Grass Valley Aurora Ingest User Manual v.6.3

Aurora Ingest

INGEST MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

System Guide

SOFTWARE VERSION 6.3

071-8514-03
SEPTEMBER 2007

Copyright Copyright © 2007 Grass Valley, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

Portions of software © 2000 – 2007, Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
This document may not be copied in whole or in part, or otherwise r eproduced except as

specifically permitted under U.S. copyright law, without the prior written consent of Grass
Valley, Inc., P.O. Box 59900, Nevada City, California 95959-7900

This product may be covered by one or more U.S. and foreign patents.

Trademarks Grass Valley, K2, Aurora, Turbo, M-Series, Profile, Profile XP, NewsBrowse, NewsEdit,

NewsQ, NewsShare, NewsQ Pro, Aurora, and Media Manager are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Grass Valley, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
Other trademarks used in this document are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the
manufacturers or vendors of the associated products. QuickTime and the QuickTime logo are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., used under license therefrom.
Grass Valley, Inc. products are covered by U.S. and foreign patents, issued and pending.
Additional information regarding Grass Valley, Inc. trademarks and other proprietary rights may
be found at www.thomsongrassvalley.com.

Disclaimer Product options and specifications subject to change without notice. The information in this

manual is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should
not be construed as a commitment by Grass Valley, Inc. Grass Valley, Inc. assumes no
responsibility or liability for any errors or inacc uracies that may appear in this publication.

U.S. Government
Restricted Rights
Legend

Use, duplication, or disclosure by the United States Government is subject to restrictions as set
forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause
at DFARS 252.277-7013 or in subparagraph c(1) and (2) of the Commercial Computer
Software Restricted Rights clause at FAR 52.227-19, as applicable. Manufacturer is Grass
Valley, Inc., P.O. Box 59900, Nevada City, California 95959-7900 U.S.A.

Revision Status

Rev Date Description

September 14,
2006

January 18, 2007 Release 071-8514-01 for Software Version 6.0b
May 23, 2007 Release 071-8514-02 for Software Version 6.1
September 18,

2007

Initial release of the Aurora Ingest System Guide, 071-8514-00 for
Software Version 6.0. Updated from 071-8342-02, IngestStation
System Guide

Release 071-8514-03 for Software Version 6.3

2 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 18, 2007

Contents

Grass Valley Product Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Safety Summaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Safety Terms and Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Service Safety Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Certifications and Compliances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Environmental Criteria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 1 Introducing Aurora Ingest

What is Aurora Ingest? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Aurora Ingest applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Aurora Ingest workstations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Aurora Ingest - Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Aurora Ingest - VTR Controller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Aurora Ingest - VTR Ingest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Aurora Ingest - Scheduler Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Aurora Ingest - RMI Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Integration with Aurora Suite and third-party products . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Understanding Status Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Chapter 2 Installing and Configuring Aurora Ingest

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Aurora Ingest - Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Aurora Ingest - VTR Ingest/VTR Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Aurora Ingest - Scheduler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Aurora Ingest - RMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Installing Aurora Ingest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Installing Hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Installing Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Obtaining a Software License Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Backing up Aurora Ingest Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Upgrading Aurora Ingest Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Migrating Aurora Ingest - Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Restoring Aurora Ingest Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Setting Up Your Media Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

K2 Media Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

M-Series iVDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Configuring Aurora Ingest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Aurora Ingest - Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Configuration Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Configuring System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Configuring Media Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Configuring Routers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Configuring Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Configuring Channel Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Configuring Aurora Ingest - Scheduler (Feed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Configuring VTR Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Configuring VTR Ingest (VTR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Configuring Preview Channels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Configuring RMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

User Administration for Aurora Ingest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Chapter 3 Using Aurora Ingest - Scheduler

Tour of the Aurora Ingest - Scheduler Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 3

Contents

Clock and Timeline Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

Channel Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Status Colors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Tour of Schedule Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Event Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Crash Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

Scheduling Recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Adding New Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73

Adding New Events from CompuSat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Adding Recurring Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Setting up ENPS Assignment Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Scheduling events with ENPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

Modifying Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Extending Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Deleting Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

Creating a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

Using VTR Ingest Reservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88

Using filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Viewing Recordings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

Using Video Viewer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

Using Asset Viewer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

Chapter 4 Using VTR Controller

Tour of the VTR Controller Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98

Accessing VTR Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

Chapter 5 Using VTR Ingest

Tour of the VTR Ingest Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

Channel Window Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Channel Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

VTR Ingest Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Using VTR Ingest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Adding Handles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Creating a Segment List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Deleting the Segment List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

Controlling the VTR with VTR Ingest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

Marking In and Out Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Recording Clips to the Media Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Scanning Tape with Broken Timecodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Importing an EDL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

Exporting an EDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Chapter 6 Using Aurora Ingest - RMI

What is Aurora Ingest- RMI?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Using Aurora Ingest - RMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Chapter 7 Linking Clips to Aurora Playout Placeholders

Tour of the Assignment List Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Linking Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

Creating New Placeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

Appendix A The Aurora Ingest Keyboard
Appendix B Aurora Ingest Error Messages

......................................................................................................121

Index

4 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

Grass Valley Product Support

T o get technica l assistance, che ck on the status of a question, or to repo rt new issue, contac t
Grass Valley Product Support via e-mail, the Web, or by phone or fax. Contact Grass Valley
first regarding problems with third party software on Grass Valley products, such as the

®

Microsoft
internet browser, SQL Server™ and QuickTime™.

Web Technical Support

Phone Support

Windows® operating system, Windows Media® player, Internet Explorer

To access support infor mation on the Web, v isit the pro duct support Web p age on the
Grass Valley Web site. Yo u ca n down loa d software or find solutions to problems by
searching our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) database.

World Wide Web: http://www.thomsongrassvalley.com/support/
Technical Support E-mail Address: [e-mail].

Use the following information to contact product support by phone during business
hours. Afterhours phone support is available for warranty and contract customers.

Grass Valley Product Support

®

International
(France)

International
(United States,
Canada)

Hong Kong,
Taiwan, Korea,
Macau

Australia, New
Zealand

Central, South
America

China [phone] Netherlands [phone]
Belgium [phone] Northern Europe [phone]
Japan [phone] Singapore [phone]
Malaysia [phone] Spain [phone]
Middle East [phone] UK, Ireland, Israel [phone]

[phone]
[phone]

[phone]
[phone]

[phone] Indian

[phone] Germany, Austria,

[phone] Near East, Africa [phone]

Italy [phone]

[phone]

Belarus, Russia,
Tadzikistan,
Ukraine,
Uzbekistan

Subcontinent

Eastern Europe

[phone]
[phone]

[phone]
[phone]

[phone]

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 5

Authorized Support Representative

A local authoriz ed support repres entative may be av ailable in you r country. To locat e the
support represent ative for your c ountry, visit the product support Web p age on the Grass
Valley Web site.

Safety Summaries

General Safety Summary

Review the following safety precautions to avoid injury and prevent damage to this
product or any products connected to it.

Only qualified personnel should perform service procedures.

While using this product , you may need t o acces s other parts of the sy stem. Read t he
General Safety Summary in other system manua ls fo r warn ing s and cauti ons re la ted
to operating the system.

Review all system operator manuals, including manuals in electronic format on the
system hard drive.

Injury Precautions

Use Proper Power

Cord

Ground the Product This product is ground ed t hrough the grounding conductor of the power

Do Not Operate
Without Covers

Do Not Operate in

Wet/Damp

Conditions

Do Not Operate in

an Explosive

Atmosphere

Avoid Expo sed

Circuitry

To avoid fire hazard, use only the power cord specified for this product.

cord. To avoid electric shock, the grounding conductor must be
connected to earth ground. Before making connections to the input or
output terminals of the p roduct, ensure that the product is properly
grounded.

To avoid electric shock or fire hazard, do not operate this product with
covers or panels removed.

To avoid electric shock, do not operate this product in wet or damp
conditions.

To avoid injury or fire ha zard, do not operate this pr oduct in an explosive
atmosphere.

To avoid injury, remove jewelry such as rings, watches, and other
metallic objects. Do not touch exposed connections and components
when power is present.

Product Damage Precautions

Use Proper Power

Source

6 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

Do not operate this product from a power source that applies more than
the voltage specified.

Safety Terms and Symbols

!

!

Provide Proper

Ventilation

Do Not Operate With

Suspected Failures

Battery

Replacement

To prevent product overheating, provide proper ventilation.

If you suspect there is damage to this product, have it inspected by
qualified service personnel.

To avoid damage, replace only with the same or equivalent type
recommended by the circu it board manufactu rer. Dispose of used bat tery
according to the circuit board manufacturer’s instructions.

Safety Terms and Symbols

Terms in This

Manual

Terms on the

Product

These terms may appear in this and other product manuals:
WARNING: Warning stat ements ide ntify con ditio ns or prac tices t hat ca n

result in personal injury or loss of life.
CAUTION: Caution statements identify conditions or practices that can

result in damage to the equipment or other property.
These terms may appear on the product:
DANGER indicates a personal injury hazard immediately accessible as

one reads the marking.
WARNING indicates a persona l injury hazard no t immediately acces sible as

you read the marking.

CAUTION indicates a hazard to property including the product.

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 7

!

Symbols on the

Product

The following symbols may appear on the product:
DANGER high voltage
Protective ground (earth) terminal
ATTENTION – refer to manual

Service Safety Summary

Do Not Service

Alone

No Power Switch To avoid electric shock, disconnect the main power by means of the

Use Care When

Servicing With

Power On

Do not perform internal service or adjustment of this product unless
another person capab le of rendering first aid a nd re sus citation is present.

power cord. The power cord is the main power disconnect. Ensure that
the power cord is easily accessible at the rear of the product or at the
power receptacle.

Dangerous voltages or currents may exist in this product. Disco nnect power
and remove battery (if applicable) before removing protective panels,
soldering, or replacing components.

To avoid electric shock, do not touch exposed connections.

Certifications and Compliances

Canadian Certified

Power Cords

Canadian approval includes the products and power cords appropriate for
use in the North America power network. All other power co rds supplied are
approved for the country of use.

FCC Emission

Control

Canadian EMC

Notice of

Compliance

This equipment has been te sted and fou nd to comply with the limits for a
Class A digital d evice, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits
are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial
environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is
likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be
required to correct the interference at his own expense. Changes or
modifications not expressly approved by Grass Valley can affect
emission compliance and could void the user’s authority to operate this
equipment.

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limi ts for radi o noi se
emissions from digital ap paratus set out in the Radio Interferenc e
Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques
dépassant les l imites appl icables a ux apparei ls numérique s de la cl asse A
préscrites dans le Règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par
le ministère des Communications du Canada.

8 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

Certifications and Compliances

Canadian Certified

AC Adapter

EN55022 Class A

Warning

Laser Compliance

Laser Safety

Requirements

Laser Safety Laser safety in the United States is regulated by the Center for Devices

Canadian approval includes the AC adapters appropriate for use in the
North America power network. All other AC adapters supplied are
approved for the country of use.

For products that comply with Class A. In a domestic environment this
product may cause r adio interference i n which case the use r may be required
to take adequate measures.

The device used in this product is a Class 1 certified laser product.
Operating this product outside specifications or altering its original
design may result in hazardous radiation exposure, and may be
considered an act of modifying or new manufa ctu ri ng of a la ser product
under U.S. regulations contained in 21CFR Chapter 1, subchapter J or
CENELEC regulations in HD 482 S1. People performing such an ac t are
required by law to recertify and reidentify this product in accordance with
provisions of 21CFR subchapter J for distribut ion wit hin the U.S.A., and
in accordance with CENELEC HD 482 S1 for distribution within
countries using the IEC 825 standard.

and Radiological Health (CDRH). The laser safety regulations are
published in the “Laser Product Performance Sta ndard,” Code of Federa l
Regulation (CFR), Title 21, Subchapter J.

FCC Emission

Limits

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Standard 825,
“Radiation of Laser Products, Equipment Classification, Requirements
and User’s Guide,” governs laser products outside the United States.
Europe and member nations of the Europe an Free Tra de Associat ion fall
under the jurisdiction of the Comité Européen de Normalization
Electrotechnique (CENELEC).

This device complies with Pa rt 15 of the FCC Rules. Opera tion is subject
to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received,
including interference that may cause undesirable operation.

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 9

Certification

Environmental Criteria

Category Standard

Safety Designed/tested for compliance with:

ANSI/UL60950-2000 - Safety of Information Technology Equipment
IEC 60950 - Safety of Information Technology Equipment (3rd edition, 1999)
CAN/CSA C22.2, No. 60950-00 - Safety of Information Technology Equipment
EN60950:2000 - Safety of Information Technology Equipment (3rd edition)

The following table lists the environmental criteria for Aurora Ingest.

Characteristics Description

Operating Temperature Requirement: 10° to 40°C
Storage Temperature Requirement: -40° to 65°C
Operating Altitude Requirement: To 10,000 feet

Supplemental Data: IEC 60950 compli ant to

2000 meters
Storage Altitude Requirement: To 40,000 feet
Mechanical Shock Supplemental Data: Class 5 (30G) Grass Valley

001131500
Random Vibration Requirement: Operational: Class 6 Grass

Valley 001131500

Requirement: Non-Operational: Class 5

Grass Valley 001131500
Transportation Requirement: Grass Valley 001131500
Equipment Type Supplemental Data: Information Technology
Equipment Class Supplemental Data: Class 1
Installation Category Requirement: Category II Local level

mains, appliances,

portable equipment, etc.

Pollution Degree Requirement: Level 2 operating

environment, indoor use only.
Relative Humidity Requirement: Operating 80% from +30° to

+40°C

Non-Operating 90% from

+30° to +60°C

Do not operate with visible

moisture on the circuit boards.

10 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

Chapter 1

Introducing Aurora Ingest

Aurora Ingest is an automated media digitization system, made up of several
integrated applications, that allows you to ingest footage from VTRs, feeds from a
router, or files from multi ple Digital Media Cameras and Digital Media Recorders, all
directly to a Media Server in your operation.

This manual shows you how to install and con figure the Aurora Ing est applications in
your newsroom, and how to use Aurora Ingest to capture and record clips for l ater use
in a newscast.

This chapter is divided into the following sections:

• “What is Aurora Ingest ?”

• “Aurora Ingest applications”

• “Aurora Ingest workstations”

• “Integration with Aurora Suite and third-party products”

• “Understanding Status Colors”

What is Aurora Ingest?

Aurora Ingest lets you get footage from VTRs and from router feeds and ingest it
directly to your Media Server. With Aurora Ingest applications, you can select clips
from multiple VTR tapes, create a batch (also known as a segment) list, and record it
to the serve r . You can also ingest feeds from a router source directly to the same
server. Up to eight VTRs are supported at any time. You can select the supported
VTRs from an unlimited number of VTRs or RS-422-connected routers. Batch jobs
can be saved as Edit Decision Lists (EDLs).

The Aurora Ingest system supports the K2 Media Server and M-Series iVDR media
server or servers. You can configure your system to record clips into two servers in
parallel. If one server fails or has inadequat e storage, only the recording on that server
will be stopped. When the system continues to the next clip, the storage capacity on
both servers is che cked again, allowing parallel recordin g to resume if storage is made
adequate.

Raw footage comes from a VTR connected directly to the Aurora Ingest workstation,
a CompuSat satellite dish control system, or a router sou r ce. While you connect the
media servers to the Aurora Ingest workstation using AMP Sockets, you need RS-422
connection from the VTR t o the Aurora Ingest workstation to have co ntrol of the VTR
in the Aurora Ingest windows. For router sources, Aurora Ingest supports the Grass
Valley SMS 7000, Grass Valley Acapella, Encore control and Jupiter systems, and
allows source selection and renaming.

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 11

Chapter 1 Introducing Aurora Ingest

Aurora Ingest applications

Aurora Ingest consists of the following applications:

• Aurora Ingest - Server, which lets you configure the other Aurora Ingest
applications for batch or feed events, as well as monitor the status of the media
servers, d atabase servers, routers, CompuS at satellite d ish control system, and
channels. You can also access the logs . For mo re i nfor mat ion, see “Aurora Ingest

- Server” on page 27.

• VTR Controller, which lets you monit or and manage the VT Rs you use with VTR
Ingest. For more information, see Chapter 4, Using VTR Controller on page 97.

• VTR Ingest, which lets you ingest footage from VTRs and import or export Edit
Decision Lists (EDLs). Supporting up to eight channels, VTR Ingest can record
footage and confi gur abl e handle durations. It lets you set mark poi nt s using either
the VTR, the PC keyboard, or the mouse. You can ingest a single item or build a
batch list o f items to capture from multiple tapes. You can also create a batch list
offline and then import th e list into VTR Ingest as a common EDL. Once you create
a batch list, you can o ptimiz e the l ist by timeco de, which allows the mate rial to be
ingested in the shortest time possible, or manually arrange the batch list items in
order to prioritize immediately needed clips. For more information, see Chapter 5,

Using VTR Ingest on page 101.

• Aurora Ingest - Scheduler, which lets you schedule i ngest feed events from a medi a
server, CompuSat satellite dish control system, router source and VTRs. You c an
also schedule events to record, up to one year in advance, on each server port,
including recurr ing events. Schedule Vie wer provides an easi ly readable way to see
all ports and more specifically the task assigned to each port. For more information,
see Chapter 3, Using Aurora Ingest - Scheduler on page 65.

• Removable Media Interfa ce (RMI), which lets you ingest files from multiple
Infinity Digital Media Cameras and Digital Media Recorders, as well as Sony
XDCam and Panasonic P2 removable media devices. For more information, see

Chapter 6, Using Aurora Ingest - RMI on page 111.

For information on installing and configuring the Aurora Ingest applications, see

Chapter 2, Installing and Configuring Aurora Ingest on page 15.

If you use Aurora Playout as a playback system in your ope ration, you can ingest clips
directly to a Aurora Playout rundown by linki ng clips to a Aurora Playout placeholder
at the point of record. For more information, se e Chapter 7, Linking Clips to Aurora

Playout Placeholders on page 113.

Aurora Ingest workstations

Aurora Inge st has a client/server architecture th at allows for multiple simultaneous
users. It supports simultaneous event creation, event modification, event deletion,
event monitoring, and resource viewing from multiple workstations.

Each workstation can control up to ei ght VTRs for batch li st creation and b atch ingest.
You can work with either directly attached VTRs and dedicated server ports or
through a router.

12 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

You can trigger multipl e ch annel records from disparate sources simult ane ous ly and
schedule record events without reference to physical server port. Aurora Ingest
automatically allocates any available port as determined at the o ptimum time b efore
the record event is scheduled to begin. RS-422 router level control allows any
router-connected VTR to be controlled by any Aurora Ingest channel.

Aurora Ingest - Server

This application has the following functionality:

• control of all Media Servers for all types of ingest

• stores the ingest schedule

• switches the Encore/SMS7000/Acapella/Jupiter router

• interfaces to ENPS

• interfaces to CompuSat satellite dish control system

• user account administration

Aurora Ingest - VTR Controller

Aurora Ingest - Server

This application has the following functionality:

• controls up to eight VTRs for VTR Ingest (AI server controls media server ports)

Aurora Ingest - VTR Ingest

This application has the following functionality:

• provides a user interface for playing tapes and marking in and out points

• creates batch (segment) lists

• provides a user interface for ingested clips to be recorded to Media Servers

Aurora Ingest - Scheduler Client

This application has the following functionality:

• schedules ingests f rom router sources, CompuSat sat ellite dish control system, and

VTRs.

• displays schedule status

• asset viewer if optional video card installed on the system

Aurora Ingest - RMI Client

This application has the following functionality:

• Ingests material from P2/XDCAM/Infinity removable media devices

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 13

Chapter 1 Introducing Aurora Ingest

Integration with Aurora Suite and third-party products

Aurora Inge st is integrated with the other applications in the Au rora Suite and
third-party removable media devices. In addition to serving as a metadata entry and
transfer application fo r metadata cr eated in the newsroom computer system (NRCS),
it supports:

• Mark In/Out of inco ming feed mate rial, allowi ng direct assignment of field -edited
material to Aurora Playout placehol ders.

• Simultaneous file transfer ingest, including MOS-ID matching, status updating,
and metadata import and transfer to Au rora Browse from multiple Rev Pro and
Professional Compact Flash removable media devices.

Understanding Status Colors

Each entry in th e batch l ist, sc hedule vi ewer and s cheduler window di splays a certai n
color according to its status. The defau lt colors are:

Event Background Color Description

Red The entry is recording.
Gold The entry is cued and is next to record.
Green The entry has finished recording.
Blue The Scheduler entry is ready to record.
Black VTR Ingest has reserved this channe l at t hi s t ime.
Purple The entry failed to record. See the Error Message field for

more information.

Grey The entry time has elapsed, probably due to a conflict with

another recording.

Users can change status colors in Aurora Ingest - Scheduler by changing the
configuration as shown in “Configuring Scheduler in the Aurora Ingest - Scheduler

application” on page 19.

14 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

Chapter 2

SMS

7000

NAS

Serial hub

Router
Matrix

VTR Ingest /

Ethernet LAN

NetCentral

Encore/Acapella/

RS422

Satellite

Receivers

!

Aurora Ingest Server

VTR

Logging Workstation

SDI / HD-SDI

CompuSat satellite
dish control system

!

Aurora Ingest Server

(Marathon)

!

!

Media Server

Media Server

!

Media Server

VTR Ingest /

Logging Workstation

VTR

VTR

VTR

AI Client

Workstation

AI Client

Workstation

Innity Client

P

2

/XDCAM/

Innity Client

P

2

/XDCAM/

Jupiter

Installing and Configuring Aurora Ingest

The Aurora Ingest system consists of an Aurora Ingest Server, one or more Aurora
Ingest Scheduling Clients, K2 Media Server or M-Series iVDR media server or
servers, VTRs, router or CompuSat satellite dish control system sources.

This chapter is divided into the following sections:

• “System Requirements”

• “Installing Aurora Ingest”

• “Setting Up Your Media Server”

• “Configuring Aurora Ingest”

• “User Administration for Aurora Ingest”

System Requirements

Grass Valley supplies a CD containing the Aurora Ingest software and
documentation. For some of the Aurora Ingest components, Grass Valley also
supplies hardware. The following section details the software and hardware
requirements for each Aurora Ingest component.

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 15

Chapter 2 Installing and Configuring Aurora Ingest

Aurora Ingest - Server

The Aurora Ingest - Server ap plication coul d be installed on the Aurora Inges t Server
or Aurora Ingest Base Workstation on any regular office machine. The application
must be running for an Aurora Inges t client to conne ct to it. All Aurora Inge st Clients
should have their system time synced to the Aurora Ingest Server.

NOTE: Grass Valley recommends that the Scheduler, VTR Ingest and Aurora
Ingest - Server applications are not installed in the same machine as K2 AppCenter
application or its remote Control Point software.

Grass Valley supplies the Aurora Ingest - Server software/hardware configuration:

• Dell Server with Windows 2003 Server (two units if redundant option selected)

• Additional Windows 2003 license and Marathon Ftvirtual Server license (if
redundant option selected)

• DIGI One SP 1 Port RS 422 Serial to Ethernet Device Server (RoHS Compliant)

• Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0

• Microsoft Visual C++ 2005

• Microsoft SQL Express 2005

• Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express

Aurora Ingest - VTR Ingest/VTR Controller

VTR Ingest and VTR Controll er can be i nstalled on th e same machine. I f VTR Ingest
and VTR Controller are on two separate machines, the two machines need to be
connected via Ethernet. For your VTR Controller client, Grass Valley supplies an
RS-422 card. (See “Installing Hardware” on page 18.)

NOTE: Grass Valley recommends that the Scheduler, VTR Ingest and Aurora
Ingest - Server applications are not installed in the same machine as K2 AppCenter
application or its remote Control Point software.

The PC you use to run VTR Ingest/VTR Controller should conform to these
requirements:

• Windows XP Pro, with the Intel P4 CPU and a minimum of 512 MB RAM

• 10 GB HDD

• Minimum 1024x768 SVGA display adapter (Preferred: 1280 x 1024)

• CD-ROM drive for installation

• Two available PCI slots for the video capture and RS-422 boards (for VTR
Controller)

• 100BaseTX Ethernet interface

• Hauppage WinTVGo Video Capture Card (optional)

• Blackmagic Design DeckLi nk Video Capture Card (optional)

16 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

Aurora Ingest - Scheduler

NOTE: Grass Valley recommends that the Scheduler, VTR Ingest and Aurora
Ingest - Server applications are not installed in the same machine as K2 AppCenter
application or its remote Control Point software.

The PC you use to run Aurora Ingest - Scheduler should conform to these
requirements:

• Windows XP Pro, with the Intel P4 CPU and a minimum of 512 MB RAM

• 10 GB HDD

• Minimum 1024x768 SVGA display adapter (Preferred: 1280 x 1024)

• CD-ROM drive for installation

• 100BaseTX Ethernet interface

• Hauppage WinTVGo Video Capture Card (optional)

• Blackmagic Design DeckLi nk Video Capture Card (optional)

Aurora Ingest - RMI

Aurora Ingest - Scheduler

Do not install the Aurora Ingest - RMI client on a machine that already has Aurora
Edit installed. You need to install the Aurora Core software instead.
(SetupAuroraCore.exe on the Aurora Ingest software CD.)

The PC you use to run RMI Client should con form to these require ments (minim um):

• Windows XP Pro, with the Intel P4 CPU and a minimum of 512 MB RAM

• 10 GB HDD

• Minimum 1024x768 SVGA display adapter

• CD-ROM drive for installation

• USB Port

• Aurora Core software
For HD ingests, Grass Valley recommends the following configuration:

• Windows XP Pro

• HP Workstation xw8400, with Xeon 51 60/3.0GHz 4MB/1333 dual co re processor

and 2GB (2x1GB) 667MHz DDR2 RAM

• 80GB SATA 3Gb/s 7200 HDD

• NVIDIA Quadro FX3450 256MB PCI-Express

• 1280 x 1024 SVGA display adapter

• 16X DVD-ROM/CDRW Combo

• Xeon 5160/3.0GHz 4MB/1333 dual core processor

• Intel Pro/1000 GT Gigabit PCI NIC desktop adapter

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 17

Chapter 2 Installing and Configuring Aurora Ingest

O
N

12

• USB Port

• Aurora Core software

Installing Aurora Ingest

To install Aurora In gest, you need to install the ha rdware in your computer, ins tall the
Aurora Ingest software, and obtain a software license number.

This section is divided into the following topics:

“Installing Hardware”
“Installing Software”
“Obtaining a Software License Number”
“Backing up Aurora Ingest Database”
“Upgrading Aurora Ingest Software”
“Migrating Aurora Ingest - Server”
“Restoring Aurora Ingest Database”

Installing Hardware

Grass Valley supplies the Aurora Ingest Server with all the necessary hardware and
software installed. The software for the other Aurora Ingest components can be
installed on any PC which meets the “System Requi re me nt s” for that component.

Installing RS-422 card (VTR Controller)

For VTR Controller, Grass Valley supplies a RocketPort Plus Universal PCI 422
SMPTE 8 Port RoHS RS-422 card that must be installed.

1. If you are connecting one or more VTRs to VTR Controller, instal l the RS-422 card
in your computer, making sure the dip switches are set to the down position
shown, and install the card’s driver.

2. Connect the VTR(s) to the VTR Controller machine via RS-422.

3. If you are using LTC for timecode, connect a timecode cable from the timecode
source (VTR for VTR Inge st , Ti mecode Generator for Aurora Ingest - Schedul er )
to the Media Server.

4. Without the LTC physical connection, timecodes could stil l be polled via RS-422.
Check the option to enable RS-422 timecode mode within
Controlle r application as described in “Configuring VTR Controller” on page 51.

Installing Video Capture card (optional)

You can install either Hauppage WinTVGo Video Capture Card or Blackmagic
Design DeckLink Video Capt ure Car d to v iew cl ips on Aurora Ing est Clien ts. Check
for minimum system require ments needed before choosi ng and purchasing your video
capture card.

, as

Tools|Options of VTR

Both video capture cards are for SD (standard definition) video only. If you want to
ingest HD video and then view it, first downconvert from HD to SD.

18 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

Installing Software

For Hauppage WinTVGo video capture card, you have to then convert from digital to
analog. The video capt ure card accepts c omposite a nalog vide o only (NTSC o r PAL).

For Blackmagic Design DeckLink Video Capture Card, SDI input and output with
embedded audio are support ed. For audio moni toring, yo u could also connect SPDIF
output to your audio peripheral.

Follow the steps below to install your video capture card:

1. Install the video capture card in your machine and install the card’s driver. Refer

to the manufacturer’s m anual for installation in structions.

2. For Hauppage WinTVGo video capture card, connect the video capture board’s

S-Video Input connector to the device you’re using for on-screen video di splay
(VTR, router, or switch box).

3. For Blackmagic Design DeckLink Video Captu re Card , connect SDI Outpu t from

your media server or router to SDI Input connector of the video capture card.

4. If you have a video capture c ard i nstal led i n y our machi ne and a rou ter c onfigu red

in your system, select the router destination from the dropdown list within

Tools|Options|Video Viewer of Aurora Ingest Scheduler or VTR Ingest.

5. After the video capture ca rd has b een su cce ssful ly co nfigur ed, it coul d be select ed

from the Capture Device dropdown list within
Aurora Ingest Scheduler or VTR Ingest.

Tools|Options|Video Viewer of

Installing Software

If you are upgrading Aurora Ingest from an existing installation to a new software
release, refer to “Backing up Aurora Ingest Database” on page 20 and “Upgrading

Aurora Ingest Software” on page 21.

If you are migrating Aurora Ingest - Server from an existing installation to a new
machine, refer to “ Migr at ing Aurora Ingest - Server” on page 22.

To install the Aurora Ingest software on your computer, insert the Aurora Ingest
CD-ROM into the machine’s CD-ROM drive and follow these instructions:

On this screen... Do this...

Welcome Click Next.
License Agreement Select I Agree and click Next.
Choose Destination Location Click Next.
Select Components Specify the Aurora Ingest applications to install: Server,

Scheduler, VTR Controller, VTR Ingest, or RMI.

With Server component, Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and
Microsoft SQL Express 2005 will also be installed by defaul t.

[Note: RMI cannot be installed on a machine that already has
Aurora Edit installed. You nee d to install the Aurora Core software

(SetupAuroraCore.exe is on the Aurora Ingest software

instead.
CD.)]

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 19

Chapter 2 Installing and Configuring Aurora Ingest

On this screen... Do this...

Specify Server Name Enter host name of Aurora Ingest Server.

Select the SQL Server configuration th at will be used by Aurora
Ingest Server.

If you choose SQL Server 2005, select the server instance from the
dropdown list.

Then, click the Test Connection button to ensure that the SQL
Server is accessible.

Start Installation Click Next.
Installation Complete Click Finish.

Obtaining a Software License Number

Once the Aurora Ingest software is installed, you are provided with a 3 0-day demo
license. You need to get a license nu mber from Grass Valley in order to install the
permanent license. Obtaining the software license number is important because you
cannot launch channel s or configure Aurora Ingest aft er your 30-day demo license has
expired.

When you install the Aurora Ingest - Server application, the SabreTooth License
Manager is installed as well. To get a license number, follow these steps:

1. Click on the License Manager icon on the desktop. The SabreTooth License
Manager opens.

2. Select

File|Generate Unique ID and License Manager will generate a unique ID (a

unique string of characters).

3. Email this unique ID to [e-mail] and you will be
provided with the software license number.

Backing up Aurora Ingest Database

It is advisable for use rs to back-up the Aurora Ing est database before upgrading to the
latest version of t he software. With a dat abase back-up, you can av oid any lost of fe ed
schedules and the need to key-in everything again in case of a system crash. The
back-up could also be placed on another machine or an external drive for extra
precaution.

The database back-up coul d be done easily us ing Microsoft SQL Serv er Management
Studio Express. Listed below are the steps to back-up your Aurora Ingest database:

1. Login to Windows XP as an administrator or as a user with administrative rights.

2. Go to Start>All Programs> Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and select SQL Server
Management Studio Express to launch the application.

3. Connect to your SQL Server by Windows Authentication.

4. Double-click on Databases and you could see the folder expands to show System
Databases and IS.

5. Right-click on IS and select Tasks>Back Up.

20 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

Upgrading Aurora Ingest Software

6. In the General page, select IS from the Data bas e dro pdown l ist or t ype “I S” if it ’s

not listed in the drop down list , and select Full f rom the Ba ckup type dropdown li st.

7. Key in the backup name and select the backup destination.

8. In the Options page, select Back up to the existing media set and Overwrite all

existing backup sets.

9. Click OK.

NOTE: DO NOT dele te Aurora In gest folder in the registr y key and 2 files
(IS_Data.mdf and IS_Log.ldf ) in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL
Server\90\Tools\Binn if you don't have a backup on another machine or an external
drive. All data in the curren t databas e could n ot be retr ieved if those fi les were to be
deleted and the system crashed.

Upgrading Aurora Ingest Software

Before upgrading from one ver si on of Aurora Ingest to another, you shou ld c los e al l
components in the current Aurora Ingest application.

Aurora Ingest 6.3 installer provid es an option to insta ll Microsoft SQL Express 2005
or attaching your Auro ra Inge st dat abase to the full versi on of Micr osoft SQL Server

2005. The full version of SQL Server 2005 al lows customers to r un the Aurora In gest

- Server database component on the same server as the NewsShare DSM.
This means that both news database and ingest database will share the same SQL

processes. If you want to move your cu rrent Aurora Ingest database that runs on SQL
Express 2005 to your NewsShar e DSM machine that runs the full version of SQL
Server 2005, refer to “Migrating Aurora Ingest - Server” on page 22.

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 21

Chapter 2 Installing and Configuring Aurora Ingest

To upgrade Aurora Ingest, follow the steps below:

1. Uninstall all components in the current version of Aurora Ingest by selecting
Start>Control Panel> Add or Remove Programs.

2. Run the Aurora Ingest 6.3 installer and follow the steps described in “Installing

Software” on page 19.

3. Reboot your machine after the installation is complete.

NOTE: When installing onto a clean system, Aurora Ingest will embed the SQL
Express 2005 ins tal l into its installer. The full version of Microsoft SQL Server 2005
is available as an optional item.

Migrating Aurora Ingest - Server

Database migration shoul d be done if you need to move Aurora In gest datab ase from
the current machi ne to a b rand new mach ine, or t o move yo ur Aurora Ingest da tabase
to the machine that runs yo ur NewsShare DSM.

Follow the steps below for migration process of the Aurora Ingest database:

1. Run the latest Aurora Ingest 6.3 installer on the existing machine to update the
Aurora Ingest database.

2. Export the Aurora Ingest Server regi stry key under “My
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Grass Valley\Aurora
Ingest\Server” from exis ting machine.

CAUTION: DO NOT launch the Microsoft SQL Server Management
Studio Express on both existing machine and new machine. If you do
this, you cannot back up the database.

3. Shut down the Aurora Ingest - Server application on the existing machine and cop y
two files (IS_Data.mdf and IS_Log.ldf) from C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL
Server\90\Tools\Binn from existing machine to same directory path in new
machine. Make sure these two files are NON-READ ONLY.

4. Make sure the “SQLServer (or SQLEXPRESS)” service is running on new
machine. You can chec k the state of the service in the “Services” application.

5. Launch the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express on new machine.

6. Log on, using Window Authentication Mode, to attach the Aurora Inge st databas e.

7. Attach the Aurora Ingest database as shown in the following screenshot.

22 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

Restoring Aurora Ingest Database

8. Select the IS_Data.mdf from the same di rectory (C:\ Program Files\Mic rosoft SQL

Server\90\Tools\Binn).

9. After the Aurora Ingest database had been attached successfully, you should be

able to view Aurora Ingest database folder shown under the Dat abases root folder.

10.Import the server registry key to new machine.

11.Run the Aurora Ingest 6.3 installer on new machine.

12.Reboot the machine after installation is complete.

13.License the Aurora Ingest sof twa re (Number of Channels, Scheduler, VTR Ingest
and RMI). For more information on lice nsi ng, se e “Obtaining a Software License

Number” on page 20.

14.Remove the licenses from the existing machine.

15.Launch the Aurora Ingest - Server application on the new machine. Select

Options

and click on the System tab.

16. Edit settings of SDB Server, XMOS Serve r and SabreTooth Server according to
the new machine.

Restoring Aurora Ingest Database

In case of a system crash or a corrupted database, database restore could easily be
done using Microsof t SQL Server Manag ement Studio Expre ss. Before proceed ing to
restore, make sure that database back-up had been done and the back-up location
identified. Follow the steps below to restore your Aurora Ingest database:

1. Login to Windows XP as an administrator or as a user with administrative rights.

2. Shut down Aurora Ingest - Server if it’s currently running on your machine.

Tools |

3. Go to Start>All Programs> Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and select SQL Server
Management Studio Express to launch the application.

4. Connect to your SQL Server by Windows Authentication.

5. Right-click on Databases and select Restore Database.

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 23

Chapter 2 Installing and Configuring Aurora Ingest

6. In the Destination for restore section, select IS from the database dropdown list.
Key in “IS” if it’s not in the dropdown list.

7. In the Source for restor e section, select Fr om device and c lick to browse to the
folder that you had stored your backup.

8. Click Add to get to the folder where you had saved the backup, select the backup

24 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

Restoring Aurora Ingest Database

file and click OK twice.

9. Check the box under Restore column to select the backup database to be restored.

10.In Options page, check Overwrite the existing database.

11.Click OK.

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 25

Chapter 2 Installing and Configuring Aurora Ingest

Setting Up Your Media Server

Once you’ve cabled Aurora Ing est and installe d software, you nee d to configure your
Media Server to work with Aurora Ingest.

K2 Media Server

To configure the K2 system for Aurora Ingest:

• See your K2 documentation; set up the record channels to use Advanced Media
Protocol (AMP).

• Configure channels to use LTC or VITC input.

M-Series iVDR

The configuration of M-Series iVDR for Aurora Ingest depends on the type of
communication you’re using for the server—DCOM or RS-422.

DCOM

If you are using DCOM, see your M-Series iVDR documentation and set up the
record channels to use Advanced Media Protocol (AMP).

RS-422

If you are usin g RS-422, see y our M-Series iVDR documen tation and set up the server
as follows:

• Make sure you configure the record channels to the correct RS-422 port.

• Set up record channels to use Advanced Media Protocol (AMP).

• Configure channels to use LTC or VITC input.

26 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

Configuring Aurora Ingest

Once you have installed any ha rdware (if necess ary) and th e software c omponents of
Aurora Ingest, you need to configure the Aurora Ingest options for your particular
newsroom equipment and workflow.

You can add and configure VTRs with the VTR Controller and VTR Ingest
applications. The Aurora Ingest - RMI client is configured through the Aurora
Ingest - RMI application and Aurora Ingest - Sch eduler is c onfigured th rough Aurora
Ingest - Scheduler application. All other configurations can be performed in the
Aurora Ingest - Server application.

This section is divided into the following topics:

“Aurora Ingest - Server”
“Configuration Overview”
“Configuring System Settings”
“Configuring Media Servers”
“Configuring Routers”

Configuring Aurora Ingest

“Configuring Channels”
“Configuring Channel Groups”
“Configuring Aurora Ingest - Scheduler (Feed)”
“Configuring VTR Controller”
“Configuring VTR Ingest (VTR)”
“Configuring Preview Channels”
“Configuring RMI”

Aurora Ingest - Server

The Aurora Ingest - Server application shows the status of the system components and
channels, as well as the system logs. The server machine name might be truncated,
however the full name is visible if you hover your mouse over the area.

Additional information regarding a channel can also be obtained if you hover on the
channel name. These informa tion include channel na me, server name, recordi ng port,

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 27

Chapter 2 Installing and Configuring Aurora Ingest

remaining storage and status of the channel.

• A green indicator—the component or channel is connected.

• A red indicator—the component or channel is not connected.

• A grayed-out indicator—the component is not configured.

To configure Aurora Ingest, select
overview of the process of configuring Aurora Ingest.

Configuration Overview

In Aurora Ingest - Server application, you can configure most of the Aurora Ingest
settings. (Configur e VTR controller settings in VTR Controller and VTR Ingest.) The
following table details the configurable options in the Aurora Ingest - Server
application. The fol lowing s ecti ons desc ribe the Aurora Ingest confi gurat ion pro ces s
in detail.

Options Description

System Allows you to specify servers, such as the SDB server, XMOS Server, SabreTooth server,

CompuSat satellite dish control system , etc. You can also specify the Video standard , enable
the option to switch aspect ratio and set the default aspect ratio of feeds and VTR ingests.

Media
Server

Router All ows you to specify the type of r outer (Encore/SMS7000, Acapella or Jupiter) and its IP

Channel Allows you to specify the various channels and the media server they are associated with, as

Channel
Group

Allows you to add, edit, or delete information about th e media servers, including the drive
and record locations. Note: the record location is not machine dependent.

address or COM port.

well as the record loca tion. (The r ecord loc ation is th e router desti nation, whi ch is physica lly
connected to the media server using the AV cable.)

Allows you to specify channel groups and channels to be included in those groups. Channel
groups are assigned to users in the User Administration setup. Auto-assign would only be
limited to channels that are av ailable to the particular user.

Tools | Options. The following section gives an

28 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007

Options Description

Feed For feed ingests performed using Aurora Ingest - Scheduler, this tab allows you to specify

default information ab out the clips, such as name, r ecord durat ion, cra sh record lo cation a nd
duration, and tim ecode source (System ti me, LTC or VITC).

VTR For segment (batch) ingests performed using VTR Ingest, this tab allows you to specify

default information about th e cl ips, su c h as na m e, re cord loc a tio n, ha ndle a nd pre ro ll tim e s,
and timecode source (Control track, LTC or VITC).

Preview Allows you to specify the preview channel for Asset Viewer in Aurora Ingest - Scheduler.

Configuring System Settings

Configuring System Settings

Setting Description

SDB Server Enter the IP address or computer name of the server where t he

Aurora Playout database resides (primary SDB Server is running).

Backup SDB Server If you are using a backup database server, enter the IP address or

computer name of the server where the backup Aurora Playout

database resides (hot -standby SDB Server is running).
XMOS Server Enter t he name of the computer hosting the XMOS server.
NetCentral Server If your system uses NetCentral to monitor equipment, enter its

name or IP address.

September 2007 Aurora Ingest System Guide 29

Chapter 2 Installing and Configuring Aurora Ingest

Setting Description

CompuSat If you are using CompuSat satellite dish control system, enter the

location where the CompuSat application is running.

SabreTooth Server Enter the name of the server where the SabreTooth license is

located.

Reference Standard

Enable option to
switch aspect ratio

Default aspect ratio

PAL
NTSC drop frame
NTSC non-drop

Click the check box if you want to enable the option to switch
video aspect ratio of feeds and VTR ingest s. This feature is
currently supported for SD K2 media clie nt version 3.2 only.

16:9

4:3

Configuring Media Servers

Select the video reference standard used in
your operation.

Select the default aspect ratio for your ingest
operation.

Setting Recording Locations in Media Servers

You can also specify where schedu led recordings will resid e on each server. Once you
configure them, select which folder to record to when recording clips and feeds.

To set a reco rd location:

30 Aurora Ingest System Guide September 2007