Pinnacle Systems Interplay Media Services - 3.0 User Manual

Avid® Interplay® Media Services

Setup and User’s Guide

Version 3.0

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 Interplay Media Services 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 Interplay Media Services. 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 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 adver tising 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.

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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.

Adobe and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Apple and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Avid Interplay Media Services Setup and User’s Guide • 0130-07633-05 Rev H • June 2013 • Created 6/17/13 • This document is distributed by Avid in online (electronic) form only, and is not available for purchase in printed form.

Contents

Using This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Viewing Help and Documentation on the Interplay Portal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Avid Training Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Chapter 1 Working with the Avid Interplay Media Services System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Understanding the Interplay Media Services System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Media Services Engine Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Understanding the Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Understanding the Avid Interplay Media Services and Transfer Status Tool . . . . . . 20

Understanding the Various Media Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Check Lists for Setting Up and Using Service Providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Configuration Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Support for Restrictions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Support for Group Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Mounting Workspaces for Interplay Transcode and Other Media Services . . . . . . . . . . 26

Chapter 2 Interplay Media Services Engine Installation and Configuration . . . . . . . . 27

Check List for Setting Up the Media Services Engine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Registering the Media Services Engine in an Avid Interplay Workgroup . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Configuring the Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Starting the Interplay Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Chapter 3 Using the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Opening the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Using the Jobs Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Jobs Page Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Customizing the Reporting of Service Job Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Customizing the Jobs Page Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Filtering the Jobs List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Viewing Details About a Job. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Job Details Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Purging the Jobs List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Prioritizing a Job. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Canceling a Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Deleting a Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Retrying a Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Exporting the Jobs List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Using the Providers Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Opening the Providers Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Customizing the Providers Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Viewing Details About a Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Deleting Providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Using the Services Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Opening the Services Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Displaying Details About a Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Deleting a Media Services Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Using the Users Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Opening the Users Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Setting Up User Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Reassigning Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Deleting User Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Chapter 4 Installing Services and Registering Providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Registering Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Registering a Service Manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Registering a Provider. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Registering a Provider Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Connecting a Provider to the Media Services Engine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Starting the Service Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Verifying That a Service Provider Is Connected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Chapter 5 Working with Media Services Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Understanding Media Services Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Creating a Service Provider Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Modifying Multiple Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Modifying Changed or New Options in a Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Chapter 6 Working with the Transcode Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Understanding the Transcode Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Check List for Transcoding Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Registering the Transcode Service with the Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Connecting the Transcode Provider to the Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Starting the Transcode Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Transcode Profile Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Mapping Audio Tracks in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and

CROSSRATE Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Mapping Multichannel Audio Tracks in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and

CROSSRATE Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Support for Surround Sound Audio Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Understanding the Transcode Services Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Understanding MIXDOWN Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Understanding DUALMIXDOWN Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Understanding DUALMIXDOWN Mode with Two Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Understanding CROSSRATE Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Transcoding an Asset from Avid Interplay Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Transcoding an Asset from an Avid Editing Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Transcoding OMF Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Working with an Auto Transcode Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Preparing the Workgroup for Auto Transcode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Identifying an Auto Transcode Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Transcoding Avid Assets Using an Auto Transcode Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Location of Automatically Transcoded Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Stereoscopic 3D Support in Interplay Transcode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Chapter 7 Working with the Archive and Restore Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Understanding Archive and Restore Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Check List for Archiving and Restoring Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Archive Configuration and Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Registering the Archive or Restore Service with the Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . 128

Connecting the Archive Provider or Restore Provider to the

Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Starting the Archive Provider or the Restore Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Configuring the Archive Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Specifying the Archive Server, Segment Size, and Restore Process . . . . . . . . . . 133

Archiving Duplicate Versions of Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Adding AAF Metadata to an Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Defining the Maximum Number of Simultaneous Jobs for

Archive and Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Overriding Metadata When You Archive an Asset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Connecting to the Archive Database and Creating Folders in Interplay Access. . . . . . 137

Working with Interplay Archive and Interplay Restore Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Creating an Interplay Archive or Interplay Restore Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Interplay Archive Profile and Interplay Restore Profile Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Locating the Partition Value for an Archive Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Archiving Assets from an Avid Editing Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Consolidating Clips and Sequences Before an Archive Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Deleting Online Media After an Archive Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Archiving Assets Using Avid Interplay Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Working with an Auto Archive Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Preparing the Workgroup for Auto Archive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Configuring Auto Archive Using the Avid Service Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Verifying That the Auto Archive Service is Running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Setting Up an Auto Archive Folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Archiving Assets Using an Auto Archive Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Location of Automatically Archived Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Searching the Archive Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Restoring a Clip from the Archive Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Working with Partial Restore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Performing a Partial Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Relinking Partially Restored Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Viewing Partially Restored Reference Tracks in Interplay Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

How the System Defines the Size of a Partially Restored File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Configuring a Workgroup to Use Multiple Archive Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Check List for Configuring and Using Multiple Archive Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Required Software for Multiple Archive Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Terminology for Multiple Archive Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Creating Profiles for Multiple Archive Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Configuring Asset Tracking for Multiple Archive Engines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Chapter 8 Working with the Copy Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Understanding the Copy Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Workflow for Copying Metadata and Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Check List for Copying Assets to Another Workgroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Registering the Copy Service with the Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Connecting the Copy Provider to the Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Starting the Copy Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Using an Interplay Copy Service Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Creating an Interplay Copy Service Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Interplay Copy Service Profile Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Copying Assets and Media to Another Workgroup Using Interplay Access . . . . . . . . . 200

Copying Assets and Media to Another Workgroup Using an

Avid Editing Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Copying Assets During Ingest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Setting Registry Keys for Copying During Ingest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Defining the Maximum Number of Simultaneous Jobs for Copy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

Chapter 9 Automatically Copying Assets to Another Workgroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Understanding the Auto-Copy Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Check List for the Auto-Copy Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

Installing the Avid Interplay Auto-Copy Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Configuring the Auto-Copy Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Verifying the Auto-Copy Service is Running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Understanding the Auto-Copy Folder Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

Rules of Auto-Copy Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Identifying an Auto-Copy Folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Auto-Copying of Subfolders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

Automatically Copying Assets To Another Workgroup Using an

Auto-Copy Folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Automatically Backing Up the Complete Database and Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Changing the Number of Auto-Copy Replication Jobs Submitted . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Resetting the Auto-Copy Replication Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Chapter 10 Working with the Move Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Understanding the Move Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Workflow for Moving Media to Another Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Check List for Moving Assets to Another Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Registering the Move Service with the Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

Connecting the Move Provider to the Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Starting the Move Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Creating a Avid Interplay Move Service Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Moving Media to Another Workspace Using Interplay Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Defining the Maximum Number of Simultaneous Jobs for Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Chapter 11 Working with the Delivery Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Understanding the Delivery Service and Delivery Receiver Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Check List for the Delivery Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

Registering the Delivery Receiver in an Avid Interplay Workgroup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Registering the Delivery Service with the Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Connecting the Delivery Provider to the Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Starting the Delivery Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Creating an Avid Interplay Delivery Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Creating Profiles for Specific Delivery Providers and Specific

Delivery Receivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Specifying User Credentials in a Delivery Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Transferring Assets Through Interplay Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Transferring Assets through an Avid Editing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Viewing the Transfer Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Relinking Partially Delivered Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

Verifying the Delivery Receiver Service is Running Using

Avid Service Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Monitoring the Health of the Interplay Delivery Receiver Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Overriding Delivery of Already Existing Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Allowing Third-Party Providers to Directly Connect to the Interplay

Delivery Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Defining the Maximum Number of Simultaneous Jobs for Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

Chapter 12 Exporting and Transferring Long GOP OP1a Media

in the Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273

Understanding Long GOP OP1a and STP Encode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Workflow for Background Processing of Long GOP Splicing and Transferring

of Long GOP OP1a Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Check List for Transferring Long GOP OP1a Media in the Background. . . . . . . . . . . . 277

Registering the STP Encode Service with the Media Services Engine. . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

Connecting the STP Encode Provider to the Media Services Engine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

Starting the STP Encode Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

Connecting to the Media Services Engine From Interplay Assist or an

Avid Editing Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Connecting to the Media Services Engine from Interplay Assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Connecting to the Media Services Engine from an Avid Editing Application . . . . . 284

Performing Send-to-Playback as a Background Process from Interplay Assist . . . . . . 285

Performing Send-to-Playback as a Background Process from an

Avid Editing Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

Chapter 13 HD 23.976p and HD 24p Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Interplay Support for Native HD 23.976p and HD 24p Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Interplay Support for HD 23.976p and HD 24p Proxy Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Appendix A Troubleshooting Interplay Media Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

General Troubleshooting for Media Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Checking Media Services Log Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296

Troubleshooting Using Avid Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Archive and Restore Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Finding Solutions to Specific Archive and Restore Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Compatibility of Archive and Restore Services and Third-Party Software . . . . . . . 300

Getting Information About an Archive Job from the Jobs Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

Getting Information About an Archive Job from the Log File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

How the Media Services Status Tool Reports Archive and

Restore Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

Archive and Restore Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Manually Updating the Status of Media Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

Using a HOSTS File for Media Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

Understanding the HOSTS File (Windows) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

Updating the HOSTS File (Windows). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Appendix B Media Supported by Partial Restore and Partial Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Appendix C AVC-Intra Resolutions Supported by the Interplay Media Services. . . . . 313

Appendix D Target Resolutions for Media Services Transcode, Version 2.7. . . . . . . . 315

Appendix E Maximum Number of Simultaneous Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Appendix F Working with the Stream Publish Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Understanding the Stream Publish Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320

Workflows for Creating Streaming Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Workflow for Creating Streaming Media from MPEG-4 Proxy Media. . . . . . . . . . . 322

Workflow for Creating Streaming Media from H.264 Proxy Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

Check List for Stream Publish Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Installing and Registering the Stream Publish Service Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

Installing the Stream Publish Service Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

Registering the Stream Publish Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

Connecting the Stream Publish Provider to the Media Services Engine . . . . . . . . 336

Starting the Stream Publish Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338

Creating a Stream Publish Service Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

Manually Creating QuickTime Reference Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342

Deleting QuickTime Reference Movies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342

Stream Publishing Media During Ingest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

Automatically Publishing Streaming Media During Ingest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

Manually Publishing Streaming Media During Ingest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

Setting the Maximum Number of Concurrent Stream Publish Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

Appendix G Automating the Stream Publish Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

Understanding the Auto Publish Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

Check List for Auto Publish Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

Verifying the Workflow Engine Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

Allowing Internet Explorer to Access the Avid Interplay

Workflow Engine Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350

Importing Auto-Publish Flow Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

Modifying the Flow Chart Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

Using This Guide

Congratulations on your purchase of the Avid® Interplay® Media Services system consisting of the Interplay Media Services Engine, the Interplay Media Services and Transfer Status Tool, and the media services.

The Media Services Engine lets you take advantage of a network environment and pass compute-intensive tasks to other workstations on your network. This allows video editors to stay focused on their editing tasks.

For example, today’s production houses face a rising demand for translating media into formats suitable for distribution via the Web, DVD, or CD-ROM — often at the same time. The encoding operation is a critical part of this work. By moving or distributing this operation to lower cost, dedicated workstations, editing workstations are free to perform other tasks allowing you to generate two streams of revenue-producing work in parallel.

The Interplay Media Services Engine and its Media Services and Transfer Status Tool are the keys to managing these resource-intensive process. This software infrastructure manages all of the Interplay Media Services. As Avid develops new Media Services services, the Media Services Engine will manage those services as well.

This guide is intended for all Interplay Media Services users, from beginning to advanced.

Unless noted otherwise, the material in this document applies to the Windows operating systems. The majority of screen shots in this document were captured on a Windows system, but the information applies to both Windows and Mac OS X systems. Where differences exist, both Windows and Mac OS X screen shots are shown.

The documentation describes the features and hardware of all models. Therefore, your system

might not contain certain features and hardware that are covered in the documentation.

and Mac OS® X

Symbols and Conventions

Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

Symbols and Conventions

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

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

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

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

Courier Bold font

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.

items and keyboard sequences.

Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

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

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

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

are shipped 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 media 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/support.

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

If You Need Help

4. Visit the online Knowledge Base at www.avid.com/support. 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.

Viewing Help and Documentation on the Interplay Portal

You can quickly access the Interplay Help, PDF versions of the Interplay guides, and useful external links by viewing the Interplay User Information Center on the Interplay Portal. The Interplay Portal is a web site that runs on the Interplay Engine.

You can access the Interplay User Information Center through a browser from any system in the Interplay environment. You can also access it through the Help menu in Interplay Access and the Interplay Administrator.

Avid Training Services

The Interplay Help combines information from all Interplay guides in one Help system. It includes a combined index and a full-featured search. From the Interplay Portal, you can run the Help in a browser or download a compiled (.chm) version for use on other systems, such as a laptop.

To open the Interplay User Information Center through a browser:

1. Type the following line in a web browser:

http://Interplay_Engine_name

For Interplay_Engine_name substitute the name of the computer running the Interplay Engine software. For example, the following line opens the portal web page on a system named docwg:

http://docwg

2. Click the “Avid Interplay Documentation” link to access the User Information Center web page.

To open the Interplay User Information Center from Interplay Access or the Interplay Administrator:

t Select Help > Documentation Website on Server.

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.

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

1 Working with the Avid Interplay Media

Services System

The following topics provide an overview of the Interplay Media Services system:

• Understanding the Interplay Media Services System

• Media Services Engine Components

• Understanding the Various Media Services

• Check Lists for Setting Up and Using Service Providers

• Configuration Requirements

• Support for Restrictions

Understanding the Interplay Media Services System

The Interplay Media Services system is a software infrastructure on which media services are layered. Interplay Media Services uses the concept of service providers. A service provider (or provider) is a software program that can perform a particular service, such as transcoding media or archiving assets. The Interplay Media Services Engine serves as a broker for services in an Interplay workgroup.

Avid editing applications allow you to work with clips of any frame rate or field motion type

(interlaced or progressive) in a project. Clips that do not match the frame rate or field motion type of the project are known as mixed-rate clips. Avid Interplay supports working with mixed-rate clips and sequences with mixed-rate clips.

Media Services Engine Components

The software used to manage service providers is composed of two major components: the Media Services Engine and the Media Services and Transfer Status tool.

The following topics describe these components:

• Understanding the Media Services Engine

• Understanding the Avid Interplay Media Services and Transfer Status Tool

Understanding the Media Services Engine

The Media Services Engine matches jobs and their corresponding settings with suitable providers. The Media Services Engine is a repository of job and provider information. Individual providers select jobs that they are able to process according to the service they provide.

For example, a Media Composer system (a client) needs a clip transcoded. It sends a request to the Media Services Engine (the server) with information about the job. The Media Services Engine places the information in a queue. When a Transcode provider is available to do the transcoding, it selects the job, gets the information from the Media Services Engine, and transcodes the media. The Media Services Engine provides status on the job through the Media Services and Transfer Status tool.

The Media Services Engine should not reside on the same computer as an Avid editing application. A provider can be installed on the same computer as the Media Services Engine, depending on the individual provider and the workload and memory usage of the particular computer.For specific information on configuration requirements, see the Avid Interplay Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

The Avid Interplay Media Services window opens when you start the Media Services Engine. The window displays current information about the status of the Media Services Engine, including the host name for the system on which the Media Services Engine resides. The Media Services Engine uses the host name to identify itself on the network.

Media Services Engine Components

The following illustration of the Avid Media Services window shows the host name DocMS, which is the host name of the computer on which the Interplay Media Services Engine is installed.

Media Services Engine Components

The Avid Interplay Media Services window provides access to the Media Services and Transfer Status tool through the Admin Tool button. See “Understanding the Avid Interplay

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 20.

The Avid Interplay Media Services window also provides access to Interplay Media Services settings through the Settings button. See “Configuring the Media Services Engine” on page 31.

For information on starting the Interplay Media Services Engine, see “Starting the Interplay

Media Services Engine” on page 35.

Understanding the Avid Interplay Media Services and Transfer Status Tool

The Avid Interplay Media Services and Transfer Status tool communicates with the Avid Interplay Media Services Engine to let you manage media services. The Media Services and Transfer Status tool is installed with the Interplay Media Services Engine software.

The Media Services and Transfer Status tool also includes a tab for monitoring transfers that use Interplay Transfer. For more information, see the Avid Interplay Transfer Setup and User’s Guide.

Understanding the Various Media Services

The Media Services and Transfer Status tool is installed with the Media Services Engine. You can install it on another computer from the Individual Optional Installers page of the Interplay Server Installer or the Interplay Client Installer, so that you can manage Interplay Media Services from that computer. The tool is also installed with Interplay Access, but you need to open the Media Services Status tab and the Transfer Status tab as separate windows.

The Media Services and Transfer Status tool performs three types of functions:

• Provides detailed information about Media Services, based on lists of jobs, encoders, profiles, and users.

• Provides controls for managing services and registering providers.

• Provides controls for managing Media Services such as canceling jobs, deleting provider software, creating or deleting profiles, and creating or deleting users.

The functions you can perform depends on your user rights (see “Using the Users Page” on

page 57). Administrators can perform the following tasks:

• Register and delete providers

• View details on any job

• Delete jobs submitted by any user

• Purge the jobs list

Regular users can perform administrative tasks only on their own jobs.

For more information, see “Using the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

Understanding the Various Media Services

Interplay Media Services can be distributed to dedicated workstations in a networked environment, thereby freeing computer resources to perform other tasks.

When you install a Media Services service on a computer, the installation program installs provider software for that service. You can install the same service on more than one computer in an Interplay workgroup, and as a result have multiple providers for the same service.

After you install a service, you use the Media Services and Transfer Status tool to register the provider of the service. In a workgroup with multiple providers, you need to register each provider.

Understanding the Various Media Services

The following table lists the services managed by the Media Services Engine.

The services managed by the Media Services Engine are not limited to the services listed in this

table.

Interplay Media Services Service Providers

Service Description

Avid Interplay Transcode service Lets you transcode Avid assets from one Avid-supported

resolution to another. For example, you can use the Avid Interplay Transcode service to create a low-resolution version of a sequence or master clip. For more information, see “Working

with the Transcode Service” on page 82.

Avid Interplay Archive service Avid Interplay Restore service

Avid Interplay Stream Publish service (Not applicable to Interplay v2.4 and later) Lets you create

Avid Interplay Copy service Lets you copy assets (metadata) and their media files from one

Avid Interplay Move service Lets you move media files from one Avid ISIS workspace to

Avid Interplay Delivery service Lets you transfer a clip and its media files or only the portion that

Provides access to archive and restore features. The Avid Interplay Archive and Restore services manage the process of moving data, instead of using the Avid Interplay Transfer Engine. For more information, see “Working with the Archive and

Restore Services” on page 122.

QuickTime reference movies that refer to proxy video files (MPEG-4 or H.264) and MPEG1 Level 2 audio files. The files are checked into the Interplay database so you can play the assets in the Interplay Access. For more information, see “Working with

the Stream Publish Service” on page 320 and “Automating the Stream Publish Service” on page 346.

workgroup to another. For more information, see “Working with

the Copy Service” on page 185.

another. For more information, see “Working with the Move

Service” on page 228.

is used in a subclip or a sequence. For more information, see

“Working with the Delivery Service” on page 246.

Check Lists for Setting Up and Using Service Providers

Interplay Media Services Service Providers (Continued)

Service Description

Avid Interplay Auto Media Service

• Auto Archive

• Auto Transcode

• Auto Transfer

• Auto Copy

Avid Interplay STP Encode service Lets you offload time-consuming processing involved in

Lets you configure folders and subfolders to perform tasks automatically. You can use the Avid Service Configuration settings to configure the various auto media services.

An auto archive and auto transcode operation includes

subfolders. An auto transfer operation does not include subfolders. An auto copy operation maintains the same folder structure as the source workgroup.

For installation instructions, see the Avid Interplay Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

exporting and transferring of Long GOP OP1a media, during a send-to-playback request from the Avid editing application or Avid Interplay Assist. For more information, see “Exporting and

Transferring Long GOP OP1a Media in the Background” on page 273.

Check Lists for Setting Up and Using Service Providers

The following table provides a list of the various Media Services service providers with a reference to the specific check list for each service. These check lists provide a list of the steps to set up and use the various services.

For a check list for setting up the Interplay Media Services Engine, see “Check List for Setting

Up the Media Services Engine” on page 27.

Media Services Service Provider Documentation

Interplay Transcode service “Check List for Transcoding Assets” on page 83

Interplay Archive service Interplay Restore service

Interplay Copy service “Check List for Copying Assets to Another Workgroup” on

Interplay Move service “Check List for Moving Assets to Another Workspace” on page 232

“Check List for Archiving and Restoring Assets” on page 124

page 190

Media Services Service Provider Documentation

Interplay Delivery service “Check List for the Delivery Service” on page 248

Interplay STP Encode service “Check List for Transferring Long GOP OP1a Media in the

Background” on page 277

Configuration Requirements

An Interplay workgroup enables collaborative workflows by allowing multiple editors to share media. For diagrams showing typical shared-storage workgroup configurations, see Avid Interplay Best Practices.

For specific information on configuration requirements, see the Avid Interplay Software

Installation and Configuration Guide.

For any configuration issues that are not included in the published documents, see the Avid

Interplay Media Services ReadMe or the Avid Interplay ReadMe.

Configuration Requirements

Support for Restrictions

A restriction is a type of locator that Interplay Assist and Interplay Central users can add to a clip to indicate that use of the clip is restricted in some way, such as a requirement to pay for its use. Previous versions of Interplay preserved restrictions when you used an Avid editing application to check out and check in a clip before sending it to an Interplay Production service. For Interplay v3.0 and later, checkout and checkin is no longer required, and you can send clips to Interplay Production services from Interplay Access, Interplay Assist, or an Avid editing application.

Interplay v3.0 and later supports preservation of restrictions for clips processed through all Interplay Production services, including:

• Interplay Access

• Interplay Archive

• Interplay Restore

• Interplay Transcode

• Interplay Copy

• Interplay Move

• Interplay Delivery

• Interplay Transfer

Workgroup-to-workgroup transfers processed through Interplay Access v3.0 require Interplay Access v3.0 on the receiving Transfer Engine.

Note the following limitations:

• A restriction includes a color value (used for its markers) and the username of the creator. These values are supported in the local workgroup. However, after a clip is transferred to another workgroup or restored from archive, the values default to color = white and username = the login name of the user requesting the job.

• A sequence that includes a master clip with restrictions uses a copy of the master clip. If a user later changes the restriction on the master clip, the copy used in the sequence is not updated.

Support for Group Clips

Group clips are created in Media Composer and other Avid editing applications by using MultiCam features to sync a group of clips based on common source timecode, auxiliary timecode, or marks placed in the footage. A user working in an Avid editing application can check group clips in to and out from an Interplay Production database. Interplay Access users can view information about group clips, including master clip relatives.

Support for Group Clips

Starting with Interplay v3.0, group clips and sequences that contain group clips are supported by Interplay Transfer and by the following Media Services:

• Interplay Archive v3.0

• Interplay Restore v3.0, including Partial Restore

• Interplay Copy v3.0

• Interplay Move v3.0

• Interplay Delivery v3.0, including Partial Delivery

• STP Encode v3.0

• Interplay Transcode v3.0, with the following limitations:

- You cannot use CROSSRATE mode to transcode group clips.

- You can use MIXDOWN mode to transcode a sequence with group clips, but only the

camera angle selected in the Avid editing application timeline is included in the mixed-down master clip.

Subclips created from group clips, group clips composed of subclips, and multigroup clips are

not currently supported by Interplay Transfer or Interplay Media Services.

Mounting Workspaces for Interplay Transcode and Other Media Services

To use Interplay Transcode and other Media Services, you must mount at least one workspace for each shared-storage system that you use for reading and writing on the provider system. You can mount the workspace as a UNC drive or a lettered drive.In most cases, you do not need to mount each workspace that you use, but there is no harm in doing so. For Interplay Transcode, if you use lettered drives, you must mount the target workspace.

Note the following:

• Starting with version 2.6, the Interplay Transcode service and the STP Encode service require you to choose during installation how ISIS workspaces are mounted: by drive letter or by UNC path. For multiple ISIS workgroups, select UNC paths if the number of workspaces required for the client exceeds the available drive letters. Mount the workspaces before you start the service.

You use the ISIS Client Manager Connection Manager to mount drives. For more information on mounting workspaces, see the Avid ISIS Client Manager Help.

2 Interplay Media Services Engine

Installation and Configuration

The following topics describe installation and configuration of the Media Service Engine:

• Check List for Setting Up the Media Services Engine

• Registering the Media Services Engine in an Avid Interplay Workgroup‘

• Configuring the Media Services Engine

• Starting the Interplay Media Services Engine

For details on setting up the Media Services system in an Interplay workgroup environment, see the Avid Interplay Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

Check List for Setting Up the Media Services Engine

The following table provides a list of steps to perform when setting up the Media Services Engine in an Interplay workgroup.

Setting up the Media Services Engine Check List

Task Section Reference

Add the Interplay Media Services server to the



Interplay workgroup.

Make sure an Interplay Media Services



administrator account is set up on Avid shared-storage.

Make sure the Interplay Media Services



application key is connected to the server.

See the Avid Interplay Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

Registering the Media Services Engine in an Avid Interplay Workgroup

Setting up the Media Services Engine Check List (Continued)

Task Section Reference

Install the Interplay Media Services Engine



software and the supporting software.

• Avid Service Framework for Client

• Avid Interplay Access

• Avid Interplay Media Services



Interplay workgroup.

Configure the Media Service Engine.



• Setup e-mail notifications

• Identify the workgroup’s Interplay Engine system

• Setup auto-purging of jobs

Start the Avid Interplay Media Services



Engine software.

See the Avid Interplay Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

See “Registering the Media Services Engine in an

Avid Interplay Workgroup” on page 28.

See “Configuring the Media Services Engine” on

page 31.

See “Starting the Interplay Media Services

Engine” on page 35.

After you set up the Media Services Engine, install and configure the Media Services service providers. See “Check Lists for Setting Up and Using Service Providers” on page 23.

Registering the Media Services Engine in an Avid Interplay Workgroup

Before you can use any Media Services Engine services, you must register the Media Services Engine in an Interplay workgroup by opening the Avid Interplay Administrator and identifying the system that runs the Media Services Engine. After you register the Media Services Engine, the Media Services and Transfer Status tool automatically connects to the Media Services Engine.

If you are performing an upgrade, you do not have to register existing Media Services Engines.

Registering the Media Services Engine in an Avid Interplay Workgroup

To register the Media Services Engine in an Interplay workgroup:

1. Click Start and select Programs > Avid > Avid Interplay Access Utilities > Avid Interplay Administrator.

The Avid Interplay Administrator opens.

2. Log in to the server for the workgroup in which you want to register the Media Services Engine.

3. Click Server Hostname Settings in the Site Settings area.

The following illustration shows the Site Settings area of the Avid Interplay Administrator.

The Server Hostname Settings window opens.

Registering the Media Services Engine in an Avid Interplay Workgroup

4. In the Interplay Media Services Settings area, type the name of the system that runs the Media Services Engine and click Apply Changes.

If your Interplay environment includes the Interplay Delivery workflow, to receive transfers you

must add the hostname and the port number of the system where the Delivery Receiving service is installed. For more information, see “Registering the Delivery Receiver in an Avid Interplay

Workgroup” on page 249.

5. (Option) While you have the Server Hostname Settings window open, it is a good time to check whether you have entered the name of the workgroup in the Workgroup and MediaIndexer Settings area of the window. The Avid Instinct and Avid Interplay Assist applications use this setting to locate the Media Indexer that is used to monitor shared storage.

a. Near the center of the Server Hostname Settings window, make sure your Workgroup

name is in the Workgroup Name field. Type the workgroup name if necessary. This field is case sensitive.

b. Click Check MediaIndexer to check whether the Media Indexer that monitors shared

storage is running.

If the Media Indexer is running, the system displays the message “Connected to Media Indexer successfully.”

6. Click Log out and close the Avid Interplay Administrator.

Configuring the Media Services Engine

After installing the Media Services Engine software, you can configure the Media Services Engine for the following optional settings:

• Send e-mail notifications about the status of jobs.

• Identify the workgroup’s Avid Interplay Engine system.

By identifying the Avid Interplay Engine system, when you log in to the Media Services Engine, the Media Services user information is updated with the user information in the Avid Interplay Administrator. As a result, you do not need to manage a separate user database for Media Services. See “Using the Users Page” on page 57.

• Automatically purge Media Services jobs to improve the performance of the Avid Interplay Media Services and Transfer Status tool. There are two different types of auto-purge processes you can set:

- An auto-purge process that runs once a day based on the start time and types of jobs that

you select. You can set a start time for the auto-purge to begin within 15 minute intervals.

- An auto-purge process that starts at an interval that you select, checks the number of

jobs, and purges the jobs based on the job count and types of jobs that you select.

You can select either process or both processes. The auto-purge settings take effect immediately; you do not have to restart the Interplay Media Services Engine. If you want to cancel a scheduled auto-purge process, you must cancel the process before it starts. After an auto-purge process begins you cannot cancel the process.

When scheduling the auto-purge process, you should choose a low activity time. The auto-purge process might impact the server’s performance and the ability to connect.

The History area on the Avid Interplay Media Services Engine window provides information about the auto-purge settings, such as any changes made to the settings.

Configuring the Media Services Engine

To configure the Interplay Media Services Engine settings:

1. Click Start and select Programs > Avid > Avid Interplay Media Services.

The Avid Interplay Media Services window opens.

2. Click the Settings button.

The Avid Interplay Media Services Engine Settings dialog box opens.

3. Type the computer name of the local host in the Database Computer Name text box.

4. In the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) Server text box, type the name of your local mail server (for example, mail.mycompany.com). If you don’t know the name of your local mail server, ask your network administrator.

5. In the From Address text box, type an e-mail address for the Media Services Engine. For example, broker@mycompany.com.

6. (Option) You can configure an SMTP Username and SMTP Password if your network supports secure e-mail. These settings give the Media Services Engine a name and password so that is can successfully send e-mail notification. If a network does not use secure e-mail, the settings do not apply and are disregarded.

The Clean Start option is reserved for future use. Make sure it is set to No.

7. In the Interplay Engine Hostname text box, type the host name of the Avid Interplay Engine system.

If this text box is left blank, the Media Services user information in the Avid Interplay Administrator is not used for authentication during login.

8. (Option) If you want to use the once-a-day auto-purge, select On from the auto-purge Enabled list, then select the following settings:

- Purge Start Time—Select a time to start the auto-purge (15 minute intervals).

- Purge PENDING Jobs?—Yes, purges all pending jobs for all service providers.

- Purge CANCELLED Jobs?—Yes, purges all cancelled jobs for all service providers.

- Purge COMPLETED Jobs?—Yes, purges all completed jobs including jobs with the

Warning status (question mark icon) for all service providers.

Configuring the Media Services Engine

- Purge ERROR Jobs?—Yes, purges all error jobs for all service providers.

For the chosen job type, all jobs for all service providers, and for all users are purged. Therefore,

you cannot purge jobs for a specific service provider, such as Interplay Transcode.

9. (Option) If you want to schedule an interval auto-purge, select On from the Interval Auto Purge list, then select the following settings.

- Purge PENDING Jobs?—Does not apply to interval auto-purge.

- Purge CANCELLED Jobs?—Yes, purges all cancelled jobs for all service providers.

- Purge COMPLETED Jobs?—Yes, purges all completed jobs including jobs with the

Warning status (question mark icon) for all service providers.

- Purge ERROR Jobs?—Yes, purges all error jobs for all service providers.

Configuring the Media Services Engine

- Purge Interval Time: Enter the number of minutes between runs of the auto-purge

interval timer. The auto-purge interval timer checks if there are a sufficient number of jobs to purge (see the next option). For example, if you enter 50, the auto-purge interval timer starts every fifty minutes. The default value is 60. The minimum value is 15 and the maximum value is 1,440 minutes (24 hours).

- Purge Job Count: Enter the number of jobs that cause an auto-purge process to run. If

the number of jobs in the Media Services queue is greater than or equal to this number when the interval timer runs, Media Services will purge the jobs you have selected for purging (cancelled jobs, completed jobs, or error jobs - pending jobs are not included). The default value is 5000. The minimum value is 100 and the maximum value is 15,000.

For both these options, if you enter a number below the minimum value, the Media Services Engine will use the minimum value. If you enter a number above the maximum value, the engine will use the maximum value. If you enter nothing or enter an invalid value in the field, the engine will use the default value.

For the chosen job type, all jobs for all service providers, and for all users are purged. Therefore,

you cannot purge jobs for a specific service provider, such as Interplay Transcode.

10. Click OK.

The Avid Interplay Media Services Engine Settings dialog box closes.

Starting the Interplay Media Services Engine

To start the Interplay Media Services Engine:

t Click Start and select Programs > Avid > Avid Interplay Media Services.

The Avid Interplay Media Services window opens.

3 Using the Media Services and Transfer

Status Tool

The following topics explain how to use the Media Services and Transfer Status tool:

• Opening the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool

• Media Services and Transfer Status Tool User Interface

• Using the Jobs Page

• Using the Providers Page

• Using the Services Page

• Using the Users Page

For an overview of the Media Services and Transfer Status tool, see “Understanding the Avid

Interplay Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 20.

Opening the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool

The Media Services and Transfer Status tool can be used on any computer that has an internet connection to a computer running the Media Services Engine.

The Media Services and Transfer Status tool is installed with the Media Services Engine. You can install it on another computer from the Individual Optional Installers page of the Interplay Server Installer or the Interplay Client Installer. The tool is also installed with Interplay Access, but you need to open the Media Services Status tab and the Transfer Status tab as separate windows.

Opening the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool

To open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool:

1. Do one of the following:

t From the Avid Interplay Media Services window, click Admin Tool.

t For a standalone application, click Start and select Programs > Avid > Avid Media

Services and Transfer Status.

t From Avid Interplay Access, select View > Interplay Media Services Status.

t From the Avid Interplay Administrator, in the Site Settings area, click the Interplay

Media Services icon.

2. Type your username and password. See “Using the Users Page” on page 57.

If you opened Media Services Status from Interplay Access or the Interplay Administrator, access is controlled by the information you used when you logged into Interplay Access or the Interplay Administrator.

3. Type the host name of the system on which the Media Services Engine resides in the Media Services Host text box.

The Media Services host name is the name of the computer that the Media Services Engine runs on. You can find the host name in the Name field of the Avid Interplay Media Services window. Previously typed host names are available from the Media Services Host menu.

Opening the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool

4. Click the Login button.

If the username and password are accepted, the Jobs page opens.

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool User Interface

The Media Services and Transfer Status tool user interface is made up of five pages. The tab selected determines which page of the Media Services and Transfer Status tool is displayed. The page displayed determines the Media Services and Transfer Status tool’s functional mode and which of the mode-related controls — also referred to as pages — are displayed. The pages are described in the following table:

Media Services Status Administration Tool Pages

Page Description Section Reference

Jobs Displays the status and other information about jobs

submitted to the Media Services Engine. Lets you cancel or retry jobs, depending on your level of privilege.

Providers Displays information about systems that are running

Media Services provider software. Lets you register and delete providers, depending on your level of privilege.

Services Displays a list of services and service information.

Lets you install and delete services.

Users Displays a list of user accounts. Lets you create and

delete accounts, depending on your level of privilege.

Profiles Lets you create templates to use when performing an

operation.

Using the Jobs Page

The Jobs page displays information about Media Services jobs and lets you cancel, delete, and retry jobs. The Jobs page opens by default after you log in to the Media Services and Transfer Status tool.

See “Using the Jobs Page” on

page 39.

See “Using the Providers Page”

on page 51.

See “Using the Services Page” on

page 54.

See “Using the Users Page” on

page 57.

See “Working with Media

Services Profiles” on page 76.

The following topics describe the options available from the Jobs page:

• Jobs Page Information

• Customizing the Reporting of Service Job Status

• Customizing the Jobs Page Columns

• Filtering the Jobs List

• Viewing Details About a Job

• Purging the Jobs List

• Prioritizing a Job

• Canceling a Job

• Deleting a Job

• Retrying a Job

• Exporting the Jobs List

For information about the Auto-Purge feature, see “Configuring the Media Services Engine” on

page 31.

Jobs Page Information

The Jobs page displays information about jobs submitted to the Media Services Engine. You can specify how the status of the various service jobs are reported, see “Customizing the Reporting

of Service Job Status” on page 41.

The following table describes the information displayed on the Jobs page.

Using the Jobs Page

Jobs Page Column Description

Status The colors and icons in the display indicate the status of the job:

• Yellow bar with no icon = Job is processing.

• Green bar with Check Mark icon = Job is completed.

• Gray bar with Stop icon = Job has been canceled.

• Caution icon = Job has failed with an error.

• Gray bar with no icon = Job is pending or is in a queue.

For information on changing the status reporting of jobs, see “Customizing the

Reporting of Service Job Status” on page 41.

Service The name of the service to which the job was sent.

Job Name The file name submitted by the client to the Media Services Engine. This might have a

suffix — determined by the particular service — appended to it.

Administrators can view information about all jobs. Users without

administrator privileges can view all jobs, but can see only the user name and job name of their own jobs.

Jobs Page Column Description

Job ID A number automatically generated by the Media Services Engine.

User The name of the user who submitted the job.

Administrators can view information about all jobs. Users without

administrator privileges can view all jobs, but can see only the user name and job name of their own jobs.

Progress (%) The percentage of the job completed.

Priority The priority of the job, as submitted by the client.

Submit Time The date and time the job was submitted by the client to the Media Services Engine.

Start Time The date and time that the provider started the job.

End Time The date and time that the provider reports the job is complete.

Profile Name Indicates if a profile was used and displays the profile’s name.

Customizing the Reporting of Service Job Status

Using the Jobs Page

You can customize the status reporting for the following Media Services services:

• Archive service

•Restore service

• Copy service

• Move service

•Delivery service

For example, during an archive operation, if one of the media files cannot be found, you can set the reporting to the Jobs tab of the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool to display one of the following status indicators:

Job Status Display Description

Green with check mark icon Job completed

Green with question mark icon Job completed with a warning

Caution icon Job failed with an error

Using the Jobs Page

This section describes how to use the Avid Service Configuration tool to set which reporting status displays with the various conditions of service jobs.

Avid Service Configuration is an application that is included with the Avid Service Framework services. It lets you set and change parameters for each of the different Avid services and applications in your workgroup environment. For more information about Avid Service Framework, see the Avid Service Framew ork User’s Guide.

To customize the job status displays for various Media Services services:

1. On any system running the Avid Service Framework services, click Start and select Programs > Avid > Avid Service Framework > Avid Service Configuration.

The Select Workgroup dialog box opens.

The Select Workgroup dialog box does not open if the check box specifying to always select and

use this workgroup option was previously selected. When you select this option, the Select Workgroup dialog box no longer opens when you start the application. The default workgroup is selected, and the Avid Service Configuration window opens. To change this option and display the Select Workgroup dialog box, click the Login tab of the Avid Framework Workgroup Properties application and clear the check box for the option.

2. (Option) If the Select Workgroup dialog box opens, select the workgroup you want to connect to and click Select.

The Avid Service Configuration window opens.

3. In the Directory pane, click the Processes tab and verify that the service is running.

If the service does not appear in the Avid Service Configuration window, the service is not

running or the system it runs on is not properly connected to the workgroup. Click the Hosts tab and make sure that the Avid Service Framework services displays the name of the system that the service is running on.

4. On the Processes tab, expand the service entry, such as Archive Service.

The system displays the name of the computer running the service.

5. Click the computer name.

The Administrator Password Needed dialog box opens.

Using the Jobs Page

6. Type the Avid Service Framework Administrator password and click OK.

By default, Avid Service Framework does not require a password. When a password is used, it is

set through the System Configuration Service. Check with your system administrator for the correct password.

The system displays the setting tab for the service.

Depending on the service you selected, different conditions are available for you to customize.

The following example shows the Archive Service settings.

7. Select the type of status you want to display for each job condition.

Option Job Status Display / Description

OK Green with check mark icon / Job completed

Warning Green with question mark icon / Job completed with a warning

Error Caution icon / Job failed with an error

8. Click Apply.

Customizing the Jobs Page Columns

The Media Services and Transfer Status tool provides options to customize the columns displayed on the Jobs page.

To customize which columns display on the Jobs page:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool. For more information, see “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

The Jobs page opens by default after you log in to the Media Services and Transfer Status tool.

2. In the Tools area, click Customize columns.

The Choose Columns dialog box opens.

3. Select the name of the columns you want to display.

4. Click OK.

The columns change to show the selections.

5. (Option) Click a column heading and drag it to a new location.

Filtering the Jobs List

Using the Jobs Page

By default, the Jobs list displays all jobs that the Media Services Engine is currently monitoring. You can customize your view to show only your jobs, to show jobs for a specific service, or to show only jobs in a selected state.

Users with Administrator privileges are allowed to cancel or delete any job. Users without

administrator privileges can only cancel or delete jobs submitted by that user.

To customize the Jobs list:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool. For more information, see “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

The Jobs page opens by default after you log in to the Media Services and Transfer Status tool.

2. In the Filters area, click the Service menu, and select a service.

3. In the Filters area, click the User menu, and select All Users or a specific user name.

4. In the Filters area, click the Status menu, and select one of the following:

- All — Displays all jobs with their current status.

- Processing — Displays only jobs that are currently being processed.

- Completed — Displays only jobs that have been successfully processed.

- Canceled — Displays only jobs that have been canceled by a user with administrator

privileges.

- Error — Displays only jobs that have stopped with an error.

- Pending — Displays only jobs that are waiting to be processed.

5. In the Filters area, click the Priority and select one of the following:

- ALL — Displays all priority jobs.

- > — Displays all priority jobs greater than the number indicated.

- < — Displays all priority jobs fewer than the number indicated.

- = — Displays all priority jobs equal to the number indicated.

The Jobs page displays jobs that meet the criteria you selected.

Viewing Details About a Job

You must be logged in as the job owner or as an administrator to view a job’s details.

To view details about a job:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool. For more information, see “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

Using the Jobs Page

2. On the Jobs page, select the job that you want details about.

3. Click the Details button.

The Job Details window opens.

Using the Jobs Page

Job Details Window

The following table provides descriptions of the type of job information displayed in the Job Details window.

Entry Description

Job Information

Name The name of the file submitted by a client to Media Services Engine. It might

Service The Media Services service for which the job was submitted; for example,

State The current state of the job.

Submitted By: The user name associated with the job, as submitted by the client.

Priority The priority of the job, as submitted by the client.

Provider The name of the provider, as registered with the Media Services Engine.

Using the Jobs Page

include information appended to the file name, depending on the service requirements.

Avid Interplay Archive Service.

Requested Provider The name of the provider requested (not currently supported)

Job ID A number automatically generated by the Media Services Engine.

Batch ID The number of the batch containing the job.

Profile Name The name of the profile used for the job, if a profile is used.

Submit Time The date and time the job was submitted by the client to the Media Services

Engine.

Start Time The date and time the provider picked up the job.

End Time The date and time the job was reported as complete by the provider.

Progress The percentage of the job that has been processed.

Notification Displays whether notification of job completed or job error is enabled or

disabled.

Input Parameters The list of Input parameters varies for each service.

Purging the Jobs List

The purge function is available only to users with administrator privileges.

You can set the Media Services settings to allow for auto-purging of jobs. See “Configuring the

Media Services Engine” on page 31.

To purge the Jobs list:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool and log in as a user with administrator privileges. For more information, see “Opening the Media Services and Transfer

Status Tool” on page 36.

2. On the Jobs page, click the Purge button.

The Purge Jobs dialog box opens.

Using the Jobs Page

3. Click the Service menu, and select the applicable service.

4. Click the Submitted By menu, and select a particular user or All, depending on the jobs you want to purge.

5. Select which states of jobs you want to purge.

6. Click the Purge button.

The Jobs list no longer contains the jobs you selected. If a purge fails, a dialog box opens with a list of the jobs that failed to delete and a reason for the failure.

Prioritizing a Job

You can prioritize the order of the pending jobs. The priority number assigned to a job indicates the job’s position in the queue for a specific provider. This setting lets you order jobs in a desired sequence and also move a job to the top of the queue. Priority numbers range from 1 (highest priority) through 100 (lowest priority). The default priority number assigned to each job is 50.

When you assign a priority number to a job, the actual order in the queue depends on the following:

• Priority numbers are relative only to jobs within a given service. For example, a transcode job set with priority 1 might not execute before an archive job with priority 100.

• If the same priority number is assigned to several jobs of a specific provider, then all these jobs have an equal chance of executing.

To prioritize a job:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. On the Jobs page, select the job you want to prioritize.

3. Click the Priority button.

Using the Jobs Page

The Set Job Priority dialog box opens.

4. Click the arrow button to select a priority number.

The default is 50. The priority range is 1 (highest priority) through 100 (lowest priority).

5. Click OK.

The Priority column displays the new priority for the job.

Canceling a Job

Jobs can be canceled during the Pending or the Processing state. A user can cancel only jobs that have been submitted under his or her Media Services user name. An administrator can cancel any job.

Providers periodically check the Media Services Engine for jobs that might need to be canceled. When a job is canceled, it might take a short time for the job to actually stop and the status change to be reflected. It is also possible that a job might finish before it can be canceled. In this case, a dialog box might open stating that the Media Services Engine was unable to cancel the job.

To cancel a job:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. On the Jobs page, select the job that you want to cancel.

3. Click the Cancel button. A dialog box opens and asks if you are sure you want to cancel the job.

4. Click OK to cancel the job.

The job remains in the Jobs list, but the state changes to canceled.

Deleting a Job

To delete a specific job or all jobs on the Jobs page:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. On the Jobs page, select the specific job you want to delete.

3. Click the Delete button. A dialog box opens and asks if you are sure you want to delete the job.

4. Click OK to delete the job.

Using the Jobs Page

Retrying a Job

You can retry a job that is in the canceled state or error state.

To retry a job:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. On the Jobs page, select the job you want to retry.

3. Click the Retry button.

The Media Services Engine changes the state to Pending and places the job in the queue for the next available provider.

Exporting the Jobs List

You can export the current Jobs list from the Media Services and Transfer Status tool.

To export the Jobs list:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool. For more information, see “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

The Jobs page opens by default after you log in to the Media Services and Transfer Status tool.

2. In the Tools area, click Export list.

A Save dialog box opens.

3. Select a location for the Jobs list file.

4. Type a name for the Jobs list file.

5. Click Save.

Using the Providers Page

The Providers page displays information about computers that are running provider software and are registered with the Media Services Engine. You can also view specific provider details and capabilities.

Using the Providers Page

The following topics provide information about using the Providers page:

• Opening the Providers Page

• Customizing the Providers Display

• Viewing Details About a Provider

• Deleting Providers

A provider is automatically registered the first time it connects to the Media Services Engine. For information about using the Providers page to register a provider, see “Registering a Provider

Manually” on page 67.

Opening the Providers Page

To open the Providers page:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Providers tab.

The Providers page opens.

Using the Providers Page

The following table describes the information displayed on the Providers page.

Providers Page Description

Status Indicates whether or not the provider is connected to the Media Services Engine.

Provider The name of the service provider, as registered with the Media Services Engine.

Service The Media Services service for which the provider has been registered.

Host The computer name of the provider.

Application The name of the service provider application.

IP The IP address of the computer of the provider.

Customizing the Providers Display

By default, the Providers page displays all providers that are registered with the Media Services Engine. You can customize your view to show only the connected providers or providers of a particular service.

To customize the Providers display:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Providers tab. The Providers page opens.

3. In the Filters area, click the Service menu, and select the applicable service.

4. In the Filters area, click the Status menu, and select the applicable condition.

The Providers page displays providers that match your selections.

Viewing Details About a Provider

To view details about a provider:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

Using the Providers Page

2. On the Providers page, select the provider that you want details about.

3. Click the Details button.

The Provider Details window opens.

The following table provides descriptions of the type of provider information displayed in the Provider Details window.

Providers Page Description

Name The name of the service provider, as registered with the Media Services Engine.

Service The Media Services service for which the provider has been registered.

Host Name The computer name of the provider.

Application The name of the service provider application.

IP Address The IP address of the computer of the provider.

Connected Indicates whether or not the provider is connected to the Media Services Engine.

Deleting Providers

If a provider is connected to the Media Services Engine, the provider cannot be deleted until it has been disconnected and all processing jobs are stopped. You must be logged in as an administrator to delete any providers.

To delete a service, see “Deleting a Media Services Service” on page 56.To delete the provider software, use the Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel on the provider system.

To delete a provider:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Providers tab. The Providers page opens.

3. Select the provider, and click Delete.

A dialog box opens and asks if you are sure you want to delete the provider.

4. Click OK.

The provider is no longer registered with the Media Services Engine. To register it again, see

“Connecting a Provider to the Media Services Engine” on page 70.

Using the Services Page

The Services page displays information about the services that are installed and lets the user install new services, upgrade existing services, or delete services that were previously installed.

For information about installing a service, see “Registering Services” on page 61.

The following topics provide information about the Servers page:

• Opening the Services Page

• Displaying Details About a Service

• Deleting a Media Services Service

Opening the Services Page

To open the Services page:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Services tab.

The Services page opens.

Using the Services Page

Displaying Details About a Service

To display information about a specific service:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Services tab. The Services page opens.

3. Select the service about which you want information.

4. Click Details.

The Service Details page opens.

Using the Services Page

The specific information displayed on the Service Details page differs for each installed service.

Deleting a Media Services Service

Deleting a Media Services service from the Services page deletes the information required for the service to operate. If one or more providers have been registered for the service on the Providers page, you must first delete the providers for the service. For more information, see

“Deleting Providers” on page 54.

To delete the provider software, use the Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel on the provider system.

To delete a service:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool and log in as a user with administrator privileges. For more information, see “Opening the Media Services and Transfer

Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Make sure all providers for the services that you are deleting have been deleted prior to deleting the services themselves. See “Deleting Providers” on page 54.

3. Click the Services tab. The Services page opens.

4. Select the service you want to delete.

5. Click Delete.

The service is removed. To add the service again, see “Registering a Service Manually” on

page 62.

Using the Users Page

The Users page lets you create and manage user accounts. The default login for the Media Services and Transfer Status tool is the user name Administrator, without a password. Avid recommends assigning a password to this account after installing the Media Services Engine. For more information, see “Reassigning Passwords” on page 59.

Using the Users Page

The Users page displays information based on the user’s login profile. A user logged in as an Administrator can view information about all jobs, whereas users without administrator privileges can view all jobs, but can only see the username and clip names of their own jobs.

There are two methods for managing Media Services users:

• Using Avid Interplay authentication

If you set a host name in the Avid Interplay Media Services Engine Settings dialog box, the Media Services Engine authenticates user names and passwords with the Avid Interplay Engine (see “Configuring the Media Services Engine” on page 31). As a result, you do not need to manage a separate user database for Media Services. If a host name is set, when you attempt to log in to the Interplay Media Services Engine, and the login is successful, the user name and password are added to or updated in the Media Services database user’s table. The user name and password appear on the Users page.

Adding or changing users on the Users page has no effect if a host name is set in the Interplay Engine Hostname setting in the Avid Interplay Media Services Engine Settings dialog box.

• Managing a separate user database

Managing Media Services users through a separate database can be useful if you want to give administrator privileges to users who do not have administrator privileges in the Interplay database. However, if you do not use Avid Interplay authentication, make sure any user name and password exactly matches a user name and password in the Interplay database, because Media Services operations usually require login by a valid Interplay user.

The following topics describe the Users page:

• Opening the Users Page

• Setting Up User Accounts

• Reassigning Passwords

• Deleting User Accounts

Opening the Users Page

To open the Media Services Users page:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

Using the Users Page

2. Click the Users tab.

The Users page opens with user accounts listed in the User name column.

Setting Up User Accounts

To set up a user account:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Users tab. The Users page opens.

3. Click the Add button. A dialog box opens.

4. Type a user name in the Username text box.

User names and passwords are case sensitive and can contain only letters, numbers, and underscores. They can be up to 255 characters.

5. (Option) You can assign a password by typing a password in the Password text box, then typing it again in the Retype Password text box. Passwords are not required.

6. Type the applicable information about the user in the other text boxes.

7. (Option) If this user is an administrator, select the “is Administrator” option.

8. Click Save.

Reassigning Passwords

Using the Users Page

If a user forgets his or her password, a new one must be assigned. If you forget the Administration password, it must be reset. Contact Avid Customer Support.

To reassign a user password:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool and log in as a user with administrator privileges. For more information, see “Opening the Media Services and Transfer

Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Users tab. The Users page opens.

3. Select the user that you want to change the password.

4. Click the Edit button. A dialog box opens.

5. Type a new password in the Password text box, then type it again in the Retype Password text box.

6. Click Save.

Deleting User Accounts

You must be logged in as an administrator to delete user accounts.

The user “Administrator” cannot be deleted. If you try to delete Administrator, you receive an

error message.

To delete a user account:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool and log in as a user with administrator privileges. For more information, see “Opening the Media Services and Transfer

Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Users tab. The Users page opens.

3. Select the User Name for each account you want to delete.

4. Click the Delete button.

A dialog box opens and asks if you are sure you want to delete the user account.

5. Click OK.

The user account is deleted.

To re-create user accounts, see “Setting Up User Accounts” on page 59.

Using the Users Page

4 Installing Services and Registering

Providers

This chapter provides general procedures for installing services, registering a provider, and connecting it to the Media Services Engine. For specific information about each service, see

“Understanding the Various Media Services” on page 21 and the chapter that provides

information about the service.

The following topics provide information about the required tasks:

• Registering Services

• Registering a Service Manually

• Registering a Provider

• Registering a Provider Manually

• Connecting a Provider to the Media Services Engine

• Starting the Service Provider

• Verifying That a Service Provider Is Connected

• Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving Profiles

Registering Services

The Media Services Engine requires configuration files for each service. These files are called service description files and are contained in a .zip file (called a service package). For example, Interplay Copy requires the service package CopyMedia.zip.

In earlier versions of Media Services, you needed to open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool, click the Install/Upgrade button, then locate and open the correct .zip file on the provider system. In Media Services v3.0 and later, the .zip files are installed on the Media Services Engine system when you install the Media Services software. The first time the Media Services Engine runs after a new installation, it checks which services and versions were installed. It then automatically upgrades registered services or registers new services.

You only need to install service descriptions once, even if you configure multiple providers.

Registering a Service Manually

If necessary, you can use the manual procedure as documented in “Registering a Service

Manually” on page 62.

If you try to connect from a provider to the Media Services Engine before the latest service is

registered, the Status line in the Transcode Service dialog box reads: Error From Broker! UNKNOWN_SERVICE.

To register services:

1. Install the Media Services Engine software from the Avid Interplay Server installer.

2. Restart the Media Services Engine.

The services are listed in the Services tab of the Avid Interplay Media Services and Transfer Status tool.

Registering a Service Manually

Prior to Interplay v3.0, you needed to open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool and install the service description. This procedure is now automatic (see “Registering Services” on

page 61). If necessary you can use the following procedure.

You only need to install a service description once, even if you configure multiple providers.

Registering a Service Manually

The following table provides a list of Media Services services and the name of each service package.

Service File Name of Service Package

Avid Interplay Transcode TranscodeService.zip

Avid Interplay Archive Archive.zip

Avid Interplay Restore Restore.zip

Avid Interplay Copy CopyMedia.zip

Avid Interplay Move MoveMedia.zip

Avid Interplay Delivery PTFService.zip

Avid Interplay STP Encode LongGOPExport.zip

Avid Interplay Stream Publish

Interplay Stream Publish is no longer

required for streaming play. The service description file is not automatically installed.

You do not use the Media Services Engine to configure the Auto Archive, Auto Transcode, and

Auto Copy services. Instead, use the Avid Interplay Administrator and the Avid Service Framework services. For more information, see “Configuring Auto Archive Using the Avid

Service Configuration” on page 154.

Publishing.zip

Registering a Service Manually

To install a Media Services service description:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool and log in as administrator, as described in

“Opening the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Services tab.

The Services page displays the currently configured services.

3. Click Install/Upgrade.

The Install/Upgrade Service dialog box opens.

Registering a Service Manually

4. Click the Browse button and navigate to the folder containing the service package (.zip file). Make sure you have access to the folder.

The following is an example of the location of a service package. In this case, the service package is for the Transcode service.

- C:\Program Files\Avid\Interplay Transcode\TranscodeService

You can use the Microsoft Windows Search tool to help you locate the folder that contains the service package. For a list of package file names, see “Registering a Service Manually”

on page 62.

5. In the folder, select the service.zip file.

The following illustration shows the TranscodeService.zip file selected.

6. Click Save.

The path to the file appears in the Install/Upgrade Service dialog box.

Registering a Provider

7. Click Install/Upgrade.

The service and its description appear on the Services page. The following illustration shows the Transcode Service added to the Services page.

Registering a Provider

The Provider page on the Media Services and Transfer Status tool is used to register a provider for a particular service. The provider receives information about jobs and supplies the Media Services Engine with information about the provider, job status, and other information depending on the service.

Prior to Interplay v3.0, registering a provider was a two-step process:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool and register each provider on the Provider page.

2. On the provider system, enter information in the Provider Settings dialog box and connect to the server.

In Media Services v3.0, you only need to perform step 2. See “Connecting a Provider to the

Media Services Engine” on page 70.

A Media Services v3.0 provider automatically generates a name for the provider that it displays in the Provider Settings dialog box.The name uses the syntax <hostname>_<servicename>_<unique#>, for example “AvidInterplay1_Restore_9558.”

Formats include the following:

• <hostname>_Archive_<unique #>

• <hostname>_Restore_<unique #>

• <hostname>_Copy_<unique #>

• <hostname>_Move_<unique #>

• <hostname>_STPEncode_<unique #>

• <hostname>_Transcode_<unique #>

• <hostname>_Delivery_<unique #>

You can override the automatically generated name in the Provider Settings dialog box.

If necessary, you can use the manual procedure described in “Registering a Provider Manually”

on page 67.

Registering a Provider Manually

Prior to Interplay v3.0, you needed to open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool and register each provider. This part of the procedure is now automatic (see “Registering a Provider”

on page 66). If necessary you can use the following procedure.

Registering a Provider Manually

To register the provider with the Media Services Engine:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool and log in as administrator, as described in

“Opening the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Providers tab.

The Providers page displays all of the currently registered providers.

3. Click Register.

The Register Provider dialog box opens.

4. Do the following:

a. Service menu — Select a service.

b. Provider Name — Type the name that you want to use to identify this particular

provider. You can have several providers on your workgroup for the same service, so you should use a meaningful name.

Registering a Provider Manually

c. Application Name — For future use. Leave this text box blank.

As an example, the following illustration shows the Register Provider dialog box with the values filled in for a Transcode Service.

5. Click Register.

The provider appears on the Providers page. If the service is not connected to the Media Services Engine, a Stop icon is displayed in the Status column. In this case, you must connect the provider to the Media Services Engine. See “Connecting a Provider to the Media

Services Engine” on page 70.

Connecting a Provider to the Media Services Engine

After the service descriptions are registered (see “Registering Services” on page 61), you need to configure a provider and connect it to the Media Services Engine.

The following procedure uses the Transcode service as an example of how to configure and connect a provider. For specific procedures for the various services, see “Understanding the

Various Media Services” on page 21.

To connect a provider to the Media Services Engine:

1. Depending on the service, click Start and select Programs > Avid > Avid Interplay Service, for example, Avid Interplay Transcode.

The service dialog box opens.

The following example shows the Transcode Service dialog box.

2. Click Settings.

The Provider Settings dialog box opens.

3. Do the following:

a. Provider Name — A default name for the provider is automatically supplied by the

provider software (see “Registering a Provider” on page 66). Accept the default name or type a new name. In this example, the name is Transcode_01.

b. Media Services Engine Host Name — Type the name of the system running the Media

Services Engine application.

Connecting a Provider to the Media Services Engine

c. Automatically Connect — Select Yes to automatically connect the provider to the Media

Services Engine when the application starts. To prevent automatic connection, select No. For new installations, Yes is the default.

The following illustration shows the Provider Settings dialog box with the values filled in for a Transcode Service.

4. Click OK.

5. Click Connect in the service dialog box.

The Transcode Service dialog box now shows that the service is connected and shows the provider you selected to connect to. This example shows Transcode_01 as the provider.

Starting the Service Provider

The Provider page in the Media Services and Transfer Status tool now shows that the service is connected, indicated by a check mark in the Status column.

Starting the Service Provider

To start the service, you need to start the service provider.

Auto services, such as Auto Archive, start automatically.

To start the service provider:

t Click Start and select Programs > Avid > Avid Interplay service.

Depending on the service settings, one of the following happens:

- Automatically Connect—Yes, the service dialog box opens for the service you selected

and is connected to the service.

- Automatically Connect—No, the service dialog box opens for the service you selected

and displays Idle. Click the Connect button to connect to the service.

The service provider dialog box displays the start date and start time of the providers based on

the Microsoft® Windows® time.

After the connection is made, the Status line in the service dialog box reads “Checking for Jobs,” and the History window displays the message “Connection Established.” The Connect button changes to a Disconnect button.

Verifying That a Service Provider Is Connected

The following example shows the Transcode Service dialog box as connected.

If the provider cannot connect to the Media Services Engine, the Status line reads “Connection

Error.” Ensure the Media Services Engine is running, the service is installed, the provider is properly registered, and then click Connect again.

Verifying That a Service Provider Is Connected

To verify that a service provider is running and connected:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool. See “Opening the Media Services and

Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Providers tab.

Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving Profiles

The system displays the status of the Media Services providers. In the following illustration, the Transcode service is connected, indicated by a check mark in the Status column. If the provider is not connected (indicated by a stop sign), see “Starting the Service Provider” on

page 72.

Auto services, such as Auto Archive, do not appear in this list. Use the Avid Service Framework

Configuration window to verify that an Auto service is running. See “Verifying That the Auto

Archive Service is Running” on page 158.

Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving Profiles

When you are upgrading a Media Services service you need to perform the same procedures as a new installation, such as installing the service description, registering the service provider and connecting the provider to the Media Services Engine. However, before and after you upgrade a service you need to follow a few rules:

• You need to log in with a user account that has administrator privileges.

• You should perform the upgrade of the service during a low usage time or when the Media Services engine is offline.

• You can only install a newer version of an existing service.

Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving Profiles

• The Media Service Engine only supports one version of a service at a time.

• Make sure the service providers are disconnected, by verifying the Interplay Media Services and Transfer Status tool’s Providers page shows Stop in the Status column.

You do not need to delete the service profiles or unregister the service before performing the

upgrade, as was required in versions prior to v2.0. However, if you want to delete a service completely, you need to first delete all the profiles and providers, and then delete the service.

• During the service upgrade, you cannot cancel the upgrade, however you can continue to work.

• When upgrading any of the Media Services services, all existing profiles are saved. However, because the new version of the service might contain new or modified profile settings, you must review your profiles after the upgrade. New and modified settings are marked with a caution icon in the Parameters area of the profile. These marked settings require you to either set a valid value or leave the text box blank, depending on the requirements for the new or modified profile setting.

For information about the various profile settings, see “Working with Media Services

Profiles” on page 76.

You can modify multiple profile setting values using the Profiles page. For information, see

“Modifying Multiple Profiles” on page 79.

• On the Profiles page, after the service is upgraded, a caution icon displays next to any profile settings that were removed in the new version of the service. You need to check each existing profile to make sure it meets your needs. The existing profile retains the older profile settings to provide backward compatibility, however these older settings are not used with the new version of the service.

• On the Profiles page, after the service is upgraded, a caution icon displays next to any profile settings that the values were modified by the new version of the service. You need to check each existing profile to make sure it meets your needs. The existing profile retains the older profile setting values to provide backward compatibility, however these older setting values are not used with the new version of the service.

5 Working with Media Services Profiles

The following topics provide information about working with Media Services profiles:

• Understanding Media Services Profiles

• Creating a Service Provider Profile

• Modifying Multiple Profiles

• Modifying Changed or New Options in a Profile

Understanding Media Services Profiles

Profiles let you set up templates to use when performing an operation. For example, you can create a profile to use with the Interplay Transcode service. When you select the profile, the Transcode service automatically performs the transcode operation using the specified target resolution, stores the new media on the specified workspace, and stores the new asset in the designated target folder, as defined in the profile.

Profiles are required if you request a service from an Avid editing application. If you request a service from Interplay Access, some services require a profile, and others provide the option of using a profile or setting the parameters for the current operation.

You can update the values set in multiple profiles at the same time by using the Multiple Profile Select mode. To use this mode, the profiles must be of the same type. For example, you can select multiple Transcode service profiles and then change the Workspace value to update the values in all the selected Transcode service profiles. For more information, see “Modifying

Multiple Profiles” on page 79.

Before you upgrade a service you can preserve existing profiles by following the rules listed in

“Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving Profiles” on page 74.

Creating a Service Provider Profile

This chapter provides an example of how to create a profile. For specific procedures to create profiles for the various services, see the references in the following table.

Service name Documentation

Interplay Transcode Service “Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile” on page 89

Interplay Archive Service

Interplay Restore Service

Interplay Copy Service “Using an Interplay Copy Service Profile” on page 196

Interplay Move Service “Creating a Avid Interplay Move Service Profile” on page 239

Interplay Stream Publish Provider (Not applicable to Interplay v2.4 or later) “Creating a Stream

Interplay Delivery Provider “Creating an Avid Interplay Delivery Profile” on page 255

You do not need to create a Media Services profile for the STP Encode service. The service

requests profile information directly from the Transfer Engine during the STP Encode workflow.

If a profile includes a target workspace on an ISIS system that is configured in a multiple ISIS workgroup, and the workspace is on a remote ISIS system, the workspace path must include the hostname of the ISIS System Director and the name of the workspace, in the standard UNC format:

\\hostname\workspace_name

For more information, see “Workgroups with Multiple ISIS Systems” in the Avid Interplay Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

“Creating an Interplay Archive or Interplay Restore Profile” on page 141

Publish Service Profile” on page 339

Creating a Service Provider Profile

This section gives an example of how to create a service provider profile. It uses the Transcode service as an example.

To create a profile:

1. Open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool. For more information, see “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Profiles tab.

Creating a Service Provider Profile

3. In the Service menu, select a service, for example, Avid Interplay Transcode Service.

4. Click Add in the Profiles area.

The Add Profile dialog box opens.

5. Type a descriptive name for the new profile in the Add Profile dialog box. This is the name that users see when they right-click an asset and select a service, for example Transcode.

6. Click OK.

The name appears in the Profiles list and an empty template appears in the Parameters area.

7. In the Parameters area, set a value for each option as needed.

8. Click Save in the Parameters area.

The Save Profile dialog box opens.

9. Click Yes to save your changes.

You can define several operations under one main profile name. For example, you can add subjobs to transcode several resolutions using one profile. The system processes each subjob in turn.

To add subjobs:

t Click Add in the Sub Jobs area.

Modifying Multiple Profiles

From the Profiles page of the Avid Interplay Media Services and Transfer Status tool, you can select multiple profiles to batch modify option values at the same time. When you select more than one profile in the Profiles list, the Parameters area changes to multi-select mode with the title “Parameters for All Selected Profiles.”

For example, you can select several Transcode profiles, and then change the Workspace value once in the parameters area for all the selected profiles.

This feature is useful after you upgrade a service provider and you need to modify your existing profiles to correct any values that are not supported with the new version of the service provider. In the Parameters area of the profile, a caution icon indicates which profile settings require attention. This feature is also useful for setting the parameters of multiple profiles after installing a new Media Services service.

Modifying Multiple Profiles

To modify multiple profiles at the same time:

1. Open and log in to the Media Services and Transfer Status tool:

t From the Avid Interplay Media Services window, click Admin Tool.

t From the Avid Interplay Administrator, in the Site Settings area, click the Interplay

Media Services icon.

When you open the Media Services and Transfer Status tool from the Avid Interplay

Administrator, the name is “Interplay Media Services.”

2. Click the Profiles tab.

3. In the Service menu, select a service. For example, Avid Interplay Transcode Service.

Modifying Multiple Profiles

4. In the Profiles list, select all the profiles you want to batch modify the setting values.

The Parameters for All Selected Profiles displays in the parameters area.

5. In the Parameters for All Selected Profiles area, click the option with the value you want to change.

The option’s value field displays.

6. Type or select a new value for the option.

7. Click Save All.

Only the options displaying their value field are updated for all of the selected profiles.

Modifying Changed or New Options in a Profile

If you upgrade a service provider, you might need to modify your existing profiles to correct any values that are not supported with the new version of the service provider, or to add a value for a new option. In the Parameters area of the profile, a caution icon indicates which profile settings require attention.

To remove the Caution icon for a new profile value:

t Make any change to the option value.

In some cases, you might need to enable and then disable an option to remove the icon.

6 Working with the Transcode Service

The following topics provide information about working with the Transcode service:

• Understanding the Transcode Service

• Check List for Transcoding Assets

• Registering the Transcode Service with the Media Services Engine

• Connecting the Transcode Provider to the Media Services Engine

• Starting the Transcode Provider

• Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

• Understanding the Transcode Services Modes

• Transcoding an Asset from Avid Interplay Access

• Understanding CROSSRATE Mode

• Transcoding an Asset from an Avid Editing Application

• Transcoding OMF Clips

• Wo r k i n g w i t h a n A u to Transcode Folder

• Stereoscopic 3D Support in Interplay Transcode

Understanding the Transcode Service

Transcoding Avid assets from one resolution to another resolution is available with the Avid Interplay Transcode service and Avid Interplay Auto Transcode service. For example, you can use the Avid Interplay Transcode service to create a low-resolution version of a sequence or master clip. You can also use the Interplay Transcode process to mix down the video and audio tracks during the transcode.

If you are using the Transcode service to transcode a clip with multiple resolutions, the Transcode service relinks to the Highest Quality resolution and then performs the transcode. The Highest Quality resolution is determined by the Dynamic Relink feature of the Avid editing system. For more information, see “Using MultiRez and Dynamic Relink” in the Interplay Help or in the documentation for your Avid editing application.

Before you can use the Transcode service, you need to check that the Transcode service is installed and connected. For a list of the steps to prepare for transcoding, see “Check List for

Transcoding Assets” on page 83.

Interplay Transcode v3.0 and later is qualified to run as multiple instances on the same server. Up to four providers are supported, depending on the total amount of CPU used. For more information, see “Installing Multiple Transcode Providers on the Same Server” in the Avid

Interplay Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

When accessing an Interplay Transcode system remotely, you should use the Microsoft Windows

Remote Desktop Connect command instead of VNC. The Remote Desktop Connect feature requires setup on the Interplay Transcode system. For information, see the Microsoft Windows documentation.

Check List for Transcoding Assets

For the transcode process, the following table provides a check list of steps for installing and configuring the Interplay Media Services system in an Avid shared-storage environment, and configuring an Avid editing system. The check list also provides references where to find more information about each step.

Check List for Transcoding Assets

Transcoding Assets Check List

Task Section Reference



Check your configuration. See “Configuration Requirements” on page 24.

Make sure the Interplay Media Services application key is connected to a USB port. If a Transcode provider is not running on the Interplay Media Services server, you must also connect an application key to a USB port on the server running the Transcode provider.

Check List for Transcoding Assets

Transcoding Assets Check List (Continued)

Task Section Reference



Make sure the Interplay Media Services Engine software and the supporting software are installed and configured in the workgroup.

• Avid Service Framework for Client

• Avid Interplay Access

• Avid Interplay Media Services

• Avid Interplay Transcode service (install this on each server used as a provider)

Starting with version 2.6, the Interplay Transcode

service and the STP Encode service require you to choose during installation how ISIS workspaces are mounted: by drive letter or by UNC path. For multiple ISIS workgroups, select UNC paths if the number of workspaces required for the client exceeds the available drive letters. Mount the workspaces before you start the service.

(Option) Install the Interplay Auto Media Services service, which includes the Interplay Auto Transcode software.

Make sure the Interplay Transcode service is registered. See “Registering the Transcode Service with the

See Avid Interplay Software Installation and Configuration Guide and “Interplay Media

Services Engine Installation and Configuration” on page 27.

See “Preparing the Workgroup for Auto

Transcode” on page 114.

Media Services Engine” on page 85.



Connect the Interplay Transcode service provider to the Media Service Engine.

Mount workspaces by drive letter or UNC path, depending on how you installed Interplay Transcode.

Start the Interplay Transcode service provider. See “Starting the Transcode Provider” on page 88.

Verify the Interplay Transcode service is connected. See “Verifying That a Service Provider Is

(Option) Create a Interplay Transcode profile. See “Creating an Interplay Transcode Service

Perform a transcode using Interplay Access. See “Transcoding an Asset from Avid Interplay

Perform a transcode using an Avid editing system. See “Transcoding an Asset from an Avid Editing

See “Connecting the Transcode Provider to the

Media Services Engine” on page 85.

See “Mounting Workspaces for Interplay

Transcode and Other Media Services” on page 26.

Connected” on page 73.

Profile” on page 89.

Access” on page 108.

Application” on page 110.

Registering the Transcode Service with the Media Services Engine

You do not use the Media Services Engine to configure the Auto Archive, Auto Transcode, and

Auto Copy services. Instead, use the Avid Interplay Administrator and the Avid Service Framework services. For more information, see “Configuring the Auto Transcode Service” on

page 115.

Registering the Transcode Service with the Media Services Engine

After installing the Transcode provider software, you need to make sure that the current Transcode service is registered with the Media Services Engine. The service should be listed on the Services tab of the Media Services and Transfer Status tool. Registration is automatic but takes place only after you restart the Media Services Engine. See “Registering Services” on

page 61.

Connecting the Transcode Provider to the Media Services Engine

After making sure the service is registered, register the provider by connecting to the Media Services Engine.

If you try to connect to the Media Services Engine before the latest service is registered, the

Status line in the Transcode Service dialog box reads: Error From Broker! UNKNOWN_SERVICE.

If necessary, you can manually register the provider. See “Registering a Provider Manually” on

page 67.

Connecting the Transcode Provider to the Media Services Engine

To connect the Transcode provider to the Media Services Engine:

1. Click Start and select Programs > Avid > Avid Interplay Transcode.

The Transcode Service dialog box opens.

2. Click Settings.

The Provider Settings dialog box opens.

3. Do the following:

a. Provider Name — A default name for the provider is automatically supplied (see

“Registering a Provider” on page 66). Accept the default name or type a new name. In

this example, the name is Transcode_01.

b. Media Services Engine Host Name — Type the name of the system running the Media

Services Engine application.

c. Automatically Connect — Select Yes to automatically connect the provider to the Media

Services Engine when the application starts. To prevent automatic connection, select No.

Connecting the Transcode Provider to the Media Services Engine

The following illustration shows the Provider Settings dialog box with the values filled in for the Transcode provider.

4. Click OK.

5. Click Connect in the Service window.

The Transcode Service dialog box now shows that the service is connected and shows the name of the provider you connected.

Starting the Transcode Provider

The Provider page in the Media Services and Transfer Status tool now shows that the service is connected, indicated by a check mark in the Status column.

Starting the Transcode Provider

Make sure you have mounted at least one drive before you start the provider. See “Mounting

Workspaces for Interplay Transcode and Other Media Services” on page 26.

To start the Transcode provider:

1. Click Start and select Programs > Avid > Avid Interplay Transcode.

Depending on the service settings, one of the following happens:

- Automatically Connect—Yes, the service dialog box opens for the service you selected and is connected to the service.

- Automatically Connect—No, the service dialog box opens for the service you selected and displays Idle. Click the Connect button to connect to the service.

The service provider dialog box displays the start date and start time of the providers based on

the Microsoft Windows time.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

The following example shows the Transcode Service dialog box as connected.

If the provider cannot connect to the Media Services Engine, the Status line reads “Connection

Error.” Ensure the Media Services Engine is running, the service is registered, the provider is registered, and then click Connect again.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

You must create a profile to use when performing a Transcode or an Auto Transcode operation. You select a Transcode profile after selecting an asset in Interplay Access or in an Avid editing application.

Transcode profiles let you define the following:

• The portion of the Avid asset that is transcoded

• Job priority

• Resolution and format

• Workspace for the media files

To create a transcode profile:

1. Open and log in to the Media Services and Transfer Status tool as described in “Opening the

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 36.

2. Click the Profiles tab.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

3. In the Service menu, select Avid Interplay Transcode Service.

4. Click Add in the Profiles area.

The Add Profile dialog box opens.

5. Type a descriptive name for the new profile in the Add Profile dialog box. This is the name that users see when they right-click an asset and select Transcode.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

6. Click OK.

The name appears in the Profiles list and an empty template appears in the Parameters area.

7. In the Parameters area, select a Mode as follows:

- WHOLE: Transcodes the entire clip.

- CONSOLIDATE: Transcodes only the portion of a clip used to create a subclip or

portions of clips used to create a sequence.

- MIXDOWN: Transcodes and mixes down the video and audio to create one master clip.

- DUALMIXDOWN — Transcodes the selected asset twice to create a single master clip

with two resolutions associated with it.

- CROSSRATE — Creates a master clip in a project format different from the project

format of the original clip.

For more information, see “Understanding the Transcode Services Modes” on page 100.

8. In the Parameters area, define the other values you want in the profile for the selected mode.

See “Transcode Profile Parameters” on page 92.

9. Click Save in the Parameters area.

The Save Profile dialog box opens.

10. Click Yes to save your changes.

You can define several transcode operations under one main profile name. For example, you can add subjobs to transcode several resolutions using one profile. The system processes each subjob in turn.

To add subjobs:

t Click Add in the Sub Jobs area.

Transcode Profile Parameters

All transcode profile parameters are displayed for any mode that you select, but some parameters are applicable only to particular modes. The following table describes all parameters with notes about specific modes.

Transcode Profile Settings

Parameter Description

Mode • WHOLE: Transcodes the entire clip. See “Understanding

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

the Transcode Services Modes” on page 100.

• CONSOLIDATE: Transcodes only the portion of a clip used to create a subclip or portions of clips used to create a sequence. See “Understanding the Transcode Services

Modes” on page 100.

• MIXDOWN: Transcodes and mixes down the video and audio of a sequence to create one master clip. See

“Understanding MIXDOWN Mode” on page 101.

• DUALMIXDOWN: Transcodes and mixes down the video and audio of a sequence to create a one master clip with two resolutions associated with it. See

“Understanding DUALMIXDOWN Mode” on page 103.

• CROSSRATE: Creates a master clip in a project format different from the project format of the original clip. See

“Understanding CROSSRATE Mode” on page 106.

Priority Select a priority. This value allows you to assign job priorities

to different profiles. Priority numbers range from 1 (highest priority) through 100 (lowest priority). The default priority number assigned to each job is 50.

TargetAudioQuality Select an audio resolution for the transcode or select None.

• None

(MIXDOWN or DUALMIXDOWN mode only) The mixed-down clip does not include the audio tracks.For example, if you select None from the TargetAudioQuality menu, then the audio tracks are not mixed down during the Interplay Transcode operation.

• MPEG1 Layer 2: Digital audio compressed to the MPEG1 Layer 2 specification at 96 Kb/s.

• Uncompressed PCM: 16-bit 48-kHz digital audio

• Uncompressed PCM 24-bit: 24-bit 48-kHz digital audio

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

Transcode Profile Settings (Continued)

Parameter Description

TargetAudioQualityDual (DUALMIXDOWN mode only) Select an audio resolution

for the second transcode.

•None

The mixed-down clip does not include the audio tracks. For example, if you select None from the TargetAudioQualityDual menu, then the audio tracks are not mixed down during the Interplay Transcode operation.

• MPEG1 Layer 2 - digital audio compressed to the MPEG1 Layer 2 specification at 96 Kb/s.

• Uncompressed PCM: 16-bit 48-kHz digital audio

• Uncompressed PCM 24-bit: 24-bit 48-kHz digital audio

If you select a dual target, you should also select a

primary target.

This parameter is ignored for other Transcode modes.

TargetAudioTrackMapping (MIXDOWN or DUALMIXDOWN mode only) Lets you

identify the mapping of source audio tracks to the output (target) audio tracks. See “Mapping Audio Tracks in

MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE Modes” on page 94. This parameter is ignored for other Transcode

modes.

TargetProjectType (CROSSRATE mode only) Select the project type to which

you want to transcode. See “Understanding CROSSRATE

Mode” on page 106. Select None if you do not want to

transcode to a different project type. This parameter is ignored for other Transcode modes.

TargetVideoQuality Select a video resolution for the transcode. Select None if you

do not want the transcoded clip to include a video track.

TargetVideoQualityDual (DUALMIXDOWN mode only) Select a video resolution for

the second transcode. Select None if you do not want the transcoded clip to include a video track.

This parameter is ignored for other Transcode modes.

If you select a dual target, you should also select a

primary target.

VideoTimeCodeFormat Not used - for future use.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

Transcode Profile Settings (Continued)

Parameter Description

Workspace Type the name of the Avid shared-storage workspace that will

hold the new media files.

If the workspace is part of a multiple-ISIS workgroup: Existing profiles will work correctly with the workspaces as currently defined, but new or edited profiles that specify a workspace on a remote ISIS system must include the hostname of the ISIS System Director.

\\hostname\workspace_name

WorkspaceDual (DUALMIXDOWN mode only) Type the name of a second

Avid shared-storage workspace that will hold the new media files. See “Understanding DUALMIXDOWN Mode with Two

Workspaces” on page 104.

This parameter is ignored for other Transcode modes.

Mapping Audio Tracks in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE Modes

When you create a Avid Interplay Transcode profile for mixing down the source audio (in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE modes), you can also specify how the source audio tracks map to the target audio tracks. The TargetAudioTrackMapping text box lets you identify the source audio tracks and how you want them mapped to the target audio tracks.

Use the following rules in the TargetAudioTrackMapping text box:

AudioMode[S or A]TargetAudioTrack=SourceAudioTrack+SourceAudioTrack;

For example, S1=1+2; performs a stereo mapping of the source audio track 1 to the target audio track 1 and the source audio track 2 to the target audio track 2.

If you leave the TargetAudioTrackMapping text box blank, then the default audio track mapping is used: S1=0; which is stereo mode with all source audio tracks mapping to target audio tracks 1 and 2.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

You can enter a series of output (target) track mapping specifications. The following table explains the specifications:

TargetAudioTrackMapping Text B ox Rule

AudioMode Type S for stereo mode that uses two target audio tracks and

applies balancing.

Type A for mono mode that uses one target audio track and does not include balancing.

Type O to specify surround sound 5.1

Type Q to specify surround sound 7.1. For more information, see

“Support for Surround Sound Audio Tracks” on page 98.

The letters S, A, O, and Q are not case sensitive.

TargetAudioTrack Type the target audio track number.

• For stereo mode the target audio track must be an odd number. The second stereo target audio track is automatically set using the number you type +1. For example, if you type S1 then the target audio tracks are audio track 1 and audio track 2.

= You must type an equal sign after the Target Audio Track before

specifying the source audio tracks.

SourceAudioTrack Type a source audio track number.

• Type a specific source audio track number or a series of track numbers separated by a + (plus sign).

• Type 0 to include all available source audio tracks.

• Type -1 to include all odd numbered source audio tracks.

• Type -2 to include all even numbered source audio tracks.

; You must type a ; (semicolon) as a terminator after the source

audio track numbers.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

The following table provides some common uses of the audio track mapping process.

TargetAudioTrackMapping Text Box Explanation

A0=0; Mono mode, all available source audio tracks are mapped to

equal number of target audio tracks, such as source audio track 1 maps to target audio track 1, source audio track 2 maps to target audio track 2, and so on.

A1=0; Mono mode, all available source audio tracks are mapped to

target audio track 1.

A1=-1; Mono mode, all available odd numbered source audio tracks are

mapped to target audio track 1.

A2=-2; Mono mode, all available even numbered source audio tracks are

mapped to target audio track 2.

S1=0; Stereo mode, all available source audio tracks are mapped to

target audio track 1 and target audio track 2. This is the default result if the text box is left blank.

The following table provides an example of using audio track mapping with multi-language source clips.

TargetAudioTrackMapping

Source Audio Tracks

Track 1 and 2 - music

Track 3 and 4 - English voice over

Track 5 and 6 - French voice over

text box Results

S1=1+2+3+4; Stereo mode

• source audio track 1 is mapped to target audio tracks 1 (music odd track)

• source audio track 2 is mapped to target audio tracks 2 (music even track)

• source audio track 3 is mapped to target audio target track 1 (English odd track)

• source audio track 4 is mapped to target audio track 2 (English even track)

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

Clip 1 Clip 2

TargetAudioTrackMapping

Source Audio Tracks

text box Results

S3=1+2+5+6; Stereo mode

• source audio track 1 is mapped to target audio track 3 (music odd track)

• source audio track 2 is mapped to target audio track 4 (music even track)

• source audio track 5 is mapped to target audio track 3 (French odd track)

• source audio track 6 is mapped to target audio track 4 (French even track)

Override for default panning in Transcode mixdowns: The default audio panning behavior for stereo mixdowns is center pan. This has been the behavior since Interplay v2.5 and matches the behavior of Avid editing applications. (Previously the default panning was odd tracks left and even tracks right.)

You can override this default to pan all odd tracks left and all even tracks right. To use this override, enter P0=0; in a profile's TargetAudioTrackMapping text box, followed by the desired track mapping. For example, to pan all odd tracks stereo left and all even tracks stereo right, enter P0=0;S1=0;

If you enter only P0=0; the following error message is displayed: “No output track descriptors

found.”

Mapping Multichannel Audio Tracks in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE Modes

Avid editing applications let users create and work with multichannel audio tracks. For example, for a clip, you can combine audio tracks A1 and A2 into a single stereo track.The Interplay Transcode Mixdown option (in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE modes) lets you specify how stereo tracks map to target audio tracks.

For example, you might want to transcode and mixdown a sequence that includes two tracks (A1 and A2), each of which is a stereo pair.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

A1 & A2

A3 & A4

V1Clip 1 Clip 2

Clip 1.new

Transcode Mixdown

Clip 1 Clip 2

Clip 1.new

Transcode Mixdown

If you are using the Transcode Mixdown option, and you want to preserve the two tracks as stereo pairs, use the following mapping:

S1 = 1;S3 = 2;

This mapping specifies that:

• For stereo output track 1 (S1), use source track 1

• For stereo output track 3 (S3), use source track 2

For stereo mode, the target track must be an odd number, because it represents two stereo tracks.

The transcoded, mixed-down sequence preserves the two tracks as stereo pairs, as shown in the following illustration:

Other mappings will combine the stereo pair to a single track. For example, A0 = 0 will create two mono tracks, as shown in the following illustration.

If you are using the Transcode Mixdown option with stereo tracks, make sure that your audio track mapping is correct for the output that you want. The Transcode Mixdown service uses the track information as labeled in the sequence, not as labeled in the original master clips.

Support for Surround Sound Audio Tracks

Interplay v2.5 supports an end-to-end workflow for clips and sequences that include surround sound audio tracks. Track groups are preserved when you check objects in and out of the Interplay database and process them Interplay Media Services and Interplay Transfer.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

If you want to use the Transcode MIXDOWN, DUAL-MIXDOWN, or CROSSRATE mode with surround sound audio, you need to create a profile that includes mapping information in the TargetAudioTrackMapping text box. For information about creating a Transcode profile, see the Avid Interplay Media Services Setup and Users Guide or the Avid Interplay Help.

Interplay Media Services v2.5 includes two new letters to use for mapping surround-sound audio:

• Use the letter O to specify surround sound 5.1

• Use the letter Q to specify surround sound 7.1

You use an Avid editing system to configure audio tracks for the surround sound mix. By default, the Avid editing system arranges the surround sound mix as follows. Tracks are relative to the output starting track number.

Trac k 5: 1 7 : 1

First Left Front Left Front

Second Center Center

Third Right Front Right Front

Fourth Left Rear Left Center

Fifth Right Rear Right Center

Sixth Low Frequency Left Rear

Seventh Right Rear

Eighth Low Frequency

For additional information on surround sound, see the What’s New guide for your Avid editing application.

You can create a Transcode profile that specifies which tracks to use in the mixdown. The surround sound mix is preserved in the mixdown. The following table shows several examples of what to type in the TargetAudioTrackMapping text box.

Format Result

O1=0;

Q1=0;

All source tracks are included in a 5.1 mix and are mixed down to tracks 1through 6.

All source tracks are included in a 7.1 mix and are mixed down to tracks 1 through 8.

Format Result

Understanding the Transcode Services Modes

O1=3+4+5+6+7+8;

Q1=2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9;

Limitation

Interplay Assist cannot play sequences created in an Avid editing system that contain surround sound clips if the Audio Monitoring Mix Mode is set to Direct Out. Workaround: Set the Audio Monitoring Mix Mode to Mono or Stereo.

Interplay Assist can play surround sound clips as Direct Out, and can create and play shotlists

that contain surround sound clips.

Tracks 3 through 8 are included in a 5.1 mix and are mixed down to tracks 3 through 8. Use this if there are tracks that are not included in the surround sound mix. In this example tracks 1 and 2 are not included.

Tracks 2 through 9 are included in a 7.1 mix and are mixed down to tracks 2 through 9. Use this if there are tracks that are not included in the surround sound mix. In this example, track 1 is not included.

Understanding the Transcode Services Modes

The Transcode profile lets you select various modes to perform different types of transcodes.

• WHOLE — The transcode process creates new media for an entire clip. For sequences or subclips, the complete source clips that make up the sequence or subclip are transcoded. All audio tracks and video track V1 are transcoded. Effects are not transcoded. No new clip is created.

• CONSOLIDATE — For subclips, the transcode process creates new media only for the portion of the clip that makes up the subclip. For sequences, the transcode process creates new media only for the portion of the clips that are contained in the sequence. This process creates partially online media for the related clips. Relevant portions of all audio tracks and video track V1 are transcoded. Effects are not transcoded. No new clip is created.

• MIXDOWN — The transcode process mixes down the audio and video of a sequence to create new media and a new master clip. Profile settings let you control if the audio and video are included in the mixed-down master clip. See “Understanding MIXDOWN Mode”

on page 101.

The new master clip is named clipname,xcode mix,n, where n is the number of Transcode jobs run since the last start of the service (for example, MyClip,xcode mix,2). It is created in the same folder as the source sequence.

100

Pinnacle Systems Interplay Media Services - 3.0 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Using This Guide

Symbols and Conventions

If You Need Help

Viewing Help and Documentation on the Interplay Portal

Avid Training Services

Understanding the Interplay Media Services System

Media Services Engine Components

Understanding the Media Services Engine

Understanding the Avid Interplay Media Services and Transfer Status Tool

Understanding the Various Media Services

Check Lists for Setting Up and Using Service Providers

Configuration Requirements

Support for Restrictions

Support for Group Clips

Mounting Workspaces for Interplay Transcode and Other Media Services

Check List for Setting Up the Media Services Engine

Registering the Media Services Engine in an Avid Interplay Workgroup

Configuring the Media Services Engine

Starting the Interplay Media Services Engine

Opening the Media Services and Transfer Status Tool

Media Services and Transfer Status Tool User Interface

Using the Jobs Page

Jobs Page Information

Customizing the Reporting of Service Job Status

Customizing the Jobs Page Columns

Filtering the Jobs List

Viewing Details About a Job

Job Details Window

Purging the Jobs List

Prioritizing a Job

Canceling a Job

Deleting a Job

Retrying a Job

Exporting the Jobs List

Using the Providers Page

Opening the Providers Page

Customizing the Providers Display

Viewing Details About a Provider

Deleting Providers

Using the Services Page

Opening the Services Page

Displaying Details About a Service

Deleting a Media Services Service

Using the Users Page

Opening the Users Page

Setting Up User Accounts

Reassigning Passwords

Deleting User Accounts

Registering Services

Registering a Service Manually

Registering a Provider

Registering a Provider Manually

Connecting a Provider to the Media Services Engine

Starting the Service Provider

Verifying That a Service Provider Is Connected

Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving Profiles

5 Working with Media Services Profiles

Understanding Media Services Profiles

Creating a Service Provider Profile

Modifying Multiple Profiles

Modifying Changed or New Options in a Profile

6 Working with the Transcode Service

Understanding the Transcode Service

Check List for Transcoding Assets

Registering the Transcode Service with the Media Services Engine

Connecting the Transcode Provider to the Media Services Engine

Starting the Transcode Provider

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

Transcode Profile Parameters

Mapping Audio Tracks in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE Modes

Mapping Multichannel Audio Tracks in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE Modes

Support for Surround Sound Audio Tracks

Understanding the Transcode Services Modes