Pinnacle Systems iNews Command - 1.0 Administrator’s Guide

Avid® iNEWS® Command

Administration Guide

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make manage move | media

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Avid

Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part of Avid Technology, Inc.

The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. You can obtain a copy of that license by visiting Avid's Web site at www.avid.com. The terms of that license are also available in the product in the same directory as the software. The software may not be reverse assembled and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the license agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement.

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This document is protected under copyright law. An authorized licensee of Avid iNEWS Command may reproduce this publication for the licensee’s own use in learning how to use the software. This document may not be reproduced or distributed, in whole or in part, for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this document or providing support or educational services to others. This document is supplied as a guide for Avid iNEWS Command. Reasonable care has been taken in preparing the information it contains. However, this document may contain omissions, technical inaccuracies, or typographical errors. Avid Technology, Inc. does not accept responsibility of any kind for customers’ losses due to the use of this document. Product specifications are subject to change without notice.

Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software [i.e., the TIFF library] and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that (i) the above copyright notices and this permission notice appear in all copies of the software and related documentation, and (ii) the names of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics may not be used in any advertising or publicity relating to the software without the specific, prior written permission of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

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The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:

Portions of this software are based on work of the Independent JPEG Group.

The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:

Portions of this software licensed from Paradigm Matrix.

The following disclaimer is required by Ray Sauers Associates, Inc.:

“Install-It” is licensed from Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. End-User is prohibited from taking any action to derive a source code equivalent of “Install-It,” including by reverse assembly or reverse compilation, Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. shall in no event be liable for any damages resulting from reseller’s failure to perform reseller’s obligation; or any damages arising from use or operation of reseller’s products or the software; or any other damages, including but not limited to, incidental, direct, indirect, special or consequential Damages including lost profits, or damages resulting from loss of use or inability to use reseller’s products or the software for any reason including copyright or patent infringement, or lost data, even if Ray Sauers Associates has been advised, knew or should have known of the possibility of such damages.

The following disclaimer is required by Videomedia, Inc.:

“Videomedia, Inc. makes no warranties whatsoever, either express or implied, regarding this product, including warranties with respect to its merchantability or its fitness for any particular purpose.”

“This software contains V-LAN ver. 3.0 Command Protocols which communicate with V-LAN ver. 3.0 products developed by Videomedia, Inc. and V-LAN ver. 3.0 compatible products developed by third parties under license from Videomedia, Inc. Use of this software will allow “frame accurate” editing control of applicable videotape recorder decks, videodisc recorders/players and the like.”

The following disclaimer is required by Altura Software, Inc. for the use of its Mac2Win software and Sample Source Code:

Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend

U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. This Software and its documentation are “commercial computer software” or “commercial computer software documentation.” In the event that such Software or documentation is acquired by or on behalf of a unit or agency of the U.S. Government, all rights with respect to this Software and documentation are subject to the terms of the License Agreement, pursuant to FAR §12.212(a) and/or DFARS §227.7202-1(a), as applicable.

Trademarks

888 I/O, Adrenaline, AirPlay, AirSPACE, AirSPACE HD, AirSpeed, AniMatte, AudioSuite, AudioVision, AutoSync, Avid, Avid DNA, Avid DNxcel, Avid DNxHD, AVIDdrive, AVIDdrive Towers, Avid ISIS, Avid Learning Excellerator, Avid Liquid, Avid Mojo, AvidNet, AvidNetwork, AVIDstripe, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid Xpress, AVoption, AVX, CamCutter, ChromaCurve, ChromaWheel, DAE, Dazzle, Deko, DekoCast, D-Fi, D-fx, DigiDelivery, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, DigiDrive, Digital Nonlinear Accelerator, DigiTranslator, DINR, DNxchange, do more, D-Verb, Equinox, ExpertRender, Face Robot, FieldPak, Film Composer, FilmScribe, FluidMotion, HIIP, HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM, IllusionFX, Image Independence, iNEWS, iNEWS ControlAir, Instinct, Intraframe, iS9, iS18, iS23, iS36, LaunchPad, Lightning, Lo-Fi, Magic Mask, make manage move | media, Marquee, Matador, Maxim, MCXpress, Media Browse, Media Composer, MediaDock, MediaDock Shuttle, Media Fusion, Media Illusion, MediaLog, Media Reader, Media Recorder, MEDIArray, MediaShare, MediaStream, Meridien, MetaSync, MissionControl, NaturalMatch, Nearchive, NetReview, NewsCutter, Nitris, OMF, OMF Interchange, OMM, Open Media Framework, Open Media Management, PCTV, Pinnacle MediaSuite, Pinnacle Studio, Pinnacle Systems, ProEncode, Pro Tools, QuietDrive, Recti-Fi, RetroLoop, rS9, rS18, Sci-Fi, SecureProductionEnvironment, Show Center, Softimage, Sound Designer II, SPACE, SPACEShift, SpectraGraph, SpectraMatte, SteadyGlide, Symphony, TARGA, Thunder, Trilligent, UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Video RAID, Video Slave Driver, VideoSPACE, and Xdeck are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

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Footage

Arizona Images — KNTV Production — Courtesy of Granite Broadcasting, Inc., Editor/Producer Bryan Foote. Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior. Tornados + Belle Isle footage — Courtesy of KWTV News 9. WCAU Fire Story — Courtesy of NBC-10, Philadelphia, PA. Women in Sports – Paragliding — Courtesy of Legendary Entertainment, Inc.

GOT FOOTAGE?

Editors — Filmmakers — Special Effects Artists — Game Developers — Animators — Educators — Broadcasters — Content creators of every genre — Just finished an incredible project and want to share it with the world?

Send us your reels and we may use your footage in our show reel or demo!*

For a copy of our release and Avid’s mailing address, go to www.avid.com/footage.

*Note: Avid cannot guarantee the use of materials submitted.

Avid iNEWS Command v1.0 Administration Guide • 0130-07913-01 Rev. A • June 2007

Using This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Who Should Use This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

How to Order Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Avid Educational Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Chapter 1 Introduction to iNEWS Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Overview of the System Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Architecture and Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Security via Administrator Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Starting Command at a Workstation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Overview of the User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Playlist Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Menu Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Disabling a Command Workstation’s Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 2 iNEWS Command Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Main Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Device Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Redundancy/Failover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Non-redundant services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Viewing Status of Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Starting and Stopping Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Chapter 3 System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Viewing System Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Channel Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Creating Channel Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Editing Channel Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Deleting Channel Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Indices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Programming the X-keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Assigning Channel-Specific Actions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Device Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

MOS Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Playlist Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Environments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Playout Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Autocue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

As-run Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Inventory Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

GPI Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Mapping GPI Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Enabling the GPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Importing and Exporting System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Chapter 4 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Support Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Standard Information to Include Regardless of Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Failover and Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Miscellaneous Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Appendix A Avid Interplay Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Using This Guide

Congratulations on your purchase of your Avid iNEWS Command system.

Avid iNEWS Command offers a considerable amount of functionality for the state-of-the-art newsroom, including newsroom system integration and playout control. With Command, newsroom personnel can easily create and manage playlists.

This publication provides information on how to use the Command system.

The documentation describes the standard features of a basic system configuration. Therefore, your system might contain certain features and hardware that are not covered in the documentation.

Who Should Use This Guide

This guide is written for system administrators and various technical personnel responsible for managing the Command system in a broadcast newsroom. This guide is intended for advanced users.

It is strongly recommended that system users have prior experience in or classroom knowledge of Windows-based operating systems and networking.

About This Guide

This guide leads you through even the most complex procedures with task-oriented instructions, illustrated for a more realistic presentation of the actual icons and images you encounter. The information provides basic user procedures, while adding a complete explanation of all the tools and techniques required to create, apply, and adjust various settings, including useful tips, shortcuts, and custom options.

The Contents lists all topics included in the book. They are presented with the following overall structure:

• The Introduction helps you get oriented with beginning concepts and general workflow and provides valuable pointers to keep in the back of your mind as you proceed.

Using This Guide

• The main body of the guide follows the natural flow of your work, with clear and comprehensive step-by-step procedures.

• Finally, a detailed Index helps you quickly locate specific topics.

This guide provides instruction for your system in the following areas:

• An overview of system architecture, services, and workflow

• Various administrative procedures for iNEWS Command as well as other systems and devices with which it interfaces

Symbols and Conventions

Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

> This symbol indicates menu commands (and subcommands) in the

Italic font Italic font is used to emphasize certain words and to indicate variables.

Courier Bold font

Ctrl+key or mouse action Press and hold the first key while you press the last key or perform the

A note provides important related information, reminders, recommendations, and strong suggestions.

A caution means that a specific action you take could cause harm to your computer or cause you to lose data.

A warning describes an action that could cause you physical harm. Follow the guidelines in this document or on the unit itself when handling electrical equipment.

order you select them. For example, File > Import means to open the File menu and then select the Import command.

This symbol indicates a single-step procedure. Multiple arrows in a list indicate that you perform one of the actions listed.

Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

mouse action. For example, Ctrl+drag or Ctrl+S. This also applies to Alt and Shift keys.

If You Need Help

If you are having trouble using the Avid iNEWS Command system:

1. Retry the action, carefully following the instructions given for that task in this guide. It is especially important to check each step of your workflow.

2. Check for the latest information in one of two locations:

- If release notes are available, they ship with your application.

- If ReadMe files are available, they are supplied in your Avid application folder.

If You Need Help

Release notes and ReadMe files are also available on the Avid Knowledge Base.

3. Check any printed documentation that came with your Avid application or your hardware for maintenance or hardware-related issues.

4. Visit the online Knowledge Base at are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Search this online Knowledge Base to find answers, to view error messages, to access troubleshooting tips, to download updates, and to read/join online message-board discussions.

5. For Technical Support, call 800-800-AVID (800-800-2843). For Broadcast On-Air Sites and Call Letter Stations, call

800-NEWSDNG (800-639-7364).

For the latest product information, see the Avid Knowledge Base:

www.avid.com/onlinesupport

How to Order Documentation

To order additional copies of any Avid documentation from within the United States, call Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843). If you are placing an order from outside the United States, contact your local Avid representative.

Avid Educational Services

www.avid.com/onlinesupport

. Online services

For information on courses/schedules, training centers, certifications, courseware, and books, visit (800-949-2843).

www.avid.com/training

or call Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID

Using This Guide

Chapter 1

Introduction to iNEWS Command

Avid iNEWS Command is a device automation system that integrates with any iNEWS or MOS-enabled newsroom computer system (NRCS) and provides broadcasters precise control over a range of playout devices, including video servers, still stores, and character generators in a broadcast news environment. Backup services and mirrored playout make this system reliable while the user interface allows you to control multiple production devices. Avid iNEWS Command also works with Avid Interplay Framework applications and services to ensure you always have the best system performance.

This chapter contains the following main sections:

• Overview of the System Architecture

- Architecture and Workflow

- Features

• Security via Administrator Password

• Starting Command at a Workstation

• Overview of the User Interface

Chapter 1 Introduction to iNEWS Command

Overview of the System Architecture

The basic iNEWS Command system is comprised of iNEWS Command Servers, workstations that run the client software, and devices, such as Avid AirSpeed video servers, Thunder production servers and Deko character generators. The system is designed to be an extension of your current Avid system. It allows you to receive playlists from Avid iNEWS while controlling your video and graphics devices. The iNEWS Command system supports industry standard protocols making it compatible with many other products.

For newscast control your iNEWS Command system provides automated playlists, tracks script changes, and automates control of production and playback devices including video servers, still stores, and character generators. It integrates with the iNEWS rundown—or any other MOS-enabled newsroom computer system—allowing a producer to change a show while it is on air, and reflecting those changes in their iNEWS Command system. MOS commands are supported so that journalists can use MOS plug-ins within the newsroom computer system script. Production playout devices, including Avid Deko and Avid Thunder on-air graphics solutions and AirSpeed video servers, are triggered based on the events in the rundown.

News graphic and text templates for news elements can include logos and station IDs, lower-third captions or superimposed graphics, and full-screen backgrounds with text. Journalists, using iNEWS newsroom computer system, fill in the templates and insert them into their stories either manually, by using a macro, or by using the iNEWS Title Entry tool. They may also include clips and stills in their script by entering the ID of the of the graphic in the story as a production cue. At air time an iNEWS Command operator triggers the graphics playlist, which is synchronized with the iNEWS rundown.

Architecture and Workflow

Avid iNEWS Command is scalable and can adapt to work in traditional newsroom-based playlist creation to production-centric workflows where running orders are created inside the Command Workstation. All of the components can run on a single computer, or they can be spread out across multiple computers with redundant services configured to take control if the primary services should become unavailable.

Overview of the System Architecture

An example of a basic Command system architecture is shown in the following illustration:

In the most common news workflow, playlists are created using the iNEWS newsroom computer system and the video and graphic assets are referenced in stories using their IDs or by dragging and dropping them from an Active-X plugin.

Standalone playlists can be created and saved for later use. Multiple playlists can be embedded in a single running order. You can set assets within a playlist to playback at a specified time, or you can set groups of assets to play in follow-on mode.

Chapter 1 Introduction to iNEWS Command

A basic workflow is shown in the following illustration.

Features

The Avid iNEWS Command system provides the features described in the following table.

Feature Description

Playlist Functionality You can load a playlist from the newsroom computer system, or create the

playlist manually within Avid iNEWS Command. This provides the flexibility to control event playout locally, at the desktop, or from a rundown. You can also embed playlists within other playlists, which allows for seamless transitions between shows or segments produced by separate editorial teams.

Manual and Automated Triggering

Mirrored Playout This allows a single Play command to initiate playback on two channels

Advanced Playback Feature You can cue items as needed if and when playlists change, and provide

Items can be played back manually by the operator, triggered via GPI, or automatically played based on the time of day. This provides total integration with the facility, its systems, processes, and staff.

simultaneously. This functionality is essential for redundancy/failover operations.

simultaneous playback while video files are still being transferred, saving time.

Overview of the System Architecture

Feature (Continued) Description (Continued)

Flexible Integration You can configure the Avid iNEWS Command system to control any

combination of Avid Thunder, Avid AirSpeed, and Avid Deko systems that are operating in an Avid iNEWS, ENPS, or other MOS environment.

User Interface The intuitive user interface provides visual tools, including clocks that show

time elapsed and time remaining, channel assignments for easy identification of transmission paths, and color-coded status indicators that illustrate the inventory of assets based on availability and playability on all devices. This improves operation, reduces training time, and ensures complete synchronization of devices with the playlist

Status Updates Reflects playability status of inventory assets; display of playout and

channel group lock status; and status-based colors and fonts for stories and items at a glance. These status updates speed up decision-making saving time, while maintaining accuracy.

Chapter 1 Introduction to iNEWS Command

Security via Administrator Password

Modifying system settings in Avid iNEWS Command requires an administrator password (if set), which is configured through the Service Configuration application of Avid Interplay Framework. For more information about Avid Interplay Framework, see Appendix A.

To set up or change the system administration password:

1. Click the Start button and select Programs > Avid > Interplay Framework > Avid Interplay Service Configuration.

2. On the Hosts tab, navigate to and select the Avid System Configuration Service.

3. Select the Administrator Password tab.

4. Type in an alpha-numeric password and retype it.

5. Click Apply.

Click the Reset button to restore the default “blank” password.

Starting Command at a Workstation

While some administration tasks require a password—if the administrator password is set up—the Avid iNEWS Command client application at a workstation requires no password to log in and is easy to start.

To start iNEWS Command at a workstation:

1. Do one of the following:

t Double click the iNEWS Command icon on the desktop.

t Click the Start button and select Programs > Avid > Avid iNEWS Command.

The iNEWS Command window opens as shown in the following illustration:

Menu bar

Panels

Status bar

Playlist Viewer

Workspace

Inventory Explorer

Chapter 1 Introduction to iNEWS Command

Overview of the User Interface

The Avid iNEWS Command window is the graphical user interface that contains , the Playlist Viewer, panels, a menu bar, status bar, and a workspace area.

Playlist Viewer

The Playlist Viewer is a customizable area of the window used to view and manage playlists for on-air playout. The window can also have different playlists open simultaneously. All are accessible through tabs located at the top of the Playlist Viewer.

For more information about the Playlist Viewer used in iNEWS Command, see Avid iNEWS Command User’s Guide.

Panels

Panels are components that provide information in various ways.The iNEWS Command window contains panels that you can dock, undock, move, resize, or even hide from view. Each panel is easily identified by the name appearing in its title bar.

For more information about the panels, including the Inventory panel and Playlist Explorer, used in iNEWS Command, see Avid iNEWS Command User’s Guide.

Menu Bar

The menu bar for iNEWS Command contains the following:

•File

•Edit

•View

• Playlist

•Item

• Tools

•Help

Each menu, its options and descriptions are described in the following tables:

Menu Submenu Menu Option Description

File New Playlist Opens the Create New Playlist dialog box.

Overview of the User Interface

Menu Submenu Menu Option Description (Continued)

Story Opens a Create New Story dialog box.

File Exit Closes the Command program.

Edit Cut Cut selection.

Copy Copy selection.

Paste Paste selection.

Delete Delete selection.

View Playlist Explorer Displays or closes the Playlist Explorer.

Inventory Displays or closes the Inventory.

Shotbox Displays or closes the Shotbox displayed at the top

of the Workspace.

Clock Displays or closes the Clock.

Media Viewer Displays or closes the Media Viewer.

Alerts Displays or closes the Alerts.

Playlist View Next Displays next playlist

Previous Displays previous playlist

Set Focus Sets the keyboard focus to the active view.

Close Closes the current playlist.

Close All Closes all playlists.

Playlist Select Next item Select next item in current playlist.

Previous Item Select previous item in current playlist.

Next Row Select next item in current playlist.

Item After Story Select next item after story.

Playlist Edit Edit Selection Edit current selection in playlist.

Edit Story Edit story in playlist.

Playlist Insert New Story Insert new ptory.

New Break Insert new break.

Playlist Channel Assign Assign channel.

Chapter 1 Introduction to iNEWS Command

Menu Submenu Menu Option Description (Continued)

Playlist Playout Cue Cue media in a playlist.

Play Play media in a playlist.

Pause Pause media playing in a playlist.

Stop Stops media from playing.

Media Go To Mark In Go to the marked In point.

Go To Mark Out Go to marked Out point.

Set Mark In Mark the In point.

Set Mark Out Mark the Out point.

Forward One Frame Move forward one frame.

Forward One

Move forward one second.

Second

Forward ten

Move forward ten seconds.

Seconds

Backward One

Move backward one frame.

Frame

Backward One

Move backward one second.

Second

Backward Ten

Move backward ten seconds.

Seconds

Restart Restart media.

Tools Options Opens the Options dialog box.

Settings Opens the System Settings dialog box.

Help About Display information about iNEWS Command.

Contents Displays help information for users.

Support Opens the Support dialog box.

Disabling a Command Workstation’s Keyboard

Some sites use alternative devices to control playout from Command, such as a GPI device or an X-keys USB keypad, and therefore do not want the computer keyboard at the workstation enabled.

To enable or disable the keyboard:

1. Select Tools > Options.

2. In Category, select Keyboard.

3. Do one of the following:

t Select Enable keyboard. t Deselect Enable keyboard.

4. Click Apply.

5. Click OK.

If the keyboard is disabled, the numeric keypad cannot be used to control playout from the Command Workstation. Disabling the keyboard does not affect the use of the keyboard for software on the workstation PC unrelated to the Command client software.

Chapter 1 Introduction to iNEWS Command

Chapter 2

iNEWS Command Services

The services for iNEWS Command enable it to interface with newsroom computer systems as well as providing for playlist control. Some of the services can be defined as Main services—those responsible for communicating with newsroom computer systems and for playlist control. Other services are known as Device services—those responsible for controlling other devices, such as video servers, still stores, and character generators in a broadcast news environment.

Avid iNEWS Command uses Avid Interplay Framework applications and services to monitor and manage Command services.

This chapter contains the following main sections:

• Main Services

• Device Services

• Redundancy/Failover

• Viewing Status of Services

• Starting and Stopping Services

Chapter 2 iNEWS Command Services

Main Services

The main services are vital components that enable interfacing with a newsroom system, as well as playlist control.

It is best to dedicate a computer to be a Command Server. Avid does not recommend running the main services on a workstation, Thunder, or Deko. See “Redundancy/Failover” on

page 25 for more information.

The two services that pertain to newsroom computer system interfacing are:

• Avid iNEWS Communication Service—An iNEWS Command system uses this

service as the communication portal to load and unload iNEWS rundowns from an iNEWS workstation. The service receives playlist messages from iNEWS, distributes them to the appropriate Command components, and reports item status and inventory messages back to iNEWS. A single iNEWS Command system can have multiple Communication services for redundancy.

• Avid MOS Communication Service—An iNEWS Command system uses this service

to load and unload rundowns from a MOS-compliant newsroom system, such as ENPS. The service receives MOS playlist messages from the newsroom computer system, distributes them to the appropriate Command components, and reports item status and inventory messages back to newsroom computer system. A single iNEWS Command system can have multiple MOS services. This service is server specific, meaning that services on different computers act independently. In a failover scenario, if the Command playlist becomes disconnected, users can continue playout functions. To get an updated playlist, the user must perform a MOS redirection in the MOS-based newsroom computer system to the Command Server running the now primary MOS Communcation service.

The services related to playlist control are:

• Avid Playlist Controller—The playlist controller drives playout of the media on a

locked channel group from the playlist it controls. When one or more channel groups are locked, a playlist controller is allocated by the Playlist Manager. A single iNEWS Command system can have multiple primary playlist controllers and several backups. One playlist controller is necessary for each concurrently loaded playlist. Separate controllers are not needed to control embedded playlists.

• Avid Playlist Manager—This service assigns a playlist controller (and its backup, if

any) to a playlist when the first channel group is locked. It also manages the locks on channel groups. Playlists that have locked channel groups are prevented from being deleted. An iNEWS Command system can only have one primary Playlist Manager, but might have others as backups.

• Avid Pl a y l ist Store—This service is the data store or respository for all loaded

(newsroom) playlists and standalone playlists. It communicates playlist changes to other Command components. An iNEWS Command system can only have one primary Playlist Store, but might have others as backups.

The services related to inventory are:

• Avid Inventory Manager—This service maintains an inventory of media metadata for

all physical devices connected to any channel group in an iNEWS Command system. This inventory is sent to the Inventory Manager via the individual device services. An iNEWS Command system can only have one active Inventory Manager, but might have backups.

Device Services

The Device services are those services responsible for controlling other devices, such as video servers, still stores, and character generators in a broadcast news environment.

• Avid AirSpeed Device Service—This service provides control of a single AirSpeed

high resolution video server. One is required for each AirSpeed, but a site can also have multiple backups. It runs on the iNEWS Command servers, not on the device like other device services.

Device Services

• Avid Deko Device Service—This service provides control of a single Deko device. One

is required for each Deko device. It runs on the device (Deko Server).

• Avid Thunder Device Service—This service provides control of a single Thunder

device. One is required for each Thunder device. It runs on the device (Thunder Server).

• Avid GPI Device Service—This service interfaces to a GPI input card on the server.

• Avid Maney Panel Service—This service interfaces to a Maney panel.

Redundancy/Failover

Avid iNEWS Command services operate on a primary/backup basis. There can be only one primary service, but there can be several backup services. Avid does not recommend running the Command services on a workstation, Deko, or Thunder. It is best to have a dedicated computer be a Command Server and, for additional system integrity, use multiple Command Servers—one running all of the primary services while the backup services run on other backup servers.

Command determines primary and backup based on the length of time the service has been running. The server that has been running longer is the primary. Therefore, to get all primary services on one server, it is necessary to start the primary server first; when all services have

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