track Enabling an audio track provides options for the following operations: • Splitting a segment. See “Splitting a Segment” on page 172. • Performing an insert edit. See “Performing an Insert Edit in an Advanced Sequence” on page 151.
Editing a Sequence Note the following: - Enabling the VO track disables NAT and SOT tracks. - Enabling either the NAT or the SOT track disables the VO track - If both the NAT and SOT tracks are enabled, Alt-click a track to disable both tracks. - If both the NAT or SOT track are disabled, Alt-click a track to enable both tracks. Using a Basic Sequence as a Source for a Sequence You can open a basic sequence in Asset mode and use it as source footage for a sequence that is loaded in Output mode.
Editing a Sequence Using Match Frame to Add Media to a Sequence You can load a sequence from the Interplay Production database into Asset mode in the Media pane, and use the Match Frame feature to open the source clip for a particular frame. Then select media from the source clip to edit into a different sequence. n This approach is most useful when editing from an advanced sequence. Starting with MediaCentral UX v2.5, you can use a basic sequence as source footage for a sequence.
Editing a Sequence Moving or Deleting Segments in the Timeline After you add assets to a sequence, you can rearrange them in the timeline. A portion of media that is contained on a track in a sequence is called a segment. For an advanced sequence, after you have added a segment to the timeline, you cannot switch it to a different track. For example, if you drag and drop a clip into the timeline as a SOT, you cannot then select that segment in the timeline and drag it to another audio track.
Editing a Sequence This feature applies only to the segment you select. It does not affect the audio in other segments of the sequence. n Enabling the track selector for NAT or SOT does not affect this feature. To add a NAT or SOT segment: t Right-click a segment in the Sequence pane and select one of the following: - Add audio segment > NAT - Add audio segment > SOT A check mark indicates if an audio segment is included in the sequence.
Editing a Sequence If you enable both NAT and SOT for a segment (as described in “Adding and Removing Audio Segments” on page 165), you can overwrite the original video and keep both NAT and SOT segments.The following illustration shows NAT and SOT tracks that are not associated with a video segment. The video segment above the selected NAT track is colored purple to indicate there is no associated audio.
Editing a Sequence If an edit can be made to any timecode location, snap points can help you accurately align your edit. This can be particularly useful when aligning audio and video.
Editing a Sequence • “Trimming from the Top or the Tail of a Segment” on page 170 • “Using Double-Sided Trim” on page 171 Trimming a Basic Sequence When trimming a basic sequence, video and audio are trimmed together. You cannot trim only video or only audio. To trim a segment using the mouse, do the following: t Click one end of the segment and drag the audio or video trim indicator. To trim a segment using keyboard shortcuts: 1. Click the end of the segment you want to trim. 2.
Editing a Sequence t To trim only audio, click one end of the audio segment and drag the trim indicator. t To trim only video if the sequence includes audio from the same source, hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or Command key (Macintosh), click one end of the video segment, and drag the trim indicator. Use this technique to create an L-cut. See “Using L-Cuts in the Timeline” on page 172. To trim a segment using keyboard shortcuts: 1. Click the end of the segment you want to trim. 2.
Editing a Sequence To trim from the end of a segment: 1. Position the position indicator on the frame to which you want to trim. You can trim a selected segment or all segments that overlap at the position indicator. To trim overlapping segments, do not select any segments. The trim affects one video segment, its associated audio segment, and any voice-over segment. n To deselect a segment, click in an unused part of the timeline. 2. Do one of the following: n t Right-click and select Trim Tail.
Editing a Sequence Using L-Cuts in the Timeline An L-cut is a split edit between two segments in which the video transition does not occur simultaneously with the audio transition. In some cases, the audio transition happens before the video, while in other cases the reverse is true. The following illustration shows an L-cut near the 20-second mark in the timeline. The SOT segment in the sequence (light blue) extends beyond its corresponding video. To create an L-cut: 1.
Editing a Sequence Splitting a segment works differently, depending on the type of sequence you are editing: • For a basic sequence, a split applies to all visible tracks. For a sequence with a video track and audio track, you cannot split only video or only audio. • For an advanced sequence, you can select audio tracks to split by enabling the track. To enable a track, click the track indicator button so that it displays orange.
Editing a Sequence The following illustration shows a video segment with associated NAT and SOT tracks enabled for splitting, and the results of the split operation. Left: Before splitting the segments; Right: After splitting the segments You can now edit the split segments, for example, by deleting one of the new segments or inserting a new clip at the split. Adding Markers to a Sequence There are two ways to add markers to a sequence: n • Add a clip or a portion of a clip that contains markers.
Editing a Sequence Inserting Video Dissolves (Advanced Sequences Only) You can insert a video dissolve to transition on center between segments in an advanced sequence. Dissolves can be set to transition from 2 to 300 frames, using even numbers only, with half of the frames used in the leading segment and the other half in the trailing segment. n Dissolves cannot be placed at the start of the first segment or the end of the last segment in a sequence.
Editing a Sequence 3. By default the duration of dissolves is set to 20 frames, divided evenly at 10 frames in the leading segment and 10 frames in the trailing segment. This can be changed, however, by doubleclicking on the Dissolve icon or by right-clicking on the icon and selecting Modify Duration. If altered, any new dissolve added to the sequence afterwards will have the altered setting for its duration.
Editing a Sequence Modifying the Start Timecode In some cases you might need to change the timecode for the first frame of a sequence. This feature applies only to Interplay Production sequences. To modify the start timecode of a sequence: 1. Load a sequence in the Media pane. 2. Click the Sequence Pane Menu button and select Modify Start Timecode. 3. Position the insert bar in front of the digit you want to change and type a new digit. In the following example, the first digit is changed from 0 to 1.
6 Working with Video Media The following main topics describe how to work with the Media pane to view and edit your video assets: • The Media Pane • Playing Assets • Working with Remote Assets (Interplay Production) • Working with Remote Playback (Interplay | MAM) • Marking In and Out Points • Working with Markers and Restrictions • Displaying Captions and Segments • Using the Timecode Displays • Entering Timecode to Cue a Frame • Working in the Media Timeline • Using the Media Zoom Bar
The Media Pane The Media Pane The Media pane provides you with the controls you need to play, cue, and mark video clips as you build your story. You can set the Media pane to one of two modes: • Click the Asset button to work in Asset mode. Use Asset mode to view master clips, subclips, and sequences, and to edit media into your sequence. You can also send a sequence to a playback device or add a MAM asset to a process.
The Media Pane Media Pane: Asset Mode The following illustration shows the Media pane in Asset mode. Displays and controls are described in the accompanying table. q w e i o r 1) t y u 1! Display or Control Description 1 Title Displays the name of an asset loaded from the Interplay Production database or the title of an asset loaded from the Interplay MAM database. The title of an Interplay MAM asset might not match the name in the Assets pane.
The Media Pane 3 4 Display or Control Description Video format display Displays the tracks associated with the asset. If the display is red, the asset does not have online media that matches the target resolution of the selected Send to Playback profile. If you move the mouse pointer over the display, you see what video and audio formats are associated with the asset, in addition to the tracks.
The Media Pane Display or Control 11 MultiRez button Description If this option is enabled, lets you choose to play back at the highest resolution. See “Playing Back at the Highest Resolution” on page 207. Media Pane Menu Options (Asset Mode) The following table lists options in the Media Pane menu when an asset is loaded in Asset mode. For more information, see the appropriate topic. Menu Option Description Match Frame See “Using Match Frame” on page 208.
The Media Pane Menu Option Description Send to Playback Settings See “Specifying Send to Playback Settings” on page 415. Interplay Production only Actions See “Creating Processes” on page 434. Interplay MAM only Quick Send See “Using the Quick Send Feature” on page 440. Interplay MAM only Deliver to Me See “Delivering Assets and Media to a Local Workgroup” on page 429. Interplay Production only Deliver To See “Delivering Assets and Media to a Remote Workgroup” on page 427.
The Media Pane Media Pane: Output Mode The following illustration shows the Media pane in Output mode. Displays and controls are described in the accompanying table. i o q w e r t y u 1) 1! Display or Control Description 1 Title Displays the name of a sequence loaded from the Interplay Production database or the title of a sequence loaded from the Interplay MAM database. The title of an Interplay MAM sequence might not match the name in the Assets pane.
The Media Pane 5 Display or Control Description Media Timeline and Media zoom bar • The Media Timeline is a graphical representation of the length and time span of an asset or sequence. The Media Timeline includes timing marks, a position indicator, and other controls. For more information, see “Working in the Media Timeline” on page 203. • The Media zoom bar lets you enlarge a section of the Media Timeline. For more information, see “Using the Media Zoom Bar” on page 204.
The Media Pane Menu Option Description MultiAngle View See “Loading a Group Clip and Changing the Angle View” on page 237. Interplay Production only Playback Quality See “Selecting the Playback Quality” on page 192. Playback Latency See “Adjusting for Playback Latency” on page 192. Playback Mode (Frame or File) See “Selecting Frame-Based Playback or File-Based Playback” on page 193. Basic sequences only. Overlay Text Displays the contents of a selected marker.
Playing Assets Playing Assets You can play a video asset or audio asset in the Media pane. The following illustration shows the play buttons in the Media pane. q w 1 Play In to Out 2 Play/Pause e 3 Review Out You can also use keyboard controls, including the J, K, and L keys. For more information, see “Using the J-K-L Keys for Playback” on page 188. For information about stepping through media, see “Stepping Through Assets” on page 189.
Playing Assets Using the J-K-L Keys for Playback The J-K-L keys on the keyboard allow you to play and shuttle through media at varying speeds. This feature, also referred to as three-button play or variable-speed play, allows you to use three fingers to manipulate the speed of playback for greater control. The playback speed is displayed in the upper right corner of the Media viewer. For backward play, the display includes a left-pointing arrow.
Playing Assets -4x -3x -2x -1x 0 1x 2x 3x 4x For example, you are shuttling backward with the J key at 2x normal speed. Press and hold Alt and tap the L key once. Play slows to backward at normal speed (1x speed). Hold Alt and tap L once again. Play stops. Continue to hold Alt and tap L once again. Play goes forward at normal speed. Stepping Through Assets You can use various controls to step through a clip, subclip, or sequence.
Playing Assets Playing Recently Viewed Assets MediaCentral UX keeps a history of the last 10 assets that you loaded in the Asset mode of the Media pane. You select any of these assets to play, rather than selecting them from the Interplay Production database tree. To play one of the last 10 assets loaded in Asset mode: 1. Click the Pane Menu button. 2. Click Recently Viewed Assets > asset_name.
Playing Assets Sequences that are fully supported for playback in MediaCentral UX are marked by a green triangle in the State column in the Assets pane. These sequences play as the editor intended, with all effects rendered. n The State column is not displayed by default. For information about how to display it, see “Adding or Removing Property Columns” on page 45.
Playing Assets Mixing Down Complex Sequences If a sequence is not playable in the Media viewer, and you do not want to render it, you can use the MediaCentral UX Mixdown feature to create a playable master clip. See “Transcoding Assets” on page 209. Selecting the Playback Quality When you play media in MediaCentral UX, you are viewing media that is compressed for optimum viewing over a network.
Playing Assets Selecting Frame-Based Playback or File-Based Playback Earlier versions of MediaCentral UX used only frame-based playback. Starting with v2.1, MediaCentral UX includes an option to use file-based playback. The following sections compare the two types of playback and provide recommendations for when to use them. • Frame-based playback: Media is encoded as a series of JPEG files that are streamed directly from the server for playback.
Playing Assets Note the following: • You can select the type of playback for assets loaded in Asset mode or for basic sequences loaded in Output mode. • You cannot select file-based playback for advanced sequences. • Variable-speed play (J-K-L play) is not available for file-based playback. • When you load an asset for file-based playback, the Media Timeline displays additional information. • - A progress bar indicates that an asset is loading.
Working with Remote Assets (Interplay Production) If you select file-based playback, the File Scrubbing Mode menu option is displayed. To select the scrubbing mode: 1. Click the Media Pane Menu button and highlight File Scrubbing Mode. The option shows that either Server or Local is selected. 2. To change the scrubbing mode, select either Server or Local from the sub-menu.
Working with Remote Playback (Interplay | MAM) Note the following: • If you do not have the appropriate access permissions on the asset in the Interplay Production database, you cannot play the asset. Access permissions are checked based on the shared user identity in the MediaCentral User Management system. A users needs to have credentials linked to an Interplay Production user for any Media Central UX systems the user accesses.
Marking In and Out Points If you add an asset with remote media to a sequence, the name of the remote MediaCentral server is displayed on the clip, along with the clip name. Marking In and Out Points If you want to use only a portion of a clip, you can set an In and Out point in the clip, and then add the edited clip to the sequence that accompanies your story. By default, In and Out points are set at the first frame and last frame of a clip. You can mark In and Out points only in Asset mode.
Working with Markers and Restrictions To mark an Out point: 1. Load a clip in the Media pane and navigate to the location where you want to set the Out point. 2. Do one of the following: t Click the Mark Out button. t Press O or R on the keyboard. The Out point is moved to the location you marked. If the clip is playing, marking an Out point does not stop playback. You can change the Out point’s location by dragging it along the Media Timeline.
Displaying Captions and Segments Marker icons are displayed in the Media timeline. If you park the position indicator on a marker that includes text, and you select Overlay Text from the Pane menu, the text is displayed as an overlay in the Media viewer. You can click a marker to jump to it and display its text. w q 1 Marker indicators in the Media Timeline 2 Marker indicator and marker text You can use keyboard shortcuts to step to the next marker or to the previous marker.
Using the Timecode Displays r q w e 1 Segments of the selected stratum 3 Overlapping segments 2 Gap between segments 4 Annotation of the current segment To show captions and segments of an asset: 1. Load an Interplay MAM video asset in the Media pane in Asset mode. 2. Click the Pane Menu button and select Overlay Text. 3. Click the Pane Menu button, select Captions and select the stratum from which annotation shall be displayed as captions.
Using the Timecode Displays Display 1 Master, Absolute, Clip, Remain, Duration Description Master: In Asset mode, displays timecode for the selected frame that corresponds to the original (source) timecode for the asset. In Output mode, displays timecode for the selected frame that corresponds to the timecode of the sequence. Absolute: Displays timecode for the selected frame that is offset from the first frame of the asset or sequence (time elapsed). Clip: (MediaCentral UX v2.
Entering Timecode to Cue a Frame Display 5 Duration Description In Asset mode, shows timecode for the duration from In point to Out point. In Output mode, shows timecode for the duration of the sequence. Entering Timecode to Cue a Frame You can cue a loaded, playable clip or sequence to a specific frame by typing a timecode value, referred to as direct-entry mode.
Working in the Media Timeline - Type 1 through 99 to specify a number of frames forward or backward. Then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh). For example, type –47 to move backward 47 frames. - Type 100 or greater to move forward or backward a specified number of hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. Then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Macintosh). For example, type +500 to move forward five seconds. To clear the overlay without cueing, press the Esc key. You can use the period key (.
Using the Media Zoom Bar The position indicator functions as a playhead: media for the frame marked by the position indicator is displayed in the Media viewer. You can drag the position indicator to scrub through a clip or sequence. You can click a location in the Media Timeline to move the position indicator and display a specific frame. In Output mode, movement of the position indicator matches movement of the position indicator in the Sequence Timeline.
Reviewing in the STP Target Resolution You can click the position indicator in the zoom bar and jump to the position indicator in the timeline. The zoom region moves to include both position indicators and to enlarge the section of the timeline that includes the position indicator. You can click anywhere in the zoom bar to move the zoom region left or right.
Reviewing in the STP Target Resolution Use the MultiRez button, in the lower right of the Media pane, to review media in the STP target resolution. There are two different ways the button can be displayed: • A button with a single function. This is the default button. It is available in Output mode only. • A multi-function button. This button is enabled by the MediaCentral administrator as a system setting. It is available in both Asset and Output mode.
Playing Back at the Highest Resolution To return to normal playback, click the MultiRez button again. Playing Back at the Highest Resolution When you play media in MediaCentral UX in a multi-resolution environment, the media server plays the most compressed available media. You can choose to play back video at the highest available resolution. If video is available only in one resolution, the video is displayed in that resolution.
Using Match Frame Using Match Frame The Match Frame feature lets you load a master clip that contains a specific frame of a sequence. This clip is called the source clip. You can use Match Frame to quickly load a clip from a sequence or subclip for additional editing. Match Frame is available in both Asset and Output mode. In Asset mode, it is not enabled for masterclips. To load a source clip for a specific frame of a subclip or sequence: 1.
Transcoding Assets The folder for the selected asset, as shown in the Path column, directly opens in a new Assets pane, with the selected asset highlighted. If the setting “Show only one representation for each asset found” is enabled in the Interplay Production User Settings, the results are the same as when you select the command for an asset loaded in the Media pane.
Transcoding Assets A common use of the Transcode option is to mix down a sequence. For example: • n Creating a master clip that is playable in the Media viewer. If a sequence created in an Avid editing system is too complex to play correctly in the Media pane, you can use the Mixdown feature to create a new master clip. All master clips are playable. After mixing down the sequence, you can load the new master clip, mark In and Out points, and add the segment to your sequence.
Viewing and Editing a Clip During Ingest The Transcode process uses the selected Transcode profile and begins the operation. You can view the progress in the Progress pane, along with the target folder and the mode. To cancel the process, click the x icon. If the process was successful, the Progress pane displays the name of the new master clip or the transcoded master clip. Click the Monitor icon to play the clip in the Media pane.
Saving a Frame as an Image You can reduce the zoom region and view new material as it becomes available. For example, if you zoom in to view the last 5 minutes of a clip and play near the end, the visible region of the timeline displays the last 5 minutes of the available media during the entire capture operation. n For limitations on creating subclips from in-progress clips, see the MediaCentral Platform Services ReadMe.
Exporting an MP4 File t In the Messages pane, double-click the image asset or drag the image from the pane and drop it on the Media viewer. t In the Tasks pane, double-click the image asset or drag the image from the pane and drop it on the Media viewer. The image is shown in the Media viewer. All playback controls are disabled. 2. (Optional) Click the Pane Menu button and select Save As Image to save the image to the default download folder on your computer. 3.
7 Using Audio The following main topics describe how to add audio to the Sequence Timeline and adjust audio levels to produce your final story: • The Audio Pane • Working with Audio Tracks in Basic Sequences • Working with Audio Tracks in Advanced Sequences • Setting the Audio Mix • Setting the Reference Level • Recording a Voice-Over • Recording an Audio Clip The Audio Pane The Audio pane provides you with controls for monitoring and adjusting audio levels.
The Audio Pane it ut t o qw q we e r r t r r y Control Description 1 Solo and Mute buttons Click the S (Solo) button to monitor only the selected track or tracks. Click the M (mute) button to mute the selected track or tracks. Gray M buttons indicate audio is enabled. See “Audio Monitoring for Assets and Basic Sequences” on page 218. 2 Track identifiers Identifies 24 audio tracks, numbered A01 to A24. Use the scroll bar to display tracks not currently displayed.
The Audio Pane 9 Control Description Pane Menu button Provides the following options: • Mix Mode: Select Stereo or Mono to specify the audio output. See “Setting the Audio Mix” on page 226. • Set Reference Level: Lets you set the reference level for audio monitoring. See “Setting the Reference Level” on page 226. The default is -20. • Help: Displays information about the audio pane. Use the Help control buttons to access other Help topics.
The Audio Pane Control Description 1 Panning knob Controls the panning for each track. In the current release, the panning buttons are inactive. See “Panning for Advanced Sequences” on page 225. 2 Solo and Mute buttons Click the S (Solo) button to monitor only the selected track or tracks. All other tracks are muted. Click the M (mute) button to mute only the selected track or tracks. Gray M buttons indicate audio is enabled. See “Soloing and Muting Tracks for Advanced Sequences” on page 222.
Working with Audio Tracks in Basic Sequences Working with Audio Tracks in Basic Sequences A basic sequence contains one audio track, which contains all source audio tracks. For a basic sequence, a single audio track is displayed in the Sequence Timeline. The Audio pane displays all source audio tracks. You can add clips with up to 24 audio tracks to a sequence. All tracks are included in the saved sequence. The following illustration shows a basic sequence composed of a single multi-track clip.
Working with Audio Tracks in Basic Sequences The following illustration shows the Audio pane for a master clip (left) and a basic sequence (right). These displays are very similar. For a master clip, audio tracks are labeled with the name of the master clip (in this example, Cam1_A1A14). For a sequence, audio tracks are labeled with the name of the sequence (in this example, Basic Sequence). The label beneath the audio meters shows which mode is selected in the Media pane.
Working with Audio Tracks in Basic Sequences To solo a track: t Click the S button. M buttons for other tracks are automatically colored dull orange. You can solo more than one track. The following illustration shows track A01 selected for soloing. Tracks A09 through A14 were manually muted (bright orange). Other tracks were automatically muted (dull orange).
Working with Audio Tracks in Advanced Sequences Working with Audio Tracks in Advanced Sequences For an advanced sequence, the timeline in the Sequence pane includes three different types of audio tracks: • NAT (natural sound): Audio recorded at the same time as the video clip by the microphone builtin to the video camera. MediaCentral UX supports single-channel or dual-channel NAT tracks. Media in the NAT track and its associated video segment is colored green.
Working with Audio Tracks in Advanced Sequences Automatic Adjustment of Audio Gain Levels The application automatically sets audio gain levels to ensure the clearest sound for the master audio track of your story. This provides default volume levels for separate tracks so that you do not need to manually adjust audio gain levels.
Working with Audio Tracks in Advanced Sequences To mute a track: t Click the M button. The button turns orange. Audio controls for the track are grayed out and the track identifier under the audio meters does not show the muted tracked. Overriding the Default Audio Track Patching An Interplay Production administrator sets the default source patching for NAT, SOT, and Voice audio on the Editing Settings tab of the Application Database Settings view.
Working with Audio Tracks in Advanced Sequences To override the default source audio patching: 1. Right-click an audio clip in the Sequence pane and select the track you want to change. The menu shows the currently selected audio patching. The following illustration shows a clip with two audio tracks that uses the default mapping. A check mark shows the selected source track. Bold text indicates the default audio patching. 2. From the submenu, select the source track you want to use.
Working with Audio Tracks in Advanced Sequences To adjust audio levels for a track in a sequence: t Drag the audio slider for the track you want to adjust. The change in audio level is shown in the volume level display below the slider. The following illustration shows volume lowered to -2.5 dB for NAT track 1. For more information about audio controls, see “The Audio Pane” on page 214. To adjust the master volume for a sequence: t Drag the master volume slider.
Setting the Audio Mix In the current release, the panning buttons are inactive, as shown in the following illustration. n n For a procedure to override these defaults by using the application.properties file, see the MediaCentral Platform Services Installation and Configuration Guide. This override is global and applies to all Interplay folders. Complex (uneditable) sequences created in Media Composer use panning as set in Media Composer.
Recording a Voice-Over To set the reference level: 1. Click the pane menu button and select Set Reference Level. The Reference Level dialog box is displayed. 2. Type a dB (decibel) level from -50 through -1. 3. Click OK. Recording a Voice-Over You can use special audio controls in the Media pane to record a voice-over for your story. You can record the voice-over while the video is playing. You can record a voice-over only for advanced sequences.
Recording an Audio Clip For more information, see “Configuring Settings in the Interplay | Production Administrator” in the Avid MediaCentral | UX Administrator’s Guide. To record a voice-over: 1. Click the Output button to load the sequence into the Media pane. With the Output button selected, the Voice-Over button is displayed in the lower right of the Media pane. 2. Click the Voice-Over button. The voice-over controls are displayed. 3.
Recording an Audio Clip Adobe Flash Player MediaCentral UX uses the recording function of the Adobe Flash Player to determine the input device used for the recording. The Flash Player automatically detects any default microphone or other audio recorder on your computer and uses that device unless you change it through the Flash Player settings. To access these settings, right-click anywhere in the Media viewer and select Settings. You can also change the input source from the Media Pane menu.
Recording an Audio Clip These settings apply at the folder level. To record an audio clip: 1. Click the Asset button in the Media pane. The Voice-Over button is displayed in the lower right of the Media pane. 2. Click the Voice-Over button. The Select Audio Clip Name and Folder dialog box is displayed. 3. Select the folder and clip name: a. Select the folder in which you want to save the recorded clip. Selection is limited to subfolders of the top-level folders. b.
Recording an Audio Clip The Media pane shows the a timer and record indicator (small circle) displayed in green in the upper right. The file name and path are displayed as an overlay in the lower left. If you want to change the file name or location, click the file folder icon in the overlay. The Audio Clip Name and Folder dialog box is displayed and you can change the location or file name. 4. Click the Media Pane Menu button, select Input Source, and select the device you want to use for recording. 5.
Recording an Audio Clip You can monitor the recording level in the audio meter and adjust it as needed while recording. Click Cancel to stop recording without saving the file. 7. When you are finished recording, press the Record button again. An audio clip is created with the name and location you selected and is highlighted in the Asset pane. The file name is automatically incremented by a final number in preparation for the next recording. 8.
8 Working with Group Clips The following topics describe working with group clips and multicamera workflows in MediaCentral UX: n • Group Clips and Multicamera Workflows • Working with Group Clips • Creating a Basic Sequence with Group Clips • Sending a Sequence with Group Clips to a Playback Device Subclips created from group clips, group clips composed of subclips, and multigroup clips are not currently supported by MediaCentral UX.
Working with Group Clips Interplay | Production Interplay Production v3.0 and later is required for complete support of group clips and multicamera workflows. A user working in an Avid editing application can check group clips in to and out from an Interplay Production database. Interplay Access users can view information about group clips, including master clip relatives. Group clips and sequences that contain group clips are supported by Interplay Transfer v3.
Working with Group Clips The following illustration shows a group clip displayed in 3x3 multi-angle view and single-angle view. In multi-angle view, camera angles appear from left to right and top to bottom, based on the order the group clip was created in the Avid editing application. An orange bounding box marks the active angle. The active angle determines which camera angle is displayed in single-angle view and also which angle is displayed when you add the clip to a sequence.
Working with Group Clips The following illustration shows the same group clip in a 2x2 grid and in a 3x3 grid. In both cases, angle 2 is selected as the active angle. In multi-angle view, if the last bank of a group clip contains fewer than the number of angles in the grid, the remaining angles are displayed as empty slots. Black filler is used as padding in master clips that have different start or end points from other master clips in the group clip.
Working with Group Clips n MediaCentral UX supports group clips that include audio-only source clips (angles). However, at least one source clip must include video. If you select a video angle in the Media viewer, all clips with audio tracks are available for track mapping.
Working with Group Clips Working with Banks If a group clip contains more than nine camera angles, MediaCentral UX divides the angles into two banks, each containing either four or nine angles. If the last bank of a group clip has fewer than nine angles, the remaining angles are displayed as empty slots. To change the bank displayed, do one of the following: t For the next bank, press the right Swap Banks overlay arrow. t For the previous bank, press the left Swap Banks overlay arrow.
Working with Group Clips To change the active angle displayed in Asset mode, do one of the following: t Click the Active Angle button and select an angle from the menu. The following illustration shows angle 1 selected from the 10 angles that make up the group clip. In this example, the group clip is displayed in a 2x2 grid, so lines divide the list into two banks of four angles and one bank of two angles. For a 3x3 grid, the list is divided into banks of nine angles.
Working with Group Clips Playing a Group Clip You can play a single angle of a group clip in single-angle view, or multiple angles in multi-angle view. In multi-angle view, all angles play simultaneously. You can change the active angle while the clip is playing and the clip continues to play. To play a single-angle of a group clip, do one of the following: t In single-angle view, click the Play button.
Working with Group Clips The following illustration shows controls in the Audio pane when a group clip is loaded. There are four track selectors, representing four audio tracks in the group clip. q q w q 1 n Audio Follows Video button 2 Audio Track Selectors The number of track selectors shown represents the maximum number of tracks in any of the clips that compose the group clip.
Working with Group Clips Controls for monitoring include the following: • Click the S button to solo one or more tracks. • Click the M button to mute one or more tracks. • Click the Mute All button to disable all tracks for monitoring. • Click the Enable All button to enable all tracks for monitoring. For more information on monitoring in the Audio pane, see “Using Audio” on page 214.
Working with Group Clips n The order of the angles in the drop-down menu matches the order of the group clip as it was created in the Avid editing application. This list can include audio-only clips if at least one source clip includes video. Audio-only clips are not displayed in the Media viewer. You can map audio for a specific track by selecting an angle from the drop-down menu. To map all tracks to the same angle, Alt+click the desired angle.
Working with Group Clips When you load a group clip in Asset mode, the Logging pane displays any markers or restrictions for master clips in the group clip. A resizable column labeled Angle displays the name of the master clip for each restriction, as shown in the following illustration. n Markers applied to angles of a group clip prior to version 2.4 show the name of the master clip in the Angle column. You can edit existing markers and restrictions or you can add new ones.
Creating a Basic Sequence with Group Clips To load the source group clip for a segment in a sequence: 1. In Output mode, navigate to the frame for which you want to load the group clip. 2. Click the Pane Menu button and select Match Frame. The group clip for the selected segment is loaded in the Media pane, in single-angle view. If you want, you can then use Match Frame to load the source master clip for the matching frame of the group clip.
Adding an Active Angle of a Group Clip to an Advanced Sequence You can change the active angle while the sequence is playing. - If you use the mouse to select the angle, playback stops. - If you use keyboard shortcuts to select the angle, playback continues. To change the audio selected for a group clip in a sequence: t Right-click the group clip or segment of a group clip, select Audio Mapping, select the audio track you want to map, and select the angle for the audio.
Sending a Sequence with Group Clips to a Playback Device To add an active angle of a group clip to an advanced sequence: 1. Load a group clip into the Media pane. 2. Select the active angle. 3. (Optional) Mark In and Out points. 4. Drag the clip to the Sequence Timeline of an advanced sequence. 5. (Optional) Change the audio mapping by right-clicking the clip in the timeline, selecting Audio mapping 1 or Audio mapping 2, then selecting the desired audio track.
9 Searching for Assets The following main topics describe how to use the Search feature with Interplay Production, Interplay MAM, and iNEWS databases: • Search and the Central Index • The Search Bar • The Search Pane • Search Criteria • Conducting a Search • The Search Results List Search and the Central Index MediaCentral UX provides two methods of searching your asset database.
Search and the Central Index • Searching the central index returns all items that meet the criteria specified in the search, regardless of read permissions set in iNEWS. You cannot open an iNEWS story listed in the search results that you do not have the appropriate permissions to view. • The default search type for the Search bar is the federated search. The following limitations apply when using an indexed search with Interplay Production assets: • No per asset/per user permission.
Search and the Central Index The value of searching the central index lies in how it indexes databases in multiple zones and gives you quick access to all of the media stored in distributed systems for your organization, including both local and remote assets. You can focus your search by adding filters for any metadata included in the index.
Search and the Central Index Interplay MAM Information Media Index Field Prefix.ClassName. Type The prefix is “sequence” for EDL classes and “asset” for object classes — for example, sequence.EDL and asset.VIDEO. SYSTEMID SystemID The following table describes how Media Index categorizes some common Interplay MAM attributes: Interplay MAM Attribute Media Index Field MAINTITLE Name REGISTRATION_USERLOGIN Creator MODIFICATION_USERLOGIN Modifier REGISTRATION_DATETIME.
The Search Bar In MCS v2.6 and later, you can search for Interplay MAM assets that include multi-value metadata. Multi-value metadata contain several keywords assigned to a single media object that are combined as a multi-value attribute. For more information, see the Avid Interplay MAM Desktop User’s Guide.
The Search Pane To display search results in a pane, do one of the following: t Click the Detach Search icon and drag the bar into any area in the MediaCentral UX window. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Detach Search. The Search Pane The Search pane provides advanced search criteria for federated and indexed search that let you conduct a more precise and faster search. You can open a Search pane directly, or you can open a Search pane by dragging the Search bar into the MediaCentral UX window.
The Search Pane The following illustration identifies the elements in the Search pane used for a federated search. y u i o q w e r t 1 Assets menu 6 Pane Menu button 2 Advanced Criteria (Modified Date selected) 7 Search text field 3 Add Criteria button 8 Minus button to remove search criteria 4 Sort arrow 9 Search button 5 Search results Starting with MediaCentral UX v2.7.
Search Criteria Search Criteria While the Search pane provides natural language searches with additional options, you can use the search criteria a to limit the search results based on exact value selections. You use search criteria to reduce the number of results from the main search results list. Criteria filter the results, removing any that do not match all of the criteria. When you type your search term, Media Index provides search suggestions to aid in your search.
Search Criteria n • Korean • Russian • Spanish • Turkish Your MediaCentral administrator can limit the number of languages to use for the indexed search during the Media Index configuration. Your administrator can also set default languages for search across multiple zones if you work with a multi-zone configuration. Search Prefixes Depending on the type of field, criteria offer different prefix options.
Search Criteria n • Boolean prefixes — You can use a plus (+) or a minus (-) sign as a prefix to force the search to either include or exclude a term. For example, typing quick brown +fox -news causes the search to return results that must contain “fox” and must exclude “news.” In this example, “quick” and “brown” are optional, but their presence improves the relevance of the result.
Conducting a Search The search criteria menus provide the following search prefixes: • is — Matches the string exactly, including spaces. For example, “blue” matches “blue” but not “blueberry.” • is not — The opposite of “is.” This matches anything that is not the search expression. • contains — Matches substrings, including spaces. For example, “blues” matches both “blue” and “blueberry.” • does not contain — Only matches where the string does not occur.
Conducting a Search n Boolean fields only allow for selection of one of two states: true or false. For most systems, “false” is not the same as “not set.” 6. If you select criteria that require a date or span of dates, click the date field. The date picker window opens. q w e r n 1 Shortcut date buttons 3 Scope menu 2 Date slider 4 Date picker Date criteria do not support the is set/not set search prefixes. 7.
Conducting a Search n The date picker window uses your system time as the present and measures time spans from that reference. You can select a date and time in the future. This can be useful when setting up search presets. The date slider adjusts to match the date options you select, and the date field displays a text summary of your date search criteria. 9. If you want to modify the date or time values to specify an exact date or time, do the following: a.
Conducting a Search The results list displays a summary of the text found to match the search query and provides a timecode link to the location in the asset where the metadata occurs. To conduct a federated search: 1. Click the Pane Menu button and select Federated Search. 2. Click the Assets menu and select the type of asset: - All Assets: Select All Assets to search iNEWS, Interplay MAM, and Interplay Production databases for stories and media that match the search criteria.
Conducting a Search n In the Search pane, you do not need to include text in your search criteria for Modified Date, Video Resolution, Category, Type, Asset Type, or Rights. 4. (Search pane only) Click the Add Criteria button to add one or more additional search criteria. For information about the criteria, see “Advanced Search Filters” on page 267. To remove the added criteria, click the Minus button at the right of the pane above the Search button. 5.
Conducting a Search 8. If you want to modify the time values to specify an exact time in hours, minutes, and seconds, do the following: a. Click a time value displayed in the criterion text box. The time value — hours, minutes, or seconds — is selected. b. Type a new value. When you type a legal value, the next value is automatically selected.
Conducting a Search In some cases, you might want to search for logs that contain an item that you know was imported from a specific MAM thesaurus. (A MAM thesaurus used as a data source is referred to as a dictionary in MediaCentral UX.) If you select a dictionary as a criterion, the contents of the dictionary are displayed and you can select one or more items. For example, a particular preset can include players whose names were imported from a MAM thesaurus. First select the dictionary.
Conducting a Search To select pre-defined metadata for your indexed search: 1. Click the Pane Menu button and select Indexed Search. 2. In the Search pane, click the Add Criteria button and select a criterion that contains pre-defined terms. 3. Click the menu for the list of terms for your criterion, and select one or more appropriate terms. 4. Enter your search terms and select any other criteria you want to use for your search. 5. Click the Search button.
Conducting a Search To save a search: 1. Search for assets using one of the procedures described in “Conducting a Search” on page 258. 2. Click Save As. The Save As dialog box opens. 3. Type a name for the saved search, and then Click Save. The saved search appears in the Launch pane. To open a saved search, do one of the following: t To open the saved search in the last active Search pane, double-click the saved search in the Launch pane.
Conducting a Search The modified saved search appears in the Launch pane. To share a saved search: 1. Log in to MediaCentral UX as a user with Administrator credentials. 2. Right-click a saved search, and then select Create Public Search. The saved search appears in the Public Search area of the Launch pane and is available to all users. n You must logged in as a user with an Administrator role to edit a public search. To set a public search as the default search for the Search pane: 1.
Conducting a Search Advanced Search with Media Index Indexed search uses metadata categories set up by your MediaCentral administrator when Media Index is configured. Some search filters apply to all assets in the MediaCentral platform, and some filters apply only to certain databases. The criteria you select filter the results by removing any assets that do not match the criteria you specify.
Conducting a Search longer get results from the Interplay Production B system, which appears disabled in the dialog box. This provides a visual cue to avoid selecting criteria combinations that would not return any results. n If you want to limit the search to a specific system, use the System criterion and select the system that you want to search.
Conducting a Search Advanced Search with the Federated Search Option You do not need to include text in your search criteria for Modified Date, Reg. Date & Time, Video Resolution, Category, Type, Asset Type, or Rights. Using advanced search filters in the Search pane results in a faster and more precise search. Search Criterion Description Folder (Interplay Production, iNEWS only) Searches only the selected folders and their subfolders. Click Browse to navigate to and select a folder.
Conducting a Search Search Criterion Description Asset Type (Interplay MAM only) Searches the Interplay MAM database for assets of a particular asset or basic sequence type. In Interplay MAM asset types are referred to as “object classes” and “EDL classes”. Click the field and a list appears. It shows all object and EDL classes that are configured in the connected Interplay MAM systems. Select one or more asset types from the list.
Conducting a Search Indexed Search Examples The Media Index search engine uses language analysis and, if specified with the appropriate operator, fuzzy matching to help find content even if the actual text is slightly different. This allows you to find words with incorrect spelling and word variations. n Indexed search requires Media Index to be installed and configured in your MediaCentral Platform environment.
Conducting a Search Option Example Result Single character I Returns assets that contain the single search character “i” in one of their metadata fields. The field in question can contain other text. Example: i finds I robot but also I’m a robot The single character feature is also used to support searches for Chinese and Japanese characters. If the feature Auto-Append Wildcards is activated, searching for a single character is not possible.
The Search Results List Option Example Result Wild card * or % Whit* Whit% The asterisk and the percentage sign are the universal wildcards that will return any character string (0, 1, or more characters) in a specific position. Returns all assets containing words that start with whit, such as: “whit,” “white,” “white-collar,” “whitey,” “whiter,” or “whitish.” Using the * or % wildcard at the beginning of a search term or within a search term requires specific usage rights.
The Search Results List Search results displayed in Card view Search results displayed in Grid view Indexed search results using criteria that include time-based values display a timestamp for the default time zone selected in the System Settings and appended by a Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) offset. For example, a timestamp of 04:30:00 AM -4:00 appearing in the search results list on a New York City system indicates that the time zone difference between New York (EDT) and UTC is four hours.
The Search Results List When you sort search results on a column that uses predefined metadata, the results are sorted by the actual value of the metadata field even though the results in the Search pane might display a localized label. For example, the stored index values for countries might be integer values, and these are the values used when sorting results.
The Search Results List 2. Select the columns you want to add or deselect the columns you want to remove. You can use the search box to find a particular column. 3. Click the Close box or click anywhere outside the window to save your settings. The Search pane displays the selected columns. To open an item from the search result list, do one of the following: t For federated searches or indexed searches, double-click the item. The asset opens in the Media pane.
10 Logging Interplay | Production Assets and Creating Subclips The following main topics describe features you use when logging your material.
Workflows for Logging Example Workflows Following are three typical logging workflows. • Logging a video feed: A media logger logs content at the same time that the media is being ingested.The media logger can add markers to specify particular video or audio frames and add comments to the markers as required. A journalist can then open a specific clip or clips in MediaCentral UX, view the markers and comments, and copy text if necessary, even while the recording is in progress.
Understanding Markers and Restrictions Keyboard Shortcuts You can accomplish many functions for logging and controlling playback using keyboard shortcuts, such as • Ctrl+M to add a marker. • Ctrl plus a key on the numeric keypad to add a marker of a specific color. For example, press Ctrl+3 to create a marker with a red icon. • Ctrl+Enter to save text. • Up Arrow to move to previous marker, Down Arrow to move to next marker.
Understanding Markers and Restrictions Restrictions A restriction is a span of an asset that indicates a clip, or a portion of a clip, whose use is limited in some way, such as through intellectual property rights management or content compliance.
The Log Layout Number of Characters in Marker Text In MediaCentral UX, marker text has a limit of 32,000 characters for each marker. If marker text exceeds 32,000 characters, a warning message tells you that the text exceeds the maximum number of characters and that you cannot save the text until the reduce the number of characters. The Save status message shows you the character count until it is reduced to 32,000, at which point the message changes to “Unsaved changes” and you can save the text.
The Logging Pane for Interplay | Production Assets The Logging Pane for Interplay | Production Assets You create and view markers and marker text in the Logging pane. You can also view restrictions, if the clip or sequence contains them. n Prior to MediaCentral v2.1, this pane was called the Markers pane. The following illustration shows a series of markers in the Logging pane. Displays and controls are described in the accompanying table.
The Logging Pane for Interplay | Production Assets Display or Control Description 4 Create Restriction button Creates a restriction for the segment marked by In and Out points in the Media pane. See “Working with Restrictions” on page 287. 5 Export button Displays options for exporting marker text to other applications. See “Exporting Markers” on page 295. 6 Refresh button Updates the display of markers saved for the selected clip or sequence.
The Logging Pane for Interplay | Production Assets 12 Display or Control Description Columns The Logging pane has six or seven available columns: • (no label): Displays orange for the selected marker or markers. • IN: Displays the timecode in the clip or sequence that corresponds to the location of the marker or restriction. • OUT: Displays the timecode in the clip or sequence that corresponds to the end of a restriction. • Notes: Displays the text associated with the marker.
Adding, Saving, and Deleting Markers Adding, Saving, and Deleting Markers How you add markers depends on your workflow. You can add a marker to a clip, subclip, or sequence. You can add markers while video plays or you can scrub through the video and add markers at appropriate locations. You can control the video, add markers, and delete markers by using the mouse or the keyboard. For example, while in the Log layout, you can use Ctrl+J, Ctrl+K, or Ctrl+L keys to control video while you type marker text.
Working with Restrictions To enter edit mode and edit marker text, do one of the following: t Double-click the Notes field. t Select a marker and press Enter. To save marker text, do one of the following: t Click the Save button. Text is saved and you exit edit mode. t Press Ctrl+S. Text is saved and you remain in edit mode. t Press Ctrl+Enter to exit edit mode. t Use the mouse to select a different marker. t Add a new marker.
Working with Restrictions Note the following: • The restriction is displayed at the timecode where it starts. The far left column is colored dark orange. The IN and OUT columns show the span of the restriction. If the position indicator is within a restriction, the restriction is displayed in bold. • A warning icon is displayed in the Color column.
Working with Restrictions by a darker shade of red. The position indicator is parked on a marker that is enclosed by the first restriction. The restriction text is shown at the top of the viewer, and the marker text is shown at the bottom. The following illustration shows the same master clip listed in the Assets pane. An orange triangle in the State column indicates that the clip contains a restriction.
Working with Restrictions To delete restrictions, the user’s Interplay Production account must be configured with the following permission: • Can modify restrictions An Interplay Production administrator sets these permissions in the Instinct/Assist User Settings view of the Interplay Administrator. For more information, see the Interplay | Engine and Interplay | Archive Engine Administration Guide or the Interplay | Production Help. Adding and Editing Text Adding text in the Notes column is optional.
Working with Restrictions Sequences If you edit a master clip or subclip with a restriction into a sequence, the restriction is carried over to the sequence. Information in the source clip remains linked to the clip in the sequence, so that if there is any change to a restriction in the source clip, the information is changed in the sequence. If the Media pane is in Output mode, any restrictions in the sequence are shown in the Logging pane, along with any markers included in the sequence.
Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Text To enter edit mode and edit restriction text: t n n Double-click the Notes field. Edit mode refers to the state in which the cursor appears in the Notes field and you can enter text. You cannot edit the start and end of a restriction. To change the start or end point, delete the restriction and create it again. To save restriction text, do one of the following: t Click the Save button. Text is saved and you exit edit mode. t Press Ctrl+S.
Navigating by Markers in the Log Layout To copy text: t Select the text and press Ctrl+C. To copy markers: t Select one or more markers and press Ctrl+C. Use Shift+click to select contiguous markers, and Ctrl+click to select non-contiguous markers. To paste text: t Press Ctrl+V. For a complete list of keyboard shortcuts, see “Logging Pane (Interplay | Production) Shortcuts” on page 586.
Filtering Logs To filter by marker or user: 1. Click the down arrow in the Filter Criteria list. 2. Select the criteria you want to use. You can select any of the available users or colors. This list is determined by the markers in the loaded asset. The criteria are displayed as buttons in the Filter Criteria list, the Filter button turns orange, and the list is filtered. After you set the criteria, you can turn filtering off by clicking the Filter button so that it turns gray.
Exporting Markers Exporting Markers You can export a list of markers in one of the following formats: • Plain text file (.txt) that lists the timecode and text for each marker. • A tab-delimited text file (.txt) that you can import into Media Composer or another Avid editing application. For more information, see the documentation for the Avid editing application. • CSV (comma-separated value) file that you can open as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. • XML file for use in other applications.
Entering Marker Text in Right-to-Left Languages To export markers for one or more assets as an .xlsx file: 1. In the Assets pane or in the search results list, select one or more assets that include markers. 2. Right-click and select Export Logs. A file named logs.xlsx is saved to your default download folder. To copy one or more markers as text to the clipboard: t Select one or more markers and press Ctrl+C.
Unicode Support for Marker Text To manually change text direction for all marker text: t Press Ctrl+Shift+D If the direction is left-to-right, pressing the keyboard shortcut changes direction to right-to-left. If the direction is right-to-left, pressing the keyboard shortcut changes direction to left-to-right. Unicode Support for Marker Text MediaCentral UX v1.2 and later supports input and display of Unicode characters when you create marker text.
Creating Subclips To create a subclip by dragging and dropping: 1. Set an In point and an Out point for a clip that is loaded in Asset mode. 2. In the Assets pane, display the folder in which you want to store the subclip. 3. Click anywhere in the Media viewer and drag the thumbnail from the Media pane to the folder, or to the line in the Assets pane that holds the folder. Use the mouse pointer to precisely indicate the target location. If you hover over a folder, the folder opens.
Creating Subclips To create a subclip by using a dialog box: 1. Set an In point and an Out point for a clip that is loaded in Asset mode. 2. Do one of the following: t Click the Media Pane menu button and select Create Subclip. t With focus in the Media pane, press the S key. The Select Folder for Subclip dialog box opens. The subclip is added to the database, with the extension .Sub.01 added to the clip name.
11 Customizable Logger The following main topics describe how to use the Customizable Logger: • Installing the Customizable Logger • Overview of the Customizable Logger • Creating a Template • Creating a Preset • Logging Assets with the Customizable Logger • Searching for Customized Logs and Associated Media • Exporting Customized Logs Installing the Customizable Logger Starting with MediaCentral UX v2.7, the Customizable Logger feature is available as an additional plug-in.
Overview of the Customizable Logger The following illustration shows an example of a layout that includes controls and options for logging an American football game. This example is used throughout this chapter.
Overview of the Customizable Logger The following illustration shows an example of a layout for a reality TV show. Requirements An administrator must complete the following requirements to successfully create customized logging controls and log assets: n • A correctly configured Interplay Production system or Interplay MAM system. Both Interplay Production and Interplay MAM assets are supported for logging. In-process clips (Edit While Capture, or EWC) are supported for logging.
Creating a Template The following illustration shows a the Customizable Logger folder hierarchy and how events and presets are related. Folders Event Presets • Component: A set of data and controls, such as a group of buttons or a drop-down list, that you add to a panel. Workflow for Developing a Customized Logging Layout A typical workflow involves the following tasks: 1. (Producer) Determine the design of the Logging Controls pane for the production.
Creating a Template The basic steps in creating a template are: • Open a new template and name it. • Create a grid of panels. • Add one or more components to each panel. The following procedures provide more details for these steps. To create a template: 1. Sign in to MediaCentral UX as an administrator. 2. Select the Log Layout or another supported layout and select Panes > Logging Controls. 3. Click the Templates button. You are now working in Templates mode. 4. Click the Add New button.
Creating a Template - Template Name: The name that will be displayed when you are working in Templates or Presets mode. - Semantic Name: The name that will be used by the MediaCentral UX system for internal management and debugging. This name is not displayed in Templates or Presets mode. You cannot use a space in the semantic name. The following illustration shows the both Template Name and Semantic Name as Football. n The names must be unique.
Creating a Template If the number of panels you want to include is not listed, you can create the number you want by typing numbers into the Custom Values text box. The numbers must add up to 12. For example, typing 3 3 6 (with a space between each number) creates a row of three panels; the first two are the same size, and the third is the same size as the first two. The following illustration shows a 6 6 row and a 12 row.
Creating a Template For information about components, see “Components for Templates” on page 309. 2. Name the panel by typing names in the name fields. When you are creating a template, two names are listed in the control bar for each panel. - The first is an internal name (similar to the semantic name used for the template). This name is used for identifying the particular component in the MediaCentral UX system. It is visible only in Templates mode, not in Presets mode or Logging mode.
Creating a Template To edit a template: t Select the template from the template list and follow the tasks described in this topic. To rename a template: t Click the Rename button, type a new name, and click OK. To delete a template: t n With the template open, click the Delete button. If you delete a template used by a preset, MediaCentral UX keeps the template internally and removes it from the list of templates.
Creating a Template Components for Templates The following table describes the different components you can add to panels in the template.
Creating a Template Component Panel Button (singleselect) Description Controls Used to create a set of buttons, • only one of which (or none) can be • selected at the same time. Button (multiselect) Multi-line button (multi-select) Data binding: Text file or MAM thesaurus • Drag-and-drop icon • Delete button • Buttons created by the data binding Used to create a set of buttons, of • which none, one, or more than one • can be selected at the same time.
Creating a Template To select a data source for a panel: 1. In the panel toolbar, click the Link icon. The Data Binding dialog box opens. 2. Do one of the following: - Click the down arrow of the Dictionary menu and select Import from Text File. - Click the down arrow of the Dictionary menu and select a thesaurus. If you know the name of the thesaurus you want to select, begin typing its name. MediaCentral UX filters the list according to the letters you type. 3. Click OK.
Creating a Preset Creating a Preset Presets use the layout of a template and include specific data about events. Presets are organized into a folder structure. For example, in the Football folder, you might have a folder for each week of the season. Within the folder for each week is a special event folder for each game of the week. For each event, you can associate multiple presets, for example, one for the game and one for interviews.
Creating a Preset To create a new event and preset: 1. Right-click a folder in the Customizable Logger hierarchy and select Create Event. The event is created with the name “New event” and is selected for typing. 2. Type a name for the event folder. Typically you use a name that describes the event, for example, the Stallions (V) at Oilers (H) teams that are playing a game. 3. Right-click the event folder and select Create Preset. The Create Preset dialog box opens.
Creating a Preset 4. Select a template from the template menu, type a name for the preset, and click OK. The layout for the selected template is displayed. The following illustrations shows the Football template that will be used for the preset “Game.” Compare this view of the template with the view of the template in “Creating a Template” on page 303. Only one name is shown for each panel, and only controls for adding data or changing settings are displayed.
Creating a Preset 315
Creating a Preset Specifying Settings and Data for Panels The controls that are available depend on the type of panel. Panels that use text or numbers require you to specify settings. Panels that use buttons or lists require you to choose items from a data source. A multiline button includes settings for which lines are displayed. The following table describes the controls for specifying settings and data.
Creating a Preset To specify data from a text file: 1. Click the Link button. The Data Binding dialog box is displayed. 2. Click the Import from Text File button. This option for data binding was set in the template. 3. Navigate to the text file you want to use, select it, and click Open. The items in the file are shown as selected. 4. Click a check box to deselect an item. To select an item, click the check box so that it is orange. When you are finished, click OK.
Creating a Preset 5. (Optional) If you are specifying data for a multi-line button, click the Settings button. The Settings dialog box is displayed. Select which category appears on which line of the button, then click OK. To specify data from a MAM thesaurus: 1. Click the Link button. The Data Binding dialog box is displayed, with data from the thesaurus specified in the template.
Creating a Preset 2. To select an item, click the check box so that it is orange. You can use the search box to find items in the thesaurus. When you are finished, click OK. Each item is displayed as a button in a panel or a selection in a list: 3. (Optional) If you are specifying data for a multi-line button, click the Settings button. The Settings dialog box is displayed. Select which category appears on which line of the button, then click OK.
Creating a Preset 2. Click the row for the key or key combination you want. The window automatically closes and the keyboard number for the shortcut is displayed on the button. Coloring Buttons for Presets Starting with MediaCentral UX v2.7.1, you can select from a palette of colors to color one or more buttons in a preset panel.
Creating a Preset To add color to a button: 1. In a preset panel, import the data whose buttons you want to color. 2. Click a color in the color palette. The paint drop icon turns orange and the selected color is displayed as fill. 3. Click a button in a panel to color it with the selected color. 4. When you are finished with coloring buttons, click the paint drop button so that it turns gray. Copying Presets Starting with MediaCentral UX v2.7.1, you can copy a preset from one event to another.
Logging Assets with the Customizable Logger n The Copy Preset command replaces the Duplicate command. The Duplicate command copied a preset, but you could not move the duplicate to a different location. Logging Assets with the Customizable Logger When you log an asset, you use the Logging Controls pane to add logging information to a video clip, subclip, or sequence. The logging information is then displayed in the Logging pane.
Logging Assets with the Customizable Logger Each panel includes a check box labeled “persist.” A logger can select this setting to repeat the data in the panel for each log entry. For example, you can select “persist” for the score of a game, so that the score is repeated for each log entry until you manually change the score. The following illustration shows this example. The persist setting is highlighted in orange. Preparing for Customized Logging To set up MediaCentral UX for customized logging: 1.
Logging Assets with the Customizable Logger 5. In the Logging pane, select a logging layer from the Layers menu. In the following illustration, [CL] indicates a the Customizable Logger layer. The layer is the name of the preset. 6. The Logging pane shows headings for the selected layer. The following illustration shows an American football preset in the Logging Controls pane, and the associated column headings in the Logging pane. You are now ready to begin logging.
Logging Assets with the Customizable Logger Logging an Asset through Logging Controls To log an asset: 1. Load the asset in Asset mode and assign an event and preset as described in “Preparing for Customized Logging” on page 323. 2. Do one of the following: t In the Media pane, set an In point and an Out point. In the Logging Controls pane, set the Create Segment button to In and Out mode, then click the button. If focus is in the Logging Controls pane, press Ctrl+. (period).
Logging Assets with the Customizable Logger The following illustration shows a logged segment for a touchdown pass by the home team. The logger selected players McLaughlin and Lampkins, the action Touchdown Pass, and a score of 6 points. 3. When you have completed logging for the loaded asset, click the Save button in the Logging pane. 4. (Optional) Load another asset and associate it with the event.
Searching for Customized Logs and Associated Media Editing Multiple Entries in the Logging Pane If you already have logged segments through the Logging Controls pane, you can select multiple entries in the Logging pane, and edit all values for a selected panel. For example, select a group of entries and log the time as “Day.” Use Ctrl+click (Windows) or Command+click (Macintosh) to select individual entries, or Shift+click to select a group of contiguous entries.
Searching for Customized Logs and Associated Media Name: When you search for a log, the name of the associated asset is displayed in the Name column. Logs are indicated by a two-file icon, as shown in the following illustration. Database: Logs that you create through the Logging Controls pane are saved in a MediaCentral database associated with Media Index. To search for customized logging information, you must select indexed search. n You cannot search for logs created only through the Logging pane.
Searching for Customized Logs and Associated Media c. Click outside the dialog box to close it. The criteria are displayed in the Search pane. d. Enter information to complete the criteria you have selected. The following illustration shows a text search for any touchdowns scored in the Stallions football game of November 25. 5. Click the Search button. Individual logged segments that match your criteria are displayed in the search results list.
Exporting Customized Logs 6. If want to load the logged asset, double-click one of the search results. The asset is loaded into the Media pane and the log is displayed in the Logging pane. Exporting Customized Logs You can export the information contained in a log file created by a custom preset as a CSV (commaseparated value) file that you can open as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. To export a log file created by a custom preset: 1. Load the asset whose log you want to export in the Media viewer. 2.
12 Logging Interplay | MAM Assets The following main topics describe features you use when logging Interplay MAM assets.
Logging Overview (Interplay | MAM Assets) Strata Types Interplay MAM provides three types of strata that can be displayed and edited in MediaCentral UX. These differ from each other as follows: • Simple strata: Simple strata have only one property assigned to them. The property can be any data type used throughout Interplay MAM, such as “text,” “timecode,” “date,” “legal list (selection list),” and so on. • Structured strata: Structured strata can have multiple properties assigned to them.
Logging Overview (Interplay | MAM Assets) Strata and Avid Applications Users can view and edit strata and segments in the following Avid applications: • Interplay MAM Cataloger (view strata contents and edit segmentation) • MediaCentral UX (view strata contents and edit segmentation) Segments and annotation added to strata in either of these products can be searched and viewed in Interplay MAM Desktop.
The Logging Pane (Interplay | MAM) Keyboard Shortcuts When logging Interplay MAM assets you work with the Logging pane and Media pane. Both panes are synchronized: When you select a segment in the Logging pane, the same segment is selected in the Media Timeline and the Media Viewer displays the segment’s start frame. And a segment selected in the Media Timeline is also selected in the Logging pane. You can accomplish most functions for logging and controlling playback using keyboard shortcuts.
The Logging Pane (Interplay | MAM) Display or Control Description • Playhead position mode: Sets the In mark at the current playhead position but does not define an Out mark. You see the selected mode when you hover the mouse pointer over the New Segment control. See “Creating Segment (Gaps Allowed)” on page 343. 3 Display Type button Toggles the Segment List display between Grid and Tags view. • When toggled off, the button is colored gray, and Grid view is active.
The Logging Pane (Interplay | MAM) 9 Display or Control Description Pane Menu button The Pane menu for the Logging pane contains the following options. • Undo. Undoes segment operations. • Redo. Redoes segment operations. • Add Or Remove Columns. Shows or hides columns in the Segment List area. • Split at current playhead position. Splits the current segment into two adjacent segments. The timecode selected in the Media pane is set as the In mark of the new segment.
The Logging Pane (Interplay | MAM) 10 Display or Control Description Segment List columns The Logging pane shows the following columns: • Start: Displays the start timecode of the segment. • End: Displays the end timecode of the segment. • Text (“Comment” in the illustration): Displays the text associated with the segment. A separate column is shown for each property of type “text” assigned to the selected stratum or strata group. You can cut, copy, and paste this text.
Understanding Segmentation Principles Understanding Segmentation Principles In Interplay MAM an entire video clip is considered one segment. A segment can be any size, from one frame to all frames of a video. You can create segments in all available strata. For all strata types, Interplay MAM can be customized to allow or exclude gaps between segments. The default setting excludes gaps between segments. Segments can be created or changed in a stratum, but not deleted.
Understanding Segmentation Principles When the setting is changed to allow gaps between segments, you can still segment in a stratum as if gaps were not allowed, but the major purpose is to be able to create segments with gaps between them.
Understanding Segmentation Principles Overlapping Segmentation Independently from Gaps Allowed and Gaps Not Allowed mode, each stratum can be configured individually to allow “overlapping segments” — segments that share one or more frames in a stratum. When such a stratum is selected in the Logging pane, gaps are automatically allowed. This means that the “overlapping segments” setting overwrites the Gaps Not Allowed configuration mode.
Locking a Stratum The following illustration shows five overlapping segments on the Logging pane and the Media Timeline. The timeline in the Media pane shows alternating orange and blue sections that represent the individual segments of the selected stratum. Overlapping segments are represented by a darker shade of the same color. Segmenting in Strata Groups In the Logging pane, you segment in a strata group the same way you segment in a single stratum.
Working with Segments To manually lock a stratum: t Click the Lock button. When the stratum is locked, the Lock button turns orange. You can manually unlock the stratum by clicking the Lock button. If you make an edit, the lock is automatically set again. Working with Segments Segmenting strata and editing segmentation are the primary tasks when logging assets in the Logging pane.
Working with Segments 3. In the Media pane, select the same stratum to be displayed on the Media Timeline. 4. Use the transport controls of the Media pane to move through the video and pause at the desired position. 5. To create segments by splitting the virtual segment, do one of the following in the Logging pane: t Click the Pane menu and select Split at current playhead position. t Right-click and select Split at current playhead position from the context menu.
Working with Segments To create segments: 1. Load an asset in the Logging pane and Media pane. 2. In the Logging pane, select the stratum in which you want to segment. 3. In the Media pane, select the same stratum to be displayed on the Media Timeline. 4. Use the transport controls of the Media pane to move through the video and set In and Out points to mark the start and end of the segment you want to create. 5.
Working with Segments Resizing Segments (Gaps Not Allowed Mode) When editing in Gaps Not Allowed mode, you can move the In and Out mark only within the selected segment. Restriction: You cannot move the In mark of the first segment, and you cannot move the Out mark of the last segment. To resize a segment: 1. Load an asset in the Logging pane and Media pane. 2. In the Logging pane, select the stratum in which you want to resize segments. 3.
Working with Segments t Right-click the segment and select Set Out. t Click the Pane Menu and select Set Out. The segment’s Out mark is moved to the current position. Resizing Overlapping Segments Each of the overlapping segments can be resized, by moving its In mark or Out mark to the right or left. Only when a stratum is configured to allow overlapping segments you can extend a segment into another segment.
Working with Segments The segment’s In mark is moved to the current position. 7. To move the segment’s Out mark, select the segment in the Logging pane and and set the position indicator to the desired position in the Media pane. 8. In the Logging pane, do one of the following: t Right-click the segment and select Set Out. t Click the Pane Menu and select Set Out. The segment’s Out mark is moved to the current position.
Working with Segments Merging Segments When you merge segments, the selected segment is always concatenated with the segment to its right on the timeline. The In mark of the selected segment remains the In mark, and the Out mark of the right segment remains the Out mark of the new segment. If you merge segments across a gap, the gap between the two is overridden and integrated into the new segment. How the annotation is merged is defined by the Merge Rules you can set.
Navigating by Segments Segmenting During Ingest MediaCentral UX lets you view and edit a clip while it is still being captured through an ingest device. The process of working with it is called edit while capture (EWC). If you view a clip that is still being captured in the Media pane, the ends of the Media Timeline pulse with a purple glow while the capture is in progress.
Annotating Text Fields t With the focus in the Media pane, press Shift+Right Arrow. To navigate to the next property, do one of the following: t With the focus in the Logging pane, press the Left or Right Arrow key. Annotating Text Fields When editing text fields of a segment, most common features of text editing tools are available, such as inserting text at a selected position, marking text you want to overwrite, copying, pasting, and deleting, and so on.
Entering Segment Text in Right-to-Left Languages Entering Segment Text in Right-to-Left Languages You can enter, display, and edit segment text in right-to-left languages (for example, Arabic or Hebrew). MediaCentral UX recognizes right-to-left characters (RTL).
Annotating Using Tags Grid view displays a separate column for each non-text property to display its tags, and the label set in the data model for the property is used as column header, as shown in the following illustration. For a list of keyboard shortcuts you can use when working with tags, see “Logging Pane (Interplay | MAM) Shortcuts” on page 588. Adding, Replacing, and Deleting Tags You can add, replace, and delete tags from a segment at any time.
Annotating Using Tags 3. Type or select the value in the input control that opens. 4. Press Enter. The tag is added to the segment. (Tags view only) To add a tag to several segments at the same time: 1. To select several segments, done of the following: t Click a segment and use the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key to select a series of segments. t Shift+click the two segments that begin and end the series of segments you want to select.
Annotating Using Tags Editing Integer or Floating Point Values Figures are the only values that can be entered into integer fields. Figures and decimal points can be entered into floating point fields. When these fields are preformatted, the periods (such as in 2.3) are set automatically. To enter an integer or floating point value: t Type the figures, and if necessary, the decimal point. t Press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key to increase or decrease the figures.
Annotating Using Tags To enter a time: t Highlight the figures you want to change and type in the new figures. Editing Date and Date/Time Values By default, the Date and Date/Time fields are preformatted. The display format depends on the locale of your account. You can enter the entire Date or Date/Time values manually, or select the date value from a calender tool. To assign a date or date/time value manually: 1. Highlight the figures you want to change and type in the new figures. 2.
Annotating Using Tags 4. To select a day: t Click the day. t Press the Left Arrow key (previous day), Right Arrow key (next day), Up Arrow key (this day a week ago), or Down Arrow key (this day next week) and press Enter. The Calendar control is closed and the selected date is entered in the date or date/time field. Assigning Values from Drop-Down Lists Drop-down lists provide the available values of a property.
Annotating Using Tags 2. Do one of the following: t Double-click the value. t Navigate down the list using the Down Arrow key until you reach the desired value and press Enter. Assigning the Term of a Thesaurus Thesauruses are mostly used to provide larger sets of invariant terms that can be assigned as values to a property. When you open a property of type thesaurus, the Tags selector window shows a search box and the name of the thesaurus. To assign a thesaurus term: 1.
Defining Merge Rules for Annotated Segments 2. Do one of the following: t Double-click the term. t Navigate down the list using the Down Arrow key until you reach the desired term and press Enter. Defining Merge Rules for Annotated Segments The Logging pane provides rules to deal with annotation when you merge annotated segments. These rules apply to the properties provided in a Merge Rules dialog box.
Exporting Strata Property type Rule Result Numbers User Lower The lower/higher number is assigned to the merged segment. User Higher To define merge rules: 1. Click the Pane menu and select Merge Rules. The Merge Rules dialog box opens. 2. Select the merge rule for each property type you want to change. 3. Click outside the dialog box or click the X button to close the Merge Rules dialog box.
Exporting Strata 3. Select the export format: Normal AXF Export or Localized AXF Export. 4. Type a file name. You do not need to add an extension. 5. Click Download. The file is saved to your default download folder. The dialog box remembers the format you selected. This format is automatically selected the next time you open the dialog box.
13 Working with Associations (Interplay | MAM) The following main topics provide information about working with associations between Interplay MAM assets in MediaCentral UX: • Understanding Associations • The Associations Pane • Working in the Associations Pane • Viewing Associated Assets • Filtering the Displayed Associated Asset Types • Opening Associated Assets in Other Panes • Reusing Associated Assets in Other Panes • Switching Between Associated Assets • Creating Associations • Dele
The Associations Pane Associations can be created automatically by the system or manually in Interplay MAM Desktop and MediaCentral UX. Which associations can be edited and created manually depends on the system configuration. Once set, the references can be used in MediaCentral UX to navigate between associated assets.
The Associations Pane Display or Control Description 4 Filter button Toggles the filter for associated asset types on or off. When toggled on, the button is colored orange, and the configured filter is applied. When toggled off, the button is colored gray, and all associated assets types of the asset that is open in the pane are shown. See “Filtering the Displayed Associated Asset Types” on page 366. 5 Pin button Toggles pinning of the current asset on or off.
Working in the Associations Pane 11 12 Display or Control Description Association Types Each association type that can be set for the current asset is shown as a separate group. For each association type, the following are shown: Associations • An association type icon • The association type name followed by the number of associations in brackets • An Expand/Collapse toggle button. Use the button to show and hide the associations of the associations type.
Viewing Associated Assets To show and hide associations: t Click the Expand All button to expand all association types and show all associations in the Associations List. t Click the Collapse All button to collapse all association types and hide all associations from the Associations List. To select several associations: t Ctrl+click the associations you want to select, regardless of order or arrangement.
Filtering the Displayed Associated Asset Types Filtering the Displayed Associated Asset Types The Associations pane lets you see all associations of the asset currently open in the pane. By default, the pane shows all associated asset types that can be set for the asset.
Opening Associated Assets in Other Panes 4. Select the filter you want to apply or deselect the filter you want to cancel: t To apply an associated-asset-type filter, expand Association Types and select the associated asset types you want to show. All associated asset types are selected by default. t To apply a content filter, expand Content and select Empty or Populated. Both content types are selected by default. You can use the search box to find a particular filter. 5.
Reusing Associated Assets in Other Panes To open associated assets in other panes: 1. (Optional) Open all panes you want to use for the associated asset. For example, for a video asset, open the Media pane, Metadata pane, and Thumbnails pane. 2. Open the asset for which you want to see the associations in the Associations pane. 3. Expand the association types in the Associations List. 4. Double-click the header frame of the association.
Switching Between Associated Assets Switching Between Associated Assets You can use the Associations pane to switch between the source asset and an associated asset directly within the Associations pane. Pinning the source asset has no effect on whether it is replaced by the associated asset. If the asset is included in a hierarchical association, you can directly open the parent asset in the Associations pane. The Parent button is enabled only if the asset open in the pane has one parent asset.
Creating Associations 5. Do one of the following: t Click one or several assets in the Assets pane and drag them to the associations of the desired association type in the Associations pane. t Click one or several assets in the Search pane and drag them to the associations of the desired association type in the Associations pane. t Click the asset displayed in the Media viewer in Asset mode and drag it to the associations of the desired association type in the Associations pane.
Creating Associations 5. (Optional) Provide a name of the process in the Main Title field. This name is shown in the Progress pane. If you do not type a title, “null” is shown as process name in the Progress pane. 6. Click the Upload button in the process dialog box, select the files to be uploaded and click OK in the Open dialog box. The Upload File dialog box shows the files you selected.
Creating Associations 9. When the file import is finished, click the Association pane’s Refresh button. For each association an asset card is shown. A head frame of the video asset or a clip icon of an audio asset is displayed, along with metadata describing the asset and a link that you can use to open the associated asset in the Associations pane.
Deleting Associations Deleting Associations You can delete associations if you have the proper permissions in Interplay MAM. If deleting associations is not allowed, the assets cards do not show a Delete button. To delete an association: 1. Open the asset from which you want to delete an association in the Associations pane. 2. Expand the association types in the Associations List. 3. Click the Delete button of the association you want to delete. The association is deleted.
14 Working with the File Info Pane (Interplay | MAM) The following main topics provide information about working with essences of Interplay MAM assets in MediaCentral UX: • Understanding Essences and Essence Packages • The File Info Pane • Working in the File Info Pane • Editing the Properties of an Essence Package • Cleaning Up Essence Packages • Editing the Properties of an Essence • Displaying Locations Details for an Essence Understanding Essences and Essence Packages The File Info pane pr
The File Info Pane Representative Essence Package One essence package is defined as the representative essence package of the asset. The representative essence package contains the essences that represent the purpose of the asset. The essences in this package are opened by default when an essence or essence package is requested by an other component. The representative essence package can be changed manually or by workflow.
The File Info Pane r r qw q w e e t t y q u i o q a w Display or Control Description 1 Refresh button Refreshes the current view in the pane. 2 Expand All and Collapse All The Detail areas of the File Info pane are collapsed when you open the buttons pane. 3 Save button • Expand All button expands all Detail areas (Essence Package Details, Essence Details, and Location Details) and shows all detail information in the pane.
The File Info Pane 4 Display or Control Description Pane Menu button The Pane menu for the File Info pane contains the following options: • Actions. Creates a process in the MAM system and attaches the asset that is open in the File Info pane to the process. See “Creating Processes” on page 434. Use the Actions menu item if you want to clean up essence packages. See “Cleaning Up Essence Packages” on page 382. • Help. Displays a Help topic describing controls in the File Info pane.
The File Info Pane Information in the Essence Packages area The Essence Packages area shows the following information for all essence packages of the open asset in read-only mode: q q w w e e r r t t Display Description 1 Name The name of the essence package. It is set automatically to “Main package” when the essence package is created by a workflow. You can change the name.
The File Info Pane Display Description 1 Name Shows the original name of the essence file. This is the name of the essence when it was imported or created in Interplay MAM. 2 Timecode Master If the asset is a video or audio, an essence packages contains the essence for which the timecode is referred; for example, when a basic sequence is created. This essence is designated as the timecode master by a check mark in the Timecode Master column.
Working in the File Info Pane Information in the Locations area The Locations area shows the following information for the essence that is selected in the Essences area in read-only mode: q q w w e e r r Display Description 1 Name Shows the file name of the essence’s copy on that location. 2 HSM State Hierarchical Storage Management state.
Editing the Properties of an Essence Package To show and hide details: t Click the Expand All button to expand all details and show all information in the Essence Package Details, Essence Details, and Location Details areas. t Click the Collapse All button to collapse all details and hide all detail information from the Essence Package Details, Essence Details, and Location Details areas. t Click the Expand/Collapse toggle button of an individual Details area to show or hide its details.
Cleaning Up Essence Packages t Click in the SOC field, enter the desired value for the start timecode by typing the first digit, and continue typing until you have typed 8 digits. t Click in the EOC field, enter the desired value for the end timecode by typing the first digit, and continue typing until you have typed 8 digits. To save changed properties: t Click the Save button. The save status message changes from “Unsaved changes” to “All changes are saved.
Editing the Properties of an Essence 3. (Option) Select the MAM system on which the process is to be created. This must be the system from which the asset was opened. 4. Select the Cleanup Essence Packages process type. The Cleanup Essence Packages process dialog box opens and shows the selected assets as attachments. 5. Provide a main title and a cleanup reason. 6. Click the Essence Package to Clear list and select one of the following: t Representative: Clean up the representative essence package.
Editing the Properties of an Essence Your ability to edit essence properties in the Essence Details area depends on Interplay MAM user privileges and rules. For security reasons, the edit essence property privilege is not assigned to a user group by default but must be explicitly assigned to administrators in Interplay MAM. In the File Info pane, if a property is editable, a text box, drop-down menu, or other input control is displayed.
Displaying Locations Details for an Essence If you have unsaved changes and select another essence package, load another asset, or close the File Info pane, you are prompted to save the changes. Displaying Locations Details for an Essence In the File Info pane, for the essence package selected in the Essence Packages area, all essences are shown in the Essences area, and for the essence selected in the Essences area, the locations where it has been saved are shown in the Locations area.
Displaying Locations Details for an Essence - Path: The path where the essence’s copy is located. This can be either a UNC path or a relative file path. For files located directly in the essence pool’s root, the path is empty. - Online State: Indicates the online status of the essence’s copy on that specific location: Available or Not Available. - Near Online State: Indicates the near online status of the essence’s copy on that specific location: Available or Not Available.
15 Working with Closed Captions in MediaCentral | UX The following main topics describe working with closed captions: • Basics of Closed Captioning • Closed-Captioning Workflows for MediaCentral | UX • How the CCCS Works with Closed-Caption Files • Creating and Editing Closed Captions Basics of Closed Captioning MediaCentral UX provides controls for viewing, creating, editing, and outputting closed captions.
Basics of Closed Captioning n In the United States and Canada, “subtitles” are distinguished from closed captions by using subtitles to refer specifically to translation of dialog. In other areas, subtitles can also refer to closed captions, as in “Subtitles for the hard of hearing.” The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) requires the majority of English and Spanish programming seen on broadcast TV in the United States to be closed captioned.
Basics of Closed Captioning MediaCentral | UX Closed Caption Editing Following is important information for working with closed captions in MediaCentral UX v2.4. c n • Closed caption editing requires Interplay Production v3.3 or later. If the Closed Captioning pane is open, and you try to load a sequence stored in an Interplay Production database earlier than v3.3, a message tells you that Interplay Production v3.3 is required.
Closed-Captioning Workflows for MediaCentral | UX • Currently, only SCC (Scenarist Closed Caption) files are supported for import. SCC and TTML files are supported for export. • A sequence must be dynamically relinked in Media Composer and must be checked into the Interplay Production database before you can extract or add closed captions.
Closed-Captioning Workflows for MediaCentral | UX c To avoid problems with another user editing a sequence, add closed captions only after all video, audio, and effects editing are completed. Also, the sequence must be dynamically relinked in Media Composer and must be checked into the Interplay Production database. Extract Closed Captions from an Interplay Production Sequence You can work with sequences that are already associated with closed captions. The following steps describe a possible workflow.
Closed-Captioning Workflows for MediaCentral | UX Import an SCC File into MediaCentral An SCC (Scenarist Closed Caption) file is a common file format for closed captions. The following steps describe a workflow for importing closed captions from an SCC file. 1. SCC files are created and saved in a location that is accessible to the MediaCentral UX user. SCC files use the file extension .scc. 2.
Closed-Captioning Workflows for MediaCentral | UX Create New Closed Captions in MediaCentral You can create a new set of closed captions by using the Closed Captioning pane. The following steps describe a possible workflow. 1. The MediaCentral UX user loads an Interplay Production sequence in Asset mode and opens the Closed Captioning pane. 2. The user creates closed captions in the Closed Captioning pane.
Closed-Captioning Workflows for MediaCentral | UX 1. Load closed captions into the Closed Captioning pane in one of the following ways: - Extract - Import - Create new captions 2. After editing is complete, the user clicks the Repackage button. Technically, text from the TTML data is integrated into a new MXF D track file. The sequence and its metadata is checked into the Interplay Production database. The sequence can then be sent to playback or used in other Interplay Production operations.
How the CCCS Works with Closed-Caption Files How the CCCS Works with Closed-Caption Files The Closed Caption Conversion Service (CCCS) is a Linux service that is installed with other MediaCentral Platform Services. The CCCS does the work of importing SCC files or extracting closed captions from the D tracks of a sequence, and converting them to data in the Timed Text Markup Language (TTML) format. The TTML data is associated with the sequence in the Interplay Production database.
Creating and Editing Closed Captions The Closed Captioning Pane You view, edit, and create closed captions in the Closed Captioning pane. q qq w e q r q q t q yq u i q o q 1) q 1@ q 1! q Display or Control Description 1 Closed-caption type Displays the type of closed caption currently loaded: Pop On or Roll Up. 2 Extract button Click this button to extract closed captions from an Interplay Production sequence and display them in the Closed Captioning pane.
Creating and Editing Closed Captions 9 Display or Control Description Pane Menu button The following options are available: • Add or Remove Columns. Select the columns you want to display. • Split at Current Playhead position. Divides a closed-caption segment into two, based on the location of the position indicator. The complete text for the segment is copied to the new segment, and you need to edit the text as desired. You can also use Ctrl+E or right-click a selected segment.
Creating and Editing Closed Captions 12 Display or Control Description Align column Displays the positioning of the closed caption. To change the alignment, select one or more closed captions, double-click the Align column, and select one of the nine positions. Importing and Exporting Closed-Caption Files You can import an SCC (Scenarist Closed Caption) file and edit the closed captions that it contains. You can associate these captions with a sequence and edit the timing as needed.
Creating and Editing Closed Captions Closed captions created in the Closed Captioning pane are saved in the Interplay Production database. Repackaging is required if you want to use the sequence for Interplay Production operations /such as the following: • Send to playback • Interplay Transcode operations (including Mixdown) • Interplay Delivery operations • Viewing closed captions in Media Composer. If you repackage a basic sequence, the sequence can no longer be edited.
Creating and Editing Closed Captions To create new closed captions: 1. Load an Interplay Production sequence in Asset mode. 2. Click the Media Pane menu and select Closed Captions to display closed captions in the Media pane. 3. Do one of the following: t Set an In point and an Out point in the Media pane, set the Create Segment button to In and Out mode, then click the button. If focus is in the Closed Captioning pane, press Ctrl+. (period). A closed-caption segment is created.
Creating and Editing Closed Captions MediaCentral UX limits the display to four rows, with of 32 characters per row, including spaces. A space is also required before the first word in the sentence, but not at the end of a sentence. If you do not include a required space, MediaCentral UX displays a message informing you that a space is required. n n If you add a blank line in a caption segment, two different captions are displayed.
Creating and Editing Closed Captions n If closed captions were extracted or imported, and they differ from the nine available positions in MediaCentral UX, MediaCentral UX preserves the original positions. If you change the positioning in MediaCentral UX, you cannot restore the original location. To delete a closed caption, select the closed-caption segment and do one of the following: t Press the Delete key. t Right-click and select Delete.
Creating and Editing Closed Captions To close a gap between closed-caption segments, do one of the following: t To close a gap by extending the end of a closed-caption segment, right-click on the segment and select Close Gap: Modify Out. The Out point is changed to one frame before the following segment’s In point. t To close a gap by extending the beginning of a segment, right-click on the segment and select Close Gap: Modify In.
Creating and Editing Closed Captions Text for each caption is entered on a separate segment in the Closed Captioning pane, with the desired alignment set in the Align column. The following example shows the Closed Captioning pane for the above illustration: Note the following: • If multiple captions share the same line (top, middle, or bottom), they will be merged into a single line as part of the repackaging or export process. To avoid this, change the alignment so each caption is on a different line.
16 Sharing MediaCentral | UX Messages The following topics describe how to use the Messages pane to send messages to MediaCentral UX users and how to send messages to users logged in to MediaCentral UX and using an Avid editing application.
Using the Messages Pane Using the Messages Pane The Messages pane displays a message box for sending both text messages and media asset links. It also lists all received messages, with the most recent messages at the top of the list. Messages sent by you display in the message list with a blue background, while messages received by you display with a green background.
Using the Messages Pane Viewing Messages and Linked Assets When you receive messages sent by other MediaCentral UX users, the Messages pane displays a notification at the top of the message list indicating unread messages. Clicking the notification or scrolling up loads the messages, with the most recent ones at the top of the message list. To view messages: 1. Open the Messages pane. 2. If you received messages since the last time you logged in to MediaCentral UX, click the notification bar or scroll up.
Using the Messages Pane Left to right: Asset pane with the linked clip highlighted, head frame of the linked clip in the asset area of the message, and the linked clip viewed in the Media pane. If you open the asset in an enclosing folder, a new Asset pane opens and highlights the asset. n You must have the appropriate privileges to view media checked in to Interplay Production or Interplay MAM. 4.
Using the Messages Pane If you open the Messages pane, an address text box appears at the top of the pane. If you just want to share an asset, an address text box opens. 2. In the address text box, start typing the name of the recipient for your message. A list of MediaCentral UX users displays as you type. n If you type an invalid name, the name changes to red and you receive an error message. You can only send messages to recipients on the MediaCentral UX user list. 3.
Configuring E-Mail Forwarding To reply to a message: 1. Position the mouse pointer over the address line of the message to which you want to reply. The Reply button displays on the right side of the address line. 2. Click Reply. The address text box in the top of the Messages pane automatically adds the names of the recipients from the selected message. 3. In the message text box, type your message. You can also share a media asset by dragging it to the asset area of the message.
Using E-Mail Forwarding To configure e-mail forwarding for user accounts: 1. Select Home > User Settings. The User Settings dialog box opens. 2. In the Name column, select Messages & Sharing. The User Settings dialog box displays the Messages & Sharing settings. n The Messages & Sharing settings display a message if your Interplay Production administrator has not enabled e-mail forwarding, 3. Select Enabled. 4.
Using E-Mail Forwarding To view an asset included in a forwarded e-mail: 1. Open the forwarded e-mail in the account specified in your MediaCentral UX User settings (see “Configuring E-Mail Forwarding” on page 410). 2. Click the URL link included in the message. Your browser opens and displays the MediaCentral UX sign-in screen. 3. Type your user name and password. 4. Click Sign In, or press Enter or Return (Macintosh).
17 iNEWS Messaging The following main topics describe how to use the iNEWS messaging feature. • Sending Messages • Viewing and Replying to Received Messages Sending Messages MediaCentral UX provides you with two messaging features for communicating with other users working on iNEWS and MediaCentral UX. You can use the Messages pane to send messages and media assets to other MediaCentral UX users and to Avid editing applications connected to MediaCentral UX.
Viewing and Replying to Received Messages Viewing and Replying to Received Messages When messages are received, the Message bar turns a pale green, and a numerical value appears near the right end of the bar to show you how many unread messages you have. The following illustration shows 10 unread messages. To view received messages: t Use the Arrow buttons located near the right end of the Message bar to scroll through any received messages.
18 Sending to Playback The following main topics provide information about sending a sequence to a playback device: • Specifying Send to Playback Settings • Sending a Sequence to a Playback Device • Sending a Mixed-Resolution Long GOP Sequence to a Playback Device • Sending Master Clips or Subclips to a Playback Device • The Progress Pane • Interplay Services in the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool Specifying Send to Playback Settings When you are finished editing a sequence, you can tran
Specifying Send to Playback Settings To specify send-to-playback settings: 1. Click the Pane Menu button and select Send to Playback Settings. 2. Supply the following information: Setting Description Name Automatically supplied when you select a sequence for send to playback. You can copy text from the Name field into the paste buffer. For example, if the Video ID field is empty, you can paste the clip or sequence name into the Video ID field. Video ID Required to send a sequence to playback.
Specifying Send to Playback Settings Setting Description Overwrite (Optional) Select Overwrite if you want to automatically overwrite any sequence with the same video ID already sent to the playback device. n n High Priority n If you try to send a sequence with the same video ID as one already sent to the playback device, you receive an error message. Select the Overwrite option only if you are sure you want to overwrite any sequences with the same video ID.
Sending a Sequence to a Playback Device Sending a Sequence to a Playback Device You can send a sequence to a playback device if the sequence fulfills the following requirements: • The media format of the sequence must match the media format specified in the selected send-toplayback profile. The format for the currently selected STP profile is displayed in the Video Format display. If the format of the sequence matches the format of the STP profile, the display is black.
Sending a Mixed-Resolution Long GOP Sequence to a Playback Device If there is no video ID assigned for a script sequence, a blue link is displayed in the Video ID field. Click this link to display and enable the Video ID field within the story form of the corresponding story. Then enter the correct video ID and start the send-to-playback operation again.
Sending Master Clips or Subclips to a Playback Device c • Aspect ratio: There is no aspect ratio conversion. 4:3 clips are stretched to 16:9. • Review for Playback: In the Media panel Output mode, when you click the Review for Playback button, all objects of the sequence that are available in the target resolution are played in the target resolution. Objects that are not available in the target resolution are replaced by the message “Media Offline.
The Progress Pane To send a master clip or subclip to a playback device: 1. Load a clip into the Media pane. The clip loads in Asset Mode. 2. Do one of the following: t Click the STP button. t Click the Pane Menu button and select Send to Playback. If the clip does not have a video ID, the Send to Playback Settings dialog box opens. Supply the correct settings and click Send.
The Progress Pane Processes are grouped according to the type of job, such as Sequence Mixdown or Send to Playback. Single job groups can be collapsed to get a better overview by selectively displaying only one section. You can display all job groups again manually or from the Pane menu. For example, select Show Job Groups to open all sections. In the case a problem occurs, the Details link displays the error message that is reported from the MediaCentral UX system.
Interplay Services in the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool Interplay Services in the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool A Send to Playback (STP) job might use Interplay Transcode and STP Encode to prepare the STP job for transfer. When this occurs, the Transcode and STP Encode jobs are listed in the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool while processing, but are removed from the jobs list after processing is complete.
19 Delivering Assets and Media The following main topics describe how to deliver assets and media from one Interplay Production workgroup to another: • Understanding MediaCentral Delivery • Delivering Assets and Media to a Remote Workgroup • Delivering Assets and Media to a Local Workgroup Understanding MediaCentral Delivery MediaCentral UX has two options for delivering assets and media: • Deliver to a remote workgroup.
Understanding MediaCentral Delivery Interplay Delivery Service and Delivery Receiver Service MediaCentral UX uses the Interplay Delivery service to perform workgroup-to-workgroup transfers of master clips, subclips, cuts-only sequences, and their media files. The Interplay Delivery Receiver service must be running on a server in the workgroup to which you are delivering the assets and media. These services are installed and configured as Interplay Production Services in an Interplay Production workgroup.
Understanding MediaCentral Delivery The following illustration shows the Deliver To dialog box, with parameters taken from the Delivery profile and the Consolidate profile.
Delivering Assets and Media to a Remote Workgroup n For more information on creating profiles for Interplay Consolidate, see the Avid Media | Index Configuration Guide. Deliver from Mark In to Mark Out Workflows If you select “Deliver from Mark In to Mark Out,” the Consolidate service creates new clips and new assets, using information in the Consolidate profile. The following table describes several different workflows.
Delivering Assets and Media to a Remote Workgroup n By default, a Delivery provider is configured to run one job at a time. You can change this value by editing an .ini file. For more information, see the Interplay Delivery documentation. To deliver to a remote workgroup from the Media pane: 1. Load an asset in either Asset mode or Output mode. 2. (Optional) If you want to deliver only part of a clip loaded in Asset mode, set In and Out marks. You cannot set In and Out marks on sequences or subclips. 3.
Delivering Assets and Media to a Local Workgroup 3. From the Name list, select the Delivery profile that you want to use for the transfer. Profiles are created by an Interplay Production administrator. The video format that will be delivered is displayed as Target Video Quality at the bottom of the dialog box. 4. Click Deliver To. The job is submitted. To view the status of the delivery: t n In the Progress pane, click the Pane Menu button and select Show Job Groups > Delivery.
Delivering Assets and Media to a Local Workgroup 4. Click the Pane Menu button and select Deliver To Me. The Deliver To Me dialog box opens and displays the parameters of the selected profile. 5. From the Name list, select the Delivery profile that you want to use for the transfer. Profiles are created by an Interplay Production administrator. The video format that will be delivered is displayed as Target Video Quality at the bottom of the dialog box. 6.
Delivering Assets and Media to a Local Workgroup To view the status of the delivery t n In the Progress pane, click the Pane Menu button and select Show Job Groups > Deliver To Me. Delivery jobs that use Mark In to Mark Out use Interplay Consolidate and Interplay Production Services Automation to prepare the files for delivery. These jobs are displayed in the Interplay Media Services and Transfer Status tool. An Interplay Consolidate job is deleted after processing is complete.
20 Working with Interplay | MAM Processes and Tasks The following main topics provide information about working with processes that you created in Interplay MAM Desktop or MediaCentral UX and the individual user tasks that are part of MAM processes: • Understanding Processes, Tasks, and Actions • Creating Processes • Using File Attachments During Process Creation • Getting Information on Allowed Attachments • Using the Quick Send Feature • Monitoring Processes in the Progress Pane • Working wit
Understanding Processes, Tasks, and Actions Starting with MediaCentral UX v2.8, users that are assigned a Base non-MAM license (Interplay Production, iNEWS) can also have orchestration-only access to Interplay MAM systems with the following limitations: • Interplay MAM systems are not shown in the Launch pane. • Users cannot access MAM folders in the Assets pane, search for MAM assets, or open MAM assets in other MediaCentral UX panes.
Creating Processes • If no MAM system supports process creation or no process type is applicable, the menu item is disabled; if an issue occurs while the process types are loaded, this is indicated by an (Error) or (Timeout) suffix in the disabled menu item. For more information, see “Creating Processes” on page 434. Assets and Files as Attachments Depending on the process configuration, you can attach assets or files or both to processes and user tasks.
Creating Processes Starting with MediaCentral UX version 2.4, you can also attach Interplay Production assets or iNEWS stories to a process if the process is configured accordingly in Interplay MAM. Use the same procedure for creating processes for MAM assets and assets from other systems. Starting with MediaCentral UX version 2.6, you can also upload files to a process during process creation if the process is configured accordingly in Interplay MAM.
Creating Processes To create a process from the Associations pane: 1. (Option) To ensure you see all available associations, expand all association types. 2. Select one or more assets. You can select the source asset and any of its associated assets. 3. Click the Pane Menu button and select Actions. 4. (Option) Select the MAM system on which the process is to be created. 5. Select the process type. 6. (Option) If the process type provides a submenu, select the desired menu item.
Using File Attachments During Process Creation To create a process without attachments from the Tasks pane: 1. Click the Pane Menu button and select Create Process. 2. (Option) Select the MAM system on which the process is to be created. 3. Select the process type. 4. (Option) If the process type provides a submenu, select the desired menu item. 5. (Option) Upload files to the process. 6. Supply the required information in the process dialog box and click OK.
Using File Attachments During Process Creation 2. Do one of the following: t Click the Upload button in the process dialog box and select the files to be uploaded in the Open dialog box. t Open the Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac), select one or several files and drag them to the process dialog box. The drop zone is outlined in orange, the Attachment area (or the Drop Assets Here area, if there is no attachment yet) is highlighted in orange, and a Move icon indicates if dropping is possible.
Getting Information on Allowed Attachments All deletable attachments are deleted. The process dialog box is updated and the attachments are no longer displayed. Getting Information on Allowed Attachments When you create a process, the Create Process dialog box shows the number of attachments (assets and files) in the Attachments count. The same information is provided in the Tasks pane when you select a task. See “The Tasks Pane” on page 455.
Using the Quick Send Feature - System: Type (Interplay MAM, Interplay Production, iNEWS) and name of the system to which the rule applies. If the rule applies to all systems of a type, the prefix “Any” is shown. - Asset Types: Name of the allowed asset type or “any” if there is no restriction. - Allowed Range: Number and range of allowed attachments (none, any, exactly n, up to n, from n-to m). - Total: The maximum number of attachments allowed for the process.
Monitoring Processes in the Progress Pane Monitoring Processes in the Progress Pane The Progress pane is used to monitor the processes that you created in Interplay MAM Desktop or MediaCentral UX and are active or were completed during the last 24 hours. If necessary, you can also cancel a process that is underway directly from the pane. The following illustration shows several examples of what you might encounter when monitoring MAM processes with the Progress pane.
Working with Process Dashboards To filter the displayed job groups: t Select Panes > Show Job Groups and click the job group name. The pane hides all processes of the selected job group or displays them again if you click an inactive (non-checked) job group name. To cancel a process underway: t Click the Cancel button located to the right of the active process. The Cancel button is removed. A process cancel request is sent. To remove all non-running processes from the list in the Progress pane: 1.
Working with Process Dashboards qw q we e r r t r y r u r i r Display or Control Description 1 Refresh button The Process List updates automatically upon process changes matching the dashboard context settings and filter criteria. Use the Refresh button to reload processes in the Process List manually.
Working with Process Dashboards 5 6 Display or Control Description Pane Menu button The Pane Menu for the Process Dashboard pane contains the following options: • Define Context. Allows you to define the context of the dashboard. See “Defining the Dashboard Context” on page 446. • Add or Remove Columns. Shows or hides columns in the Process Dashboard pane. See “Working in the Process Dashboard Pane” on page 448. • Save As.
Working with Process Dashboards 7 Display or Control Description Process List Displays processes, depending on the dashboard criteria and filter applied to the pane. The Process List shows the following columns by default: • Name: Displays the name of the process. In front of the process name an icon indicates the life cycle status of the process. Pending Running Finished Error The icon change as soon as the life cycle status of the process is changed.
Working with Process Dashboards To close the Process Dashboard pane: t Click the X in the pane’s tab. Defining the Dashboard Context Opening a Process Dashboard pane from the Panes Menu opens a blank pane in which you need to define the context for the dashboard. This includes selecting the process source and the system that provides the processes. When you save the dashboard, its context is also saved.
Working with Process Dashboards 5. (Optional) If you added a criterion of type text, do the following: a. Select a value from the condition selector: - is — Matches the string exactly, including spaces. For example, “blue” matches “blue” but not “blueberry.” - is not — The opposite of “is.” This matches anything that is not the search expression. - contains — Matches substrings, including spaces. For example, “blues” matches both “blue” and “blueberry.
Working with Process Dashboards The date slider adjusts to match the date options you select, and the date-time field displays a text summary of your date criteria. c. If you want to modify the time values to specify an exact time in hours, minutes, and seconds, click a time value displayed in the criterion text box, and type a new value. When you type a legal value, the next value is automatically selected.
Working with Process Dashboards You can use the search box to find a particular column. You can use the Deselect All button to deselect all selected columns. 3. Click the Close box or click anywhere outside the window to save your settings. To sort the dashboard columns: 1. Click the heading of the column you want to sort by. If the column can be sorted and how the column sorts the results depends on the content of the column. For sortable columns, an arrow appears in the column.
Working with Process Dashboards Saving and Opening Saved Dashboards You can save dashboards to make it easy to access frequently used processes. Users can open a saved dashboard in a new Process Dashboard pane. All saved dashboards appear in the Launch pane. You can also edit a saved dashboard by opening it and modifying the parameters of the dashboard. Saving a dashboard saves the current configuration of the Process Dashboard pane.
Working with Process Dashboards To share a saved dashboard: 1. Log in to MediaCentral UX as a user with Administrator credentials. 2. Right-click a saved dashboard, and then select Create Public Dashboard. The saved dashboard appears in the Public Dashboards area of the Launch pane and is available to all users. n You must have signed in as a user with Administrator role to edit a public dashboard.
Working with Process Dashboards To enable and disable grouping: t Click the Display Group Button so it turns orange. Processes are grouped by the process group property in the Process List. t Click the orange Display Group Button so it turns gray. Processes are shown as flat list in the Process List. To show and hide grouped processes: t Click the Expand All button to expand all process groups and show all processes in the Process List.
Working with Process Dashboards To apply a process group filter: 1. Click the Groups selector in the Quick Filter bar. The Process Groups window opens. It shows an All Groups entry that includes all process groups and process types. All entries are selected by default. 2. Expand the All Groups entry and select the process groups you want to display or deselect the process groups you want to hide.
Working with Process Dashboards Applying Filters The controls of the Filter bar allow you to apply filters to the processes shown in the Process List. • You can apply a text-based filter. • You can apply a life cycle-based filter. • You can filter the processes by creation time ranges. • You can filter the processes by process groups. See “Working with Process Groups” on page 451. All filters are cumulative.
Working with Tasks Working with Tasks The Tasks pane shows you all tasks that allow you to complete an action. These tasks can be part of processes that you created or have been created by other users and delegated or assigned to you. All options for working with tasks depend on rules: the configuration of the corresponding processes must allow assigning, delegating, and applying actions to user tasks.
Working with Tasks o r qw q we er rr tr yr ur i a r d r f q g q 1r! q h j q 1 Display or Control Description List and Task button Toggles display of the Task List and Task Details on or off. When toggled on the button is colored orange. n You can have both the List and Task buttons simultaneously toggled on but not toggled off. When only one is on and you click that button, the system automatically toggles that display off and the other display on.
Working with Tasks Display or Control 7 8 Description Saves the task data without leaving the edit field. See “Displaying and Editing User Task Data” on page 464. My Tasks button Toggles the My Tasks filter on or off. • When toggled on, the button is colored orange, and the Tasks List shows only the tasks that are assigned to you or the group you are member of. • When toggled off, the Tasks List shows all tasks that you are allowed to edit. See “Filtering Displayed User Tasks” on page 460.
Working with Tasks 10 Display or Control Description Task List Displays active and finished tasks in an overview table, depending on the filter applied to the pane. The Task List has the following columns: • Name: Displays the name of the task. • Task Status: Displays the status of the task. • Task Start: Displays the date and time when the task was started. • Task Due: Displays the planned end date and time of the task (only for active tasks).
Working with Tasks 13 Display or Control Description Attachment count Shows the number of attached assets. If the number of attachments does not comply with the allowed limits, the Attachments count is shown in red. The Show Details links opens a window that provides details, including the reason why the limit is exceeded. See “Adding and Editing User Task Attachments” on page 465. 14 Task Information Displays the metadata assigned to the task.
Working with Tasks To add or remove property columns in the Task List: 1. Click the Pane Menu button in the top right corner of the Tasks pane and select Add or Remove Columns. The Add Or Remove Columns window opens. The list is divided in Common Properties and MAM Tasks. 2. Select the columns you want to add or deselect the columns you want to remove. You can use the search box to find a particular column. 3. Click the Close box or click anywhere outside the window to save your settings.
Working with Tasks 3. Select the information you want to display or deselect the information you want to hide: t To apply a status- and time-based filter, expand Task Status and select “All active,” “Completed last 30 days,” or “Completed last 7 days.” “All active” is selected by default and therefore only tasks that still require an action are shown. The two other options show completed user tasks that can no longer be edited.
Working with Tasks 4. Select the user or group to which you want to delegate the task. After the delegation is successfully completed for at least one task, the Task List is refreshed. In most cases, delegated tasks are removed from the Task List. However, if you delegate a task to a group and you are member of that group, the task will not be removed from the Task List. Assigning User Tasks to Users and Groups You can assign user tasks to another user or user group.
Working with Tasks When you type a letter, MediaCentral UX filters the list to all values containing that letter. As you continue to type, MediaCentral UX continues to filter the list according to the letters you type. 3. Do one of the following: t Double-click the value or check its check box. t Navigate down the list using the Down Arrow key until you reach the desired value and press Enter. The field shows the real name with the user’s login name or group ID in brackets. 4.
Working with Tasks 2. Do one of the following: t Right-click the selected task in the Task List and select the action that you want to apply. t Click the button of the action you want to apply at the bottom of the Task Details area. While the action is applied, the task is locked and all action controls are disabled. After the action is successfully applied, the lock is released and the Task List and Task Details areas are refreshed.
Working with Tasks 3. To save your changes, do one of the following: t Click the Save button. t Press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Cmd+S (Macintosh). t Click outside the metadata field. If you do not save your changes and apply an action or delegate the task, select another task, close the Tasks pane, or log off, a message is displayed that asks you to save the changes. Adding and Editing User Task Attachments When you create a process, you attach at least one asset to it.
Working with Tasks To use an attached asset to create an association: 1. Select a task in the Task List. 2. Select the attached asset in the assets area, drag it to the associations of the desired association type in the Associations pane, and release the mouse button. For more information, see “Creating Associations” on page 369.
Working with Tasks The status can be one of the following: - Waiting: A loading indicator for files that have not been uploaded. A Cancel button is shown beside the loading indicator. - In Progress: A progress bar during the upload. A Cancel button is shown beside the progress bar. - “Completed” for successfully uploaded files - “Failed” for failed uploads If the same file was already uploaded or is in status Waiting or In Progress, a “Overwrite file” prompt opens.
Working with Tasks 3. To download several files at the same time, select the file attachments in the Attachments area, and do one of the following: t Click the Download File button on the Tasks pane toolbar. t Click the Pane menu and select Download File. t Right-click the file attachment asset card and select Download File from the pop-up menu. While the download is initiated, a “Preparing download” message is displayed. A message is displayed if the download cannot be started.
21 Working with Avid Maestro in MediaCentral | UX The following main topics describe how to work with Avid Maestro in MediaCentral UX and the Maestro UX plug-in: • Maestro and the Maestro UX Plug-In • Installation and Configuration • Connecting to and Browsing a Maestro Database • Viewing and Working with Maestro Templates • Adding a Maestro Graphic to an iNEWS Story Maestro and the Maestro UX Plug-In Avid Maestro is a universal controller that lets users create and manage template-based, on-air 3
Connecting to and Browsing a Maestro Database Connecting to and Browsing a Maestro Database If the Maestro UX plug-in is correctly installed and configured, a Maestro icon and the name Maestro are displayed in the Launch pane. Interplay MAM and iNEWS systems, which are supported in the current workflow, are also listed. To open the Maestro database, do one of the following: t Double-click the highlighted Maestro icon and name.
Viewing and Working with Maestro Templates Viewing and Working with Maestro Templates You can view and work with Maestro graphic templates in the Maestro Browser pane. In the MediaCentral UX Maestro Browser pane, you are limited to editing the values of the controls To open the Maestro Browser pane: t Select Panes > Maestro Browser. To view a graphic template: t In the Assets pane, double-click the graphic template you want to view. The graphic template opens in the Maestro Browser pane.
Viewing and Working with Maestro Templates Display or Control Description 5 Play button Renders the Maestro graphic and plays it in the MediaCentral UX Media viewer. As the item loads, the button shows the percentage loaded. 6 VSlot button Opens controls for selecting VSlots (Virtual Slots). VSlots are like visual layers (in the preview or on-air). Different scenes can be played to different VSlots.
Viewing and Working with Maestro Templates To edit text in a graphic template: t n In the Maestro Browser pane, double-click an outlined box and enter the text you want. Starting with Maestro v7.1, you can connect to an Interplay MAM database and add Interplay MAM graphics to a Maestro template. For more information, see the Avid Maestro v7.1 ReadMe. Previewing the Graphic in the Media Pane You can preview the complete graphic in the MediaCentral UX Media viewer.
Adding a Maestro Graphic to an iNEWS Story The graphic begins to render. New data from the graphic template is combined with the graphic itself and the combination is sent to the Maestro Render Server. The Play button shows the percentage of the graphic that is rendered until it is completely rendered and loaded in the Media viewer. After the graphic is loaded, you can click the Play button in the Media viewer to view the graphic or drag the position indicator to scroll through the timeline.
Adding a Maestro Graphic to an iNEWS Story To add a Maestro graphic as a production cue: 1. Click the drag-and-drop button in the bottom left of the Maestro Browser window, drag the icon to the Queue/Story pane, and drop it on a segment of an iNEWS story. A production cue is created in the cue list. An asterisk indicates that the cue is a machine control instruction. In the following illustration, “Orad” refers to the MOS object name and “Generic_Score” refers to the name of the graphic template. 2.
22 MediaCentral | UX Mobile Application for the iPhone The MediaCentral UX mobile app provides a native user interface designed to run on your iPhone and enable direct, secure access to your station’s iNEWS newsroom computer system and the Interplay Production database. The following main topics describe basic user information about the device and mobile app.
Connection Basics The MediaCentral UX iPhone application uses one of several connection options, including Wi-Fi or carrier-specific cellular service (such as 4G). n The application automatically selects the first available connection from the list of options according to the priority shown in the list. The iPhone The iPhone has very few exterior buttons. You navigate content with touch gestures — for example, tapping an icon to start an application.
Installing MediaCentral | UX on the iPhone Location Gesture Description Media Viewer Tap in the timeline Moves the Playhead to that position on the timeline. Media Viewer Pinch in on full screen viewer Minimizes viewer back to original size and position within the Script Editor. Installing MediaCentral | UX on the iPhone The following procedure assumes licensing, setup, and configuration of the MediaCentral and iNEWS servers have already been completed.
The Sidebar To start MediaCentral UX: 1. Select the MediaCentral icon to start the mobile application. The sign-in screen appears. 2. Type the MediaCentral UX Server name. 3. Type your MediaCentral UX user name and password. 4. Do one of the following: t Tap the Sign In button. After you sign in, MediaCentral UX connects to the selected Interplay Production server or iNEWS system. All servers display in the Sidebar.
The Sidebar The top level of the sidebar contains the Launch pane. The following illustration shows the Launch pane with an available Interplay Production database and an iNEWS newsroom computer system, as well as a couple of user-defined Favorites. From the Launch pane, you can navigate through the file structure and open assets. After opening assets, you can view the sidebar at any time by swiping your finger across the screen to the right.
Buttons of the User Interface You can use the Refresh button to update the queues and stories displayed in the iNEWS database or the media assets displayed in the Interplay Production database by clicking the Refresh button. This allows you to view any changes made to stories or any new iNEWS or Interplay Production assets. In edit mode, the plus symbol located at the bottom of the sidebar operates as the Add Story button. Users can tap it to create a new blank story.
Changing Roles General Settings Description Logging Level This setting determines how much information is logged if you enable logging. Options include: Verbose, Info, Warn, and Error. Request Timeout Options are intervals of 10, 20, or 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 2 minutes. Keep me signed in Set to On if you want MediaCentral UX to keep you signed in after you first sign in. The following table provides information about the settings for editing.
Accessing the iNEWS Database 2. Tap a different role to select it. The current role is marked by a check mark. Accessing the iNEWS Database The iNEWS database is the backbone of your iNEWS system. You save the data created in your newsroom — stories, scripts, and rundowns — in the database on the iNEWS Server. Queues contain stories, and directories (also known as folders) store the queues.
Accessing the iNEWS Database Icon Description Stories — for example, wire stories — contain text, such as contact information or a description of a news event. Any story can become a script for a show. Scripts contain additional data beyond text, including production cues, machine control instructions, presenter instructions, and associated video sequences. Destinations in the iNEWS system directory selected for the Favorites list have a star on the right of the directory, queue, or story.
Accessing the iNEWS Database To open a directory: 1. Navigate to the directory. 2. Tap a folder on screen to open it. n As you navigate the system’s directory structure, the application displays your path or location within the database at the top of the screen. The following illustration shows the Wires directory opened to view numerous queues containing incoming wire stories.
Accessing the iNEWS Database To open a queue: 1. Navigate to the queue inside a directory. 2. Tap the queue to open it. The following illustration shows an example of a rundown queue. To open an existing story: 1. Navigate to the story in a queue. n A story icon with a check mark indicates that the story has been “approved.” You can approve stories from an iNEWS workstation or from MediaCentral UX. 2. Tap the story to open it.
Accessing the iNEWS Database The following illustration shows the Script Editor open with the Story section displayed containing a story with production cue markers identified numerically. Presenter instructions appear as red text in the body of the story. 3. While viewing the story, swipe left to view the Cue List.
Accessing the iNEWS Database The numerical production cue markers within the story align with production cues and machine control instructions displayed in the Cue List to the right of the story. Black text indicates production cues. Blue text indicates machine control instructions (if any). n Because of limited screen size on the iPhone, the mobile application does not display the sidebar with the Script Editor.
Accessing the iNEWS Database To adjust the size of the text of your story: 1. Tap the Change Text Size button. The Change Text Size controls open. 2. Do one of the following: t Tap the smaller letter icon to reduce the text size. t Tap the larger letter icon to increase the text size You can tap the letter icons multiple times to reduce or increase text to the appropriate size. 3. Tap Done. To add a new story: 1. Tap the story in the queue below which you want to insert the new story. 2.
Editing Stories Viewing Video Associated with a Script When sequences have been associated with stories in the MediaCentral UX Web application, you can preview the stories in the media viewer in MediaCentral UX. n If your MediaCentral UX system is licensed for an iNEWS- only configuration, you cannot preview or play sequences or other media assets. When you associate video with a script, you use the Open Sequence button to open the viewer full screen and preview sequences.
Editing Stories The system obtains an edit lock when you edit a story, which prevents other users from altering a story while you work on it. The edit lock applies only to the story body when you edit the body, and it applies only to the story title (the slug) when you edit the title in the sidebar or when you approve a story. When you start a new story, the edit lock applies both to the story body and the story title. Saving and closing the story, or discarding your changes, releases the edit lock.
Editing Stories A blank story is added to the current queue with edit mode already activated for the story. An edit lock prevents others from changing the story while you edit. The cursor moves to the blank title field. When in edit mode (in the Script Editor), the app displays the Edit toolbar and a virtual keyboard. n The MediaCentral UX mobile app can also be used with a Bluetooth keyboard. 4. (Optional) Enter any production cues or machine control instructions. 5. Save the story.
Editing Stories 3. When cursor appears, you can change the name of the story. 4. Tap OK. Ways of Saving Stories You can save newly created stories or change existing stories by tapping the Edit Story button after modifying a story while in edit mode. A message appears asking you to confirm whether to save the changes. You can choose to save the story or exit edit mode without saving your changes.
Editing Stories To format text, select the appropriate text and do one of the following: n t To bold text, tap and hold. and then select the B button. t To italicize test, tap and hold, and then select the I button. t To underline text, tap and hold, and then select the U button. t To mark text as a presenter instruction, tap and hold, and then select P for presenter. t To mark text as a closed captioning text, tap and hold, and then select CC for closed captioned.
Editing Stories Adding Machine Control Instructions If your station integrates with a broadcast control system, such as iNEWS Command, the production cues might include machine control instructions. You should precede these instructions with an asterisk (*) and write them in a format that begins with a command for a device — for example, CG for a character generator.
Approving Stories Approving Stories Endorsing or approving stories allows news producers to identify which scripts in a show have been reviewed prior to broadcast. You can approve stories from an iNEWS workstation or from the MediaCentral UX application on an iPad or an iPhone. n The ability to approve stories requires write access to the queue for the selected story. To approve a story from the mobile application: 1. Open the story you want to approve. 2.
Working with Favorites To create a Favorite: 1. Tap the Edit button. 2. Tap the gray star next to the directory, asset, queue, or story you want to designate as a favorite destination. You can select more than one at a time. 3. Tap the Done button. All selections appear in your Favorites list in the Launch pane. A star appears next to each icon of favorite destinations in the system directory. To edit the name of a Favorite: 1. Tap the Edit button. 2. Tap the name in the list you want to edit. 3.
Working Offline with Cached Queues and Stories For example, if you plan to have multiple rundown queues in your Favorites list, some might share the same queue name. You can edit each one in the list to distinguish which rundown applies to the morning show, midday show, and evening newscast. 4. Tap the Done button. The name of the Favorite changes. This does not affect the name of the asset, story, queue, or rundown in iNEWS or Interplay Production. To delete a Favorite: 1. Tap the Edit button. 2.
Working Offline with Cached Queues and Stories The following notes apply to caching queues and stories: • You can work in presenter mode from a cached queue in offline mode. • Caching a queue might take some time, depending on the length of the queue. You can manually cancel a cache operation. For more information, see “Caching Queues and Stories” on page 499. • If you manually cancel a cache operation, no part of the queue or story is saved. • You can cache a queue of up to 1000 stories.
Working Offline with Cached Queues and Stories 3. Click OK. To remove a cache from your device: 1. In the Launch pane, tap the Edit button, and then select the queue or story in the Favorites list you want to delete. The queue or story displays a check mark next to the title. 2. Tap the Trash button. The queue or story is removed from the Favorites list and the cache is deleted. Viewing Queues and Stories in Offline Mode When you lose your connection to MediaCentral UX, you can choose to work offline.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production You can access media assets stored in an Interplay Production database, such as video clips, audio clips, and graphics. When viewed with the mobile application, available Interplay Production systems appear in the sidebar, along with any of their directories and media assets. Different icons are used to identify Interplay Production assets: Icon Description Directories hold media assets or other subdirectories.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production Viewing Media Assets with MediaCentral | UX You can open directories and media assets stored in the Interplay Production database using MediaCentral UX. Directories and a list of assets open within the sidebar. You can view and play assets in the Media viewer. Media viewer — Action button, Media player, media controls To open a directory: 1. Navigate to the directory. 2. Tap a folder on screen to open it.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production The following illustration shows the News Media directory opened to view one subdirectory and multiple media assets. To back out of a directory: t n Tap the Back button. The Back button does not display the word “Back” on it, but rather the name on the button changes as a user navigates further into the directory.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production To open and play a media asset: 1. Navigate to the asset in a directory. 2. Tap the video or audio asset. The asset opens in the Media viewer, which replaces the asset list in the sidebar. Media controls: Play button, position indicator, Full Screen button 3. Tap the Play button to play the asset. 4.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production Troubleshooting Video Playback Problems on the iPhone If you experience playback problems with the MediaCentral iOS app, you can try to reload the asset. This forces the MediaCentral server to reload the full video clip and begin streaming it again. You can also try playing the asset in a browser to determine if the problem is related to the app or your connection, or if the problem exists with the MediaCentral server. To reload an asset: 1.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production 8. Tap the Play button to play the asset, and make a note of the time playback begins. 9. Tap the Actions button, and then tap Send Log to send an e-mail with the log file directly to an email account. 10. Open the e-mail on your Macintosh system, and then use a text editor to open the attached log file. 11. Find a link with .m3u8 suffix that is located on the line marked with the time playback started — for example: 07-02 16:15:29.830 [ . . . ] http://123.45.
Using Markers n The Safari browser supports native playback for .m3u8 files. Other browsers — for example, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Opera — do not. If you are not working on a computer running Mac OS X, you can use your browser to download the file to your system and play it in a media player that support .m3u8 video files. 15. Play back the asset.
Using Markers w r y q e t u Display Description 1 Status bar Displays the status of the marker. This bar is only visible if your Interplay Production configuration supports approval of markers — see “Setting the Approval Status for Markers” on page 511. 2 Show/Hide Marker list button Expands or collapses the Marker list. 3 Change Marker Color bar Allows you to change the color of any marker. 4 Create Marker button Allows you to create a new marker.
Using Markers To create a marker, do one of the following: 1. Load a video in the Media player. 2. Do one of the following: n t Tap the Play button, and then tap the Create Marker button or the Notes field when the playhead reaches the appropriate location. t Tap in the timeline to scrub to the location where you want to add a marker, and then tap the Create Marker button or the Notes field. If no cache exists for the video yet, the playhead does not move to the location in the timeline.
Using Markers To edit an existing marker: 1. Tap and hold the marker you want to edit. The Marker menu opens. 2. Tap Edit. The Marker view opens in edit mode.
Using Markers 3. Use the keyboard to edit the marker text. 4. Tap the Done button. Text is saved and you exit edit mode. n You can cancel your edit by tapping outside the Notes field. To delete an existing marker: 1. Tap and hold the marker you want to delete. The Marker menu opens. 2. Tap Delete. The marker is deleted from the clip or sequence. Setting the Approval Status for Markers Users who have sufficient permissions can set the approval status for markers.
Using Markers For example, you might want to specify the status of a particular asset. The XML file might contain status values such as Approved, In Progress, Rejected, and Waiting for Approval. In this case, you can use the Import button for the Custom Property in the Custom Meta Data tab in the Property Layout view in the Interplay Administrator window.
23 MediaCentral | UX Tablet Application for the iPad The MediaCentral UX tablet app provides a native user interface designed to run on your iPad tablet and enable direct, secure access to your station’s iNEWS newsroom computer system and the Interplay Production database. The following main topics describe basic user information about the device and tablet app.
Connection Basics n If your MediaCentral UX system is licensed for an iNEWS- only configuration, you cannot preview or play sequences or other media assets. MediaCentral UX uses one of several connection options, including Wi-Fi or carrier-specific cellular service (such as 4G). n The app automatically selects the first available connection from the list of options according to the priority shown in the list. The iPad The iPad has very few exterior buttons.
Installing MediaCentral | UX on the iPad Location Gesture Description Media Viewer Tap in the timeline Moves the Playhead to that position on the timeline. Media Viewer Pinch out on viewer embedded Expands the viewer to full screen. in the Script Editor above the Cue List sub-section Media Viewer Pinch in on full screen viewer Minimizes viewer back to original size and position within the Script Editor. Presenter Mode Swipe left or tap on right edge Navigates to next page.
Starting MediaCentral | UX on the Tablet For more information on iNEWS Community, see “Support for iNEWS Communities” on page 33. You can also choose to work offline. This allows you to view queues and stories listed in the Favorites list that you have cached locally on your device. If you select ‘Work Offline” in the sign in screen, the MediaCentral UX mobile app uses the credentials last used to sign in to the MediaCentral UX Web application.
The Sidebar To sign out: 1. Tap the Profile button. 2. Select Sign Out. The Sidebar After you sign in to MediaCentral UX on an iPad, you can view the sidebar, located along the left side of the screen when displayed. This allows you to navigate various systems integrated with MediaCentral UX, such as an iNEWS newsroom computer system or an Interplay Production database. The Launch pane also includes any iNEWS projects and iNEWS servers that are part of an iNEWS community.
Buttons of the User Interface Button Description Tap the Back button to navigate up one level in the project hierarchy in the sidebar. Tap and hold the Back button to return to the Launch pane. n The Back button is not available on the Launch pane. Tap the Edit button to create or delete favorites. Tap the Refresh button to refresh the list of queues, stories, and media assets.
Customizing MediaCentral | UX Settings Customizing MediaCentral | UX Settings You can modify some settings in MediaCentral UX. To modify MediaCentral UX settings on the iPad: 1. On the Home screen, tap the Settings icon. 2. Select MediaCentral UX in the list of apps. The following table provides information about general settings. General Settings Description Version For display purposes only, this value shows the currently installed version of the tablet app.
Changing Roles Presenter Mode Settings Description Skip Blank Stories If set to On, presenter mode skips any stories that have no text or production cues. To send log files to Avid: 1. Connect your device to a Macintosh computer. 2. Open iTunes and navigate to Device > Apps. 3. In the Apps list, select MediaCentral UX. 4. In the MediaCentral UX Documents list, select the Logs folder. 5. Click “Save to” or drag the folder to a location on your computer. 6.
Accessing the iNEWS Database Accessing the iNEWS Database The iNEWS database is the backbone of your iNEWS system. You save the data created in your newsroom — stories, scripts, and rundowns — in the database on the iNEWS server. Queues contain stories, and directories (also known as folders) store the queues. When viewed with the tablet app, available iNEWS systems appear in the sidebar, along with any of their directories and queues. For MediaCentral UX v1.
Accessing the iNEWS Database n While viewing the top level of an iNEWS system directory in the sidebar, the Back button displays the word Launch, which means you can tap it to return to the previous view of the Launch pane. However, the button’s name changes the further you navigate down the system directory. You can return to the Launch pane at any time by tapping and holding the Back button. You can open directories, queues, and stories from MediaCentral UX.
Accessing the iNEWS Database To open a directory: 1. Navigate to the directory. 2. Tap a folder on screen to open it. n As you navigate the system’s directory structure, the app displays your path or location within the database at the top of the screen. The following illustration shows the Wires directory opened to view numerous queues containing incoming wire stories.
Accessing the iNEWS Database To open a queue: 1. Navigate to the queue inside a directory. 2. Tap the queue to open it. The following illustration shows an example of a rundown queue. To open an existing story: 1. Navigate to the story in a queue. n A story icon with a check mark indicates that the story has been “approved.” You can approve stories from an iNEWS workstation or from MediaCentral UX. 2. Tap the story to open it.
Accessing the iNEWS Database The following illustration shows the Script Editor with a story containing production cue markers identified numerically. These markers align with production cues and machine control instructions displayed in the Cue List to the left of the story. Blue text indicates machine control instructions. Black text indicates production cues. Red text in the body of the story indicates presenter instructions. To reload a story: 1. Tap the Actions button. 2. Tap Reload.
Accessing the iNEWS Database You can tap the letter icons multiple times to reduce or increase text to the appropriate size. 3. Tap anywhere on the screen to dismiss the Change Text Size controls. To add a new story: 1. Tap the story in the queue below which you want to insert the new story. 2. Tap the Add Story button, located at the bottom of the sidebar. The Edit Slug dialog box opens. 3. Add a name for the story, and then tap OK.
Editing Stories To view video sequences associated with a script: 1. Do one of the following: t Tap the Play button in the viewer located above the Cue List sub-section of the Script Editor. t Tap the Maximize button in the viewer to open the viewer full screen. Then tap the Play button. 2. (Optional) If you expand the viewer, you can tap the Minimize button to restore the viewer to its original size and location within the Script Editor. To regenerate the sequence video proxy for playback: 1.
Editing Stories You can use cut, copy, and paste to move text around within a single story or from one story to another. When cutting or copying text, the system stores the text in the clipboard. The clipboard stores only one block of text at a time, so whenever you cut or copy something new, the clipboard overwrites the previously stored text. To edit an existing story: 1. Navigate to the existing story in the queue and open it. 2. Tap the Edit Story button. 3. Tap in the story to begin editing the text.
Editing Stories n The MediaCentral UX mobile app can also be used with a Bluetooth keyboard. 3. (Optional) Enter any production cues or machine control instructions. 4. Save the story. For more information, see “Ways of Saving Stories” on page 529. To edit the title (slug) of a story: 1. Tap the Actions button. 2. Tap Edit Slug. An edit lock on the story form in iNEWS prevents others from changing the story title while you edit. 3. When cursor appears, you can change the name of the story. 4. Tap OK.
Editing Stories Your story also is saved when the following occurs: • You change to another app or send MediaCentral UX to the background by pressing the Home button. • Your device goes to sleep due to Auto-Lock timeout. • If you use a Smart Cover and close the cover, sending the device to sleep.
Editing Stories n You can choose the format before typing your text as well. Any new text you type appears in the format you selected. To change the format of the text you type at any time, select another format. Adding Production Cues When you format a story as a script for a news broadcast, you can add production cues to provide valuable information to technical staff as well as machine control commands for devices, such as character generators.
Editing Stories Adding Machine Control Instructions If your station integrates with a broadcast control system, such as iNEWS Command, the production cues might include machine control instructions. You should precede these instructions with an asterisk (*) and write them in a format that begins with a command for a device — for example, CG for a character generator.
Approving Stories To open a Web link from a story: t Tap the link in the story. The tablet’s Web browser opens and loads the Web page. To e-mail a contact from a story: 1. Tap the e-mail address in the story. The tablet opens an e-mail window, using your tablet’s default e-mail application. 2. Write your e-mail. 3. Tap Send. Approving Stories Endorsing or approving stories allows news producers to identify which scripts in a show have been reviewed prior to broadcast.
Using Presenter Mode To enter presenter mode: 1. Open a show's rundown. 2. Tap the Presenter Mode button. Presenter mode opens on the story selected by the user in the sidebar. The app displays a progress dialog as it loads the rest of the stories in the rundown in order to cache them locally on your device. When the cache operation completes, the progress dialog closes. Stories load in the following order: - Load the previous story — the one before the selected story in the rundown.
Working with Favorites To exit presenter mode: t Pinch in on the screen. You can customize the appearance of text in presenter mode by modifying some MediaCentral UX settings. Additionally, you can opt to skip blank stories while in presenter mode. For more information, see “Customizing MediaCentral | UX Settings” on page 519.
Working with Favorites 3. Tap the Done button. All selections appear in your Favorites list in the Launch pane. A star appears next to each icon of favorite destinations in the system directory. To edit the name of a Favorite: 1. Tap the Edit button. 2. Tap the name in the list you want to edit. 3. When the cursor appears, you can change the name. For example, if you plan to have multiple rundown queues in your Favorites list, some might share the same queue name.
Working Offline with Cached Queues and Stories Working Offline with Cached Queues and Stories You can use the MediaCentral UX mobile app to view queues and stories cached locally to your mobile device without being connected to your station’s iNEWS newsroom computer system. The Launch panel displays cached queues and stories in the Favorites list when you work in offline mode. The following notes apply to caching queues and stories: • You can work in presenter mode from a cached queue in offline mode.
Working Offline with Cached Queues and Stories A progress bar indicates the status of the cache operation. To stop the cache operation, tap the Cancel button. When the caching completes, a dialog box appears with the results of the operation. 3. Click OK. To remove a cache from your device: 1. In the Launch pane, tap the Edit button, and then select the queue or story in the Favorites list you want to delete. The queue or story displays a check mark next to the title. 2. Tap the Trash button.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production 2. Tap a queue or story to open it. MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production You can access media assets stored in an Interplay Production database, such as video clips, audio clips, and graphics. When viewed with the tablet app, available Interplay Production systems appear in the sidebar, along with any of their directories and media assets.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production Viewing Media Assets with MediaCentral | UX You can open directories and media assets stored in the Interplay Production database using MediaCentral UX. Directories and a list of assets open within the sidebar. You can view and play assets in the Media viewer. Media viewer — top: selected directory, Action button; middle: selected asset, Media player; bottom: Media controls To open a directory: 1. Navigate to the directory. 2.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production The following illustration shows the News Media directory opened to view one subdirectory and multiple media assets. News Media directory on the Interplay Production server, with the back button at the top of the list indicating the parent directory To back out of a directory: t n Tap the Back button. The Back button does not display the word “Back” on it, but rather the name on the button changes as a user navigates further into the directory.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production Media controls: Play button, position indicator, Full Screen button 3. Tap the Play button to play the asset. 4. If you want to scrub through the media asset, or if you want to jump to a specific position in the clip, tap and hold the position indicator and drag it to a new location. 5. If you want to view a video clip in full screen mode, tap the Full Screen button. The Media viewer expands to fill the tablet screen and the video clip starts playing.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production 3. Set Logging to On. 4. Select the Logging Level to Verbose. 5. Start the MediaCentral UX mobile app. 6. Navigate to an asset in one of the directories. 7. Tap the video asset. The asset opens in the Media viewer. 8. Tap the Play button to play the asset, and make a note of the time playback begins. 9. Tap the Actions button, and then tap Send Log to send an e-mail with the log file directly to an email account. 10.
Using Markers 11. Find a link with .m3u8 suffix that is located on the line marked with the time playback started — for example: 07-02 16:15:29.830 [ . . . ] http://123.45.678.910/download/ 0e41028f99738669c581c50388e80d36/060a2b340101010101010f0013-00000092dede5ab6034faa-b737d720c291-4093_1920x1080fps25.00_from_0_to_7501_quality_0_video_-1_audio_-1_h264_aac_ts_.m3u8 12. Copy this link, and then paste it into the address field in a browser. 13. Edit link in address field by typing -WIFI before the .
Using Markers q y w e r t u Display Description 1 Status bar Displays the status of the marker. This bar is only visible if your Interplay Production configuration supports approval of markers — see “Setting the Approval Status for Markers” on page 548. 2 Create Marker button Allows you to create a new marker. 3 Marker list A list of the markers in the clip or sequence. Markers are sorted by timecode. You can scroll the list to see all markers.
Using Markers In MediaCentral UX, you can add markers to clips, subclips, and sequences stored in the Interplay Production database. Markers that you add to a sequence are associated only with the sequence. They are not automatically associated with the corresponding master clips used in the sequence. Similarly, a marker added to a subclip is not added to the associated master clip. To create a marker, do one of the following: 1. Load a video in the Media player. 2.
Using Markers To edit an existing marker: 1. Tap and hold the marker you want to edit. The playhead moves to the marker location in the timeline and the Marker menu opens. 2. Tap Edit. The Marker view opens in edit mode.
Using Markers 3. Use the keyboard to edit the marker text. 4. Tap the Done button. Text is saved and you exit edit mode. n You can cancel your edit by tapping outside the Notes field. To delete an existing marker: 1. Tap and hold the marker you want to delete. The Marker menu opens. 2. Tap Delete. The marker is deleted from the clip or sequence. Setting the Approval Status for Markers Users who have sufficient permissions can set the approval status for markers.
Using Markers For example, you might want to specify the status of a particular asset. The XML file might contain status values such as Approved, In Progress, Rejected, and Waiting for Approval. In this case, you can use the Import button for the Custom Property in the Custom Meta Data tab in the Property Layout view in the Interplay Administrator window.
24 MediaCentral | UX for Android Devices MediaCentral UX provides a native user interface designed to run on your Android device and enable direct, secure access to your station’s iNEWS newsroom computer system. The following main topics describe basic user information about the device and mobile application.
Connection Basics n The application automatically selects the first available connection from the list of options according to the priority shown in the list. Android Devices Android devices usually include very few exterior buttons. You navigate content with touch gestures — for example, tapping an icon to start an application. Some gestures perform standard functions, such as displaying different menu icons, and some perform functions specific to an application.
Installing MediaCentral | UX on Your Android Device Location Gesture Description Script Editor Tap and hold Selects the word you tap and allows you to select text and modify text formats. Media Viewer Touch and drag in the timeline Moves to new position in viewer’s video playback timeline. Media Viewer Tap in the timeline Presenter Mode Swipe left or tap on right edge Navigates to next page. of screen Presenter Mode Swipe right or tap on left edge Navigates to previous page.
Starting MediaCentral | UX on the Android Device When you log in to MediaCentral UX, you might be required to accept Avid’s End-User License Agreement (EULA). The EULA appears when you first log in to a MediaCentral server or when you first log in after updating the MediaCentral UX mobile app on your Android device. If you lose your connection to MediaCentral after you have signed in and try to navigate to a new location, a dialog box displays the message: The app cannot load the content. Try Again.
The Navigation Drawer and Directory Panel To exit the application, do the following: t Tap the Home button on your Android device. The Navigation Drawer and Directory Panel After you sign in to MediaCentral on your Android device, you can view the navigation drawer, located along the left side of the screen when displayed. From the navigation drawer, you can connect to various systems integrated with MediaCentral, such as iNEWS newsroom computer systems or an Interplay Production database.
Buttons of the User Interface Buttons of the User Interface The MediaCentral mobile application provides buttons in the user interface that allow you to access the features of the app. The following table describes the buttons and their uses. Button Description The Up button lets users return to the navigation drawer when browsing the iNEWS or Interplay Production database. It also lets users show the navigation drawer when a queue, story, or asset is open.
Customizing MediaCentral | UX Settings 3. Select the appropriate settings option. The following table provides information about general settings. General Settings Description Version For display purposes only, this value shows the currently installed version of the mobile application. Keep me signed in Set to On if you want MediaCentral UX to keep you signed in once you first sign in to MediaCentral.
Accessing the iNEWS Database 2. Tap the icon for the app you want to use to send the log. The app opens on your Android device. 3. Depending on the app, you can add a note or comment, and then send the log to Avid. Accessing the iNEWS Database The iNEWS database is the backbone of your iNEWS system. You save the data created in your newsroom — stories, scripts, and rundowns — in the database on the iNEWS server. Queues contain stories, and directories (also known as folders) store the queues.
Accessing the iNEWS Database The following illustration shows an example of the iNEWS Directory panel with queues and folders displayed. n While viewing an iNEWS system directory in the Directory panel, you can tap the Up button to display to the navigation drawer. You can also tap the Back button to navigate back through the directory. You can open directories, queues, and stories from the MediaCentral mobile application. Directories and queues open within the Directory panel.
Accessing the iNEWS Database To back out of a directory or queue: t Tap the Back button on your Android device. To open a queue: 1. Tap in the Directory panel to navigate to the queue inside a directory. 2. Tap the queue to open it. The following illustration shows an example of a rundown queue.
Accessing the iNEWS Database To open an existing story: 1. Tap in the Directory panel to navigate to the story in a queue. n A story icon with a check mark indicates that the story has been “approved.” You can approve stories from an iNEWS workstation. 2. Tap the story to open it. The story opens in Story view in the Body tab. The following illustration shows the Body tab containing a story with production cue markers identified numerically. 3.
Viewing Video Associated with a Script The numerical production cue markers within the story align with production cues and machine control instructions displayed in the Production Cues tab. Black text indicates production cues. Blue text indicates machine control instructions (if any). n Because of limited screen size on Android devices, the mobile application does not display the Directory panel with the story.
Viewing Video Associated with a Script When you open a story with an associated video with a script, you use the Sequence tab to open the viewer and preview the sequence. The Sequence tab displays only for stories that have an associated sequence. Button Description The Play button plays the sequence so you can preview the video associated with the story. This button changes to a Pause button while the sequence plays.
Working with Stories To view video sequences associated with a script: 1. Tap the Sequence tab to open the viewer. 2. Tap the Play button. The sequence plays in the viewer. You can rotate your Android device to view the video in landscape or portrait mode. The viewer controls do not display after 3 seconds of play. The controls display when you tap the device screen or pause playback. 3. (Optional) If you expand the viewer, the orientation adjusts to display the video in landscape mode.
Working with Stories To edit an existing story: 1. Tap in the Directory panel to navigate to an existing story in the queue and open it. 2. Tap the Edit Story button. The story opens in edit mode. An edit lock prevents others from changing the story while you edit. 3. Tap in the story to begin editing the text. 4. If you want to cut, copy, or paste text, do the following: a. Tap and hold in the story where you want to edit the text. The selection arrows and the edit toolbar display.
Working with Stories 5. After you complete your modifications, tap the Save Story button to save the story. For more information, see “Ways of Saving Stories” on page 566. To add a new story: 1. Tap the Add Story button. The Edit Slug dialog box opens. 2. Type the title of your story, and tap OK. A blank story is added to the current queue. 3. Tap the new story to open it, and then tap the Edit Story button. When in edit mode (in the Script Editor), the application displays a virtual keyboard.
Working with Stories Ways of Saving Stories You can save newly created stories or change existing stories by tapping the Save Story button after modifying a story while in edit mode. You can also save your story when you change to another app or send the MediaCentral mobile application to the background by pressing the Home button. If you tap the Back button when you have turned off the Autosave Stories option in the settings, a message appears asking you to confirm whether to save the changes.
Working with Stories To format text, tap and hold to select the appropriate text and do one of the following: n t To bold text, and then select the B button. t To italicize test, and then select the I button. t To underline text, and then select the U button. t To mark text as a normal text, and then select N for normal. t To mark text as a presenter instruction, and then select P for presenter. You can choose the format before typing your text as well.
Working with Stories 3. Swipe left to view the Cue List and edit the production cue. 4. Enter the production cue information — for example, Take VO, On Camera, Take SOT, or Take Live. The application automatically saves information in the newly inserted production cue when you navigate elsewhere within the application. If you tap the Back button when you have turned off the Autosave Stories option in the settings, a message appears asking you to confirm whether to save the changes.
Using Presenter Mode To open a Web link from a story: t Tap the link in the story. The device’s Web browser opens and loads the Web page. Using Presenter Mode The MediaCentral UX mobile app lets users view a show's scripts in a page-by-page layout, similar to printed scripts used by news presenters. This method of viewing stories from a rundown is known as presenter mode.
Using Presenter Mode To navigate through scripts in presenter mode: n t Swipe left to go to the next page. t Swipe right to go to the previous page. When you swipe right or left from the first or last page of a story, the display moves to the next story in the rundown. To exit presenter mode: t Tap the Back button. You can customize the appearance of text in presenter mode by modifying some MediaCentral UX settings. Additionally, you can opt to skip blank stories while in presenter mode.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production You can access media assets stored in an Interplay Production database, such as video clips, audio clips, and subclips. When viewed with the mobile app, available Interplay Production systems appear in the sidebar, along with any of their directories and media assets. Different icons are used to identify Interplay Production assets: Icon Description Directories hold media assets or other subdirectories.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production Viewing Media Assets with MediaCentral | UX You can open directories and media assets stored in the Interplay Production database using MediaCentral UX. Directories and a list of assets open within the Directory panel. You can view and play assets in the Media viewer. Media viewer — top: Up button, Previous/Next buttons; Action overflow button; middle: Media player; bottom: Media controls To open a directory: 1.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production To back out of a directory: t Tap the Back button on your Android device. To open and play a media asset: 1. Tap in the Directory panel to navigate to the asset in a directory. 2. Tap the video or audio asset. The asset opens in the Media viewer.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production Media controls: Play button, position indicator, Full Screen button 3. Tap the Play button to play the asset. 4. If you want to scrub through the media asset, or if you want to jump to a specific position in the clip, tap and hold the position indicator and drag it to a new location. 5. If you want to view a video clip in full screen mode, tap the Full Screen button. The Media viewer expands to fill the tablet screen and the video clip starts playing. 6.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production To play an asset in a browser: 1. Start the MediaCentral UX mobile app. 2. Tap the Action overflow button, and then select Settings. The Preferences window opens. 3. Select Logging to enable logging. 4. Tap Logging Level and then select Verbose. 5. Click the Back button to return to MediaCentral UX. 6. Navigate to an asset in one of the directories. 7. Tap the video asset. The asset opens in the Media viewer.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production 8. Tap the Play button to play the asset, and make a note of the time playback begins. 9. Click the Action overflow button and select Send Log to send an e-mail with the log file directly to an e-mail account. The MediaCentral Log dialog box opens, displaying your e-mail and text options. 10. Tap the icon for the app you want to use to send the log. The app opens on your Android device. 11. Send the log to your e-mail account. 12.
MediaCentral | UX and Interplay | Production 16. Press Enter to go to the URL in the address field. n The Safari browser supports native playback for .m3u8 files. Other browsers — for example, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Opera — do not. If you are not working on a computer running Mac OS X, you can use your browser to download the file to your system and play it in a media player that support .m3u8 video files. 17. Play back the asset.
A User Settings You can access and modify user settings in the User Settings dialog box. To open the User Settings dialog box, select Home > User Settings.After you change a user setting, click Apply to save your changes. The following table describes these user settings. Settings Group Setting Description General Language Controls the language used for the Web application user interface. Select the language you want from the drop-down menu. Time Zone Controls the display of dates and times.
Settings Group Setting Description Interplay | Production Interplay Production credentials Sets the user name and password for access to the Interplay Production server. The user name and password must match the user name and password of an Interplay Production account. An option lets you set your MediaCentral UX user name and password to access the Interplay Production server.
Settings Group Setting Description Send to Playback Preserve Overwrite State (MediaCentral UX v2.7 and later) Determines whether the state of the Overwrite option in the Send to Playback Settings (opened from the Media Pane menu) persists between STP operations. • If the check box is selected, the state of the Overwrite setting persists between STP operations. • If the check box is unselected, the state of the Overwrite setting is reset to off after each STP operation.
B Keyboard Shortcuts The following main topics provide information about keyboard shortcuts: n n • Queue/Story Pane Shortcuts • Assets Pane Shortcuts • Media Pane Shortcuts • Logging Pane (Interplay | Production) Shortcuts • Logging Pane (Interplay | MAM) Shortcuts • Sequence Pane Shortcuts • Closed Captioning Pane Shortcuts These keyboard shortcuts can be used on Windows systems or Macintosh systems, unless otherwise noted.
Queue/Story Pane Shortcuts Queue/Story Pane Shortcuts Keyboard shortcuts available when working in the Queue/Story pane are listed in the following table. Some keystroke combinations only work when the cursor is located in a certain section of the pane; the Focus column in the table specifies the section of the pane when that is the case. For more information on the pane and its sections, see “The Queue/Story Pane” on page 83.
Assets Pane Shortcuts Assets Pane Shortcuts Keyboard shortcuts available when working with the Assets pane are listed in the following table. For more information on the pane and its sections, see “Working with Assets” on page 38. n n Shortcut Description Focus Up Arrow Move the selection highlight up and select an item. Assets pane Down Arrow Move the selection highlight down and select an item.
Media Pane Shortcuts Shortcut Description Focus Down Arrow Zoom in to a section of the timeline by 50 percent. Media pane Up Arrow Zoom out from a section of the timeline by 50 percent. Media pane Shift+Up Arrow Zoom to show the entire sequence Media pane J, K, L See “Using the J-K-L Keys for Playback” on page 188. Media pane Shift+Left Arrow Go to the previous marker. Media pane Shift+Right Arrow Go to the next marker.
Media Pane Shortcuts Shortcut Description Focus Ctrl +space bar Play or pause play. Global Ctrl+Home fn+Left Arrow (MacBook) Move to the beginning of a clip or sequence. Global Ctrl+End fn+Right Arrow (MacBook) Move to the end of a clip or sequence. Global Ctrl+I Insert an In point. Global Ctrl+O Insert an Out point.
Logging Pane (Interplay | Production) Shortcuts Logging Pane (Interplay | Production) Shortcuts For shortcuts that you can use to control playback while logging, see “Shortcuts with Focus Outside the Media Pane” on page 584. Shortcuts for Working with Markers Some of the following keystroke combinations work when the cursor is anywhere in the application and others work only when the cursor is located in the Logging pane.
Logging Pane (Interplay | Production) Shortcuts Shortcut Description Focus Ctrl+S (Windows and Macintosh) Command+S (Macintosh) Save markers and text without exiting edit mode Logging pane F5 Reload the content of the Logging pane Logging pane Shortcuts for Working with Marker Text The following table lists keyboard shortcuts that you use while working with marker text in edit mode. n “Edit mode” refers to the mode in which the Notes column is selected and the insert bar is displayed.
Logging Pane (Interplay | MAM) Shortcuts Shortcut Description Focus Ctrl+A (Windows) Command+A (Macintosh) Select all text Logging pane Delete key Delete one letter or space forward Logging pane Backspace key Delete one letter or space backward Logging pane Ctrl+X Cut selection Logging pane Ctrl+C Copy selection Logging pane Ctrl+V Paste selection Logging pane Ctrl+Shift+D (Windows) Change the direction of the text (right-to-left or left-to-right) Logging pane Command+Shift+D (Macin
Logging Pane (Interplay | MAM) Shortcuts Shortcut Description Focus Delete key (Windows) Backspace key (Macintosh) fn+Backspace key (MacBook) Delete the selected segment or segments Logging pane Up Arrow Move to and select previous segment Logging pane Down Arrow Move to and select next segment Logging pane Left Arrow If the segment contains several properties, move Logging pane to the previous property field If the segment contains only one property field, move to and select previous segment
Logging Pane (Interplay | MAM) Shortcuts Shortcut Description Focus Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow (Windows) Alt+Shift+Down Arrow (Macintosh) Select next paragraph Logging pane Ctrl+Shift+Home (Windows) Ctrl+Shift+Pos1 (Windows) Command+Shift+Up Arrow (Macintosh) Select text from the beginning to the current position Logging pane Ctrl+Shift+End (Windows) Command+Shift+Down Arrow (Macintosh) Select text from the current position to the end Logging pane Shift+Left Arrow Select text one character at a tim
Logging Pane (Interplay | MAM) Shortcuts Shortcuts for Working with Segment Tags The following table lists keyboard shortcuts that you use while working with segment tags.
Sequence Pane Shortcuts Shortcut Description Focus Left Arrow Select previous day Calendar Right Arrow Select next day Calendar Up Arrow Increase the figures by one unit Integer or Floating point field Down Arrow Decrease the figures by one unit Integer or Floating point field For more information on the Logging pane and its sections, see “Logging Interplay | MAM Assets” on page 331.
Sequence Pane Shortcuts Shortcut Description Focus Alt+drag zoom handle Enlarge or reduce one end of the zoom region (asymmetrical zoom) Sequence pane Right arrow Move 1 frame forward Sequence pane Left arrow Move 1 frame back Sequence pane Space bar Play or pause play Sequence pane Ctrl+Z (Windows) Command+Z (Macintosh) Undo an action Sequence pane Ctrl+Y (Windows) Command+Y (Macintosh) Redo an action Sequence pane With trim indicators active M Trim the segment’s selected end by 10 f
Closed Captioning Pane Shortcuts Closed Captioning Pane Shortcuts Keyboard shortcuts available when working in the Closed Captioning pane are listed in the following table. Shortcut Description Focus Ctrl+. (period) (Windows) Command|+. (Macintosh) (In and Out mode) Creates a closed-caption segment Closed using In and Out marks Captioning pane Ctrl+Shift+. (period) Command+Shift_. (Macintosh) (Playhead position mode) Creates a closed caption with an In point only. Closed Captioning pane Ctrl+Alt+.
C Icons This topic provides a quick reference guide to icons or buttons you might encounter when using MediaCentral UX.
Pane Type Icons Icon Description Documents pane File Info pane Help pane Launch pane Logging pane Logging Controls pane Maestro Browser pane Media pane Messages pane Metadata pane Packages pane Process Dashboard pane Progress pane Project/Story pane Queue/Story pane Search pane Sequence pane Social Messages pane (Media Distribute) Tasks pane Thumbnails pane Web Story pane (Media Distribute) 596
Launch Pane Icons Launch Pane Icons The following icons are used in the Launch pane. Icon Description Connected Interplay Production system Disconnected Interplay Production system Connected Interplay MAM system Connected iNEWS system Disconnected iNEWS system Project in the iNEWS database iNEWS Project (not started) iNEWS Project (expired) Assets Pane Icons Various icons are used distinguish between the different types of assets accessible via MediaCentral UX.
Assets Pane Icons Icon Description Column Remote asset: downward-pointing arrow for each asset type Name Supported State Reservation State Restriction State iNEWS Assets All icons for iNEWS assets appear in the Name column.
Assets Pane Icons Icon Description Column Episode or Episode Version asset Name Feature or Feature Version asset Name File asset or Default placeholder icon Name Graphics asset Name Image asset Name Season asset Name Sequence asset (audio or video) Name Series asset Name Stock Footage asset Name Trailer asset Name Video or Rushes asset Name Audio asset placeholder icon. Is shown until a specific image Thumbnail is assigned as a thumbnail. Basic Sequence asset placeholder icon.
Associations Pane Icons Icon Description Column Series asset placeholder icon. Is shown until a specific image Thumbnail is assigned as a thumbnail. Stock Footage asset placeholder icon. Is shown until a specific image is assigned as a thumbnail. Thumbnail Trailer asset placeholder icon. Is shown until a specific image Thumbnail is assigned as a thumbnail Video or Rushes asset placeholder icon. Is shown until a specific image is assigned as a thumbnail.
File Info Pane Icons File Info Pane Icons The following icons are used in the File Info pane. Icon Description Refreshes the current view in the pane. Expand All button expands all Detail areas (Essence Package Details, Essence Details, and Location Details) and shows all detail information in the pane. Collapse All button hides all detail information from the pane and shows only the information of the Overview areas. Saves changes. Media Pane Icons The following icons are used in the Media pane.
Logging Pane Icons (Interplay | Production Assets) Buttons Description Steps forward 10 seconds Displays the Audio pane Displays the voice-over controls Displays the selected sequence to review for playback in the target resolution Loads a master clip that contains a selected frame of a sequence or subclip (Match Frame). Displays a group clip in single-angle view (1x1) Displays a group clip in a 2x2 grid. Displays a group clip in a 3x3 grid.
Logging Pane Icons (Interplay | MAM Assets) Logging Pane Icons (Interplay | MAM Assets) The following icons are used in the Logging pane. Button Description Lets you select the stratum for editing Creates a new segment (In and Out mode): Sets the In and Out marks at the positions you defined in the Media Timeline (Gaps Allowed mode only). Creates a new segment (Playhead position mode): Sets the In mark at the current playhead position but does not define an Out mark (Gaps Allowed mode only).
Process Dashboard Pane Icons Process Dashboard Pane Icons The following icons are used in the Process Dashboard pane. Icon Description Reloads processes in the Process List. Toggles displaying processes in groups on and off. If toggled on, processes are displayed in the Process List grouped by the process group property. If toggled off, processes are displayed in a flat list. When displaying processes in groups, you can show and hide the contents of the process groups.
Tasks Pane Icons Icon Description Performs an Overwrite edit. Performs a Replace edit. Deletes the segment Shows Audio pane Saves the sequence Extends or retracts a segment. Shows or hides empty timing blocks Tasks Pane Icons The following icons are used in the Tasks pane. Icon Description Toggles display of the Task List and Task Details on or off. Refresh The Lock Indicator icon indicates if the selected task is currently locked for editing.
Media | Distribute Icons Media | Distribute Icons The following icons are used in Media Distribute: Icon Description Shows the Social Messages pane. Shows the Web Story pane. Shows the Combined Messages pane. Indicates a system profile, which contains credentials for a target — for example, a corporate Twitter account — associated with a corporate or group house account and accessible by multiple users.
MediaCentral Glossary A B C D E F G I J L M N O P QR S T U V W Z A Administrators group A default group used for MediaCentral UX user management that contains users with administrative privileges. active angle In a group clip, the camera angle selected for single-angle view and the angle displayed when you add the clip to a sequence. advanced sequence A sequence you create in MediaCentral UX that includes a timeline with one video track and user-specified audio tracks.
Asset mode If you click the Asset button in the Media pane, you can view media for the currently loaded asset and use controls that apply specifically to assets, such as controls for setting In and Out points. Compare with the definition of Output mode. Assets pane A pane in the client application that displays assets. These assets can result from a search or from browsing. Assets are displayed in a folder hierarchy, if applicable to the assets displayed.
Closed Captioning pane A pane that displays closed captions for the Interplay Production asset loaded in the Media pane. The Closed Captioning pane lists timecode and text for the closed captions and includes controls for importing, exporting, editing, and positioning. Contacts list In the Message bar, a list of iNEWS users from which you can select a recipient of a message.
essence package In Interplay MAM, an essence package is a group of essences classified semantically. Each essence package contains a class of essences that represent the same content and share the same general purpose. One essence package is defined as the representative essence package of the asset. The representative essence package contains the essences that represent the purpose of the asset.You can display essence packages and edit their properties in the File Info pane.
I indexed search A search that queries a central index synced with multiple databases and finds anything stored in the index. It does not directly search Interplay Production databases. See also Media | Index J J-K-L play The J-K-L keys on the keyboard allow you to play and shuttle through media at varying speeds. This feature is also referred to as three-button play or variable-speed play. L Launch pane A pane in the client application from which you navigate to various locations.
Logging Controls pane A pane that provides the ability to create and use customized logging controls. See Customizable Logger. Logging pane A pane that provides a media logger or journalist with an arrangement of controls defined for use in logging Interplay Production assets or Interplay MAM assets. The layout of the Logging pane adapts automatically depending on the asset open. M marker An indicator added to a selected frame to mark a particular location in a clip, subclip, or sequence.
Media Distribute layout A layout that displays different options for publishing to multiple platforms. The layout includes the Social Message, Web Story, and Packages panes used for publishing media packages. Media controls In the Media pane, controls that let you play and move through an asset and edit an asset for use in creating a sequence. Which controls are displayed depends on the selected asset.
Metadata pane A pane that displays properties that are associated with a selected asset in an Interplay MAM or Interplay Production database, such as Start Timecode or Comments. mixdown A process in which multiple video tracks, multiple audio tracks, and effects are combined into a new master clip with one video track and a reduced number of audio tracks. N NAT (natural sound) Audio recorded at the same time as the video, often by a microphone built in to a camera.
Pane menu A menu of commands that are available for each pane. To access the menu, click the Pane Menu button. pool In Interplay MAM, a device or part of a device that holds one or more carriers. See carrier. position indicator A vertical bar in the Media Timeline that indicates the location of the frame displayed in the Media viewer. The Sequence Timeline also includes a position indicator, which can be vertical or horizontal, depending on the orientation of the Sequence pane.
Q Queue/Story pane A pane in the client application that displays the contents of a queue with the contents of the story, including the story form. queue A subfolder in an iNEWS database that contains stories. R read-only sequence 1. A sequence that you open from an Interplay Production folder but cannot edit or save because you do not have a read/write role for the folder. 2.
script sequence A series of video, audio, and images that you compose in the Sequence pane and play in the Media pane. Script sequences are saved in the Interplay Production database and can be sent to a playback device. Search bar A section of the client application in which you can conduct a search for assets that match specific criteria. Search pane 1. A pane that lets a user search for information and assets. 2.
Sequence zoom bar The Sequence zoom bar is located below the Sequence Timeline for horizontal orientation or to the right of the timeline for vertical orientation. You can use the zoom bar to enlarge a section of the Sequence Timeline so that you can work more easily with long sequences or make precise edit decisions. See also Media zoom bar. Settings pane A pane in the System Settings layout from which you can select a group of settings to view or edit.
STP (send to playback) The process of transferring a sequence to a playback device or playout server for broadcast. strata Annotation layers that build the basis for logging Interplay MAM assets. Each stratum allows you to view information about an asset from a specific perspective. subclip A clip created by marking IN and OUT points in a master clip and saving the frames between the points. The subclip does not contain pointers to media files.
timing block A section of a script sequence that corresponds in duration to the read rate of a story segment. A timing block serves as a container for editing actions. track selector In the Audio pane, a drop-down menu that lets you map an audio track of a group clip to the corresponding audio track of any other angle in the group clip.
W Web Story pane A pane in the client application that allows you to create packages for publication to Web Content Management Systems. window The primary user interface element of the application. Z zoom bar See Media zoom bar and Sequence zoom bar.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Index A About menu option 31 Actions applying to tasks 463 Active-X plug-ins 33 Adding attachments to tasks 465 file attachments to processes 437 Advanced sequence described 121 group clips 246 Android application for MediaCentral UX 550 Annotating segments 350 segments using tags 352 Annotation speech-to-text 91 Applying actions to tasks 463 Approve stories MediaCentral mobile app 533 MediaCentral UX mobile app 496 Areas 26 Aspect ratio 190 Asset mode described 179 displays and
Index ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Audio pane described 214 Audio track enabling 162 Audio-only segment 166 Audio-only sequences 132, 134 Auto-Save sequences 136 stories 104 Avid online support 19 training services 19 Avid Central adding machine control instructions 568 adding production cues 567 formatting a script 566 saving stories 566 working with links 568 Avid iNEWS described 20 Avid Instinct associated sequences 132 Avid Maestro 469 Communities iNEWS 33 Complex sequence defined 190 Creating asset (I
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ E G Easy locks 96 Edit locks 96 Edit while capture (EWC) in-progress clips 211 logging clips 349 Editing attachments of tasks 465 data of tasks 464 essence package properties 381 essence properties 383 Interplay MAM metadata 68, 71 E-mail forwarding configuring for messages 410 using with messages 411 Essence packages cleaning up 382 editing properties 381 Essences editing properties 383 understanding 374 Exporting customized logs 330 markers 295 MP4 video 213 strata 359 Gener
Index ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ MediaCentral mobile app on a tablet 521 MediaCentral UX mobile application for Android devices 557 MediaCentral UX on an iPhone 483 navigating database 43 project 79 script templates 97 support for communities 33 user settings 578 iNEWS links creating and sending 104 In-progress clips 211 Instinct associated sequences 132 Interplay | MAM asset types 55 deleting assets 66 moving and copying assets 65 moving and copying folders 57 navigating Workspace 54 remote playback 196
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ M Machine control instructions adding 95 adding in Avid Central 568 adding in the MediaCentral mobile app 532 adding in the MediaCentral UX mobile app 495 Maestro database connecting to 470 Maestro UX plug-in adding graphic to iNEWS story 474 connecting to Maestro database 470 described 469 installation and configuration 469 previewing the graphic 473 working with templates 471 Markers adding 286 adding to sequence 174 approval 511, 548 approval status 511, 548 creating 508, 545
Index ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ MediaCentral UX mobile application accessing iNEWS 557 buttons for Android devices 555 connection basics for Android devices 550 custom settings for Android devices 555 gestures for Android devices 551 installing on an Android device 552 starting on an Android device 552 the navigation drawer 554 view video sequences 561 MediaCentral UX mobile appn viewing queues and stories offline 498 Menu bar described 31 Merge rules for segments 358 Merging segments 348 Messages e-mail
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Playback frame-based and file-based 193 simple and complex sequences 190 Playback latency adjusting for 192 Playback quality 192 Plug-ins working with 33 PNG file creating from a video frame 212 Position indicator described 86 Presenter mode 533, 569 custom settings 481, 519 Procedures using story groups 108 Process Dashboard pane described 442 list of icons 604 Processes adding file attachments 437 creating 434, 440 monitoring 441 understanding 432 Producer tasks 107 Production c
Index ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Script templates 97 Scrubbing enabling audio 176 Search bar 252 Search pane 253 Searching advanced criteria 267 advanced syntax 272 federated search 249 for assets 258 for customized logs 327 indexed search 249 indexed search examples 272 overview 248 simple syntax 272 Segment described 121 Segmentation understanding 338 Segmented edit locks 96 Segments annotating tags 352 annotating text 350 creating (gaps allowed) 342, 343 deleting 348 described 89, 332 displaying in Med
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Start timecode modifying 177 Stories Floating 110 grouping 108 Story adding Maestro graphic 474 approving from iPad 533 approving from iPhone 496 caching 499, 537 creating 88 deleting 106 described 86 dragging sequence to Media Composer 106 editing 91 inserting script templates 97 locking and unlocking 96 opening sequence 139 recovering 104, 106 right-to-left languages 90 saving from tablet app 493, 529 saving from tablet application 566 segments 89 text-only segments 103 timing 9
Index ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Uploading files to task 466 User Settings 578 V V column 151 Vertical sequence selecting 123 Video dissolves 175 Video ID associating with a script sequence 131 Video sequences view from Android mobile application 561 view from mobile app 490 view from tablet app 526 Video-only sequences 132 Viewing associations 365 image asset 212 Voice tracks described 221 Voice-over recording 227 Volume setting 221 Z Zoom bar, Media described 204 with in-process clips 211 Zoom bar, Se