How to: OnTheAir MOS Gateway Settings

OnTheAir MOS Gateway facilitates the creation of an OnTheAir Video playlist document from your news room computer system's like ENPS and iNews. OnTheAir Video's varying use cases means that producers can create content once, but leverage it in several different shows including live and scheduled content. Let's look at the settings in the application. 

Settings>Defaults

Go to Settings (cmd + , ) and then we will start in the Defaults tab. 

Web Server allows the media content to be served by OnTheAir MOS Gateway, allowing users to browse the content. Typically this is the same path as the Media Folder Path, as defined in the Media tab. Port specifications are also editable here. 

Under URL Prefixes, settings can be configured to allow paths to the proxy video and thumbnail. As the media folder path is a flat directory, the proxy path would have the same flat structure. As long as the proxy file name has the same name as the original media, the plugin will show the proxy in the plugin preview. 

The last setting is Playlist Defaults. This controls what settings will the MOS Gateway playlist open with in OnTheAir Video. 

Settings>Media

Media Folder Path is a flat file directory that will be referenced by OnTheAir Video and the plugin. The path can point to an external drive, or NAS, as long as the write and read speeds are acceptable. Like mentioned under Web Server, these are typically the same path. 

With the Media File Path in place, if we were to visit the plugin at <yourIPAddress>:8090 (or from the same machine at 127.0.0.1:8090), you would now be able to see the media files populated on the right hand side. Clicking on a media file will preview the video item in the center preview window.

In OnTheAir Video, you might create a clip with in and out points, or actions that you might want to play again on a separate system. Prior to OnTheAir Video 4, this meant repeating the steps. Now users may simply drag a playlist item to the desktop or folder to create an XPLI. An XPLI is the same format as the playlist (XPLS), but keeping the information for the single item. If this is part of your workflow, you can use XPLIs Folder Path. XPLIs will automatically show up in the plugin as MOS objects and will be locked to the XPLIs original instructions. Certain parameters must be met such as: file path matching on both systems, and OnTheAir Video having access to the same folders and actions as the creator of the XPLI. 

The last section is Special Playlists. These are referenced playlists users may leverage in the OnTheAir MOS Gateway plugin. Simply select the playlists you want to reference via the select button. For more information on their functions, refer to this article:

How to: OnTheAir MOS Gateway - Template and Placeholders

Settings>Graphics

With the Dynamic Graphics Overlay option for OnTheAir Video, custom lower thirds and graphics are supported on output. Adding the projects used in OnTheAir Video to the OnTheAir MOS Gateway settings allows the plugin to feature the projects and unique fields. The image below shows two projects added. The "Text Fields" column shows how many published fields are detected. If you are not seeing the right number of fields, double check that the item in OnTheAir CG Designer has "publish" checked.

Then in the plugin, choose your MOS Object. Then clicking the "New Lower Third" button under the video preview will add a new entry field. Users may then select the project, timecode, and duration of the project. Text fields are then editable in the plugin. Note: duration is always present, whether your project uses that field or not.  

Settings>NCS/MOS

The NCS/MOS settings can vary depending if you are an ENPS or iNews user. Let's address the common terms to both application on this settings page. There will be a separate article detailing more for each NRCS system. 

Gateway MOS ID is what the device will be called to your NRCS. The name can be customized, but NRCS systems require all capital letters and no spaces. Periods between words are acceptable. 

Under Newsroom system, you will put in the Server IP Address. If the NRCS is iNews, the server name must be given. ENPS does require the server name as well but OnTheAir MOS Gateway should find this automatically. MOS version 2.8.4 is for ENPS users. Currently, iNews is under the 2.8.4 MOS and requires this to be disabled. The Test button triggers a generic MOS message to the server. If the configuration is correct, the light should be green. If the two servers can communicate via a ping, double check that there is not a windows firewall enabled on the NRCS system. 

The Avid iNews Program ID is important for the plugin to open when double clicking MOS objects inside the iNews window. In iNews, System>HTML-Plugins... the MOS device must have the matching value you place here. More on this in the iNews specific setup. 

Deleting MOS Objects

It is possible to delete a single MOS Object in the plugin. Simply select the MOS object and click "Delete MOS Object". 

If you need to delete multiple MOS objects, you can perform that from the OnTheAir MOS Gateway application. With the application selected, go to the Toolbar>Window>MOS Objects. The keyboard shortcut is "CMD + Shift + O". A new window will open showing all the MOS objects. Using the Mac OS commands to select such as shift for ranges, CMD for individual selections, and "CMD + A" for all is supported.