The OnTheAir Video 4 traffic option brings a host of features. Here are some of the features that it brings:
- Wide Orbit integration: open Wide Orbit (WOS) playlists
- Media Browser: add support for a local or remote media browser
- BXF: add support for BXF files to automatically create "segments" in the Media Browser
- Folder-based schedule: create one playlist per day, and simply place it in a folder using the appropriate name
- Remote Control: allow to control or monitor OnTheAir Video remotely, with also the ability to do "gang playback control"
- "Virtual" sources: Which are live sources with some preset attributes (actions, GPI trigger, etc...)
- Process purge lists: import .DAT files to know which clips should be deleted from disk
Below, you will find more explanations on these features.
Requirements
The demo version of OnTheAir Video does not give access to the "traffic" specific features, you will need to have a license of OnTheAir Video 4 or later with the traffic option. If you want to test what the traffic feature will do for you, please get in touch with us.
Open Wide Orbit playlists
What is it for?
With the traffic option, you can open playlists generated by the Wide Orbit traffic system. Note that it is not mandatory, and you can use the traffic option using "regular" xpls OnTheAir Video playlists.
How to set it up?
The extension of the Wide Orbit playlists should be .WOS. There is nothing specific to do, the playlist will open as any regular playlist.
How does it work?
First make sure that you have set a "Media Browser" in the preferences. Indeed, Wide Orbit playlists do not include any file path, so we won't know where to locate the file if the Media Browser is not set. Check below for more info on Media Browser. D
Double-click on the .WOS file to open it or select the menu "File > Open" and select it.
Once opened by OnTheAir Video, a .xpls playlist is automatically created at the same location as the .WOS playlist, using the same name. All modifications done to the playlist are then saved to the .xpls playlist, not the .WOS playlist. If you want to reopen the .WOS playlist later on, you will have to either delete the .xpls playlist, or rename one of the 2 files, or move them to a different folder.
Media Browser
What is it for?
As playlists coming from Wide Orbit do not have any information on the path to access the media, it is needed that the user selects a folder where the media will be. It is also useful because there can be a link between the media browser and the playlists.
How to set it up?
You can either use a "Local" or a "Remote" media browser. Sometimes you want to limit the number of things that the computer playing out is doing. This is why instead of having it catalog the media, you can offload the media cataloguing to a separate, remote, computer. Note that this makes the setup a little more complex, so if you want to keep things simple, just use a local media browser.
Setup a local Media Browser
Choose the folder where all your videos will be, go to "Preferences > General > Media" and select a folder here:
If you are using a local media browser, make sure to leave the "Catalog Media Folder" enabled. You should disable the Media Folder catalog only if you are using a remote media folder.
Note that all files should be within the same folder, it is best not to use subfolders.
Setup a remote Media Browser
Before being able to setup a remote Media Browser, you will first need to setup one of your other computers as a "Local Media Browser" so it will catalog the media. Note that this can be done using a demo version of OnTheAir Video.
Then you will need to connect to that OnTheAir Video. For this, go to the menu "OnTheAir Video > Remote Control...". This will open a window, where you will be able to connect to a remote OnTheAir Video (see below for more info on how to connect to a remote OnTheAir Video).
Once it is setup, and you are connected to the OnTheAir Video doing the media folder cataloging, make sure to disable the "Catalog Media Folder" option on the playout computer, so you are sure OnTheAir Video will not catalog any folder, and then select the remote media browser you want to use in the "Media Browser" drop down menu:
How does it work?
Once you have set the local or remote media browser that you want to use, you can go to the menu "Window > Media Browser" to show the Media Browser window:
You can view the different columns:
- Clip ID is by default the "File Name". As these are usually codes, it is not easily readable.
- Description is something humanly readable and can be edited
- In/Out Points and Duration
Changing in/out points or attributes
You can change in/out points directly in the Media Browser. For that, enable the checkbox next to the in or out point and manually enter a value there. But note that there are no validations for example with the duration of the clip. So the better option is probably to do it in the inspector.
To change the clips attributes in the inspector, select the clip in the Media Browser, then open the inspector from the menu "Window > Clip Inspector". Anything you set there will be saved in the Media Browser, so when you drag and drop from the Media Browser to the playlist, everything you have set will be there.
About the link between the Media Browser and clips in the playlist
In some cases, there can be a link between the Media Browser and the playlist, so if you modify the clips attributes (in/out, name, actions...) in the media browser, they will be updated in the playlist as the 2 will be linked. This is very useful to be able to modify a clip that is present in multiple playlists, or has multiple occurrences in the same playlist.
The link happens in 2 cases:
- if you drag and drop a clip from the media browser to one or more playlists
- if you open a .WOS playlist from the traffic
Important: the link is only in one direction: from the Media Browser to the playlists. So what happens if you modify the clips (that have a link to the Media Browser) in the playlists. If you modify a clip in the playlist, it means there will be a difference between the attributes in the playlist and the ones in the Media Browser. That is not a problem, but as soon as you'll edit one attribute in the Media Browser, all the attributes in the playlist will be reloaded with the ones from the Media Browser. So for example let's say you modified the in/out points in the playlist, but then change the logo attribute in the Media Browser, your playlist clip will loose the in/out points that you have set. This is why we rather advise to only modify clips in the Media Browser, and if needed to create a duplicate in the Media Browser if you need multiple occurrences of the same media.
How to identify if a clip in a playlist has a link to the Media Browser?
In the playlist:
You will see that the first line of the cell will have a part in Bold and another part not in bold:
- The bold part is the "Clip ID" from the media browser
- The plain part is the "Description" from the media browser
Note that if Clip ID and Descriptions are identical, we will only show one occurence in bold.
In the inspector:
At the top of the window, you will see an area with the Clip ID:
You can use the cross to remove the link to the media browser (the clip in the playlist will thus be independent), and the magnifying glass to reveal the clip in the Media Browser.
How can the link be lost?
The Clip ID is what we use to make the link between the clips in the playlists and the clips in the Media Browser. So if you modify the Clip ID in the Media Browser, you will loose the connection.
Auto-Remount
If the Media Folder is located on a network drive, OnTheAir Video will automatically mount the Volume when it starts. Also if the Volume disconnects after, OnTheAir Video will try to remount it every 10 seconds. Note that you must save the login and password to the network storage in the keychain for this to be possible.
Support for BXF
What is it for?
BXF (Broadcast eXchange Format) allows the interchange of data and metadata among professional system. In OnTheAir Video it allows you to automatically create segments in the Media Browser.
How to set it up?
Nothing to setup, except making sure your Media Folder is set in the preferences and your Media Browser shows content.
How to does it work?
The file with the .BXF extension (and of course with the appropriate XML information in it) must have the same name as the video file, and it must be placed either:
- in the same folder as the video file (in your media folder)
- or in the folder set in the preference (feature not available yet)
As soon as the BXF file is placed in the correct location, the according segments will be created in the Media Browser. For example in the following screenshot, you can see the TMDS0714.mxf and .bxf files, and in the Media Browser the different segments created:
About modifications:
- if you delete the .bxf file from its location, then
- in the Media Browser, the corresponding segments will be deleted
- in the Playlist, they won't be deleted
- if you modify the .bxf file, the segments will be updated with the new values in both the Media Browser and the Playlist thanks to the link from the Media Browser to the Playlist (see above).
- if you modify the segments in the Media Browser, this will modify the clips in the playlists (again thanks to the link) but it will NOT modify the .bxf file, and if you delete or modify the .bxf file later on, all your modifications in the Media Browser will be lost.
Virtual Sources
What is it for?
The Virtual Sources allow you to automatically set actions and attributes on a Live clip created when importing a WOS playlist.
How to set it up?
To set the "Virtual Live Sources", go to the menu "Window > Virtual Sources" to view the Virtual Sources window.
Click on the + icon to create a Virtual Source.
- Source ID: the name of the source as it will be referenced by the WOS file -- should also be the name of the plist file. Note that it is "reversed". So first the type of item (LIVE) and then the source (ST1). See below. This should also be the name of the plist file. (must be provided)
- Description: the display name of the source as it will be seen by the user in a playlist.
- Live Input: the name of the Live input that OnTheAir Video should use. This must match one of the Live sources that you have created in OnTheAir Video preferences. If not provided the Virtual Source will just trigger an AppleScript, no Live input will be started.
- GPI Input: Sets the GPICommander input number that will be monitored during the Live to end the live and trigger the "skip to next" action.
- Before, At Start and At End: the "Actions" that you want to be triggered either before the clip starts (useful for router controls) or when the clip starts or ends. When you click on set, a window shows up allowing you to select the Action to execute (an AppleScript located in the folder /Library/Application Support/Softron/OnTheAir Video/Actions), and a possible parameter.
- Filler Image: the path to a still image (black usually) to be used for NON-live inputs virtual sources. Is not needed if you have selected a "Live Input" then.
Secondary Events
What is it for?
This allows you to start secondary events
How to set it up?
In OnTheAir Video, secondary events are done using Actions. Actions are AppleScripts that are triggered at a specific moment and these AppleScripts can do many things, including controlling options within OnTheAir Video (such as controlling a VideoHub router, the Dynamic Graphics Overlays,...). You will thus have to prepare Actions that bear the same name as the MaterialID or ISCICode values in your WOS playlist. See below.
How to does it work?
When OnTheAir Video opens a WideOrbit playlist, it will check for the secondary events (indicated with a "S" as in the following line:
Then we will:
- First check if the MaterialID (position 28 - F4917 in the example above) matches the name of an Action.
- If it does, then we will use this as an action at the offset indicated in then SecondaryEventOffset (position 10 - 00:00:15 in the example above)
- If it does not, then we will check if the ISCICode (position 116 - SNP in the example above) matches the name of an Action.
- If it does, we will use this as an action, and use the MaterialID as the Parameter value.
- If it does not, we will log that we could not associate an Action with the Secondary event and the event will not be.
For example, with the line above, here is how the Actions will look for the clip:
So 15 seconds after the start of the clip (at in point), we will trigger an action called "SNP", with the parameter "F4904". This could do many things in theory but for example the parameter can set the name of a file that the DGO would play. Attached to this article are some examples of AppleScripts and CG projects that could be used with Secondary events.
But there are much more things that you can do with the Actions. Contact us if you need more info and help with this.
Folder-based Schedule
What is it for?
When using 24 hours playlists (such as the ones coming from Wide Orbit traffic), you need OnTheAir Video to automatically open and play the new playlist every day when it is time. Unlike with the regular schedule, there is no schedule to edit, just place the playlist with a specific name in the designed folder, and it will be automatic.
How to set it up?
If your license has the traffic option, and you select the menu “Schedule > Open”, you are allowed to select a folder instead of a file. That's it... Then place the playlists in that folder with the appropriate naming convention.
How to does it work?
In folder that you have selected, you place playlists that are named something like “NAME_2020-08-26.WOS” or simply “2020-08-26.xpls”. The date format is "yyyy-MM-dd". They should automatically show up in the Schedule window:
Note at the top of the window, the little "Folder" icon that tells you that you are using a Folder Based Schedule.
WARNING: Only one playlist per day is supported. If 2 playlists have a name that schedules them for the same date, we will use the first one. But we can not guarantee which one it will be.
About the start times of the playlists
We will use the theoretical start time of the first clip in the playlist and use that as the start time for the playlist. If the first clip don’t have a theoretical start time the playlist start time will be set at midnight.
- For WideOrbit playlists, we will simply consider the first time of the first event. Even if it is not a Hard start/Clock event. Note that even if the first event has a hard start/clock event, we will use the tolerance explained below for the first clip of the playlist. But for following hard start/clock event within the playlists, there will be no tolerance. They will interrupt whatever is playing even if there are just a few seconds left, or will wait the exact time even if there's just a small gap.
- For .xpls playlists, you will need to set a theoriticalStartDateTime in the playlist settings
About the tolerance for the playlist start time
There can be a tolerance with the start time of playlist from a folder based schedule. Indeed, we have a hidden preference (folderBasedSchedulerTolerance) that can be set to add a tolerance to the start time. If it is set, then:
-
if the playlist is shorter and:
-
ends X (the value set in the preference) minutes before, or less, then the next playlist will start when the playlist ends, there will be no black on air, no interruption.
-
ends more than X minutes before the next scheduled time, the next playlist will wait until its time. And thus there will be a moment without anything playing.
-
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if the playlist is longer and,
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ends X minutes later, or less, we will continue to play until it is done playing all its clips and start playing the next playlist. There will be no interruption of clips, and they will chain one after the other.
- ends more than X minutes after the next scheduled time, we will interrupt the playback of that playlist and start the next one right on time.
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To change the preference, add the following text to the OnTheAir Video preference file (located in ~/Library/Preferences/com.softronmedia.OnTheAirVideo.plist) to set it to one minute for example (the duration is in seconds):
<key>folderBasedSchedulerTolerance</key>
<real>60</real>
Let us know if this is a value that you think is important to change often and we'll make it available to modify in the user interface.
Auto Start Date/Time in playlists
What is it for?
When using folder-based schedule, the scheduler will 'only' start one playlist per day at a specific time. Other start times are set directly on clips.
How to set it up?
When importing WideOrbit playlists, OnTheAir Video will set a Auto Start Date/Time on all the clips that had a hard start/clock event. For .xpls playlists, simply set the appropriate key (timedStartDateTime)
How to does it work?
For all opened playlists, OnTheAir Video monitors the clips that have a start date/time. And when the start date time of one of the event is reached, it will start playing. Note that if you play a playlist in chain, and a clip has a start date time,
- if the start date/time is in the past, playback will continue
- if the start date/time is in the future, playback will stop at the end of the previous clip and wait until the specified date/time (note that another timed event may start the playback before).
Note that clips within a playlist are NOT sorted by their start times, they are only arranged in the order the user has manually set it, so make sure that this is correct and in a chronological order.
You can identify clips that have a Auto Start Date/time by the fact that they have their start time in bold and a little clock icon next to it:
You can change, add or remove the start time by doing a Right-click on a clip and select the "Set Auto Start Date/time"
Then enable/disable the checkbox and set the desired value:
Note that there is both a time and date for these events. Make sure that they both match what you need.
Join in Progress
What is it for?
This is used in case for example there was an emergency, you had to start another playlist, or live, and then once that urgency is finished, you want to go back to the schedule as it was originally planned.
How to set it up?
There is nothing specific to setup. You just need to have the traffic option in your license, and a playlist that has theoretical start times. Playlists that come from a traffic (currently only Wide Orbit "logs" are supported), hold these "theoretical start times".
How to does it work?
To do a "join in progress", select a playlist with these theoretical start times and go to the menu "Edit > Join In Progress".
OnTheAir Video will start the selected playlist where it was planned to be at the current time.
Replace by ID
What is it for?
Sometimes when you want to replace a clip by another one, it is quicker to just enter its ID, rather than searching for it in the playlist.
How to set it up?
You just need to have the traffic option in your license, and have correctly set the media folder. Indeed, without media folder we wouldn't know where to look for the new clip.
How to does it work?
For this, just right-click on one or more clips, and select "Replace by ID...",
In the following window, enter the new ID and click OK.
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