Grass Valley Xplorer Vertigo Suite User Manual

Xplorer

Asset Management Tool

User Manual

M852-0400-480

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

Xplorer

Asset Management Tool

User Manual

Vertigo Suite v.4.8

Third Party Trademarks

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

Usage Agreement

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

Miranda Technologies Inc. hereby grants permission and license to owners of Xplorer and the Vertigo 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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In no event shall Miranda Technologies Inc. be liable to anyone for special, collateral, incidental, or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of purchase or use of these materials. The sole and exclusive liability to Miranda Technologies Inc., regardless of the form of action, shall not exceed the purchase price of the materials described herein.

Miranda Technologies Inc. reserves the right to revise and improve its products at any time and without notice. This publication describes the state of this product at the time of its publication, and may not reflect the product at all times in the future. Thus, different versions of a manual may exist for any given product. Care should be taken to ensure that one obtains the proper manual version for a specific product serial number.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Miranda Technologies Inc.

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Printed in Canada

Document Identification

• Title: Xplorer User Manual

• Part number: M852-0400-480

• 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 Xplorer.............................................................................................................. 1-1

Getting started with Xplorer................................................................................................ 2-1

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

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

Overview of Xplorer’s interface.......................................................................................................... 2-5

Configuring Xplorer’s settings............................................................................................................ 2-7

Adding devices to Xplorer’s Device Viewer .......................................................................................2-8

Connecting a device to Xplorer ....................................................................................................... 2-12

Launching a device’s Dashboard from Xplorer................................................................................ 2-13

Browsing and managing media on the Xmedia Server and other devices .................... 3-1

Displaying the media contents of the XMS or a device ..................................................................... 3-2

Browsing the contents of the XMS or a device.................................................................................. 3-3

Searching for assets stored on the Xmedia Server ........................................................................... 3-5

Categorizing within the Xmedia Server.............................................................................................. 3-6

Removing an asset from an XMS category or a device..................................................................... 3-7

Removing an asset from a category on the Xmedia Server ......................................................... 3-7

Removing assets from devices, but not the Xmedia Server ......................................................... 3-8

Deleting assets from the Xmedia Server or a device......................................................................... 3-9

Renaming an asset.......................................................................................................................... 3-10

Viewing and editing an asset’s properties .......................................................................................3-11

Monitoring and managing a device’s disk space ............................................................................. 3-14

Moving assets to/from the Xmedia Server and other devices......................................... 4-1

Managed versus unmanaged assets.................................................................................................4-2

Ingesting third-party content files....................................................................................................... 4-4

Ingesting image or audio files ....................................................................................................... 4-4

Ingesting image sequences .......................................................................................................... 4-7

Ingesting video files .................................................................................................................... 4-11

Importing content files that are native to the Vertigo Suite system.................................................. 4-13

Publishing assets from the Xmedia Server to a device ................................................................... 4-15

Automatically publishing assets to devices................................................................................. 4-15

Manually publishing assets from the Xmedia Server to devices................................................. 4-16

Monitoring and managing a device’s publish queue ................................................................... 4-17

Publishing the entire contents of one device to another device....................................................... 4-21

Propagating assets from the Xmedia Server to another server....................................................... 4-22

Exporting Vertigo asset files to another Xmedia Server .................................................................. 4-23

Saving a local copy of an asset as a file.......................................................................................... 4-26

Previewing assets in Xplorer .............................................................................................. 5-1

Previewing audio and video clips....................................................................................................... 5-2

Previewing cel animations ................................................................................................................. 5-3

Previewing and editing image assets ................................................................................................ 5-4

Xplorer User Manual TOC-1

Table of Contents

Opening the Image Editor..............................................................................................................5-5

Zooming in/out and repositioning the image ..................................................................................5-5

Cropping an image ........................................................................................................................5-7

Making color adjustments ..............................................................................................................5-9

Adjusting the sharpness of an image...........................................................................................5-10

Using the Image Modification buttons to flip an image ................................................................5-10

Appendix A - Quick reference to Xplorer’s commands and settings ............................. 6-1

Xplorer’s menu commands.................................................................................................................6-2

File menu .......................................................................................................................................6-2

View menu .....................................................................................................................................6-3

Tools menu ....................................................................................................................................6-4

Help menu .....................................................................................................................................6-4

Xplorer’s toolbar buttons.....................................................................................................................6-5

Xplorer’s settings ................................................................................................................................6-7

XMS settings..................................................................................................................................6-8

Work Order settings.......................................................................................................................6-9

Layout settings.............................................................................................................................6-10

Publish Monitoring settings..........................................................................................................6-11

General settings...........................................................................................................................6-12

Logging settings...........................................................................................................................6-13

Appendix B - Searching for assets stored on the XMS.................................................... 7-1

Opening the Search Tool....................................................................................................................7-2

Using the search tool’s interface ........................................................................................................7-3

Standard search criteria fields and controls...................................................................................7-4

Advanced search criteria fields, controls, and summary ...............................................................7-9

Message area: Search status and asset information...................................................................7-18

Results area.................................................................................................................................7-19

Performing a standard search ..........................................................................................................7-21

Performing an advanced search.......................................................................................................7-22

Creating a query that uses a single property ...............................................................................7-22

Creating a query that combines multiple properties ....................................................................7-23

Editing a search criteria’s property conditions .............................................................................7-24

Saving and loading a search criteria............................................................................................7-25

Removing search criteria .............................................................................................................7-25

Appendix C - Creating and using work orders ................................................................. 8-1

Creating a new work order .................................................................................................................8-2

Viewing existing work orders and/or jobs ...........................................................................................8-4

Adding a job to an existing work order ...............................................................................................8-6

Removing a work order or job from the XMS .....................................................................................8-8

TOC-2 Xplorer User Manual

1 INTRODUCING XPLORER

Xplorer is a media management application that allows you to browse and manage the media content stored on the Xmedia Server (XMS) and other devices.

More specifically, Xplorer allows you to:

• Quickly identify and monitor the status of the Xmedia Server and other devices that are configured and/or connected to your system.

• Browse and manage the media content stored on the Xmedia Server and/or other devices.

• Move content to and from the Xmedia Server and other devices, including ingesting content from external storage devices and converting the imported files into Vertigo compatible assets.

• Preview the playout of various asset types that are stored on the Xmedia Server or devices.

• Create and manage work order requests for graphics elements that are required but do not exist on the system.

The following sections provide information and instructions for using Xplorer:

• “Getting started with Xplorer” on page 2-1

• “Browsing and managing media on the Xmedia Server and other devices” on page 3-1

• “Moving assets to/from the Xmedia Server and other devices” on page 4-1

• “Previewing assets in Xplorer” on page 5-1

• “Appendix A - Quick reference to Xplorer’s commands and settings” on page 6-1

• “Appendix B - Searching for assets stored on the XMS” on page 7-1

• “Appendix C - Creating and using work orders” on page 8-1

Xplorer User Manual 1-1

Introducing Xplorer

1-2 Xplorer User Manual

2 GETTING STARTED WITH XPLORER

To help get you started using Xplorer, this chapter provides you with information about installing and licensing the Xplorer software. Once installed, you must configure Xplorer to recognize and actively connect with the Xmedia Server and the other devices.

Information and instructions to help you set-up and familiarize yourself with Xplorer are provided in the following sections:

• “Installation and licensing information” on page 2-2

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

• “Overview of Xplorer’s interface” on page 2-5

• “Configuring Xplorer’s settings” on page 2-7

• “Adding devices to Xplorer’s Device Viewer” on page 2-8

• “Connecting a device to Xplorer” on page 2-12

Xplorer User Manual 2-1

Getting started with Xplorer

NOTE

Installation and licensing information

Xplorer 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 Xplorer, are available in the Vertigo Suite’s Release Notes, which can be downloaded from the Miranda Technical Support Services web site (http://www.miranda.com/support/product.php?name=Vertigo).

Xplorer requires that a software application license be installed and validated on the Xmedia Server. Therefore, once Xplorer is installed, you must contact the Miranda Technical Support team (support@miranda.com apply and validate the license using the Vertigo Suite’s License Manager, which stores the license on the Xmedia Server. Instructions for acquiring and validating an Xplorer application license are provided in the Vertigo Suite’s Release Notes.

Xplorer will not operate properly unless its connection to the Xmedia Server is active and a valid license is present. See page 2-3 for more information about resolving connection and license errors.

) to request a license key for Xplorer. Then you must

2-2 Xplorer User Manual

Getting started with Xplorer

NOTE

Xplorer is actively connected to the Xmedia Server

Xplorer has been disconnected from the Xmedia Server

Starting Xplorer and connecting to the Xmedia Server

As a client application, Xplorer must always be connected to the Xmedia Server, which is the centralized asset management server and license manager for Vertigo applications and devices.

Each time Xplorer is opened, it verifies the connection to the Xmedia Server and the availability of the Xplorer license. If both conditions are successful, then Xplorer opens and is ready to be used. However, if either of these conditions is unsuccessful, an error message appears and prompts you to remedy the situation (see below).

While using Xplorer, the connection to the Xmedia Server must always be maintained (active). As such, Xplorer continuously verifies and reports the connection status using the XMS icon in the Xmedia Server Viewer. Figure 2-1 icon’s connectivity status.

demonstrates the two states of the XMS

Xplorer User Manual 2-3

Figure 2-1. Xplorer’s Xmedia Server connection status

If for any reason the connection to the Xmedia Server fails (disconnected), you must reestablish the connection before continuing to use Xplorer.

Common reasons for losing the connection are that the Xmedia Server or the machine hosting Xplorer has lost its network connection (network is down, IP address has changed or network cable disconnected), the Xmedia Server service has been stopped, or the Xmedia Server machine has been shutdown or has crashed.

The following sections describe how to resolve situations in which Xplorer cannot connect to the Xmedia Server or find a valid license on startup.

Resolving an Xmedia Server connection failure when opening Xplorer:

1. Open Xplorer by clicking VERTIGOXMEDIA>XPLORER from the Windows Start menu. If Xplorer cannot successfully connect to the Xmedia Server, the following error

message appears.

Getting started with Xplorer

2. Click Yes and Xplorer’s SETTINGS window opens and displays the XMS page.

3. In the X

MEDIA SERVER IP ADDRESS field, type the IP address of the machine hosting the

Xmedia Server.

4. 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.

5. Click OK. Xplorer should now open. If Xplorer still cannot connect to the Xmedia Server, 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.

Figure 2-2. Xplorer’s Settings window

Resolving a license failure when opening Xplorer:

1. Open Xplorer by clicking VERTIGOXMEDIA>XPLORER from the Windows Start menu. If Xplorer cannot successfully locate a valid Xplorer license on the Xmedia Server, the

following error message appears.

2. Evaluate and act according to the following:

• If you suspect that the cause of the license error is that the Xplorer license has not yet been

installed and validated on the Xmedia Server, click Enter License. The License Manager opens and you can follow the instructions in the Release Notes for acquiring and installing a software license.

• If you suspect that the cause of the license error is that Xplorer is connected to the wrong

Xmedia Server (the license resides on another Xmedia Server), click Change Server. Xplorer’s S

ERVER IP ADDRESS field, type the IP address of the Xmedia Server that holds a valid

ETTINGS window opens and displays the XMS page (figure 2-2). In the XMEDIA

Xplorer license. Click OK.

2-4 Xplorer User Manual

Overview of Xplorer’s interface

While further chapters provide full procedural instructions for using Xplorer, this section lists Xplorer's main interface components and provides brief functional descriptions of each.

Getting started with Xplorer

Figure 2-3. Xplorer’s user interface components

1. Menu commands - The menu commands provide access to Xplorer's settings and administrative functions. See “Xplorer’s menu commands” on page 6-2 of each command.

2. Toolbar buttons - The toolbar buttons offer easy access to the features and functions that are most commonly needed when using Xplorer. Functional descriptions for each of these buttons is described within the procedures for using Xplorer, as well as “Xplorer’s toolbar

buttons” on page 6-5.

Xplorer User Manual 2-5

3. Asset Browser - Located along the left-side of the interface, the Asset Browser is a collapsible panel that provides a hierarchical view of the root categories and sub-categories in which assets are stored on either the Xmedia Server or the device that is currently selected in the Device Viewer. Upon selecting a category, the assets are displayed in the Asset Gallery.

4. Asset Gallery - Identifies the assets that are stored within the asset category selected in the Asset Browser. When the Proxy View button is enabled in Xplorer’s toolbar, the assets are displayed as labelled-thumbnail images. When the Detail View button

is enabled, the assets are displayed in a list that identifies the asset’s name along

with some of its current properties.

for a full description

Getting started with Xplorer

5. Xmedia Server Viewer - Identifies the Xmedia Server (hostname or IP address) and its current connection status to Xplorer (see page 2-3). When you select the XMS icon, the contents of the Xmedia Server are displayed in the Asset Browser and Asset Gallery.

6. Device Viewer - Displays an icon for each of the devices that are managed by the Xmedia Server, as well as their current connection status to Xplorer (see page 2-12

When the View>Show Device Details menu command is enabled, some of the devices’ statistics are displayed (i.e. the percentage of free space on their disk, as well as the number of items left in the publish queue.) See page 4-17

When you select a device’s icon, the contents of that device are displayed in the Asset Browser and Asset Gallery.

Figure 2-4 that you can use to launch various functions associated with the device (e.g. ping the device, launch the device’s Publish Queue Monitor, launch the device’s Dashboard or display the device’s properties).

demonstrates that right-clicking on the device’s icon exposes commands

for more information.

Figure 2-4. Right-clicking on the device exposes commands associated with the device

2-6 Xplorer User Manual

Configuring Xplorer’s settings

NOTE

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

Changes to Xplorer’s settings are made in the S by selecting the T

OOLS>SETTINGS menu command.

Figure 2-5. Xplorer’s Settings window

Getting started with Xplorer

ETTINGS window, which can be accessed

ETTINGS window has six thematic tabs, which contain properties and settings that

The S apply to Xplorer. A functional description of each setting is provided in a quick reference format in the following sections of the appendix chapter:

• “XMS settings” on page 6-8

• “Work Order settings” on page 6-9

• “Layout settings” on page 6-10

• “Publish Monitoring settings” on page 6-11

• “General settings” on page 6-12

• “Logging settings” on page 6-13

Some settings will require you to restart Xplorer for the changes to be applied.

Xplorer User Manual 2-7

Getting started with Xplorer

Xplorer’s Device Viewer displays all of the devices from the Xmedia Server.

Adding devices to Xplorer’s Device Viewer

Xplorer uses the Vertigo Suite’s Device Manager to identify the output devices that are available and associated with the Xmedia Server. The Device Manager contains the userdefined device configuration profiles that allow Vertigo Suite applications (i.e. Xplorer, Xstudio, Xplay...etc.) to connect to and communicate with specific output devices on the network.

Since several applications in the Vertigo Suite are capable of defining devices on the Xmedia Server, it is possible that the device configuration profiles of some of the devices on your network are already present in the Device Manager. As such, when you open Xplorer and it is connected to the Xmedia Server, the devices that already exist in the Xmedia Server will appear in Xplorer’s Device Viewer (figure 2-6 not contain an output device that you need, you must add the device’s configuration profile to the Device Manager.

). If the Device Viewer does

Figure 2-6. Xplorer’s Device Viewer is populated with the devices from the Xmedia Server

To add a device to Xplorer’s Device Viewer:

1. Select the T The DEVICE MANAGER window (Device Configuration) opens. Note that the Device Manager will display the device profiles that were previously

added to the Xmedia Server.

2-8 Xplorer User Manual

OOLS>CONFIGURE DEVICES menu command.

Getting started with Xplorer

2. Select the NEW button in the lower-left corner. The Device Configuration section (lower portion) immediately changes to become the

New Device Information section, which features two tabs (G

ENERAL and ADVANCED) upon

which are a series of empty fields for specifying the new device’s configuration details.

3. Specify the appropriate General Device Configuration settings:

Device name The name of the device. Note that the name cannot be modified after the device

configuration profile has been added to the Device Manager.

Device alias An optional field that provides an alternative name for the device on your network.

Description An optional field that lets you identify the device using a meaningful label. This is

helpful for distinguishing similar devices at your facility.

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

Choose from:

•V

ERTIGOXG

•INTUITIONXG

•PREVIEW (OR OTHER DEVICE)

MAGESTORE

•I

•INTUITION

•HMP

•FTP

•LGK

•DSK

THER

•O

NOTE: Always select PREVIEW (OR OTHER DEVICE) for Software CG devices.

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

must be available on the network.

OTE: The Control IP setting is not displayed when HMP is selected as the device

type.

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

the device.

OTE: The Control Port setting is not displayed when HMP is selected as the device

type.

Xplorer User Manual 2-9

Getting started with Xplorer

Publish IP The network location (IP address) or hostname of the of the machine to which

assets are published when publishing to the selected device. This is usually set to the same address as the Control IP. Note that the host must be available on the network.

OTE: The Publish IP setting is not displayed when VERTIGO XG, INTUITION XG or

NTUITION are selected as the device type.

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

value is set to 15000.

OTES:

• The Control Port setting is only displayed when P

REVIEW, FTP, HMP or OTHER

are selected as the device type.

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

Publish as Export

The Publish as Export setting is only displayed if FTP is the selected device type.

This setting publishes the asset in the Vertigo Export (.vex) zip file format. The VEX format is used by the File Ingest Service to import assets into the Xmedia Server.

4. Specify the appropriate Advanced Device Configuration settings:

Clip Template To take a clip to air in Xplay, the clip must be hosted in a template that contains a

clip object. This setting specifies the template that is used to host clips.

This is an optional field when using Xplorer. If this device profile is used by another Vertigo Suite application in the future, you can always return to the Device Manager and edit to profile to include this setting.

Cel Template

Image Tem pla te

To take a Cel animation or image to air in Xplay, the asset must be hosted in a template that contains a cel animation or image object. This setting specifies the template that is used to host cel animation or image.

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

when the CG output is keyed over the output of an ImageStore device. This allows specific commands to be sent to the external keyer through the CG.

OTE: The External Keyer setting is not displayed when FTP and HMP are selected

as the device type.

2-10 Xplorer User Manual

Getting started with Xplorer

Publish Master

When a publish master device is specified, all items that are published to the publish master are forwarded to the current device. This is a deprecated feature that has been kept for backward compatibility.

OTE: The Publish Master setting is only displayed when PREVIEW and OTHER are

selected as the device type.

5. Click SAVE and the device configuration profile is added to the Xmedia Server and displayed in the Device Manager.

6. Click Exit and the device is immediately added to Xplorer’s Device Viewer. In most cases, the device is automatically connected to Xplorer and is ready for use. If it is

not connected (red box around the device), see “Connecting a device to Xplorer” on page

2-12 for instructions on how to establish the connection.

Xplorer User Manual 2-11

Getting started with Xplorer

The red box around the device indicates that Xplorer is not currently connected to the device.

Connecting a device to Xplorer

In addition to being present in the Device Viewer, devices must also be actively connected to Xplorer to ensure proper communication between the two. In most cases, a device’s connection to Xplorer is automatic and maintained if the device is properly configured and running on an active network.

If for any reason, the connection between Xplorer and the device fails or is dropped, the Device Viewer alerts you of the failed connection by displaying a red box around the device. You can also see the connection status by hovering your cursor over the device (O

FFLINE).

Common reasons for losing the connection are that the output device or the machine hosting Xplorer has lost its network connection (network is down, IP address has changed or network cable disconnected) or the output device has been shutdown or has stopped.

To help you troubleshoot the connection failure, the Device Viewer contains the PING

EVICE menu command, which allows you to ping the device to verify the communication

path between the device and Xplorer.

NLINE or

To ping a device:

1. Right-click the device in Xplorer’s Device Viewer.

2. Select the PING DEVICE command.

ING window appears.

The P

3. Click the PING button. Xplorer attempts to ping the device and then displays its results.

If pinging the device results in a failure, open the D

EVICE MANAGER window and verify the

device’s configuration settings. If the settings are correct, then continue troubleshooting by verifying that the device is operating and that its cabling connections are proper.

Once the connection is re-established, Xplorer will automatically update the Device Viewer, or you can right-click on a device and select the R

2-12 Xplorer User Manual

ELOAD DEVICES command.

Getting started with Xplorer

Launching a device’s Dashboard from Xplorer

Xplorer allows you to launch a device’s Dashboard, which contains the device’s configuration settings. Figure 2-7 or Preview (Software CG) device in Xplorer’s Device view displays the L command.

Figure 2-7. Launching a device’s Dashboard from Xplorer

demonstrates that right-clicking a Vertigo XG, Intuition XG

AUNCH DASHBOARD

When the L and searches for the device on the specified machine and port. If the device is found, then it is shown in the Dashboard’s device list and its properties are displayed for editing. In the case of Intuition XG devices, the port specified in the device definition is the automation port on Xplay rather than the port belonging to an XG instance. Because of this, all ports are scanned on Intuition XG devices. If multiple XG instances are running they will all be shown in the device list.

Only one instance of the XG Dashboard may be running at a time. If you attempt to open an XG Dashboard when another instance is already running, Xplorer will display the following error message.

A Dashboard launched from Xplorer only targets a specific machine and the port behaves slightly differently from a dashboard launched from the XG control panel. The Device Discovery settings are ignored and an automatic scan is performed on the requested device. The device list is not saved on exit regardless of the value of the Auto-Save Device List on Exit setting. The Load Device List and S also disabled.

AUNCH DASHBOARD command is selected, the device’s XG Dashboard opens

AVE DEVICE LIST commands/buttons are

Xplorer User Manual 2-13

Getting started with Xplorer

2-14 Xplorer User Manual

3 BROWSING AND MANAGING MEDIA ON

THE XMEDIA SERVER AND OTHER DEVICES

As a media management application, Xplorer allows you to browse and manage the media content (assets) stored on the Xmedia Server, as well as the assets that have been published to and reside on other output devices.

The following sections describe how to use Xplorer to access and browse the content of the Xmedia Server and other devices. Also described are some of the administrative tasks that you can perform to help organize and maintain the media set on the Xmedia Server and/or devices.

• “Displaying the media contents of the XMS or a device” on page 3-2

• “Browsing the contents of the XMS or a device” on page 3-3

• “Searching for assets stored on the Xmedia Server” on page 3-5

• “Categorizing within the Xmedia Server” on page 3-6

• “Removing an asset from an XMS category or a device” on page 3-7

• “Deleting assets from the Xmedia Server or a device” on page 3-9

• “Renaming an asset” on page 3-10

• “Viewing and editing an asset’s properties” on page 3-11

• “Monitoring and managing a device’s disk space” on page 3-14

Xplorer User Manual 3-1

Browsing and managing media on the Xmedia Server and other devices

NOTE

Displaying the media contents of the XMS or a device

Despite being configured and connected to the Xmedia Server and several devices, Xplorer can only display the media content and work from the perspective of the Xmedia Server or one device at a time. As such, when you are working with Xplorer either the Xmedia Server (XMS) is selected or the selected device becomes Xplorer's active device.

The XMS icon and device icons in Xplorer’s Viewers act as buttons that you can click to determine whether to display and browse the contents of the Xmedia Server or a specific device. Once selected, an orange outline appears around the icon to identify that its content is currently being displayed in Xplorer.

When you select the XMS icon or a device’s icon, the Asset Browser immediately refreshes the categories and the assets are displayed in Xplorer’s Asset Browser and Asset Gallery. In addition to outlining the icon in the Viewers, the Asset Browser’s title bar also identifies the XMS or device.

See page 3-3 for information and instructions on how to browse the content of the XMS and devices.

3-2 Xplorer User Manual

Browsing and managing media on the Xmedia Server and other devices

NOTE

Proxy View

Detail View

Browsing the contents of the XMS or a device

When you select the XMS icon or a device’s icon in Xplorer’s Viewers, the categories and the assets displayed in Xplorer’s Asset Browser and Asset Gallery are immediately refreshed (see page 3-2). You can now browse the content by navigating through the hierarchical structure of root categories, subcategories and files.

Most asset types can be displayed in the Asset Gallery either as thumbnail images using

ROXY VIEW, or as detailed lists using DETAIL VIEW.

ETAIL VIEW lists the contents of the selected category/subcategory and provides

• D detailed information about your assets, including name, format, author, description, and date modified.

ROXY VIEW displays the contents of the selected category/subcategory as thumbnail

• P images so you can quickly identify the individual assets.

The size at which the thumbnail images are displayed can be edited using the THUMBNAIL SIZE setting (TOOLS>SETTINGS>LAYOUT). See “Layout settings” on page 6-10 for more information.

Not all assets can be viewed in proxy mode. Since proxy view displays the assets using thumbnail images to preview the asset, the asset must have an image or visual component associated to it.

Asset types that can be viewed as Proxies include:

Audio, Fonts, Scenes, Templates, Pages, Images, Cel Animations, Clips, Panels, Generic and Xmedia Objects

Asset types that cannot

Jobs, Work Orders, Playlists, Rundowns, Segments, Scripts and Lookup Tables

Xplorer User Manual 3-3

be viewed as Proxies include:

Browsing and managing media on the Xmedia Server and other devices

NOTE

To display the contents of the XMS or a device:

1. Select the Xmedia Server or device by clicking the XMS icon or device’s icon in the Viewers.

Upon selecting the icon, the Asset Browser refreshes and displays the Asset categories for the XMS or the device.

If the desired device is not listed in the Device Viewer, or if the device is disconnected, see page

2-8 and page 2-12 for instructions on how to add, configure and connect a device to Xplorer.

2. Select the desired asset category icon and navigate through the subcategory folders by selecting the + symbol to expand the category, or select a subcategory.

The contents of the category are immediately displayed in the Asset Gallery.

3. Select either the P toolbar to select the view format of the Asset Gallery.

4. Repeat step 2 to browse through the contents of various asset types and categories.

5. To browse the contents of another device, repeat steps 1 to 4.

If you are not able to locate a particular asset or set of assets on the Xmedia Server by simply browsing through the Asset Browser and Asset Gallery, you can use Xplorer’s Search tool to find it. See “Appendix B - Searching for assets stored on the XMS” on page

7-1 for more information.

ROXY VIEW or the DETAIL VIEW buttons from Xplorer’s

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Browsing and managing media on the Xmedia Server and other devices

NOTE

Searching for assets stored on the Xmedia Server

While Xplorer’s Asset Browser and Asset Gallery provide you with convenient access to the assets on your Xmedia Server, you may also want to find or sort assets based on common themes or characteristics. For this reason, Xplorer offers a Search tool, which allows you to quickly search and find assets on the Xmedia Server by specifying search criteria based on asset properties and meta data. When a query is performed, the Search tool returns a listing of the assets that match the search criteria.

To open Xplorer’s Search Tool, simply click the S

Figure 3-1. Xplorer’s Search Tool

See “Appendix B - Searching for assets stored on the XMS” on page 7-1 for a full description and instructions for using Xplorer’s Search Tool.

EARCH icon in the Xplorer toolbar.

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Browsing and managing media on the Xmedia Server and other devices

NOTE

Categorizing within the Xmedia Server

An asset may be placed in one or more categories in the Xmedia Server. You can change the set of categories where the asset resides using the C

While assets can be recategorized within the Xmedia Server, you cannot use Xplorer to recategorize assets directly from within the device.

To move or add an asset to another category within the same Xmedia Server device:

1. Select the XMS device from the Device Viewer.

2. Select the root category in the Asset Browser and navigate to the asset that is to be moved or added to another category.

3. Right-click on the asset in the Asset Gallery and select the C The RECATEGORIZE window appears, which displays the current location(s) of the

asset, as well as all of the possible categories where the asset can reside.

ATEGORIZE command.

4. Select the category, or multiple categories, where you want the asset to be located. Note that you can remove the asset from its current category by deselecting the category (see note below).

You are not permitted to deselect all categories before committing to this change otherwise the asset might be orphaned it would not have an assigned category to reside in and therefore be invisible to the Asset Browser.

5. Click OK and the asset is immediately moved to the specified categories.

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