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Video Server Toolkit

Developer’s Guide

Document Number 007-3620-002

Video Server Toolkit Developer’s Guide

Document Number 007-3620-002

CONTRIBUTORS

Written by George Eckel and Susan Patick

Illustrated by Dany Galgani

Production by Heather Hermstad

Engineering contributions by Kader Fazlul, Ron Jacoby, Ruben Kleiman, Prince

Kohli, Kurt Merriweather, Mike Moskowitz, Hilmi Ortadeveci, Naveen Patil, Jim

Preston, Rick Reed, Manuel Ruiz, Aman Singla, Brad Thayer, Parkson Wong, and

David R L Worthington.

St. Peter’s Basilica image courtesy of ENEL SpA and InfoByte SpA. Disk Thrower

image courtesy of Xavier Berenguer, Animatica.

The contents of this document may not be copied or duplicated in any form, in whole

or in part, without the prior written permission of Silicon Graphics, Inc.

RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND

Use, duplication, or disclosure of the technical data contained in this document by

the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision (c) (1) (ii) of the

Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 52.227-7013

and/or in similar or successor clauses in the FAR, or in the DOD or NASA FAR

Supplement. Unpublished rights reserved under the Copyright Laws of the United

States. Contractor/manufacturer is Silicon Graphics, Inc., 2011 N. Shoreline Blvd.,

Mountain View, CA 94043-1389.

Silicon Graphics, IRIS, and IRIX are registered trademarks and the Silicon Graphics

logo, Extent File System (EFS), GIGAchannel, IRIS FailSafe, O2, Onyx2, Origin,

Origin200, Origin2000, StudioCentral, and XFS are trademarks of Silicon Graphics,

Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed

exclusively through X/Open, Ltd.

iii

Contents

List of Figures ix

List of Tables xi

About This Guide xiii

What This Document Contains xiii

Who Should Read This Document xiv

Archive

system

Storage/

distribution

Live feed

Video deck

Broadcast

system

Vela

MPEG-2

decoder

Silicon Graphics

SiliconGraphics

Workstation

Functional Overview

The graphical user interface (GUI), which is used to control VST, was designed as both a

demonstration of the capability of VST and a beginning point from which broader

graphical applications can be developed. The GUI consists of screens that are used to

record and play digital data, determine status information, and manage digital media

data stored in VST.

The GUI screen that is used to record and play digital media data is the VST Media

Control Panel (mcpanel), which is shown in Figure 2-2. The control panel is similar in

function to a standard videotape player or recorder. For example, there are buttons in the

control panel to cue the video, play it, stop the playback, and so on.

Figure 2-2 Video Server Toolkit Media Control Panel

The graphical user interface is described in Chapter 3, “Using the Video Server Toolkit

GUIs.” The MVCP protocol, which was used to implement the VST GUI, is described in

Appendix A.

Chapter 2: Overview of Video Server Toolkit

Software Overview

The VST software provides scalability and maximum ﬂexibility, while enabling

real-time, frame-accurate control of digital media. The software includes the following:

• Core software, which provides the basic VST functionality for playback and

recording of digital data.

• Control interface modules, which provide device-dependent code. For example,

there is a control interface module that contains the code that is speciﬁc to a Louth

automation controller.

• Media device interface modules, which contain format-dependent code that

provides access to the ports over which media is played and recorded. For example,

there is a media device interface module that contains the code that supports the

Vela Research SCSI-attached MPEG-2 decoder.

• Format interface modules, which provide handlers for accessing speciﬁc digital

media storage formats. For example, there are format interface modules for the VST

variable-frame format, the MPEG-2 stream-based format, and the DVCPRO Data

Interchange Format (DIF).

Figure 2-3 shows the primary software components in VST.

Software Overview

Figure 2-3 Video Server Toolkit Software Components

The remainder of this section discusses the software components shown in Figure 2-3.

Silicon Graphics

SiliconGraphics

Louth VD

(

)

Automation

controller

Control

interface

modules

Archive

interface

modules

VCP-Recorder

GUI Application

program

Archive

system

Media

device

interface

modules

Logical

units

Format

interface

modules

Storage

device

interface

modules

Clip cache

VCP-Recorder

core software

Media ports

Playback/recording

devices

MVCP (TCP/IP)

ATS (TCP/IP)

MVCP (TCP/IP)

Chapter 2: Overview of Video Server Toolkit

Clip Cache

Digital media data that Video Server Toolkit (VST) processes for playout and recording

is stored in one or more clip caches. Each unit of data that is stored in a clip cache (for

example, a movie) is called a clip.

Clips can be added to the cache by:

• Using VST to record the clip

• Generating the clips elsewhere and adding them to the cache

• Transferring clips from a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system

Clips can be transferred from the clip cache into a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system for

storage.

Core Software

The core software provides the basic VST functionality for playback and recording of

digital data. It utilizes the IRIX operating system as well as portions of the Silicon

Graphics Digital Media Libraries.

The core software provides the following basic functionality:

• Archive management, which oversees the transferring of assets into and out of a

StudioCentral 2.0 archive system

• Clip cache management, which maintains persistent information about the media

that is either stored in the clip cache or is in the process of being transferred into or

out of it

• Controller management, which links one or more external control protocol modules

(for example, Louth) to the internal VST processing logic

• Conﬁguration management, which automatically conﬁgures the VST software

according to the hardware capabilities of the system on which it runs

VST provides a core library that supports external interface modules, dynamic shared

objects (DSOs) that contain the code speciﬁc to a given external entity. When VST is

started, the VST software loads and initializes all external interface modules it locates so

that the modules can be used.

Software Overview

Archive Interface Module

VST has an archive interface that enables VST to retrieve clips from, and store them in an

archive asset repository. VST transfers the media to and from an archive system using the

Asset Transfer Service (or ATS), communicating with ATS using the FTP-like ATS

protocol.

Archive interface modules contain the code that is speciﬁc to a StudioCentral 2.0 archive

system. These modules provide the support that is needed to locate a given clip in the

StudioCentral 2.0 archive system and bring it into VST, and to store a clip from VST in

the StudioCentral 2.0 archive system.

Control Interface Module

Control interface modules allow various automation controllers and digital media

applications to control the use of VST. These modules translate to and from external

control protocols.

The following control interface modules are provided:

• The Louth Video Disk Communications Protocol deﬁned by Louth Automation.

This control protocol provides control of VST over RS-232, RS-422, or TCP/IP. The

VST’s Louth interface module supports back-to-back play and record (subject to

restrictions imposed by the video I/O port capabilities) and archive management.

• The Sony RS-422 VTR (also called, 9-pin or P2) protocol. VST supports this protocol

through a full-featured VTR deck-emulation mode that includes frame-accurate

insert editing and variable-speed shuttle.

• Multiple-Unit Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) deﬁned by Silicon Graphics. This

control protocol provides full-featured control of VST through TCP/IP. This control

interface module supports archive management, multiple-unit control, and event

monitoring, and provides access to advanced features of Silicon Graphics devices.

• The Odetics protocol is a Video Disk Control Protocol similar in purpose to the

Louth VDCP. Unlike Louth, it is built upon the foundation of the Legacy Sony

RS422 VTR Control Protocol, with which it shares many commands and features.

Odetics adds to the Sony protocol commands speciﬁc to Video Disk Recorders, such

as back-to-back playout and recording and clip management operations.

Chapter 2: Overview of Video Server Toolkit

Storage Device Interface Module

Storage device interface modules provide access to the storage systems on which the clip

cache resides. Currently, there is a storage device interface module for the IRIX XFS

ﬁlesystem.

Format Interface Module

Format interface modules provide handlers for accessing speciﬁc digital media storage

formats. VST currently provides format interface modules that support the following:

• VST variable-frame format (uncompressed, Rice 2:1 lossless compression, and

motion JPEG)

• MPEG2 stream-based format (transport and program streams)

• DVCPRO Data Interchange Format (DIF)

• DVB-ASI (Digital Video Broadcast Asynchronous Serial Interface) protocol

Note: vtrmpegutil is a utility that parses MPEG2 Program and Transport streams. It

provides syntax reporting for Transport streams, semantic analysis of PID mapping and

multiplexed bitrate. For more information, see the vtrmpegutil man page.

Media Device Interface Module

Media device interface modules provide access to the ports over which the media is

played and recorded (that is, the media ports). Each type of I/O port typically has its own

media device interface module.

VST has media device interface modules for the following:

• Silicon Graphics Video Library. This media device interface module supports the

Digital Video Option (DIVO) on Origin servers and the video port on O2

workstations.

– DIVO enables broadcast-quality video and embedded audio, and is used for the

recording and playback of uncompressed and Rice compression formats.

– DVC/DIVO is the DVCPRO version of the DIVO card. It performs all the

functions of the DIVO card and DVCPRO.

Software Overview

– DVB-ASI (Digital Video Broadcast Asynchronous Serial Interface) protocol

– The O2 video port is used for playback and recording of the motion JPEG

format, and is suitable for a test or development environment.

Note: The O2 video port is usually referred to as mvp (multiport video

processor) or O2Video.

• Vela Research four-port analog decoders. This media device interface module

enables the playback of MPEG-2 format data on Origin servers and O2

workstations.

• V-LAN transmitters. This media device interface module enables frame-accurate

capture from, and lay-down to, videotape decks.

• Diaquest. Direct Sony 422 control of videotape decks; used in the same way as

V-LAN.

DVB-ASI Format

The Viewgraphics MediaPump is a PCI-based, DVB-compliant adaptor board. It

multiplexes MPEG 2 transport streams and transmits them over coaxial cables using the

DVB-ASI (Digital Video Broadcast Asynchronous Serial Interface) protocol.

For more information, see the Video Server Toolkit Installation and Administration Guide.

DVCPRO Format

The DVCPRO compression algorithm compresses four video frames into one frame. This

compression format is useful for transporting video data across networks, such as

between video decks. DVCPRO-compressed frames in 1 times mode can be displayed

normally. The following section describes how to display DVCPRO-compressed frames

in 4 times mode

Displaying 4 Times Mode DVCPRO-Compressed Frames

The Serial Digital Transport Interface (SDTI) is a video networking protocol that allows

arbitrary data to be packeted and transmitted over the SMPTE-259M Serial Digital

Interface (SDI). VST supports playback and recording of DVCPRO (DIF) over SDTI at 1

times and 4 times normal speed. When recording SDTI/DVCPRO using DIVO-DVC, the

incoming signal can be looped to the output (EE mode) in either 1x or 4x mode.

Chapter 2: Overview of Video Server Toolkit

Logical Playback and Record Units

Logical units enable media ports to play and record clips. Each VST unit can be thought

of as a logical videotape recorder (VTR) transport that is capable of loading, cueing,

playing, and recording clips using a speciﬁc media port.

Logical units are created automatically by VST when the VST GUI or an automation

controller is used. When the MVCP protocol is used, a command requests that a unit be

created or that a unit created by another control connection be used.

There is normally a one-to-one relationship between a control connection to VST and a

VST logical unit, and between a logical unit and a media port. This is shown in

Figure 2-4.

Figure 2-4 One Logical Unit With One Control Connection

Control

port

Logical

unit

Automation

controller

Media port

Playback/recording

device

Software Overview

A single unit can also be controlled by multiple control ports. For example, two tightly

integrated applications might control a single unit, where each application would have

its own control port. This is shown in Figure 2-5.

Figure 2-5 One Logical Unit With Two Control Connections

Caution: Exercise extreme care when the control of a unit is shared between two

controller connections. Interfering with a unit owned by a Sony, Odetics, or Louth

automation controller leads to unpredictable behavior in VST.

A media port can be controlled by multiple logical units. For example, an application

with one control connection and two units could be cueing one clip while playing out

another, enabling back-to-back playout of clips when allowed by the media format. This

example is shown in Figure 2-6.

Control

port Control

port

Logical

unit

Media port

Playback/recording

device

Application

Chapter 2: Overview of Video Server Toolkit

Figure 2-6 Two Logical Units With One Control Connection

If a media port supports multiple logical units, the sharing is subject to the

device-sharing characteristics of that port.

Hardware Overview

A VST hardware conﬁguration consists of the following components:

VST Server O2, O200 with GIGAchannel, O2000

Storage Internal ultraSCSIs or external CIPRICO 7000 RAIDS

Internal DevicesMVP (video card for O2), DIVO (video card for O200 and O2000),

DIVO-DVC (video card for Panasonic setups using DVC Pro), RAD

(audio card), ENET/ESER (ethernet cards), PCI ﬁberchannel, PCI

DVB-ASI, ATM.

External DevicesControllers: Sony controllers, Panasonic AJ-A850, Louth ADC, Odetics.

Decks: connected using VLAN

Media recorders/playback units: Vela, decoders

Control

port

Logical

unit Logical

unit

Media port

Playback/recording

device

Application

Hardware Overview

A typical hardware conﬁguration is shown in Figure 2-7.

Figure 2-7 Video Server Toolkit Hardware Components

Disk

storage

VCP-Recorder

server

Workstation

MediaHub

server

Video deck

Serial ports

SCSI port

Video in

Video out

Ethernet port

Automation

controller

Vela MPEG-2

decoder

4 video

outputs

4 stereo

outputs

Live feed Broadcast

system

TCP/IP

RS-422

Network

Silicon Graphics

SiliconGraphics

VLAN

Chapter 2: Overview of Video Server Toolkit

Video Server Toolkit Server

The Video Server Toolkit (VST) server can be an Origin200 or Origin2000 Scalable

Symmetric Multi-Processing (S2MP) server, or an O2 workstation.

Origin Servers

The Origin servers provide massive processing, storage, and throughput capabilities to

satisfy even the largest production requirements. They are built from a scalable node

architecture, enabling small conﬁgurations that can be incrementally upgraded to the

larger conﬁgurations. Each Origin server can be conﬁgured as a single module or as

multiple modules with a single system image.

The Origin servers provide:

• Playback and recording of uncompressed and Rice compression video data with the

Digital Video Option (DIVO) card.

• DVCPRO, Data Interchange Format (DIF), a compression algorithm that

compresses four video frames into one frame. This compression format is useful for

transporting video data across networks, such as between video decks.

• Playback of MPEG-2 (system and transport streams) data with the Vela Research

SCSI-attached decoder.

• GIGAchannel expansion box for the O200, which allows the addition of up to ﬁve

DIVO boards.

• DVB-ASI is a PCI-based, DVB-compliant adaptor board. It multiplexes MPEG 2

transport streams and transmits them over coaxial cables using the DVB-ASI

(Digital Video Broadcast Asynchronous Serial Interface) protocol.

O2 Workstations

The O2 workstation provides a low-cost, entry-level video server platform that supports

some but not all of the features supported by the Origin platform.

The O2 workstation provides:

• Playback and recording of M-JPEG video

• Playback of MPEG-2 (system and transport streams) data with the Vela Research

SCSI-attached decoder

Hardware Overview

Disk Storage

The VST disk storage holds the XFS real-time ﬁlesystems that contain the movies, trailers,

commercials, and other digital media data stored in the clip cache. The descriptive

information about VST clips, for example, clip names, duration, edit points, and so on, are

also stored on these ﬁlesystems.

The VST storage system supports the use of scalable storage to enable the total disk space

to range from only a few gigabytes to hundreds of terabytes or more. The type of disk

storage that is used depends upon several factors, including the number and size of

stored clips, the use of RAID, and the required availability (uptime) of the system.

Three different types of disk storage are available:

• Normal XFS ﬁlesystems residing on a single disk drive. This type of disk storage

does not provide redundancy.

• Standard disk storage, sometimes called RAID-0, in which several disk drives are

striped into XLV logical volumes. This type of disk storage does not provide

redundancy but it does provide higher bandwidth than XFS on a single disk drive.

• RAID storage, such as RAID-3 and RAID-5, which provides high-availability,

redundant digital storage.

External Devices

VST supports the use of the following external devices:

• Vela Research 4-port MPEG-2 decoders, used for the playback of MPEG-2 format

data. Vela decoders are connected to the VST server through a SCSI connection.

• V-LAN transmitters, used to control a videotape deck for frame-accurate capture

and lay-down. A V-LAN transmitter is connected to a VST server through an RS-422

serial port connection.

• Broadcast system automation controllers that use, among others, the Odetics and

Louth Video Disk Communications Protocol, deﬁned by Louth Automation.

Automation controllers are connected to the VST server through an RS-422 serial

connection or a TCP/IP Ethernet connection.

Chapter 2: Overview of Video Server Toolkit

• DVB-ASI, from Viewgraphics, is a PCI-based, DVB-compliant adaptor board. It

multiplexes MPEG 2 transport streams and transmits them over coaxial cables

using the DVB-ASI (Digital Video Broadcast Asynchronous Serial Interface)

protocol. For more information, see Chapter 8, “Installing the DVB-ASI Adapter

Board,” in the Video Server Toolkit Installation and Administration Guide.

• Edit controllers, including Panasonic AJ-A850, Buf VTC4000/RM4000, and the edit

control portion of the Sony DVW 500 digital Betacam deck.

For more information about installing these devices for use with VST, see the Video Server

Toolkit Installation and Administration Guide.

For a complete list of external devices that interface with VST, see the release notes.

Internal Devices

Video Server Toolkit supports the use of the following internal devices:

• DIVO, a CCIR 601 format digital video board that provides two sets of incoming

and outgoing video/audio signals and lossless 2:1 compression using the Rice

format. DIVO enables you to choose square or rectangular pixels, and compatibility

with PAL and NTSC.

• DIVO plus DVCPRO,. which compress four video frames into one frame using

cosine compression.

• MVP, which provides standard, uncompressed, analog or CCIR 601 audio/video

using RCA jacks, S-Video jacks, stereo input and output audio, the choice of using

square or rectangular pixels, and compatibility with PAL and NTSC.

Video Device Control

V-LAN transmitters provide the means by which VST can control remote video devices,

such as video decks.

VST can also control remote video devices directly using Sony 422 deck-control software

provided by DiaQuest.

Chapter 3

3. Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

The Video Server Toolkit (VST) graphical user interfaces (GUIs) were designed as both a

demonstration of the VST capability and a beginning point from which broader

graphical applications can be developed. The GUIs consists of the following:

• Media Control Panel (mcpanel), which enables clips to be played and recorded

• Deck Control Panel, which enables a video deck to be controlled

• Unit Status Monitor (mcstat), which displays the status of VST ports

• Clip Manager (mcclips), which is used to manage clips, including getting them

from, and writing them to a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system

The following topics are discussed in this chapter:

• “Playing and Recording Clips” on page 20

• “Monitoring the Status of Video Server Toolkit (mcstat)” on page 44

To add a clip to VST, see Chapter 4, “Adding and Removing Clips.”

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

Playing and Recording Clips

This section describes how to use the VST Media Control Panel and how to control a

video deck. The following topics are discussed:

• “Starting the Video Server Toolkit Media Control Panel” on page 20

• “Determining Available Ports” on page 23

• “About the Media Control Panel” on page 26

• “Playing or Recording an Existing Clip” on page 33

• “Creating a New Clip” on page 35

• “Changing Cue Points and Edit Points” on page 36

• “Controlling a Video Deck” on page 37

See the Video Server Toolkit Installation and Administration Guide for information about how

to copy digital media data from a ﬁle into the VST clip cache.

Starting the Video Server Toolkit Media Control Panel

To establish a control connection to VST and start the Media Control Panel, enter the

following, either from the workstation on the VST server or from a workstation on which

the VST tools software1 has been installed:

%/usr/vtr/bin/mcpanel hostname videoPort|unit

For more complete control of mcpanel, use it with the following set of ﬂags:

%/usr/vtr/bin/mcpanel [-h hostname][-p videoPort|unit][-D deckCtlPort]

[-c clipname][-r][-C "inpoint outpoint"] [-P][-v loglevel]

1To run the Media Control Panel from a remote workstation, the vcp_recorder_eoe.sw32.tools subsystem

must be installed on a workstation that has IRIX 6.2 or later. See the Video Server Toolkit Installation and

Administration Guide for more information.

Playing and Recording Clips

Table 3-1 describes each of the options available when starting the VST Media Control

Panel.

Table 3-1 VST Media Control Panel Options

Option Description

-c Identiﬁes the name of a clip to be loaded when the Media Control Panel starts. If this

option is not speciﬁed, no clip is initially loaded.

-D Speciﬁes the video deck control port (deckCtlPort) to be used for V-LAN

communication to an external video storage device, such as a digital videotape

recorder (VTR). The deck is controlled by the Deck Control Panel.

If this option is not speciﬁed, deck control is not available.

-h Identiﬁes the host on which VST runs. This enables the Media Control Panel to be

run from a remote workstation.

If this option is not speciﬁed, the local host is assumed.

-p Identiﬁes the VST host video port or unit to which the control connection is made.

videoPort is the VST host video port to which the control connection is made. If you

specify a port, VST creates a new logical unit that is used by this control connection.

unit is the VST logical unit to which the connection is made. If you specify a unit, it

must have already been created by another control connection. The control

connection being made shares the unit with the control connection that created the

unit. (Units are named with a capital “U” followed by a number, for example, U4.)

If this option is not speciﬁed, the ﬁrst video port on the VST is used.

-r Speciﬁes that if an mcpanel already exists for the video port, the existing mcpanel

should be raised on the desktop instead of creating a new one.

-C Speciﬁes that the loaded clip should be cued with the speciﬁed in- and out-points.

If “*” is speciﬁed for either inpoint or outpoint, the default edit in-point or out-point

is used.

-P Speciﬁes that the clip whose name is clipname should start playing when the Media

Control Panel starts.

-v Sets the logging verbosity level to loglevel. The default is 0, meaning all log messages

up to and including Info priority are written to STDOUT. (The mcpanel program

writes its log messages to STDOUT.)

The values for loglevel are deﬁned in Table 3-2.

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

Table 3-2 shows the log severity levels and codes, which are listed in decreasing order of

severity

Priority levels Info and Notice result from user-caused errors. Priority levels Warning

through Emergency result from system problems.

Table 3-2 Log Severity Levels

Priority Log

Level Description

Emergency -6 Panic condition.

Alert -5 Condition that should be corrected immediately, such as a corrupted

system ﬁle.

Critical -4 Critical condition that has system-wide impact, such as a hard device

error; immediate action required.

Error -3 Problem that needs correcting but does not require immediate action.

Warning -2 Possible problem but could be a transient problem that corrects itself.

Notice -1 Condition that might require attention, but is not an error condition.

Info 0 Informational message.

Debugnn Informational message that normally is of use to engineers for

debugging; may be Debug1, Debug2, or Debug3, with Debug3

producing the most debugging information.

Playing and Recording Clips

The VST Media Control Panel, shown in Figure 3-1, is displayed in its own window. This

control panel represents a unit, or logical VTR, that is used to play and record clips. The

buttons in the Media Control Panel are similar in function to those of a standard

videotape player/recorder. For example, there are buttons to load a clip, play it, and

pause.

Figure 3-1 Video Server Toolkit Media Control Panel

See “About the Media Control Panel” on page 26 for a detailed description of the Media

Control Panel.

Determining Available Ports

To determine which video and deck control ports are available on a VST server, use the

/usr/vtr/bin/vtrstat command as follows:

%/usr/vtr/bin/vtrstat -ports

# Port Type Description

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

0 mvp Video SGI O2Video (Multiport Video Processor)

See the vtrstat(1) man page for more information.

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

Using Telnet to Determine Available Ports

To determine which video and deck control ports are available on a VST server, establish

a telnet connection to the VST server and then use the MVCP PLS (List Ports) command.

(See “Establishing an Interactive MVCP Connection” on page 103 for details.) The

following example shows the type of information returned by PLS for an O2 server. This

example identiﬁes “mvp” as the video port (VID) on the server:

PLS

201 OK

mvp BOTH "SGI O2 (MACE) Video Processor" VID

The following example shows the PLS command output for an Origin server. This output

identiﬁes “vlan_1” as the deck control port (DECK) and “DIVO_n,” where n is 0-7, as the

video ports (VID):

PLS

201 OK

vlan_1 BOTH "VLAN Deck Control" DECK

DIVO_0 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_1 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_2 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_3 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_4 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_5 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_6 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_7 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

See “PLS” on page 113 for more information.

Determining Units in Use

To determine which units are in use on a VST server, use the /usr/vtr/bin/vtrstat command

as follows:

%/usr/vtr/bin/vtrstat -units

Unit Owner Port Clip Function Location

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

U3 mvcp/oo7 mvp * IDLE *

See the vtrstat(1) man page for more information.

Playing and Recording Clips

Using Telnet to Determine Units in Use

To determine which units are in use on a VST server, establish a telnet connection to the

VST server and then use the MVCP ULS (List Units) command. The following example

shows the information returned by the ULS command:

ULS

201 OK

U1 mvcp/originserver mvp BOTH * DONE IDLE * 0 *

U2 mvcp/originserver mvp BOTH * DONE IDLE * 0 *

This example indicates that there are two units (U1 and U2) on the server, both using the

mvcp port on the host named originserver. The units were opened for input and output

(BOTH) and they are currently idle.

See “ULS” on page 115 for more information.

The following are examples of starting the Media Control Panel:

• When the Media Control Panel is started by entering the following command, a

control connection is made to the DIVO_1 video port on the “origin_server” host

using a newly added unit. Messages with a severity level of Info and above are

written on STDOUT:

%/usr/vtr/bin/mcpanel -h origin_server -p DIVO_1

• When the Media Control Panel is started by entering the following command, a

control connection is made to the U9 unit, which must already exist. Messages with

a severity level of Debug2 and above are written on STDOUT:

%/usr/vtr/bin/mcpanel -v 2 -h origin_server -p U9

• When the Media Control Panel is started by entering the following command, a

control connection is made to the mvp video port on the “o2server” host. Messages

with a severity level of Info and above are written on STDOUT:

%/usr/vtr/bin/mcpanel -h o2server -p mvp

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

About the Media Control Panel

Figure 3-2 shows the appearance of the Media Control Panel after a clip has been loaded.

The header of the control panel identiﬁes the host, control port, and unit to which the

control panel is connected.

Figure 3-2 Video Server Toolkit Media Control Panel With a Clip Loaded

VTR control buttons

Current frame and function

Option pulldown menus

Cue and edit points

Function buttons

Shuttle dial

Status/shuttle speed

Cueing buttons

Clip in-point/out-point

(Host: Port: Unit)

Menu bar

Jog backward

Pause Stop

Jog forward

Record

for playing and recording

Play backward

Play

Fast rewind

Fast forward

Playing and Recording Clips

The menu bar gives you access to the following:

• The File pulldown menu, which lets you load or unload an existing clip, create a

new clip, or close the Media Control Panel. Most of the functions available in this

pulldown menu are available through buttons in the Media Control Panel.

• The View pulldown menu, which lets you access the Deck Control window. The

Deck Control window, shown in Figure 3-5, is used to control a video deck attached

to the VST host. See “About the Deck Control Window” on page 39 for more

information.

• The Utilities pulldown menu, which lets you access the following:

– IRIX audio panel

– IRIX video panel

– VST Unit Status Monitor (mcstat), described in “Monitoring the Status of Video

Server Toolkit (mcstat)” on page 44

– VST Clip Manager (mcclips), described in Chapter 5, “Using Clip Manager”

The following describes each of the displays and buttons in the Media Control Panel:

• The Clip ﬁeld contains the name of the clip, if one is loaded. The display is blank if a

clip is not loaded.

• The Load,Create, and Unload function buttons let you load an existing clip, create a

new one and record into it, and unload a clip, respectively.

• The cue points are used to move around within a clip and to control the portion of

the clip that is played. An in-point (In), the duration (Dur), and an out-point (Out)

are speciﬁed using the following format:

hh:mm:ss:ff

where hh is the hours, mm is the minutes, ss is the seconds, and ff is the frame

number. In drop-frame mode, the ﬁnal colon is replaced by a period:

hh:mm:ss.ff

For example, if a clip with a cue in-point of 00:00:30.00 is cued for playing, it is cued

at thirty seconds.

See “Changing Cue Points and Edit Points” on page 36 for information about how

to change the cue points.

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

• The edit points (under “Mark” in the Media Control Panel) are persistent values

stored with a clip. They are used to initialize the cue points when the clip is loaded.

An in-point (In), the duration (Dur), and an out-point (Out) are speciﬁed using the

following format:

hh:mm:ss:ff

where hh is the hours, mm is the minutes, ss is the seconds, and ff is the frame

number. In drop-frame mode, the ﬁnal colon is replaced by a period:

hh:mm:ss.ff

Note: Edit points may also be referred to as “edit marks.”

If a clip has edit points associated with it, those values are used to initialize the

clip’s cue points when the clip is loaded.

See “Changing Cue Points and Edit Points” on page 36 for information about how

to change the edit points.

• To the right of the cue and edit points are the start, the duration (Dur), and end of

the clip. Each is speciﬁed in the following format:

hh:mm:ss:ff

where hh is the hours, mm is the minutes, ss is the seconds, and ff is the frame

number. In drop-frame mode, the ﬁnal colon is replaced by a period, as in:

hh:mm:ss.ff

If a clip does not have edit points associated with it, these start, duration, and end

values are used to initialize the cue points when the clip is loaded.

Note: You cannot change the values of the start, end, or duration of the clip itself.

However, you can select any of the values and copy it to the cue points or edit points.

• The cue buttons cue the clip for playout (—>|>) or recording (—>|•). The location

at which the clip is cued depends on how the clip is cued and the play direction, as

discussed in the descriptions of the VTR control buttons and the Media Control

Panel’s Option pulldown menus. (The play direction is determined by the setting of

the topmost Option pulldown menu.)

Note: A clip must be cued before it can be played or recorded. This can be

accomplished explicitly by clicking a cue button or implicitly by clicking the play or

record button without ﬁrst clicking a cue button. If you click a cue button and then

click play or record, the clip starts playing or recording immediately. If you click play

or record without ﬁrst clicking a cue button, the Media Control Panel ﬁrst cues the

clip and then starts the requested function. In the latter case, there is a brief delay

before the requested play or record function begins.

Playing and Recording Clips

• The current frame display is initialized to the cue in-point or cue out-point each

time the clip is cued. The actual cue point depends on how the clip is cued and the

clip’s play direction, as discussed in the descriptions of the VTR control buttons and

the play direction. (The play direction is determined by the setting of the topmost

Option pulldown menu.) As the clip is played or recorded, the display changes to

indicate the current frame number.

• The function display shows the current function. When a clip is ﬁrst loaded, the

word “STANDBY” is displayed.

• When a clip is being played or recorded, the status/shuttle speed display shows the

speed. If the clip is not being played or recorded, the status is displayed. The status

may be one of the following:

– WAIT, when the function is waiting to execute or waiting for another unit to

ﬁnish (for example, a Louth automation controller that is playing a clip). The

word BUSY blinks on and off.

– RUN, when the function is in progress.

– DONE, when the function completed without an error. The word DONE and

the function display are grayed-out.

– ERROR, when an error has occurred. The word ERROR blinks on and off, and

appears in red.

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

• The VTR control buttons control the playout and recording of clips. The following

describes these buttons, which correspond to standard VTR buttons:

– Fast-reverse (<<) plays the clip in reverse at a fast speed.

– Jog backward (<|) jogs the clip backward by one frame. Each time you click the

jog backward button, the clip jogs back one frame.

If the clip is playing when you click this button, the clip jogs backward one

frame and then pauses. You have to click either the play button or the pause

button to resume play.

– Forward play (>) plays the clip in the forward direction. If the clip is not cued, it

is cued before it begins playout.

– Jog forward (|>) jogs the clip forward by one frame. Each time you click the jog

forward button, the clip advances one frame.

If the clip is playing when you click this button, the clip jogs forward one frame

and then pauses. You have to click either the play button or the pause button to

resume play.

– Fast-forward (>>) plays the clip forward at a fast speed.

– Reverse play (<) plays the clip in reverse. If the clip is not cued, it is cued before

it begins playout.

– Pause (||) temporarily stops the clip from playing or recording. You have to

click the play, record, or pause button to resume.

– Stop (■) stops the clip and de-cues it. After the clip has been stopped, you must

re-cue it before playing it again.

– Record (•) begins recording. If the clip is not cued, it is cued for recording

before it begins.

Playing and Recording Clips

• The top Option pulldown menu lets you specify the play direction, which

determines the direction in which the clip is played and whether it plays once or

plays until it is stopped. The following options are available through this menu:

–Fwd, for forward play (default)

–F Lp, for forward loop play

–Bwd, for backward play

–B Lp, for backward loop play

–F/Bwd, for alternating forward and backward play

–F/B Lp, for alternating forward and backward loop play

–B/Fwd, for alternating backward and forward play

–B/F Lp, for alternating backward and forward loop play

– FCue, for forward play without cue (in and out) points set

– BCue, for backward play without cue (in and out) points set

If the direction is one of the forward directions (Fwd,F Lp,F/Bwd, or F/B Lp), the clip

is cued at its in-point. If the direction is one of the backward directions (Bwd,B Lp,

B/Fwd, or B/F Lp), the clip is cued at its out-point.

The forward direction means that the clip plays from its in-point to its out-point.

The backward direction means that the clip plays from its out-point to its in-point.

For alternating directions, the clip plays once in each direction. In loop mode, the

clip continues to play in the given direction until you click the stop button. If you do

not choose loop mode, the clip plays once in the indicated direction and then stops.

Note: When you change the option in this menu, the change takes effect the next

time you cue the clip. For example, assume that the Fwd option is in effect when you

start playing a clip. If you choose the F Lp option after the playing starts, the play

stops when the out-point is reached. The next time you play the clip, the clip plays

in forward loop mode.

To play forward or backward without using cue points, you ﬁrst use FCue and

BCue, respectively, to cue the clips. When clips limits are disabled using the

controls, vtr.media.clip.limit.start and vtr.media.clip.limit.end, you can play forward or

backward without limitation.

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

• The middle Option pulldown menu lets you choose the following options:

–PB, the clip’s audio and video are output when a clip is playing; nothing is

output at other times (default).

–PB/EE, the clip’s audio and video are output when a clip is playing; the input

signal is output at other times.

Note: The EE (end-to-end) option emulates a video deck feature and is relevant

only when you have an active input source.

–PB/Im, the clip’s audio and video are output when a clip is playing; SMPTE 75%

colors bars and 1 kHz tone are output at other times.

–PB/B, the clip’s audio and video are output when a clip is playing; a black

screen is output at other times.

–EE, the output always displays the input signal instead of the signal from VST,

even when a clip is playing. (When a clip is playing, the output displays the

input signal.)

–Image, the output always displays SMPTE 75% colors bars and plays a 1 kHz

tone.

–Black, the output always displays a black screen.

–Hold, the output always displays the last image.

• The Local/Rem Option pulldown menu lets you put the unit in remote mode. The

following options are available through this menu:

–Local, which puts the unit in local mode and enables the VTR control buttons

(local).

–Rem, which puts the unit in remote mode and disables the VTR control buttons.

This mode prevents you from accidentally operating a Media Control Panel

while the unit is being controlled remotely, for example, by an automation

controller.

• The shuttle dial lets you control the speed of a clip that is playing. To use the shuttle

dial, begin playing the clip and then use the mouse to point to the black notch on

the dial. Press the left mouse button and keep it pressed while you turn the dial

clockwise to increase the speed or counterclockwise to decrease it.

Note: The straight up position of the dial is zero, or pause.

Playing and Recording Clips

In general, buttons that are enabled and can be used appear darker than those that are

disabled. For example, when you load an existing clip, the cue for playout button

(—>|>) is darker than the cue for recording button (—>|•). This indicates that the cue

for playout button is enabled and the cue for recording button is not.

Playing or Recording an Existing Clip

To play or record an existing clip, follow these steps:

1. If the clip is not loaded, load the clip:

■Click the Load button in the Media Control Panel. A window that lists the clips

in the VST cache appears, as shown in Figure 3-3.

Figure 3-3 Loading a Clip Into the Logical VTR

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

The Load Clip window lists the name, duration, and format of each clip that is

stored in /usr/vtr/clips, which is the VST clip cache. For example, the SeedsOfLife

clip has a duration of 00:03:38.16 and its format is movie/vframe/jpeg. (If the

duration contains an asterisk [*], it means that no material has been recorded in

the clip.)

Note: If a clip is stored in a directory within /usr/vtr/clips, that directory name

precedes the clip name. For example, if the clip name appears as ADS/COMM1,

the clip is stored in /usr/vtr/clips/ADS/COMM1.

■Select the clip that you want to load. (You select the clip by pointing to it with

the mouse cursor and pressing the left mouse button.)

■If you want to record over this clip, click Record Enable. (When recording is

enabled, the yellow LED is lit in the Record Enable button.) Click Record Enable a

second time if you want to disable this option.

■Click the OK button. The window closes and the selected clip appears in the

Media Control Panel. The cue for playout button (—>|>) is enabled. If the clip

can be recorded over, the cue for recording button (—>|•) is also enabled.

2. Change the cue points, as needed. (See “Changing Cue Points and Edit Points” on

page 36 for information.)

3. Click the cue for playout button (-->|>) or the cue for recording button (—>|•).

Note: If you cue the clip ﬁrst, the clip starts playing or recording as soon as you click

the play or record button. If you do not cue the clip beforehand, the Media Control

Panel automatically cues the clip and then starts playing or recording it. In the latter

case, there is a delay before the requested function begins.

4. Click the play button (>) to start the playout or the record button (•) to start

recording.

5. To stop playing or recording, click the stop button (■).

Note: If you want to replay or re-record the clip after it stops, the clip must be

re-cued. If you click the play or record button without ﬁrst clicking the cue button,

the Media Control Panel automatically cues the clip before it starts playing or

recording.

Playing and Recording Clips

Creating a New Clip

To create a new clip and record its content, follow these steps:

1. Click the Create button in the Media Control Panel. The Create Clip window, shown

in Figure 3-4, appears.

Figure 3-4 Create Clip Window

2. Enter the name of the clip in the Clip Name ﬁeld.

3. Choose the compression type of the clip from the Compression Option pulldown

menu. You can choose from the following compression types:

• Rice (Rice compression)—only on Origin servers with the Digital Video Option.

• None (uncompressed)—only on Origin servers with the Digital Video Option.

• JPEG (M-JPEG)—only on O2 workstations.

• DVCPRO

4. Choose the format of the movie from the Format Option pulldown menu.

Note: You can create clips through the VST graphical user interface using one of the

following options:

• movie/vframe, the VST variable-frame movie format

• movie/dif/dvcpro

5. Click the Type pulldown menu and select one of the following:

• Direct—to create a clip of media assets.

• Segmented—to create a list of pointers to one or more media assets.

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

6. Click the OK button. The window closes and the clip appears in the Media Control

Panel. Both the cue for recording button (—>|•) and the cue for playout button

(-->|>) are enabled.

7. Click the cue for recording button (—>|•).

8. To start recording, click the record button (•).

9. To stop recording, click the stop button (■).

For more information about controlling the video deck, see “Controlling a Video Deck”

on page 37.

Changing Cue Points and Edit Points

You can change the cue points and edit points of a clip in the Media Control Panel in three

ways:

• Select and type a new value. For example, if you want to change a value from

00:00:00.01 to 00:00:00.05, select the “1” and type “5.”

• Click inside a ﬁeld and use the scroll bar. The Media Control Panel automatically

adjusts the other entries, accordingly, when you use the scroll bar. For example, to

increase the cue in-point, click any place within the cue in-point ﬁeld and then click

the scroll bar to move it down. As the cue in-point increases, the duration decreases

by the same amount.

• Select values with the left mouse button and then copy them using the middle

mouse button.

If you press the Enter key after changing one of the values, the Media Control Panel

veriﬁes the new value. If the new value is valid, the Media Control Panel adjusts the

other values to correspond to the new one, if necessary. If the new value is invalid, the

Media Control Panel displays an error message in a dialog box.

If you do not press the Enter key after changing one of the values, the Media Control

Panel does not check the validity of the new value. When you perform a function that

uses the new values (for example, cueing the clip), the Media Control Panel then

performs validity checking and displays an error message if a value is invalid.

Note: Changes that you make to the cue points take effect the next time the clip is cued.

They have no affect on a clip that is already cued or is playing.

Playing and Recording Clips

Any changes you make to the edit points or cue points are temporary. The changes cease

to exist after the clip is unloaded unless you do one of the following:

• To make changes to the edit points permanent (that is, stored persistently with the

clip), click the Save Marks button after you make the changes.

• To make changes to the cue points permanent, copy them to the edit points and then

click the Save Marks button. The next time the clip is loaded, the newly saved edit

points are copied to the cue points.

Note: Only the last set of edit points are saved. That is, when you save the edit points,

they replace the edit points that are currently stored with the clip.

Controlling a Video Deck

This section describes how to use the Deck Control window to control a video deck that

is attached to the VST host. (For information on attaching a video deck to a VST server,

see the Video Server Toolkit Installation and Administration Guide.)

Note: To use the Deck Control window, you must specify a deck control port in addition

to a video port when starting the Media Control Panel. (See “Starting the Video Server

Toolkit Media Control Panel” on page 20 for details.)

The following topics are discussed in this section:

• “Accessing the Deck Control Window” on page 38

• “About the Deck Control Window” on page 39

• “Recording From the Deck to a Clip” on page 42

• “Recording From a Clip to the Deck” on page 43

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

Accessing the Deck Control Window

To access the Deck Control window, choose View > Deck Control Panel from the menu

bar of the Media Control Panel. The Deck Control window, shown in Figure 3-5, appears

in a separate window.

Figure 3-5 Deck Control Window

This window is the same regardless of whether you are using V-LAN transmitters or VST

software to control the remote video decks.

(Host: Port: Units)

Function buttons

Shuttle dial

Edit status

Deck control buttons

Edit point

Cue point and cue button

End-to-end

Menu bar

Current frame and function

Playing and Recording Clips

About the Deck Control Window

The File pulldown menu in the menu bar of the Deck Control window gives you access

to the following options:

• Close, to close the Deck Control window

• Exit, to close both the Deck Control window and the Media Control Panel from

which it was launched.

The following describes each of the displays and buttons in the Deck Control window:

• The edit points let you set the amount of time to preroll, the in-point, the duration,

and the out-point. Each of these can be speciﬁed in the following format:

hh:mm:ss:ff

where hh is the hours, mm is the minutes, ss is the seconds, and ff is the frame

number. In drop-frame mode, the ﬁnal colon is replaced by a period:

hh:mm:ss.ff

See “Changing Cue Points and Edit Points” on page 36 for information about how

to change the edit points.

• The cue point is the location at which you want to position the deck. The cue point

can be speciﬁed in the following format:

hh:mm:ss:ff

where hh is the hours, mm is the minutes, ss is the seconds, and ff is the frame

number. In drop-frame mode, the ﬁnal colon is replaced by a period:

hh:mm:ss.ff

• The cue button (—>|>) tells VST to search the deck to the cue point and park it

there.

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

• You can use the following deck control function buttons:

–Review, to review the speciﬁed edit. The deck plays the selected portion of the

tape, but VST does not record it.

–Capture, to perform a frame-accurate recording from the selected portion of a

loaded and cued source tape to the VST clip currently loaded. For more

information about recording, see “Recording From the Deck to a Clip” on

page 42.

–Rehearse, to review the speciﬁed edit. VST plays the selected portion of the clip,

but the deck does not record it.

–Lay Down, to perform a frame-accurate recording from the selected portion of

the clip on the VST video server to the source VTR. For more information, see

“Recording From a Clip to the Deck” on page 43.

• The current frame display is initialized to the cue in-point each time the clip is cued.

As the clip is played or recorded, the display changes to indicate the current frame

number.

• The function display shows the current function.

• The edit status display shows the status when performing an automated edit (that

is, a capture, review, lay-down, or rehearse). The status may be one of the following:

– CUE, when searching for the cue point

– SYNC, when doing a preroll

– LOCK, when the deck transport is locked

– EDIT, when the edit is in progress

– DONE, when the edit is complete

Playing and Recording Clips

• The deck control buttons, which control playout and recording, correspond to

standard VTR buttons. The following describes these buttons:

– Fast-reverse (<<) moves the deck in reverse at a fast speed.

– Jog backward (<|) jogs the deck backward by one frame. Each time you click

the jog backward button, the deck jogs back one frame.

If the deck is playing when you click this button, the deck jogs backward one

frame and then pauses. You have to click either the play button or the pause

button to resume play.

– Forward play (>) moves the deck in the forward direction. If the deck is not

cued, it is cued before it begins playout.

– Jog forward (|>) jogs the deck forward by one frame. Each time you click the

jog forward button, the deck advances one frame.

If the deck is playing when you click this button, the deck jogs forward one

frame and then pauses. You have to click either the play button or the pause

button to resume play.

– Fast-forward (>>) plays the deck forward at a fast speed.

– Pause (||) temporarily stops the deck from playing or recording. You have to

click the play, record, or pause button to resume.

– Stop (■) stops the deck and de-cues it. After the deck has been stopped, you

must re-cue it to play it again.

– Record (•) begins recording.

• The EE On and Off buttons turn the deck’s end-to-end mode on and off,

respectively. If you click the On button, the output displays the input signal instead

of the signal from the deck. If you click the Off button, the output displays the signal

from the deck.

• The shuttle dial lets you control the speed of the deck. To use the shuttle dial, use

the mouse to point to the black notch on the dial. Press the left mouse button and

keep it pressed while you turn the dial clockwise to increase the speed or

counterclockwise to decrease it.

Note: The straight up position of the dial is zero, or pause.

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

Recording From the Deck to a Clip

Before using VST to capture video from a deck you must:

• Connect the output of the deck to the input of the video card on the VST server.

• Connect the audio output of the deck to an audio transformer and connect the

audio transformer to the audio inputs of the VST server.

The audio transformer must convert the audio signal from the deck’s 600-ohm, balanced

output to the high impedance, unbalanced audio input of the VST server.

To record from the deck to a clip, follow these steps:

1. Use the Media Control Panel to do the following:

■Create a new clip. (See “Creating a New Clip” on page 35 for information about

how to create a new clip.)

■Change the cue in-point, if needed.

Note: The cue in-point in the Media Control Panel is the point in the clip to

which you want the material captured.

■If the Deck Control window is not displayed, choose

View > Deck Control Panel in the menu bar of the Media Control Panel.

2. Use the Deck Control window to do the following:

■Review the clip’s edit points and change them if needed.

Note: The edit points in the Deck Control window identify the portion of the

tape that you wish to capture and the duration of the capture.

■To see what would be recorded without actually recording into the clip, click

the Review button.

■To record the clip from the deck, click the Capture button.

Playing and Recording Clips

Recording From a Clip to the Deck

Before using VST to lay back video to a deck you must:

• Connect the input of the deck to the output of the video card on the VST server.

• Connect the audio input of the deck to an audio transformer and connect the audio

transformer to the audio outputs of the VST server.

The audio transformer must convert the audio signal from the high impedance,

unbalanced audio output of the VST server to the deck’s 600-ohm, balanced input.

To record from a clip to the deck, follow these steps:

1. Use the Media Control Panel to do the following:

■Load the clip from which you want to record.

■Change the cue in-point, if needed.

Note: The cue in-point in the Media Control Panel is the point in the clip from

which you want to record.

■If the Deck Control window is not displayed, choose

View > Deck Control Panel in the menu bar of the Media Control Panel.

2. Use the Deck Control window to do the following:

■Review the edit points and change them if needed.

Note: The edit points in the Deck Control window identify the portion of the

tape to which you want to record and the duration of the recording.

■To see what would be recorded without actually recording onto the tape, click

the Rehearse button.

■To record from the clip to the deck, click the Lay Down button.

Chapter 3: Using the Video Server Toolkit GUIs

Monitoring the Status of Video Server Toolkit (mcstat)

There are two ways to start the Unit Status Monitor. The quickest way is to choose

Utilities > Status Monitor from the Media Control Panel menu bar.

Starting the Unit Status Monitor from the Command Line

To monitor the status of VST, enter the following, either from the workstation on the VST

server or from a workstation on which the VST tools software1 has been installed:

%/usr/vtr/bin/mcstat [-v loglevel][hostname]

where

•loglevel sets the severity level of the messages that are written on STDOUT.

Note: The mcstat program writes its log messages to the window from which it is

invoked.

If this option is omitted, all messages with a severity level of Info and above are

written on STDOUT. If this option is present, loglevel, which can be a positive or

negative number, identiﬁes the minimum level of the messages that are written to

the log. (See Table 3-2 on page 22 for the deﬁnition of the log severity levels.)

•hostname is the name of the host on which VST is running. If this parameter is

omitted, it is assumed that VST is running on the same host as the one from which

the program is invoked.

1To run the Unit Status Monitor from a remote workstation, the vcp_recorder_eoe.sw32.tools subsystem

must be installed on a workstation that has IRIX 6.2 or later. See the Video Server Toolkit Installation and

Administration Guide for more information.

Monitoring the Status of Video Server Toolkit (mcstat)

The Video Server Toolkit Unit Status Monitor appears in a separate window, which is

shown in Figure 3-6. This monitor identiﬁes each port,unit, type of connection and host,

clip name (if one is loaded), current function and frame, and the status of unit. (See

“About the Media Control Panel” on page 26 for more information.)

Figure 3-6 Unit Status Monitor

See “About the Media Control Panel” on page 26 and “About the Deck Control Window”

on page 39 for a description of the status information that is displayed by the Unit Status

Monitor.

Chapter 4

4. Adding and Removing Clips

Clips are segments of audio and video. Managing clips involves adding and removing

them from Video Server Toolkit (VST).

Managing clips is discussed in the following sections:

• “VST Media Formats and Types” on page 48

• “Adding Clips” on page 50

• “Removing Clips” on page 54

• “Exporting VST Clips” on page 55

Overview of Adding Clips Procedure

This section provides a procedural overview of the tasks involved in adding clips to

VST’s cache.

The following sections explain the steps in the following procedure in greater detail.

To add clips to the cache, use the following procedure.

1. Copy media to the VST machine.

If you are not using a real-time ﬁlesystem, use FTP put or get commands.

If you are using a real-time ﬁlesystem (recommended), you can either use the vtrutil

tool included with VST, or a modiﬁed form of FTP, vtrftpd, installable from the VST

image. You use the familiar FTP command, get, with vtrftpd to add ﬁles to VST.

For more information, see “Adding Clips” on page 50.

Chapter 4: Adding and Removing Clips

2. Align the clips.

If you used FTP or vtrftpd to add clips to VST, you must align them. For more

information, see “Clip Alignment” on page 52.

Clips added to VST using the vtrutil tool are already aligned.

3. Register the clip with VST.

Clips are registered automatically upon startup of VST.

If you want notify VST more quickly, or if you have added clips to the system in a

different way from those listed in step 1, use one of the following options:

• Install the fsmon daemon from the VST image. It periodically updates the list of

clips in the cache.

At times, however, fsmon cannot auto detect a clip because of an unrecognized

ﬁle extension. In that case, you must use one of the following options to notify

VST.

• Use the mvcp command, CADD.

• Use the vtrclip tool.

For more information see, “Notifying VST” on page 54.

VST Media Formats and Types

VST can use two different formats and two types of media.

Media Types

VST also accepts two types of media:

• Intraframe

In intraframe media, the video data for each frame is self-contained and does not

depend on the data from neighboring frames. This frame format has a ﬁxed size.

Examples of intraframe media include JPEG, Rice, and uncompressed video.

VST Media Formats and Types

• Interframe

In interframe media, the compression techniques used for some video frames may

require data from neighboring frames in order to decompress the video frame. An

example of interframe media is MPEG1 and MPEG2.

Media Format

VST uses different formats for storing digital media in its clip cache ﬁlesystem(s):

• Intraframe media

– vframe format—for Rice and JPEG

– frame—for DIF and uncompressed

• Interframe media

– stream format - for MPEG2

vframe Format

The vframe (short for variable-size frame) format is speciﬁc to VST. The video and audio

data for each frame is stored contiguously in the media ﬁle. A separate index ﬁle contains

header information that describes the encoding parameters of the video and audio data,

and a frame map that stores the offsets of the video and audio data for each frame within

the media ﬁle.

The vframe format is used for recording and playback of intraframe media, including

uncompressed video as well as Rice-coded and JPEG-compressed video.

Thevtrvfutil command-line utility provides various analysis and update functions for the

vframe format. See the vtrvfutil man page for further information.

Frame Format

DIF is the 4:1 video compression frame format used by Panasonic’s DVCPRO.

Chapter 4: Adding and Removing Clips

Stream Format

The stream format consists of a media ﬁle, which is simply the native media bitstream,

and an index ﬁle, which maps random access cueing points to the appropriate offset in

the bitstream.

The stream format is used for playback of MPEG2 media.

The vtrmpegutil command line utility provides various analogies and update functions

for MPEG2 stream format assets. See the vtrmpegutil man page for more information.

Adding Clips

Adding clips has been partially automated. For all clip formats:

1. Transfer the clip into the ﬁlesystem, /usr/vtr/clips.

2. For Rice-formatted clips, transfer the index ﬁle for the clip into /usr/vtr/index.

3. Tell VST it is there.

VST detects the clips when the clip is ﬁrst loaded and every time VST starts. The clips are

then listed in mcclips.

Adding Clips to VST

There are two types of ﬁles systems:

• Non-real-time

• Real-time

To guarantee real-time I/O rates, you must use a real-time ﬁlesystem.

Non-Real-Time Filesystems

Transferring ﬁles to a non-real-time ﬁlesystem is as easy as using ftp,cp, or rcplocally. You

can also use ftpd from a remote site.

Adding Clips

Real-Time Filesystems

To transfer clips to a real-time ﬁlesystem, use the customized version of ftpd (server)

called vtrftpd. It is in subsystem vcp_recorder_eoe.sw.ftpd. Only this version of FTP can

write to real-time ﬁlesystems locally.

The feature enhancement in vtrftpd is used when you:

• Use FTP (client) on a system connected to VST server.

• Use FTP (client) proxy on the VST server.

Both of these methods set up a TCP/IP connection with the vtrftpd server running on the

VST system.

To write to the ﬁlesystem, use of the following methods:

• On the remote archive server, use FTP’s put command to copy a clip to the clip cache

of VST from a remote host.

• On the machine running VST, use a proxy (secondary control) connection, vtrftpd, as

follows to copy a clip from the remote archive system to the local clip cache of VST:

ftp source-system

ftp> cd source-directory

ftp> proxy open localhost

ftp> proxy get filename /usr/vtr/clips/filename

ftp> cd index

ftp> proxy get indexname /usr/vtr/index/indexname

ftp> proxy bye

ftp> bye

localhost is the VST machine.

vtrftpd is not used when you only use ftp (client) on the VST server because the ftpd

server on another system would not be the enhanced version. To copy a clip from the

archive server to VST on the machine running VST, login to the archive system, run ftp,

and use the put command.

Chapter 4: Adding and Removing Clips

Clip Alignment

In single-disk systems, media ﬁles are aligned only with the ﬁlesystem’s block size so

that only one I/O operation is needed to access the data.

In multi-disk, RAID, striped systems, the media ﬁles must also be aligned with the

stripes.

When VST is used to record media, it automatically places the media data in the correct,

aligned locations on the disk.

When media data is transferred to VST, it often must be aligned with the disk’s blocks

and stripes. Whether or not media data must be aligned on your disks depends on the

media type of the media ﬁle:

• Intraframe media data requires alignment.

• Interframe media data does not require alignment.

The media data (video and audio for each frame) for an intraframe media clip must be

aligned on natural ﬁlesystem and disk drive boundaries to enable efﬁcient read and

write access to the clip.

Degree of Alignment

Frame-oriented media data in an intraframe clip is aligned along two boundaries:

• Minor alignment boundary

• Major alignment boundary

A single element of a frame (a video ﬁeld or audio chunk) never crosses a minor or major

alignment boundary. VST will not do a read or write operation to the clip media ﬁle

which crosses a major alignment boundary.

Minor Alignment

The minor alignment matches the greater of the ﬁlesystem block size, or the system

memory page size. On O2 workstations, the minor alignment is usually 4 KB, unless a

larger ﬁlesystem block size was used to construct an XFS ﬁlesystem. On Origin, the

minor alignment is usually 16 KB, unless a larger ﬁlesystem block size was used.

Adding Clips

Major Alignment

The major alignment matches the stripe size of the disk volume that holds the clip cache

ﬁlesystem.

If the clip cache resides on a single disk, no major alignment is required.

If the clip cache resides on a single RAID subsystem, major alignment is required for

efﬁcient I/O access to the media data. Either make a real-time ﬁlesystem on the RAID

and set the real-time extent size of the XFS ﬁlesystem to the desired I/O operation size,

or add a conﬁguration line to /usr/vtr/conﬁg/vtrfsinfo.conf. For example:

#/dev/root 2m

Note: vtrfsinfo.conf is not created by VST so you ﬁrst must create the ﬁle.

If the clip cache resides on a striped XLV volume, the major alignment matches the stripe

size of the XLV volume.

Realigning a vframe Clip

A vframe clip is automatically aligned if you use vtrvfutil to copy the clip, as follows:

% vtrvfutil OriginalClipName NewClipName

vtrufutil automatically stores the media ﬁles in /usr/vtr/clips/.

To copy a vframe clip from outside the clip cache, use the following syntax:

% vtrvfutil -i file=MediaFile,index=IndexFile - NewClipName

vtrvfutil can also be used to realign a clip in-place, as follows:

% vtrvfutil -c realign ClipName

See the vtrufutil man page for a complete list of the options.

Chapter 4: Adding and Removing Clips

Notifying VST

If you place a clip in the clip ﬁlesystem, the ﬁrst time you attempt to access the clip

through VST, it attempts to auto-detect the clip’s format and add it to the VST clip list.

However, until you attempt to access the clip, it will not be visible in a list of clips you

obtain from VST. To see the clip immediately, use the following command:

# vtrclip add clipName

Note: There might be a delay because adding clips always has a lower priority then

playout/record.

You can also use the following mvcp command to notify VST of an added clip.

CADD clipName

However, if you install the vcp_recorder_eoe.sw_fsmon subsystem, the VST ﬁlesystem

Monitor will monitor the clip ﬁlesystem for clips that are added or deleted and

automatically update the internal VST clip list. Sometimes, FSmon cannot autodetect

clips added to VST when the clips require the use of an index ﬁle, for example, for MPEG

and Rice-encoded clips. In this case, you must use the vtrclip add command to add the

index ﬁle and notify VST.

Removing Clips

There are two ways of removing clips from VST.

• VST Clip Manager (mcclips)

For more information about using the VST Control panel to remove a clip, see the

VST Developer’s Guide.

• Command line

You can completely remove a clip from VST using the following command:

# vtrclip rm clipName

clipName is the name of the clip ﬁle.

Exporting VST Clips

vtrvfutil makes the clip readable by Silicon Graphics digital media tools, such as dminfo,

dmconvert, and mediaplayer, or third-party tools that use the Silicon Graphics Movie

Library.

You can use the vtrvfutil command to add Quicktime formatting information to a clip:

# vtrvfutil -c makeqt clipName

clipName is the name of the clip ﬁle.

Note: Clip ﬁles are not necessarily usable by other tools.

Chapter 5

5. Using Clip Manager

This chapter describes how to use the Clip Manager graphical user interface (GUI) to

manage Video Server Toolkit (VST) clips. Clip Manager is a sample GUI application that

you can customize.

The following topics are discussed:

• “Starting the Clip Manager” on page 57

• “Clip Manager Menus” on page 59

• “Obtaining Information About a Clip” on page 61

• “Renaming a Clip” on page 62

• “Deleting a Clip” on page 63

• “Setting the Protections for a Clip” on page 64

For more information about archiving clips, see Chapter 6, “Archiving Clips.”

Starting the Clip Manager

To start the Clip Manager, enter the following, either from the workstation on the VST

server or from a workstation on which the VST tools software1 has been installed:

%/usr/vtr/bin/mcclips [-v loglevel][hostname]

where

•loglevel sets the severity level of the messages that are written on STDOUT.

1To run the Clip Manager from a remote workstation, the vcp_recorder_eoe.sw32.tools subsystem must

be installed on a workstation that has IRIX 6.2 or later. See the Video Server Toolkit Installation and

Administration Guide for more information.

Chapter 5: Using Clip Manager

Table 5-1 shows the log severity levels and codes, which are listed in decreasing

order of severity

Note: The mcclips program writes its log messages to the window from which it is

invoked.

If the -v option is omitted, all messages with a severity level of Info and above are

written to the log. If this option is present, loglevel, which can be a positive or

negative number, identiﬁes the minimum level of the messages that are written to

the log.

•hostname is the name of the host on which VST is running. If this parameter is

omitted, it is assumed that VST is running on the same host as the one from which

the program is invoked.

Table 5-1 Log Severity Levels

Priority Log

Level Description

Emergency -6 Panic condition

Alert -5 Condition that should be corrected immediately, such as a corrupted

system ﬁle

Critical -4 Critical condition that has system-wide impact, such as a hard

device error; immediate action required

Error -3 Problem that needs correcting but does not require immediate

action

Warning -2 Possible problem but could be a transient problem that corrects itself

Notice -1 Condition that might require attention, but is not an error condition

Info 0 Informational message

Debugnn Informational message that normally is of use to engineers for

debugging; may be Debug1, Debug2, or Debug3, with Debug3

producing the most debugging information

Clip Manager Menus

The VST Clip Manager is displayed in a separate window, which is shown in Figure 5-1.

The window shows the clips that are in VST. For each clip, it shows the name, the

duration, and the format. (If the duration contains an “*” it means that no material has

been recorded in the clip.)

Figure 5-1 Clip Manager Window

Note: You can also start the Clip Manager by choosing Utilities > Clip Manager in the

VST Media Control Panel menu bar.

Clip Manager Menus

The File pulldown menu in the menu bar of the Clip Manager window provides the

following options:

• Info, to obtain information about a clip

• Rename, to rename a clip

• Delete, to delete a clip

• Protect, to set the protection levels for a clip

Menu bar

Chapter 5: Using Clip Manager

• Close, to close the Clip Manager window

• Exit, to close the Clip Manager window and exit the program

• Load, to load a clip into a unit controlled by Sony protocols

Except for the Close and Exit options, you must select a clip before requesting one of the

options. You can select the clip by pointing to it with the mouse cursor and pressing the

left mouse button.

You can also use the Find ﬁeld to select a clip by entering any number of characters that

match the values in either the name, the duration, or the format. For example, if you enter

“xxx” in the Find ﬁeld, the Clip Manager highlights the ﬁrst clip it ﬁnds that contains

“xxx.” If you add “y” to the Find ﬁeld, it searches for a clip that contains “xxxy,” starting

with the current clip.

Regardless of the method for selecting a clip, the selected clip becomes highlighted.

Note: You can access the clip-related functions in the File pulldown menu by selecting a

clip and then pressing the right mouse button. You can also access the Info option by

double-clicking the clip in the Clip Manager window.

The Archive pulldown menu in the menu bar provides the following options:

• Find, to get information about a clip in the StudioCentral 2.0 archive system

• Get New, to bring a new clip from the StudioCentral 2.0 archive system into VST

• Get, update an existing clip from the StudioCentral 2.0 archive system

• Put, to write a clip to the StudioCentral 2.0 archive system

Note: You can access the functions in this option menu by pressing the right mouse

button and then selecting the Archive option in the pop up menu.

Obtaining Information About a Clip

To obtain information about a clip, follow these steps:

1. Select the clip in the Clip Manager window.

2. Choose File > Info from the menu bar. The clip information window, as shown in

Figure 5-2, appears.

Figure 5-2 The Clip Information Window

This window shows the in- and out-points of the clip, the edit points, the size of the

clip, and the protection. An asterisk (*) indicates that the value is not set. For

example, Figure 5-2 indicates that the edit points are not set.

The remaining sections in this chapter describe in detail the use of the buttons in

this window.

3. To refresh the information in this window, click the Refresh button.

Chapter 5: Using Clip Manager

Renaming a Clip

To rename a clip, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:

■Select the clip in the Clip Manager window and then choose File > Rename

from the menu bar.

■If the clip information window for the clip is displayed, click the Rename...

button in the information window.

The Rename Clip window, as shown in Figure 5-3, appears.

Figure 5-3 Rename Clip Window

2. Enter the new name of the clip.

3. Click the Rename button.

Deleting a Clip

To delete a clip, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:

■Select the clip in the Clip Manager window and then choose File > Delete from

the menu bar.

■If the clip information window for the clip is displayed, click the Delete button

in the information window.

The Delete Clip window, as shown in Figure 5-4, appears.

Figure 5-4 Delete Clip Window

2. Click the Delete button to delete the clip.

Chapter 5: Using Clip Manager

Setting the Protections for a Clip

By default, a clip can be deleted, recorded into, and renamed, and its edit point attributes

can be changed. Therefore, if you want a clip to be protected from any of these changes,

you must set the protections for that clip. This would be especially useful when multiple

applications and/or automation controllers are using the VST.

To set the protections for a clip, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:

• Select the clip in the Clip Manager window and then choose File > Protect from

the menu bar.

• If the clip information window for the clip is displayed, click the Protect...

button in the information window.

The Set Protections window, as shown in Figure 5-5, appears.

Figure 5-5 Set Protections Window

This window identiﬁes the protections that can be set. Each protection is preceded

by a check box. If there’s a red check in the check box, the corresponding protection

is selected. If there is no red check, the corresponding protection is not selected.

Note: The default is that a clip has no protections set. Therefore, you must set

protections if you want the clip to have any.

Setting the Protections for a Clip

2. Click the appropriate check boxes to indicate the protections that you want for this

clip.

Note: Each check box acts like a toggle switch. Click the check box once to select that

protection. Click the check box a second time to deselect it.

3. Click the OK button to have the protections take effect.

Chapter 6

6. Archiving Clips

Asset management involves archiving, retrieving, deleting, and obtaining media clips

and the associated meta data that describes them. Because the Video Server Toolkit (VST)

cache is limited in size, saving media ﬁles out to and retrieving ﬁles from an archival

server is a common practice.

An archive system is a storehouse for information. It often serves multiple applications,

such as asset creation, broadcasting, and compositing applications, as shown in

Figure 6-1. VST is designed to work with one or more archive systems of the same type.

Figure 6-1 Archive System

Archive

Application 1

Application 2

Application 3

Application 4

VST

Chapter 6: Archiving Clips

VST works in conjunction with StudioCentral 2.0 (SC 2.0) to archive media and

associated meta data. VST provides a set of asset management commands to interact

with the archive.

For a more complete set of asset management tools, use the tools provided by the archive

system. For more information about StudioCentral asset management tools, see the

StudioCentral documentation.

This following sections describe the conﬁguration of the archive system and the asset

management tools you use with VST to interact with that system:

• “Overview of the Archival System” on page 68

• “About StudioCentral” on page 70

• “Using VST With the StudioCentral 2.0 Archive System” on page 71

Overview of the Archival System

VST archives:

• Media clips

• Meta data, which contains descriptive information about the media clips

Meta Data

Meta data contains information descriptive of the media clips associated with them.

Information about the media clips includes such things as:

• Name

• Format

• Size

• Start time

• Duration

You use asset management tools to store and retrieve meta data. You might like to know,

for example, the run time of a speciﬁc media ﬁle, or you might like to list the names of

the media clips in the archive.

Overview of the Archival System

Archive and VST Conﬁguration

The elements in the archive system are:

• VST server

• Archive system

• Content server

All of these services can run on the same machine, however, it is recommended to keep

the archive on separate, networked machines.

Chain of Communication

The chain of communication when retrieving clips from the archive:

1. VST asks an archive system to access a media asset.

2. The archive system contacts the correct content server.

3. If the content server is different from the machine running VST, the media is copied

to the machine running VST.

If the content server is running on the machine running VST, a link to the requested

media is created.

Chapter 6: Archiving Clips

Figure 6-2 shows this communication path.

Figure 6-2 Archive Conﬁguration

Figure 6-2 shows that VST can work with multiple archives. The servers that contain

media content are usually not on the same system as the one running VST; but not

necessarily, as shown by Archive Server 3.

About StudioCentral

VST can work with many archives. The archive system developed by Silicon Graphics

and supported by VST is StudioCentral, version 2.0 or later.

StudioCentral Digital Asset Management System (StudioCentral) is a library of C++

foundation classes that enables you to build multimedia-based applications with digital

asset management capabilities.

For more information about StudioCentral, see the StudioCentral Developer’s Guide (part

number 007-3246-nnn).

VST

Archive system Archive machine 1 Archive machine 2 Archive machine 3

Content server 1 Content server 2

Content servers

Content server 3

Content server 4

ATS service

Using VST With the StudioCentral 2.0 Archive System

Before VST can successfully perform any archiving operation, the following guidelines

must be met:

• The Informix or Oracle database server should be installed.

• The proper StudioCentral 2.0 images should be installed.

• All the CAS datamodels should be installed.

• The Informix or Oracle database server should be up and running.

Ideally the database server should automatically start up at boot time.

• StudioCentral should be properly conﬁgured.

• At least one StudioCentral content server should be up and running.

Ideally the content server should automatically start up at boot time.

•inetd should be conﬁgured to accept connection on behalf of the StudioCentral ATS

service.

Archiving Tasks

When VST is conﬁgured to use a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system, you can use the VST

GUI (mcclips) to:

• Locate clips. See “Locating a Clip in the StudioCentral 2.0 Archive System” on

page 73

• Bring a clip into VST from the archive. See “Bringing In a New Clip From the

Archive System” on page 74

• Update a VST clip by getting its content from the StudioCentral 2.0 archive system.

See “Updating a Clip” on page 75

• Store a VST clip in the archive. See “Using the Put Clip to Archive Window” on

page 76

Chapter 6: Archiving Clips

The remainder of this section shows how to use the VST GUI, mcpanel, to accomplish

these tasks. However, you can also use the MVCP commands, explained in Table 6-1, to

perform these tasks and others.

To learn more about using MVCP commands, see Appendix A.

Note: Only version 2.0 (or greater) of StudioCentral works with VST. Archival tasks

require this application to be running.

Table 6-1 Archive-Related MVCP Commands

Command Description

AFND Locate a clip by name in an available StudioCentral 2.0 archive system.

AFNG Locate a pending or in-progress get-from-archive command for a clip.

AGET Retrieve a clip from a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system.

ALSG List the get-from-archive operations that are waiting or being processed.

ALSP List the put-to-archive operations that are waiting or being processed.

APUT Saves a clip to the archive system.

Using VST With the StudioCentral 2.0 Archive System

Locating a Clip in the StudioCentral 2.0 Archive System

To display a list of media assets on StudioCentral, you must log into StudioCentral and

use its tools.

To locate a clip in a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system, follow these steps:

1. Choose Archive > Find from the menu bar in mcpanel or from mcclips. The Find

Clip in Archive window, as shown in Figure 6-3, appears.

Figure 6-3 Find Clip in Archive Window

2. Enter the clip’s name, which corresponds to the value of the archived asset’s ClipId

attribute.

3. Click the Find button.

To determine whether the clip was found, see if it appears in the VST log.

Chapter 6: Archiving Clips

Bringing In a New Clip From the Archive System

To bring in a new clip from the archive system, follow these steps:

1. Choose Archive > Get New from the menu bar. The Get Clip from Archive window,

as shown in Figure 6-4, appears.

Figure 6-4 Get Clip from Archive Window: Getting a New Clip

2. Enter the clip’s name, which is the value of the archived asset’s ClipId attribute.

3. Click the Get button.

A Get command can fail when there is no port available on the archive system that

supports the required format.

Note: If the clip exists in more than one archive system, the clip is brought in from the

ﬁrst archive system in which it is found. The clip can be brought in from a speciﬁed

archive system using the MVCP command AGET.

Using VST With the StudioCentral 2.0 Archive System

Updating a Clip

To update a clip by bringing in new content from an attached StudioCentral 2.0 archive

system, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:

• Select the clip in the Clip Manager window and then choose the Archive > Get

option from the menu bar.

• If the clip information window for the clip is displayed, click the Get Archive

button in the information window.

The Get Clip from Archive window, as shown in Figure 6-5, appears.

Figure 6-5 Get Clip from Archive Window: Updating an Existing Clip

2. Click the Get button to update the clip from the archive.

Note: The clip is updated from the ﬁrst StudioCentral 2.0 archive system in which the

clip is found. That is, if the clip exists in more than one StudioCentral 2.0 archive system,

it is updated from the ﬁrst one. The clip can be updated from an archive system other

than the ﬁrst one by using the MVCP command AGET and specifying the desired archive

system.

Chapter 6: Archiving Clips

Using the Put Clip to Archive Window

To write a clip to a the StudioCentral 2.0 archive system, follow these steps:

1. Do one of the following:

• Select the clip in the Clip Manager window and then choose Archive > Put from

the menu bar.

• If the clip information window for the clip is displayed, click the Put Archive

button in the information window.

The Put Clip to Archive window, as shown in Figure 6-6, appears.

Figure 6-6 Put Clip to Archive Window

2. Click the Put button to write the clip to the StudioCentral 2.0 archive system.

For more information about the StudioCentral 2.0 archive system, see the Video

Server Toolkit Installation and Administration Guide.

Note: The clip is written to the ﬁrst StudioCentral 2.0 archive system. That is, if there is

more than one StudioCentral 2.0 archive system, the clip is written to the ﬁrst one. The

clip can be put into an StudioCentral 2.0 archive system other than the ﬁrst one by using

the MVCP command APUT.

Checking Success of Storing Clip

Hardware, network, and StudioCentral failures can contribute to failures in storing clips

in an archive. The failure. however, may not be reported. You might, for example, be able

to AFND a clip on the archive because there is a “ghost” of the clip there, but not AGET

it because the clip is really not there. If you ﬁnd that you cannot AGET a clip, you know

you need to use the Put Clip to Archive Window (or APUT) again to store the clip.

Chapter 7

7. FailSafe Operations

The IRIS FailSafe software uses redundant servers to provide a high-availability system.

The servers run Video Server Toolkit (VST) and communicate using a special serial

connection as well as a private ethernet; they may share clips and index ﬁlesystems.

When FailSafe detects a failure on the primary server, IRIS FailSafe transfers the

ﬁlesystems and processing functions to the secondary server.

To use FailSafe, make sure the subsystems, vcp_recorder_eoe.sw.fsmon and

vcp_recorder_eoe.sw.failsafe, are installed.

IRIS FailSafe is discussed in detail in the IRIS FailSafe Administrator’s Guide and the IRIS

FailSafe Programmer’s Guide.

Hardware Conﬁguration

IRIS FailSafe is a software product that enables a pair of servers to be used in a redundant

conﬁguration. The servers are conﬁgured with the VST software and share the VST

ﬁlesystems. The dual-server IRIS FailSafe conﬁguration shown in Figure 7-1 provides

redundancy. If the primary server fails for any reason, the secondary server mounts any

shared ﬁlesystems with the clips and their index ﬁles. Then, using the local VST, the

second server is ready to play the clips.

In an IRIS FailSafe conﬁguration, the operating system on each server is conﬁgured for

the VST. The disks on each server store the operating system and the shared RAIDs store

the clips and index ﬁlesystems. The RAID is shared by physically attaching it to an

Emulex LH5000 Digital Fibre hub and by connecting the servers to two other ports in this

hub. The two servers along with the shared RAID(s) form an IRIS FailSafe cluster.

The servers also share a public IP alias or a name users can use to connect to the servers.

If a server fails, the backup server takes over the shared RAIDs as well as this IP alias,

which users still use to connect to the servers. To the user, a failover looks the same as a

server that crashed and got rebooted very quickly.

Chapter 7: FailSafe Operations

The servers use a special serial connection to communicate. When the backup server

detects a problem with the active server, IRIS FailSafe unmounts the ﬁlesystems from the

active server and automounts them on the secondary server. VST on the secondary server

detects this action and adds the clips to its tables so that it is ready to play them.

Figure 7-1 VST IRIS FailSafe Conﬁguration

Shared Resources

The primary and secondary servers can share up to four Ciprico 7000 RAID systems

using an Emulex LH5000 digital Fibre Hub, as shown in Figure 7-1. They also share an

IP alias which always points to the currently-active server.

System Admin

Workstation

Disk

Video

Servers

Octane 200

Storage

Network

Video streams

IRIS FailSafe Monitoring

RAID

Video streams

Hub

Troubleshooting IRIS FailSafe

Server Failures

Failures occur if one of the following events are detected on the currently-active server:

• Power failure

• Public network card failure

• Operating system crash

• Unmounting of shared ﬁlesystems

When a failure is detected, the secondary server attempts to reboot the primary server

using the serial cable. The secondary server also takes over the shared services, the

shared RAIDS, and the IP alias. VST detects the newly-mounted ﬁlesystem using fsmon

and loads the clips.

Troubleshooting IRIS FailSafe

In an IRIS FailSafe conﬁguration, the primary and secondary servers use the states

shown in Table 7-1.

Table 7-1 Primary and Secondary Server States

Event Primary Server Status /

VST Status Secondary Server Status

/ VST Status Owner of

Shared

Services

Normal operation Normal

Running Normal

Running Primary

Power off primary server Cannot be determined

Not running Degraded

Running Secondary

Power on primary server Controlled-failback

Running Degraded

Running Secondary

ha_admin -rf (after power off on

primary server, ha_admin

executes on primary server)

Normal

Running Normal

Running Primary

Power off secondary server

(before execution of ha_admin

-rf)

Degraded

Running Cannot be determined

Not running Primary

Chapter 7: FailSafe Operations

Power on secondary server Degraded

Running Controlled-failback

Running Primary

ha_admin -rf (after power off on

secondary server, ha_admin

executes on secondary server)

Normal

Running Normal

Running Primary

Unmount shared ﬁlesystem

(Primary) Standby

Running Degraded

Running Secondary

Unmount shared ﬁlesystem

(Secondary) Standby

Running Degraded

Running Neither

ha_admin -rf (after unmounting,

ha_admin executes on primary

server)

Normal

Running Normal

Running Primary

Disconnect serial connection Normal

running Normal

Running Primary

ha_admin -m start backup Normal

Running Normal

Running Primary

ha_admin -fs primary (executed

on secondary server) Standby

Running Degraded

Running Secondary

ha_admin -rf primary after

ha_admin -fs primary

completed executing

Normal

Running Normal

Running Primary

Table 7-1 (continued) Primary and Secondary Server States

Event Primary Server Status /

VST Status Secondary Server Status

/ VST Status Owner of

Shared

Services

Troubleshooting IRIS FailSafe

Monitoring

The server availability status can be checked using the ha_admin -a command.

The status of the shared ﬁlesystem can be checked with the df command from either

server.

The status of the proper aliasing of the servers and the network can be checked using the

netstat -i command.

Use the IRIS FailSafe command-line interface to manage the Video Server Toolkit IRIS

FailSafe system. For details, see the IRIS FailSafe Administrator’s Guide.

Chapter 8

8. Completing Common Tasks

Using MVCP Commands

This chapter is a grab bag of common tasks you routinely perform using MVCP

commands. Each task is discussed in a tutorial fashion to introduce you to the way

MVCP works. Once you master the basic tasks presented in this chapter, you can proceed

to the other features offered by MVCP commands.

The tasks presented in this chapter are not sequential, but modular. There is a ﬂow to the

MVCP commands as presented; however, one command does not necessarily build on

the one presented previous to it.

After completing a number of these tasks you will gain a feeling for the MVCP

commands. Appendix A describes all of the MVCP commands.

Note: For a quick reference summary of MVCP commands, see the mvcp man page.

This chapter discusses the following tasks:

• “Manual Access to Video Server Toolkit” on page 84

• “Creating and Deleting a Unit” on page 85

• “Loading and Unloading a Clip” on page 86

• “Finding the Name of a Clip” on page 86

• “Setting Edit Points” on page 86

• “Cueing Decks to Play or Record” on page 87

• “Sequencing Commands” on page 87

• “Playing a Prerecorded Clip” on page 88

• “Playing Clips Back to Back” on page 89

• “Setting Conﬁguration Values” on page 90

• “Listing Conﬁguration Settings” on page 91

Chapter 8: Completing Common Tasks Using MVCP Commands

• “Listing Video and Deck Control Ports” on page 92

• “Identifying the Audio Ports to Use” on page 92

• “Conﬁguring Audio Recording” on page 92

• “Conﬁguring Video Recording” on page 93

• “Recording a Clip” on page 93

• “Editing Clips” on page 94

• “Displaying Your Logo” on page 96

• “Monitoring the System” on page 96

• “Unit Errors” on page 100

Manual Access to Video Server Toolkit

Video Server Toolkit (VST) applications routinely open a TCP/IP connection to a host

running VST on the MVCP port, normally 5250. The application sends MVCP commands

to control VST.

The port value is set in the ﬁle /usr/vtr/conﬁg/control-in.conf. For example, to set the port

to 5250, use the following line in the ﬁle:

mvcp tcp 5250

If you do not specify a port number in control-in.conf, the default port number is used,

110, which is the login daemon.

You can, however, manually control VST by opening a telnet connection to a host

running VST and then issuing MVCP commands to control it. For example:

152% telnet sphere 5250

Trying 130.62.156.178...

Connected to sphere.mti.sgi.com.

Escape character is ‘^]’.

100 VTR Ready

Creating and Deleting a Unit

A unit is a virtual VTR. It can play and record video and audio just like a VTR.

Units can be created using the following command:

UADD DIVO_0 * SHAR

The UADD command returns the name of the unit, unitName, for example:

UADD DIVO_0 * SHAR

202 OK

U1, in this case, controls the DIVO_0 video board, which includes both an input video

port and an output video port.

For an explanation of the UADD options, see “UADD *owner* *port* *mode*

*port-physical-name*” on page 116. For more information about deleting a unit, see

“UCLS [ *unit-name* ]” on page 144.

Deleting a Unit

Units can be deleted using the following command:

UCLS unitName

Multiple Connections to a Unit

Once a unit has been created, it can be controlled by a number of MVCP connections by

opening it:

UOPN unitName

When multiple MVCP connections are made to one unit, the unit is not deleted until all

of the connections have deleted it.

Warning: Opening a unit owned by a Sony, Louth, or Odetics port using MVCP

commands (for example, UOPN) causes unpredictable behavior.

Chapter 8: Completing Common Tasks Using MVCP Commands

Loading and Unloading a Clip

To load and unload a clip into a unit, use the following commands, respectively:

LOAD unitName clipName OUT

UNLD unitName

unitName is the name of the unit on which the clip is loaded.

The OUT option means that the clip, clipName, can only be played, not recorded onto.

Other valid values include IN, which means the clip will be recorded onto, and BOTH,

which means the clip can be played or recorded onto.

If multiple units have loaded the same clip, the clip is not unloaded until all the units

have unloaded it.

Finding the Name of a Clip

If you do not know the name of a clip, you can list all of the clips by issuing the clip list

command:

CLS

Setting Edit Points

The IN and OUT edit points specify where the source video is to begin and end playing,

and where the beginning and ending recording points are on the record deck, usually

VST.

When a clip is played, by default the edit IN point is used as the starting point for PLAY.

To set edit points, use the CEDP command:

CEDP clipName inPoint outPoint

Cueing Decks to Play or Record

You can play and record on units without cueing them. There is, however, a good chance

that the beginning of the playing or recording will not be clean: the frame count might be

off by several frames or the audio might be garbled.

You can avoid these problems by cueing the units for playing or recording.

To cue a clip for playback, enter:

CUE unitName

To ca clip for recording, enter:

CUER unitName

Optional Arguments

The following optional CUE and CUER arguments specify the segment of media to play,

the direction of play, and how many times the segment is played:

CUE <in-point> <out-point> <direction> <number-of-passes>

Sequencing Commands

You can sequence more than one command to execute on a unit by using the

append-sequential speciﬁcation:

/APP /SEQ command unitName

This command speciﬁes that the command, command, is appended to the current list of

commands queued for the unit, unitName, and the command will be executed after the

previous command in the list completes. The alternative is to preempt the previous

command on the list using the ﬂag, IMM.

Chapter 8: Completing Common Tasks Using MVCP Commands

You can also:

• Prepend a command in the list of commands by using /PRE instead of /APP.

• Delete the command list and replace it with a command using /FLS instead of

/APP.

For more information about command sequencing, see “Command Sequencing” on

page 135.

Playing a Prerecorded Clip

To play a clip, use the following procedure:

1. Open a TCP/IP connection to a host machine running VST.

If successful, VST responds:

100 VTR Ready

2. Create a unit, which is a virtual videotape deck:

UADD DIVO_0 * SHAR

For an explanation of the UADD options, see “UADD *owner* *port* *mode*

*port-physical-name*” on page 116.

3. Load the clip:

LOAD unitName clipName OUT

unitName is the name of the unit on which the clip is loaded.

The OUT option means that the clip, clipName, can only be played, not recorded

onto.

4. Cue the clip for playback:

CUE unitName

5. Play the clip:

PLAY unitName speed

speed is the speed of the playback, for example, 1000 is normal play, -1000 is normal

reverse play.

Playing Clips Back to Back

You can also play the clip in other modes, such as:

•FF—fast forward.

•JOG—advance or reverse one frame at a time.

•SHTL—is a variable speed fast forward or fast reverse.

For more information about the arguments for each of these commands, see “Unit

Commands” on page 131.

Playing Clips Back to Back

Playing one clip after another requires creating two units. While one unit is playing, the

other is cued to play. When the second unit starts playing, at the conclusion of the ﬁrst

unit’s clip, the ﬁrst unit is then cued to play. This procedure continues to repeat itself until

all the clips are played.

Make sure the following control is set:

vtr.media.vela.seamless_playback true

The following example demonstrates how to play two clips back to back.

1. Open a TCP/IP connection to a host machine running VST.

If successful, VST responds:

100 VTR Ready

2. Create two units, which are virtual videotape decks:

UADD DIVO_0 * SHAR

For an explanation of the UADD options, see “UADD *media-port-name*

*storage-port-name* *port-sharing-mode* [ *owner-info* ]” on page 114.

3. Load a clip in each unit:

LOAD unitName1 clipName1 OUT

LOAD unitName2 clipName2 OUT

unitName is the name of the unit on which the clip, clipname, is loaded.

The OUT option means that the clips can only be played, not recorded onto.

Chapter 8: Completing Common Tasks Using MVCP Commands

4. Cue and start the ﬁrst unit playing:

/APP /SEQ CUE unitName1

/APP /SEQ PLAY unitName1

5. Append the PLAY command to the second unit to make the second unit wait for the

ﬁrst unit to stop playing:

/APP /SEQ UUWT unitName2 unitName1 SYNR

For more information about command sequencing, see “Command Sequencing” on

page 135.

6. Cue and start the second unit playing:

/APP /SEQ CUE unitName2

/APP /SEQ PLAY unitName2 speed

speed is the speed of the playback; for example, 1000 is normal play, -1000 is normal

reverse play.

7. After the ﬁrst unit has completed its playback, a new clip can be loaded and steps 5

and 6 are repeated for the ﬁrst unit:

UWAT unitName1 SYNC

LOAD unitName1 clipName3 OUT

/APP /SEQ UUWT unitName1 unitName2 SYNR

/APP /SEQ CUE unitName1

/APP /SEQ PLAY unitName1

Setting Conﬁguration Values

Conﬁguration variables are called controls. The SET command speciﬁes the control

values.

There are two sets of controls:

• Storage—for reading digital data off a disk or writing the data to a disk.

• Media—for communicating with the video port.

Listing Configuration Settings

To set the conﬁguration variables for a speciﬁc unit, you have to select the set of controls

you want to set, STOR or MED. For example:

SET unitName MED vtr.media.video.input.compression.type DVCPRO

This command sets the video compression type to DVCPRO.

For more information about the SET command, see “SET *unit-name* *dev-type*

*control1-name* *control1-value* ...” on page 143.

Listing Conﬁguration Settings

Conﬁguration variables are called controls. The GET command lists them.

There are two sets of controls:

• Storage—for reading digital data off a disk or writing the data to a disk.

• Media—for communicating with the video port.

To list the conﬁguration settings set for a speciﬁc unit, you have to select the set of

controls you are interested in, STOR or MED. For example:

GET unitName MED vtr.media.video.output.*

This command lists all of the video output controls for the speciﬁed unit.

To list all of the storage controls, use the asterisk (*) wildcard:

GET unitName STOR *

For more information about the GET command, see “GET *unit-name* *dev-type*

*control-name-pattern* ...” on page 140.

Chapter 8: Completing Common Tasks Using MVCP Commands

Listing Video and Deck Control Ports

To display the conﬁguration of video and deck control ports, use the port list command:

PLS

Identifying the Audio Ports to Use

To identify which audio port to use, use the SET command for a unit:

SET <unit> MED vtr.media.audio.input.port RAD1.AESIn

SET <unit> MED vtr.media.audio.output.port RAD1.AESOut

Alternately, you can conﬁgure a unit in /usr/vtr/conﬁg/device-defaults/*. For example, in

DIVO_1 you would enter:

vtr.media.audio.input.port RAD1.AESIn

vtr.media.audio.output.port RAD1.AESOut

Conﬁguring Audio Recording

To record audio using VST, you must set the following controls:

• Bits in audio sampling, 24 by default—vtr.media.audio.input.sample.width

• Sampling rate, 48,000 by default—vtr.media.audio.input.rate

• Audio port used—vtr.media.audio.input.port

The audio port can either be VideoIn, if the audio is embedded in the video signal, or the

name of an audio port, for example, AnalogIn or AESIn.

For information about setting control values, see “Setting Conﬁguration Values” on

page 90.

Configuring Video Recording

Conﬁguring Video Recording

To record video using VST, you must set the compression type using

vtr.media.video.input.compression.type.

Valid values include JPEG, for O2, or, for machines using DIVO boards:

• none—for uncompressed.

• rice—for lossless entropy-coding.

• DVCPRO— for high-quality DCT-based compression

For information about setting control values, see “Setting Conﬁguration Values” on

page 90.

Recording a Clip

To record a clip, use the following procedure:

1. Open a TCP/IP connection to a host machine running VST.

If successful, VST responds:

100 VTR Ready

2. Create a unit, which is a virtual videotape deck:

UADD DIVO_0 * SHAR

For an explanation of the UADD options, see “UADD *media-port-name*

*storage-port-name* *port-sharing-mode* [ *owner-info* ]” on page 114.

3. Conﬁgure VST for audio and video recording, as described in “Conﬁguring Audio

Recording” on page 92 and “Conﬁguring Video Recording” on page 93.

4. Load the clip:

LOAD unitName clipName BOTH CRTE

unitName is the name of the unit on which the clip is loaded.

The BOTH option means that the clip, clipName, can be played or recorded onto.

The CRTE option means that the clip should be created if it does not exist.

Chapter 8: Completing Common Tasks Using MVCP Commands

5. Cue the clip for recording:

CUER unitName

6. Record onto the clip:

REC unitName

Editing Clips

You can edit clips on two levels of granularity:

• Clip

• Frame

Editing Clips

The following MVCP commands provide basic editing functionality for a clip already

loaded in a unit:

• CEDP—sets in and out edit points.

CEDIT InPoint OutPoint

• EDIT—cues a unit for recording and then begins recording.

EDIT unitName [ editInPoint [ editOutPoint ]]

• CUE—cues a deck for playing.

CUE unitName

• CUER—cues a deck for recording.

CUER unitName

• CRM—removes a clip.

CRM clipName

• CCP—copies a clip.

CCP clipName newClipName

Editing Clips

• CMV—renames a clip.

CMV clipName newClipName

• CLN—creates a new name for a clip and links it to another clip.

CLN clipName newClipName

When using CLN, changing one clip also changes the renamed clip because of their link.

For more information about setting in and out editing points, see “Setting Edit Points”

on page 86.

Editing Frames

The following MVCP commands manipulate the frames within a clip that is already

loaded in a unit:

• FRM—remove a frame. In ﬁlm, the equivalent is cutting out frames of ﬁlm and

splicing the two parts of the ﬁlm back together.

FRM unitName inFrame outFrame

• FCLR—changes (clears) a frame to black but does not remove it.

FCLR unitName inFrame outFrame

• FNEW—inserts a black frame into the clip.

FNEW unitName inFrame outFrame

• FOVR—moves frames from one part of a clip and overwrites frames in another part

of the clip.

FOVR unitName sourceIn sourceOut destIn

• FINS—moves frames from one part of a clip and inserts them in another part of the

clip.

FINS unitName sourceIn sourceOut destIn

Note: Frame editing is not supported on all clip formats. Currently, only vframe clips can

be frame-edited.

Chapter 8: Completing Common Tasks Using MVCP Commands

Displaying Your Logo

You can use the MVCP SET command with the following controls to display your

company logo, or any image, when the video port is not playing a clip:

vtr.media.output.idle_mode image

vtr.media.video.output.image.type user

vtr.media.video.output.image.name <name of image>

Image ﬁles go in /usr/vtr/data/images.

Monitoring the System

VST provides the following ways to monitor the system:

• Status of units

• Continuous monitoring of a unit

• Listing statistics

• Error reporting

The following sections explain each of these reports in further detail:

• “Status” on page 96

• “Monitoring” on page 97

• “Statistics” on page 98

• “Error Reporting” on page 99

Status

You can display the status of one unit or all units using the following commands,

respectively:

USTA unitName

ULS

Monitoring the System

The values for the status are:

• WAIT—initial state

• RUN—running state

• DONE—completed state

• ERR—error state

Monitoring

For continuous monitoring of a unit, you use the MON command:

MON [unitName] [/ eventType]

If you omit a unit name, all of the units are monitored.

You can receive notiﬁcation when one of the following events occurs on a unit:

• UADD—unit added

• URM—unit removed

• UCHG—unit state changed

• UCTL—unit control changed

• UERR—unit error

• CADD—clip added

• CRM—clip removed

You can add one or more of these event types to the MON command after the slash (/)

that separates the unit names from the event types.

If event types are not speciﬁed, notiﬁcation of UCHG, URM, and UCTL events are

returned. If a unit name is not speciﬁed, notiﬁcation of each UADD event is returned.

MON prevents an MVCP connection from processing any further commands. To stop

monitoring, you must close the MVCP connection.

For more information about the MON command, see “MON [ *unit-name* ... ] [ /

*event-type* ... ]” on page 116.

Chapter 8: Completing Common Tasks Using MVCP Commands

Statistics

You can return statistics values for one or all components in a system using the list

statistics command:

STLS [componentName [statisticsType]]

componentName is the name of the component you want statistics about. If omitted,

statistics for all components are returned.

statisticsType is the type of statistics you want returned. If omitted, all statistics for the

speciﬁed component are returned.

If successful, the STLS command returns a line of the following form:

componentName statisticsType statisticsValue...

Statistics on Statistics

You can return statistical values about a component’s or all component’s statistics using

the following command:

STST [componentName [statisticsType]]

For example, the following command calculates all the statistics for components that

contain “DIVO” in their names:

STST *DIVO*

If the command is successful, a single line is returned in the following format:

values samples min max sum mean stddev

where

•values is the number of statistical values matching the pattern.

•samples is the total number of samples collected.

•min is the minimum value.

•max is the maximum value.

•sum is the sum of the values.

Monitoring the System

•mean is the mean of the values.

•stddev is the standard deviation of the values.

For more information about STST, see “STST [*component-pattern* [*statistic-pattern*]]”

on page 129.

Error Reporting

VST includes three types of errors:

• MVCP command syntax errors

• Controller errors

• Unit Errors

MVCP Command Syntax Errors

All MVCP commands return error responses for syntax violations, for example, entering

a letter instead of a number.

Controller Errors

All controller and non-unit errors, such as errors in renaming or deleting a clip, return a

generic notiﬁcation that something failed. To receive more speciﬁc information about the

most recent global error that occurred for a speciﬁc controller, use the ERR command:

ERR

This command returns an error code and a short description.

100

Chapter 8: Completing Common Tasks Using MVCP Commands

Unit Errors

Unit errors are errors in the execution of unit commands, such as PLAY, REC, and FF.

When looking at the status of a unit, you might ﬁnd it in the error state, as described in

“Status” on page 96. In that case, you might like to get more information about the error.

To return unit errors, use the UERR command:

UERR unitName

This command returns an error code and a short description.

101

Appendix A

A. Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP)

Command Summary

The base Video Server Toolkit (VST) software includes a protocol processor, which

provides full-featured control of VST via a textual TCP/IP-based protocol called the

Multiport Video Computer Protocol, or MVCP.

This appendix describes the MVCP commands.

Protocol Format

MVCP is a simple request/response protocol which is implemented over a TCP

byte-stream connection (i.e., a stream socket). The protocol is similar in nature to the FTP

control protocol in that requests consist of two- to four-character commands with a

varying number of space- delimited arguments terminated by a

carriage-return/line-feed.

Responses consist of a textually-represented numeric result code with an associated

informational message terminated by a CR/LF. Success is indicated with a response code

of the form 2xx. Unless otherwise stated, a command will return the result code 200 if the

command is successful.

Unlike FTP, certain MVCP responses may also include a single response line or multiple

response lines terminated by a single blank (CR/LF- only) line. The successful result

code is 202 if a single response line is returned and 201 if a response list (one or more lines

terminated by a blank line) is returned.

All MVCP command arguments and responses are space-delimited. Command or

response arguments which contain spaces are surrounded by double quotation marks. In

some cases, response arguments that do not contain spaces may be double-quoted, so the

application should always be prepared to handle them.

102

Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

Note: Future enhancements to MVCP may result in additional arguments being added

to commands or responses. When new arguments are added to a command, omission of

the new arguments will result in the behavior associated with the original command;

hence, existing applications will continue to work in a compatible manner.

An application should not depend on the exact number of arguments on a response line

returned by an MVCP command as additional arguments may be added as future

enhancements to the protocol. An application should expect and process those

arguments which it understands but should be prepared to ignore additional arguments

which it does not expect and understand.

Unit Management

A single MVCP connection can control multiple VST units (each unit is a logical VTR

transport capable of loading, cueing, and playing a clip). MVCP commands which

pertain to a speciﬁc unit include the unit name as the ﬁrst argument of the request while

global commands, commands which do not pertain to a speciﬁc unit, do not include a

unit name.

For example:

CINF clip1 (global: retrieve clip information)

LOAD U1 CLIP3.DIF OUT (unit: load clip into unit U1)

When the unit name is omitted or speciﬁed as '*' with a unit command, the unit most

recently created is used. The unit name can be omitted only if the unit command has no

required arguments.

Units can either be created (using the UADD command) or opened (using the UOPN

command). When a unit is opened, it must have previously been created by another

controller (which could be another MVCP control connection or another external control

processor such as a station automation system or on-line editor). Of course, due care

must be exercised when sharing control of a unit between two controllers. Interfering

with a unit owned by one of the VST external protocol processors (e.g., Sony, Louth,

Odetics) will lead to unpredictable behavior.

Unit Management

103

Establishing an Interactive MVCP Connection

To establish an interactive MVCP connection, use telnet to establish a control connection

to the MVCP port on the VST host.

The following example establishes an interactive connection to the MVCP port (which is

usually port 5250) on the VST host “originserver.” The MVCP PLS (List Ports) command

is run and then the BYE command is used to terminate the control connection:

%telnet originserver 5250

Trying 133.144.166.34...

Connected to originserver.abc.com.

Escape character is '^]'.

100 VTR Ready

PLS

201 OK

vlan_1 BOTH "VLAN Deck Control" DECK

DIVO_0 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_1 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

...

BYE

200 Goodbye

Connection closed by foreign host.

Rules for Using MVCP Commands

The following rules apply to the use of the MVCP commands:

• The commands are case-sensitive and must be entered exactly as shown in this

chapter.

• All MVCP command arguments are space-delimited. Command arguments that

contain spaces should be surrounded by double quotation marks.

• Each command must end with a carriage return and line feed.

• The command set is divided into two subsets. One subset contains the global

commands, which do not pertain to a speciﬁc unit. The other subset contains the

unit commands, which pertain to a speciﬁc unit. (See “Global Commands” on

page 110 and “Unit Commands” on page 131 for detailed information about these

command subsets.)

104

Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

• MVCP commands that pertain to a speciﬁc unit contain the unit name as the ﬁrst

argument of the request. Global commands do not include a unit name. For

example, the following is a global command that requests information about the clip

named “NA40125D.” This command does not have a unit name:

CINF NA40125D (get clip information)

The following is a unit command that loads the clip named “NA40125D” for output

into the unit identiﬁed by “U1”:

LOAD U1 NA40125D OUT (load clip into unit U1)

• MVCP responds to each command with a response header line, which is terminated

with a carriage return and line feed. All MVCP responses are space-delimited.

Response arguments that contain spaces are surrounded by double quotation

marks. (See “Response Codes” on page 106 for information.)

Note: Future enhancements to MVCP may result in additional arguments being added

to commands or responses. The additional arguments will be added in such a way that

the commands or responses will be backward-compatible with the existing commands

or responses, so that existing applications will continue to work correctly.

Command Sets

The protocol command set is divided into two subsets. One subset includes the global

commands, those commands which do not pertain to a speciﬁc unit. The other subset

includes the unit commands.

In general, global commands affect the global state of VST and thus all control

connections (through MVCP or other protocols). However, certain commands affect only

the connection on which the commands are executed.

Displaying MVCP Commands

One way to learn MVCP commands is to see how they are used in the applications

included in VST, such as mcstat, mcpanel, and mcclips. To display in the console window

the MVCP commands as they are sent to VST and the MVCP responses as they are

received from VST, start the applications with the -v3 option:

# mcpanel -v3

Command Triggers

105

Command Triggers

More precise control of command execution can be accomplished by specifying the time

at which a given command should begin execution. This feature is supported only for

certain commands such as PLAY, REC, and STOP.

Note: On video devices, command timing is ignored when the unit is not in play or

record mode.

Time-of-day triggering

To specify a command time, at the beginning of the command line, include an at-sign (@)

followed by the desired time-of-day. Several formats for specifying time are understood:

The timecode form, HH:MM:SS:FF may be used to specify the time relative to midnight

local time calculated using current frame rate (which defaults to 29.97 and can be set with

FRAT). For instance, 14:14:00:00 speciﬁes that the command should start at exactly

2:14pm local time.

Optionally, the timecode may also include a date by prepending the timecode with

yyyymmddT (for example, 19980828T12:34:00:02).

The ISO 8601 date/time form, yyyymmddThhmmss.ssssssZ, may be used to specify the

command time.

Finally, the time-of-day form, SEC.USEC, may be used to specify the time using a more

traditional UNIX timebase. SEC is the number of seconds since the standard Epoch, Jan

1, 1970. USEC is microseconds.

Example:

LOAD U1 a/COMM OUT

/SEQA CUE U1

/SEQA @17:31:00:02 PLAY U1

Note: f the system is receiving house timecode, command timing will be based on the

incoming time; otherwise, the system time will be used.

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

Response Codes

The MVCP processor responds to all commands with a single response header line. Some

commands also return either a single response data line or multiple response data lines.

When multiple data lines are returned, they are terminated by a single blank line.

The response header line has the following format:

xxx message_text

where

•xxx is a three-digit decimal response code.

•message_text is a textual message describing the response.

This response header line may be followed by one or more data lines, depending on the

response code.

Each of the following is an example of a response header line:

200 OK

410 Invalid clip time

500 Server error

The following is an example of a response header line that is followed by two data lines:

In this example, a blank line follows the second data line.

ULS

201 OK

U1 mvcp/originserver mvp BOTH * DONE IDLE * 0 *

U2 mvcp/originserver mvp BOTH * DONE IDLE * 0 *

Caution: Additional ﬁelds may be added as future enhancements to response lines. The

additional ﬁelds will be added in such a way that the responses will be

backward-compatible so that existing applications will continue to work correctly.

The response codes are divided into the following categories:

• 2xx, successful command execution

• 4xx, command format or setup errors

• 5xx, command execution errors

Some error codes have more than one error message. The message depends on the error.

Response Codes

107

Response Text

200 OK Success with no additional data

201 OK Success with N data lines followed by a blank line

202 OK Success with one data line

400 Command invalid

401 Port name missing

402 Unit name missing

403 Clip not found

403 Unit not found

403 Unit not open

404 Access mode missing or invalid

405 Clip name missing

405 New clip name missing

406 Command not supported

407 Load mode missing or invalid

410 Invalid clip time

411 Event function missing or invalid

412 Clock time missing or invalid

413 Numeric argument missing or invalid

414 Invalid direction

415 <not used>

416 Insertion id missing or invalid

417 Event insertion failed

418 Invalid play speed

418 Invalid speed/count

419 Invalid number of passes

420 Must specify start time

421 Bad create flag

422 Invalid command sync

423 Invalid protection

424 Missing or invalid sort order

425 Missing or invalid time

426 Clip monitor not active

427 Invalid parameter format

428 Node type missing or invalid

429 Invalid event type

432 Too many units specified

433 Invalid timestamp format

434 Frame-rate missing

434 Unable to add clip

435 Filename missing

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

436 f1f2 has to be in CAP

436 Still-frame mode invalid

436 Frame interleave mode invalid

437 Cannot specify both in and out as relative

438 Unit already open

439 Sync modifier not supported for this command

440 Invalid frame-rate

448 Too many arguments

457 User name missing

458 Password missing

460 Must provide USERname first

500 General error (message varies)

501 Unable to copy clip

501 Unable to find clip in archive

501 Unable to find pending get-from-archive request

501 Unable to issue delete-from--archive request

501 Unable to issue get-from-archive request

501 Unable to issue put-to-archive request

501 Unable to link clip

501 Unable to rename clip

510 General error (message varies)

510 Invalid clip time

511 General error (message varies)

540 Invalid frame-rate

548 Too many arguments

OK Response

After issuing a command, the system may respond, “OK.” This response means that the

command has been parsed, not that it has been executed. For example, if you:

LOAD Unit clipName

without a mode or CRTE argument, and clip does not exist, the command returns an

“OK,” even though a CRTE is required.

Response Codes

109

Whether or not the command will succeed depends on things such as:

• What type of media port is being controlled.

• Whether or what type of clip is loaded.

• What state the unit is in.

• What state the hardware is in.

It is impossible for MVCP to know anything beyond the syntactic validity of a unit

command.

One way of getting a response when the command has been executed is to issue the

command with /SYNC. For example, if you:

/SYNC LOAD Unit clipName

an error message is returned immediately.

Using P2 Commands with MVCP Commands

You cannot mix MVCP and P2 commands. You must either control a port using only

MVCP commands (LOAD/CUER/REC), or the P2 protocol (AUTOEDIT or

CUE/PLAY/EDIT_ON/EDIT_OFF).

There is one exception: you can use the following MVCP command to load a new clip

onto a port being controlled through P2:

SSET <control-port> vtr.control.clip.name <clip-name>

where control-port can be vtr_1, vtr_2, etc.

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

Global Commands

Global commands affect the entire system, as opposed to unit commands described in

“Unit Commands” on page 131 that only effect speciﬁed units.

There are many different kinds of global commands:

• “Access Control” on page 112

• “Ports” on page 113

• “Units” on page 114

• “Archive Management” on page 117

• “Clip Management” on page 121

• “System Controls” on page 128

• “Statistics” on page 128

• “Miscellaneous” on page 130

Table A-1 identiﬁes the global MVCP commands that are documented in this section.

Table A-1 Global MVCP Commands

Command Function

AFND Locate a clip in an available a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system

AFNG Locate a pending or in-progress get-from-archive command for a clip

AGET Retrieve a clip from a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system

ALSG List the get-from-archive operations that are waiting or being processed

ALSP List the put-to-archive operations that are waiting or being processed

APUT Store a clip to a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system

ARM Delete a clip from a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system

ARMG Cancel all pending or in-progress get-from-archive operations

BYE Terminate the current control connection

CADD Add a clip that has been inserted into the clip cache through an external means

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111

CCHP Add speciﬁed protections to, or remove them from, a clip

CCP Create a new clip by copying it from an existing clip

CCST Get the current status of the VST Clip Cache

CEDP Set the edit points for a clip

CGP Get clip protections

CIMG Copy an image to a ﬁle

CINF Get information about a clip

CLN Create a new clip that shares the clip media content of another clip

CLS Get a list of all the clips in the VST clip cache

CLSA List the clips that have been added to the clip cache since the last time the CLSA

command was issued or since the CMON command that created this clip monitor

was executed

CLSR List the clips that have been removed from the clip cache since the last time the

CLSR command was issued or since the CMON command that created this clip

monitor was executed

CMIN Get the number of clips that have been added to, or removed from, the clip cache

CMON Initiate monitoring of the clip cache

CMV Rename a clip

CRM Delete a clip from the clip cache

CRMA Delete all clips currently residing in the clip cache

ERR Get the code and description of the last global error that occurred for a controller

FRAT Set the frame rate used in translating timecodes for command timing

GTOD Get the current system time

MON Place control connections into event monitoring mode

PASS Sets the password for access control

PLS Get the list of supported media ports

Table A-1 (continued) Global MVCP Commands

Command Function

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

Access Control

This section lists those global commands that deal with system access.

USER *username*

The USER command sets the *username* for access control purposes. If MVCP access is

restricted by the mvcp.allow or mvcp.deny ﬁles, the USER and PASS commands must be

issued before access to any other MVCP commands is granted.

The USER command applies only to the current MVCP connection.

PASS *password*

The PASS command sets the *password* for access control purposes and must follow the

corresponding USER command.

The PASS command applies only to the current MVCP connection.

SGET Retrieves the values of system controls for the subsystem(s)

SORD Set the sort order that's used when lists are returned

SSET Sets system controls for the subsystem

STLS List statistics

STOD Set the system time

STST Calculate various statistics

STZ Reset statistics

UADD Create a new unit

ULS Get a list of the existing VST units

USER Sets the user for access control

Table A-1 (continued) Global MVCP Commands

Command Function

Global Commands

113

Ports

This section lists those global commands that deal with ports.

PLS

The PLS (List Ports) command returns the list of supported media ports. If successful, the

response code is 201 and one response line for each port is returned. The format of each

line is:

*name* *mode* "*description*" *type* *port-physical-name*

Where:

• *name* is the name of the port.

• *mode* is the port's input/output mode (IN, OUT, or BOTH).

• *description* is a description of the port.

• *type* is the type of the port, one of NET (network), VID (video), DECK (deck

control), or DISK (disk storage).

• *port-physical-name* is the physical name of the media port.

For example:

PLS

201 OK

vlan_1 BOTH "VLAN Deck Control" DECK

DIVO_0 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_1 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_2 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_3 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_4 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_5 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_6 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

DIVO_7 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

Units

This section lists those global commands that affect all units in the system.

UADD *media-port-name* *storage-port-name* *port-sharing-mode* [ *owner-info* ]

The UADD (Add Unit) command creates a new unit. The name of the media port

accessed by the unit is speciﬁed by *media-port-name*. The storage port accessed by the

unit is speciﬁed by *storage-port- name* (use '*' to specify the default storage system).

Certain media ports must be opened without a storage port (e.g., deck-control ports).

Specify 'null' for the storage port to create a unit which does not have a storage port.

The *port-sharing-mode* speciﬁes how access is shared between multiple units accessing

the same media port and takes one of the following values: EXCL, SHAR, or CONC.

Exclusive access (EXCL) means only one unit may exist which uses the media port at any

given time. If a unit already exists for that port, the UADD will fail.

Shared access (SHAR) means multiple units may be created which all access the same

port; however, only one unit may actually use the hardware at any given time. Shared

access is only available on media ports which support it (in their interface module).

Concurrent access (CONC) means multiple units may use the media port at the same

time. This mode is used most commonly on multiplexed networking ports (such as

ATM).

The *owner-info* is optional and sets the owner info for the new unit. The owner info is

included in certain status commands such as UINF, UGIN, and ULS.

If the unit is successfully created, the response code is 202 and a single response line is

returned containing the name of the newly created unit.

Note: An application must not make any assumptions about the name of the unit

including the format of the name. Unit naming is subject to change in future releases.

Global Commands

115

ULS

The ULS (List Units) command returns a list of the existing VST units. A snapshot of the

state of each unit is included.

If the ULS command is successful, the response code is 201 and one response line for each

unit is returned followed by a blank line. The format of each unit state is:

*name* *owner* *port* *mode* *clip* *status* *function* *location*

*speed* *frame-rate* *command-id*

Where:

• *name* is the name of the unit.

• *owner* is the name of the controller that created the unit.

• *port* is the name of the unit's media port.

• *mode* is the mode of the media port (IN, OUT, or BOTH).

• *clip* is the name of the loaded clip ("*" if no clip is loaded).

• *status* is the status of the current function (BUSY is the initial state, RUN is the

running state, DONE is the completed state, ERR is the error state).

• *function* is the current function: IDLE, LOAD, UNLD (Unload), CUE, CUER (Cue

for record), PLAY, STEP, SHTL (Shuttle), REC (Record) , PAUS (Pause), STON

(StandbyOn), STOP, FF (Fast Forward), REW (Rewind), REVU (Review), EDIT

(Edit), RHRS (Rehearse).

• *location* is the current clip location in the format hours:minutes:seconds:frames. In

drop-frame mode, the ﬁnal colon (:) is replaced by a period (.).

• *speed* is the current playback speed (1000 = normal 1x speed).

• *frame-rate* is the frame-rate (in frames/sec) of the current clip. 525-line timing is

speciﬁed in its approximate form, 29.97.

• *command-id* is the id of the command currently being processed by the unit.

For example:

ULS

201 OK

U1 mvcp/originserver mvp BOTH * DONE IDLE * 0 *

U2 mvcp/originserver mvp BOTH * DONE IDLE * 0 *

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

MON [ *unit-name* ... ] [ / *event-type* ... ]

The MON (Monitor) command places the current control connection into event

monitoring mode. In this mode, a single response line is returned whenever a monitored

event occurs. If one or more units are speciﬁed, unit events for only the speciﬁed units

are returned; otherwise, unit events for all units are returned.

A list of one or more event types may be speciﬁed (preceded by a single forward slash).

The event types are UADD (unit added), URM (unit removed), UCHG (unit state

change), ULOC (unit location change), UCTL (unit control change), UERR (unit error),

CADD (clip added), CRM (clip removed). Only the speciﬁed types of events are

returned.

If no event-type list is speciﬁed, UCHG, URM, UERR, and UCTL events are returned,

and if no units are speciﬁed, UADD events are also returned.

Event monitoring is terminated by closing the control connection.

The format of the event response line is one of the following:

UADD *owner* *port* *mode* *port-physical-name*

• *owner* is the name of the controller that created the unit.

• *port* is the name of the unit's media port.

• *mode* is the mode of the media port (IN, OUT, or BOTH).

• *port-physical-name* is the physical name of the media port controlled by the unit.

CADD *clip* *format* *size* *resident-size* *start* *end* *in* *out* *frame-rate*

• *clip* is the name of the clip.

• *format* is the format of the clip.

• *size* is the size of the clip content in bytes.

• *resident-size* is the size of the content that is currently resident on the clip cache

disk system.

• *start* is the timecode of the ﬁrst frame of the clip.

• *end* is the timecode of the frame after the last frame of the clip.

• *in* is the current mark-in point of the clip.

Global Commands

117

• *out* is the current mark-out point of the clip.

• *frame-rate* is the frame-rate (in frames/sec) of the current clip.

• 525-line timing is speciﬁed in its approximate form, 29.97.

UOPN *unit-name*

The UOPN (Unit Open) command opens an existing unit and makes it controllable by

this MVCP connection.

If the unit is opened successfully, the response code is 202 and a single response line is

returned containing the name of the opened unit.

Warning: Opening a unit owned by a Sony, Louth, or Odetics port using MVCP

commands (for example, UOPN) causes unpredictable behavior.

Archive Management

This section lists those global commands that deal with archiving clips.

AFND *clip*

The AFND (Find Clip in Archive) command attempts to locate the clip speciﬁed by *clip*

in an available archive system. If successful, the response code is 201, and a response line

is returned for each archive system in which the clip is found. The response format is:

*archive-type* *archive-host*

Where:

• *archive-type* is the type of archive system.

• *archive-host* is the speciﬁc host name of the archive system containing the

speciﬁed clip.

For example:

AFND NA1001

201 OK

mediahub mhhost

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

AFNG *clip*

The AFNG (Find Archive Get) command attempts to locate a pending or in-progress

archive get command for the clip speciﬁed by *clip*. If found, the response code is 202,

and a single response line is returned in the following format:

*clip* *atype* *ahost* *requester* *requested* *started* *eta*

Where:

• *clip* is the name of the clip.

• *atype* is the type of archive system.

• *ahost* is the speciﬁc host name of the archive system.

• *requester* is the name of the controller requesting the clip.

• *requested* is the time the retrieval was requested.

• *started* is the time the retrieval was started.

• *eta* is the time the retrieval is expected to complete.

AGET *clip* [*archive-clip-name* *archive-host*]

The AGET (Get from Archive) command enqueues a get-from-archive operation to

retrieve the clip speciﬁed by *clip* from an attached archive system. If

*archive-clip-name* is not speciﬁed or the default *archive-clip-name*, '*', is speciﬁed,

*clip* will be used.

If *archive-host* is speciﬁed, VST attempts to retrieve the clip from only that speciﬁc

archive. Otherwise, the clip is retrieved from the ﬁrst archive in which it can be located.

If a get-from-archive operation is already pending for the clip, AGET does not add a new

one.

AGET always returns immediately with response code 200.

Archive operations are processed in-order by the VST Archive Manager which can

process a conﬁgurable number of concurrent operations for each attached archive

system.

Global Commands

119

If the clip cannot be successfully retrieved from the archive, the failure will be logged in

the VST status log. In addition, a clip monitor or event monitor will see the failing clip as

having been removed from the clip cache.

ALSG The ALSG (List Archive Gets) command lists the get-from-archive operations that

are waiting or being processed. The response code is 201, and a single response line is

returned for each archive request in the following format:

*clip* *atype* *ahost* *requester* *requested* *started* *eta*

Where:

• *clip* is the name of the clip.

• *atype* is the type of archive system.

• *ahost* is the speciﬁc host name of the archive system.

• *requester* is the name of the controller requesting the clip.

• *requested* is the time the archive operation was requested.

• *started* is the time the archive operation was started.

• *eta* is the time the archive operation is expected to complete.

ALSP

The ALSP (List Archive Puts) command lists the put-to-archive operations that are

waiting or being processed. The response code is 201, and a single response line is

returned for each archive request in the following format:

*clip* *atype* *ahost* *requester* *requested* *started* *eta*

Where:

• *clip* is the name of the clip.

• *atype* is the type of archive system.

• *ahost* is the speciﬁc host name of the archive system.

• *requester* is the name of the controller requesting the clip.

• *requested* is the time the archive operation was requested.

• *started* is the time the archive operation was started.

• *eta* is the time the archive operation is expected to complete.

120

Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

APUT *clip* [*archive-clip-name* [*archive-host*]]

The APUT (Put to Archive) command enqueues a put-to-archive operation to store the

clip speciﬁed by *clip* to an attached archive system. If *archive-clip-name* is not

speciﬁed or the default *archive-clip-name*, '*', is speciﬁed, *clip* will be used.

If *archive-host* is speciﬁed, the clip is stored into that speciﬁc archive. Otherwise, the

clip is stored into the default archive.

If a put-to-archive operation is already pending for the clip, APUT does not add a new

one.

If the speciﬁed clip does not exist, APUT returns an appropriate error response code.

Otherwise, APUT immediately returns response code 200.

Archive operations are processed in-order by the VST Archive Manager which can

process a conﬁgurable number of concurrent operations for each attached archive

system.

If the clip cannot be successfully stored into the archive, the failure will be logged in the

VST status log.

ARM *archive-clip-name* [*archive-host*]

The ARM (Delete from Archive) command enqueues a delete-from-archive operation to

delete the clip speciﬁed by *archive-clip-name* from an attached archive system. If a

delete-from-archive operation is already pending for the clip, ARM does not add a new

one.

ARM always immediately returns response code 200.

Archive operations are processed in-order by the VST Archive Manager which can

process a conﬁgurable number of concurrent operations for each attached archive

system.

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121

ARMG

The ARMG (Cancel Archive Gets) cancels all pending or in-progress get-from-archive

operations.

ARMG always immediately returns response code 200.

Clip Management

This section lists those global commands that deal with clip management.

CADD *clip* [ *format* ]

The CADD (Add Clip) command adds a new clip that has been inserted into the clip

cache through an external means. The name of the new clip is speciﬁed by *clip*. The

format of the clip is speciﬁed by *format*. If *format* is not speciﬁed, the clip ﬁle's

*clip.format* attribute will be used, if it exists, or VST will attempt to automatically detect

the format of the clip.

The clip media ﬁle must be placed in the appropriate location in the clip cache before

issuing the CADD command. If the clip format requires an index, the index ﬁle must also

be placed in the appropriate index directory before issuing the command.

Note: CADD is no longer required to make a clip available to other VST commands (such

as loading it into a unit). VST will automatically attempt to locate and add a clip

whenever a controller references the clip.

However, CADD may be used to add a clip to VST's internal clip tables such that it will

appear in the clip listing returned by CLS. CADD will also generate the appropriate

clip-add event messages for controllers that are monitoring the clip cache.

122

Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

CCHP *clip* {{*+*|*-*}*protection-type* ...}

The CCHP (Change Clip Protection) command adds to and/or removes from the clip

speciﬁed by *clip* the protections speciﬁed by the *protection-type* arguments.

The types of protection include ATTR (Attribute Protect), MV (Rename Protect), REC

(Record Protect), and RM (Delete Protect). For example, the command "CCHP NA1001

+RM -ATTR" sets the protection on NA1001 such that the clip cannot be deleted but can

have its attributes (such as its edit points) changed.

If successful, the response code is 200.

CCP *clip* *new-clip*

The CCP (Copy Clip) command creates an new clip named *new-clip* by copying the

clip speciﬁed by *clip*. After the copy is created, there is no association between the new

clip and the original clip.

If successful, the response code is 200.

Note: CCP does not realign a clip as it is being copied. For clip formats which require

clip alignment that is compatible with the ﬁle system on which it is stored (such as the

VST VFrame format), if CCP is used to copy a clip between two different ﬁle systems, the

ﬁle systems must have identical major and minor alignments.

CCST

The CCST (Clip Cache Status) command returns the current status of the VST Clip Cache.

The response code is 202 and a single response line is returned in the following format:

*num-clips* *bytes-used* *bytes-avail* *bytes-avail-contiguous*

Where:

• *num-clips* is the number of clips resident in the clip cache.

• *bytes-used* is the number of bytes used on the storage systems which hold the clip

cache.

Global Commands

123

• *bytes-avail* is the number of free bytes available on the storage systems which

holds the clip cache.

• *bytes-avail-contiguous* is the number of free bytes available on the storage system

which has the greatest amount of free space.

CEDP *clip* *mark-in* *mark-out*

The CEDP (Set Clip Edit Points) command sets the edit points for the clip speciﬁed by

*clip*. The *mark-in* and *mark-out* arguments are speciﬁed in HH:MM:SS:FF format.

The new edit points will not be seen by any unit until the clip is loaded (or reloaded). If

the clip is already loaded into a unit, the original edit points will apply.

Specifying '*' for *mark-in* or *mark-out* removes the respective edit point.

If the command is successful, the response code is 200.

CGP *clip*

The CGP (Get Clip Protection) command returns the current protection of the clip

speciﬁed by *clip*.

If successful, the response code is 202, and a single response line is returned which

contains a list of the protections currently enabled for the clip. The protections are ATTR

(Attribute Protect), MV (Rename Protect), REC (Record Protect), and RM (Delete

Protect).

CIMG *clip* *timecode* *interleave* *ﬁlename* [*format*]

The CIMG (Create Clip Image) command extracts the image data associated with the

frame speciﬁed by *timecode* of the clip speciﬁed by *clip* and writes the image to the

ﬁle speciﬁed by *ﬁlename*.

*interleave* speciﬁes how to construct the image from the two ﬁelds of the frame: F1 (odd

ﬁeld only), F2 (even ﬁeld only), F1F2 (both ﬁelds interleave), F1F1 (odd ﬁeld

line-doubled), F2F2 (even ﬁeld line-doubled).

*format* speciﬁes the image format to use. Possible values are "rice", "rgb", "yuv", "jpeg",

and "tiff" (or others as supported by the Image Format Library). If *format* is not

speciﬁed, the format is inferred from the ﬁlename extension (".rice", ".rgb", ".yuv", ".jpg",

".tiff").

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For example:

CIMG bigclip 00:01:00:02 F1F2 x.jpg jpeg

200 OK

CINF *clip*

The CINF (Clip Info) command returns the attributes of the clip speciﬁed by *clip*. If the

clip currently exists in the clip cache, the response code is 202 and a single response line

is returned in the following format:

• *clip* *format* *size* *resident-size* *start* *end* *in* *out* *frame-rate*

• *clip* is the name of the clip.

• *format* is the format of the clip.

• *size* is the size of the clip content in bytes.

• *resident-size* is the size of the content that is currently resident on the clip cache

disk system.

• *start* is the timecode of the ﬁrst frame of the clip.

• *end* is the timecode of the frame after the last frame of the clip.

• *in* is the current mark-in point of the clip.

• *out* is the current mark-out point of the clip.

• *frame-rate* is the frame-rate (in frames/sec) of the clip. 525-line timing is speciﬁed

in its approximate form, 29.97.

CLN *clip* *new-clip*

The CLN (Link Clip) command creates a new clip named *new-clip* which shares the

clip media content of the clip named by *clip*. The clip attributes (such as edit points) of

the new clip may be set independently of the original clip.

If the original clip is deleted, the new clip still retains the content of the original clip until

the new clip is also deleted.

This command is useful for creating clips which refer to segments of other clips.

If successful, the response code is 200.

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125

CLS The CLS (List Clips) command returns a list of all the clips in the VCP- Recorder clip

cache. The response code is 201 and one response line is returned for each clip in the

cache. The format of the response line is:

• *clip* *format* *size* *resident-size* *start* *end* *in* *out* *frame-rate*

• *clip* is the name of the clip.

• *format* is the format of the clip.

• *size* is the size of the clip content in bytes.

• *resident-size* is the size of the content that is currently resident on the clip cache

disk system.

• *start* is the timecode of the ﬁrst frame of the clip.

• *end* is the timecode of the frame after the last frame of the clip.

• *in* is the current mark-in point of the clip.

• *out* is the current mark-out point of the clip.

• *frame-rate* is the frame-rate (in frames/sec) of the clip. 525-line timing is speciﬁed

in its approximate form, 29.97.

CLSA

The CLSA (List Added Clips> command lists the clips that have been added to the clip

cache since the last time the CLSA command was issued (or since the CMON command

which created this clip monitor was executed).

Before the CLSA command may be issued by a controller, the CMON (Clip Monitor)

command must be issued to initiate monitoring of the clip cache for this controller.

If successful, the response code is 201 and one response line is returned for each newly

added clip which contains the clip's name. A blank line terminates the list of clips.

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

CLSR

The CLSR (List Removed Clips> command lists the clips that have been removed from

the clip cache since the last time the CLSR command was issued (or since the CMON

command which created this clip monitor was executed).

Before the CLSR command may be issued by a controller, the CMON (Clip Monitor)

command must be issued to initiate monitoring of the clip cache for this controller.

If successful, the response code is 201 and one response line is returned for each removed

clip which contains the clip's name. A blank line terminates the list of clips.

CMIN

The CMIN (Clip Monitor Info) command returns the number of clips that have been

added to and/or removed from the clip cache and will be returned by the CLSA and

CLSR commands respectively.

The response code is 200, and a single response line is returned in the following format:

*num-clips-added* *num-clips-removed*

Where:

• *num-clips-added* is the number of clips that have been added.

• *num-clips-removed* is the number of clips that have been removed.

CMON

The CMON (Clip Monitor> command initiates monitoring of the clip cache. The CLSA

and CLSR commands are used to retrieve, respectively, the clips that have been added to

or removed from the clip cache.

If the CMON command is issued for a second or subsequent time, the current list of

added and removed clips is discarded and monitoring is initialized again.

The response code is 200.

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127

CMV *clip* *new-clip*

The CMV (Move Clip) command renames the clip speciﬁed by *clip* to a new name

speciﬁed by *new-clip*.

If successful, the response code is 200.

Note: CMV cannot be used to move clips between ﬁle systems; use CCP instead.

CRM *clip*

The CRM (Delete Clip) command deletes the clip speciﬁed by *clip*. If any units

currently have the clip loaded, actual deletion of the clip will be deferred until all units

have unloaded the clip.

If the command is successful, the response code is 200.

CRMA

The CRMA (Delete All Clips) command deletes all clips currently residing in the clip

cache. Clips which are currently being retrieved from an archive system may or may not

be deleted depending on the progress of the retrieval.

If the command is successful, the response code is 200.

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

System Controls

This section lists those global commands that deal with system controls.

SGET *subsystem-pattern* *control-name-pattern*

The SGET (System Get Control) command retrieves the values of system controls for the

subsystem(s) speciﬁed by *subsystem-pattern*. The possible values for

*control-name-pattern* are subsystem-dependent and are described elsewhere. If the

subsystem or control patterns contains wildcards, the values of all controls that match

the speciﬁed patterns will be returned.

If successful, response code is 201, and one response line is returned for each matching

control in the following format:

*subsystem-name* *control-name* "*control-value*"

SSET *subsystem-name* *control1-name* *control1-value* ...

The SSET (System Set Control) command sets system controls for the subsystem

speciﬁed by *subsystem-name*. For each control, a name and a value must be provided.

At least one control name/value pair must be speciﬁed. If the control value contains any

spaces or tabs, the value must be enclosed in double quotes.

The possible values for *control-name* and *control-value* are subsystem-dependent

and are described elsewhere.

Statistics

This section lists those global commands that deal with statistics gathering.

STLS [ *component-pattern* [ *statistic-pattern* ]]

The STLS (List Statistics) command lists the component name, statistic name, and current

value of each statistical value matching the speciﬁed patterns.

If the command is successful, the response code is 201, and a response line is returned for

each matching statistical value in the following format:

*component-name* *statistic-name* *value* ...

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129

Where:

• *component name* is the name of the instance of the component that is generating

the statistic.

• *statistic name* is the name of the statistical value.

• *value* is the current value of the integer or ﬂoating-point statistic. The value of

certain types of statistics (e.g., histogram) may include more than one number.

STST [*component-pattern* [*statistic-pattern*]]

The STST (Statistics Statistics) command calculates various statistics over all of the

statistical values matching the speciﬁed patterns.

If the command is successful, the response code is 202, and a single response line is

returned in the following format:

*values* *samples* *min* *max* *sum* *mean* *stddev*

Where:

• *values* is the number of statistical values matching the pattern.

• *samples* is the total number of samples collected.

• *min* is the minimum value.

• *max* is the maximum value.

• *sum* is the sum of the values.

• *mean* is the mean of the values.

• *stddev* is the standard deviation of the values.

STZ [*component-pattern* [*statistic-pattern*]]

The STZ (Statistics Reset) command resets the values of all the statistics matching the

speciﬁed patterns.

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

Miscellaneous

This section lists all global commands not coverecd in the previous sections

BYE

The BYE command terminates the current control connection.

ERR

The ERR command returns the code and description for the last global error that

occurred for this controller. Errors that occur on units are retrieved using the UERR

command. This command returns errors for all Clip Management commands and other

commands which do not pertain to a speciﬁc unit.

The response code is 202, and a single response line is returned in the following format:

*code* "*description*"

Where:

• *code* is the error code.

• *description* is the error description.

FRAT *frame-rate*

The <FRAT> (Frame Rate) command sets the frame rate used in translating timecodes for

command timing. The *frame-rate* is speciﬁed as frames per second. Supported values

are 24, 25, 29.97, and 30.

The FRAT command applies only to the current MVCP connection.

GTOD

The GTOD (Get Time-of-Day) command returns the current VST system time. The

response code is 202, and a single response line is returned with three forms of the

current time (time code, ISO 8601, and Unadjusted System Time):

*hh:mm:ss:ff* *yyyymmddThhmmss.ssssssZ* *UST*

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131

For example:

GTOD

202 OK

14:24:01.11 19980105T222400.890307Z 94038459071434

SORD *order-type*

The SORD (Set Sort Order) command sets the type of ordering used when lists are

returned. The possible values of *order-type* are NAME, which sorts lists by clip name,

and TIME, which sorts lists by creation time.

STOD *time*

The STOD (Set Time-of_Day) command sets the VST system time as speciﬁed by *time*

which is speciﬁed either as a time code (hh:mm:ss:ff) or in the ISO 8601-compatible

format (yyyymmddThhmmss.ssssssZ).

Unit Commands

The unit commands all have as their ﬁrst argument the name of unit to which the

command is to be applied.

Table A-2 identiﬁes the MVCP unit commands that are described in this section. .

Table A-2 MVCP Unit Commands

Command Function

CUE Cue for playback the clip currently loaded in a unit

CUER Cue for recording the clip currently loaded in a unit

EDIT Cue for recording and then begin recording

FCLR Erase the audio and video from speciﬁed frames in a clip

FF Fast forward the unit

FINS Move frames within a clip

FNEW Insert blank frames within a clip

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

FOVR Overwrite frames within a clip

FRM Remove frames from within a clip

GET Get the values of controls

GOTO Jump a unit’s transport to a speciﬁed location

JOG Move a unit forward or reverse by the number of frames

LIMS Modify the edit limits being used by the current playback or record function

LOAD Load a clip into a unit

PAUS Pause a unit

PLAY Begin playback on a unit

REC Begin recording on a unit or resume normal recording after a PAUS command

REVU Do the equivalent of a cue for playback and then begin playing

REW Fast reverse the unit

RHRS Cue for playback and then begin playing, with the media port switched to

end-to-end mode for playback

RSUM Resume playback or recording

SET Set controls for the unit

SHTL Shuttle a unit at a speciﬁed speed

STON Sets the speed of the unit speciﬁed.

STON Halts playback but does not decue the unit.

STOP Stop playback or recording on a unit

UCLS Close an opened or created unit

UERR Get the code and description of the last error that occurred on a unit

UFLS Flush the command queue for a unit

UGIN Get the owner and port information for a unit

Table A-2 (continued) MVCP Unit Commands

Command Function

Unit Commands

133

Before you can use these unit commands, you must either create the unit or open it,

according to the following:

• When you want to use a unit that does not already exist, you create the unit using

the global UADD command.

When you create the unit, you identify the media port and you specify the port

access mode, which determines how access is shared among multiple units that

access the same media port. You can specify exclusive access, shared access, or

concurrent access of the media port.

When you create the unit it is automatically opened.

• When you want to share a unit that has already been created, you open the unit

using the global UOPN command.

When you open a unit, it must have previously been created by another control

port. Units can be shared with either another MVCP control connection or with

another external control processor, such as a station automation system.

Caution: Extreme care must be exercised when sharing control of a unit between

two controllers. Interfering with a unit owned by one of the automation protocol

processors (for example, a Louth controller) leads to unpredictable behavior.

UINF Get the owner and port information for a unit

UINT Interrupt the command currently being processed by a unit

ULOC Return the current transport location

UNLD Unload the clip currently loaded in a unit

UOPN Open an existing unit and make it controllable

USTA Get the status of a unit

USYN Set the default synchronization mode for a unit speciﬁed

UUWT Synchronize command execution between two units

UWAT Wait for the completion of the last command that was issued to a unit

Table A-2 (continued) MVCP Unit Commands

Command Function

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

Unit Command Modes

The VST units execute asynchronously with the control processors that are controlling

them. How the MVCP control processor interacts with the units it controls and the client

application that is issuing the MVCP commands is determined by the command

synchronization processing. By default, when a command is issued to a unit, the unit's

command queue is immediately ﬂushed of any commands which are waiting to be

executed by the unit, and the command preempts the previous command that was issued

to the unit, even if that command has not completed executing. Also by default, the

MVCP control processor returns a response to the client as soon as the command has

been queued for the unit, so the OK response to a command means only that the

command was successfully queued, not that the command completed successfully or has

even started executing.

Synchronization Mode

The synchronization mode determines when the MVCP control processor returns a

command response to the MVCP client. The available synchronization modes are: ASYN

(async), SYNI (sync-init), SYNR (sync-run), and SYNC (sync-complete). Async (ASYN)

mode is as has been described: the control processor responds as soon as the command

is queued.

Sync-init (SYNI) mode delays the response until the unit has reached the initialization

state on the command. This does not mean that the unit has begun to process the

command, and in fact it may have to wait for a shared resource (such as the media port)

to become available before it can continue.

Sync-run (SYNR) mode delays the response until the unit has reached the "running" state

on the command. This means that the unit is actively processing the command. For

instance, the running state for a PLAY command means that video is actually being

played.

Sync-complete (SYNC) mode delays the response until the unit has reached the

"complete" state on the command. This means that the unit will do no further processing

for this command. If the command is CUE, the complete state is reached when the unit

has been fully cued and is ready to being playback. If the command is PLAY, the complete

state is reached when playback has ﬁnished.

If no error occurs in the unit before the desired sync state has been reached, the response

code is 200 (or 201, or 202, as appropriate). If an error occurs before the unit reaches the

desired state, a 5XX error response code will be returned.

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135

The default command synchronization mode for a unit may be changed using the USYN

command. Or, the default may be overridden on a individual command basis by

prepending a forward slash (/) and the sync mode to the unit command. For example,

the command "PLAY U5" uses the default sync mode, while the command "/SYNC PLAY

U5" speciﬁes that the command response should not be sent until the PLAY command

has completed executing.

Command Sequencing

Command sequencing refers to the way in which consecutive commands are issued to

and processed by the target unit. There are two variables which determine how a

command is issued and processed: the preemption mode and the queuing mode.

Preemption

The preemption mode determines whether a command will preempt the previous

command or wait for the previous command to reach a certain status before being

executed by the unit. Preemption is controlled by both the "previous" command and the

"next" command.

The "previous" command may be issued with a qualiﬁer that defers execution the "next"

command until the "previous" command has reached a certain status. The "next"

command may be issued with a qualiﬁer that defers its execution until the "previous"

command has reached a certain status.

The preemption modes available for the "previous" command are NNO (no deferral),

NINI (defer next until Init), NRUN (defer next until Running), NCMP (defer next until

Complete).

The preemption modes available for the "next" command are PNO (no deferral), PINI

(defer until previous Init), NRUN (defer until previous Running), NCMP (defer until

previous Complete). POVR may also be used to override the defer-next preemption

mode of the "previous" command.

Note: The IMM and SEQ qualiﬁers have been superceded by the new preemption

qualiﬁers, but are still supported for compatibility. IMM corresponds to PNO and SEQ

corresponds to PCMP.

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

Queuing

The queuing mode determines whether a command is placed at the beginning of the unit

command queue (making it the next command to be executed), placed at the end of the

command queue (making it the last command), or whether the command queue is

ﬂushed before adding the new command. The available queuing modes are prepend

(PRE), append (APP), and ﬂush (FLSH).

The default command sequencing is ﬂush/no-defer-next/no-defer- previous, meaning

that when an MVCP command is issued, the unit command queue is ﬂushed and the

command preempts whatever command is currently being executed by the unit.

The default command sequencing mode for a unit may be changed using the USYN

command. Or, the default may be overridden on a individual command basis by

prepending a forward slash (/) and the sequencing mode to the unit command. For

example, the command "PLAY U5" uses the default sequencing mode, while the

command "/APP PLAY U5" speciﬁes that the command should be appended to the unit's

command queue.

The default preemption and queuing modes are overridden individually. For example,

"/APP /PCMP PLAY U5" places the PLAY command at the end of the command queue

and the command does not begin executing until the previous command has completed.

Three common sequencing combinations can be abbreviated:

• /SEQA is equivalent to /APP /PCMP.

• /IMMP is equivalent to /PRE /PNO.

• /IMMF is equivalent to /FLSH /PNO.

Unit Commands

137

Unit Commands

This section lists the commands that affect speciﬁc units.

CUE [ *unit-name* [ *in* [ *out* [ *direction* [ *passes* ]]]]]

The CUE (Cue For Play) command cues for playback the clip currently loaded in the unit

speciﬁed by *unit-name*. If *in* is speciﬁed, the clip is cued at the speciﬁed frame. If *in*

is missing or speciﬁed as '*', the mark-in point stored with the clip is used, or if mark-in

is not set, the ﬁrst recorded frame of the clip is used.

If *out* is speciﬁed, the clip is cued with the speciﬁed out point, meaning playback will

terminate at the speciﬁed frame. If *out* is missing or speciﬁed as '*', the mark-out point

stored with the clip is used, or if mark-out is not set, no out point is used.

If *out* is speciﬁed, *in* must be speciﬁed.

If either *in* or *out* is speciﬁed, the other may be speciﬁed as a duration by adding a '+'

preﬁx character. For example "1:00:01:00 1:00:06:00", "1:00:01:00 +5:00", and "+5:00

1:00:06:00" all refer to the same edit range.

The optional *direction* argument speciﬁes the playback direction: FWD is forward,

BWD is backward, F/B is forward followed by backward, B/F is backward followed by

forward. The default direction is forward (FWD).

The optional *passes* argument speciﬁes how many passes through the clip are made.

The default is 1 pass. Specify passes as 0 to repeat indeﬁnitely (use the STOP command

to stop).

If *passes* is speciﬁed as -1, the unit is cued in free-range mode (only on media devices

that support free-range cueing). In free-range mode, the *in* point is used only as the

initial location but does not deﬁne the lower limit of playback. The lower limit is deﬁned

by the vtr.media.clip.limit.start control, if set, or the start of the clip if the clip limit control

is not set.

In free-range mode, the upper limit of playback is deﬁned by the speciﬁed out-point. If

the out-point is not set, the upper limit is deﬁned by the vtr.media.clip.limit.end control,

if set, or the end of the clip if the clip limit control is not set.

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

CUER [ *unit-name* [ *in* [ *out* ]]]

The CUER (Cue For Record) command cues for recording the clip currently loaded in the

unit speciﬁed by *unit-name*. If *in* is speciﬁed, the clip is cued at the speciﬁed frame.

If *in* is missing or speciﬁed as '*', the unit cues to the mark-in point stored with the clip

or if mark-in is not set.

If *out* is speciﬁed, the clip is cued with that out-point, meaning recording will terminate

at the speciﬁed frame. If *out* is missing or speciﬁed as '*', recording will continue until

the unit is stopped. if *out* is speciﬁed, *in* must be speciﬁed.

If either *in* or *out* is speciﬁed, the other may be speciﬁed as a duration by adding a '+'

preﬁx character. For example "1:00:01:00 1:00:06:00", "1:00:01:00 +5:00", and "+5:00

1:00:06:00" all refer to the same edit range.

EDIT [ *unit-name* [ *in* [ *out* ]]]

The EDIT (Edit) command performs an auto-edit for the edit range *in* *out*. The unit

prerolls for the duration speciﬁed by the setting of the vtr.edit.preroll control and

postrolls for the duration speciﬁed by the vtr.edit.postroll control.

FCLR *unit-name* *in* *out*

The FCLR (Clear Frames) command clears (erases) the frames of the clip loaded into the

unit speciﬁed by *unit-name* from the frame speciﬁed by *in* (inclusive) to the frame

speciﬁed by *out* (exclusive). The video and audio associated with the cleared frames is

removed, but the frames themselves remain. This contrasts with FRM which removes the

frames, closing the hole in the clip. The clip must be loaded for input (IN) or

input/output (BOTH).

FF [ *unit-name* ]

The FF (Fast Forward) command fast forwards the unit speciﬁed by *unit-name*. The fast

forward speed is device-dependent.

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139

FINS *unit-name* *source-in* *source-out* *dest-in*

The FINS (Insert Frames) command moves the frames in the range *source-in* to

*source-out* of the clip loaded into the unit speciﬁed by *unit-name*, inserting them at

the point speciﬁed by the timecode *dest-in*. The frames are removed from the original

location, and the duration of the clip remains the same. The clip must be loaded for input

(IN) or input/output (BOTH).

FNEW *unit-name* *in* *out*

The FNEW (Insert New Frames) command inserts blank frames into the clip loaded into

the unit speciﬁed by *unit-name* between the frame speciﬁed by *in* (inclusive) and

*out* (exclusive). FNEW opens a hole in the clip, and the duration of the clip will

increase. The clip must be loaded for input (IN) or input/output (BOTH).

FOVR *unit-name* *source-in* *source-out* *dest-in*

The FOVR (Overwrite Frames) command moves the frames in the range *source-in* to

*source-out* of the clip loaded into the unit speciﬁed by *unit-name*, overwriting the

frames starting at the timecode speciﬁed by *dest-in*. The frames are removed from the

original location. The duration of the clip will decrease, though if the source and target

overlap, the duration will decrease by a fewer number of frames than are represented by

the source range. The clip must be loaded for input (IN) or input/output (BOTH).

FRM *unit-name* *in* *out*

The FRM (Remove Frames) command removes the frames of the clip loaded into the unit

speciﬁed by *unit-name* from the frame speciﬁed by *in* (inclusive) to the frame

speciﬁed by *out* (exclusive). This command removes the frames altogether, moving the

frames after the removed frames down in the timeline to close the hole. This contrasts

with FCLR which simply erases the video and audio associated with the frames but does

not remove the frames themselves.

The clip must be loaded for input (IN) or input/output (BOTH).

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Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

GET *unit-name* *dev-type* *control-name-pattern* ...

The GET (Get Control) command retrieves the values of device controls for the unit

speciﬁed by *unit-name*. The *dev-type* speciﬁes whether the controls are queried in the

media (MED) or storage (STOR) device assigned to the unit.

The possible values for *control-name-pattern* are device- dependent and are described

elsewhere. If the pattern contains wildcards, the values of all controls that match the

speciﬁed pattern will be returned.

If successful, response code is 201, and one response line is returned for each matching

control in the following format:

*control-name* "*control-value*"

The following example gets the values of the device controls that begin with

“vtr.media.clip” for unit U1:

GET U1 MED vtr.media.clip*

201 OK

vtr.media.clip.limit.end "*"

vtr.media.clip.preset.start "01:00:00:00"

vtr.media.clip.limit.start "*"

vtr.media.clip.format "movie/vframe"

GOTO *unit-name* *timecode*

The GOTO (Goto) command jumps the unit transport speciﬁed by *unit-name* to the

location speciﬁed by *timecode*. The unit transport continues the function that is was

executing starting at the target of the Goto command.

STEP [ *unit-name* [ *frames* ]]

The STEP (Step) command steps the unit speciﬁed by *unit-name* by the number of

frames speciﬁed by *frames* (1 frame, if not speciﬁed). Positive numbers step forward.

Negative numbers step backward. If the distance speciﬁed by *frames* takes the unit

past the current edit limits, the unit will stop (or pause, if the unit is conﬁgured to pause

instead).

Some media ports require that the unit already be in a playback state when STEP is

issued.

Unit Commands

141

LIMS *unit-name* *in* [*out* [*direction* [*passes*]]]

The LIMS (Set Edit Limits) command modiﬁes the edit limits being used by the current

playback or record function. Which edit parameters may be changed is

device-dependent. In general, only the out-point may be changed as a way to stop

playback or recording at a speciﬁc point even if the unit was cued without a out-point.

LOAD *unit-name* *clip* [*load-mode*]

The LOAD (Load Clip) command loads the clip speciﬁed by *clip* into the unit speciﬁed

by *unit-name*. The *load-mode* indicates whether the clip is being loaded for input

(IN), output (OUT), or both input and output (BOTH). The default is output (OUT).

If successful, the response code is 202 and a single response line is returned in the

following format:

• *format* *size* *resident-size* *start* *end* *in* *out* *frame- rate*

• *format* is the format of the clip.

• *size* is the size of the clip content in bytes.

• *resident-size* is the size of the content that is currently resident on the clip cache

disk system.

• *start* is the timecode of the ﬁrst frame of the clip.

• *end* is the timecode of the frame after the last frame of the clip.

• *in* is the current mark-in point of the clip.

• *out* is the current mark-out point of the clip.

• *frame-rate* is the frame-rate (in frames/sec) of the clip. 525- line timing is speciﬁed

in its approximate form, 29.97.

PAUS [ *unit-name* ]

The PAUS (Pause) command pauses the unit speciﬁed by *unit- name*. The unit must be

in a playback or record state. The RSUM, PLAY, STEP, SHTL, FF, or REW commands are

used to resume playback. The RSUM or REC commands are used to resume recording.

If the unit is playing, the video output will be a still frame at the paused clip location.

142

Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

PLAY [ *unit-name* [ *speed* ]]

The PLAY command begins (or resumes) playback on the unit speciﬁed by *unit-name*.

If *speed* is not speciﬁed, normal playback speed, 1000, is used. Some media ports may

support other playback speeds.

Some media ports must be explicitly cued before starting playback. For those devices,

PLAY cannot be used to resume playback after a STOP command is issued. The unit must

be re- cued.

REC *unit-name*

The REC (Record) command begins recording on the unit speciﬁed by *unit-name*. REC

can also be used to resume normal recording after a PAUS command. Some media ports

must be explicitly cued before starting recording. For those devices, REC cannot be used

to resume recording after a STOP command is issued. The unit must be re- cued.

REVU *unit-name* *in* *out*

The REVU (Review) command performs a edit review for the edit range *in* to *out*. The

unit prerolls for the duration speciﬁed by the setting of the vtr.edit.preroll control and

postrolls for the duration speciﬁed by the vtr.edit.postroll control.

REW *unit-name*

The REW (Rewind) command rewinds the unit speciﬁed by *unit- name*. The rewind

speed is device-dependent and may be settable with a control.

RHRS *unit-name* *in* *out*

The RHRS (Rehearse) command performs an auto-edit for the edit range *in* *out*, but

during the actual edit range switches the output to E-to-E mode rather than recording.

The unit prerolls for the duration speciﬁed by the setting of the vtr.edit.preroll control

and postrolls for the duration speciﬁed by the vtr.edit.postroll control.

RSUM [ *unit-name* ]

The RSUM (Resume) command resumes the playback or recording function that was

paused by a PAUS command on the unit speciﬁed by *unit-name*.

Unit Commands

143

SET *unit-name* *dev-type* *control1-name* *control1-value* ...

The SET (Set Control) command sets device controls for the unit speciﬁed by

*unit-name*. The *dev-type* speciﬁes whether the controls are to be set in the media

(MED) or storage (STOR) device assigned to the unit.

For each control, a name and a value must be provided. At least one control name/value

pair must be speciﬁed. If the control value contains any spaces or tabs, the value must be

enclosed in double quotes.

The possible values for *control-name* and *control-value* are device-dependent and are

described elsewhere.

The following example sets the value of a storage control for unit U1 so that frames are

automatically cleared from the clip after being played:

SET U1 STOR vtr.storage.fs.clear_after_play true

200 OK

SHTL *unit-name* *speed*

The SHTL (Shuttle) command shuttles the unit speciﬁed by *unit- name* at the speed

speciﬁed by *speed*. A speed of 1000 is normal 1x speed. The speed scale is linear, so a

speed of 100 is 1/10th normal speed and a speed of 10000 is 10x speed.

Positive speeds play forward. Negative speeds play backward.

The actual shuttle speeds available are device-dependent.

SSPD *unit-name* *speed*

The SSPD (Set Speed) command sets the speed of the unit speciﬁed by *unit-name* to the

speed speciﬁed by *speed*. SSPD is used to change speeds without changing the current

unit transport function (either PLAY or SHTL).

144

Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

STON [ *unit-name* ]

The STON (Standby On) command halts playback but does not stop the unit. This

releases the output port for use by another unit, but allows the unit to resume playback

quickly when a new playback command arrives.

STON is supported by only some media ports.

STOP [ *unit-name* ]

The STOP (Stop) command stops playback or recording.

For some media ports, playback or recording cannot be resumed until the unit is re-cued

with a CUE or CUER command, respectively.

UCLS [ *unit-name* ]

The UCLS (Unit Close) command closes an opened or created unit. This controller's

access will be terminated, and if no other controllers have the unit open, the unit will be

deleted.

If the command is successful, response code 200 is returned.

UERR *unit* *error-code* "*error-message*"

• *unit* is the name of the unit.

• *error-code* is the code of the error.

• *error-message* is the textual error message.

Unit Commands

145

UERR [ *unit-name* ]

The UERR (Unit Error) command returns the code and description for the last error that

occurred on the speciﬁed unit.

If the command is successful, the response code 202 is returned followed by a data line:

*code* "*description*"

Where:

• *code* is the error code of the last error.

• *description* is a textual description of the error.

UFLS [ *unit-name* ]

The UFLS (Flush Unit) command ﬂushes the command queue for the unit speciﬁed by

*unit-name*.

UGIN *unit-name*

The UGIN (Get Unit Info) command returns the owner and port information for the unit

speciﬁed by *unit-name*. The speciﬁed unit does not need to be opened by the current

control connection (the UINF returns the identical information for an opened unit).

If the unit exists, the response code is 202 and a single response line is returned with this

format:

*owner* *port-name* *port-mode* *port-physical-name*

Where:

• *owner* is the name of the controller that created the unit.

• *port-name* is the name of the media port controlled by the unit.

• *port-mode* is the input/output mode supported by the unit. The possible values

are IN, OUT, and BOTH.

*port-physical-name* is the physical name of the media port controlled by the unit.

146

Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

UINF [ *unit-name* ]

The UINF (Get Unit Info) command returns the owner and port information for the unit

speciﬁed by *unit-name*. The unit must be opened (or created) by the current controller.

The response code is 202 and single response line is returned in the following format:

*owner* *port-name* *port-mode* *port-physical-name*

Where:

• *owner* is the name of the controller that created the unit.

• *port-name* is the name of the media port controlled by the unit.

• *port-mode* is the input/output mode supported by the unit. The possible values

are IN, OUT, and BOTH.

• *port-physical-name* is the physical name of the media port controlled by the unit.

UINT [ *unit-name* ]

The UINT (Unit Interrupt) command interrupts the command currently being processed

by the unit speciﬁed by *unit-name*. The command will be terminated with error EINTR.

ULOC *unit* *location*

• *unit* is the name of the unit.

• *location* is the current clip location in the format hours:minutes:seconds:frames. In

drop-frame mode, the ﬁnal colon (:) is replaced by a period (.).

• UCTL *unit* *control-name* "*control-value*"

• *unit* is the name of the unit.

• *control-name* is the name of the control.

*control-value* is the new value of the control.

Unit Commands

147

ULOC [ *unit-name* ]

The ULOC (Unit Location) command returns the current transport location for the unit

speciﬁed by *unit-name*. The response code is 202 and a single response line is returned

in the following format:

*clip-loc* *vitc* *ltc* *UTC-time* *UST-time*

Where:

• *clip-loc* is the clip location, which roughly corresponds to a CTL (control track)

timecode.

• *vitc* is the VITC (vertical interval timecode) of the frame.

• *ltc* is the LTC (longitudinal timecode) of the frame.

• *UTC-time* is the UTC time when the unit was at the speciﬁed location. This time

can be used to account for application or network latency in time reporting. This

time is reported in the ISO 8601-compatible format: yyyymmddThhmmss.ssssssZ.

• *UST-time* is the UST (unadjusted system time) time when the unit was at the

speciﬁed location. This time can be used to account for application or network

latency in time reporting.

UNLD [ *unit-name* ]

The UNLD (Unload Clip) command unloads the clip currently loaded in the unit

speciﬁed by *unit-name*. If successful, the response code is 200.

URM *unit*

• *unit* is the name of the unit.

• UCHG *unit* *clip* *status* *function* *location* *speed* *frame- rate*

*command-id*

• *unit* is the name of the unit.

• *clip* is the name of the loaded clip ("*" if no clip is loaded).

• *status* is the status of the current function (BUSY is the initial state, RUN is the

running state, DONE is the completed state, ERR is the error state).

148

Appendix A: Multiport Video Computer Protocol (MVCP) Command Summary

• *function* is the current function: IDLE, LOAD, UNLD (Unload), CUE, CUER (Cue

for record), PLAY, STEP, SHTL (Shuttle), REC (Record) , PAUS (Pause), STON

(StandbyOn), STOP, FF (Fast Forward), REW (Rewind), REVU (Review), EDIT

(Edit), RHRS (Rehearse).

• *location* is the current clip location in the format hours:minutes:seconds:frames. In

drop-frame mode, the ﬁnal colon (:) is replaced by a period (.).

• *speed* is the current playback speed (1000 = normal 1x speed).

• *frame-rate* is the frame-rate (in frames/sec) of the current clip. 525-line timing is

speciﬁed in its approximate form, 29.97.

• *command-id* is the id of the command currently being processed by the unit.

USTA [ *unit-name* ]

The USTA (Unit Status) command returns the status of the unit speciﬁed by *unit-name*.

The unit my be opened (or created) by the current controller.

If successful, the response code is 202, and a single response line is returned in the

following format:

• *clip* *status* *function* *location* *speed* *frame-rate* *command-id*

• *clip* is the name of the loaded clip ("*" if no clip is loaded).

• *status* is the status of the current function (BUSY is the initial state, RUN is the

running state, DONE is the completed state, ERR is the error state).

• *function* is the current function: IDLE, LOAD, UNLD (Unload), CUE, CUER (Cue

for record), PLAY, STEP, SHTL (Shuttle), REC (Record) , PAUS (Pause), STON

(StandbyOn), STOP, FF (Fast Forward), REW (Rewind), REVU (Review), EDIT

(Edit), RHRS (Rehearse).

• *location* is the current clip location in the format hours:minutes:seconds:frames. In

drop-frame mode, the ﬁnal colon (:) is replaced by a period (.).

• *speed* is the current playback speed (1000 = normal 1x speed).

• *frame-rate* is the frame-rate (in frames/sec) of the current clip. 525-line timing is

speciﬁed in its approximate form, 29.97.

• *command-id* is the id of the command currently being processed by the unit.

Unit Commands

149

USYN [ *unit-name* ]

The USYN (Set Unit Synchronization) command sets the default command

synchronization mode for the unit speciﬁed by *unit- name*. The mode is set as speciﬁed

by the sync-mode qualiﬁers which precede the command name. See the section UNIT

COMMAND SYNCHRONIZATION below for more information.

Once the USYN command has been used to set the default sync mode, all unit commands

which do not specify a sync mode will use this default.

UUWT *unit-name* *wait-unit-name* *sync-mode* [ *wait-id* ]

The UUWT (Unit-Unit Wait) command provides a mechanism for synchronizing

command execution between two units. The unit speciﬁed by *unit-name* waits until the

unit speciﬁed by *wait-unit-name* reaches the execution status speciﬁed by *sync-mode*

for the command speciﬁed by *wait-id*.

For the possible values of *sync-mode*, see the section UNIT COMMAND

SYNCHRONIZATION below. Both units must be opened by the current control

connection.

If *wait-id* is not speciﬁed, the unit waits for the command at the end of the target unit's

command queue when the UUWT starts execution in the unit (not when the UUWT is

issued to the unit).

The target command id can be obtained by using the /CID qualiﬁer on the target unit

command.

UWAT [ *unit-name* [ *sync-mode* ]]

The UWAT (Unit Wait) command waits for the last command issued to the unit speciﬁed

by *unit-name* according to the synchronization mode speciﬁed by *sync-mode* or the

default sync mode if the *sync-mode* argument is not provided.

For the possible values of *sync-mode*, see the section UNIT COMMAND

SYNCHRONIZATION below.

151

Glossary

9-Pin

The Sony protocol for communicating with video devices. 9-Pin is the same as RS-422.

ADAT

The Alesis ADAT Optical I/O interface is an 8-channel, 24-bit digital audio interface. It

is important to distinguish between the ADAT Optical format, a 24-bit digital audio I/O

protocol, and the ADAT tape decks themselves. Silicon Graphics workstations support

the ADAT Optical interface, in addition to AES digital I/O, either built in or via a

low-cost option card.

AES

(Audio Engineering Society) AES Stereo Digital Audio Input/Output. This connection

provides a stream of digital audio data that complies with the AES Digital Audio format.

archive system

A repository for storing and distributing digital media data. A StudioCentral 2.0 archive

system is one that a Video Server Toolkit has been conﬁgured to use. Video Server Toolkit

can store clips in, and retrieve them from, a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system only.

asset

Unit of storage in a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system. Each asset consists of descriptive

information such as the title and duration; digital media data, if the asset has content; and

an index, if required by the content format. For example, each movie, commercial, trailer,

thumbnail, and so on, stored in a StudioCentral 2.0 archive system is an asset. Assets may

consist of only descriptive information if those assets are used to group other assets.

automation controller

Computers that control broadcast devices. Automation controllers provide features such

as playing and recording clips according to a predeﬁned schedule, providing statistics

about actual events, previewing schedules, controlling broadcast equipment, and so on.

152

Glossary

ATS

MediaHub Asset Transfer Service. The Asset Transfer Service daemon (atsd) can be used

to access the meta data and media contents of the Groups and Atoms contained in a

MediaHub server without using the full DAS or StudioCentral API’s.

Automation Systems

Broadcast Automation Systems (such as the Louth ADC- series) are used extensively by

broadcast studios to control multiple video devices. Scheduling of video playback and

recording, in conjunction with pre-assigned switcher effects can all be scheduled through

a single interface.

CCIR 601

A digital coding standard for television that is applicable to both the NTSC as well as

PAL/SECAM technologies. The standard describes the encoding parameters for the 4:2:2

member of the family (where 4:2:2 is the ratio in which the luminance and chrominance

sampling frequencies are related). One CCIR 601 video stream (no alpha) is about 22

MB/sec.

clip

The unit of storage in Video Server Toolkit. Each clip consists of descriptive information

such as the title and duration; digital media data, if the clip has content; and an index, if

required by the content format.

clip cache

XFS ﬁlesystems in which Video Server Toolkit stores clips. The clip cache can reside on a

normal XFS ﬁlesystem that can be shared with other uses, or a real-time ﬁlesystem

created on a set of striped disks or RAID units.

cue point

Timecodes that are used to move around within a clip and to control the portion of the

clip that is played. An in-point, the duration, and an out-point are each speciﬁed using

the hh:mm:ss:ff format, where hh is the hours, mm is the minutes, ss is the seconds, and ff

is the frame number. In drop-frame mode, the ﬁnal colon is replaced by a period

(hh:mm:ss.ff).

For example, if a clip with a cue in-point of 00:00:30.00 is cued for playing in the forward

direction, it is cued at 30 seconds.

DAS

MediaHub Digital Asset Store.

Glossary

153

DiaQuest

Deck control software made by DiaQuest.

DIF

The compression format used by DVCPRO. A DIF ﬁle, for example, is a ﬁle containing a

clip compressed by DVCPRO.

DIVO

Digital Video Option, available on Origin servers. DIVO provides digital video ports

through which digital media data is played and recorded by Video Server Toolkit.

DIVO_DVC

A DIVO board altered to work speciﬁcally with DVCPRO products.

DMBuffer:

Digital Media data transport subsystem. DMBuffers are used for sharing and exchanging

time-sensitive visual data between compression devices and algorithms, video

input/output, graphics rendering and texturing, and the host processor(s).

DSO

Dynamic shared object. An object that one program can share with another.

DVCPRO

A digital video compression format provided by Panasonic. The format provides 4:1

video compression.

edit point

Persistent timecode values that are stored with a clip. Edit points are used to

automatically initialize the cue points when the clip is loaded. An in-point, the duration,

and an out-point can each be speciﬁed using the hh:mm:ss:ffformat, where hh is the hours,

mm is the minutes, ss is the seconds, and ff is the frame number. In drop-frame mode, the

ﬁnal colon is replaced by a period (hh:mm:ss.ff).

For example, if a clip has an edit in-point of 00:00:30.00, its cue in-point is initialized to

30 seconds when the clip is loaded.

Edit points may also be called “edit marks.”

154

Glossary

Fibre Channel

The Fibre Channel Standard deﬁnes a high-speed data transfer interface that can be used

to connect workstations, mainframes, supercomputers, storage devices and displays.

The standard addresses the need for very fast transfers of large volumes of information.

Typical high-end Fibre Channel devices carry up to 1 Gb/s data rates.

GRIO

Guaranteed Rate I/O. GRIO is included in IRIX and is used by Video Server Toolkit to

guarantee disk bandwidth for recording and playback while allowing non-priority

access to the clip cache for other operations.

Horita

A company that makes, among other components, time code readers. Its identiﬁer in

conﬁguration ﬁles is hsip.

hsip

See Horita.

Little Red

A time code reader made by Miranda. Its identiﬁer in conﬁguration ﬁles is littlered.

Lossless Coding

A two-to-one compression format that does not reduce picture quality. It is a DIVO-601

internal format. See also, Rice.

Louth

The Louth Video Disk Communications Protocol, deﬁned by Louth Automation,

provides full-featured control of the Video Server Toolkit using RS-232, RS-422, and

TCP/IP.

mcpanel

VTR emulation application for Video Server Toolkit.

MediaBase

An application used for browsing/streaming MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (and lower bit rate

formats) over intranets, streaming Server on Silicon Graphics workstations, and

browsing clients on all platforms. It is compatible as browsing application for MediaHub

and StudioCentral.

Glossary

155

MediaHub

Archive component of the VCP. MediaHub is built upon StudioCentral and allows assets

to be shared between Video Server Toolkit and other VCP software.

media port

Refers to any port through which digital media or control data is passed. That is, the term

refers to either a video or a deck control port. See also, port.

M-JPEG

Motion-JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). Video Compression technology based

upon DCT.

MMGR

MediaHub Migration Manager. The Migration Manager is an Orbix service that

performs Hub-to-Hub transfers and Hub deletes of DAS assets.

MPEG-2

Broadcast satellite industry standard format for compressed video (1 to 15 MB/sec at

4:2:0). 4:2:2 (Studio Proﬁle) format is from 8 to 40 MB/sec.

MVCP

Multiple-Unit Video Computer Protocol. A protocol deﬁned by Silicon Graphics that

provides full-featured control of Video Server Toolkit through TCP/IP.

MVP

Multi-port Video Processor for the Silicon Graphics O2 system. The MVP driver supports

the O2 video input and output as well as the screen capture devices. It was designed and

written to the device-dependent speciﬁcation of the Video Library (VL) replacement for

O2 workstation, DVL (Direct Video Library, that is, no video daemon).

Odetics

The Odetics protocol is a video disk control protocol similar in purpose to the Louth

board, which gives Video Server Toolkit control over Odetics devices.

P2 is the Panasonic name for the Sony protocol.

156

Glossary

port

A point at which an external device connects to Video Server Toolkit. Video Server

Toolkit deﬁnes the following types of ports:

• Video ports, used by video input and output devices. DIVO video ports are named

DIVO_n (for example, DIVO_2), the O2 workstation video port is named mvp, and

Vela decoder ports are named vela_n (for example, vela_2).

• Deck control ports, which are used by V-LAN transmitters. Deck control ports are

named vlan_”n” (for example, vlan_0).

The term media port refers to either a video or a deck control port.

pre-roll

During recording, both source and recording machines can be rewound, generally three

frames, so that the beginning of the recording starts when both machines are running at

the correct speed. As a result, edits are more frame-accurate.

Rice

A lossless bit reduction (compression) encoding scheme that is supported on the Silicon

Graphics DIVO video option.

RS-422

Is the Sony protocol for communicating with video devices.

SMPTE 259M

A broadcast digital video signal standard. All high end digital video formats as well as

many peripheral devices have adopted this standard. 259M is a universal standard

permitting long cable runs regardless of the size of the facility.

Sony

A media company that uses it’s protocol, a standard by default, to control media

machines, such as VTRs.

StudioCentral

Is a software development environment for building applications and tools for digital

asset management solutions. StudioCentral provides the foundation for the acquisition,

creation, production, and distribution of digital assets.

Glossary

157

unit

A software mechanism that functions like a logical video tape recorder transport and is

capable of loading, cueing, playing, and recording digital clips. The unit manages a

media port, which may be shared with another unit.

A unit may also called a logical unit.

Video Server Toolkit

Video Server Toolkit is an element of the Origin Video Computing Platform from Silicon

Graphics. Video Server Toolkit is the clip serving platform element of VCP. The core

Video Server Toolkit software provides management of a simple database of clips (the

Clip Cache), a control API for managing and operating the Video Server Toolkit, and a

core library which supports various External Interface Modules.

VDCP

Video Disk Control Protocol. RS-422 based protocol used by the Louth Automation ADC

series.VDCP is the basis for control protocols for other manufacturers (such as Alamar),

as well. Video Server Toolkit can parse VDCP through serial ports or TCP/IP sockets.

Vela Research

Manufacturers of MPEG-2 Hardware & Software. Their Quad-SCSI decoder is supported

by Video Server Toolkit on the Silicon Graphics platform.

StreamCaster

A multi-channel digital broadcast play out application that runs on Silicon Graphics

servers. It is designed to play out more than 100 channels of stored MPEG-2 compressed

digital video, audio, and data over ATM.

VFRAME

Variable-frame optimized audio/video ﬁle format. As the name implies, it is frame-,

rather than stream-oriented, and has an separate index ﬁle associated with each media

ﬁle. This is the format used by Video Server Toolkit for all 601 (including lossless coded)

streams played out via DIVO-601, as well as M-JPEG on the O2 workstation.

Video Computing Platform

A software platform enabling developers to construct high-performance, scalable video

and audio applications on Silicon Graphics systems.

158

Glossary

VLAN

Video Local Area Network. A VLAN network allows a computer application to control

and synchronize all connected VTRs, switchers, DATs, mixers and DVEs.

VTR

A videotape recorder, which is a device that records and plays videotapes.

VVTR

Video Server Toolkit server. The Video Server Toolkit server is the main executable of the

Video Server Toolkit platform software.

159

adaptor board, 11, 16, 18

align media, 52

alignment, 52

archive interface modules, 9

archive systems, 3, 9, 68-76

updating clips, 75

audio, conﬁguring, 92

audio port, 92

automation controllers, 9

back to back playing, 89

clip

add and remove, 47

removing, 54

transfering, 50

clip, editing, 94

clip, ﬁnd a name, 86

clip, load and unload, 86

clip, recording, 93

clip cache, 8, 10, 17

Clip Manager, 27, 57-76

clips, 8

creating, 35

deleting, 63

managing, 57-76

obtaining information, 61

playing, 33

recording, 33, 35

renaming, 62

setting protections, 64

updating, 75

command, sequences, 87

commands, MVCP, 101

conﬁguration, listing settings, 91

conﬁguration, setting, 90

control interface modules, 6, 9

controller, errors, 99

cue buttons, 28, 34

cue decks, 87

cue points, 27, 36

Deck Control Panel, 37-43

devices, supported, 18

DIF, 49

DIVO, 16

DIVO_n, 156

DVB, 11, 16, 18

DVB-ASI, 10, 16

Index

160

Index

DVC, 10

DVC/DIVO, 10

DVCPRO, 6, 10

edit, 94

editing, frames, 95

edit marks, 28, 36

edit point, 86

end-to-end mode, 32, 41

error, controller, 99

error, MVCP, 99

error, unit, 100

error reporting, 99

exporting media data, 55

FailSafe, 77

troubleshooting, 79

features, new, 1

File System Monitor, 54

format interface modules, 6, 10

formats, digital media, 10

frame, editing, 95

FSmon, 54

fsmon, 54

GIGAchannel, 16

graphical user interface, 19-45, 57-65, 71-76

hardware overview, 14

high-availability, 77

image, displaying, emergency graphic, 96

interframe, 49

intraframe, 48, 49

JPEG, 49

JPEG, motion, 11, 35

logo, displaying, 96

Louth, 154

Louth automation controllers, 6, 9, 13, 17

major alignment, 53

mcclips, 19, 54

mcpanel, 19

mcstat, 19, 44

Media Control Panel, 20-43

buttons, 30

local mode, 32

remote mode, 32

starting, 20

media device interface modules, 6, 10

MediaPump, 11

161

Index

minor alignment, 52

monitor the system, 96

MPEG, 6, 11

MPEG, tool, 10

MPEG 2, 11, 16, 18

MPEG2, 10, 49

multi-disk, 52

multiplex, 11, 16, 18

Multiport Video Computer Protocol, 101

MVCP commands, 101

global commands, 110-115

response codes, 106

unit commands, 131-??

MVCP commands, displaying, 104

MVCP protocol, 9, 12

name, of clip, 86

non-real time ﬁle system, 50

O200, 16

PASS, 111

play, a clip, 88

play, back to back clips, 89

playing clips

controlling speed, 32

direction, 31

port 5250, 84

ports

media, 10, 12

video, 21

protocol, DVB-ASI, 10, 11, 16, 18

Quicktime, 55

RAID, 52

realigning, 53

recording a clip, 93

recording video, 93

redundant servers, 77

Rice, 49

Rice-coded, 49

Rice compression, 10

SDTI, 11

sequence commands, 87

Serial Digital Transport Interface, 11

server, failures, 79

servers, redundant, 77

shuttle dial, 32

software

overview, 6

statistics, 98

statistics, analysis, 98

status, 29

status, of units, 96

storage device interface modules, 10

162

Index

stream format, 50

streams, 11, 16, 18

StudioCentral, 3

telnet, 84

troubleshooting

FailSafe, 79

Unit, create and delete, 85

unit, errors, 100

unit, monitoring, 97

unit, status, 96

units, 12, 21

creating, 133

opening, 133

Unit Status Monitor, 27, 44, 44-45

USER, 112

VCP-Recorder, access manually, 84

VCP-Recorder Clip Manager, 54

Vela decoders, 6, 11, 16, 17

vframe format, 49

video, conﬁguring recording, 93

video decks, 17

controlling, 37-43

Video Server Toolkit, xiii

Viewgraphics, 11, 18

VST, xiii

vtrclip, 54

vtrmpegutil, 10

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