On-Air Playback Operations. Imagine communications ADC v4.26.62

Below you will find brief information for Air Client ADC v4.26.62. The Air Client is a software application that allows users to control and manage the on-air playout of video and audio content. It offers a range of features for building playlists, running transmissions, previewing content, and managing events. It also provides tools for monitoring device status, searching for content, and managing errors.

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ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

On-Air Playback Operations

About On-Air Playback

This section describes how to quickly start using the Air Client application. Detailed use of the features of the Air Client application will be described later in the following chapters of this manual.

The Air Client application allows real-time monitoring and control of the on-air playout channel. Play List files generated by a traffic department may be translated by the play list translator utility and then

"appended" into the transmission list. Play list files may also be created manually with the Air Client software. The transmission list controls the actual sequence of playout events. Events may be cut, copied, pasted, dragged and dropped within the transmission list. New play list files may be appended to the current on-air transmission list to form a single, continuous playout list.

As the transmission list plays events, the list "packs" - DONE events will disappear from the top of the list, and new events will enter the event lookahead. When events enter the lookahead, their IDs are compared to IDs within the storage collection of the video server or to a VTR assigned to the transmission list. If the ID is found in the video server or a VTR, the event is registered and will turn blue on the transmission list. A registered event is available for playout. Missing events – IDs not found in an assigned device – will appear in red on the transmission list to alert the operator that they must be readied for air. Events outside the event lookahead are not registered. The transmission list will always display a configurable amount of DONE events at the top.

The transmission list actually runs on the Device Server, under the control of the Air Client. In case of a failure of the Air Client, the transmission list will continue to run on the Device Server, preventing an interruption of the playout channel. Both the Air Client and Media Client applications may be safely restarted at any time. The Air Client may be safely rebooted without affecting air.

Automated V11 to V12 list translation utility

Air Client 4.20 and higher incorporates a list translation utility which automatically converts any version

11 formatted playlist file into a version 12 format. This function changes the extension of the original v11 file to ".v11", while the translated v12 playlist has the original filename and the .lst extension. This eliminates any change in the length of the either file's filename.



When a version 11 formatted list is loaded, inserted or appended into Air Client v4, the user is presented with a warning message that states the list will be converted into a version 12 format and the original list renamed with a .v11 extension.

For Example: "The play list you have selected: list_1 will automatically be converted into a

compatible format. Initial file will be renamed to the list_1.v11."



On opening a version 11 playlist file that has previously undergone this conversion and created a version 12 formatted playlist file, a warning message is generated asking the user if they want to overwrite the version 12 playlist file.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

Translator Known Issues

On-Air Playback Operations

The following are known issues for the in-line translator:



External data written in the Text editor is lost: If a v3/v11 playlist is created, vDT Secondary

External Events inserted, and the playlist is then loaded with a v4 client, when it converts it to a v12 format the external data written in the Text editor is lost and must be re-written.

About Event Headers in Air Client

An Event Header is a primary event that has no duration, no device and does not impact ripple. It isn't included in the as-run log. This Event Header provides visual separation between lists and provide an identifier that allows traffic to be able to replace a schedule.



Once an Event Header is added, its title can be manually edited as required. For information on

inserting Event Headers see section: To Insert a Secondary Event (on page 121 ).



As desired, an operator can modify the display color (Default: Yellow) for an active ‘Event Header’ in a playlist. For information on changing/specifying ‘Event Header’ color see: To specify Event Colors.

(see "To specify Event Colors" on page 232)



When Event Headers enter into the Done events area their status shows "DONE" and their color changes to reflect this status. The color attributes match the existing configuration set for Done events.

To View an ON AIR List / Transmission List

Use the following procedure to quickly view an ON AIR List / Transmission List.

Note: The Operation Control Panel (OCP) play list buttons can also be used to view an ON AIR List.

Actions taken on the OCP are logged in the Operations log.

1. From the Resources ribbon tab select the View List Icon ( ). The Choose List dialog is displayed.

2. Choose the desired List, and then click OK.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

Note: Your Play List name may be different than what appears here.

On-Air Playback Operations

3. The selected Transmission List opens in the Air Client desktop.

Note: Loading a List overwrites any events that are currently in the transmission list with the play list file that is selected. This will stop an event that is currently playing On Air. This is intended to be used for Record Lists or when the transmission list is already off the air.

To Build a Play List File

1. From the File ribbon tab select the New Playlist icon ( in the workspace.

). A new blank Playlist window is opened

2. Select the Insert key on keyboard OR from the Events ribbon tab select the Insert Primary icon

( ). The application is automatically placed in Revise Mode and a new event appears in the

Playlist window.

3. Click on the ID column of this new event, enter the ID of a program that was prepared using Media

Client, and then press <Return>. The Select Segment box appears.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

4. Click the Single Spot button to view single spots for the ID. A message box will appear if no single spots exist for the ID.

5. Select segment 1 in the segment box and then click OK.

6. Position yellow cursor on the play list and repeat steps 3 - 4 for additional segments and/or spots.

Any new events will be inserted above the cursor. When inserting of events are completed, exit

Revise Mode.

7. To exit Revise mode press <Alt+R> or from the Events ribbon tab select the Cancel icon ( ).

8. From the File ribbon tab select the Save PlayList As icon ( displayed.

). The Save Playlist dialog is

9. File Name: Type the name the Play List is to be saved as, and then select Save. The play list filename will appear at the top of the window.



Air Client will not load or save any Playlist <<Playlists, (.lst & .cur), Auto List Save Lists, (.rcv &

.rcb), Sectional Lists, (.sec), Compile Lists, (.cpl)>> with a name longer than 32 characters total,

(including its filename extensions). A warning pops up when attempting to save a Playlist name longer than a total of 32 characters.

10. Close the Play List window.

To Save a Playlist file as Text

1. Select a playlist file or the On Air transmission list…

2. From the File ribbon tab select the Save As Text icon ( ).The ‘Save as Text’ dialog is displayed.

3. File Name: Enter the file name or select existing file form list options, and then select Save.

Air Client will not load or save any Playlist <<Playlists, (.lst & .cur), Auto List Save Lists, (.rcv & .rcb),

Sectional Lists, (.sec), Compile Lists, (.cpl)>> with a name longer than 32 characters total, (including its filename extensions). A warning pops up when attempting to save a Playlist name longer than a total of 32 characters

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

To Export Playlist/Transmission List/Pull List file to CSV

Export to the MS Excel-compatible CSV files is allowed for playlists, Transmission Lists and pull lists. Only columns which are configured as visible are exported. The columns order also sticks to the current grid configuration. It is possible to export the whole list or a selected part of it (if some events are selected).

If there are some hidden secondary events, they will not be exported. Header row is always exported.

The CSV file can be opened with the MS Excel and printed in any desired manner or used for other purposes.

To perform an export to CSV

1. On the File tab of the main menu, from the Print group select the Export to CSV icon.

2. The Export to CSV file dialog is displayed. Choose the desired folder, enter the desired name, and then click Save.

3. If no error messages appear, the target file is created. (This example uses the name Generic.csv.)

4. It is now possible to open it in the MS Excel application and print it in any desired manner, or use the data for other purposes.



Open Excel, navigate to the folder containing the .csv file, and select the file type for .cvs.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation



Select the desired .csv file and then click Open.

On-Air Playback Operations

To Open an Existing Playlist

1. From the File ribbon tab select the Open play list icon ( ).

2. Select the play list file you wish to open and view. The default playlist file directory is the same directory where the Air Client application resides.

3. From the Open/Save dialog box, select a playlist and click Open. Playlist filenames use a .LST extension.



Air Client will not load or save any Playlist <<Playlists, (.lst & .cur), Auto List Save Lists, (.rcv &

.rcb), Sectional Lists, (.sec), Compile Lists, (.cpl)>> with a name longer than 32 characters total,

(including its filename extensions). A warning pops up when attempting to save a Playlist name longer than a total of 32 characters.



Once the playlist file is open, the file can be checked for accuracy, changes can be made, etc.

Note: Your playlist name(s) may be different than what appears here.

Note: The first time "File/Open Playlist, File/Open Text, Append/load/insert list" is used, the dialog window shows the directory specified in Properties/Environment. If the operator browses to a different location, the Dialog "remembers/remaps to" the last used folder, and opens it by default the next time "File/Open Playlist, File/Open Text, Append/load/insert list' is used.

To Insert a Play List file to the Transmission

List

Use this procedure to insert a play list file above the placement of the cursor on the transmission list.

This can be used for schedule or program changes.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

1. From the Resources ribbon tab select the VIEW LIST Icon (

On-Air Playback Operations

). The Choose List dialog is displayed.

2. Choose the desired List (PlayList1), and then click OK. This brings up the Transmission List that will be used for On Air Playback.

Note: Your Play List name may be different than what appears here.

3. Select the event line where the playlist will be inserted. Position the cursor on the transmission list at the specific point where the play list will be inserted.

IMPORTANT: The playlist is inserted ABOVE the selected line.

4. From the Quick Access ribbon tab in the List Tools group, select the Insert List icon (

Insert PlayList dialog is displayed.

). The

Note: If using the ADC AirFlex functionality for breakaway scenarios, browse to the location of the

Breakaway Lists. This is typically a subfolder to the ADC Playlist location. For more information see the "ADC AirFlex Reference" manual.

5. On the Insert PlayList dialog, select the Play List file that will be inserted to the On Air Play List window, and then select Open.



The selected play list is inserted above the selected line.



The filename of the inserted play list appears above the newly inserted play list.



In ADC no more than 12500 events can be added into a Transmission List.

Air Client will not load or save any Playlist <<Playlists, (.lst & .cur), Auto List Save Lists, (.rcv & .rcb),

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

To Append a Play List file to the Transmission

List

1. From the Resources ribbon tab select the View List Icon ( ). The Choose List dialog is displayed.

2. Choose the desired List (PlayList1), and then click OK. This brings up the Transmission List that will be used for On Air Playback.

Note: Your Play List name may be different than what appears here.

3. From the Quick Access ribbon tab in the List Tools group select the Append List icon (

Append PlayList dialog is displayed.

). The

Note: If using the ADC AirFlex functionality for breakaway scenarios, browse to the location of the

Breakaway Lists. This is typically a subfolder to the ADC Playlist location. For more information see the "ADC AirFlex Reference" manual.

CAUTION: You can also right click in the transmission list to open the Playlist Options menu and select Append List. Do this with care. Load List is located next to Append List on the right click transmission list options menu. If Load List is selected the On Air Transmission List will be taken off the air!

About ADC v11 vs. ADC v12 Lists: The Air Client v4 application contains an embedded playlist converter that allows existing ADC v11 playlists to be automatically and transparently converted to

ADC v12 playlist format upon loading or appending.

the next time "File/Open Playlist, File/Open Text, Append/load/insert list' is used.

4. On the Append Playlist dialog, select the Play List file that will be appended to the On Air Play List window, and then select Open.



Air Client will not load or save any Playlist <<Playlists, (.lst & .cur), Auto List Save Lists, (.rcv &

.rcb), Sectional Lists, (.sec), Compile Lists, (.cpl)>> with a name longer than 32 characters total,

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

(including its filename extensions). A warning pops up when attempting to save a Playlist name longer than a total of 32 characters.



In ADC no more than 12500 events can be added into a Transmission List.

5. The selected play list will be appended to the window.

6. When the filename marks done at the top of the transmission list:



The bottom of the transmission list will update with the currently running play list. (Example below is a representation only of what it will look like)



Below is an example of how events appear in the window when not running.

To Load a List

This operation will overwrite any events that are currently in the transmission list with the play list file that is selected. This is intended to be used for Record Lists or when the transmission list is already off the air.

WARNING: If Load List is selected the On Air Transmission List will be taken off the air!



Right click in the transmission list to open the Play List Options menu, and then select Load List.

Air Client will not load or save any Playlist <<Playlists, (.lst & .cur), Auto List Save Lists, (.rcv & .rcb),

About ADC v11 vs. ADC v12 Lists: The Air Client v4 application contains an embedded playlist converter that allows existing ADC v11 playlists to be automatically and transparently converted to ADC v12 playlist format upon loading or appending.

To Run the Transmission List

With a playlist loaded:

1. Select Run on the optional Hardware Control Panel (OCP)

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

Double click on the play list to bring up the software version of the On Air Play list control panel and select Run.

2. Selecting Run threads up all available devices that have the IDs located in the device. Typically only the disk is able to thread and any Switch Only sources such as Studio or Network sources.

Software Panel buttons:



Run: Thread and cues the first event in a playlist and any events within the time range specified in the lookahead. The number of events cued is limited by the number of available media heads and devices. You cannot play events until you run the playlist.



Play: Plays the first event in a playlist; however, before you can play events, you must first click the Run button. The Play button can also be used to restart a frozen or held playlist or a playlist stopped by a break event. Clicking the Play button initiates preroll for the playlist so the following event will play after the preroll time.

The Play button will not play a hard start event unless it is configured to do so, as described in

"Miscellaneous" on page 4-14. Use the Play Hard Hits option to start a hard start event with the

Play button on the control panel. If this is not set, the operator cannot play an event that has a hard start if the playlist has stopped running.



Ready: Turn on tension to the next VTR event in tension release to prepare upcoming VTR events. Click this button to prepare a VTR event for transmission that is out of the standby on-time range. Usually used after an upcount events to get the next event ready.



Hold: Holds the countdown of an event that is playing, causing the event to continue playing longer than its duration. You can extend the event’s duration until the Play button is clicked. The playlist will then advance to the next event which can only be played with the Play or Skip button.

IMPORTANT: Using Hold or Freeze while using Protect Pool is not supported.



SyncSkip: Provides synchronous playout of commercials across multiple lists. The SyncSkip command concept is that the next event with a designated sequential Seg # becomes equal to the remaining part of the current event. Since each of these events represent the entire program, the SOM of the next event is shifted to the EOM point of the current event and the

DUR of the next event is made equal to the remaining DUR of the current event.



Skip: Skips the event currently playing and plays the next event. Also, click this button to skip a frozen or held event.



Ten Rel: (Tension Release) Places a cued event’s VTR into tension release. At the Standby On time (before an event is about to air), Air Client issues a command to the VTR to enter Ready status and tension up the tape. The Status field of the event in a transmission list window displays Ready.



Freeze: Stops play and countdown. Click this button to pause the current event. Then, you may skip, roll, reinitiate play or recue the event using the Play button. The Status field of the event in a transmission list window displays Still.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

IMPORTANT: Using Hold or Freeze while using Protect Pool is not supported.



Roll: Roll bypasses normal preroll values and plays the next event as fast as the equipment will allow. If the current event is playing normally, the Roll button skips it and plays the next event using normal preroll values unless configured to use instant preroll values. If the current event is frozen, this button will play the next event. If the current event is being held, clicking this button plays the event.



UnThd: (UnThread). Stops a running transmission list, including the on-air event and any events that follow. All events are uncued and the list goes off-air.



Protect: Toggles the signal switching paths between the on-air and protect devices. Click this button to play an event from the air device, or vice versa. This is an optional function and may not be available on your workstation.



Secondary: The ADC hardware control panel can be configured to add the action Play

Secondary. This allows a secondary event to be manually triggered



+1 Sec: Add one second to the playing event’s duration. Each time you click this button, one second is added to the duration.



Recue: Recues an on-air event. To play the recued event, click the Play button.



-1 Sec: Subtract one second from the playing event’s duration. Each time you click this button, one second is subtracted from the duration.

3. (Option) If loading a tape that does not have User Bits into a VTR follow these steps:



Insert tape into an available On Air VTR deck that is in Local mode.



Set levels.



Select event on play list that represents loaded tape in VTR, right click and from the popup menu select Barcode Event.



Put VTR into Remote. Event on the play list will turn blue, the VTR will cue to SOM in the SOM column, and device column will reflect the VTR tape is loaded into.

4. With the Play list loaded and cued up, select Play on the Hardware Control Panel or on the Software

Control Panel.

The play list starts playing. If the system is configured correctly, the switcher switches these events to the program output of the switcher. Each event plays for the duration designated on play list.

To Air a Live Event

Live shows can air using a switch only device that was configured as a source on the switcher. The switch only device and its audio/video cross points are configured in the device server.

Once you know for sure you will want to air a live show:

1. Insert a Primary Event into the transmission list at the time a live event is to air. (Note – If the log was translated from traffic, the event type should be on the list already.)

2. Enter the ID name of the switch only. (Note – The event may already be in the playlist). Type AU for the event type. The duration can be set to 00:00:00:00 for event to count up from the start, or the estimated duration for the live event.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

3. Exit Revise Mode. To exit Revise mode press <Alt+R> or from the Events ribbon tab select the Cancel icon ( ).



The switch only will play at the designated time if an "O" is also entered for the live show’s first segment only. If an "O" is not used then the live show will air in the order it is entered in the

On Air Play List.



Check the Device Status Window to see what the proper ID name is for a configured switch only. The configured switch only will be assigned to the On Air Play List. Use the ID that is in the

ID column of the correct switch only to use.



When each live event plays, the operator will need to manually roll out of a live event on the On

Air Play List. Select the Play button on the hardware or software control panel to roll out of the live event to the break.

4. The events that run during a break will run as "A" event types (above the blank event types). The break will play in sequence until the next "AU" live source is played, at which time the operator would once again need to manually play out of the live event.

Join an Event in Progress

For details on performing Join in Progress operations see ADC AirFlex (see "ADC FlexSync" on page 211)..

To Preview Play

A threaded and cued event can be selected and previewed while the On Air event is currently playing.

1. Position the cursor on the event that is threaded and cued.

2. Right click on the transmission list, and from the popup menu select Preview Play.

3. Allow the event to play out and it will recue automatically.

4. If time does not permit the event to preview completely, select Recue in the right click options menu while the cursor is still on the preview playing event.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

Thread, Unthread, Recue an Event

On-Air Playback Operations

An upcoming event that is threaded in a device can be unthreaded, recued, and re-threaded if needed.

Unthread an event

1. On the playlist window select the threaded event.

2. Right click on the playlist window and from the play list options menu select Unthread, or press

<Alt+U>, or press the UnThd button on the control panel.

Thread the event

1. On the playlist window select the unthreaded event.

2. Right click on the playlist window and from the play list options menu select Thread, or press

<Alt+T>, or press the Program Run button on the control panel.

Recue the event

1. On the playlist window select the threaded event.

2. Right click on the playlist window and from the play list options menu select Recue, or press

<Alt+C>, or press the Recue button on the control panel.

Using the VTR Device Control Panel

When an event on the transmission list is threaded in a VTR (or cartmachine VTR) a Device Control Panel for the threaded VTR can be accessed to allow remote control of the VTR.

1. Position the cursor on the event that has a tape threaded in the VTR.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

2. Right click on the transmission list, select Device Control Panel. (It can also be invoked by double clicking on the device in the device status window.) A VTR remote panel will appear giving the user basic control of the VTR.

Device controls include:



Rewind (Rew): Click to rewind the currently threaded clip.



Fast Forward (Ffwd): Click to fast forward the currently threaded clip.



Stop: Click to stop the action (e.g. play, rewind, fast forward) taken on the currently threaded clip.



Play: Click to put the currently threaded clip into play.



Cue: Click to cue the clip to event SOM, or to the head if the event SOM field is blank.



If the Device Control Panel is used to preview material on the device, make sure to select the CUE button on the Device Control Panel when finished.



If the next event to air has been unthreaded and another event selected for control, the list must manually rethreaded. It is the operator’s responsibility to ensure that resources are returned to the list and properly threaded prior to the event.



Eject: Eject the Tape.

Note: The Get Clip function – present on the VDCP panel - is not required or available for VTRs.



Jog and Shuttle: Use these controls to move forward or backward in the material.

3. Click Copy SOM to apply the device's current position as the event's SOM.

IMPORTANT:

If configured, the ‘Adjust Durations When SOM Changes’ function modifies the duration of the event based on the change in the SOM. Adjust Durations is not invoked if the initial SOM of the event is blank.

No facility is provided for manually defining the EOM or Duration of the clip using the Device Control

Panel.

This function does not write any data to the database, nor does it update any other events in the same or other lists. It is not intended to replace the prepping of material via the Media Client.

This capability is not available when the Device Control Panel is invoked from the Device Status

Window.

CAUTION!

If a VTR is controlled by a Device Control Panel, the event must be cued prior to playback.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

If the device control panel is used to preview material on the device, make sure the tape is cued back to the SOM by selecting the CUE button on the Device Control Panel.

The device will cue to the SOM that is located in the SOM column of the event.

Using the VDCP Device Control Panel

When an event on the transmission list is threaded in a VDCP device, such as a Video Server, a Device

Control Panel for the threaded VDCP device can be accessed to allow remote control of the VDCP

Device. Depending on the resources available to the list and the currently playing event, it may be possible to unthread a currently cued event and select and thread another event prior to invoking the

VDCP control panel.

WARNING: Extreme caution must be exercised to avoid impacting on-air events. The VDCP control panel should not be used when either head of the port to be controlled is currently being utilized on air.

1. Position the cursor on the event that has an event threaded in the VDCP device.

2. Right click on the transmission list, select Device Control Panel. (It can also be invoked by double clicking on the device in the device status window.) A VDCP remote panel will appear giving the user basic control of the VDCP device.

Device controls include:



Rewind (Rew): Click to rewind the currently threaded clip.



Fast Forward (Ffwd): Click to fast forward the currently threaded clip.



Stop: Click to stop the action (e.g. play, rewind, fast forward) taken on the currently threaded clip.



Play: Click to put the currently threaded clip into play.



Cue: Click to cue the clip to event SOM, or to the head if the event SOM field is blank.



If the Device Control Panel is used to preview material on the device, make sure to select the CUE button on the Device Control Panel when finished.



ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations



Get Clip: Click to cue to the head of the clip, irrespective of the event SOM. For VDCP devices, if the event has an SOM, it is not possible to navigate outside of the cued portion of the clip. The

Get Clip command can be used to cue and provide access to the entire clip.

Note: This will also blank the event SOM.



Jog and Shuttle: Use these controls to move forward or backward in the material. If the Device

Control Panel is used to preview material on the device, make sure to select the CUE button on the Device Control Panel when finished.

3. Click Copy SOM to apply the device's current position as the event's SOM.

IMPORTANT:

No facility is provided for manually defining the EOM or Duration of the clip using the Device Control

Panel.

This function does not write any data to the database, nor does it update any other events in the same or other lists. It is not intended to replace the prepping of material via the Media Client.

This capability is not available when the Device Control Panel is invoked from the Device Status

Window.

CAUTION!

- The VDCP Control Panel must be used with caution as it can also control Events playing from On Air

Video Servers.

- If the port selected for control is currently playing out a clip to air, playing an event that is CUED on the

2nd head of the port with the VDCP Control Panel stops the currently playing head.

- If played for its full duration, the reviewed clip is marked DONE.

- Re-cue the clip after reviewing it by clicking on the Cue button. If the clip is not re-cued before Air, it starts playing from where it was stopped by the VDCP Control Panel.

To Set on Air Focus

Use the following procedure to ensure the currently playing event in a play list is always visible in the play list window.

1. Right click on a playlist and from the popup menu select On Air Focus,



Or from the Quick Access ribbon tab in the List Tools group press the ON Air Focus icon (

The currently playing event is highlighted in the play list.

If the window is scrolled until the playing event is not visible, the list will jump back to the on air event (with on air focus enabled) when the event starts playing.

Note: The colors on the following image have been modified to enhance readability. Your display will look different.

The List Status bar indicates if On Air focus is ON or OFF, and if List is locked (Done Count = 0) or not.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

Calculate Durations of Multiple Events

Use the following procedure to calculate the duration of multiple events.

1. Block highlight a sequence of events to calculate. (Click an event, then hold Shift and click another event to select a range.)

2. From the Events ribbon tab select the Calculate Durations icon ( giving the total duration of all highlighted/selected events.

). An Information box appears

Find an ID

To find an ID that is located on a playlist file or transmission list, the Find option can be used.

1. Position the cursor at the top of the list in the ID column.

2. From the Edit ribbon tab select the Find ( ) icon. The Find Id box opens.

3. Specify the search parameters:



"Find what" field: Type in the ID to find. (e.g. Demo0001)

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations



Match whole word only. Check to have search look for whole word matches.



Match case: Check to have search look only for entries that match the case (Upper or Lower) for the entry specified in the "Find what" field.



Ignore secondary event: Check to ignore secondary events in "Find" operation. (When a search in list is typically done, the result includes secondary events. If there is a secondary event with the same ID, the user may not want to find it.)



Direction: Specify the search direction: Up the list or Down the list form the current cursor position.

4. Click Find Next. The cursor will jump to the first match of the ID or text string.

5. Edit the found ID or text string as necessary.

6. If additional IDs or text strings need to be found select Find Next. (Repeat this until all records are found)

Find Next Occurrence of an ID in a List

Use the following procedure to find the next occurrence of an event with the same Media ID in a list.

1. Position the cursor on an event in a viewlist.

2. Press <F3> or right click on the list and from the menu select ‘Find Next Occurrence’. The cursor jumps to the next occurrence of that event (with the same media ID) in the list.

Managing Bookmarks

Air Client v4.19 and higher provides a bookmark facility that allows operators to return to marked locations in the playlist/Transmission list. Bookmarks are saved as part of the playlist file. If a playlist is edited, bookmarked and then closed, when it is opened again the bookmarks is still e present. They can be cleared or new bookmarks added again.

IMPORTANT: The Bookmark feature is supported in ADC v12 only.

To Add / Remove a Bookmark

A selection toggle between bookmarking the event and clearing the bookmark is accessed via a right click option on the playlist or as a keyboard short cut (ALT+B). Up to 3 bookmarks can be set at one time.

If the operator attempts to create a forth bookmark, a pop up window is displayed stating that the

"Maximum Number of Bookmarks already in Use".

To Add a Bookmark

Use the following procedure to add a bookmark.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

Select an event on the playlist.

On-Air Playback Operations

1. Right click and from the context menu select Toggle Bookmark or press <Alt+B>.

2. The first column cell of the bookmarked event is highlighted with a distinct yellow color:

To Remove a Bookmark

Use the following procedure to remove a bookmark.

1. Select a bookmarked event on the playlist.

2. Right click and from the context menu select Toggle Bookmark or press <Alt+B>.

3. The bookmark is removed and the first column cell of the event is returned to normal color.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

To Jump to a Bookmark

The following options allow the operator to quickly move from on air event to bookmarked events and back again:



To jump to the next/previous bookmarked event use the right click contextual menu or the keyboard shortcuts: CTL+Alt+PageDown/ CTL+Alt+PageUp.



If the operator is at the last bookmarked event in the playlist jumping down to the next bookmarked event will bring them back to the on-air event and from there they can continue to jump down to the first bookmarked event.

To Set a Hard Start Event

A hard start is an event type that will play an event at a predetermined time of day. (i.e. it plays at its start time instead of when the previous event finishes playing). The device must be threaded and cued for the hard start to run correctly.

To Toggle a Hard Start

1. Position cursor in type field of event that will be a hardstart event.

2. Select Alt+O in the Events ribbon tab, or get into Revise (Alt+R) and type in what event types are needed.

Note: An "O" only designates an event to be a hard start, an "A" will still be required to correctly thread, play, and switch the event.

3. Position cursor in the time field of the event to hardstart. If not already in Revise, get into Revise mode (Alt+R).

4. Type in desired time of day for the hardstart to play to air. Get out of Revise Mode.

Note: Remember the times will not ripple past the hardstart event until it plays. Ripple time can be used to see what time of day following events will play).

If the playlist is running short in duration to the hardstart event, the list will stop and wait until the hardstart event’s scheduled start time. Alternately, if the list is running long in duration to the hardstart event, the list will cut out of any playing event and start playing the hardstart event at the scheduled start time.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

Toggle Look Ahead

On-Air Playback Operations

The Look Ahead is the area of the transmission list that will query the devices assigned to the transmission list for availability of media in the lookahead area. The toggle lookahead option will adjust the lookahead area from the current setting to a full list lookahead. If the lookahead is set to the full list, then it will adjust to the pre-configured lookahead value.

The lookahead value is the configured value of events that the automation will check for device availability.



Events within the lookahead range display in blue (or customized color as set in the playlist options menu/colors) if they are primary events and are located on an assigned device to the transmission list.



Events outside of the lookahead range will display in black. If an event is within the lookahead range, but is missing media, it will display in red.

Toggle look ahead for the entire list checks the entire list and has a direct impact on how GMT transfers media.

To Toggle Look Ahead

Right click on a playlist list window and from the popup menu select Toggle Look Ahead or press <F8> shortcut.

Managing List Confirmations

It is possible to configure a Confirmation for any modification of a Play List, If list confirmations are configured, the concerned parameters are displayed in a confirmation window. For details see

Configuring Playlist Options (see "Configuring Multiple Device Server Connections" on page 219).

The operator can choose to Apply the change, Find Next change, or Cancel the Confirmations for:



Event Time, ID, Title and Number



Event(s) Delete / Cut



Event(s) or Playlist Paste / Insert



Event(s) Move.

Managing Secondary Events on a Playlist

Options for secondary events allow an operator to customize their display in the playlist.

IMPORTANT: To use the option of Secondary Event Hiding in the Playlist Options menu, enable the Air

Client Properties parameter Environment>List Options>Allow Secondary Event Hiding.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

IMPORTANT: When secondary events are hidden, if an event or block of events are highlighted and then deleted, the hidden events within the selection are also deleted.

IMPORTANT: ADC Air Client operators can attach up to 49 secondary events to a primary event within the ADC Transmission List. This value is critical to know for users who utilize hard start events within their ADC Transmission List. The logic within the ADC Transmission List requires the next hard start event to occur within the next 50 events.

Note: For a list of secondary events: Appendix B: Secondary Events (see "Secondary Events" on page

291).

To Show / Hide Secondary Events

1. Click the right-mouse button on the playlist’s window to display the right-click menu.

2. Select the desired display option.

When secondary events are hidden, the playlist right-click menu option changes to display the option Show All Secondaries.

When secondary events are displayed, the playlist right-click menu option changes to display the option Hide All Secondaries.



If any secondaries are currently hidden in the list, from the right click menu select Show All

Secondaries to ensure all secondary events are shown in the playlist.



If any secondaries are currently shown in the list, from the right click menu select Hide All

Secondaries to hide all secondary events in the playlist. Hidden secondary events are represented with icons in the Event column of the playlist.



To toggle expand / contract a specific hidden secondary event on the list, select a hidden event and then from the right click menu select Expand/Contract An Event. Alternatively double click the event to toggle expand/contract.



To hide a preconfigured set of secondary events, from the right click menu select Hide Some

Secondary Type. See below: About Specifying which secondary events to show or hide (on page

83).

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

An example of a secondary event represented with icons is shown in the following image. The icon appears in the associated event’s title button.

About Specifying which secondary events to show or hide

To specify which secondary events to show or hide, open the Event Types to Show or Hide dialog box by clicking Select Secondaries to hide.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations



Primary Event in Play and Other Primary Events: In the List, there is a distinct display filtering setting for the Secondary events of the OnAir/OnLine Primary event only (does not apply for preview played events), and for the Secondary events of the other Primary events (not playing).

The activation of these 2 secondary events display filtering is configurable per List (in multi-login mode).



These options are available only when configuring "Select Secondaries to Hide" from a transmission list (Resources>View List> "select a playlist list").



They do not appear for a playlist that is being created (File>Open Playlist> "select a playlist list").



Configure the Secondary events to hide :

 per "Sec" criteria (sAV, sGPI, ****, …),

 per ID criteria (Extended Ids managed),

 and per Type criteria (P, T, S, A, R,…).

It is possible to combine these criteria. For instance :



Hide any Comment with blank type, but show any Comment with R or P type.



Hide any sAV (whatever the ID and Type is).



Hide any sAV with ID "LOGO", and show all other sAV.



Show any sKEY or sTRANSKEY .



The "Displayed Sec. Event" & "Hidden Sec. Events" mode allow users to hide the Secondary event per Event Type. It avoids having to configure keys if only this mode is used.



The "Available Hide Sec. Keys" & "Hide Sec. Keys" mode allows users to use the keys configured in the key "library" through Properties ribbon tab > Hide Secondary Event keys ( ) function. For

configuration details see Properties: Hide Secondary Event Keys (see "Hide Secondary Event Keys" on page 271).

Note: Both modes can be used together but attention must be taken not to use contradictory hiding conditions.

(Single-Server logon) Select Secondary Events to Show/Hide

1. To specify which secondary events to show or hide, open the Event Types to Show or Hide dialog box by clicking Select Secondaries to hide.

2. Select a Secondary event in the Displayed or Hidden area and choose arrows to move it to the opposite area.



Single arrows (<, >) move individual items.



Double arrows (<<, >>) will move all items.

Some hidden Secondary events are transcoded for a more readable display in Custom Column of the

Primary event line.

3. Click OK. When a primary event goes to air, the specified secondary event(s) assigned to the primary event are hidden.

(Multi-Server logon) Select Secondary Events to Show/Hide for a Primary Event in Play

The activation of these 2 secondary events display filtering is configurable per List (in multi-login mode).

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

1. To specify which secondary events to show or hide, open the Event Types to Show or Hide dialog box by clicking Select Secondaries to hide.

2. Select the target Primary Event (Primary Event in Play). The dialog is now active for that selection.

3. Select a Secondary event in the Displayed or Hidden area and choose arrows to move it to the opposite area.



Single arrows (<, >) move individual items.



Double arrows (<<, >>) will move all items.

Some hidden Secondary events are transcoded for a more readable display in Custom Column of the

Primary event line.

4. Click OK. When a primary event goes to air, the specified secondary event(s) assigned to the primary event are hidden.

(Multi-Server logon) Select Secondary Events to Show/Hide for all Primary

Events

1. Select the target Primary Event (Other Primary Events). The dialog is now active for that selection.

2. Select a Secondary event in the Displayed or Hidden area and choose arrows to move it to the opposite area.



Single arrows (<, >) move individual items.



Double arrows (<<, >>) will move all items.

Some hidden Secondary events are transcoded for a more readable display in Custom Column of the

Primary event line.

3. Click OK. The specified secondary event(s) assigned to all primary events in the schedule are hidden.

(An icon indicates the presence of hidden secondary events.)

Revising the Primary Event

When Revising the corresponding field of the Primary event (for example: Format, Scrambling, Logo,

5+1, and Pattern), a graphic edition allows user to modify the corresponding hidden Secondary event, by choosing in a list of pre-defined values.

In the List, there is a distinct display filtering setting for the Secondary events of the OnAir/OnLine

Primary event only (does not apply for preview played events), and for the Secondary events of the other Primary events (not playing).

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

Note: The following image is provided for reference only. The colors and window style are used to

enhance readability. It is a representation only, illustrating this type of revision. Your screen may look different.

Managing Trigger Events

ADC v12.19 and higher support a software solution for triggering one list by another via primary events only. These triggers allow all of the same functions available via the GPI inputs- all of the control panel functions plus 'Skip to next N'. Also, it is possible to issue a ganged command, and to issue triggers across connected Device Servers.

Note: This software trigger list Linking functionality only applies to playlists. Media, GMT, Compile and

Record lists do not need to be linked to each other or playlists.

Reference Note: This functionality provides an alternative to the GPI method. Historically, in order to have one playlist control the start of another playlist on ADC a sGPI output is used on the Master playist to send a GPI trigger to the Slave playist(s)' GPI Input. The Slave playlists are then configured to accept a

'Contact Start'.

Function Configuration

For details on configuring Trigger events see section ‘Configuring List Types>Configuring Transmission

List Options’ in the ADC Device Server and ConfigManager Install and Ops Reference.

Adding the Trigger Column

The trigger column is not present in the playlist grid by default, but must be added. For more information on adding and managing columns see Configuring Window Column Settings. (see

"Configuring Window Column Settings" on page 227)

1. Right-Click on the Transmission list and select Columns.

2. Click Add.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

3. Enter name (Trigger), hit OK.

4. Select it (still on the left side, in the Available Columns section) and hit Edit.

5. On the Edit screen:



DataSource: From the dropdown list select Event.



Data Field: From the dropdown list select Trigger.

6. Hit OK,

7. Add the column to the right side (Displayed columns).

On-Air Playback Operations

Setting the Trigger Column parameter

In Air Client v4.19 and higher a Trigger column is available in a playlist. This column provides a drop-down combo box list of selectable parameters:



No Action (Default)



Cut Next



Freeze



Hold



Play



Play Secondar



Play to Next



Ready



Roll

Run



Skip



Skip to Next

Note: This functionality applies to primary events only. All secondary events default to "No Action" and do not allow any other command to be selected via drop-down combo-box.

Example: Trigger column Drop-down combo-box with action types.

Colors for Action events:

Events with non-blank actions are displayed in different foreground and background colors. These colors are chosen by the user (right-click on transmission list - Colors menu).

Default colors are:



Foreground (clBlack)

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation



Background (clMoneyGreen).

On-Air Playback Operations

Displaying list caption with the name of Master list:

A playlist keeps information about the list which it is currently triggered by. This data (the exact list name) is used in the caption of a Transmission List in Air Client.



If a transmission list can be triggered by another list, it shows the name of the Master list in the caption of the transmission window.



If the list isn’t triggered by any other list, the caption of transmission window doesn’t differ from previous versions.

Known Issues in Air Client and Device Server

A new command was added to list commands which requests the name of the Master list to display it in the Transmission window’s caption. When an Air Client v4.19 sends this command several times to an earlier Device Server (pre 12.19), the Device Server will never reply to it and so Air Client interprets thus as a lost connection with the Device Server. To avoid this ‘connection lost’ scenario, when Air Client

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations v4.19 sends this command once and doesn’t’ receive a reply, it stops sending the command to the

Device Server.

Manage the Operation Log

The Air Client Operation Log tracks the operation activity within the Air Client and is recorded in binary, and text formats. The text file and the binary file are both created when the Operation Log is enabled

(i.e. The option Enable operation log is checked (enabled) under the Properties ribbon tab option

Operation Log.)



The binary Operation Log is written in descending order by time. The text Operation Log is written in

ascending order by time.



The "Days To Keep" configuration is only active for the binary Operation Log. The text Operation

Logs are kept until they are manually deleted.



Along with the binary version, the Text file version is automatically created and saved in the

Operation Log Directory specified under Properties > Operation Log.



The binary log can be opened and viewed from within Air Client. The text Operation Log can be opened with any Text Editor, (Notepad, WordPad, Word, etc.).



The length of the operation log directory name is limited to a maximum 256 characters. Attempts to save an Operation Log file with a longer name display the following warning message: 'The Directory for Operation Log file is too Long, Please adjust to a shorter one'.

OCP Note: When the Operation Control Panel (OCP) is used for controlling a Transmission List or a group of lists (in the same button), in addition to the ADC alias name, the Operation Log also includes the name of the button and the list where the action was done.

To Open the Operation Log in Air Client

1. From the File ribbon tab select the Open Operation Log ( ) option.

2. From the browse dialog, navigate to and select the operation log to open.

3. Click OK to open. The Operation Log (binary version) is displayed in its own window.

To Save the Operation Log as a Textfile in Air Client

1. From the File ribbon tab select Open Operation Log ( ).

2. From the Open Operation Log window, navigate to and select the operation log to open.

3. Click OK to open. The Operation Log (binary version) is displayed in its own window.

4. From the File ribbon tab select Save Operation Log as text ( ).

5. In the ‘Save Operation Log as text’ window:



Accept the default file name or - if desired- specify a new file name.



Accept the default path or - if desired - specify a new location to save the file.

6. Click Save to write the log file to a text file.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

This textfile can be copied to other locations as required. Use a standard ASCII editor, such as

NotePad, to or view the file. (For details see To Export the Textfile Operation Log (on page 90 ).)

To Export the Textfile Operation Log

The Air Client text format Operation Log can be exported as required. This allows the log to be read outside the ADC system.

1. Manually navigate to the Operation Log Directory that is specified under the Properties ribbon tab option Operation Log ( ).

2. Copy the desired .txt format Operation Log to a target location.

3. The operator can forward the text Operation Log and/or open it for viewing using any Text Editor,

(Notepad, WordPad, Word, etc.):

Using Air Protect

Air Protect is an option for the Automation system. When properly configured, if a problem occurs with an event that resides on both a primary playout device and a backup "protect" device, then the air protect option could be used.

To Use Air Protect

To use this option when a noticeable problem is occurring with an event that is protected:

1. Click on the Air Protect button on the OCP hardware control panel, or click Protect on the Software

Control Panel.

2. If the next cued item needs to be switched to the protect device instead/also, then right click on the transmission list and select Air Protect in the Play List Options menu.

This causes the protect device to go to air instead of the primary device when the event plays.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

To Check Switcher Control

On-Air Playback Operations

This is typically used as a troubleshooting/engineering tool to check switcher control from the Air

Client software. Any switcher or router that is connected to the device server can be remotely selected and controlled with a control panel.

CAUTION: Special attention during the use of this feature. This panel could override what crosspoint is currently switched to Air.

1. From the Quick Access Ribbon tab, select the Switcher Control Panel icon ( group. The Choose Switcher dialog is displayed.

) from the Standard

2. Select a switcher for the Switcher list and then click OK. A switcher panel for the selected device is displayed.

3. Press the Switch button on the switcher panel. This causes the selected Input to be switched to the

Output setting.

Reviewing Tally status information in the

AsRun log text file

The Tally feature allows a report in the List (and corresponding Zoom window) GUI, and in its AsRun log on a given Air Client station a corresponding Tally information.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

Example: A typical application example of this feature is a system with List Redundancy feature: E.g. For a given TV channel, the Master transmission list and the slave transmission list are playing in parallel

(mirrored and synchronized).



In normal situation the Master transmission list is ON AIR (= broadcasted), and the slave transmission list is ON LINE.



If a problem occurs on the Master transmission list (automation or device problem), the Slave transmission list is manually switched On Air by the operator through a change-over (or another way).



In that situation the previously Master list is ON LINE, and the previously Slave list is ON AIR.



The "change-over" (or any other switching device) which allows to put 1 of the 2 redundant

Transmission Lists ON AIR provides a tally signal indicating which one (Master or Slave) is On Air.



On the Air Client station, the Tally signal(s) information is (are) received through one (or several) GPI board(s) by the Air client application.

Tally: On Air / On Line status and color for the playing event(s) of the list

Tally status display in the Transmission List & Zoom window GUI



The Air client can uses the Tally information of a given List to display an "On Air" / "On Line" status and color for the playing event(s) of the corresponding transmission list(s) and zoom window(s).



If a Tally is configured for a given List, and if it is seen as "On Air" according to the Tally configuration, then the "On Air" color and ON AIR status are used in the List and its Zoom window,



The "On Line" color and ON LINE status are used in the List and its Zoom window, if it is seen as "On

Line" according to the Tally configuration.



The Secondary events of the On Air / On Line Primary event (first playing event of the List), use the

"On Air" / "On Line" color and status (depending of the Tally status of the List).



Primary events in preview play use the "On Air" / "On Line" color (depending of the Tally status of the List), but have a PLAY status.



If no Tally is configured for a given List, then the "On Air" color and PLAY status are used in the List and its Zoom window for playing events.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

"On Air" Transmission list & its Zoom window (On Air color and status used for playing events) :

On-Air Playback Operations

Note: The following image is provided for reference only. The colors and window style are used to enhance readability. Your display will look different.

"On Line" Transmission list & its Zoom window ("On Line" color and status used for playing events):

Note: The following image is provided for reference. The colors and window style are used to enhance readability. Your display will look different.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

Log format

On-Air Playback Operations

If this option is activated on the Air Client, and for the AsRun log configuration of a given transmission list, the AsRun log text file indicates on a specific line each change in the OnAir/OnLine status (Tally information associated with a specific transmission list).

The Tally information is logged in a specific line:

ON-AIR DATE/TIME ID S TITLE

-------- ----------- ----------- -- ------------

03/04/10 03:00:00.00 TALLY IS:ONAIR

…

03/04/10 22:30:10.00 TALLY CHANGE:ONLINE

…

03/04/10 22:31:00.00 TALLY CHANGE:ONAIR

…

The corresponding line contains :

 the date and time of the Tally status change,

 the information TALLY in the ID field,

 the information CHANGE:ONAIR or CHANGE:ONLINE (corresponding to the new status after a change is detected) in the Title field.

To avoid having to scan previous log files to know the Tally status of a given one, when the daily AsRun log file is created (at a configurable time of the day), the current Tally status is logged in the first line.

The corresponding first line contains :

 the date and time of the Tally status change,

 the information TALLY in the ID field,

 the information IS:ONAIR or IS:ONLINE (As this is not corresponding to a change of the Tally status).

Extended Play Mix/Wipes Early

The ability to play mix/wipes early allows dissolves (mixes) or wipes to be done between the source that is currently on-air and the next source. Events that include a mix or wipe transition are required to roll several frames early to allow the events to overlap.

Typical uses are to dissolve between VTRs inside an LMS, or when going from a station promo to a station ID. These promos and Station IDs always have extended vision on the videotape, i.e. the actual vision on the videotape have a longer duration, than what is shown in the Database.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

Configuration Note: This feature is configured in the Configuration Manager, List Options > Mix/Wipe tab. For configuration details reference the ADC Device Server and Configuration Manager v12

Installation and Operations Reference : section Configuring List Types > Configuring Transmission List

Options.

When properly configured, playlist timing can be automatically maintained by playing an event with a transition for an extended duration, so that it finishes at its scheduled time, leaving the list timing unchanged. The event is played early to provide overlap for the transition, but compensates for the changed playlist time by playing the event for an extended time, which is equal to the mix or wipe transition duration.

With a standard Cut transition events are played back-to-back and the list keeps its timing. However, using Extended Play there are three options:



Extend Old: When configured for this option, the On-Air event is extended to provide overlap material for the transition (e.g. Dissolve or Mix). The list timing is maintained.



Extend New: When configured for this option, the Next event is played early and for an extended duration. The list timing is maintained.



Extend Both: When configured for this option, the On-Air event is extended by ½ the effect duration, the incoming event is played early by ½ the effect duration, and the new event is extended by ½ the effect duration.

Note: Extend Both is not fully implemented as described above, because currently the playlist always plays early by the full transition duration.

Example: Automatic Duration Update on the Playlist

This example applies to "Extend New" Play Mix/Wipes, and illustrates Automatic Duration Update on the playlist from extended play mix/wipes.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation



Before the events are CUED, the playlist looks similar to the following.

On-Air Playback Operations



Once the Events are Cued:

The incoming (New) event is extended when it is CUED

If an event has a MIX on it, and "Extend New" has been selected, the duration of the NEW event is automatically increased in the Play List by the duration of the transition. (i.e. If the duration of the event was 20 seconds and the transition (mix) has a duration of "S" (Slow = 60 frames = 2 seconds using NTSC), then the Play List duration for that event is automatically changed to 22 seconds.

Displaying AFD and BarData Values in a

Playlist

The NEXIO Native IP driver can control ARC (Aspect Ratio Conversion) override using Secondary Events to trigger the ARC on the NEXIO Port.



Air Client can be set up to display the AFD data. Real AFD of media, which is stored in the Database and transmitted to the Device Server (Driver) via the AFD column.



The BarData parameter is implemented as an option in MoreInfo Builder. Bar data defines the extent of the image within the coded frame.

Note: For more information see Appendix F: About AFD Codes (see "About AFD Codes" on page 325).

Create an AFD column in the PlayList

1. Configuring Video ARC Override by Stream in the Config Tool.

Note: For information on configuring the Video ARC Override by stream see ADC Device Server v12.14 and Config Tool Installation Reference: section "Configuring Devices using Configuration

Manager > Video Disk Configuration (General) > To Configure a NEXIO Video Disk (NEXIO Native

Driver)".

2. In Air Client: go to the PlayList window, right-click and choose Columns

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

3. Click Add... and configure a new column as shown in the following picture.

On-Air Playback Operations

4. Highlight the new column entry in the Available columns list pane and click > to move it to the

Displayed columns list pane. Use the Up / Down buttons to place it in the desired order position.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

5. Click the OK button and ensure the new column is added to the Playlist. This column will display the

AFD value.

6. In ‘Revise’ mode can be selected different values from the dropdown list:

To Display BarData Values in a Playlist

Add an MI Additional Field

1. From Air Client’s Properties ribbon tab select MI Additional Fields ( ). The Additional Fields

Configuration dialog is displayed.

2. Click Add…

3. In the More Info Field dialog use the dropdown lists to select the following:



The Database (i.e. ASDB) in which the Table and Field reside.



The Table (i.e. ASEXT) in which the Field resides.



The Field (i.e. BarData). A field with the name "BarData" must exist in the Database.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation



When finished click OK.

On-Air Playback Operations

4. From the Configured fields pane select the newly entered field (i.e. BarData) and then click > to move the selection to the Used fields pane.

5. When finished select OK.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

Add the New Column to a Playlist

On-Air Playback Operations

1. In Air Client: go to the Playlist window, right-click and choose Columns. The Column setting… dialog is displayed.

2. Click Add... button. The Column Name dialog is displayed.

3. In the Column Name dialog, enter a name for the new column which will be used to set the BarData value after AFD, and then click OK.

4. Select the new column in the Available columns list and click Edit... button.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

5. Choose Additional API BData from drop-down list in the column settings dialog, set Property values to Datasource: DS_API and Datafield:Bar Data, then click OK.

6. Highlight the new column entry (i.e. BData) in the Available columns list pane and click > to move it to the Displayed columns list pane. Use the Up / Down buttons to place it in the desired order position.

7. Click the OK button and ensure the new column (i.e. BData) is added to the PlayList. This column will display the BarData value in text form.



H - means the Horizontal (letterbox)



V – means the Vertical (pillarbox)



First digit is the line number of end of left or top bar.



Second digit is the line number of start of right or bottom bar.



If in the database there is no ‘BarData’ for the event, the cell will be empty.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

8. The ‘Revise’ mode values must be entered in the same format:

On-Air Playback Operations

Implementing ID Video ARC Override

The ‘New AFD’ value provides support for implementing ID Video ARC Override. The NEXIO Native IP driver can control ARC (Aspect Ratio Conversion) override using Secondary Events to trigger the ARC on the NEXIO Port.

Note: For more information see .

Create a Custom AFD Override column in the PlayList

1. Configuring Video ARC Override by Stream in the Config Tool.

Note: For information on configuring the Video ARC Override by stream see ADC Device Server v12.14 and Config Tool Installation Reference: section "Configuring Devices using Configuration

Manager > Video Disk Configuration (General) > To Configure a NEXIO Video Disk (NEXIO Native

Driver)".

2. In Air Client: go to the PlayList window, right-click and choose Columns

3. Click Add... button

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

4. Enter a name for the new column which will be used to set desired AFD value after ARC, and then click OK.

5. Select new column in the Available columns list and click Edit... button

6. Choose Additional API New AFD from drop-down list in the column settings dialog, and then click

OK.

7. Move new column from Available columns list to the Displayed columns list and place it to desired position.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

8. Click the OK button and ensure new column is added to PlayList.

On-Air Playback Operations

Manage AFD Override in a Playlist

1. Create an event in the Playlist with an ID taken from the NEXIO storage. Ensure that event is displayed blue.

2. Choose the Desired Conversion



Determine what is the direction of Aspect Ratio Conversion that you are going to apply basing on the Aspect Ratio of the ID and Aspect Ratio of the NEXIO stream:



16:9 to 4:3 or



4:3 to 16:9



Revise the event and select desired AFD for the video output after conversion. Take into account the following correspondence between AFD values and values available in configured custom column drop-down list:

Table 1. Conversion from 4:3 to 16:9.

Desired AFD after conversion Value from corresponding custom column in Playlist

0100

1001

16:9CF-16:9 Wide

16:9CF-4:3 PillarBox

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

Desired AFD after conversion Value from corresponding custom column in Playlist

1010 16:9CF-16:9 NoCrop

1011

Table 2. Conversion from 16:9 to 4:3.

16:9CF-14:9 PillarBox

Desired AFD after conversion Value from corresponding custom column in Playlist

0100

1000

4:3CF-16:9 Wide

4:3CF-16:9 Full

1010

1011

4:3CF-16:9 NoCrop

4:3CF-14:9 PillarBox

3. Play the list and check results



Thread and play the list.



Look to the output video from corresponding NEXIO port and ensure that video is formatted according to desired AFD.

4. (Optional) Try another conversion



Unthread the list.



Revise the event and set another desired AFD value in the configured custom column.



Thread and play the list.



Look to the output video from corresponding NEXIO port and ensure that video is formatted according to desired AFD.

Using the Zoom Window

The Zoom Window option will show a view of the currently running event, the next event to run, and the next missing event on the transmission list. When the Zoom Window is opened in the Air Client, there are time code values in the status bar at the bottom of that window that can be double-clicked and displayed in separate re-sizable windows.

To launch the Zoom Window

1. Ensure an active Transmission List or a playlist is loaded.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

2. From the Quick Access ribbon tab select Zoom Window ( ). The Zoom Windows is displayed for that list showing the currently running event, the next event to run, and the next missing event on the Transmission List.

Zoom Window status bar



Device Server Time: Shows the Device Server time of day adjusted by the appropriate offset. The specified offset is shown in the next time field.



Drop Frame/No Drop Frame. DF and NDF represent drop frame status for a broadcast facility. For example: When drop frame is on, DF displays in the status bar. When drop frame is off, NDF displays in the status bar.



Source Clock Settings T/P/S: Indicates the specified type of clock input connected to the system:

(SMPTE timecode, Video Sync, or the Device Server’s internal PC clock). The displayed Source type changes to reflect the connected input: PC (P), Sync (S), Time Code (T).



Timezone Offset: The amount of time (in HH:MM) that the Master Time must be delayed (Or advanced) to account for time zone differences. When configured and set to a list, the Time Zone is displayed in the title bar of it List window, and of its Zoom window. The time zone offset is added to the time value of each event in the List.



Duration of the playing event. Duration is displayed in the format hh:mm:ss.ff, where hh=hours, mm=minutes, ss=seconds and ff=frames.



Played time of the playing event (counting up from 00:00:00:00)



Current Timecode of the playing event (counting up from the SOM)



N/Q/O: Time to Next (N), Audible Time to Next (Q), or Hardstart (O) event.



N (AN/AUN): Time to Next provides a countdown through all sequential pre-recorded events until the next N is seen in the list – mostly used for countback to live news segments.



Q (AQ/AUQ): Audible Time to Next provides an audible countdown starting 30 seconds from a commercial break into the next live event. To minimize its effect on existing functionality ‘N’

(Time to Next) is automatically set and hidden from an operator when letter ‘Q’ is entered.

Note: This option is not currently supported by Versio.

Note: The Q event type option requires the "Audible Time To Next" option be enabled (checked) on the Environment->List Options tab.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

Note: After the "Audible Time To Next" checkbox option is enabled in the List Options, it is necessary to close and re-open the list windows in the client for the feature to work. (Re-loading the lists is not necessary.)



O (AO/AUO): On-Time/Override Also known as a hard start, time trigger, or absolute, this event will play based on a time of day entered into the time of day field

CAUTION: An incorrect time of day value will cause incorrect playback.



(L)ong or (S)hort. The playlist is running Long or Short and this is the gap or overlap time to the next Hard Start.



If the list is running Long in duration to the hardstart event, the list will cut out of any playing event and start playing the hardstart event at the scheduled start time.



If the playlist is running Short in duration to the hardstart event, the list will stop and wait until the hardstart event’s scheduled start time.

Expandable Windows

Double clicking on the fields indicated below will launch expandable windows. These windows can be resized as required. The can be individually closed, but will all close when the Zoom Window is closed.

In order of appearance these expandable windows are:



TC Timecode Window: Shows the Device Server time of day adjusted by the appropriate offset. The specified offset is shown in the next time field.



Duration Window: Starting from zero and counting down, this window shows the remaining duration of the current on-air event.



Played Window: Starting from zero and counting up, this window shows the amount of time played in the current on-air event.



Current TC Window: Starting from the event’s SOM and counting up, this window shows the real time code of the current on-air event. The time value displayed in this window can be used should an operator need to break away and then rejoin the event in the same place.



Time to Next Window: Starting from zero and counting down, this window shows the time until the

Time to Next (N), Audible Time to Next (Q), or Hardstart (O) event.



N (AN/AUN): Time to Next provides a countdown through all sequential pre-recorded events until the next N is seen in the list – mostly used for countback to live news segments



Q (AQ/AUQ): Audible Time to Next provides an audible countdown starting 30 seconds from a commercial break into the next live event. To minimize its effect on existing functionality ‘N’

(Time to Next) is automatically set and hidden from an operator when letter ‘Q’ is entered.

Note: This option is not currently supported by Versio.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

Note: The Q event type option requires the "Audible Time To Next" option be enabled (checked) on the Environment->List Options tab.



O (AO/AUO): On-Time/Override Also known as a hard start, time trigger, or absolute, this event will play based on a time of day entered into the time of day field

CAUTION: An incorrect time of day value will cause incorrect playback.



Long/Short Window: When a Hardstart (O) event has been set in a Transmission List, this window shows the currently playing event is Long (L) or Short (S) by the displayed amount.



Long means that the currently playing event is scheduled to end xx amount of time after the

Hardstart is scheduled to start. This means the currently playing event will be truncated by the displayed amount.



Short means that the currently playing event is scheduled to end xx amount of time before the

Hardstart is scheduled to start. This means the currently playing event will end the displayed amount before the Hardstart begins.



With Air Client v4.18 and higher the long/short indication at the bottom of the list window is emphasized; the background of this field is changed to red, and the font is slightly larger and bolded when a long/short situation is on the list.

This is illustrated in the following image:

Using SyncSkip

SyncSkip provides synchronous playout of commercials across multiple lists. This command is initiated via the Software or Hardware control panel in Air Client and sent to the Device Server.

Note. If the current event is frozen and the SyncSkip button is pressed, SyncSkip action is performed with all necessary calculations.



Transmission list and As-Run Log: SyncSkipped events are shown as SYNCSKIPPED in the

Transmission List and As-Run Log.



Software Control Panel: When the SyncSkip button on Air Client’s Software control panel is pressed, the SyncSkip command is sent to Device Server where all operations to handle this command are

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations performed. The decision as to which command is finally applied, Skip or SyncSkip, is taken by Device

Server. Air Client isn’t aware of this.



Hardware Control Panel: By default this SyncSkip command occupies button 12 (right button in the second row) on Air Client’s H/W control panel, but its position can be changed via H/W control panel setting in Air Client:



SyncSkip & GPI Triggers: The GPI Input Configuration in the Config Tool allows GPI triggers to be configured to support the SyncSkip command. When set up, if an appropriate GPI signal is received and the SyncSkip command is chosen, the SyncSkip list action is performed.



SyncSkip & List Redundancy: Since List Redundancy is used to synchronize lists and to keep the up-to-date copy of Master list, it also supports the SyncSkip command.

About the SyncSkip command

The SyncSkip command concept is that the next event with a designated sequential Seg # becomes equal to the remaining part of the current event. Since each of these events represent the entire program, the SOM of the next event is shifted to the EOM point of the current event and the DUR of the next event is made equal to the remaining DUR of the current event.

Events characteristics before and after SyncSkip: Elapsed and remaining duration are taken at the point when the SyncSkip command is sent, so preroll is taken into account because after a Skip is performed the event finishes playing during preroll of the next event.

Required Conditions

The SyncSkip action can be performed for primary events (Single Spot or Multi-Segment events) only if the following conditions are satisfied.



The current playing event:



Is AN (time-to-next).



Has a non-blank segment number in the segment column.



The next event down the list within the lookahead meets the following requirements:



The same ID as the current playing event.



Is the same type: AN



Has a non-blank segment number. Segment numbers must be sequential (i.e. 1, 2, 3…)



If using Multisegments, segments must be sequential and ingested with the same SOM and full

Duration of the entire show.

If any of the above conditions are not met, this command is replaced with simple Skip.

Note: Each of two events for SyncSkip (current and next) should represent the same entire program, with the same DUR and SOM, i.e. there should be 2 identical events in the transmission list.

Example Operation

In the following example event Demo0017 occurs six times in the list and each occurrence of the event is followed by two 30 second spots (in this example Demo0018 and Demo0019).

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations



All occurrences of Demo0017 are validated to have the same SOM and DUR.



The first three occurrences of Demo0017 are each set as an AN event and are listed sequentially in the Seg column: 1, 2, 3. (line 1, line 4, and line 7).



The next three occurrences of Demo0017 are set as AN events and are listed sequentially in the Seg column: 1, 2, 3. (line 10, line 13, and line 16).

1. Set up the playlist to meet the SyncSkip requirements.

2. Run the playlist.

3. Suppose that Demo0017 (Seg 1) has played ~ 00:00:29.00 and at this moment the SyncSkip command was sent (i.e. The SyncSkip button was pressed on the Software Control Panel). List preroll is 3 seconds. After the SyncSkip command the list will look something like this:

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

4. Suppose that Demo0017 (Seg 2 on line 3) has played ~ 00:02:02.00 and at this moment the SyncSkip command was sent (i.e. The SyncSkip button was pressed on the Software Control Panel). List preroll is 3 seconds. After the SyncSkip command the list will look something like this:

5. Suppose that Demo0017 (Seg 3 on line 5) is playing and the SyncSkip was sent. (i.e. The SyncSkip button was pressed on the Software Control Panel)



The system notes that the next occurrence of Demo0017 (Seg 1 on line 10) is not sequential with Demo0017 (Seg 3 on line 5). This means the SkipSync action is invalid and instead it is treated as a Skip action.



On reaching the first occurrence of Demo0017 (Seg 1 on line 10) the SyncSkip action will become a valid action for that grouping.

Example "good" and "bad" lists

The following are examples of "good" and "bad" lists.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

"Good" list:

On-Air Playback Operations

"Bad" list (IDs don’t match):

"Bad" list (event are not segmented):

"Bad" list (there is no second AN event down the list within lookahead):

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

SyncSkip informational warnings

On-Air Playback Operations

Device Server v12.23 and higher support Informational Warnings with the SyncSkip functionality. Now when Air Client sends ListSyncSkipEvent API command:



Air Client waits for a reply to ListSyncSkipEvent command. If the reply contains an error status, an appropriate error message is displayed.



When the Device Server receives a ListSyncSkipEvent API command, the Device Server verifies the value of the resulting duration.



If it is more than preroll, normal status is returned as a response to ListSyncSkipEvent command.



If duration is less than preroll, an appropriate error status is returned.



If duration is negative, it is populated with 00:00:00.00 and an appropriate error status is returned.

Note. Negative duration is impossible. When performing SyncSkip, server subtracts the preroll value from the remaining clip duration. However, if the remaining duration is less than the preroll, SyncSkip isn’t executed (as well as normal Skip).

Dynamic List Selection for API triggering

This feature provides a dynamic means to alter the linked list associations from the Air Client and also on an event-by-event basis.

Triggered Lists Selection window in Air Client

List selection components are available for a Transmission list via a Trigger selection window and a

Trigger column of the Transmission list.

Launch the Trigger selection window

Use the following procedure to launch the Air Client’s Trigger selection window

1. Select the Edit Trigger option available from the "Event" tab of Air Client’s ribbon.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

2. The Trigger Selection window is displayed. This window shows trigger actions and enabled triggered lists of the current selected event.

3. Use the Action drop-down list to select trigger actions.

4. Select Trigger Lists: Select All enables (checks) all lists or individually enable/disable necessary playlists by clicking on appropriate check-boxes.



Press OK to save changes.



Press Cancel to discard all changes done within the Trigger window.



Default values for newly created event: No Action, all lists enabled.

5. If the Trigger window is invoked when a group of events is selected, this window will show No

Action and all lists disabled (because each event has different data and it is impossible to represent information from each event in a single window).



Press OK to save changes for each of selected events.

If OK is pressed when no lists are enabled, an error message is displayed:

Note: A Trigger Selection window can be invoked for a secondary event, but any changes will

take no effect, because secondary events do not support triggering.

Managing the Trigger column

The Trigger Column is available in the Transmission List.

1. Enter Revise mode. This enables a dropdown list of actions for the column.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation

2. Select an action from the drop-down list.

On-Air Playback Operations

3. Exit Revise mode. The Trigger column displays data in the following way:



Action: ALL if all lists are enabled



Action: SELECT if some of lists are enabled



No Action if no action is chosen.

Hint with enabled triggered lists

When the mouse pointer is moved over the Trigger Column a hint is displayed to facilitate an operator’s ability to quickly look up what lists are enabled.

Depending on mouse location, list state and other conditions, this hint shows different information:



The Hint appears only when mouse pointer moves over Trigger column. In all other cases hint disappears.



For primary events the hint shows the trigger action and an array of currently enabled lists

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations



For secondary events the hint shows No Action and no enabled lists (because secondary events do not support triggering).



If there is no configured triggered lists (not configured in Config Tool), the hint notifies that lists are not configured.

Limitation with Triggered lists and a Playlist window

The main difference between a playlist and a Transmission List in Air Client is that a playlist represents a file with events and is not related to any Device Server. So it is not possible to configure any triggered lists in a playlist window because information about triggered lists is not available.

Storing selected lists within an event structure

Enabled triggered lists are configurable on an event basis; and information is stored within event structure. A bit-mask field is used for keeping triggered lists state (enabled/disabled) within event structure. Each bit of this field equals 0 if the list is currently disabled and 1 if the list is currently enabled.

ADC™ Air Client

Operations and Installation On-Air Playback Operations

Example: In the following example a user selected 3 of 4 possible lists. Bit-mask is equal to 1101

or to

. This method of data organization is invisible for user because it is only necessary for transferring information between Air Client and Device Server

Restrictions

This method imposes several user restrictions:



A maximum 16 different lists can be triggered by one Transmission List. The Config Tool Linking tab will not allow more than 16 triggered lists to be added to one Transmission List.



Triggered lists should not be changed from the Config Tool if triggers are already used in

Transmission List. Violation of this rule can result in triggered lists reordering; causing bits in bit-mask to correspond to wrong lists, and the server to send trigger commands to incorrect lists.



To prevent users from editing the triggered lists array, the Config Tool Linking tab becomes disabled if at least one event within the lookahead of the current Transmission List contains a non-empty trigger action.