Pinnacle Systems iNews Command - 3.1 Administrator’s Guide

Avid® iNEWS® Command

Administration Guide

Legal Notices

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

This product is subject to the terms and conditions of a software license agreement provided with the software. The product may only be used in accordance with the license agreement.

This product may be protected by one or more U.S. and non-U.S patents. Details are available at www.avid.com/patents.

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.

The following disclaimer is required by Apple Computer, Inc.:

APPLE COMPUTER, 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. THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES IS NOT PERMITTED BY SOME STATES. THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THIS WARRANTY PROVIDES YOU WITH SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS. THERE MAY BE OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.

The following disclaimer is required by Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics, Inc. for the use of their TIFF library:

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.

IN NO EVENT SHALL SAM LEFFLER OR SILICON GRAPHICS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER OR NOT ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE, AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:

This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.

This Software may contain components licensed under the following conditions:

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms are permitted provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are duplicated in all such forms and that any documentation, advertising materials, and other materials related to such distribution and use acknowledge that the software was developed by the University of California, Berkeley. The name of the University may not be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED ``AS IS'' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. This software is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.

Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation, and that the name of Daniel Dardailler not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the software without specific, written prior permission. Daniel Dardailler makes no representations about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.

Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any purpose without fee is hereby granted, provided that this entire notice is included in all copies of any software which is or includes a copy or modification of this software and in all copies of the supporting documentation for such software.

THIS SOFTWARE IS BEING PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY. IN PARTICULAR, NEITHER THE AUTHOR NOR AT&T MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND CONCERNING THE MERCHANTABILITY OF THIS SOFTWARE OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

This product includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley and its contributors.

The following disclaimer is required by Nexidia Inc.:

© 2010 Nexidia Inc. All rights reserved, worldwide. Nexidia and the Nexidia logo are trademarks of Nexidia Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All Nexidia materials regardless of form, including without limitation, software applications, documentation and any other information relating to Nexidia Inc., and its products and services are the exclusive property of Nexidia Inc. or its licensors. The Nexidia products and services described in these materials may be covered by Nexidia's United States patents: 7,231,351; 7,263,484; 7,313,521; 7,324,939; 7,406,415, 7,475,065; 7,487,086 and/or other patents pending and may be manufactured under license from the Georgia Tech Research Corporation USA.

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:

The following disclaimer is required by Ultimatte Corporation:

Certain real-time compositing capabilities are provided under a license of such technology from Ultimatte Corporation and are subject to copyright protection.

The following disclaimer is required by 3Prong.com Inc.:

Certain waveform and vector monitoring capabilities are provided under a license from 3Prong.com Inc.

The following disclaimer is required by Interplay Entertainment Corp.:

The “Interplay” name is used with the permission of Interplay Entertainment Corp., which bears no responsibility for Avid products.

This product includes portions of the Alloy Look & Feel software from Incors GmbH.

This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).

This product may include the JCifs library, for which the following notice applies:

Avid Interplay contains components licensed from LavanTech. These components may only be used as part of and in connection with Avid Interplay.

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

003, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, Adrenaline, AirSpeed, ALEX, Alienbrain, AME, AniMatte, Archive, Archive II, Assistant Station, AudioPages, AudioStation, AutoLoop, AutoSync, Avid, Avid Active, Avid Advanced Response, Avid DNA, Avid DNxcel, Avid DNxHD, Avid DS Assist Station, Avid Ignite, Avid Liquid, Avid Media Engine, Avid Media Processor, Avid MEDIArray, Avid Mojo, Avid Remote Response, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid VideoRAID, AvidRAID, AvidShare, AVIDstripe, AVX, Beat Detective, Beauty Without The Bandwidth, Beyond Reality, BF Essentials, Bomb Factory, Bruno, C|24, CaptureManager, ChromaCurve, ChromaWheel, Cineractive Engine, Cineractive Player, Cineractive Viewer, Color Conductor, Command|24, Command|8, Control|24, Cosmonaut Voice, CountDown, d2, d3, DAE, D-Command, D-Control, Deko, DekoCast, D-Fi, D-fx, Digi 002, Digi 003, DigiBase, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign Development Partners, Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction, Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiLink, DigiMeter, DigiPanner, DigiProNet, DigiRack, DigiSerial, DigiSnake, DigiSystem, Digital Choreography, Digital Nonlinear Accelerator, DigiTest, DigiTranslator, DigiWear, DINR, DNxchange, Do More, DPP-1, D-Show, DSP Manager, DS-StorageCalc, DV Toolkit, DVD Complete, D-Verb, Eleven, EM, Euphonix, EUCON, EveryPhase, Expander, ExpertRender, Fader Pack, Fairchild, FastBreak, Fast Track, Film Cutter, FilmScribe, Flexevent, FluidMotion, Frame Chase, FXDeko, HD Core, HD Process, HDpack, Home-to-Hollywood, HYBRID, HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM, iKnowledge, Image Independence, Impact, Improv, iNEWS, iNEWS Assign, iNEWS ControlAir, InGame, Instantwrite, Instinct, Intelligent Content Management, Intelligent Digital Actor Technology, IntelliRender, Intelli-Sat, Intelli-sat Broadcasting Recording Manager, InterFX, Interplay, inTONE, Intraframe, iS Expander, iS9, iS18, iS23, iS36, ISIS, IsoSync, LaunchPad, LeaderPlus, LFX, Lightning, Link & Sync, ListSync, LKT-200, Lo-Fi, MachineControl, Magic Mask, Make Anything Hollywood, make manage move | media, Marquee, MassivePack, Massive Pack Pro, Maxim, Mbox, Media Composer, MediaFlow, MediaLog, MediaMix, Media Reader, Media Recorder, MEDIArray, MediaServer, MediaShare, MetaFuze, MetaSync, MIDI I/O, Mix Rack, Moviestar, MultiShell, NaturalMatch, NewsCutter, NewsView, NewsVision, Nitris, NL3D, NLP, NSDOS, NSWIN, OMF, OMF Interchange, OMM, OnDVD, Open Media Framework, Open Media Management, Painterly Effects, Palladium, Personal Q, PET, Podcast Factory, PowerSwap, PRE, ProControl, ProEncode, Profiler, Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro Transfer, QuickPunch, QuietDrive, Realtime Motion Synthesis, Recti-Fi, Reel Tape Delay, Reel Tape Flanger, Reel Tape Saturation, Reprise, Res Rocket Surfer, Reso, RetroLoop, Reverb One, ReVibe, Revolution, rS9, rS18, RTAS, Salesview, Sci-Fi, Scorch, ScriptSync, SecureProductionEnvironment, Serv|GT, Serv|LT, Shape-to-Shape, ShuttleCase, Sibelius, SimulPlay, SimulRecord, Slightly Rude Compressor, Smack!, Soft SampleCell, Soft-Clip Limiter, SoundReplacer, SPACE, SPACEShift, SpectraGraph, SpectraMatte, SteadyGlide, Streamfactory, Streamgenie, StreamRAID, SubCap, Sundance, Sundance Digital, SurroundScope, Symphony, SYNC HD, SYNC I/O, Synchronic, SynchroScope, Syntax, TDM FlexCable, TechFlix, Tel-Ray, Thunder, TimeLiner, Titansync, Titan, TL Aggro, TL AutoPan, TL Drum Rehab, TL Everyphase, TL Fauxlder, TL In Tune, TL MasterMeter, TL Metro, TL Space, TL Utilities, tools for storytellers, Transit, TransJammer, Trillium Lane Labs, TruTouch, UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Video the Web Way, VideoRAID, VideoSPACE, VTEM, Work-N-Play, Xdeck, X-Form, Xmon and XPAND! are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Footage

Arri — Courtesy of Arri/Fauer — John Fauer, Inc. Bell South “Anticipation” — Courtesy of Two Headed Monster — Tucker/Wayne Atlanta/GMS. Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior. Eco Challenge British Columbia — Courtesy of Eco Challenge Lifestyles, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Eco Challenge Morocco — Courtesy of Discovery Communications, Inc. It’s Shuttletime — Courtesy of BCP & Canadian Airlines. Nestlé Coffee Crisp — Courtesy of MacLaren McCann Canada. Saturn “Calvin Egg” — Courtesy of Cossette Communications. “Tigers: Tracking a Legend” — Courtesy of www.wildlifeworlds.com, Carol Amore, Executive Producer. "The Big Swell" — Courtesy of Swell Pictures, Inc. Windhorse — Courtesy of Paul Wagner Productions.

Arizona Images — KNTV Production — Courtesy of Granite Broadcasting, Inc., Editor/Producer Bryan Foote. Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior. Ice Island — Courtesy of Kurtis Productions, Ltd. 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.

News material provided by WFTV Television 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 v3.1 Administrator’s Guide • 9329-65263-00 Rev A •

Using This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Avid Training Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 1 Introduction to iNEWS Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Overview of the System Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Architecture and Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Command with Avid Deko Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Security via Administrator Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Starting Command at a Workstation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Overview of the User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Playlist Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Menu Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Disabling a Command Workstation’s Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Chapter 2 iNEWS Command Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Main Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Device Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Framework Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Redundancy/Failover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Non-redundant services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Viewing Status of Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Starting and Stopping Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Chapter 3 System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Viewing System Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Channel Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Device Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Creating Channel Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Editing Channel Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Deleting Channel Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Ripple Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Indices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Programming the X-keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

MOS Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Configuring Command for MOS Redirection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Playlist Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Graphics Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Graphic Title Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Loading a Shotbox from iNEWS or NRCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Playout Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

As-run Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Recue Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Cue Fail Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Autocue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Inventory Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Enabling Mark In Points from Avid iNEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Enabling Loop Count from Avid iNEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

GPI Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Mapping Events to Actions for a GPI Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Enabling the GPI Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Tally Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Privileges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

System Alias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Importing and Exporting System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Chapter 4 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Support Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Standard Information to Include Regardless of Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Configuring the Avid Deko Renderer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

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 administer 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.

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

(Windows), (Windows only), (Macintosh), or (Macintosh only)

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.

This text indicates that the information applies only to the specified operating system, either Windows or Macintosh OS X.

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

Bold font Bold font is primarily used in task instructions to identify user interface

items and keyboard sequences.

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

If You Need Help

If you are having trouble using your Avid product:

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

2. Check the latest information that might have become available after the documentation was published:

- If the latest information for your Avid product is provided as printed release notes,

they ship with your application and are also available online.

If the latest information for your Avid product is provided as a ReadMe file, it is supplied on your Avid installation CD or DVD as a PDF document (README_product.pdf) and is also available online.

You should always check online for the most up-to-date release notes or ReadMe because the online version is updated whenever new information becomes available. To view these online versions, select ReadMe from the Help menu, or visit

the Knowledge Base at www.avid.com/readme.

Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

mouse action. For example, Command+Option+C or Ctrl+drag.

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

4. Visit the online Knowledge Base at www.avid.com/onlinesupport. Online services 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 or join online message-board discussions.

How to Order Documentation

To order additional copies of this 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 Training Services

Avid makes lifelong learning, career advancement, and personal development easy and convenient. Avid understands that the knowledge you need to differentiate yourself is always changing, and Avid continually updates course content and offers new training delivery methods that accommodate your pressured and competitive work environment.

To learn about Avid's new online learning environment, Avid Learning Excellerator™ (ALEX), visit http://learn.avid.com.

For information on courses/schedules, training centers, certifications, courseware, and books, please visit www.avid.com/training or call Avid Sales at 800-949-AVID (800-949-2843).

Avid Training Services

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 Service 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

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.

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

Overview of the System Architecture

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.

A basic workflow is shown in the following illustration:

Command with Avid Deko Overview

This section contains an overview of each component involved in a Command/Deko workflow and the main purpose each serves.

Overview of the System Architecture

Component Description

DekoMOS Gateway • Defines Deko styles

• Equates channel number (1-9) with a MOS ID

• Provides inventory to the Avid Deko Select plugin in iNEWS

Avid iNEWS •

Avid Deko Select Used to choose the channel number and style for an item that is dragged into

Avid iNEWS Command • Creates channel groups

Avid Deko • Inventory is copied from this device to the DekoMOS Gateway.

SYSTEM.MOS-MAP

Command

SYSTEM.MAP

• and assigns a style if it’s a Deko channel group

the newsroom rundown.

• Configure styles to match those in an Avid Deko.

• Sends playout control commands to the Avid Deko device

• Deko software provides graphics for on-air playout.

equates the MOS ID with the channel group in

associates the newsroom rundown with the channel group

Overview of the System Architecture

Component (Continued) Description (Continued)

DekoMOS Macro Server • Gets style list from DekoMOS Gateway

• Sets style paths for replaceable, static graphics, motions, and so forth

• Sends inventory to the Inventory Manager in Command

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 Features These features include: autocue, play while record, and play while transfer.

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

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

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

Items can be played back manually by the operator, via keyboard, X-keys, or GPI. Items can also be played automatically, using the follow-on or looping playout setting. And a playlist can be set to start at a specified time of day. This provides total integration with the facility, its systems, processes, and staff.

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

combination of supported video or graphics devices that are operating in an Avid iNEWS, ENPS, or other MOS environment.

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

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.

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 Service Framework.

To set up or change the system administration password:

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

Security via Administrator Password

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.

Should you ever need to restore the default “blank” password, click the Reset button to do so.

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.

Command supports the ability to log into different workgroups from a single workstation. This can be accomplished by adding the respective workgroups to the Lookup tab in the Workgroup Properties application. Once added, Command will present a dialog box when opened, giving users the option to log into the desired workgroup.

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 to a default configuration showing Playlists, Alerts, Inventory, and the Playlist Viewer.

Starting Command at a Workstation

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 the 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.

Overview of the User Interface

Menu Bar

The menu bar for iNEWS Command contains the following:

•File

•Edit

•View

•Playlist

• Shotbox

•Media

•Tools

•Help

Overview of the User Interface

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

Menu Submenu Menu Option Shortcut Keys Description

File New Playlist Ctrl+Shift+N Opens the Create New Playlist dialog box.

Shotbox Ctrl+Alt+N Opens the Create New Shotbox dialog box.

File Import Playlist Imports a playlist to Command.

Shotbox Imports a shotbox to Command.

Export Playlist Exports a playlist from Command.

Shotbox Exports a shotbox from Command.

Exit Closes the Command program.

Edit Cut Ctrl+X Cut selection.

Copy Ctrl+C Copy selection.

Paste Ctrl+V Paste selection.

Delete Delete selection.

View Playlist Explorer Ctrl+Shift+E Displays or closes the Playlist Explorer.

Inventory Ctrl+Shift+I Displays or closes the Inventory panel.

Shotbox Displays or closes the Shotbox Viewer.

Clock Displays or closes the Clock.

Playout Displays or closes the Playout panel.

Media Viewer Ctrl+Shift+M Displays or closes the Media Viewer.

Alerts Ctrl+Shift+A Displays or closes the Alerts.

Playlist View Next Ctrl+Tab Displays next playlist

Previous Ctrl+Shift+Tab Displays previous playlist

Set Focus Ctrl+F Sets the keyboard focus to the active view.

Close Ctrl+W Closes the current playlist.

Close All Ctrl+Shift+W Closes all playlists.

Maximize Maximizes the Playlist Viewer.

Playlist Select Next item Ctrl+Down Select next item in current playlist.

Overview of the User Interface

Menu Submenu Menu Option Shortcut Keys Description (Continued)

Previous Item Ctrl+Up Select previous item in current playlist.

Next Row Alt+Down Select next item in current playlist.

Previous Row Alt+Up Select previous item in current playlist.

Item In

Ctrl+Page Down Select next item after story.

Following Story

Playlist Edit Properties Opens Playlist Properties dialog box.

Edit Selection Ctrl+E Edit current selection in playlist.

Edit Channel Ctrl+* (asterisk) Sets focus to current playlist item’s

Channel column so the user can manually assign a channel.

Edit Trigger Ctrl+/ (slash) Sets focus to current playlist item’s Trigger

column so the user can select manual or follow-on playout.

Edit Media ID Sets focus to the current playlist item’s ID

column so the user can alter the ID.

Cut Cut selection.

Copy Copy selection.

Paste Paste selection.

Delete Delete selection.

Playlist Show Inventory Ctrl+I Opens the Inventory panel.

Playlist Insert New Story Ctrl+N Insert new story.

New Break Insert new break.

New Item Insert new item.

Playlist Channels Assign Ctrl+R Assign channel.

Lock All Ctrl+L Lock all channels.

Unlock All Alt+L Unlock all channels.

Add Existing... Add an existing channel group.

Add New... Add a new channel group.

Overview of the User Interface

Menu Submenu Menu Option Shortcut Keys Description (Continued)

Playlist Playout Cue . (period) Cue Selection. Additional submenu options

include: Selection Cue All Channels (Shift+hyphen), Last Played (Ctrl+hyphen), and Home, Select and Cue All (Alt+Home). The last submenu option moves the cursor to the first available item in the playlist and cues all channels.

The Alt+Home keystroke combination works only when the Home key on the keyboard is used, not the

Home (7) key on the numerical keypad.

Play Enter Play media.

Pause + (plus) Pause media that is playing. Submenu

options include: Selection and Last Played.

Stop 0 (zero) Stops media from playing. Submenu

options include: Selection and Last Played.

Shotbox View Next Ctrl+Alt+Tab Displays next shotbox

Previous Displays previous shotbox

Set Focus Ctrl+Alt+F Sets the keyboard focus to the active view.

Maximize Maximizes the Shotbox Viewer panel.

Close Ctrl+Alt+W Closes the current shotbox.

Close All Closes all shotboxes.

Shotbox Edit Selection Ctrl+Alt+E Edit current selection in shotbox.

Edit Channel Ctrl+Alt+*

(asterisk on numeric keypad)

Unpin Channel Alt+Shift+*

(asterisk on numeric keypad)

Cut Cut selection.

Copy Copy selection.

Paste Paste selection.

Delete Delete selection.

Sets focus to current shotbox item’s Channel list so the user can manually assign a channel. This “pins” the channel to that item.

Removes pinned channel assignment from all selected items in shotbox.

Overview of the User Interface

Menu Submenu Menu Option Shortcut Keys Description (Continued)

Shotbox Show Inventory Ctrl+Alt+I Opens the Inventory panel.

Shotbox Insert Item Alt+Shift+Insert Inserts a new item in a shotbox.

Shotbox Playout Cue Cue media. Submenu options include:

Selection, Last played, or Items 01-12.

Play Play media. Submenu options include:

Selection or Items 01-12.

Pause Pause media that is playing. Submenu

options include: Selection and Last Played.

Stop Stops media from playing. Submenu

options include: Selection and Last Played.

Media Play Ctrl+Space Play media.

Go To Mark In Alt+Q Go to the marked In point.

Go To Mark Out Alt+W Go to marked Out point.

Set Mark In Alt+I Mark the In point.

Set Mark Out Alt+O Mark the Out point.

Forward One Frame Alt+. Move forward one frame.

Forward One

Ctrl+. Move forward one second.

Second

Forward ten

Ctrl+Alt+. Move forward ten seconds.

Seconds

Backward One

Alt+, Move backward one frame.

Frame

Backward One

Ctrl+, Move backward one second.

Second

Backward Ten

Ctrl+Alt+, Move backward ten seconds.

Seconds

Restart Alt+6 Restart media.

Eject Alt+J Eject media.

Tools Options Opens the Options dialog box.

Overview of the User Interface

Menu Submenu Menu Option Shortcut Keys Description (Continued)

System Settings Opens the System Settings dialog box.

These options apply to the workstation only and are not system-wide settings.

Enable GPI playout Ctrl+G If selected, it enables the use of a GPI

keypad for playout control.

Help Command Help Displays help information for users.

Support Opens the Support dialog box.

About Display information about iNEWS

Command.

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.

X-keys is third-party hardware. Command natively supports a variety of X-keys devices, which

are configured through the Command Workstation application. Native support gives users an added level of functionality that is not available through the X-keys Macro Works software. See the Avid iNEWS Command ReadMe for the specific X-keys devices that are supported.

You can also use the Macro Works software, a keyboard emulator, with any X-keys device. For more information on X-keys USB keypads, see that manufacturer’s documentation on www.xkeys.com.

To enable or disable the computer keyboard:

1. Select Tools > Options.

Overview of the User Interface

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.

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 Service Framework applications and services to monitor and

manage Command services.

• Main Services

• Device Services

• Framework Services

• Redundancy/Failover

• Viewing Status of Services

• Starting and Stopping 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 31 for more information.

The two Command 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 the iNEWS monitor server (a utility program), 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 Communication service.

Main Services

The Command services related to playout 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.

Device Services

• Avid Pl ay l i s t S to re—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 Command 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.

The Command services related to thumbnail images are:

• Avid In te r pl ay A g e nt —This service connects and logs in to the Interplay engine to retrieve thumbnail images for video assets on AirSpeed (classic) video servers and thumbnails/metadata for third-party video servers, such as Omneon. It runs on the iNEWS Command servers.

• Avid Deko Renderer—This service connects to the DekoMOS Gateway to retrieve thumbnail images for graphics on Avid Deko character generators. To avoid playout interference, it runs on the iNEWS Command servers, not on the Deko device.

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 Multi Stream device service—This service provides control of a single AirSpeed Multi Stream or AirSpeed 5000 video server. One is required for each device, but a site can also have multiple backups. It runs on the AirSpeed Multi Stream or AirSpeed 5000 video server.

• Avid Video device service—This service provides control of supported third-party video devices. Control can be via TCP/API, such as for Omneon or Nexio, or via VDCP. One is required for each device. It runs on the iNEWS Command servers.

For monitoring transfer status, the Video device service must be configured to connect to Transfer Manager and therefore can report status based on the actual progress of the transfer. The service can connect to two transfer engines.

• Avid AirSpeed device service—This service provides control of a single AirSpeed (classic) video server. One is required for each device, but a site can also have multiple backups. It runs on the iNEWS Command servers, not on the device like other 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 Graphic device service—This service provides control of supported third-party graphics devices, such as Chyron, Vizrt, or Ross Xpressions.

• 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 UMD device service—This service interfaces with Under Monitor Display (UMD) or In Monitor Display (IMD) devices.

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

Framework Services

Avid Service Framework consists of applications and services which provide dynamic discovery and lookup mechanisms, a scalable notification system, a centralized configuration tool, diagnostic logging for workgroup-enabled applications and services, system health monitoring, and so on. Some of the services are known collectively as Support services. The Support services are viewed, monitored, and configured using the Service Framework applications.

Those most vital to iNEWS Command are:

• Avid Lookup service—This service enables communication between all Command and other Avid services running in the workgroup. Without it, there is no communication between services. Only two should be installed in a workgroup.

Framework Services

• Avid System Configuration service— This service is a shared repository for data that is used across services within a workgroup. Only two should be installed in a workgroup. You can configure a list of machines for Health Monitor and change the administration password using the System Configuration service's configuration settings. Service settings are available for configuring services, such as AutoArchive, AutoTranscode, and AutoTransfer.

• Avid License service—This service manages the site licenses for Command Workstations as well as CG and video devices that interface with the Command system. It must be installed on the computer running the Command Server software, but is not necessary on any other computer; however, two instances of this service can be installed for redundancy.

Avid Service Framework also comes with management applications: Work Group Properties,

Health Monitor, Service Configuration, and Diagnostics. Avid strongly recommends the installation of these applications.

• Workgroup Properties (installed by default)—This application is used to start and stop services and enables basic configuration.

• Health Monitor—This application shows current status of all services within the workgroup.

• Service Configuration—This application lists any services that require configuration.

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Pinnacle Systems iNews Command - 3.1 Administrator’s Guide

Contents

Using This Guide

Symbols and Conventions

If You Need Help

How to Order Documentation

Avid Training Services

1 Introduction to iNEWS Command

Overview of the System Architecture

Architecture and Workflow

Command with Avid Deko Overview

Features

Security via Administrator Password

Starting Command at a Workstation

Overview of the User Interface

Playlist Viewer

Panels

Menu Bar

Disabling a Command Workstation’s Keyboard

2 iNEWS Command Services

Main Services

Device Services

Framework Services