Grass Valley Xbuilder Vertigo Suite User Manual

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Xbuilder

Playlist & Template-based Graphics Building

User Manual

M852-0600-480

w w w . m i r a n d a . c o m

Xbuilder

Playlist and Template-Based Graphics Building

User Manual

Vertigo Suite v.4.8

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All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

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Please read the following terms and conditions carefully. By using the Xbuilder User Manual, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

Miranda Technologies Inc. hereby grants permission and license to owners of Xbuilder and the Xmedia Suite to use their product manuals for their own internal business use. Manuals for Miranda Technologies Inc. products may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose unless specifically authorized in writing by Miranda Technologies Inc.

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Document Identification

• Title: Xbuilder User Manual

• Part number: M852-0600-480

• Software version: Vertigo Suite v.4.8

• Last revised: June 21, 2012

Document Revision History

After the original release date, this user manual may be updated with edits and then rereleased. The following table tracks the versions of this document.

Publication date Description

June 21, 2012 Original release of this user manual for Vertigo Suite v.4.8

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introducing Xbuilder............................................................................................................1-1

Getting started with Xbuilder.............................................................................................. 2-1

Installation and licensing information................................................................................................. 2-2

Starting Xbuilder and connecting to the Xmedia Server .................................................................... 2-3

Overview of Xbuilder’s user interface ................................................................................................ 2-4

Configuring Xbuilder’s settings .......................................................................................................... 2-6

Adding and configuring a Preview device.......................................................................................... 2-7

Configuring a device for the verification of playlist elements............................................................. 2-9

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes................................................... 3-1

Creating an individual shared page from a template ......................................................................... 3-3

Creating pages and/or scene using a Merge List .............................................................................. 3-4

Creating Merge List file in Microsoft Excel.................................................................................... 3-5

Creating an XML Merge List file.................................................................................................... 3-6

Approving or rejecting new pages and scenes created from a Merge List ................................... 3-8

Opening an existing page or scene ................................................................................................... 3-9

Editing a page or scene’s content elements .................................................................................... 3-10

Previewing a page or scene on the Preview device ........................................................................ 3-11

Saving a snapshot (image file) of a page or scene’s playout .......................................................... 3-12

Rendering pages and scenes to a clip file ........................................................................ 4-1

Render to VAF for pre-rendered playout....................................................................................... 4-2

Render to MXF for playout on a video server ............................................................................... 4-3

Render to MPEG for preview........................................................................................................ 4-4

Manual rendering pages and/or scenes to a file................................................................................ 4-5

Batch-rendering of pages and/or scenes to a file .............................................................................. 4-7

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)................................................. 5-1

Setting up the QC and MC workflows................................................................................................ 5-3

Create and set up the Subfolders and Approved Category folders .............................................. 5-3

Specify Xbuilder’s settings for the QC and MC workflows ............................................................ 5-4

Associate channels to devices in Xbuilder’s Device Manager ...................................................... 5-5

Verify that the system templates are installed and publish them to the SWCG............................ 5-6

Verify the presence of the QC license .......................................................................................... 5-8

Creating a Make List / Air List spreadsheet ....................................................................................... 5-9

Using AE Plug-in and the Make List to create and ingest graphics ................................................. 5-11

Quality Control: Previewing and validating graphics in Xbuilder...................................................... 5-12

Media Check: Graphics publish verification ..................................................................................... 5-14

Creating and using playlists ............................................................................................... 6-1

An overview of the Playlist Editor ...................................................................................................... 6-2

Procedural overview for creating a sequential playlist....................................................................... 6-3

Creating a new playlist ...................................................................................................................... 6-4

Opening an existing playlist............................................................................................................... 6-4

Xbuilder User Manual TOC-1

Table of Contents

Verifying the contents of a playlist ......................................................................................................6-5

Populating a playlist............................................................................................................................6-6

Creating and adding an embedded page to a playlist ...................................................................6-7

Adding shared pages, scenes and clip assets to a playlist............................................................6-8

Appending or inserting the contents of a playlist to a playlist ........................................................6-9

Configuring the Playlist table columns..............................................................................................6-11

Repositioning playlist items within the playlist ..................................................................................6-17

Adding segments to the playlist........................................................................................................6-19

Adding comments to the playlist.......................................................................................................6-21

Deleting playlist items from the playlist.............................................................................................6-22

Editing the properties associated to the playlist items......................................................................6-24

Saving a playlist................................................................................................................................6-26

Reloading the playlist .......................................................................................................................6-28

Creating and using rundowns and segments................................................................... 7-1

An overview of the Rundown Editor ...................................................................................................7-3

An overview of the Segment Editor & Segment Window....................................................................7-4

Procedural overview for creating rundowns .......................................................................................7-6

Creating a new rundown.....................................................................................................................7-7

Opening an existing rundown .............................................................................................................7-8

Creating and using rundown segments ..............................................................................................7-9

Creating a new rundown segment .................................................................................................7-9

Configuring the segment table columns ......................................................................................7-11

Adding pages to a rundown segment ..........................................................................................7-11

Adding scene assets to a rundown segment ...............................................................................7-13

Adding clip assets to a rundown segment ...................................................................................7-13

Adding a comment row to the rundown segment ........................................................................7-14

Repositioning pages within the rundown segment ......................................................................7-15

Deleting or removing items from a rundown segment .................................................................7-16

Saving a rundown segment .........................................................................................................7-17

Opening an existing rundown segment ............................................................................................7-18

Adding segments to a rundown ........................................................................................................7-19

Repositioning segments within the rundown ....................................................................................7-21

Removing segments from a rundown...............................................................................................7-22

Saving a rundown under a different name or category.....................................................................7-23

Deleting a rundown from the system ................................................................................................7-24

Appendix A - Quick reference to Xbuilder’s menus & toolbars ...................................... 8-1

Xbuilder’s menu commands ...............................................................................................................8-2

File menu .......................................................................................................................................8-2

View menu .....................................................................................................................................8-5

Actions menu .................................................................................................................................8-6

Tools menu ....................................................................................................................................8-7

Timeline menu ...............................................................................................................................8-8

Help menu .....................................................................................................................................8-8

Playlist Editor’s toolbar .......................................................................................................................8-9

TOC-2 Xbuilder User Manual

Table of Contents

Template Editor’s toolbar & properties ............................................................................................ 8-11

Segment Editor toolbar.................................................................................................................... 8-17

Appendix B - Quick reference to Xbuilder’s settings....................................................... 9-1

General settings ................................................................................................................................ 9-2

Display settings ................................................................................................................................. 9-4

Template Favorites settings............................................................................................................... 9-6

Automation settings ........................................................................................................................... 9-7

Playlist Ingest settings ....................................................................................................................... 9-8

Place Holders settings....................................................................................................................... 9-9

Merge List settings .......................................................................................................................... 9-10

Logging settings .............................................................................................................................. 9-11

Render To File settings ................................................................................................................... 9-12

Timelines settings............................................................................................................................ 9-13

Work Orders settings....................................................................................................................... 9-14

Servers settings............................................................................................................................... 9-15

Playlist > Basic settings ................................................................................................................... 9-16

Playlist > Highlight settings.............................................................................................................. 9-17

Xbuilder User Manual TOC-3

Table of Contents

TOC-4 Xbuilder User Manual

1 INTRODUCING XBUILDER

Xbuilder’s primary role in the Vertigo Suite is to quickly and accurately build multiple instances of template-based or pre-rendered graphics for playout. Xbuilder is also allows you to prepare the new graphics for playout by verifying quality, previewing playout and organizing the graphics into playlists.

While the remaining chapters provide instructions for how to use Xbuilder, the following list provides a brief overview of Xbuilder’s main functions:

• Create and populate graphics pages from a master template

Templates created in Xstudio lock down a graphics’ layout. With no need to recreate the graphic’s layout, Xbuilder can use templates to quickly create multiple instances of the graphics where the content is specific to the broadcast. These new graphics called pages are saved as individual assets whose layout is linked to the template. See page

3-1 for more information.

• Render templates to a clip file for the purposes of previewing or playout

Xbuilder can render the playout of templates into various video clip formats, so that you can preview the graphics playout, or use the resulting clip file to playout the pre-rendered graphic on a video server or Vertigo playout device. See page 4-1

• Perform quality control and media check of pre-rendered graphics files

Xbuilder’s Make List feature (QC workflow) allows you to preview and validate (approve or reject) the pre-rendered graphics that the After Effects Plug-in and the Make List file created and ingested into the Xmedia Server.

Once the graphics are approved and published to the device(s), Xbuilder’s Air List feature (MC workflow) allows you to quickly preview and verify that all of the approved graphics have actually been published to the correct devices. See page 5-1

• Create sequential playlists to be played out in Xplay

Xbuilder allows you to build playlists, which are ordered sequences of program clips and branding and promotional graphics elements (i.e. pages, scenes or clips). The resulting playlists can be edited and played back using the Vertigo Suite’s Xplay. See

page 6-1

• Create rundowns and segments for newsroom applications

Similar to sequential playlists, Xbuilder can create rundowns and segments, which are ordered lists of the pages, scenes and clips that can be brought into newsroom applications. See page 7-1

for more information.

Xbuilder User Manual 1-1

Introducing Xbuilder

1-2 Xbuilder User Manual

2 GETTING STARTED WITH XBUILDER

This chapter provides you with information about installing and licensing the Xbuilder software on a client workstation. Additional information and instructions are provided for performing a basic setup and configuration of the Xbuilder software.

Once you have completed the installation and quick setup, Xbuilder will be properly configured to create and save pages, render graphics to clips and create playlists.

This chapter is organized into the following topics:

Installation and licensing information” on page 2-2

• “

• “Starting Xbuilder and connecting to the Xmedia Server” on page 2-3

• “Overview of Xbuilder’s user interface” on page 2-4

• “Configuring Xbuilder’s settings” on page 2-6

• “Adding and configuring a Preview device” on page 2-7

• “Configuring a device for the verification of playlist elements” on page 2-9

Xbuilder User Manual 2-1

Getting started with Xbuilder

Installation and licensing information

Xbuilder is packaged with the Vertigo Suite software installation wizard. It can be installed as part of the full installation or as an individual (standalone) component. In both cases, you simply need to run the installation wizard on a workstation that is on the same network as the Xmedia Server.

Information regarding the Vertigo Suite’s hardware and network requirements, as well as instructions for installing and/or upgrading Xbuilder, are available in the Vertigo Suite’s Release Notes, which can be downloaded from the Miranda Technical Support Services web site.

To operate in its full capacities, Xbuilder requires that four (4) software application licenses (listed below) be installed and validated on the Xmedia Server. Therefore, once Xbuilder is installed, you must contact the Miranda Technical Support team (support@miranda.com to request a license key. Then you must apply and validate the licenses using the XmediaServer Control Panel. Instructions for acquiring and validating licenses are also provided in the Vertigo Suite’s Release Notes.

License name Description

)

Xbuilder

XGSoftware

XGEncode

XGEncodeforPlayout

The Xbuilder license is required to open and operate the base features and functionality of the Xbuilder application.

The XG Software license is required to preview graphics using the VX-Preview (Software CG) application. See page 3-11 information.

The XG Encode license is required to use Xbuilder’s Render to File feature, which renders and saves the playout of a template, page, and/or scene to a file in various clip formats. See page 4-1 information.

The XG Encode for Playout license is required to render pages and/or scenes to playout server compatible formats (XDCAM and IMX compatible MXF files). See page 4-3

The QC license is required to use Xbuilder’s Quality Control (QC) workflow (O preview and validate graphics before they are published to the target devices and taken to air. See page 5-1

PEN MAKELIST feature). The QC workflow allows you to

for more information.

for more

2-2 Xbuilder User Manual

Getting started with Xbuilder

Starting Xbuilder and connecting to the Xmedia Server

When you initially launch Xbuilder, a dialog box appears and asks you to configure the server location. As a client application, Xbuilder must be connected to the Xmedia Server, which is the centralized asset management server for Vertigo applications and devices.

Since you have only just installed Xbuilder, the first task that you must do is to connect Xbuilder to the Xmedia Server.

To start Xbuilder and connect to the Xmedia Server:

1. Click S

2. When the message asking you to configure the server location, click the Y

TART>PROGRAMS>VERTIGOXMEDIA>XBUILDER.

ES button.

The SETTINGS dialog box appears.

Figure 2-1. Settings dialog box

3. Click SERVERS in the tree view at left. This displays the settings related to the Xmedia Server (see page 9-15 for more information about Xbuilder’s Server settings).

4. In the X

MEDIASERVER IP ADDRESS field, replace <server IP> with the IP address of

the machine hosting the Xmedia Server.

5. Unless the port number was changed when the Xmedia Server was installed, the default in the X

MEDIASERVER PORT field will be correct. If it was changed, enter the new

number.

6. Click OK. Xbuilder launches. If the program does not launch, consult your system administrator.

The problem could be due to one of the following:

• The IP address or port was entered incorrectly.

• The machine hosting the Xmedia Server is down.

• The Xmedia Server is not running on the host machine.

• The machine is not connected to the network.

Xbuilder User Manual 2-3

Getting started with Xbuilder

Overview of Xbuilder’s user interface

Xbuilder provides an interface provides you with the tools and features required for accomplishing various tasks like creating and populating pages, rendering graphics to a file or building playlists.

Figure 2-2 features and components. Information and instructions for how to use each interface component are provided in within the applicable tasks in further chapters.

and the following descriptions provide an overview of Xbuilder’s main interface

1. Main menus - Located along the top of the interface, these menu commands provide access to most of Xbuilder's settings and administrative functions. See “

Quick reference to Xbuilder’s menus & toolbars” on page 8-1 for more information.

2. The upper portion of the Xbuilder interface changes according to what type of project you are working on: playlist, segment, rundown or timeline.

• Playlist Editor - The workspace where pages, templates, scenes and clips

can be organized into a sequential playlist. See page 6-2 using the Playlist Editor.

• Segment window - Very similar to the Playlist Editor, the Segment window

allows you to build a portion of a sequential playlist to be used in a rundown. See page 7-4

for full details on using the Segment window.

Figure 2-2. Xbuilder interface

Appendix A -

for full details on

2-4 Xbuilder User Manual

Getting started with Xbuilder

• Rundown Editor - The workspace for creating a sequential rundown playlist using segments, pages, clips, scenes and template assets. See page 7-6 for full details on using the Rundown Editor.

• Timeline Editor - The Timeline Editor allows you to create and edit automated promos by assembling and editing episodic clips, graphics, and audio elements within a timeline interface.

3. Asset Browser - Located in the lower left-hand portion of the interface, the Asset Browser provides a tree view of the asset categories on the connected Xmedia Server. When you select a category or sub-category, the assets stored within the category are displayed in the panel to the right of the Asset Browser (Template Editor). You can display or hide the Asset Browser by pressing C

TRL+A, or by selecting Asset Browser

from the View menu.

4. Template Editor - Its main function is to provide a canvas for displaying and editing the variable fields on a open pages, templates and scenes. Its toolbar buttons provide access to commands and features tat can be applied to the displayed asset.

A secondary function of this interface panel, is to display the contents of the selected category from the Asset Browser. The assets from a selected category can be viewed in proxy or list view mode.

5. Favorites Browser - Located in the lower right-hand portion of the interface, the Favorites Browser provides a quick drag-and-drop area where frequently used templates, pages, scenes and clips can be stored for easy access.

6. Status bar - Located along the bottom of the Xbuilder window, the status bar provides process update messages (left), server connection identification (center), and preview device connection status (right).

Xbuilder User Manual 2-5

Getting started with Xbuilder

Configuring Xbuilder’s settings

Although Xbuilder’s default settings are appropriate for most operating circumstances, you may want to customize the look and behavior of the application using Xbuilder’s settings. Note that modifying these settings is entirely optional.

Changes to Xbuilder settings are made within the S accessed by selecting TOOLS>SETTINGS from the Xbuilder menu commands.

This SETTINGS dialog box contains a tree-structure of thematic settings. Each of the settings is defined in the following sections:

General settings” on page 9-2

• “

• “Display settings” on page 9-4

• “Template Favorites settings” on page 9-6

• “Automation settings” on page 9-7

• “Playlist Ingest settings” on page 9-8

• “Place Holders settings” on page 9-9

• “Merge List settings” on page 9-10

• “Logging settings” on page 9-11

• “Render To File settings” on page 9-12

• “Timelines settings” on page 9-13

• “Work Orders settings” on page 9-14

• “Servers settings” on page 9-15

• “Playlist > Basic settings” on page 9-16

• “Playlist > Highlight settings” on page 9-17

ETTINGS dialog box, which can be

2-6 Xbuilder User Manual

Adding and configuring a Preview device

NOTE

In order to use Xbuilder’s features for previewing the playout (page 3-11) and/or render a page/scene to file (page 4-1 these tasks. In most cases, a Vertigo Software CG device is used for previewing and rendering to file in Xbuilder.

The XGSOFTWARE license is required to fully use the preview feature.

To add and connect Xbuilder to a Preview device:

1. Open the Device Configuration window by selecting T

2. In the D

EVICE CONFIGURATION window, select the ADD button:

), you must specify which device Xbuilder will use to perform

OOLS>DEVICE MANAGER.

Figure 2-3. Device Configuration dialog box

Getting started with Xbuilder

3. The D

Xbuilder User Manual 2-7

EVICE CONFIGURATION windows expands to reveal two tabs (GENERAL and ADVANCED)

with settings for identifying the device’s configuration.

Figure 2-4. Add Device Configuration section

Getting started with Xbuilder

4. Specify the appropriate General Device Configuration settings:

Device name The name of the selected device. This can only be modified when

Device alias An alternative name for the selected device on your network.

Description An optional field that lets you label the device to distinguish it from other

Device Type Identifies the type of device that these settings apply to. Select

Control IP The network location (IP address) or hostname of the selected device.

Control Port The networking port that serves as a channel for sending commands to

Publish IP The network location (IP address) or hostname of the selected device.

Publish Port The networking port that serves as a channel for publishing assets.

adding a device.

similar devices at your facility (for example).

REVIEW (or other device) for Software CG devices.

The host must be available on the network.

and from the device.

The host must be available on the network.

Typically, this value is set to 15000.

OTE: This value must correspond with the port used by the

XpublishAgent on the output device.

5. Click A

6. In the D

PPLY.

EVICE CONFIGURATION dialog box, click in the cell to the right of Preview.

7. Select the device from the table at left and then click . The device now appears next to the P

REVIEW box at right.

8. Click CLOSE. When Xbuilder successfully connects to the preview device, the LED in the lower right

corner of the Xbuilder window is green and when disconnected, it is red.

2-8 Xbuilder User Manual

Getting started with Xbuilder

Configuring a device for the verification of playlist elements

Xbuilder can be configured to manually or automatically verify the elements of a playlist have been published to specified devices. Elements that have not been published are identified and highlighted in the playlist so that they can be published. For this verification step to be accomplished, the target devices that will be checked must first be assigned in the Device Manager.

To specify a device for the verification of playlist elements:

1. Open the Device Manager by selecting T

EVICE CONFIGURATION dialog box appears.

The D

Figure 2-5. Device Configuration dialog box

OOLS>DEVICE MANAGER.

2. Verify that the intended output device is listed in the D If it is not, then you must add it to the device list.

a. In the D b. The D

ADVANCED) with settings for identifying the device’s configuration.

c. Specify the appropriate General Device Configuration settings:

Device name The name of the selected device. This can only be modified when adding a device.

Device alias An alternative name for the selected device on your network.

Description An optional field that lets you label the device to distinguish it from other similar

Device Type Identifies the type of device that these settings apply to. Choose from the following:

Control IP The network location (IP address) or hostname of the selected device. The host

Control Port The networking port that serves as a channel for sending commands to and from the

Xbuilder User Manual 2-9

EVICE CONFIGURATION window, select the ADD button.

EVICE CONFIGURATION windows expands to reveal two tabs (GENERAL and

devices at your facility (for example).

ERTIGOXG, INTUITIONXG, PREVIEW (OR OTHER DEVICE), IMAGESTORE, INTUITION,

FTP, LGK, DSK, HMP, or O

must be available on the network.

device.

THER.

EVICE CONFIGURATION dialog box.

Getting started with Xbuilder

Publish IP The network location (IP address) or hostname of the selected device. The host

must be available on the network.

Publish Port The networking port that serves as a channel for publishing assets. Typically, this

value is set to 15000.

NOTE: This value must correspond with the port used by the XpublishAgent on the output device.

d. Specify the appropriate Advanced Device Configuration settings:

Clip Template The name of the template that is used to play out clips. The clip template’s control-

side must have a texture linked to a scene-side clip object. Use the button to navigate to the Clip template.

Note that among the Vertigo Suite’s system templates are valid clip templates for various scene formats. The system templates are export files that are stored in the following directory: Program Files\VertigoXmedia\Apps\Support. Once imported into the Xmedia Server, the templates are stored in the

EMPLATES>SYSTEM TEMPLATES category.

The Clip Template field only appears when one of the following device types is selected: Vertigo XG, Intuition XG, Preview (and other devices), or Other.

Cel Template The name of the template used to play out cel animations. The cel template’s

control-side must have a texture linked to a scene-side clip object. Use the button to navigate to the Cel template.

Note that among the Vertigo Suite’s system templates are valid Cel templates for various scene formats. The system templates are export files that are usually stored in the following directory: Program Files\VertigoXmedia\Apps\Support. Once imported into the Xmedia Server, the templates are stored in the

TEMPLATES>SYSTEM TEMPLATES category.

The Cel Template field only appears if one of the following device types is selected: Vertigo XG, Intuition XG, Preview (and other devices), or Other.

Image Template The name of the template used to play out images. The image template’s control-

side must have a texture linked to a scene-side clip object. Use the button to navigate to the Image template.

Note that among the Vertigo Suite’s system templates are valid image templates for various scene formats. The system templates are export files that are usually stored in the following directory: Program Files\VertigoXmedia\Apps\Support. Once imported into the Xmedia Server, the templates are stored in the

EMPLATES>SYSTEM TEMPLATES category.

The Image Template field only appears if one of the following device types is selected: Vertigo XG, Intuition XG, Preview (and other devices), or Other.

2-10 Xbuilder User Manual

Getting started with Xbuilder

External Keyer Allows you to associate another device with the current device. This setting is

specifically used when the CG output is keyed over the ImageStore output. In this way, specific commands can be sent to the ImageStore (the External keyer) when specific things are done on the CG.

Publish Master Lets you select a master device.

e. Click APPLY.

The device is added to the Device list in the Device Configuration dialog box.

3. In the D

EVICE CONFIGURATION dialog box, select the text box to the right of DEVICE1.

4. Select the device name from the table and click . The device appears in the box on the right side with its name in the D

5. Click C

LOSE on the Device Configuration dialog box.

6. Restart Xbuilder and ensure that the device was added to the D down list in the upper-right corner of Xbuilder’s Playlist Editor toolbar.

EVICE1 field.

EVICE FOR VERIFY drop-

Xbuilder User Manual 2-11

Getting started with Xbuilder

2-12 Xbuilder User Manual

3 CREATING, EDITING AND PREVIEWING

PAGES AND/OR SCENES

In the Vertigo Suite workflow, Xstudio is used to author scenes, which display graphical elements (i.e. text, images, video clips, and cel animations) on air. Scenes can be standalone or they can be associated with a template. A template is an interface that lets operators control and edit parts of the scene without disturbing the scene’s layout or formatting.

The benefit of using template-based graphics is that once you have created a scene and template in Xstudio, rather than recreating the control and layout for similar projects, you can use the template and scene in Xbuilder to create multiple instances of the graphics (called pages) by simply changing the content (i.e. enter the new text, images, clips, and/or animations specific to the broadcast). Also note that no matter how many times the page is edited, the page retains its ties to the template that it was created from. The advantage of this is that changes to the template are easily propagated to all of the pages that were built from using that template.

Figure 3-1. Workflow for populating templates and creating pages

There are actually two types of pages that can be created using Xbuilder: shared or embedded. Both types of pages provide the same playout performance in a playlist. The main consideration that should be taken into account is whether the page is intended to be included in only one or many playlists.

Xbuilder User Manual 3-1

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

• Shared pages are the preferred type of page as they are created directly from an existing template and they are saved to the Xmedia Server as distinct assets. Shared pages can be used in many different playlists as a common item.

• Embedded pages are most often created from another existing page. Unlike shared pages, embedded pages only exist within a playlist, and it is the playlist that is saved as a whole to the Xmedia Server. As a result, the individual page does not exist anywhere else, not even in the P

AGES root category of the Asset Browser. Embedded

page can be reused outside of its playlist if its playlist is inserted or appended to another playlist, or if the page converted into a shared page using the SAVE AS SHARED

PAGE command. See page 6-7 for instructions on creating and adding embedded

pages to a playlist.

The following sections provide instructions for using Xbuilder to create and populate graphics pages and scenes, either individually from a template/scene or as a batch using a Merge List file:

Creating an individual shared page from a template” on page 3-3

• “

• “Creating pages and/or scene using a Merge List” on page 3-4

3-2 Xbuilder User Manual

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

Creating an individual shared page from a template

Shared pages are graphics created as an instance of an existing template. They are stored

on the Xmedia Server as an distinct assets and can be used in many different playlists as a common item. Like all pages, the shared page’s formatting is linked to the original template (changes to the template’s formatting are automatically applied to the page). The following instructions describe how to create an individual shared page.

To create a new shared page from a template:

1. Open Xbuilder.

2. In the Asset Browser, navigate through the T desired template listed in the Template Editor.

3. Double-click the template, or right-click on the template listed in the Template Editor and select the O

PEN command from the context menu.

The template opens in the Template Editor.

4. Set or edit the variable fields in the template as required (see “

content elements” on page 3-10 for assistance).

5. Select the F

ILE>SAVE AS A SHARED PAGE command.

The SAVE PAGE dialog box appears (figure 3-2).

EMPLATES root directory until you see the

Editing a page or scene’s

Figure 3-2. The Save As Shared Page command opens the Save Page dialog box

6. In the N

7. In the R

AME field enter a new name for the page.

ECALLID field enter a unique a unique alpha-numeric identifier that can be used

in Vertigo Suite applications (i.e. Xbuilder, Xplay) to quickly call up the specific page. (optional)

8. Enter your name in the A

9. Enter a short description of the page in the D

UTHOR field (optional).

ESCRIPTION field (optional).

10. Link the page to the Pages root category or to sub-categories by selecting the check box for each place where you want the page to be accessible from.

11. Click OK to save the page and exit the dialog box.

Xbuilder User Manual 3-3

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

Creating pages and/or scene using a Merge List

Xbuilder’s Merge List feature (ACTIONS>OPEN MERGE LIST) allows you to create multiple pages and/or scenes from a single Merge List file (spreadsheet or XML file). Acting as the data source, the Merge List file provides Xbuilder with the information it needs to create new instances of pages/scenes from existing template and scene assets.

The following table describes the Merge List workflow for creating new pages and/or scenes:

Step Task Description

1 Configure Xbuilder’s Merge List settings

Specify the default categories in which new pages and scenes will be stored. Since scenes will only be moved to the default category after they have been approved, you must also specify a temporary category for new scenes.

1. Open Xbuilder and select T

2. For each of the settings, select the button and select a destination category.

Merge List settings” on page 9-10 for more information.

See “

2 Create the templates and scenes in Xstudio

In Xstudio, create or verify the existence of the templates and scenes that you want to create the new pages and scene from.

3 Create the Merge List file

Xbuilder generates the new pages and/or scenes based on the data provided in the Merge List file. The Merge List file can be in XML format or an Excel spreadsheet. The following sections provide instructions for creating an appropriate Merge List file:

Creating Merge List file in Microsoft Excel” on page 3-5

• “

• “Creating an XML Merge List file” on page 3-6

OOLS>SETTINGS>MERGE LIST.

4 Load the Merge List file in Xbuilder

When a Merge List file is loaded, Xbuilder generates the new pages and/or scenes based on the data provided in the Merge List file. After being processed, the new pages and/or scenes are added to a playlist in Xbuilder’s Playlist Editor.

1. Open Xbuilder and select A

2. Use the O

5 Approve or reject the new pages and/or scenes

When new pages are generated by the Merge List, they are added to the playlist as embedded pages until they have been “approved”. Approved pages become assets (shared pages) and they are saved in the specified default render path. Rejected pages remain in the playlist as embedded pages.

When new scenes are generated by the Merge List, they are first placed in the specified temporary scenes category. Scenes are only moved to their specified render path location after they have been approved. Rejected scenes remain in the temporary scene folder.

See page 3-8

3-4 Xbuilder User Manual

PEN MERGE LIST FILE window to navigate to and open the Merge List file.

for instructions on how to approve or reject new pages and scenes.

CTIONS>OPEN MERGE LIST.

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

Step Task Description

6 With the new pages/scenes, you can perform the following tasks:

• Preview the new pages/scenes on a software CG (see page 3-11

• Render all or an individual page/scene to a clip file (see page 4-1

• Create and save a snapshot image of a new page or scene (see page 3-12).

• Perform edits to the content of new pages/scenes (see page 3-10

Creating Merge List file in Microsoft Excel

The Merge List file can be in the form of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (.xls only), which contains specific column headers that allows Xbuilder to create new pages and/or scenes from existing assets (templates/scenes), apply specific attributes, and/or populate the asset’s fields.

Figure 3-3. Merge List spreadsheet

). ).

Figure 3-3 first row in the Merge List spreadsheet contains the mandatory column headers for the data the Xbuilder needs to create the new pages and/or scenes.

The following list identifies and describes the columns and information are mandatory or commonly used in a Merge List spreadsheet:

• PageName: The path and asset name of the template that the new page will be created

• OutputName: The path and asset name given to the new page or scene. The

• RecallId: An alpha-numeric identifier given to the new page or scene. (Optional)

• ExpiryDate: The date when the new page or scene is to be deleted from the repository.

• PublishLifespan: The number of days that must elapse since the last time the new

• RenderProfile: The name of the render profile to use when the user wants to render the

• RenderPath: The folder where the user wishes the rendered file will be saved.

provides and example of a Merge List spreadsheet and demonstrates that the

from or the scene from which the new scene will be based.

outputName specified can be fully qualified. If it is not fully qualified the new page will be saved to a default path specified in the settings. If no default path is specified will then save to the asset root category.

The format is yyyy-mm-dd. (Optional)

page or scene has been accessed before it is removed from the published device. This does not remove it from the repository. (Optional)

page to file. The name of the render profile is defined inside of the render profile xml.

Xbuilder User Manual 3-5

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

NOTE

• Duration: The duration of the page in dropframe timecode. This will be the duration of the file generated.

• <objectName>: Column 9 (I) and beyond are the name of a target control side object. The target object can be a text, textbox, image, clip, or cel animation object.

The value for the image, clip, or cel animation override can be a fully qualified asset name. If the asset name is not fully qualified the asset will be searched for by the existing object's type. The asset from the first category in which it was found will be used. If the asset is not fully qualified and there is no existing object in the originating template then the asset cannot be found.

The object type is not defined in the object name to allow the reuse of the object names across types. This reduces the number of columns in the spreadsheet.

Be mindful of the following conditions and behaviors when creating or using the Merge List spreadsheet file:

• Do not enter blank rows between the data as blank rows are interpreted as the end of file.

• If the name and category specified for the new page or scene matches an existing page/scene and the Merge List is being processed, you will be prompted as to whether you want to replace it.

• If the specified recalI Id is already being used elsewhere, the new page or scene will steal the recalI Id.

• The items specified in the Merge List will be converted into embedded pages in a playlist. Once approved, the embedded pages from the playlist will then be saved as shared pages.

Creating an XML Merge List file

The Merge List file can be in the form of a XML file, which contains specific attributes (tags) allowing Xbuilder to create new pages and/or scenes from existing assets (templates/scenes), apply specific attributes, and/or populate the asset’s fields.

The following example and the list below identifies and describes the attributes (XML tags) that are mandatory or commonly used in a Merge List to create new instance of pages and/or scenes:

<Textbox name="Textbox name">value</Textbox> <Image name="Image name">value</Image> <Clip name="Clip name">value</Clip> <CelAnimation name="Cel name">value</CelAnimation> </Page>

</MergeList>

Each new instance of a page or scene must be specified within a separate Page name node.

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Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

NOTE

• Page name - The name of the template or scene to base the new page or scene on. The name must be fully qualified.

• outputName - The name given to the new page or scene. The outputName specified can be fully qualified. If it is not fully qualified the new page will be saved to a default path specified in the settings. If no default path is specified will then save to the asset root category.

• recallId - The recallId given to the new page or scene. This can be alpha-numeric. (Optional)

• expiryDate - The date when the new page or scene is to be deleted from the repository. The format is yyyy-mm-dd. (Optional)

• publishLifespan - The number of days that must elapse since the last time the new page or scene has been accessed before it is removed from the published device. This does not remove it from the repository. (Optional)

• renderProfile - The name of the render profile to use when you want to render the page or scene to a file. The name of the render profile is defined inside of the render profile xml.

• renderPath - The folder where you want the rendered file will be saved.

• duration - The duration of the page or scene in dropframe timecode. This will be the duration of the file generated.

• Textbox name - The name of the target textbox. Value is the text to be set on the textbox.

• Image name - The name of the target image object. Value is the name of the image asset to set on the image object.

• Clip name - The name of the target clip object. Value is the name of the clip asset to set on the clip object.

• CelAnimation name - The name of the target cel animation object. Value is the name of the cel animation asset to set on the cel animation object.

The image, clip or celAnimation value specified can be a fully qualified name. If it is not fully qualified the image, clip, celAnimation from the first category in which it was found will be used.

Xbuilder User Manual 3-7

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

Approving or rejecting new pages and scenes created from a Merge List

When new pages are generated by the Merge List, they exist only in the playlist as embedded pages, which means that the pages are not yet assets and that they only belong to that particular playlist. Therefore unless you save the playlist, you delete the new embedded pages. To conserve the pages for future use in other playlists, you can save them as shared page assets by using Xbuilder’s Approve feature.

Unlike pages, when new scenes are generated by the Merge List, they immediately become assets and are placed in the specified temporary scenes category. The scene assets remain in the temporary category until they are approved. Upon approval the scene assets are moved to the specified render path location.

To approve or reject new pages and scenes:

1. Verify that the default category settings in Xbuilder’s Merge List settings

OOLS>SETTINGS>MERGE LIST) are properly configured (page 9-10).

2. If not already done, open the Merge List in Xbuilder (page 3-13 scenes will be generated and displayed in a playlist in Xbuilder’s Playlist Editor.

3. There are two (2) methods for approving new pages and/or scenes:

• Approved All - To quickly approve all of the items (pages & scenes) in the

playlist, click the A

PPROVE ALL ITEMS IN MERGELIST button in the Playlist

Editor’s toolbar. Xbuilder runs through each item in the playlist, moves the assets to the appropriate categories, and changes the item’s status in the playlist to A

PPROVED.

• Approve individual - To approve new pages and/or scenes individually,

select the item in the playlist. The selected page/scene opens in Xbuilder’s Template Editor. Click the A

PPROVE AND NEXT button in the Template

Editor’s toolbar to approve. Xbuilder then creates the shared page asset, moves the asset to the appropriate category, and changes the item’s status in the playlist to A

4. To reject the page/scene, click the R

PPROVED.

EJECT AND NEXT button in the Template

Editor’s toolbar. When rejected, scene assets remain in the temporary category, while pages remain as embedded pages in the playlist. In both cases, Xbuilder changes the item in the playlist to red and its status to R

EJECTED.

). The new pages and/or

3-8 Xbuilder User Manual

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

A page open in the Template Editor

Opening an existing page or scene

There are two (2) ways to open and display an individual page or scene in Xbuilder:

• Navigating through the Asset Browser’s P page/scene assets are listed or previewed in the panel to the right of the Asset Browser. Double-click the asset’s name and the page/scene will open in the Template Editor.

Or,

• With a populated playlist open in the Playlist Editor, double-click a page or scene item in the playlist and it opens in the Template Editor.

AGES or SCENES root category and the

Xbuilder User Manual 3-9

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

Editing a page or scene’s content elements

When you open a standalone scene in Xbuilder’s Template Editor, you can make and save changes to the content of editable objects within the scene (i.e. change the image, edit the text, choose another cel animations...etc.), but you cannot reposition or make any other changes to the scene’s layout.

Unlike scenes, when you open a page or template in Xbuilder, it is not the scene-side of the project that is displayed in the Template Editor, but rather the control-side (template). The control-side contains objects that are pre-programmed to control the content and behavior of the objects on the scene-side. Therefore, you can make certain modifications to the associated scene’s variable content fields before sending them to air, including:

• setting text in text boxes by clicking within the text box and typing in text.

• selecting a listed items from drop-down boxes

• selecting check boxes to indicate a choice or enable a setting

• replacing existing images, cel animations, or clips with another of the same type

Replacing an image, cel animation, or clip on a page

The following instructions guide you through how to replace an image on a page/scene, however, the procedure is identical for replacing cel animations and clips.

To change an image:

1. Open the page so that it is displayed in Xbuilder’s Template Editor.

1. Right-click on the image.

ELECT AN IMAGE dialog box is displayed.

The S

Figure 3-4. The Select an Image dialog box

The tree view at left lists all eligible categories from which a new image can be chosen. By default, the category containing the image is initially displayed. The selection of a new image may be restricted to a specific category. In this case the tree view shows the contents of this category instead of the I

3-10 Xbuilder User Manual

MAGES root category.

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

Template in the Template Editor

Preview of the page using the Software CG

2. Double-click the folder that contains the required image. Click the PROXY VIEW button

to display the folder’s contents as proxies, or click the LIST VIEW button

display detailed asset information.

3. Double-click the desired image in the right window pane, or select the desired file and then click the S

ELECT button. The SELECT AN IMAGE dialog box closes and the new

image appears in the page.

Previewing a page or scene on the Preview device

Since only a static version of the control-side of a template or page is displayed in Xbuilder’s Template Editor, it may not provide you with a true representation of how it will look when played out on a device. Similarly, standalone scenes open as static displays, meaning that you are not able to view the playout of any cel animations, clips or animated properties associated with the scene.

Xbuilder offers the P a method for viewing the playout of the template, page or scene that you currently have open in the Template Editor. The PREVIEW PAGE/SCENE renders and plays out the video, audio, and animation elements of the page/scene on the preview device (Software CG) specified in Xbuilder’s Manager.

REVIEW PAGE/SCENE command in the Template Editor’s toolbar as

To preview a template, page, or scene on a connected device:

1. Set up the preview device. In most cases, the device used for previewing the playout will be a Vertigo Software CG.

Therefore, you should verify that the software CG is specified in the SWCG E

OCATION parameter on Xbuilder’s GENERAL setting page (page 2-7) and that the device

XECUTABLE

is also properly configured as the Preview device in Xbuilder’s Device Manager (see

Adding and configuring a Preview device” on page 2-7).

“

2. Open the desired template, page, or scene so that it is displayed in Xbuilder’s Template Editor.

3. Select the P

REVIEW PAGE/SCENE command from the Template Editor’s toolbar.

A publishing status bar briefly appears in the right-corner of the Template Editor’s toolbar. Once the publishing is complete, the scene automatically begins to play in the software CG’s playout window.

Xbuilder User Manual 3-11

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

Saving a snapshot (image file) of a page or scene’s playout

The TAKE SNAPSHOT OF PAGE/SCENE command in the Template Editor’s toolbar allows you to render and save (as an image file) a single frame of the scene’s playout. This is particularly useful when the template, page or scene contains clips and/or cel animations, as you can specify the exact frame during playout to capture. The resulting image file can then be easily distributed (i.e. by email or file transfer) for feedback and/or approval.

To render and save a snapshot of a template, page or scene’s playout:

1. Verify that Xbuilder is properly configured/connected to a preview device (Software CG) in the Device Manager (page 2-7

XECUTABLE LOCATION parameter on Xbuilder’s GENERAL settings page (page 2-7).

2. Verify, or edit, the RENDER PATH location where the image file will be saved to by opening the Software CG’s Dashboard application and selecting the A

) and that the software CG is specified in the SWCG

DVANCED>GENERAL page (figure 3-5).

Figure 3-5. The Render Paths settings determine the storage location of the frame’s snapshot

3. Open the desired template, page or scene asset so that it is displayed in Xbuilder’s Template Editor.

4. Select the T The T

3-12 Xbuilder User Manual

AKE SNAPSHOT OF PAGE/SCENE command from the Template Editor’s toolbar.

AKE SNAPSHOT dialog box appears (figure 3-6).

Figure 3-6. The Take Snapshot dialog box

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

NOTE

5. Type a name for the rendered image file in the TARGET FILENAME field.

The rendered image format of a snapshot is always Targa (.tga). As such, the Render Format property in the Take Snapshot dialog box cannot be changed.

6. Verify the S will be extracted.

Since the duration of a snapshot is always one frame, the Duration property in the Take Snapshot dialog box cannot be changed. Similarly, the Quality level property is fixed at HIGH and cannot be changed.

7. Click the R Template Editor’s toolbar. Once the publishing is complete, the scene appears on the preview device and the frame is automatically converted to an image and saved to an image file in the specified render folder.

8. Navigate to the directory where the image was saved (R step 3). Open the saved file and the image will display in your targa (.tga) compatible media viewer.

TART OFFSET value, which determines the specific frame of the playout that

ENDER button and a publishing status bar appears in the right-corner of the

ENDER PATH setting from

Xbuilder User Manual 3-13

Creating, editing and previewing pages and/or scenes

3-14 Xbuilder User Manual

4 RENDERING PAGES AND SCENES TO A

CLIP FILE

Xbuilder’s RENDER TO FILE feature allows you to render and save the playout of templates, pages and scenes as a video clip files. This is particularly useful when a template, page or scene contains clips and/or cel animations, since the resulting clip file captures and saves the full video, audio and animation elements of the scene’s playout.

There are three (3) workflows in which Xbuilder’s Render to File feature is intended to be used:

Render to VAF for pre-rendered playout” on page 4-2

• “

• “Render to MXF for playout on a video server” on page 4-3

• “Render to MPEG for preview” on page 4-4

Regardless of which workflow you choose, Xbuilder provides the following two (2) methods for rendering pages and/or scenes to a clip file:

Manual rendering pages and/or scenes to a file” on page 4-5

• “ Uses the Template Editor’s RENDER PAGE/SCENE TO FILE button to render and

save the playout of an individual scene to a clip file.

Batch-rendering of pages and/or scenes to a file” on page 4-7

• “ When a Merge List is used to create pages and scenes, all of the resulting pages and

scenes can be rendered and saved as individual video clip files using the Playlist Editor’s R

ENDER ALL ITEMS IN PLAYLIST button .

Xbuilder User Manual 4-1

Rendering pages and scenes to a clip file

Render to VAF for pre-rendered playout

Xbuilder’s Render to File feature uses the Vertigo Software CG’s rendering engine to render pages and scenes into .vaf (Vertigo Animation Format) files. The rendered VAFs can then be easily ingested (as-is) into the Xmedia Server by setting up a watch-folder using the Vertigo File Ingest Service for playout on Vertigo XG devices.

The advantage of pre-rendering pages and/or scenes to VAF is that it minimizes risk during the playout by eliminating live rendering and data insertion.

Figure 4-1 first created in Xstudio. Once the templates are opened in Xbuilder, pages are created by populating the templates with instance data (either individually or as a batch using a Merge List). When Render to File is executed, the new pages are rendered and saved to disk (not the Xmedia Server) as VAF clip files. You can then import the files into the Xmedia Server and the VAFs can be played out on Vertigo XG devices.

demonstrates the Render to file (VAF) workflow in which master templates are

Figure 4-1. Render to file (VAF) workflow

NOTES

• Rendering VAF files requires the XG E

• VAF is a heavily compressed format and encoding times can be very long. The encoder is multi-threaded and will scale to the number of available cores.

• VAF looping points cannot be set in this workflow.

• VAF clips will automatically be cropped based on the scene’s content.

4-2 Xbuilder User Manual

NCODE license.

Rendering pages and scenes to a clip file

Render to MXF for playout on a video server

Xbuilder’s Render to File feature uses the Vertigo Software CG’s rendering engine to render pages and scenes into XDCAM and IMX compatible MXF files that are natively supported on virtually all modern playout servers.

When you configure the Render to File feature, you select the output format from among the following render format profiles:

• MXF IMX 25 (PCM audio)

• MXF IMX 30 (PCM audio)

• MXF IMX 40 (PCM audio)

• MXF IMX 50 (PCM audio)

• MXF MPEG2 (PCM audio) HD

• MXF MPEG2 (PCM audio) SD

• MXF XDCAM HD-50 (50 Mbit 4:2:2) (PCM)

Figure 4-2 created in Xstudio. Once the templates are opened in Xbuilder, pages are created by populating the templates with instance data (either individually or as a batch using a Merge List). When Render to File is executed, the new pages are rendered and saved to disk (not the Xmedia Server) as MXF clip files. The MXF files are now ready for eventual playout on a 3rd party video server.

demonstrates the Render to file (MXF) workflow in which master templates are first

Figure 4-2. Render to file (MXF) workflow

NOTES

• Supplied profiles are heavily tuned and are not intended to be modified by the end-user.

• Render to playout server compatible formats requires the XGE software license. However, MPEG2 encoding only requires the XG E

• Encoding scales to the number of CPU cores on the system running Xbuilder.

• MXF files generated by Xbuilder are not intended to be re-ingested into the Xmedia Server.

• MXF Op1a has been deprecated on Windows 7.

Xbuilder User Manual 4-3

NCODEFORPLAYOUT

NCODE license.

Rendering pages and scenes to a clip file

Render to MPEG for preview

Xbuilder’s Render to File feature uses the Vertigo Software CG’s rendering engine to render pages and scenes into MPEG clip files that can be saved to disk and then viewed on most media players.

Rendering pages and scenes to MPEG is mainly used in situations where you want to share and allow others to preview the file’s playout using a portable and common playout format.

The Render to file (MPEG) workflow starts with the creation of master templates in Xstudio. Once the templates are opened in Xbuilder, pages are created by populating the templates with instance data (either individually or as a batch using a Merge List). When Render to File is executed, the new pages are rendered and saved to disk (not the Xmedia Server) as MPEG clip files. The MPEG files can then be ingested into the Xmedia Server or distributed for previewing and/or approval.

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Rendering pages and scenes to a clip file

NOTE

Manual rendering pages and/or scenes to a file

When an individual template, page, or scene is open in Xbuilder’s Template Editor, you can use the R and save the asset’s playout to a video clip file.

To render and save a template or page as a video file:

1. Verify that Xbuilder is properly configured/connected to a preview device (i.e. Software CG)

2. Open the Xbuilder Settings window (Tools>Settings) and configure the SWCG

3. Select R

4. Open the template, page or scene so that it is displayed in Xbuilder’s Template Editor.

5. Select the R

ENDER PAGE/SCENE TO FILE button in the Template Editor’s toolbar to capture

in the Device Manager (page 2-7).

XECUTABLE LOCATION parameter on the GENERAL settings page (page 2-7).

ENDER TO FILE in the Settings window and configure the default settings (page 9-12).

ENDER PAGE/SCENE TO FILE button from the Template Editor’s toolbar.

ENDER TO FILE dialog box appears (figure 4-3).

The R

Figure 4-3. The Render to File dialog box

6. Type a name for the rendered file in the T

7. Select the desired video format for the rendered file from R

ARGET FILENAME field.

ENDER FORMAT drop-down list.

If you load an HD scene and specified an SD profile (or vice versa), the render fails. The profile must be consistent with the format of the scene.

Xbuilder User Manual 4-5

Rendering pages and scenes to a clip file

NOTE

8. You can edit the DURATION value, if you want it to be different from the value specified in the Default Duration field in the Render To File settings (step 3).

9. Press the R Template Editor’s toolbar. Once the publishing is complete, the captured video automatically starts to playout on the preview device and the video file is saved to the default render path folder.

The rendered video file is saved to the specified location on your system and it is not saved as a Clip asset on the Xmedia Server. If at anytime you want to use the render clip file as an asset within the Vertigo Suite, you must use Xstudio or Xplorer to import/ingest the video file into the Xmedia Server.

ENDER button and a publishing status bar appears in the right-corner of the

4-6 Xbuilder User Manual

Rendering pages and scenes to a clip file

NOTE

Batch-rendering of pages and/or scenes to a file

When a Merge List is used to create pages and scenes (see page 3-13), all of the resulting pages and scenes can be rendered and saved as individual video clip files using the Playlist Editor’s RENDER ALL ITEMS IN PLAYLIST button .

To render and save all of the resulting items from a Merge List:

1. Verify that Xbuilder is properly configured/connected to a preview device (i.e. Software CG) in the Device Manager (page 2-7

2. Open the Xbuilder Settings window (Tools>Settings) and configure the SWCG

XECUTABLE LOCATION parameter on the GENERAL settings page (page 2-7).

3. Select R Although the settings associated with each item in Merge List file take precedent,

configuring these settings is prudent in case the Render Profile and Duration attributes are not specified in the Merge List file.

The DEFAULT PROFILE PATH and DEFAULT PROFILE settings only need to be set when using Xbuilder on Windows7.

4. Create the Merge List file and load it into Xbuilder using the procedure described on

page 3-13.

5. Once the new pages and/or scenes from the Merge List have been created and are displayed in the playlist, select the R Playlist Editor’s toolbar.

Xbuilder automatically launches the preview device and starts to publish and render each of the pages and scenes from the playlist. Once an item is published, the page or scene’s playout in previewed on the device’s display.

ENDER TO FILE in the Settings window and configure the default settings (page 9-12).

ENDER ALL ITEMS IN PLAYLIST button from the

The profile specified must be consistent with the format of the scene. The render will fail if they are different.

6. Once the process is complete, you can navigate to the directory where the clip file was saved and open the saved file in an appropriate media viewer.

Xbuilder User Manual 4-7

Rendering pages and scenes to a clip file

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5 PERFORMING QUALITY CONTROL (QC)

After Effects

Central Xmedia Server

Rejected

Approved

Preview

Make List

EXMS

Ingest

Publish

Status updated to Approved or Rejected

Xbuilder

SW CG

HW Device

SW CG

Validation

Subfolder

Approved

Setting up the QC and MC workflows

Prior to using the Vertigo QC and MC workflows, some of the Vertigo Suite components (i.e. destination folders, Xbuilder, device manager, licensing) must be configured to ensure the proper coordination of resources.

The following sections provide instructions for configuring the Vertigo Suite for the QC and MC workflows:

Create and set up the Subfolders and Approved Category folders” on page 5-3

1. “

2. “Specify Xbuilder’s settings for the QC and MC workflows” on page 5-4

3. “Associate channels to devices in Xbuilder’s Device Manager” on page 5-5

4. “Verify that the system templates are installed and publish them to the SWCG” on page 5-6

5. “Verify the presence of the QC license” on page 5-8

Create and set up the Subfolders and Approved Category folders

We recommend that you create the Subfolders and Approved Category folders in advance of using the QC workflow’s Make List. The Make List’s SUBFOLDERS column specifies into which subcategory folders on the central Xmedia Server, new assets will be ingested to. Meanwhile, the A be moved once they have been approved. See page 5-9 for more information about creating and using the Make List file.

A compelling reason to set up the Approved Category folders in advance is that it allows you to assign publish rules to these folders. That way, when the assets are moved from the subfolders upon approval, the assets will automatically be published to the appropriate playout device(s).

PPROVED CATEGORY column identifies the folder into which the assets will

If you choose not to pre-configure the Approved Category folder for auto-publish, you will have to manually publish the assets before being able to preview them on a device or before using the MC workflow.

To create and set up the Subfolders and Approved Category folders:

1. Open Xplorer.

2. Create a new subfolder within the Clips and/or CelAnimations root categories for the ingested asset files.

a. Right-click on the Clips root category and select the N b. Specify a name for the subfolder in the N c. Repeat steps a and b for the CelAnimations root category.

3. Create a new folder within the Clips and/or CelAnimations root categories for the Approved Category.

a. Right-click on the Clips root category and select the N b. Specify a name for the Approved subfolder in the N

click OK.

c. Repeat steps a and b for the CelAnimations root category.

Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA) 5-3

EW CATEGORY dialog box and click OK.

EW CATEGORY command.

EW CATEGORY dialog box and

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

4. Assign publish devices to the Approved Category folders. a. Right-click on the new Approved Category folder in the Clips root category and

select the P The P

ROPERTIES command.

UBLISH DEVICES dialog box appears.

b. Select the device(s) that you want the assets to be automatically published to and

then click OK.

c. Repeat steps a and b for the Approved Category folder in the CelAnimations root

category.

Specify Xbuilder’s settings for the QC and MC workflows

To accommodate the QC and MC workflows, a few of Xbuilder’s settings must be configured.

To configure Xbuilder’s settings for the QC workflow:

1. Launch Xbuilder.

2. In the D

EVICE FOR VERIFY drop-down list, select USE PLAYLIST DEVICES (figure 5-2).

Figure 5-2. Set Xbuilder’s Device for Verify parameter to “Use Playlist Devices”

3. Open Xbuilder's SETTINGS dialog box (TOOLS>SETTINGS).

Figure 5-3. Xbuilder’s Settings

4. Set the XBUILDER>GENERAL>VERIFY PLAYLIST parameter to MANUAL.

5. Set the X

BUILDER>GENERAL>NUMBER OF VERIFY DEVICES to the number of devices that

you expect to use for verifying assets.

6. Click OK in the S

ETTINGS dialog box to apply the new settings and close the dialog box.

5-4 Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA)

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

Associate channels to devices in Xbuilder’s Device Manager

Xbuilder’s Device Manager associates device channel names to actual physical devices (figure 5-4 of the asset on a device.

When performing quality control tasks (validation), only the PREVIEW device is required to be assigned to the local software CG in the Device Manager. However, when performing media checks, the number of devices that can be associated is the Preview device plus the number of devices identified in the N

The channel names in the Device Manager’s N enter in the Make List / Air List file’s T Xbuilder performs a media check, it uses the data (channel names) in the T column to determine on which devices to look for published assets.

To configure Xbuilder’s Device Manager for QC and MC tasks:

1. Open Xbuilder’s Device Manager (T

2. Set the P

3. Change the default channel names that appear in the N

). Xbuilder uses this association when previewing and performing media check

UMBER OF VERIFY DEVICES setting.

AME column (figure 5-4) are what you will

ARGET CHANNEL column (see page 5-9). When

Figure 5-4. Associate device channels with playout devices in the Device Manager

OOLS>DEVICE MANAGER).

REVIEW device to the local Software CG defined.

AME column by clicking in the

cell and typing a new name (figure 5-5).

ARGET CHANNEL

Figure 5-5. Specify new channel names which will be used in the Make List file’s T

4. Using the D

EVICE LIST and the ADD TO ACTIVE DEVICES button associate each one

ARGET CHANNEL column

of the channels to their respective devices. Note that the channel names are used by the playlist to identify the target device(s) for

each asset.

5. Click C

LOSE in the DEVICE CONFIGURATION dialog box to apply the changes and close

the dialog box.

Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA) 5-5

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

Verify that the system templates are installed and publish them to the SWCG

The QC and MC workflows require that a series of system templates be installed on the central Xmedia Server and published to all Vertigo preview and playout devices, including the Software CG. The system templates are general purpose "asset holders" for different asset types and different TV formats.

Generally, the system templates are automatically added when the Vertigo Suite software is installed on the Xmedia Server and Vertigo hardware devices. Since the

system templates are vital to the proper functioning of the QC and MC workflows, we recommend that you verify that all of the system templates are installed on the Xmedia Server and Vertigo playout devices using Xplorer.

The Vertigo Software CG is used by the QC and MC workflows as the preview device. Unlike the hardware playout devices, the system templates are not published to the Software CG during the Vertigo Suite installation. Therefore, you must publish the system templates to the Software CG device as part of the QC workflow configuration.

To verify that the system templates are installed on the central XMS and hardware playout devices:

1. Open an instance of Xplorer, which is connected to the central Xmedia Server.

2. Select the Xmedia Server in the Device Viewer.

3. In the Asset Browser, select T system templates are displayed in the Asset Gallery (figure 5-6).

If the system templates are not present, or if some are missing, please import the templates from the following directory location:

Files\VertigoXmedia\Apps\Support\SystemTemplates.rar

files to a local directory and import them to the Xmedia Server using Xplorer. If the templates still do not appear, please contact Miranda’s Technical Support Services.

EMPLATES>SYSTEM TEMPLATES and verify that all of the

C:\Program

. Decompress the

Figure 5-6. System Templates on the central Xmedia Server

5-6 Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA)

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

4. For each of the hardware playout devices, select the hardware device and then select

TEMPLATES>SYSTEM TEMPLATES in the Asset Browser. Verify that all of the system

templates are displayed in the Asset Gallery. If the system templates are not present, or if some are missing, please import the

templates from the directory location identified in step 3 or publish the templates from the Xmedia Server to the device.

To publish the system templates to the Software CG preview device:

1. Open an instance of Xplorer, which is connected to the central Xmedia Server.

2. Select the Xmedia Server in the Device Viewer.

3. In the Asset Browser, select T

EMPLATES>SYSTEM TEMPLATES.

4. Right-click on the System Templates subcategory in the Asset Browser and select the

UBLISH TO>CG menu command (figure 5-7). The Publish Progress window appears

as the assets are published to the Software CG device.

Figure 5-7. Publishing the system templates to the Software CG device

5. Once the publishing is complete, close the Publish Progress window.

6. Select the Software CG device in Xplorer’s Device Viewer.

7. In the Asset Browser, select T

EMPLATES>SYSTEM TEMPLATES and verify that all of the

system templates are displayed in the Asset Gallery. If the system templates are not present on the Software CG device, or if some are

missing, please contact Miranda’s Technical Support Services for assistance.

Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA) 5-7

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

Verify the presence of the QC license

The QC and MC workflows requires that a valid QC license be installed and validated on the central Xmedia Server. Without a valid QC license, Xbuilder’s Open MakeList and

Open AirList menu commands are disabled.

To verify that a valid QC license is installed and validated on the Xmedia Sever:

1. Open Xbuilder.

2. Select the Actions menu. If the Open MakeList and Open AirList menu commands are enabled, then the QC

license is properly installed and validated on the Xmedia Server. If the Open MakeList and Open AirList menu commands are disabled: a. Open the License Manager (H b. Click the S

HOW DETAILS button in the License Manager dialog box.

c. Select the LICENSED APPLICATIONS AND DEVICES tab. d. Verify the QC license is present in the list. If not, please contact Miranda’s

Technical Support team to obtain a valid QC license. If the license is present, please verify that the Xmedia Server and its services are properly running, or contact Miranda’s Technical Support for further assistance.

ELP>LICENSE).

5-8 Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA)

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

NOTE

Creating a Make List / Air List spreadsheet

Both the QC and MC workflows require you to create a specially formatted Excel spreadsheet called a Make List (for QC) or Air List (for MC). The same spreadsheet can be used for both QC and MC tasks since it contains the same mandatory data for creating and organizing the graphics assets. The main difference between the two files is that the MC workflow requires that all of the assets in the Air List’s have the S

PPROVED.

The Make List is an Excel Spreadsheet (.xls) whose data is used by the Vertigo After Effects Plug-in to create graphics assets (clips or cel animations) based on an After Effects project. The resulting asset are then stored automatically on the Xmedia Server. The same Make List is then used to create a playlist in Xbuilder, which is used during the quality control (preview and validation) and the media check tasks.

To ensure that the Make List contains all of the required columns, a sample Make List is available to be used as a template:

http://support.miranda.com/portal/software/Vertigo%20Software/Makelist_sample.xls

TATUS column marked as

Figure 5-8. Make List spreadsheet

Figure 5-8 headers for the data that the After Effects Plug-in and Xbuilder need to create the assets and playlist. The following list describes the columns and information that must be present in the Make List spreadsheet:

• P

• O

Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA) 5-9

demonstrates that the first row in the Make List contains the mandatory column

ROJECT NAME: The path and filename of the After Effects project. This information is

used by the After Effects plug-in to generate the asset. This information is not used by Xbuilder.

UTPUT FILE NAME: The name of the asset that is generated by the After Effects plug-

in. The name must include the extension, so that Xbuilder can tell what the asset type is (i.e. Clip versus Cel animation) even though the extension does not appear in the asset name in Xmedia Server.

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

Make List / Air List

Playlist

Device Manager

• FORMAT: The format of the asset, which is used by Xbuilder to launch the software CG in the appropriate format to get the best preview possible. Acceptable values are:

•NTSC

•PAL

• HDTV_720_60

• HDTV_720_60M

• HDTV_720_50

• HDTV_1080_30

• HDTV_1080_30M

• HDTV_1080_25

• NTSC_16_9

• PAL_16_9

• S

TATUS: The status of the asset (Approved, Rejected). The After Effects plug-in only

generate assets for those not marked as A Make List that was opened.

PPROVED CATEGORY: The category folder into which the assets are moved when they

• A have been approved. The category should be read as Subfolder 1\Subfolder

2...\Subfolder N. We recommend that you create the Approved Category folder in advance so that you can assign publish rules to this folder. That way, when the assets are moved into this folders, they will also be automatically published to the appropriate playout devices. See page 5-3

UBFOLDER 1, ..., SUBFOLDER N: The category folder into which the After Effects plug-

• S

for instructions.

in puts the asset when it is generated. This is the category folder where unapproved assets exist and rejected assets are moved to (from the approved category). We recommend that you create these folders in advance. See page 5-3

ARGET CHANNEL: A comma-delimited list of names of devices to which the asset is

• T published. The devices specified must be the names of the target device channels, which are defined in the NAME column in Xbuilder’s Device Manager (see page 5-5). When Xbuilder generates the playlist, one playlist element will be created for each of the asset’s targeted device channels (figure 5-9

PPROVED. Xbuilder writes the status into the

for instructions.

Figure 5-9. Multiple target channels results in one playlist element for each of the asset’s targeted devices

5-10 Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA)

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

NOTE

Using AE Plug-in and the Make List to create and ingest graphics

The QC workflow uses the Vertigo After Effects Plug-in’s MERGE MODE to create and ingest the graphics files (clips and/or cel animations) into the Xmedia Server. Using the Make List spreadsheet as an input, Merge Mode creates the graphics files from the specified Adobe After Effects Project composition(s) and then ingests them to the destination categories on the XMS.

To use the After Effects Plug-in and Make List to create and ingest graphics files:

1. Launch Adobe After Effects and select the F

ODE) menu command.

A message appears warning you that the project you currently have open will be closed without saving. To continue, simply click OK.

XPORT MIRANDA ANIMATION dialog box appears (figure 5-10).

The E

ILE>EXPORT>MIRANDA ANIMATION (MERGE

Figure 5-10. The Export Miranda Animation dialog box

2. Click the button in the I the Make List spreadsheet (see page 5-9

3. In the Output destination section, enable EXPORT TO XMS SERVER NAME / IP and then type either the Xmedia Server’s hostname or the IP address of the XMS device where the output files will be ingested to.

4. Enable O file that may already exist using the exact same name in the exact same location.

5. Select the O graphics files will be created, including specifying the looping behavior. See the “AFTER EFFECTS PLUG-IN USER MANUAL” for more information.

6. Create the graphics files by clicking OK. The E

box appears to track the graphics files’ creation.

7. Verify that the files were ingested into the Xmedia Server by opening Xbuilder and navigate through the Asset Browser to the expected destination category and subfolder.

If the subfolders were not previously set to automatically publish the assets to the target devices (see page 5-3 preview and verify devices before proceeding.

Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA) 5-11

VERWRITE EXISTING FILES / ASSETS if you wish to automatically replace an existing

PTIONS button to expose advanced options, which specify how the

XPORT MIRANDA ANIMATION dialog box closes and the EXPORT PROGRESS dialog

), you must open Xplorer and manually publish the assets to the

NPUT - DATA SOURCE FILE NAME field to navigate to and select

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

NOTE

Quality Control: Previewing and validating graphics in Xbuilder

The QC workflow allows you to preview and validate (approve or reject) the graphics that the After Effects Plug-in and the Make List file created and ingested into the Xmedia Server.

When you open the Make List file in Xbuilder, a playlist is created that contains an element for each of the assets (pages) that were created by the After Effects Plug-in’s export. Selecting an element in the playlist, opens the page in Xbuilder’s Template Editor.

To preview the page’s playout, select the P the local Software CG’s Live window. To validate the page, simply select either the A or R

EJECT buttons. Approved assets are automatically moved to the Approved Category

that was specified in the Make List spreadsheet, while rejected assets are flagged as such for further revising.

To use Xbuilder to preview and validate graphics created by using a Make List:

1. Launch Xbuilder and select ACTIONS>OPEN MAKELIST... menu command.

PEN MERGE LIST FILE dialog box appears.

The O

The Open MakeList command is only enabled if a valid QC license is found on the Xmedia Server. Please contact Miranda’s Technical Support team to obtain a valid QC license.

REVIEW PAGE button and the page plays out in

PPROVE

2. Select and open the Make List file. Xbuilder creates a temporary playlist with one element per asset (figure 5-11

element is selected by default and is displayed in Xbuilder’s Template Editor pane. If an asset has multiple target devices, it will appear multiple times in the playlist with different target devices (see page 5-10

If there is any issue parsing the data or finding the asset, a comment is inserted in the playlist.

3. To preview the page (element) selected in the playlist, simply click the P button in Xbuilder’s Template Editor toolbar.

The page is automatically published and opened in the local Software CG’s Live window. The Live Window displays the page’s playout in the format associated with the page’s template (figure 5-11

Figure 5-11. Pages from the Make List’s playlist can be previewed in the local Software CG

5-12 Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA)

). You can preview the page multiple times.

). The first

REVIEW PAGE

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

NOTE

When previewing a page, the Software CG and its Live window open automatically in the format associated with the page’s template. Each time you preview another page whose format is different from the current page, the Live Window closes and reopens in the appropriate new format. Also note that since these instances of the Software CG are launched by Xbuilder, the Software CG also closes when Xbuilder is closed.

4. To validate pages, Xbuilder offers three (3) buttons in the Template Editor’s toolbar.

PPROVE

Select the Approve button if you are satisfied with the page’s playout and it is deemed ready to go to air “as-is”. Once Approved, the asset is moved to the Approved Category that was specified in the Make List spreadsheet. The element’s status is updated to Approved in the playlist and the status is written to the opened Make List spreadsheet. The next item in the playlist is then selected and opened automatically.

Note that approved assets may still be previewed and rejected by reselecting the element in the playlist.

EJECT

Select the Reject button if you are not satisfied with the page’s playout and you would like it to be flagged for revision.

Once rejected, the asset is moved back to the original category. The element’s status is updated to Rejected in the playlist and the status is written to the opened Make List spreadsheet. The next item in the playlist is then selected and opened automatically.

Note that rejected assets may still be previewed and approved by reselecting the element in the playlist.

KIP

Select the Skip button to move down the playlist to the next element.

5. After validating the pages, you can close the playlist and/or Xbuilder. Before closing, you are prompted to save the playlist. You can select N

O, since the playlist is meant to

be temporary and each element’s status has already been saved to the Make List file. If you need to revisit the playlist in the future, you simply have to open the Make List in

Xbuilder as was described in step 1.

Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA) 5-13

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

NOTE

Media Check: Graphics publish verification

The Vertigo Media Check (MC) workflow allows Master Control to quickly verify that all of the assets that were validated (approved) during the QC workflow have been published to the target playout devices.

A prerequisite for the MC workflow is the QC workflow’s Make List with the Status all of the assets marked as ACCEPTED. The Make List also must contain a column called TARGET

HANNEL, which lists the devices on which to verify the publish (see page 5-10).

When used for MC workflow purposes, the Make List file is referred to as an A

The Air List file is imported into Xbuilder, which creates a temporary playlist that contains an element for each of the assets (pages). If an asset has multiple target devices, the asset will appear multiple times in the playlist with different target channels (see page 5-10

You can preview any of the assets on the Software CG selecting the page (element) in the playlist and clicking the PREVIEW PAGE button in Xbuilder’s Template Editor toolbar.

A media check is executed by clicking the VERIFY PLAYLIST button . The availability of the asset is verified directly in the target device’s database. A comparison is also performed between the published graphic file on the device and the graphic file in the central Xmedia Server. The results of the verification and comparison are displayed in the item’s Status in the playlist. Possible status messages are:

• Ready - The asset is published and ready to be used.

• Cannot Connect to Device - Xbuilder is unable to connect to the target device’s database. Either the device is offline or not properly defined in the Device Manager.

• Asset on Device but Not Published - The asset exists as an asset on the device’s database, but is not found in the publish folder. This occurs if someone deletes the published file without deleting the asset from the device’s database.

• Asset Not Published Or Is Not Same Version - The asset does not appear to be in the device’s database. You will also get this message if an asset of the same name exists on the device, but is not the same as the one on the central Xmedia Server.

• Unknown Device - The asset is targeting a device that is not defined in the Device Manager.

IR LIST.

To use Xbuilder and an Air List to verify that the assets have been published to the target playout devices:

1. Launch Xbuilder and select A

PEN AIR LIST FILE dialog box appears.

The O

The Open AirList command is only enabled if a valid QC license is found on the Xmedia Server. Please contact Miranda’s Technical Support team to obtain a valid QC license.

2. Select and open the Air List file. If there is any issue parsing the data or finding the asset, a comment is inserted in the

playlist.

5-14 Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA)

CTIONS>OPEN AIRLIST... menu command.

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

NOTE

3. To preview the page (element) selected in the playlist, simply click the PREVIEW PAGE button in Xbuilder’s Template Editor toolbar.

The page is automatically published and opened in the local Software CG’s Live window.

4. To verify that the assets in the playlist have been successfully published to the target device(s), simply click the VERIFY PLAYLIST button .

Xbuilder reports results of the media check query in the playlist’s STATUS column.

Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA) 5-15

Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)

5-16 Vertigo Suite v.4.6 Release Notes (GA)

6 CREATING AND USING PLAYLISTS

Xbuilder allows you to build manual or automatic playlists, which are ordered sequences of program clips and branding and promotional graphics elements (i.e. pages or scenes). Manual playlists are typically designed to be played back sequentially by operator control using Xplay, while automatic playlists are typically designed to have specific time and duration values that are used during playback by Xplay.

The following sections provide instructions for how to create and edit playlists in Xbuilder:

An overview of the Playlist Editor” on page 6-2

• “

• “Procedural overview for creating a sequential playlist” on page 6-3

• “Creating a new playlist” on page 6-4

• “Opening an existing playlist” on page 6-4

• “Populating a playlist” on page 6-6

• “Appending or inserting the contents of a playlist to a playlist” on page 6-9

• “Configuring the Playlist table columns” on page 6-11

• “Repositioning playlist items within the playlist” on page 6-17

• “Adding segments to the playlist” on page 6-19

• “Adding comments to the playlist” on page 6-21

• “Deleting playlist items from the playlist” on page 6-22

• “Editing the properties associated to the playlist items” on page 6-24

• “Saving a playlist” on page 6-26

• “Reloading the playlist” on page 6-28

Xbuilder User Manual 6-1

Creating and using playlists

An overview of the Playlist Editor

The Playlist Editor allows you to build sequential lists of graphic pages, scenes and clips. The contents and positioning of the elements in the playlist determine the playout order and duration of the playlist.

Figure 6-1 features and components.

1. T

2. N

3. D

4. P

and the following descriptions provide an overview of the Playlist Editors’

Figure 6-1. Playlist Editor components

OOLBAR: A series of buttons that allows you to perform actions related to creating,

opening, saving, and populating playlists. See “Playlist Editor’s toolbar” on page 8-9 for a description of each button on the toolbar.

AME: Displays the name of the playlist that is currently displayed in the Playlist Editor. An

asterisk appears beside the name until the playlist, or edits to the playlist, have been saved.

EVICE FOR VERIFY: Allows you to target a specific device or all of the configured

devices when a playlist verification is executed. See “

verification of playlist elements” on page 2-9 and “Opening an existing playlist” on page 6-4 for more details.

LAYLIST: The Playlist is the area where you create a sequential playlist by adding and

organizing pages, scenes and clips into the intended playout order. Generally, each row in the playlist represents a page, scene or clip to be played out. To help further organize playlists, rows of pages, scene and clips can be gathered into playlist segments and comment rows can also be added.

The playlist’s columns display information about each page included in the playlist. You can determine which columns are displayed or hidden in the playlist table by using the

OLUMN LAYOUT dialog box. You can also determine the order in which the columns

appear in the table. See “Configuring the Playlist table columns” on page 6-11 for descriptions of each column and instructions for how to display or hide certain Playlist table columns.

Configuring a device for the

6-2 Xbuilder User Manual

Creating and using playlists

Procedural overview for creating a sequential playlist

The procedure below identifies the high-level steps involved in creating playlists for playing out branding and promotional graphics sequences. Subsequent sections (identified by the links within the procedure) provide step-by-step instructions for performing each step.

To create a sequential playlist in Xbuilder:

1. Create a new playlist, or open an existing playlist.

Creating a new playlist” on page 6-4

• “

• “Opening an existing playlist” on page 6-4

• “Verifying the contents of a playlist” on page 6-5

2. Populate the playlist with pages, scenes, clips, and/or the contents of other playlists

Creating and adding an embedded page to a playlist” on page 6-7

• “

• “Adding shared pages, scenes and clip assets to a playlist” on page 6-8

• “Appending or inserting the contents of a playlist to a playlist” on page 6-9

3. Determine which property columns you want displayed in the playlist.

Configuring the Playlist table columns” on page 6-11

• “

4. Organize the playlist items

Repositioning playlist items within the playlist” on page 6-17 (optional)

• “

Adding segments to the playlist” on page 6-19 (optional)

• “

• “Adding comments to the playlist” on page 6-21 (optional)

Deleting playlist items from the playlist” on page 6-22 (optional)

• “

5. Edit the playlist items’ properties

Editing the properties associated to the playlist items” on page 6-24

• “

6. Save the playlist

Saving a playlist” on page 6-26

• “

Additional tasks that can be performed using the playlist are:

Reloading the playlist” on page 6-28

• “

Xbuilder User Manual 6-3

Creating and using playlists

NOTE

Creating a new playlist

To create a new playlist, you must first open a new, empty Playlist Editor. If the Playlist Editor area is already occupied by another project (i.e. an existing playlist, rundown editor or segment window), performing the CREATE NEW PLAYLIST action (described below) immediately clears the Playlist Editor space and a blank Playlist Editor appears, ready for use.

To create a new playlist:

•Select FILE>NEW PLAYLIST. Or,

• Click the C

Xbuilder’s Merge List and Make List / Air List features are alternative ways of creating playlists containing new pages and/or scenes from an Excel spreadsheet or XML file. See “Creating pages

and/or scene using a Merge List” on page 3-4 and “Performing Quality Control (QC) and Media Check (MC)” on page 5-1 for more information.

REATE NEW PLAYLIST button in the Playlist toolbar.

Opening an existing playlist

Existing playlists are stored on the Xmedia Server. You can open existing playlists either from the Asset Browser or from the FILE menu.

To open an existing playlist using the Asset Browser:

1. Select the P appropriate category where the playlist is stored.

The playlists contained in the Asset Browser category is listed/displayed in the panel to the right of the Asset Browser.

2. Double-click the name of the desired playlist. Or, Right-click on the playlist’s name and select the O

menu. The playlist opens in the Playlist Editor.

To open an existing playlist from the File menu:

1. Select F The O

2. Navigate through the Playlist categories in the right panel until the desired playlist is listed in the left panel.

3. Double-click the desired playlist listed in the right panel. Or, Select the playlist and then click OK. The playlist opens in the Playlist Editor.

6-4 Xbuilder User Manual

LAYLISTS root category in the Asset Browser, and navigate to the

PEN command from the context

ILE>OPEN PLAYLIST.

PEN PLAYLIST dialog box appears.

Verifying the contents of a playlist

NOTE

When a playlist is opened in Xbuilder, you can run a verification of all of the items in the playlist to be certain that they have been published and are available on specific or all devices configured in Xbuilder’s Device Manager.

When a playlist verification is executed, each element in the playlist is verified as follows:

• Checks if the assets used by the playlist element actually exist.

• Checks if the assets that are used by the playlist element require the completion of a Work Order before they can be used.

• Checks if the assets used by the playlist element are published on a specified device. If not, then it initiates the publishing of the assets.

There are two (2) ways in which you can perform a playlist verification: manual or automatic.

1. Open Xbuilder’s G value for the V

• Choose AUTOMATIC if you want Xbuilder to automatically run a verification

each time a playlist is opened in Xbuilder’s Playlist Editor.

• Choose M

time they are opened in Xbuilder’s Playlist Editor.

ENERAL settings page (TOOLS>SETTINGS>GENERAL) and choose a

ERIFY PLAYLIST setting:

ANUAL if you do not want playlists to automatically be verified each

Creating and using playlists

Regardless of whether you choose Automatic or Manual, you can manually execute a playlist verification at any time using the VERIFY PLAYLIST button in the Playlist Editor’s toolbar.

2. In the NUMBER OF VERIFY DEVICES field on the GENERAL settings page, specify the total number of devices that you would like to set up in the Device Manager for the purposes of verifying playlist contents.

3. Click OK to close the Settings dialog box.

4. Open Xbuilder’s Device Manager (T

OOLS>DEVICE MANAGER) and following the

instructions on page 2-9 for adding and configuring devices for playlist verification.

5. Select from the D

EVICE FOR VERIFY drop-down list, select the device(s) that you what

to verify when the Verify Playlist task is executed. In the case where the playlist items already have a device assignment associated with them, you can select the U

LAYLIST DEVICES option, otherwise choose a specific device.

6. If Xbuilder’s V

ERIFY PLAYLIST setting was set to AUTOMATIC, opening an existing playlist

in Xbuilder results in an immediately playlist verification. If Xbuilder’s V

ERIFY PLAYLIST setting was set to MANUAL, the playlist is not verified upon

opening. However, in either case, you can execute a playlist verification at any time by clicking the VERIFY PLAYLIST button in the Playlist Editor’s toolbar.

The results of the playlist verification are reported directly in the playlist by highlighting erroneous items in red, as well as reporting problems in the item’s S

TATUS column.

Xbuilder User Manual 6-5

Creating and using playlists

NOTE

Populating a playlist

Playlists are a sequentially ordered list of the video clips, scenes and graphic pages of a show. As described on page 3-1 playlist: embedded pages and shared pages. Since shared pages exist in the Xmedia Server as distinct assets, they can be used in many different playlists as a common item. Embedded pages are unique and independent, in that they are not linked to any other playlists. Any and all edits to an embedded page therefore only affect the playlist that it belongs to.

The following sections provide instructions for adding embedded and shared pages to a playlist:

Creating and adding an embedded page to a playlist” on page 6-7

• “

• “Adding shared pages, scenes and clip assets to a playlist” on page 6-8

Templates that are stored in the Asset Browser can be dragged and added to playlists. In doing so, an instance of that template is automatically converted into an embedded page unique to that playlist. In other words, it becomes an embedded page based on the template.

After you have create and saved a few playlists, you might have the need to create a playlist whose contents is very similar to one that already exists. Rather than adding each page, scene and clip individually again, you may want to append or insert the contents of the existing playlist (pages and clips) to the new playlist. See “Appending or inserting the

contents of a playlist to a playlist” on page 6-9 for instructions on using this method for

populating a playlist.

, there are two (2) types of pages that can be added to a

Figure 6-2. An example of a playlist that contains graphic pages, clips, segments, and comments

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Creating and using playlists

Creating and adding an embedded page to a playlist

Creating and adding a new embedded page to the playlist results in the page existing only in that specific playlist, not as an asset in the Asset Browser to be used in additional playlists.

The following instructions describe the commonly used method of creating a new embedded page from a template, followed by some alternative methods.

To create a new page from a template and add it to the playlist as an embedded page:

1. Click the I The S

2. Navigate to the appropriate template asset within the T sub-categories.

3. Double-click the template asset listed. The template opens in the Template Editor. Or, Select the template in the Template Editor and click OK.

The template opens in the Template Editor.

4. Set or edit the variable fields in the template as required (see “

content elements” on page 3-10 for assistance).

5. Optional: Preview the playout of the page using the P the Template Editor’s toolbar (see “Previewing a page or scene on the Preview device”

on page 3-11).

6. Select the row in the playlist where you would like the page to be inserted (the page is inserted below the selected row).

7. Click the I toolbar.

The page is immediately added to the playlist below the selected playlist row and the template closes leaving the Template Editor empty.

NSERT NEW PAGE button in from playlist’s toolbar.

ELECT A TEMPLATE FOR THE NEW GRAPHIC dialog box appears.

EMPLATES root category and

Editing a page or scene’s

REVIEW PAGE command in

NSERT IN PLAYLIST AND CLOSE button from the Template Editor’s

Alternative ways of creating and adding an new embedded page from a template include:

• Navigate through the Asset Browser’s T

EMPLATES categories until the desired template

is listed in the panel to the right of the Asset Browser. Select the desired template asset from the Template Editor and drag and drop it into the playlist.

• With a template open in the Template Editor, drag and drop the icon (located in the upper portion of the Template Editor) into the playlist.

• If you have populated the Favorites Browser with existing templates, you can drag and drop these templates from the Favorites Browser into the playlist.

• Open a Merge List in Xbuilder and all of the new pages that are created are added to a new playlist as embedded pages until they are approved (then they become shared pages). See “

Creating pages and/or scene using a Merge List” on page 3-4 for more

information.

Xbuilder User Manual 6-7

Creating and using playlists

NOTE

Adding shared pages, scenes and clip assets to a playlist

Shared pages, scenes and clips are three asset types that can be added to different playlists. Although these assets are stored on the Xmedia Server, they are accessible to Xbuilder through the Asset Browser.

Since shared pages exist in the Xmedia Server as distinct assets, they can be used in many different playlists as a common item. A noteworthy drawback of using shared pages in multiple playlists is that if the shared page is edited or deleted, you will (perhaps unintentionally) affect all of the playlists that contain that shared page.

The following instructions describe how to add shared pages, scenes and clip asset to a playlist by dragging the asset from the Asset Browser to the playlist. If however, the shared page or scene is already open in the Template Editor, a second set of instructions describes how to add that page or scene to the playlist.

To add a shared page, scene or clip asset to the playlist:

1. Select the P to the appropriate category where the asset is stored.

The assets contained in the pages, scenes or clips categories are then listed/displayed in the panel to the right of the Asset Browser.

2. Select the desired asset and drag it into the Playlist Editor. Notice that a highlighted horizontal line appears in the Playlist Editor as you drag the

pointer over the various rows in the playlist. This line indicates the location of where the asset will be inserted in the playlist.

AGES, SCENES or CLIPS root category in the Asset Browser, and navigate

A fully extended Insert Line indicates that the asset will be added to the playlist as a primary event, while a partially extended line indicates that it will be added as a secondary event (see “Repositioning primary playlist items (clips, scenes, pages, or comments)” on page

6-17 and “Adding a secondary event to a primary event in a playlist” on page 6-18 for more

information.

3. Drop the asset into the playlist by releasing the mouse button.

To add an opened shared page or scene to the playlist:

1. With a shared page or scene open in the Template Editor, select the playlist row where you want the page to be inserted (the page will be inserted below the selected row).

2. Click the S toolbar.

Any unsaved changes that were made to the page or scene are immediately saved and the page/scene is added to the playlist below the selected playlist row.

6-8 Xbuilder User Manual

AVE PAGE, INSERT IN PLAYLIST button located in the Template Editor’s

Creating and using playlists

NOTE

Appending or inserting the contents of a playlist to a playlist

Rather than adding pages, scenes, templates, and clips individually to a playlist, you can add the entire contents of an existing playlist (including segments and comments) to a playlist. This avoids having to recreate the contents of a playlist that already exists.

Adding the contents of a playlist to another playlist is a legitimate way of copying embedded pages from one playlist to another.

As described below, there are three (3) ways to add the contents of an existing playlist assets to a playlist:

• Drag and drop the playlist asset from the Asset Browser into the Playlist Editor.

•Use the A

•Use the I

To add the contents of an existing playlist to a playlist by dragging and dropping the playlist asset:

1. Select the PLAYLISTS root category in the Asset Browser, and navigate to the appropriate category where the playlist asset is stored.

The assets contained in the Playlists category are then listed/displayed in the panel to the right of the Asset Browser.

2. Select the desired playlist asset and drag it into the Playlist Editor. Notice that a highlighted horizontal line appears in the Playlist Editor as you drag the

pointer over the various rows in the playlist. This line indicates the location of where the playlist will be inserted in the playlist.

PPEND PLAYLIST command.

NSERT PLAYLIST command.

A fully extended Insert Line indicates that the playlist will be added as a primary event, while a partially extended line indicates that it will be added as a secondary event (see “Repositioning

primary playlist items (clips, scenes, pages, or comments)” on page 6-17 and “Adding a secondary event to a primary event in a playlist” on page 6-18 for more information.

3. Drop the playlist asset into the playlist by releasing the mouse button. The entire contents of the playlist asset is added immediately to the playlist, including

all pages, templates, scenes, clips, segments, and comments that were contained in the playlist asset.

Xbuilder User Manual 6-9

Creating and using playlists

To add the contents of an existing playlist to a playlist using the APPEND PLAYLIST command:

1. Open in the playlist to be added in the Playlist Editor and then select the F

LAYLIST menu command.

PPEND PLAYLIST dialog box appears.

The A

2. Navigate through the A want to add (append) to the end of current playlist.

3. Click OK, or double-click the playlist’s asset name in the A The entire contents of the playlist asset is added immediately to the bottom portion of

the playlist, including all pages, templates, scenes, clips, segments, and comments that were contained in the playlist asset.

To add the contents of an existing playlist to a playlist using the I command:

1. Open in the playlist to be added in the Playlist Editor and then select the playlist row where you want the contents of the playlist to be inserted (the contents will be inserted below the selected row).

2. Select the F The I

ILE>INSERT PLAYLIST command from the Xbuilder menus.

NSERT PLAYLIST dialog box appears.

3. Navigate through the INSERT PLAYLIST dialog box and select the playlist asset that you want to add (insert in) to the end of current playlist.

4. Click OK, or double-click the playlist’s asset name in the I

The entire contents of the playlist asset is added immediately below the selected playlist row, including all pages, templates, scenes, clips, segments, and comments that were contained in the playlist asset.

ILE>APPEND

PPEND PLAYLIST dialog box and select the playlist asset that you

PPEND PLAYLIST dialog box.

NSERT PLAYLIST

NSERT PLAYLIST dialog box.

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Configuring the Playlist table columns

The playlist table’s columns display information about each page, template, scene, or clip included in the playlist/segment. Using the C determine which columns are displayed or hidden in the playlist. You can also determine the order in which the columns appear in the playlist.

Column headings that are currently displayed in the playlist are listed in the S

OLUMNS text box (on the right), while hidden column headings are listed in the AVAILABLE

OLUMNS text box (on the left). Customizing the playlist column means simply moving the

headings from on side to the other (see the instructions below). The C box conveniently also offers two (2) standard layouts: B

OLUMN LAYOUT dialog box (figure 6-3), you can

ASIC and FULL.

Creating and using playlists

ELECTED

OLUMN LAYOUT dialog

Figure 6-3. Column Layout dialog box

The following table lists and describes all of the available column categories that can be displayed in the Playlist Editor:

ESCRIPTION Displays a user provided text that describes the playlist item.

The description text is originally created by filling in the

ESCRIPTION field on the SAVE dialog box when the item is

originally saved as an asset.

You can also add/edit the description text of a page, template, scene or clip asset by editing the Description field in the Template Editor when the asset is opened. See “

Editing the properties associated to the playlist items” on page 6-24 for

more information.

EVICE Identifies the device to which the page, template, scene or clip

will be sent.

URATION Identifies the length of time that the page, template, scene or

clip stays on air during the playout of the playlist.

Xbuilder User Manual 6-11

Creating and using playlists

MARK IN Displays the frame location that will be used as a starting point

ARK OUT Displays the frame location that will be used as an ending point

AME Displays the name of the playlist item.

FFSET Identifies the amount of time delay between the playout of two

VERFLOW Identifies the difference between the total time of the content in

PLAYOUT TYPE Indicates the method by which the playlist item (i.e page,

when the clip asset is played out in the playlist. As is described

Editing the properties associated to the playlist items” on

in “

page 6-24, this property is set using the MARKIN/OUT EDITOR.

when the clip asset is played out in the playlist. As is described in “Editing the properties associated to the playlist items” on

page 6-24, this property is set using the MARKIN/OUT EDITOR.

See “Editing the properties associated to the playlist items” on

page 6-24 for information regarding editing the name of

specific playlist items.

consecutive playlist elements.

a timeslot and the time available in the timeslot. When the total time of the content in a timeslot exceeds the time available, there is an overflow.

template, scene, clip) be cued to air:

EQUENTIAL : The playlist element is played when the

• S previous element has completed (possibly with an offset).

ARD START : The playlist element is played at the

• H specified time of day. If required, the currently playing element will be preempted. When a hard start element is played the playlist is synchronized with the system clock. The time of day is specified by entering it into the Offset column.

ANUAL : The playlist element is played when a

• M

ESUME command is sent to the playlist. If this command

arrives earlier than expected, the currently playing element is preempted. If the command arrives later than expected, the playlist waits before resuming playout. The

ESUME command can be sent from the PLAY button in

Xplay, or from logic in the Panel.

ECALL ID Displays the Recall ID for the page, template, scene or clip,

which is used by other Vertigo Suite applications as a shortcut identifier for calling up pages and templates.

The Recall ID is originally created by filling in the R field on the S

AVE dialog box when the page or template is

ECALL ID

originally saved as an asset.

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Creating and using playlists

NOTE

STATUS When the VERIFY PLAYLIST setting is enabled, each element in

the playlist is verified when the playlist is loaded to ensure that it is available and ready for use. The results of the verification are displayed in the Status column for each element. See

Adding and configuring a Preview device” on page 2-7 for

“

more information. The playlist item’s on-air or cued status is also displayed in this column.

The following sections explain how to customize the playlist table’s columns.

Adding columns to a playlist” on page 6-13

• “

• “Removing columns from a playlist” on page 6-14

• “Creating, renaming, and deleting your custom column headings” on page 6-14

• “Reordering the columns in a playlist” on page 6-15

• “Using the standard column layouts: Basic or Full” on page 6-15

For instructions on modifying column information for playlist items, refer to “Editing the

properties associated to the playlist items” on page 6-24.

Adding columns to a playlist

Complete the following steps to add one or many columns to a playlist:

1. Select T

OOLS>CONFIGURE PLAYLIST COLUMNS.

The COLUMN LAYOUT dialog box appears. The current playlist columns are listed in the

ELECTED COLUMNS text box, while hidden column headings are listed in the

S AVAILABLE COLUMNS text box.

2. Select the desired column heading(s) from the A

VAILABLE COLUMNS text box.

The column heading’s name is highlighted in blue when it is selected. To deselect, simply click the heading again.

3. Click the R The selected column headings immediately move to the S

4. Click A

IGHT ARROW button.

ELECTED COLUMNS text box.

PPLY to implement the changes immediately to the playlist, while keeping the

Column Layout dialog box open for further edits to the playlist columns. Or, Click OK to implement the changes immediately to the playlist and close the Column

Layout dialog box. Or,

ANCEL to abort the changes and maintain the playlist as it was.

Click C

Xbuilder User Manual 6-13

Creating and using playlists

NOTE

Removing columns from a playlist

Complete the following steps to remove one or many columns from a playlist:

1. Select T

OOLS>CONFIGURE PLAYLIST COLUMNS.

The COLUMN LAYOUT dialog box appears. The current playlist columns are listed in the

ELECTED COLUMNS text box, while hidden column headings are listed in the

VAILABLE COLUMNS text box.

2. Select the desired column heading(s) from the S The column heading’s name is highlighted in blue when it is selected. To deselect,

simply click the heading again.

3. Click the L

EFT ARROW button.

The selected column headings immediately move to the A

4. Click A

PPLY to implement the changes immediately in the playlist, while keeping the

Column Layout dialog box open for further edits to the playlist columns. Or, Click OK to implement the changes immediately to the playlist and close the Column

Layout dialog box. Or, Click CANCEL to abort the changes and maintain the playlist as it was.

Creating, renaming, and deleting your custom column headings

To better reflect the particular contents of your playlist, the COLUMN LAYOUT dialog box allows you to create your own (user defined) column headings. Once it has been created, you can also rename the column heading or delete it from the Column Layout dialog box by right-clicking on the name and selecting either the R

ELECTED COLUMNS text box.

VAILABLE COLUMNS text box.

ENAME or DELETE command from the context menu.

Only custom column headings can be renamed and deleted from the Column Layout dialog box.

To create a custom playlist column heading:

1. Select T The C

2. Click the A

OOLS>CONFIGURE PLAYLIST COLUMNS.

OLUMN LAYOUT dialog box appears.

DD button.

The ADD COLUMN dialog box appears.

3. Type the name of the new column in the text box and click OK. The new column heading’s name immediately appears in the S

box on the C

4. Click A

OLUMN LAYOUT dialog box.

PPLY to immediately add the new column to the playlist, while keeping the

ELECTED COLUMNS text

Column Layout dialog box open for further edits to the playlist columns. Or, Click OK to immediately add the new column to the playlist and close the Column

Layout dialog box. Or, Click CANCEL to abort the changes and maintain the playlist as it was.

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Creating and using playlists

Reordering the columns in a playlist

The order in which the column appear in the Playlist Editor is determined by the column heading’s position in the

Complete the following steps to reorder one or many columns in a playlist:

1. Select T The COLUMN LAYOUT dialog box appears. The current playlist columns are listed in

order the S

2. Select the column heading(s) that you want to move to another position from the

The column heading’s name is highlighted in blue when it is selected. To deselect, simply click the heading again.

3. Click the U column to the left in the playlist.

Or, Click the D

column to the right in the playlist.

4. Click A Column Layout dialog box open for further edits to the playlist columns.

Or, Click OK to implement the changes immediately to the playlist and close the Column

Layout dialog box. Or, Click C

OOLS>CONFIGURE PLAYLIST COLUMNS.

ELECTED COLUMNS text box.

P ARROW button once for each position that you want to move the

OWN ARROW button once for each position that you want to move the

PPLY to implement the changes immediately in the playlist, while keeping the

ANCEL to abort the changes and maintain the playlist as it was.

Using the standard column layouts: Basic or Full

The Column Layout dialog box offers two (2) preset standard layouts:

ASIC - Includes only the Name, Device and Status columns.

• B

ULL - Includes all columns.

• F

These standard layouts are convenient ways of populating or removing columns from the Playlist Editor.

To select a standard layout playlist format:

1. Select T The C

S A

2. Select either B

3. Click the SELECT button. The S

appropriately populated.

Xbuilder User Manual 6-15

OOLS>CONFIGURE PLAYLIST COLUMNS.

OLUMN LAYOUT dialog box appears. The current playlist columns are listed in the

ELECTED COLUMNS text box, while hidden column headings are listed in the

VAILABLE COLUMNS text box.

ASIC or FULL from the STANDARD LAYOUT drop-down list.

ELECTED COLUMNS and AVAILABLE COLUMNS text boxes are immediately

Creating and using playlists

4. Click APPLY to implement the changes immediately in the playlist, while keeping the Column Layout dialog box open for further edits to the playlist columns.

Or, Click OK to implement the changes immediately to the playlist and close the Column

Layout dialog box. Or,

ANCEL to abort the changes and maintain the playlist as it was.

Click C

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Creating and using playlists

NOTE

Repositioning playlist items within the playlist

Pages, scenes and clips are added to the playlist as primary scheduled events. Once added to the playlist, you can reposition the items within the playlist by dragging and dropping them to the desired row location.

When a clip is a primary event in the playlist, you can reposition pages and scenes within the playlist to become secondary events to the clip. Making a page or scene a secondary event to a clip allows you to set the page or scene’s offset and duration with respect to the clip (primary event), rather than to the beginning of the playlist.

The following sections provide instructions for repositioning items within the playlist:

Repositioning primary playlist items (clips, scenes, pages, or comments)” on page

• “

6-17

• “Adding a secondary event to a primary event in a playlist” on page 6-18

Also see “Adding segments to the playlist” on page 6-19 for instructions for how to move playlist items into, or out of, playlist segments.

Repositioning primary playlist items (clips, scenes, pages, or comments)

To reposition a playlist item:

1. Select the playlist item that you want to move to a new location.

2. Click and drag the selected playlist item into the desired playlist row. As you drag, a insert line (red line by default) extends across the table, which indicates

where the item will be placed (figure 6-4

3. Release the mouse button to drop the item in its new location.

Figure 6-4. Drag and drop the playlist item to the desired row location

Xbuilder User Manual 6-17

Creating and using playlists

NOTE

A fully extended insert line adds the page/scene as a primary object

A partially extended insert line adds the page/scene as a secondary object to the primary object

Adding a secondary event to a primary event in a playlist

Making a page or scene a secondary event to a clip allows you to set the page or scene’s offset and duration with respect to the clip (primary event), rather than to the beginning of the playlist.

To add a secondary event to a primary event:

1. Add a clip to the playlist as a primary event by dragging the clip asset from the Asset Browser and dropping it into the desired location in the playlist.

2. Add a page or scene to the playlist as a secondary event to the clip by dragging the asset from the Asset Browser to the row below the clip’s name in the playlist.

Before you drop it, take note of the following:

• Whether or not the primary event heading changes color. If the primary

event heading changes color, the page/scene will become a secondary event. If it does not, then the item will be placed below the primary event as an additional primary event.

• The length of the insert line (red by default). If the insert line runs the entire

width of the playlist, then the page/scene is being moved outside the primary event. If the line shortens, it means that the page will become a secondary event (see below).

• Blue box: Once page/scene has been added to the primary event, it is

bordered at left by a blue box (see below).

3. Drop the page/scene into the playlist by releasing the mouse button.

To make a page or scene that already exists as a primary event in the playlist a secondary event of a clip in that same playlist, simply drag the page/scene from its current location to the row under the clip in the same way that is described in step 2 and 3 above.

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Creating and using playlists

NOTE

Adding segments to the playlist

You can insert segments into your playlists to group together related playlist items under common headings (figure 6-5

• See at a glance how items in a playlist have been organized thematically (e.g. Headlines, Sports, Business, Entertainment).

• Move the contents of a segment at once. This is useful if, for example, at the last minute you decide that the pages organized under Business should be placed before the Sports segment.

Figure 6-5. Playlist segments allow you to put pages, templates, scenes and clips into thematic groupings

Playlist segments are different from the segment assets that are listed in the Asset Browser’s SEGMENTS root category. Segment assets are stored on the Xmedia Server and made available in the Asset Browser for creating rundowns, while playlist segments are only available to the playlist in which they are a part of.

). This allows you to:

To add a segment to the playlist:

1. Select the playlist row where you want the segment to be inserted (the segment heading will be inserted above the selected row).

2. Right-click on the row and select the A that appears (figure 6-6

The segment heading is added above the selected row with the name open for editing.

Figure 6-6. Use the A

Xbuilder User Manual 6-19

DD SEGMENT command to insert a segment heading into the playlist

DD SEGMENT command from the context menu

Creating and using playlists

When the insert line is fully extended, the item will be moved outside of the segment.

When the insert line is not fully extended and the border turns color, the item will be inserted into the segment.

3. Enter a name for the segment and press ENTER. At this point the segment is empty, even if pages, scenes, clips or templates appear to

be beneath it. You now need to add items to the segment.

4. Click and drag the selected playlist item into the desired segment. As you drag, a red line indicates where the item will be placed. Before you drop it, take note of the following:

• Whether or not the segment heading changes color. If the segment heading does

change color, the item will become part of the segment. If it does not, then the item will be placed outside of the segment.

• The length of the insert line (red by default). If the insert line runs the entire width

of the playlist, then the item is being moved outside the segment. If the line shortens, it means that the item is being moved into the segment (see below).

• Blue box: Once items have been added to a segment, they are bordered at left by a

blue box (see below).

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Adding comments to the playlist

Annotating your playlist by adding comments often benefits the person operating the playlist. Your comments should be concise, yet identify the purpose or behavior of elements in your playlist.

To add comments to the playlist:

1. Select the playlist row where you want the comment to be inserted (the comment will be inserted above the selected row).

2. Right-click on the row and select the ADD COMMENT command from the context menu that appears (figure 6-7

The comment row is added above the selected row with the text ready for editing.

Creating and using playlists

Figure 6-7. Use the A

3. Type the text for the comment and press ENTER.

To edit the text of a comment row that is already inserted into the playlist:

1. Select the comment row who’s text is to be edited.

2. Right-click on the row and select the E appears (figure 6-8

Figure 6-8. Use the E

3. Type the new text for the comment and press ENTER.

DD COMMENT command to insert an annotation into the playlist

DIT CELL command from the context menu that

). The comment row text becomes ready for editing.

DIT CELL command to change the text in a playlist annotation

Xbuilder User Manual 6-21

Creating and using playlists

NOTE

Deleting playlist items from the playlist

While building or using the playlist, you may want to remove an item that was previous added to the playlist (i.e. a page, scene, template, clip, playlist segment, or comment).

If the page, template, scene or clip that is to be deleted is a saved asset, deleting the item from the playlist does not remove the asset from the system, only from the playlist. However, embedded pages, playlist segments, and comments that were added to the playlist, but are not assets, will be completed deleted from the system.

The following instructions describe how to delete items from the playlist, as well as how to delete all playlist items in one action.

To delete an individual item from the playlist:

1. Select the item that you would like to delete from the playlist.

2. Right-click on the item’s row and select the DELETE command from the context menu. Or, Press the D

3. If Xbuilder’s CONFIRM PAGE DELETION property (TOOLS>SETTINGS>AUTOMATION) is enabled, the C immediately deleted from the playlist, or select NO to cancel the delete action.

If however Xbuilder’s C (TOOLS>SETTINGS>AUTOMATION) is disabled, then the item is immediately deleted from the playlist.

ELETE key on your keyboard.

ONFIRM DELETE dialog box appears. Select YES and the item is

ONFIRM PAGE DELETION property

To delete multiple items from the playlist:

1. Select the first item that you would like to delete from the playlist.

2. While holding down the CTRL key, select the various items that you would like to delete from the playlist.

3. Right-click on one of the selected items and select the D context menu.

Or, Press the D

6-22 Xbuilder User Manual

ELETE key on your keyboard.

ELETE command from the

Creating and using playlists

To delete a consecutive grouping of items from the playlist:

1. Select the first item that you would like to delete from the playlist.

2. While holding down the S

HIFT key, select the last item that you would like to delete from

the playlist. The first, last, and all items between these two become selected forming the group of

items to be deleted from the playlist.

3. Right-click within the grouping and select the D

ELETE command from the context menu.

Or, Press the D

ELETE key on your keyboard.

4. If Xbuilder’s CONFIRM PAGE DELETION property (TOOLS>SETTINGS>AUTOMATION) is enabled, the CONFIRM DELETE dialog box appears. Select YES and the items are immediately deleted from the playlist, or select N

O to cancel the delete action.

If however Xbuilder’s CONFIRM PAGE DELETION property is disabled, then the items are immediately deleted from the playlist.

To delete the entire contents of the playlist in one action:

1. Select the A

CTIONS>CLEAR PLAYLIST command from Xbuilder’s menu commands.

Or, Press F8.

2. If Xbuilder’s C enabled, the C playlist are immediately deleted and the playlist is left empty. Or, select N

ONFIRM PLAYLIST CLEAR property (TOOLS>SETTINGS>AUTOMATION) is

LEAR PLAYLIST dialog box appears. Select YES and the items in the

O to cancel

the clear playlist action. If however Xbuilder’s C

ONFIRM PAGE DELETION property is disabled, then the playlist

items are immediately removed from the playlist, leaving an empty playlist.

Xbuilder User Manual 6-23

Creating and using playlists

NOTE

Editing the properties associated to the playlist items

Each item that is added to the playlist is arranged as a row in the Playlist Editor. Some of the properties that are associated with the item are identified in the column cells that run along the playlist row. You can change certain playlist item properties from within the playlist. The following table explains how to edit each playlist column.

See “Configuring the Playlist table columns” on page 6-11 for a description the available playlist column categories, as well as how to display/hide the column categories.

ESCRIPTION You cannot change a page, template or scene description from within

the Playlist Editor since it’s a fundamental property of the asset.

However, if you still would like to add/edit the description text, doubleclick the item’s row in the playlist. The item opens in the Template Editor. Type the text in the Description field in the upper portion of the Template Editor. If the item was a page, click the S CLOSE button in the Template Editor. If the item was a template, click the COMMIT AND CLOSE button in the Template Editor. The playlist’s Description column now displays the added/edited text.

EVICE The name of the output device to which the playlist item will be sent

when it is played out in Xplay.

AVE PAGE, AND

URATION The duration of time a playlist item stays on air can be modified by

selecting the row and then clicking once in the Duration column cell. Type in the amount of time that you would like the item to stay on air for (i.e. 00:00:01 is one second). Then press E

NTER.

See “Playlist > Basic settings” on page 9-16 for a description of the SHOW HOURS IN DURATION COLUMN setting, which determines the format of the Duration value in the playlist column.

ARK IN To edit the value in the Mark In column for clip items in the playlist,

select the clip row in the playlist. Right-click on the Mark In column cell and select the V

ISUAL MARKIN/MARKOUT command from the context

menu. The MarkIn/Out Editor window appears. Use the left handle on the slider to adjust the Mark In value and then click A

ARK OUT To edit the value in the Mark Out column for clip items in the playlist,

PPLY.

select the clip row in the playlist. Right-click on the Mark Out column cell and select the V

ISUAL MARKIN/MARKOUT command from the context

menu. The MarkIn/Out Editor window appears. Use the right handle on the slider to adjust the Mark Out value and then click A

PPLY.

6-24 Xbuilder User Manual

Creating and using playlists

NAME You cannot rename a page, template, scene or clip from within the

Playlist Editor since it’s a fundamental property of the asset.

However, if you still would like to edit the name of the item in the playlist, double-click the row in the playlist. The item opens in the Template Editor. Type the new name in the Name field in the upper portion of the Template Editor. Click the C

OMMIT AND CLOSE button in the

Template Editor. The playlist’s Name column now displays the edited name.

To edit the name of a playlist segment, right-click the segment headings row and select the E the new text and press E

See “

Adding comments to the playlist” on page 6-21 for instructions on

DIT CELL command from the context menu. Type

NTER.

how to edit the text in a comment row.

FFSET The offset time, which represents the amount of time delay between the

playout of two consecutive playlist elements, can be modified by selecting the row and then clicking once in the Offset column cell. Type in the amount of time that you would like to be between the playout of the playlist items (i.e. 00:00:01 is one second). Then, press E

NTER.

See “Display settings” on page 9-4 for a description of the OFFSET

DISPLAY FORMAT setting, which determines the format of the Offset

value in the playlist column.

VERFLOW Currently, you cannot edit the overflow column’s value in Xbuilder’s

Playlist Editor.

LAYOUT TYPE The Playout Type column’s setting, as indicated by an icon, can be

changed by right-clicking on the playout type’s column’s cell, and then selecting the P

LAYOUT TYPE command from the context menu. Select

one of the following playout types styles: SEQUENTIAL, HARD START, or MANUAL. See page 6-12 for more information about the three (3) playout types.

ECALL ID The Recall ID column’s value cannot be changed from within the

Playlist Editor since it’s a fundamental property of the page or template.

However, if you still would like to add/edit the Recall ID for a particular page, double-click the page’s row in the playlist. The page opens in the Contents Editor. Type the text in the Recall ID field in the upper portion of the Template Editor. Click the S

AVE PAGE, AND CLOSE button in

the Template Editor. The playlist’s Recall ID column now displays the added/edited text.

TATUS Displays the results of a verification routine when the playlist is loaded,

as well as the item’s on-air or cued status.

Xbuilder User Manual 6-25

Creating and using playlists

Saving a playlist

For a playlist to be available for future use, or accessible to other Vertigo Suite applications (i.e. Xplay), the playlist must be saved to the Xmedia Server. Newly created playlists are given a generic name (i.e. Playlist1) until they are saved and you specify a unique name.

As well, any edits that are performed to existing playlist are not permanent until the playlist has been saved. A playlist with unsaved edits is indicated by an asterisks beside the playlist’s name in the Playlist Editor.

When a playlist is saved to the system, it becomes a playlist asset. Playlist assets are stored and accessed from within the P Browser and listed in the Template Editor.

To save a newly-created playlist:

1. Select the F Or, Press C Or, Click the S The S

ILE>SAVE PLAYLIST command from Xbuilder’s menu commands.

TRL+S.

AVE CURRENT PLAYLIST button in the Playlist Editor’s toolbar.

AVE PLAYLIST dialog box appears (figure 6-9).

LAYLISTS root category (and sub-categories) in the Asset

Figure 6-9. The Save Playlist dialog box

2. In the N

3. Enter your name in the A

4. Enter a short description for the playlist in the D

AME field enter a new name for the playlist.

UTHOR field (optional).

ESCRIPTION field (optional).

5. Link the playlist to the Playlists root category or to sub-categories by selecting the check box for each place where you want the playlist to be accessible from.

6. Click OK to save the playlist and exit the dialog box. Or,

ANCEL to discard all entered information and return to the unsaved playlist.

Click C

6-26 Xbuilder User Manual

Creating and using playlists

NOTE

To save the changes to an existing playlist:

• Select the F

ILE>SAVE PLAYLIST command from Xbuilder’s menu commands.

Or,

• Press C

TRL+S.

Or,

• Click the S

AVE CURRENT PLAYLIST button in the Playlist Editor’s toolbar.

To save an existing playlist under a different name or into another category:

1. Select the FILE>SAVE PLAYLIST AS command from Xbuilder’s menu commands. Or, Click the S The S

AVE CURRENT PLAYLIST AS button in the Playlist Editor’s toolbar.

AVE PLAYLIST dialog box appears (figure 6-9).

2. In the NAME field enter a new name for the playlist.

3. Enter your name in the A

4. Enter a short description for the playlist in the D

UTHOR field (optional).

ESCRIPTION field (optional).

5. Link the playlist to the Playlists root category or to sub-categories by selecting the check box for each place where you want the playlist to be accessible from.

6. Click OK to save the playlist and exit the dialog box. Or,

ANCEL to discard all entered information and return to the unsaved playlist.

Click C

If you only want to move an existing playlist to another category, you don’t necessarily have to perform a Save As. Simply drag and drop the playlist from the Template Editor from its current category to another within the Asset Browser.

Xbuilder User Manual 6-27

Creating and using playlists

Reloading the playlist

If you’ve had a playlist open for a while you may need to reload it to ensure that it’s still upto-date. For example, additional items may have been appended to the playlist by a user at another workstation while the playlist was also open at your workstation.

To reload the playlist:

• Select the A Or,

• Press F5. Or,

• Click the R

CTIONS>RELOAD PLAYLIST command from Xbuilder’s menu commands.

ELOAD PLAYLIST button in the Playlist Editor’s toolbar.

6-28 Xbuilder User Manual

7 CREATING AND USING RUNDOWNS AND

NOTE

SEGMENTS

Xbuilder allows you to create rundowns, which are ordered lists of the thematic RUNDOWN

SEGMENTS that make up a program. In turn, the rundown segments are lists of the graphic

pages (shared and embedded), scenes, and/or clips. The order in which the items are listed in the rundown determines their playout order as well.

There are two types of rundown segments: shared segments and embedded segments.

• Shared segments are segment lists that are created and saved as assets on the Xmedia Server. These segments are accessed through the Asset Browser’s S

• Embedded segments are similarly created, but rather than being saved as independent assets, they are saved as part of the rundown. Embedded segments therefore, can only be used by the rundown that it belongs to.

EGMENTS root category and they can be added to any rundown.

Although rundown segments appear very similar to playlists, be aware that there are differences between the two and that you should make assumptions that their functionality is the same. For example, you cannot add the contents of a playlist to a rundown segment if the playlist’s pages are organized within playlist segments.

The following sections provide descriptions and instructions for how to create and edit rundowns and segments in Xbuilder:

An overview of the Rundown Editor” on page 7-3

• “

• “Procedural overview for creating rundowns” on page 7-6

• “Creating a new rundown” on page 7-7

• “Opening an existing rundown” on page 7-8

• “Creating and using rundown segments” on page 7-9

• “Opening an existing rundown segment” on page 7-18

Xbuilder User Manual 7-1

Creating and using rundowns and segments

• “Adding segments to a rundown” on page 7-19

• “Repositioning segments within the rundown” on page 7-21

• “Removing segments from a rundown” on page 7-22

• “Saving a rundown under a different name or category” on page 7-23

• “Deleting a rundown from the system” on page 7-24

7-2 Xbuilder User Manual

Creating and using rundowns and segments

Rundown name

Rundown segments

Segment open in Segment Editor

Rundown Editor’s menu commands (right-click)

An overview of the Rundown Editor

The Rundown Editor lists the content and playback order for a program. A rundown is populated and organized using rundown segments that are built and edited in the Segment Editor or the Segment window. Figure 7-1 demonstrates that the Segment Editor appears to the right of the Rundown Editor and is used mainly to view and edit the segments belonging to the rundown.

Xbuilder User Manual 7-3

Figure 7-1. Rundown Editor components

Figure 7-1

and the following table identifies and describes the components of the Rundown Editor:

Rundown name New rundowns are given a temporary default name of Rundown#, which

appears in the first row of the Rundown list. Once you save the rundown, the default name is replaced with its new name. Rundowns are saved on the Xmedia Server as assets and are available to Xbuilder through the Asset Browser’s Rundowns root category.

Rundown segments Each row in the Rundown Editor represents an individual rundown

segment. Rundown segments are built and viewed in the Segment Editor/Window and can consist of a single page or a series of pages.

When you select a segment in the Rundown Editor, the row’s background changes color. When the segment is open the Segment Editor, the segment’s name is highlighted in the Rundown Editor. These color settings can be changed using Xbuilder’s segment color settings.

Rundown Editor’s menu commands

The Rundown Editor also features a context menu that allows you to save, rename or delete the segment that is selected in the Rundown Editor.

Creating and using rundowns and segments

An overview of the Segment Editor & Segment Window

Xbuilder offers two interfaces for creating and editing rundown segments: the Segment Editor and the Segment window.

•The S

The S associated with a specific rundown) that allows you to create and populate new shared rundown segments with pages, scenes, clips and playlists.

EGMENT EDITOR (figure 7-2) is joined to the Rundown Editor and it allows you to:

• Create and populate new rundown segments with pages and playlists.

• Add the segments to the rundown that is open in the Rundown Editor.

• Save the segment as shared segment (using the S embedded segment (using the S

AVE button).

AVE AS button) or as an

• View, add, edit, or remove pages, scene or clips belonging to the segment highlighted in the Rundown window.

Figure 7-2. The Rundown Window and the Segment Editor

EGMENT WINDOW (figure 7-3) is a standalone interface (meaning that it is not

Figure 7-3. The Segment window is a stand-alone interface for creating and editing shared segments

Figure 7-3

and the following list identify and describe the main interface components

TOOLBAR: A series of buttons that allows you to perform actions related to creating,

saving, and populating segments. See “

Segment Editor toolbar” on page 8-17 for a

description of each button on the toolbar.

EGMENT: A list of the pages, scenes and clips that make up the content of the segment.

2. S Each page, scene, or clip has a dedicated row in the Segment Editor/window, which determines their intended playout order. See “

Adding pages to a rundown segment” on page 7-11 and “Repositioning pages within the rundown segment” on page 7-15 for more

information. Like playlists, the columns display information about each item included in the rundown

segment. Xbuilder allows you to determine which columns are displayed or hidden in the Segment Editor/window by using the C

the Playlist table columns” on page 6-11 for instructions on how to display or hide

certain columns.

OLUMN LAYOUT dialog box. See “Configuring

7-4 Xbuilder User Manual

Creating and using rundowns and segments

NOTE

You can annotate the segment by adding comment rows. Comment rows are often used to insert instructions or identification annotations so that operators are better informed. See “

Adding a comment row to the rundown segment” on page 7-14 for more

information.

ENU COMMANDS: Right-clicking on a segment row exposes menu commands that

3. M allows you to set the playout type or delete the selected segment row. When these commands are opened on a clip row, the VISUAL MARK IN/MARK O UT command can be used to edit the clip’s starting and ending times. The two other commands allow you to insert a segment or comment above the currently selected segment.

NAME: Displays the name of the rundown segment that is currently displayed in the Segment

4. window. An asterisk appears beside the name until the segment, or the edits to the segment, have been saved. See “Saving a rundown segment” on page 7-17 for more information.

EVICE FOR VERIFY: In the same way that Xbuilder allows you to verify the presence and

5. D publishing of playlist items on configured devices, Xbuilder can also manually verify the contents of a segment on specified devices using the V

ERIFY SEGMENT button .

This particular interface component allows you to target a specific device or all of the configured devices when a segment verification is executed.

Configuring a device for the verification of playlist elements” on page 2-9 and

See “

Verifying the contents of a playlist” on page 6-5 for more details.

“

Xbuilder’s Action menu contains commands for clearing and reloading segments in the Segment Editor/Window. See “Actions menu” on page 8-6 for more information.

Xbuilder User Manual 7-5

Creating and using rundowns and segments

NOTE

Procedural overview for creating rundowns

The procedure below identifies the high-level steps involved in building rundowns for playing out branding and promotional graphics sequences. Subsequent sections (identified by the links within the procedure) provide step-by-step instructions for performing each step.

As a preliminary step, verify that the SEGMENTS category is displayed in Xbuilder’s Asset Browser (without it you will not be able to populate the rundown). If the S not displayed, then open the xbuilder.ini file ( and set the DisplaySegments setting to True.

To create a rundown in Xbuilder:

1. Create a new rundown, or open an existing rundown.

Creating a new rundown” on page 7-7

• “

• “Opening an existing rundown” on page 7-8

2. Create new rundown segments for the rundown:

Creating a new rundown segment” on page 7-9

• “

• “Adding pages to a rundown segment” on page 7-11

• “Adding scene assets to a rundown segment” on page 7-13

• “Adding clip assets to a rundown segment” on page 7-13

• optional - “Adding a comment row to the rundown segment” on page 7-14

• optional - “Repositioning pages within the rundown segment” on page 7-15

• optional - “Deleting or removing items from a rundown segment” on page 7-16

• “Saving a rundown segment” on page 7-17

3. Add rundown segments to the rundown and edit the rundown:

Adding segments to a rundown” on page 7-19

• “

• optional - “Repositioning segments within the rundown” on page 7-21

• optional - “Removing segments from a rundown” on page 7-22

4. Save the rundown

• “

Saving a rundown under a different name or category” on page 7-23

C:\Program Files\VertigoXmedia\Apps)

EGMENTS category is

7-6 Xbuilder User Manual

Creating a new rundown

To create a new rundown, you must execute the CREATE NEW RUNDOWN action (described below), which immediately replaces whatever is currently in the upper portion of the Xbuilder window with a new, empty Rundown/Segment Editor (figure 7-5).

To create a new rundown:

1. Select FILE>NEW RUNDOWN or press CTRL+R. The SAVE RUNDOWN dialog box appears (figure 7-4).

Creating and using rundowns and segments

Figure 7-4. The SAVE RUNDOWN dialog box.

2. In the N

3. Enter your name in the A

4. Enter a short description of the rundown in the D

5. Link the rundown to the R

AME field enter a new name for the rundown.

UTHOR field (optional).

ESCRIPTION field (optional).

UNDOWNS root category or to sub-categories by selecting the

check box for each place where you want the rundown to be accessible from.

6. Click OK to save the rundown and exit the dialog box. The Rundown Editor and Segment Editor appear and are ready to be populated

(figure 7-5

Figure 7-5. A newly created rundown with an empty Segment Editor

Xbuilder User Manual 7-7

Creating and using rundowns and segments

Opening an existing rundown

Existing rundowns are stored on the Xmedia Server. You can open existing playlists either from the Asset Browser and Template Editor, or from the F

To open an existing rundown using the Asset Browser and Template Editor:

1. Select the R appropriate category where the rundown is stored.

The rundowns contained in the Asset Browser category are listed in the Template Editor.

2. Double-click the desired rundown in the Template Editor. Or, Right-click on the rundown in the Template Editor and select the O

the context menu. The rundown opens in the Rundown Editor and the first segment listed in the rundown

list is displayed in the Segment Editor.

To open an existing playlist from the File menu:

1. Select FILE>OPEN RUNDOWN. The O

2. Navigate through the Rundown categories in the right panel until the desired rundown is listed in the left panel.

3. Double-click the desired rundown listed in the right panel. Or, Select the rundown and then click OK. The rundown opens in the Rundown Editor and the first segment listed in the rundown

list is displayed in the Segment Editor.

UNDOWNS root category in the Asset Browser, and navigate to the

PEN RUNDOWN dialog box appears.

ILE menu.

PEN command from

7-8 Xbuilder User Manual

Creating and using rundowns and segments

Stand-alone Segment window

Creating and using rundown segments

Typically, rundown segments are lists of graphic pages (shared and embedded pages), scenes, clips and shared playlists that make up a section of a program. The order in which these items are listed in the rundown segment determines their playout order as well.

The following sections provide instructions for creating new rundown segments and opening existing rundown segments:

Creating a new rundown segment” on page 7-9

• “

• “Configuring the segment table columns” on page 7-11

• “Adding pages to a rundown segment” on page 7-11

• “Adding scene assets to a rundown segment” on page 7-13

• “Adding clip assets to a rundown segment” on page 7-13

• “Adding a comment row to the rundown segment” on page 7-14

• “Repositioning pages within the rundown segment” on page 7-15

• “Deleting or removing items from a rundown segment” on page 7-16

• “Saving a rundown segment” on page 7-17

Creating a new rundown segment

Xbuilder User Manual 7-9

The introduction to rundowns on page 7-1 explains that rundown segments can either be shared or embedded. While shared segments can be created and edited in both the Segment Editor and the Segment window, embedded segments can only be created in the Segment Editor.

The following instructions guide you through the process of creating new rundown segments from either interface.

To create a new shared segment in the Segment window:

1. Select the FILE>NEW SEGMENT command from the Xbuilder toolbar. The upper portion of the Xbuilder window becomes an empty Segment window (figure 7-6

Figure 7-6. Stand-alone Segment window

Creating and using rundowns and segments

2. Populate the segment with shared pages and/or embedded pages (templates) from the Asset Browser and Template Editor (see “Adding pages to a rundown segment” on

page 7-11).

3. Click the SAVE button in the Segment window’s toolbar. Or, Select the F

ILE>SAVE SEGMENT or the FILE>SAVE SEGMENT AS command from the

Xbuilder menu commands.

AVE SEGMENT dialog box appears (figure 7-7).

The S

Figure 7-7. Save the shared segment on the Xmedia Server using the Save Segment dialog box

4. In the N

5. Enter your name in the A

6. Enter a short description of the segment in the D

AME field enter a new name for the segment.

UTHOR field (optional).

ESCRIPTION field (optional).

7. Link the segment to the Segments root category or to sub-categories by selecting the check box for each place where you want the segment to be accessible from.

8. Click OK to save the segment and exit the dialog box.

To create a new segment (shared or embedded) in the Segment Editor:

1. With a rundown open in the Rundown window, click the N

EW SEGMENT button in

the Segment Editor’s toolbar. A new segment is added to the rundown window below the initial segment listed and

the Segment Editor becomes empty and is ready to be populated.

7-10 Xbuilder User Manual

Grass Valley Xbuilder Vertigo Suite User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

M852-0600-480

1 INTRODUCING XBUILDER

2 GETTING STARTED WITH XBUILDER

Installation and licensing information

Starting Xbuilder and connecting to the Xmedia Server

Overview of Xbuilder’s user interface

Configuring Xbuilder’s settings

Adding and configuring a Preview device

Configuring a device for the verification of playlist elements

Creating an individual shared page from a template

Creating pages and/or scene using a Merge List

Creating Merge List file in Microsoft Excel

Creating an XML Merge List file

Approving or rejecting new pages and scenes created from a Merge List

Opening an existing page or scene

Editing a page or scene’s content elements

Previewing a page or scene on the Preview device

Saving a snapshot (image file) of a page or scene’s playout

Render to VAF for pre-rendered playout

Render to MXF for playout on a video server

Render to MPEG for preview

Manual rendering pages and/or scenes to a file

Batch-rendering of pages and/or scenes to a file

Setting up the QC and MC workflows

Create and set up the Subfolders and Approved Category folders

Specify Xbuilder’s settings for the QC and MC workflows

Associate channels to devices in Xbuilder’s Device Manager

Verify that the system templates are installed and publish them to the SWCG

Verify the presence of the QC license

Creating a Make List / Air List spreadsheet

Using AE Plug-in and the Make List to create and ingest graphics

Quality Control: Previewing and validating graphics in Xbuilder

Media Check: Graphics publish verification

6 CREATING AND USING PLAYLISTS

An overview of the Playlist Editor

Procedural overview for creating a sequential playlist

Creating a new playlist

Opening an existing playlist

Verifying the contents of a playlist

Populating a playlist

Creating and adding an embedded page to a playlist

Adding shared pages, scenes and clip assets to a playlist

Appending or inserting the contents of a playlist to a playlist

Configuring the Playlist table columns

Repositioning playlist items within the playlist

Adding segments to the playlist

Adding comments to the playlist

Deleting playlist items from the playlist

Editing the properties associated to the playlist items

Saving a playlist

Reloading the playlist

An overview of the Rundown Editor

An overview of the Segment Editor & Segment Window

Procedural overview for creating rundowns

Creating a new rundown

Opening an existing rundown

Creating and using rundown segments

Creating a new rundown segment