Avid Interplay Production Services Setup And User’s Guide 3.4 User's SUG V3 4 En

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Interplay®| Production Services

Setup and User’s Guide

Version 3.4

2

Legal Notices

Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part of Avid Technology, Inc.

This product is subject to the terms and conditions of a software license agreement provided with the software. The product may

only be used in accordance with the license agreement.

This product may be protected by one or more U.S. and non-U.S patents. Details are available at www.avid.com/patents.

This document is protected under copyright law. An authorized licensee of Interplay Production Services may reproduce this

publication for the licensee’s own use in learning how to use the software. This document may not be reproduced or distributed, in

whole or in part, for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this document or providing support or educational services to

others. This document is supplied as a guide for Interplay Production Services. Reasonable care has been taken in preparing the

information it contains. However, this document may contain omissions, technical inaccuracies, or typographical errors. Avid

Technology, Inc. does not accept responsibility of any kind for customers’ losses due to the use of this document. Product

specifications are subject to change without notice.

Copyright © 2015 Avid Technology, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.

The following disclaimer is required by Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics, Inc. for the use of their TIFF library:

Copyright © 1988–1997 Sam Leffler

Copyright © 1991–1997 Silicon Graphics, Inc.

Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software [i.e., the TIFF library] and its documentation for any purpose is

hereby granted without fee, provided that (i) the above copyright notices and this permission notice appear in all copies of the

software and related documentation, and (ii) the names of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics may not be used in any advertising or

publicity relating to the software without the specific, prior written permission of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE,

INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL SAM LEFFLER OR SILICON GRAPHICS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR

CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR

PROFITS, WHETHER OR NOT ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE, AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING

OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:

This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.

This Software may contain components licensed under the following conditions:

Copyright (c) 1989 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms are permitted provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are

duplicated in all such forms and that any documentation, advertising materials, and other materials related to such distribution and

use acknowledge that the software was developed by the University of California, Berkeley. The name of the University may not be

used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission. THIS SOFTWARE IS

PROVIDED ``AS IS'' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE

IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 by Jef Poskanzer.

Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby

granted, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice

appear in supporting documentation. This software is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.

Copyright 1995, Trinity College Computing Center. Written by David Chappell.

Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby

granted, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice

appear in supporting documentation. This software is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.

Copyright 1996 Daniel Dardailler.

Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the

above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting

documentation, and that the name of Daniel Dardailler not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the software

without specific, written prior permission. Daniel Dardailler makes no representations about the suitability of this software for any

purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.

3

Modifications Copyright 1999 Matt Koss, under the same license as above.

Copyright (c) 1991 by AT&T.

Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any purpose without fee is hereby granted, provided that this entire

notice is included in all copies of any software which is or includes a copy or modification of this software and in all copies of the

supporting documentation for such software.

THIS SOFTWARE IS BEING PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY. IN PARTICULAR,

NEITHER THE AUTHOR NOR AT&T MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND CONCERNING THE

MERCHANTABILITY OF THIS SOFTWARE OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

This product includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley and its contributors.

The following disclaimer is required by Nexidia Inc.:

© 2010 Nexidia Inc. All rights reserved, worldwide. Nexidia and the Nexidia logo are trademarks of Nexidia Inc. All other

trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All Nexidia materials regardless of form, including without limitation,

software applications, documentation and any other information relating to Nexidia Inc., and its products and services are the

exclusive property of Nexidia Inc. or its licensors. The Nexidia products and services described in these materials may be covered

by Nexidia's United States patents: 7,231,351; 7,263,484; 7,313,521; 7,324,939; 7,406,415, 7,475,065; 7,487,086 and/or other

patents pending and may be manufactured under license from the Georgia Tech Research Corporation USA.

The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:

Portions of this software licensed from Paradigm Matrix.

The following disclaimer is required by Ray Sauers Associates, Inc.:

“Install-It” is licensed from Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. End-User is prohibited from taking any action to derive a source code

equivalent of “Install-It,” including by reverse assembly or reverse compilation, Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. shall in no event be liable

for any damages resulting from reseller’s failure to perform reseller’s obligation; or any damages arising from use or operation of

reseller’s products or the software; or any other damages, including but not limited to, incidental, direct, indirect, special or

consequential Damages including lost profits, or damages resulting from loss of use or inability to use reseller’s products or the

software for any reason including copyright or patent infringement, or lost data, even if Ray Sauers Associates has been advised,

knew or should have known of the possibility of such damages.

The following disclaimer is required by Videomedia, Inc.:

“Videomedia, Inc. makes no warranties whatsoever, either express or implied, regarding this product, including warranties with

respect to its merchantability or its fitness for any particular purpose.”

“This software contains V-LAN ver. 3.0 Command Protocols which communicate with V-LAN ver. 3.0 products developed by

Videomedia, Inc. and V-LAN ver. 3.0 compatible products developed by third parties under license from Videomedia, Inc. Use of this

software will allow “frame accurate” editing control of applicable videotape recorder decks, videodisc recorders/players and the like.”

The following disclaimer is required by Altura Software, Inc. for the use of its Mac2Win software and Sample Source

Code:

©1993–1998 Altura Software, Inc.

The following disclaimer is required by Ultimatte Corporation:

Certain real-time compositing capabilities are provided under a license of such technology from Ultimatte Corporation and are

subject to copyright protection.

The following disclaimer is required by 3Prong.com Inc.:

Certain waveform and vector monitoring capabilities are provided under a license from 3Prong.com Inc.

The following disclaimer is required by Interplay Entertainment Corp.:

The “Interplay” name is used with the permission of Interplay Entertainment Corp., which bears no responsibility for Avid products.

This product includes portions of the Alloy Look & Feel software from Incors GmbH.

This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).

© DevelopMentor

4

This product may include the JCifs library, for which the following notice applies:

JCifs © Copyright 2004, The JCIFS Project, is licensed under LGPL (http://jcifs.samba.org/). See the LGPL.txt file in the Third Party

Software directory on the installation CD.

Avid Interplay contains components licensed from LavanTech. These components may only be used as part of and in connection

with Avid Interplay.

Portions © Copyright 2003-2007 of MOG Solutions.

Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend

U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. This Software and its documentation are “commercial computer software” or

“commercial computer software documentation.” In the event that such Software or documentation is acquired by or on behalf of a

unit or agency of the U.S. Government, all rights with respect to this Software and documentation are subject to the terms of the

License Agreement, pursuant to FAR §12.212(a) and/or DFARS §227.7202-1(a), as applicable.

Trademarks

003, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, Adrenaline, AirSpeed, ALEX, Alienbrain, AME, AniMatte, Archive, Archive II, Assistant

Station, AudioPages, AudioStation, AutoLoop, AutoSync, Avid, Avid Active, Avid Advanced Response, Avid DNA, Avid DNxcel, Avid

DNxHD, Avid DS Assist Station, Avid Ignite, Avid Liquid, Avid Media Engine, Avid Media Processor, Avid MEDIArray, Avid Mojo, Avid

Remote Response, Avid Unity, Avid Unity ISIS, Avid VideoRAID, AvidRAID, AvidShare, AVIDstripe, AVX, Beat Detective, Beauty

Without The Bandwidth, Beyond Reality, BF Essentials, Bomb Factory, Bruno, C|24, CaptureManager, ChromaCurve,

ChromaWheel, Cineractive Engine, Cineractive Player, Cineractive Viewer, Color Conductor, Command|24, Command|8,

Control|24, Cosmonaut Voice, CountDown, d2, d3, DAE, D-Command, D-Control, Deko, DekoCast, D-Fi, D-fx, Digi 002, Digi 003,

DigiBase, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign Development Partners, Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction,

Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiLink, DigiMeter, DigiPanner, DigiProNet, DigiRack, DigiSerial, DigiSnake, DigiSystem, Digital

Choreography, Digital Nonlinear Accelerator, DigiTest, DigiTranslator, DigiWear, DINR, DNxchange, Do More, DPP-1, D-Show, DSP

Manager, DS-StorageCalc, DV Toolkit, DVD Complete, D-Verb, Eleven, EM, Euphonix, EUCON, EveryPhase, Expander,

ExpertRender, Fader Pack, Fairchild, FastBreak, Fast Track, Film Cutter, FilmScribe, Flexevent, FluidMotion, Frame Chase, FXDeko,

HD Core, HD Process, HDpack, Home-to-Hollywood, HYBRID, HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM, iKnowledge, Image

Independence, Impact, Improv, iNEWS, iNEWS Assign, iNEWS ControlAir, InGame, Instantwrite, Instinct, Intelligent Content

Management, Intelligent Digital Actor Technology, IntelliRender, Intelli-Sat, Intelli-sat Broadcasting Recording Manager, InterFX,

Interplay, inTONE, Intraframe, iS Expander, iS9, iS18, iS23, iS36, ISIS, IsoSync, LaunchPad, LeaderPlus, LFX, Lightning, Link &

Sync, ListSync, LKT-200, Lo-Fi, MachineControl, Magic Mask, Make Anything Hollywood, make manage move | media, Marquee,

MassivePack, Massive Pack Pro, Maxim, Mbox, Media Composer, MediaFlow, MediaLog, MediaMix, Media Reader, Media

Recorder, MEDIArray, MediaServer, MediaShare, MetaFuze, MetaSync, MIDI I/O, Mix Rack, Moviestar, MultiShell, NaturalMatch,

NewsCutter, NewsView, NewsVision, Nitris, NL3D, NLP, NSDOS, NSWIN, OMF, OMF Interchange, OMM, OnDVD, Open Media

Framework, Open Media Management, Painterly Effects, Palladium, Personal Q, PET, Podcast Factory, PowerSwap, PRE,

ProControl, ProEncode, Profiler, Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro Transfer, QuickPunch,

QuietDrive, Realtime Motion Synthesis, Recti-Fi, Reel Tape Delay, Reel Tape Flanger, Reel Tape Saturation, Reprise, Res Rocket

Surfer, Reso, RetroLoop, Reverb One, ReVibe, Revolution, rS9, rS18, RTAS, Salesview, Sci-Fi, Scorch, ScriptSync,

SecureProductionEnvironment, Serv|GT, Serv|LT, Shape-to-Shape, ShuttleCase, Sibelius, SimulPlay, SimulRecord, Slightly Rude

Compressor, Smack!, Soft SampleCell, Soft-Clip Limiter, SoundReplacer, SPACE, SPACEShift, SpectraGraph, SpectraMatte,

SteadyGlide, Streamfactory, Streamgenie, StreamRAID, SubCap, Sundance, Sundance Digital, SurroundScope, Symphony, SYNC

HD, SYNC I/O, Synchronic, SynchroScope, Syntax, TDM FlexCable, TechFlix, Tel-Ray, Thunder, TimeLiner, Titansync, Titan, TL

Aggro, TL AutoPan, TL Drum Rehab, TL Everyphase, TL Fauxlder, TL In Tune, TL MasterMeter, TL Metro, TL Space, TL Utilities,

tools for storytellers, Transit, TransJammer, Trillium Lane Labs, TruTouch, UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Video the Web Way, VideoRAID,

VideoSPACE, VTEM, Work-N-Play, Xdeck, X-Form, Xmon and XPAND! are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid

Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.

Adobe and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or

other countries. Apple and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Windows

is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other

trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Interplay Production Services Setup and User’s Guide • Created September 22, 2015 • This document is distributed by Avid in

online (electronic) form only, and is not available for purchase in printed form.

Contents

Using This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Symbols and Conventions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

If You Need Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Viewing Help and Documentation on the Interplay Production Portal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Avid Training Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Chapter 1 Working with the Interplay | Production Services System 17

Understanding the Production Services System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Production Services Engine Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Understanding the Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Understanding the Interplay Production Services and Transfer Status Tool . . . . . . 19

Understanding the Various Production Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Production Services Used By MediaCentral | UX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

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

Licenses and Production Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

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

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

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

Changing the Hostname for the Interplay Auto Production Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Chapter 2 Production Services Engine Installation and Configuration 28

Check List for Setting Up the Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Registering the Production Services Engine in an Interplay Workgroup. . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Configuring the Production Services Engine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Starting the Production Services Engine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Automatically Connecting to a Backup Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Configuring and Connecting a Spare Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

6

Backing Up the Production Services Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Restoring the Production Services Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Chapter 3 Using the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Opening the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Using the Jobs Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Job Information and Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Customizing the Reporting of Service Job Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Customizing the Jobs Page Columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Filtering the Jobs List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Viewing Details About a Job. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Job Details Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Purging the Jobs List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Prioritizing a Job. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Canceling a Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Deleting a Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Retrying a Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Exporting the Jobs List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Using the Providers Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Opening the Providers Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Customizing the Providers Display. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Viewing Details About a Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Deleting Providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Using the Services Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Opening the Services Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Displaying Details About a Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Deleting a Production Services Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Using the Users Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Opening the Users Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Setting Up User Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Reassigning Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Deleting User Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

7

Chapter 4 Installing Services and Registering Providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Managing Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Registering Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Registering a Service Manually. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Configuring a Provider for the Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Verifying That a Service Provider Is Connected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Chapter 5 Working with Production Services Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Understanding Production Services Profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Creating a Service Provider Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Selecting Audio Formats for Copy, Move, and Deliver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Modifying Multiple Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Modifying Changed or New Options in a Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Exporting and Importing Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Chapter 6 Working with the Transcode Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Understanding the Transcode Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Check List for Transcoding Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Registering the Transcode Service with the Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . 105

Connecting the Transcode Provider to the Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Starting the Transcode Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Transcode Profile Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Mapping Audio Tracks in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE Modes . .

116

Mapping Multichannel Audio Tracks in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSS-

RATE Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Support for Surround Sound Audio Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Understanding the Transcode Services Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Understanding MIXDOWN Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Understanding DUALMIXDOWN Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Understanding DUALMIXDOWN Mode with Two Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Understanding CROSSRATE Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Understanding DATAEXTRACT Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

8

Transcoding an Asset from Interplay | Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Transcoding an Asset from an Avid Editing Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Transcoding OMF Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Working with an Auto Transcode Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Preparing the Workgroup for Auto Transcode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Identifying an Auto Transcode Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Transcoding Avid Assets Using an Auto Transcode Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Location of Automatically Transcoded Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Stereoscopic 3D Support in Interplay Transcode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Chapter 7 Working with the Archive and Restore Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Understanding Archive and Restore Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Check List for Archiving and Restoring Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Archive Configuration and Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Registering the Archive or Restore Service with the Production Services Engine . . . . 150

Configuring an Archive Provider or Restore Provider for the Production Services Engine. .

151

Configuring the Archive Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Specifying the Archive Server, Segment Size, and Restore Process . . . . . . . . . . 153

Archiving Duplicate Versions of Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Adding AAF Metadata to an Archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Defining the Maximum Number of Simultaneous Jobs for Archive and Restore . . 156

Overriding Metadata When You Archive an Asset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Connecting to the Archive Database and Creating Folders in Interplay Access. . . . . . 157

Working with Interplay Archive and Interplay Restore Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Creating an Interplay Archive or Interplay Restore Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Interplay Archive Profile and Interplay Restore Profile Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Locating the Partition Value for an Archive Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Archiving Assets from an Avid Editing Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Consolidating Clips and Sequences Before an Archive Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Deleting Online Media After an Archive Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Archiving Assets Using Interplay Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

9

Working with an Auto Archive Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Preparing the Workgroup for Auto Archive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Configuring Auto Archive Using Avid Service Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Verifying That the Auto Archive Service is Running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Setting Up an Auto Archive Folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Archiving Assets Using an Auto Archive Folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Location of Automatically Archived Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Searching the Archive Database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Restoring Assets from the Archive Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Working with Partial Restore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Performing a Partial Restore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Relinking Partially Restored Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Viewing Partially Restored Reference Tracks in Interplay Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

How the System Defines the Size of a Partially Restored File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Configuring a Workgroup to Use Multiple Archive Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Check List for Configuring and Using Multiple Archive Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Required Software for Multiple Archive Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Terminology for Multiple Archive Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Creating Profiles for Multiple Archive Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Configuring Asset Tracking for Multiple Archive Engines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Chapter 8 Working with the Copy Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Understanding the Copy Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Workflow for Copying Metadata and Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Check List for Copying Assets to Another Workgroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Registering the Copy Service with the Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Configuring a Copy Provider for the Production Services Engine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Using an Interplay Copy Service Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Creating an Interplay Copy Service Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

Interplay Copy Service Profile Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Copying Assets and Media to Another Workgroup Using Interplay Access . . . . . . . . . 218

Copying Assets and Media to Another Workgroup Using an Avid Editing Application . 221

10

Copying Assets During Ingest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Setting Registry Keys for Copying During Ingest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

Defining the Maximum Number of Simultaneous Jobs for Copy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Chapter 9 Automatically Copying Assets to Another Workgroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Understanding the Auto-Copy Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Check List for the Auto-Copy Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Installing the Interplay Auto-Copy Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Configuring the Auto-Copy Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

Verifying the Auto-Copy Service is Running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Understanding the Auto-Copy Folder Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Rules of Auto-Copy Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Identifying an Auto-Copy Folder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

Auto-Copying of Subfolders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Automatically Copying Assets To Another Workgroup Using an Auto-Copy Folder . . . 239

Automatically Backing Up the Complete Database and Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Changing the Number of Auto-Copy Replication Jobs Submitted . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Resetting the Auto-Copy Replication Scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Chapter 10 Working with the Move Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

Understanding the Move Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

Workflow for Moving Media to Another Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Check List for Moving Assets to Another Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

Registering the Move Service with the Production Services Engine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Configuring a Move Provider for the Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Creating a Interplay Move Service Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Moving Media to Another Workspace Using Interplay Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Defining the Maximum Number of Simultaneous Jobs for Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Chapter 11 Working with the Delivery Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Understanding the Delivery Service and Delivery Receiver Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261

Check List for the Delivery Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Registering the Delivery Receiver in an Interplay Production Workgroup . . . . . . . . . . 264

Registering the Delivery Service with the Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Configuring a Delivery Provider for the Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

11

Creating an Interplay | Delivery Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Creating Profiles for Specific Delivery Providers and Specific Delivery Receivers 272

Specifying User Credentials in a Delivery Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Transferring Assets Through Interplay Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

Transferring Assets through an Avid Editing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

Viewing the Transfer Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

Relinking Partially Delivered Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

Verifying the Delivery Receiver Service is Running Using Avid Service Framework . . 279

Monitoring the Health of the Interplay Delivery Receiver Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Overriding Delivery of Already Existing Media Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

Allowing Third-Party Providers to Directly Connect to the Interplay Delivery Service. . 283

Defining the Maximum Number of Simultaneous Jobs for Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Chapter 12 Working with the STP Encode Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Understanding Long GOP OP1a and STP Encode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Workflow for Background Processing of Long GOP Splicing and Transferring of Long GOP

OP1a Media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Check List for Transferring Long GOP OP1a Media in the Background. . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Registering the STP Encode Service with the Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . 290

Connecting the STP Encode Provider to the Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . 291

Starting the STP Encode Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Connecting to the Production Services Engine From Interplay Assist or an Avid Editing Ap-

plication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Connecting to the Production Services Engine from Interplay Assist . . . . . . . . . . 295

Connecting to the Production Services Engine from an Avid Editing Application . 296

Performing Send-to-Playback as a Background Process from Interplay Assist . . . . . . 297

Performing Send-to-Playback as a Background Process from an Avid Editing Application .

299

Chapter 13 Installing and Configuring Production Services for MediaCentral Delivery . .

301

Understanding Production Services for MediaCentral Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

Check List for Installing and Configuring Automation and Consolidate Services . . . . . 302

Prerequisites for Installing and Configuring Automation and Consolidate Services . . . 303

Installing the Automation and Consolidate Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

Registering the Automation and Consolidate Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

12

Registering a Provider with the Production Services Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

Registering a Production Services Automation Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

Registering and Connecting a Consolidate Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Creating a Consolidate Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Chapter 14 Troubleshooting Interplay | Production Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

General Troubleshooting for Production Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317

Checking Production Services Log Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

Troubleshooting Using Avid Diagnostics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Archive and Restore Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Finding Solutions to Specific Archive and Restore Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Compatibility of Archive and Restore Services and Third-Party Software . . . . . . . 324

Getting Information About an Archive or Restore Job from the Jobs Page . . . . . . 325

Getting Information About an Archive or Restore Job from a Log File. . . . . . . . . . 325

How the Production Services Status Tool Reports Archive and Restore Operations . .

325

Archive and Restore Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Manually Updating the Status of Media Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329

Using a HOSTS File for Production Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

Understanding the HOSTS File (Windows) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

Updating the HOSTS File (Windows). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332

Appendix A Media Supported by Partial Restore and Partial Delivery, Version 3.4 . . 334

Appendix B AVC-Intra Resolutions Supported by Interplay | Production Services . . 336

Appendix C Target Resolutions for Interplay | Transcode, Version 3.4 . . . . . . . . . . . . 338

Appendix D Maximum Number of Simultaneous Jobs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344

Using This Guide

Congratulations on your purchase of the Interplay®| Production Services system, consisting of

the Production Services Engine, the Production Services, and the Production Services and

Transfer Status tool.

nIn Interplay Production v3.1, the product name Interplay Media Services was changed to

Interplay |Production Services. The product name in the user interface and documentation was

changed in Interplay Production v3.3.

. The Production Services Engine lets you take advantage of a network environment and pass

compute-intensive tasks to other workstations on your network. This allows video editors to stay

focused on their editing tasks.

For example, today’s production houses face a rising demand for translating media into formats

suitable for distribution through many channels — often at the same time. By moving or

distributing this operation to lower cost, dedicated workstations, editing workstations are free to

perform other tasks, allowing you to generate two streams of revenue-producing work in parallel.

The Production Services Engine and its Production Services and Transfer Status tool are the keys

to managing these resource-intensive processes. This software infrastructure manages all of the

Production Services. As Avid develops new Production Services, the Production Services Engine

manages those services as well.

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

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

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

Symbols and Conventions

14

Symbols and Conventions

Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

nA note provides important related information, reminders,

recommendations, and strong suggestions.

cA caution means that a specific action you take could cause harm to

your computer or cause you to lose data.

wA warning describes an action that could cause you physical harm.

Follow the guidelines in this document or on the unit itself when

handling electrical equipment.

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

order you select them. For example, File > Import means to open the

File menu and then select the Import command.

This symbol indicates a single-step procedure. Multiple arrows in a list

indicate that you perform one of the actions listed.

(Windows), (Windows

only), (Macintosh), or

(Macintosh only)

This text indicates that the information applies only to the specified

operating system, either Windows or Macintosh OS X.

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

items and keyboard sequences.

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

Courier Bold font

Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.

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

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

| (pipe character) The pipe character is used in some Avid product names, such as

Interplay | Production. In this document, the pipe is used in product

names when they are in headings or at their first use in text.

If You Need Help

15

If You Need Help

If you are having trouble using your Avid product:

1. Retry the action, carefully following the instructions given for that task in this guide. It is

especially important to check each step of your workflow.

2. Check the latest information that might have become available after the documentation was

published. You should always check online for the most up-to-date release notes or ReadMe

because the online version is updated whenever new information becomes available. To view

these online versions, select ReadMe from the Help menu, or visit the Knowledge Base at

www.avid.com/support.

3. Check the documentation that came with your Avid application or your hardware for

maintenance or hardware-related issues.

4. Visit the online Knowledge Base at www.avid.com/support. Online services are available 24

hours per day, 7 days per week. Search this online Knowledge Base to find answers, to view

error messages, to access troubleshooting tips, to download updates, and to read or join

online message-board discussions.

Viewing Help and Documentation on the

Interplay Production Portal

You can quickly access the Interplay Production Help, links to the PDF versions of the

Interplay Production guides, and other useful links by viewing the Interplay Production User

Information Center on the Interplay Production Portal. The Interplay Production Portal is a Web

site that runs on the Interplay Production Engine.

You can access the Interplay Production User Information Center through a browser from any

system in the Interplay Production environment. You can also access it through the Help menu in

Interplay | Access and the Interplay | Administrator.

The Interplay Production Help combines information from all Interplay Production guides in one

Help system. It includes a combined index and a full-featured search. From the Interplay

Production Portal, you can run the Help in a browser or download a compiled (.chm) version for

use on other systems, such as a laptop.

To open the Interplay Production User Information Center through a browser:

1. Type the following line in a Web browser:

http://Interplay_Production_Engine_name

Avid Training Services

16

For Interplay_Production_Engine_name substitute the name of the computer running the

Interplay Production Engine software. For example, the following line opens the portal Web

page on a system named docwg:

http://docwg

2. Click the “Interplay Production User Information Center” link to access the Interplay

Production User Information Center Web page.

To open the Interplay Production User Information Center from Interplay Access or the

Interplay Administrator:

tSelect Help > Documentation Website on Server.

Avid Training Services

Avid makes lifelong learning, career advancement, and personal development easy and

convenient. Avid understands that the knowledge you need to differentiate yourself is always

changing, and Avid continually updates course content and offers new training delivery methods

that accommodate your pressured and competitive work environment.

For information on courses/schedules, training centers, certifications, courseware, and books,

please visit www.avid.com/support and follow the Training links, or call Avid Sales at

800-949-AVID (800-949-2843).

1Working with the Interplay | Production

Services System

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

•Understanding the Production Services System

•Production Services Engine Components

•Understanding the Various Production Services

•Production Services Used By MediaCentral | UX

•Check Lists for Setting Up and Using Service Providers

•Support for Restrictions

•Support for Group Clips

•Mounting Workspaces for Interplay Transcode and Other Production Services

•Changing the Hostname for the Interplay Auto Production Service

Understanding the Production Services System

The Production Services system is a software infrastructure on which various services are

layered. Production Services uses the concept of service providers. A service provider (or

provider) is a software service that can perform a particular job, such as transcoding media or

archiving assets. The Production Services Engine serves as a broker for services in an Interplay

workgroup.

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

(interlaced or progressive) in a project. Clips that do not match the frame rate or field motion

type of the project are known as mixed-rate clips. Interplay supports working with mixed-rate

clips and sequences with mixed-rate clips.

Production Services Engine Components

18

Production Services Engine Components

The software used to manage service providers is composed of two major components: the

Production Services Engine and the Production Services and Transfer Status tool.

The following topics describe these components:

•Understanding the Production Services Engine

•Understanding the Interplay Production Services and Transfer Status Tool

Understanding the Production Services Engine

The Production Services Engine acts as a broker to match jobs and their corresponding settings

with suitable providers. The Production Services Engine is a repository of job and provider

information. Individual providers select jobs that they are able to process according to the service

they provide.

For example, a Media Composer system (a client) needs a clip transcoded. It sends a request to

the Production Services Engine (the server) with information about the job. The Production

Services Engine places the information in a queue. When a Transcode provider is available to do

the transcoding, it selects the job, gets the information from the Production Services Engine, and

transcodes the media. The Production Services Engine provides status on the job through the

Production Services and Transfer Status tool.

The Production Services Engine should not reside on the same computer as an Avid editing

application. A provider can be installed on the same computer as the Production Services

Engine, depending on the individual provider and the workload and memory usage of the

particular computer.For specific information on configuration requirements, see the

Interplay | Production Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

The Avid Interplay Production Services window opens when you start the Production Services

Engine. The window displays current information about the status of the Production Services

Engine, including the host name for the system on which the Production Services Engine resides.

The Production Services Engine uses the host name to identify itself on the network.

Production Services Engine Components

19

The following illustration of the Avid Interplay Production Services window shows the host

name A51-WG1-MSE, which is the host name of the computer on which the Production

Services Engine is installed.

The Avid Interplay Production Services window provides access to the Production Services and

Transfer Status tool through the Admin Tool button. See “Understanding the Interplay

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 19.

The Avid Interplay Production Services window also provides access to Production Services

settings through the Settings button. See “Configuring the Production Services Engine” on

page 31.

For information on starting the Production Services Engine, see “Starting the Production

Services Engine” on page 35.

Understanding the Interplay Production Services and Transfer

Status Tool

The Interplay Production Services and Transfer Status tool communicates with the Production

Services Engine to let you manage Production Services. The Production Services and Transfer

Status tool is installed with the Production Services Engine software.

The Production Services and Transfer Status tool also includes a tab for monitoring transfers that

use Interplay Transfer. For more information, see the Interplay | Transfer Setup and User’s

Guide.

The following illustration shows the Production Services and Transfer Status tool opened to the

login/logout tab.

Production Services Engine Components

20

The Production Services and Transfer Status tool is installed with the Production Services

Engine. You can install it on another computer from the Individual Optional Installers page of

the Interplay Server Installer or the Interplay Client Installer, so that you can manage Production

Services from that computer. The tool is also installed with Interplay Access, but you need to

open the Production Services Status tab and the Transfer Status tab as separate windows.

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

• Provides detailed information about Production Services, based on lists of jobs, encoders,

profiles, and users.

• Provides controls for managing services and registering providers.

• Provides controls for managing Production Services such as canceling jobs, deleting

provider software, creating or deleting profiles, and creating or deleting users.

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

page 77). Administrators can perform the following tasks:

• Register and delete providers

• View details on any job

• Delete jobs submitted by any user

• Purge the jobs list

Understanding the Various Production Services

21

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

For more information, see “Using the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

Understanding the Various Production Services

Production Services can be distributed to dedicated workstations in a networked environment,

thereby freeing computer resources to perform other tasks.

When you install a Production Service on a computer, the installation program installs provider

software for that service. You can install the same service on more than one computer in an

Interplay workgroup, and as a result have multiple providers for the same service.

After you install a service, you use the Production Services and Transfer Status tool to register

the provider of the service. In a workgroup with multiple providers, you need to register each

provider.

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

Production Service Providers

Service Description

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

resolution to another. For example, you can use the Interplay

Transcode service to create a low-resolution version of a

sequence or master clip. For more information, see “Working

with the Transcode Service” on page 102.

Interplay Archive service

Avid Interplay Restore service

Provides access to archive and restore features. The Interplay

Archive and Restore services manage the process of moving data,

instead of using the Interplay Transfer Engine. For more

information, see “Working with the Archive and Restore

Services” on page 145.

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

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

the Copy Service” on page 204.

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

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

Service” on page 244.

Understanding the Various Production Services

22

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

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

“Working with the Delivery Service” on page 261 and

“Production Services Used By MediaCentral | UX” on page 23.

Interplay Auto Production Services

• Auto Archive

• Auto Transcode

• Auto Transfer

• Auto Copy

Lets you configure folders and subfolders to perform tasks

automatically. You can use the Avid Service Configuration

settings to configure the various Auto Production Services.

nAn auto archive and auto transcode operation includes

subfolders. An auto transfer operation does not include

subfolders. An auto copy operation maintains the same

folder structure as the source workgroup.

For installation instructions, see the Interplay | Production

Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

For more information, see the following:

•“Working with an Auto Archive Folder” on page 174

•“Working with an Auto Transcode Folder” on page 137

• “Automatically Transferring Assets to Another Workgroup”

in the Interplay | Transfer Setup and User’s Guide.

•“Automatically Copying Assets to Another Workgroup” on

page 228

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

exporting and transferring of Long GOP OP1a media, during a

send-to-playback request from the Avid editing application,

Interplay Assist, or MediaCentral UX. For more information, see

“Working with the STP Encode Service” on page 284 and

“Production Services Used By MediaCentral | UX” on page 23.

Interplay Production Services

Automation

(MediaCentral only) Handles the logic of chaining a Consolidate

job and a Delivery job. It triggers a Consolidate job and monitors

its status. If the Consolidate job is successful, it triggers a

Delivery job. For more information, see “Production Services

Used By MediaCentral | UX” on page 23 and “Installing and

Configuring Production Services for MediaCentral Delivery” on

page 301.

Production Service Providers (Continued)

Service Description

Production Services Used By MediaCentral | UX

23

nThe MediaCentral Distribution Service, which is used for MediaCentral send-to-playback

operations, is not managed by the Production Services Engine.

Production Services Used By MediaCentral | UX

Avid MediaCentral UX delivers workflow tools for media professionals through both Web and

mobile applications. It uses Interplay Production Services in the following workflows:

• Send to Playback (STP): STP from MediaCentral UX requires a Production Services Engine

and the following services:

- Interplay Transcode

- Interplay STP Encode

• Delivery: Delivery from MediaCentral UX requires a Production Services Engine and the

following services:

- Interplay Delivery

- Production Services Automation (for delivering Mark In to Mark Out)

- Interplay Consolidate (for delivering Mark In to Mark Out)

For more information, see the MediaCentral UX documentation and this guide.

nThe MediaCentral Distribution Service, which is used for MediaCentral send-to-playback

operations, is not managed by the Production Services Engine.

Check Lists for Setting Up and Using Service

Providers

The following table provides a list of the various Production Services providers with a reference

to the specific check list for each service. These check lists provide a list of the steps to set up

and use the various services.

Interplay Consolidate (MediaCentral only) Uses the In and Out marks specified for a

loaded clip or subclip to create a new media and asset.For more

information, see “Production Services Used By

MediaCentral | UX” on page 23 and “Installing and Configuring

Production Services for MediaCentral Delivery” on page 301.

Production Service Providers (Continued)

Service Description

Licenses and Production Services

24

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

Production Services Engine” on page 28.

Licenses and Production Services

A license is required for the Production Services Engine and most Production Services

providers. The license is activated in one of two ways:

• Through a hardware application key (dongle)

• Through software licensing (beginning with Interplay Production v3.3.

For more information, see the Interplay | Production Software Installation and Configuration

Guide.

Support for Restrictions

A restriction is a type of locator that Interplay Assist and Interplay Central users can add to a clip

to indicate that use of the clip is restricted in some way, such as a requirement to pay for its use.

Previous versions of Interplay preserved restrictions when you used an Avid editing application

to check out and check in a clip before sending it to a Production Service. For Interplay v3.0 and

later, checkout and checkin is no longer required, and you can send clips to Production Services

from Interplay Access, Interplay Assist, or an Avid editing application.

Production Service Provider Documentation

Interplay Transcode service “Check List for Transcoding Assets” on page 103

Interplay Archive service

Interplay Restore service

“Check List for Archiving and Restoring Assets” on page 147

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

page 209

Interplay Move service “Check List for Moving Assets to Another Workspace” on page 248

Interplay Delivery service “Check List for the Delivery Service” on page 263

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

Background” on page 289

Interplay Consolidate “Check List for Installing and Configuring Automation and

Consolidate Services” on page 302

Interplay Production Services

Automation

“Check List for Installing and Configuring Automation and

Consolidate Services” on page 302

Support for Group Clips

25

Interplay v3.0 and later supports preservation of restrictions for clips processed through all

Production Services, including:

• Interplay Access

• Interplay Archive

• Interplay Restore

• Interplay Transcode

• Interplay Copy

• Interplay Move

• Interplay Delivery

• Interplay Transfer

Workgroup-to-workgroup transfers processed through Interplay Access v3.0 require

Interplay Access v3.0 on the receiving Transfer Engine.

Note the following limitations:

• A restriction includes a color value (used for its markers) and the username of the creator.

These values are supported in the local workgroup. However, after a clip is transferred to

another workgroup or restored from archive, the values default to color = white and

username = the login name of the user requesting the job.

• A sequence that includes a master clip with restrictions uses a copy of the master clip. If a

user later changes the restriction on the master clip, the copy used in the sequence is not

updated.

Support for Group Clips

Group clips are created in Media Composer and other Avid editing applications by using

MultiCam features to sync a group of clips based on common source timecode, auxiliary

timecode, or marks placed in the footage. A user working in an Avid editing application can

check group clips in to and out from an Interplay Production database. Interplay Access users

can view information about group clips, including master clip relatives.

Starting with Interplay v3.0, group clips and sequences that contain group clips are supported by

Interplay Transfer and by the following Production Services:

• Interplay Archive v3.0

• Interplay Restore v3.0, including Partial Restore

• Interplay Copy v3.0

• Interplay Move v3.0

Mounting Workspaces for Interplay Transcode and Other Production Services

26

• Interplay Delivery v3.0, including Partial Delivery

• STP Encode v3.0

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

- You cannot use CROSSRATE mode to transcode group clips.

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

camera angle selected in the Avid editing application timeline is included in the

mixed-down master clip.

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

not currently supported by Interplay Transfer or Production Services.

Mounting Workspaces for Interplay Transcode and

Other Production Services

To use Interplay Transcode and other Production Services, you must mount at least one

workspace for each shared-storage system that you use for reading and writing on the provider

system. You can mount the workspace as a UNC drive or a lettered drive.In most cases, you do

not need to mount each workspace that you use, but there is no harm in doing so. For Interplay

Transcode, if you use lettered drives, you must mount the target workspace.

Note the following:

• Starting with version 2.6, the Interplay Transcode service and the STP Encode service

require you to choose during installation how ISIS workspaces are mounted: by drive letter

or by UNC path. For multiple ISIS workgroups, select UNC paths if the number of

workspaces required for the client exceeds the available drive letters. Mount the workspaces

before you start the service.

You use the ISIS Client Manager Connection Manager to mount drives. For more information on

mounting workspaces, see the Avid ISIS Client Manager Help.

Changing the Hostname for the Interplay Auto Production Service

27

Changing the Hostname for the Interplay Auto

Production Service

The following procedure describes how to change the hostname of the Interplay Auto Production

Service (for example, if you entered the name incorrectly the first time). You use the Avid

Service Configuration Tool. The Interplay Auto Production Service is named Avid Automatic

Archive, Copy, Transcode, and Transfer Service in the Avid Service Configuration tool.

To change the hostname for the Automatic Archive, Copy, Transcode, and Transfer

service:

1. Open the Avid Service Configuration tool.

2. Open the display for the system running the Automatic Archive, Copy, Transcode, and

Transfer service.

3. Click the Avid Automatic Archive, Copy, Transcode, and Transfer service.

4. Change the name and click Apply.

5. Use the Computer Management tool to restart the service as follows:

a. Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop.

b. Select Manage and select Services and Applications.

c. Restart the Avid Automatic Archive, Copy, Transcode, and Transfer service.

2Production Services Engine Installation

and Configuration

The following topics describe installation and configuration of the Production Services Engine:

•Check List for Setting Up the Production Services Engine

•Registering the Production Services Engine in an Interplay Workgroup‘

•Configuring the Production Services Engine

•Starting the Production Services Engine

•Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

Check List for Setting Up the Production Services

Engine

The following table provides a list of steps to perform when setting up the Production Services

Engine in an Interplay workgroup.

Setting up the Production Services Engine Check List

Task Section Reference

Make sure the workstation is configured as a

server for an Interplay workgroup.

See your hardware configuration documentation.

Make sure the Production Services application

key is connected to the server.

Install the Production Services Engine

software and the supporting software.

• Avid Service Framework for Client

• Interplay Access

• Production Services Engine

See the Interplay | Production Software

Installation and Configuration Guide.

Registering the Production Services Engine in an Interplay Workgroup

29

After you set up the Production Services Engine, install and configure the Production Services

providers. See “Check Lists for Setting Up and Using Service Providers” on page 23.

Registering the Production Services Engine in an

Interplay Workgroup

Before you can use any Production Services Engine services, you must register the Production

Services Engine in an Interplay workgroup by opening the Interplay Administrator and

identifying the system that runs the Production Services Engine. After you register the

Production Services Engine, the Production Services and Transfer Status tool automatically

connects to the Production Services Engine.

nIf you are performing an upgrade, you do not have to register existing Production Services

Engines.

Activate the Production Services Engine

license by connecting the application key

(dongle) to a USB port or by installing a

software license.

See Interplay | Production Software Installation

and Configuration Guide.

Register the Production Services Engine in the

Interplay workgroup.

See “Registering the Production Services Engine

in an Interplay Workgroup” on page 29.

Configure the Production Services Engine.

• Identify the workgroup’s Interplay Engine

system

• Setup auto-purging of jobs

• (Optional) Setup e-mail notifications

See “Configuring the Production Services

Engine” on page 31.

Start the Production Services Engine software. See “Starting the Production Services Engine” on

page 35.

(Optional) Set up a workgroup for Production

Services backup

“Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services

Backup” on page 36

Setting up the Production Services Engine Check List (Continued)

Task Section Reference

Registering the Production Services Engine in an Interplay Workgroup

30

To register the Production Services Engine in an Interplay workgroup:

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

Administrator.

The Avid Interplay Administrator opens.

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

Engine.

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

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

The Server Hostname Settings window opens.

4. In the Interplay Production Services Settings area, type the name of the system that runs the

Production Services Engine and click Apply Changes.

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

must add the hostname and the port number of the system where the Delivery Receiving service

is installed. For more information, see “Registering the Delivery Receiver in an

Interplay Production Workgroup” on page 264.

Configuring the Production Services Engine

31

5. (Option) While you have the Server Hostname Settings window open, it is a good time to

check whether you have entered the name of the workgroup in the Workgroup and

MediaIndexer Settings area of the window. The Avid Instinct and Interplay Assist

applications use this setting to locate the Media Indexer that is used to monitor shared

storage.

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

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

is case sensitive.

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

storage is running.

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

Indexer successfully.”

6. Click Log out and close the Interplay Administrator.

Configuring the Production Services Engine

After installing the Production Services Engine software, you can configure the Production

Services Engine for the following optional settings:

• Send e-mail notifications about the status of jobs. With this configuration, the Production

Services Engine sends a notice for successful job completion when a Media Composer user

selects “Notify me of job completion by email” in the Production Services Settings dialog

box and supplies an e-mail address. See “Archiving Assets from an Avid Editing

Application” on page 166 and “Transcoding an Asset from an Avid Editing Application” on

page 133.

nThe Users Tab of the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool includes a field for an e-mail

address. This field is for information only and is not used for Production Services e-mail

notification.

Configuring the Production Services Engine

32

• Identify the workgroup’s Interplay Engine system.

By identifying the Interplay Engine system, when you log in to the Production Services

Engine, the Production Services user information is updated with the user information in the

Interplay Administrator. As a result, you do not need to manage a separate user database for

Production Services. See “Using the Users Page” on page 77.

•Automatically purge Production Services jobs to improve the performance of the Production

Services and Transfer Status tool. There are two different types of auto-purge processes you

can set:

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

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

intervals.

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

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

You can select either process or both processes. The auto-purge settings take effect

immediately; you do not have to restart the Production Services Engine. If you want to

cancel a scheduled auto-purge process, you must cancel the process before it starts. After an

auto-purge process begins you cannot cancel the process.

cWhen scheduling the auto-purge process, you should choose a low activity time. The

auto-purge process might impact the server’s performance and the ability to connect.

nThe History area on the Interplay Production Services Engine window provides information

about the auto-purge settings, such as any changes made to the settings.

To configure the Production Services Engine settings:

1. Click Start and select Programs > Avid > Interplay Production Services Engine.

The Avid Interplay Production Services window opens.

2. Click the Settings button.

The Interplay Production Services Engine Settings dialog box opens.

Configuring the Production Services Engine

33

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

4. In the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) Server text box, type the name of your local

mail server (for example, mail.mycompany.com). If you don’t know the name of your local

mail server, ask your network administrator.

5. In the From Address text box, type an e-mail address for the Production Services Engine.

For example, broker@mycompany.com.

6. (Option) You can configure an SMTP Username and SMTP Password if your network

supports secure e-mail. These settings give the Production Services Engine a name and

password so that is can successfully send e-mail notification. If a network does not use

secure e-mail, the settings do not apply and are disregarded.

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

Configuring the Production Services Engine

34

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

system.

If this text box is left blank, the Production Services user information in the Interplay

Administrator is not used for authentication during login.

8. (Option) If you want to use the once-a-day auto-purge, select On from the auto-purge

Enabled list, then select the following settings:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Purge list, then select the following settings.

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

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

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

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

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

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

interval timer. The auto-purge interval timer checks if there are a sufficient number of

jobs to purge (see the next option). For example, if you enter 50, the auto-purge interval

timer starts every fifty minutes. The default value is 60. The minimum value is 15 and

the maximum value is 1,440 minutes (24 hours).

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

the number of jobs in the Production Services queue is greater than or equal to this

number when the interval timer runs, Production Services will purge the jobs you have

selected for purging (cancelled jobs, completed jobs, or error jobs - pending jobs are not

included). The default value is 5000. The minimum value is 100 and the maximum

value is 15,000.

For both these options, if you enter a number below the minimum value, the Production

Services Engine will use the minimum value. If you enter a number above the maximum

value, the engine will use the maximum value. If you enter nothing or enter an invalid

value in the field, the engine will use the default value.

Starting the Production Services Engine

35

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

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

10. Click OK.

The Interplay Production Services Engine Settings dialog box closes.

Starting the Production Services Engine

Starting with Interplay Production v3.4, the Production Services Engine automatically starts

when you start the server that hosts the engine. Use this procedure if you need to start the

Production Services Engine manually.

To start the Production Services Engine:

tClick Start and select Programs > Avid > Avid Interplay Production Services Engine.

The Avid Interplay Production Services window opens.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

36

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services

Backup

A facility can set up a backup configuration for the Production Services Engine in case there is

system crash or the engine goes offline for some other reason. There are two approaches a

facility can use:

• Prepare one or two backup Production Services Engines and configure providers to

automatically connect to the backup engines. See “Automatically Connecting to a Backup

Production Services Engine” on page 36.

•Prepare spare engines (warm spare, cold spare, or both). See “Configuring and Connecting a

Spare Production Services Engine” on page 42.

A facility can use one or both approaches. In the second case, it is critical to regularly back up

the Production Services database. See “Backing Up the Production Services Database” on

page 43. Profiles are backed up as part of the database, but you can also export and import

Production Services profiles. See “Exporting and Importing Profiles” on page 98.

Automatically Connecting to a Backup Production Services Engine

Starting with Interplay Production 3.4, a Production Services provider can automatically connect

to a backup Production Services Engine in case the connection between the provider and the

primary engine is lost.

nThe Production Services Engine is sometimes referred to as the Media Services Broker or the

DMS Broker.

The following topics describe automatically connecting to a backup Production Services Engine:

•“How Auto-Connection to a Production Services Engine Works” on page 37

•“Preparing a Workgroup for Auto-Connection to a Backup Production Services Engine” on

page 38

•“Configuring Providers for Auto-Connection to a Backup Production Services Engine” on

page 39

•“Manual Requirements to Connect to a Backup Production Services Engine” on page 40

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

37

How Auto-Connection to a Production Services Engine Works

Interplay Production providers can automatically connect (auto-connect) to the Production

Services Engine when the provider starts.

• Production Services that run as Windows applications (Interplay Transcode, STP Encode,

and Interplay Consolidate) have an option to automatically connect in the Settings dialog

box.

• Other Production Services, which run as Windows services, always automatically connect.

If a provider fails to connect to a Production Services Engine (during operations such as status

reporting or job listing), the auto-connect is repeated every 30 seconds so long as the provider

remains unconnected to the engine.

Starting with Interplay Production 3.4, a provider’s initialization file can contain hostnames for

one backup engine (referred to as the secondary engine) or two backup engines (the secondary

engine and the tertiary engine). As a result, if the provider cannot connect to the primary engine,

the provider tries to connect to the secondary engine and then to the tertiary engine. If the

provider cannot connect to any of the engines, the provider waits for 30 seconds and tries to

connect to the engines again, beginning with the primary engine.

See “Configuring Providers for Auto-Connection to a Backup Production Services Engine” on

page 39

If the primary engine goes down, all currently running state information is lost. All other job

information remains with the primary engine and can resume when the engine comes back up.

Switching from one engine to another does not carry existing jobs to the other engine or

re-submit currently running or pending jobs. All current running and pending jobs must be

re-submitted manually to the new engine.

q

Primary Production

Services Engine

Secondary Production

Services Engine

Tertiary Production

Services Engine

Production Services

Provider

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

38

Manual Requirements After a Failover

If a failover to a backup Production Services Engine occurs, manual tasks are required for the

following components:

• Interplay Access and Interplay Administrator

• Interplay Auto Production services (Auto Archive, Auto Transcode, Auto Transfer, and Auto

Copy)

• Media Composer clients

See “Manual Requirements to Connect to a Backup Production Services Engine” on page 40.

Preparing a Workgroup for Auto-Connection to a Backup Production Services Engine

Use the following check list to help you prepare the workgroup for auto-connection.

Preparing a Workgroup for Auto-Connection to a Backup Production Services Engine

Task Section Reference

Install and configure one backup engine

(referred to as the secondary engine) or two

backup engines (the secondary engine and the

tertiary engine).

• Make sure all engines and providers are

running Interplay Production v3.4 or later.

• Make sure the engines are configured in

the same Interplay workgroup as the

primary engine, with the same users and

profiles. You can use a database backup to

configure the backup engines.

• The hostnames must be network

addressable through DNS or IP address.

“Check List for Setting Up the Production

Services Engine” on page 28

“Backing Up the Production Services Database”

on page 43

Configure providers to connect to the backup

engines.

“Configuring Providers for Auto-Connection to a

Backup Production Services Engine” on page 39

After the initial installation and configuration,

make sure all Production Services Engines

have the same profiles. If additional profiles

are added to the primary engine, you can

export them to the backup engines.

“Exporting and Importing Profiles” on page 98

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

39

Configuring Providers for Auto-Connection to a Backup Production Services Engine

Before configuring providers for auto-connection, see “Setting Up a Workgroup for Production

Services Backup” on page 36.

To configure a provider to automatically connect to one or two backup engines:

1. Locate the .ini file, using the following table.

2. Open the .ini file in a text editor and add the backup engines. Use the following syntax.

Substitute the appropriate backup engine hostnames for

secondary engine name

and

tertiary engine name

.

@6%tSecondary_Media_Services_Engine_Hostname=<secondary engine name>

@7%tTertiary_Media_Services_Engine_Hostname=<tertiary engine name>

3. Save the file.

4. Restart the provider.

Service Path for .ini File and Log Files

Interplay | Archive C:\ProgramData\Avid\Archive Service\DMSArchive.ini

Interplay | Consolidate C:\ProgramData\Avid\Consolidate Service\DMSConsolidate.ini

Interplay | Copy C:\ProgramData\Avid\Copy Service\DMSCopyMedia.ini

Interplay | Delivery C:\ProgramData\Avid\Delivery Service\DMSIDService.ini

Interplay | Production Services

Automation

C:\ProgramData\Avid\Media Services Automation\DMSCMService.ini

Interplay | Move C:\ProgramData\Avid\Move Service\DMSMoveMedia.ini

Interplay | Restore C:\ProgramData\Avid\Restore Service\DMSRestore.ini

Interplay | STP Encode C:\ProgramData\Avid\Avid Interplay STP Encode\STPEncode.ini

Interplay | Transcode C:\ProgramData\Avid\Transcode Service\DMSTranscode.ini

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

40

Manual Requirements to Connect to a Backup Production Services Engine

If a failover to a backup Production Services Engine occurs, an administrator must perform the

following tasks:

• Interplay Access and Interplay Administrator: You must change the Production Services

Engine name in the Interplay Administrator to the name of the currently connected engine.

Changing this value allows Interplay Access clients and Interplay Auto Production Services

to switch to the currently connected engine.

• Interplay Auto Production Services (Auto Archive, Auto Transcode, Auto Transfer, and

Auto Copy): You must manually restart the Interplay Auto Production Services service in

the Services tab of the Computer Management window to connect to the Production

Services Engine specified in the Interplay Administrator.

• Media Composer: A user or administrator must change the Hostname in the Production

Services Settings dialog box to the name of the currently connected engine. This must be

done for each Media Composer client.

This manual reconfiguring must also be done for Media Composer Cloud clients.

To change the Production Services Engine name:

1. Open the Interplay Administrator and log in to the Interplay Production workgroup for

which you want to change the Production Services Engine name.

2. In the Site Settings section of the Interplay Administrator window, click the Server

Hostname Settings icon.

3. In the Interplay Production Services Engine text box, type the name of the currently

connected engine.

4. Click Apply Changes.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

41

To restart Interplay Auto Production Services:

1. On the system running Auto Production Services, right-click the My Computer icon and

select Manage.

2. Double-click the Services and Applications icon, then double-click Services.

3. Right-click Avid Interplay Auto Production Services and select Start.

To change the Production Services Engine name for a Media Composer client:

1. In the Settings window, double-click Production Services Settings.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

42

2. In the Hostname text box, type the name of the currently connected engine.

3. Click OK.

Configuring and Connecting a Spare Production Services Engine

To prepare for the online Production Services Engine going off line, an administrator can prepare

a spare Production Services Engine. This spare can be a cold spare or a warm spare.

•A cold spare has the same machine name and IP address as the primary Production Services

Engine. It is turned off until needed. It requires approximately 90 minutes to bring the

system up.

•A warm spare also has the same machine name and IP address as the primary Production

Services Engine. It is turned on but not connected to the network until needed. It requires

approximately 30 minutes to bring the system up.

nA spare engine is different from a backup engine because it uses the same machine name and IP

address as the primary engine. See “Automatically Connecting to a Backup Production Services

Engine” on page 36.

Use the following check list to prepare a cold or warm spare.

Preparing a Spare Production Services Engine

Task Section Reference

Configure the server to use the same machine

name and IP address as the primary Production

Services Engine.

Windows system documentation.

Install and set up the spare Production Services

Engine.

“Check List for Setting Up the Production

Services Engine” on page 28

Configure Interplay Transcode, STP Encode,

and Interplay Consolidate to automatically

connect to the Production Services Engine.

nOther Production Services run as

Windows services and are set to

automatically connect.

•“Connecting the Transcode Provider to the

Production Services Engine” on page 106

•“Connecting the STP Encode Provider to the

Production Services Engine” on page 291

•“Registering and Connecting a Consolidate

Provider” on page 310

Back up the Production Services database on

the primary Production Services Engine.

“Backing Up the Production Services Database”

on page 43

For a cold spare, turn off the server.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

43

If the primary Production Services Engine goes offline, use one of the following procedures.

To bring a cold spare on line:

1. Remove the offline engine from the network.

2. Start the cold spare and connect it to the network.

3. Restore the most recent Production Services database backup.

4. Restart the Production Services Engine.

To bring a warm spare on line:

1. Remove the offline engine from the network.

2. Connect the warm spare to the network.

3. Restore the most recent Production Services database backup.

4. Restart the Production Services Engine.

Backing Up the Production Services Database

The Interplay Production Services system uses a Microsoft SQL Server®2012 database (named

“dmsdb”) to hold user names, profiles, and job information. If a facility is using warm spare/cold

spare Production Services Engine backup configuration, it is critical to create a database backup.

An administrator can then restore the database if necessary.

The following steps describe how to do a manual backup of the database. For information on

how to schedule an automated backup, see the Microsoft SQL 2012 Server Management Studio

documentation.

Prerequisite: Obtain SQL Server Management Studio 2012 (SSMS) and install it on all

Production Services Engines (primary and backup). You can download the application from

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/mt238488.aspx. Select “SQL Server Management

Studio 2012 SP2.”

For a warm spare, keep the server on. Do not

connect it to the network.

Preparing a Spare Production Services Engine (Continued)

Task Section Reference

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

44

To manually back up the Production Services database:

1. On the server running the Production Services database you want to back up, start SQL

Server Management Studio and connect to the local host. In most cases, use Windows

Authentication (the user logged into Windows). The user needs Windows Administrator

permissions to connect to the SQL database.

In the following example, the server name of the local host is BURL-LT-JALI.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

45

2. In the Object Explorer, expand Databases, and select dmsdb.

3. Right-click dmsdb and select Tasks > Back Up.

The Backup Database dialog box opens to the General page.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

46

4. Select the Source and Backup Set options as shown in the following table.

Section Option Selection

Source Database dmsdb

Recovery model SIMPLE

Backup type Full

Copy only Backup

Backup component Database

Backup Set Name dmsdb-Full Database Backup

Description Optional

Backup set will expire After 0 days

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

47

5. Set the destination folder (the location for the backup file) and backup file name.

cIf a destination already exists in the Destination list, it will be overwritten. Select the

existing destination or destinations and click Remove.

a. In the Destination section, click Add.

The Select Backup Destination dialog box opens.

b. Click the … (Browse) button.

The Locate Database Files dialog box opens.

c. Select the folder path and enter a name for the backup file.

Consider using a folder named Backup in the Microsoft SQL Server folder, and the date

of the manual backup in the file name, as shown in the following illustration.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

48

d. Click OK.

The path and file name are displayed in the Destination list.

6. On the left side of the Back Up Database dialog box, select Options.

The Options page is displayed.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

49

7. Select the following options:

- Back up to the existing media set

- Overwrite all existing backup sets

- Verify backup when finished

- Set backup compression: Use the default server setting

Other settings are not needed.

8. Click OK to start the backup operation.

9. After the backup operation is complete, copy the database backup file to another machine in

case the primary Production Services Engine goes off line.

Restoring the Production Services Database

The following steps describe how to restore a Production Services database. Restoring the

database is necessary in case the primary Production Services Engine goes off line and an

administrator needs to bring a backup engine on line.

Prerequisite: Make at least one Production Services database backup. See “Backing Up the

Production Services Database” on page 43.

To restore the Production Services database:

1. On the server running the Production Services database you need to update, start SQL Server

Management Studio and connect to the local host. In most cases, use Windows

Authentication (the user logged into Windows). The user needs Windows Administrator

permissions to connect to the SQL database.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

50

In the following example, the hostname of the Production Services Engine is

BURL-LT-JALI.

2. In the Object Explorer, expand the Databases folder and select dmsdb.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

51

3. Right-click dmsdb and select Tasks > Restore > Database.

The Restore Database dialog box opens.

4. Select Device and click the ... (Browse) button.

The Select Backup Devices dialog box opens.

5. Click the Add button.

The Locate Backup File dialog box opens.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

52

6. Navigate to the database backup file, select it, and click OK.

In the Restore Database dialog box, the “Backup sets to restore” field is populated with

information about the selected backup.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

53

7. On the left side of the dialog box, click Options.

The Options page is displayed.

8. Select the following options:

- Overwrite the existing database

- Recovery state: RESTORE WITH RECOVERY

- Close existing connections to destination database

Other settings are not needed.

9. Click OK to start the restore operation.

10. After the restore is completed, you need to rename the user “dms” in the dmsdb database.

This user is carried over from the database of the original server, but should not be used on

the backup server. You need to create a new dms user in the dmsdb.

a. In Object Explorer, expand dmsdb > Security > Users.

b. Right-click the user “dms” and select Rename.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

54

c. Rename “dms” to a meaningful name, such as “dms-orig.”

d. Right-click Users and select New User.

e. Create a user named “dms” with the login name “dms,” as shown in the following

illustration.

Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services Backup

55

f. In the “Select a page” section, select Membership and select “db_owner.”

g. Click OK.

3Using the Production Services and

Transfer Status Tool

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

•Opening the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool

•Production Services and Transfer Status Tool User Interface

•Using the Jobs Page

•Using the Providers Page

•Using the Services Page

•Using the Users Page

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

Interplay Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 19.

Opening the Production Services and Transfer

Status Tool

The Production Services and Transfer Status tool (also referred to as the Admin Tool) can be

used on any computer that has a network connection to a computer running the Production

Services Engine.

To open the Production Services and Transfer Status tool:

1. Do one of the following:

tFrom the Avid Interplay Production Services window, click Admin Tool.

tFor a standalone application, click Start and select Programs > Avid > Avid Production

Services and Transfer Status.

tFrom Interplay Access, select View > Interplay Production Services Status.

tFrom the Interplay Administrator, in the Site Settings area, click the Interplay

Production Services icon.

2. Type your username and password. See “Using the Users Page” on page 77.

Opening the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool

57

If you opened Production Services Status from Interplay Access or the Interplay

Administrator, access is controlled by the information you used when you logged into

Interplay Access or the Interplay Administrator.

3. Type the host name of the system on which the Production Services Engine resides in the

Production Services Host text box.

The Production Services host name is the name of the computer that the Production Services

Engine runs on. You can find the host name in the Name field of the Production Services

window. Previously typed host names are available from the Production Services Host

menu.

4. Click the Login button.

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

Jobs page, see “Using the Jobs Page” on page 58.

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool User Interface

58

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool User

Interface

The Production Services and Transfer Status tool user interface is made up of five pages (in

addition to the Login/Logout page). These pages are described in the following table:

Using the Jobs Page

The Jobs page displays information about Production Services jobs and lets you cancel, delete,

and retry jobs. The Jobs page opens by default after you log in to the Production Services and

Transfer Status tool.

The following illustration shows a list of jobs filtered to show only jobs for the Interplay Copy

service.

Production Services Status Administration Tool Pages

Page Description Section Reference

Jobs Displays the status and other information about jobs

submitted to the Production Services Engine. Lets you

cancel or retry jobs, depending on your level of

privilege.

See “Using the Jobs Page” on

page 58.

Providers Displays information about systems that are running

Production Services provider software. Lets you

register and delete providers, depending on your level

of privilege.

See “Using the Providers Page”

on page 71.

Services Displays a list of services and service information.

Lets you install and delete services.

See “Using the Services Page” on

page 74.

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

delete accounts, depending on your level of privilege.

See “Using the Users Page” on

page 77.

Profiles Lets you create templates to use when performing an

operation.

See “Working with Production

Services Profiles” on page 92.

Using the Jobs Page

59

The following topics describe the options available from the Jobs page and how you can

customize the display:

•Job Information and Status

•Customizing the Reporting of Service Job Status

•Customizing the Jobs Page Columns

•Filtering the Jobs List

•Viewing Details About a Job

•Purging the Jobs List

•Prioritizing a Job

•Canceling a Job

•Deleting a Job

•Retrying a Job

•Exporting the Jobs List

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

on page 31.

Using the Jobs Page

60

Job Information and Status

The Jobs page displays information about jobs submitted to the Production Services Engine. You

can specify how the status of the various service jobs are reported. See “Customizing the

Reporting of Service Job Status” on page 62.

When a job is submitted, the transaction is displayed at the top of the Jobs list by default. You

can reorder the list by any column by clicking in the column heading.

The following illustration shows jobs that have successfully processed (check mark and green

bar) and one that failed with an error (caution icon and red bar). A turn down arrow displays a

job that includes multiple assets.

Using the Jobs Page

61

The following table describes the information displayed for processed jobs.

Jobs Page

Column Description

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

• Yellow bar with no icon = Job is processing.

• Green bar with check mark icon = Job is completed.

• Light green bar with question mark = Job is completed with a warning.

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

• Red bar with caution icon = Job has failed with an error.

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

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

Job Name The file name submitted by the client to the Production Services Engine. This might

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

nAdministrators can view information about all jobs. Users without

administrator privileges can view all jobs, but can see only the user name and

job name of their own jobs.

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

User The name of the user who submitted the job.

nAdministrators can view information about all jobs. Users without

administrator privileges can view all jobs, but can see only the user name and

job name of their own jobs.

Progress (%) The percentage of the job completed.

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

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

Engine.

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

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

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

Using the Jobs Page

62

Customizing the Reporting of Service Job Status

You can customize the status reporting for the following Production Services:

• Archive service

•Restore service

• Copy service

• Move service

•Delivery service

For example, during an archive operation, if one of the media files cannot be found, you can set

the reporting to the Jobs tab of the Production Services and Transfer Status tool to display one of

the following status indicators:

This section describes how to use the Avid Service Configuration tool to set which reporting

status displays with the various conditions of service jobs.

Avid Service Configuration is an application that is included with the Avid Service Framework

services. It lets you set and change parameters for each of the different Avid services and

applications in your workgroup environment. For more information about Avid Service

Framework, see the Avid Service Framework User’s Guide.

To customize the job status displays for various Production Services:

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

Programs > Avid > Avid Service Framework > Avid Service Configuration.

The Select Workgroup dialog box opens.

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

use this workgroup option was previously selected. When you select this option, the Select

Workgroup dialog box no longer opens when you start the application. The default workgroup is

selected, and the Avid Service Configuration window opens. To change this option and display

the Select Workgroup dialog box, click the Login tab of the Avid Framework Workgroup

Properties application and clear the check box for the option.

Job Status Display Description

Green with check mark icon Job completed

Green with question mark icon Job completed with a warning

Caution icon Job failed with an error

Using the Jobs Page

63

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

connect to and click Select.

The Avid Service Configuration window opens.

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

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

running or the system it runs on is not properly connected to the workgroup. Click the Hosts tab

and make sure that the Avid Service Framework services displays the name of the system that the

service is running on.

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

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

5. Click the computer name.

The Administrator Password Needed dialog box opens.

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

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

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

correct password.

The system displays the setting tab for the service.

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

The following example shows the Archive Service settings.

Using the Jobs Page

64

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

8. Click Apply.

Customizing the Jobs Page Columns

The Production Services and Transfer Status tool provides options to customize the columns

displayed on the Jobs page.

To customize which columns display on the Jobs page:

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

the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

The Jobs page opens by default after you log in to the Production Services and Transfer

Status tool.

2. In the Tools area, click Customize columns.

The Choose Columns dialog box opens.

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

4. Click OK.

The columns change to show the selections.

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

6. (Option) Click a column heading to reorder the jobs list by the selected column. The

ordering of the column depends on the contents of the column. For example, job IDs are

ordered numerically, either in ascending order or descending order.

Filtering the Jobs List

By default, the Jobs list displays all jobs that the Production Services Engine is currently

monitoring. You can customize your view to show only your jobs, to show jobs for a specific

service, or to show only jobs in a selected state.

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

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

Option Job Status Display / Description

OK Green with check mark icon / Job completed

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

Error Caution icon / Job failed with an error

Using the Jobs Page

65

To customize the Jobs list:

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

the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

The Jobs page opens by default after you log in to the Production Services and Transfer

Status tool.

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

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

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

- All — Displays all jobs with their current status.

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

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

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

privileges.

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

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

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

- ALL — Displays all priority jobs.

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

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

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

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

Viewing Details About a Job

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

To view details about a job:

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

the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

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

3. Click the Details button or right-click the job and select Details.

The Job Details window opens.

Using the Jobs Page

66

Job Details Window

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

Details window.

Entry Description

Job Information

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

might include information appended to the file name, depending on the service

requirements.

Using the Jobs Page

67

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

Interplay Archive Service.

State The current state of the job.

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

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

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

Requested Provider The name of the provider requested

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

Batch ID The number of the batch containing the job.

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

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

Services Engine.

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

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

Error (if applicable) A message describing the error. Some errors and possible solutions are listed in

“Troubleshooting Interplay | Production Services” on page 317.

Severity (if applicable) The severity of the error (for example, fatal, non-fatal).

Progress The percentage of the job that has been processed.

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

disabled.

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

Output Parameters Shows the result of the operation.

Entry Description

Job Information

Using the Jobs Page

68

Purging the Jobs List

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

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

the Production Services Engine” on page 31.

To purge the Jobs list:

1. Open the Production Services and Transfer Status tool and log in as a user with

administrator privileges. For more information, see “Opening the Production Services and

Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. On the Jobs page, click the Purge button or right-click the job and select Purge.

The Purge Jobs dialog box opens.

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

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

want to purge.

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

6. Click the Purge button.

The Jobs list no longer contains the jobs you selected. If a purge fails, a dialog box opens

with a list of the jobs that failed to delete and a reason for the failure.

Using the Jobs Page

69

Prioritizing a Job

You can prioritize the order of the pending jobs. The priority number assigned to a job indicates

the job’s position in the queue for a specific provider. This setting lets you order jobs in a desired

sequence and also move a job to the top of the queue. Priority numbers range from 1 (highest

priority) through 100 (lowest priority). The default priority number assigned to each job is 50.

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

following:

• Priority numbers are relative only to jobs within a given service. For example, a transcode

job set with priority 1 might not execute before an archive job with priority 100.

• If the same priority number is assigned to several jobs of a specific provider, then all these

jobs have an equal chance of executing.

To prioritize a job:

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

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

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

3. Click the Priority button or right-click the job and select Priority.

The Set Job Priority dialog box opens.

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

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

5. Click OK.

The Priority column displays the new priority for the job.

Canceling a Job

Jobs can be canceled during the Pending or the Processing state. A user can cancel only jobs that

have been submitted under his or her Production Services user name. An administrator can

cancel any job.

Providers periodically check the Production Services Engine for jobs that might need to be

canceled. When a job is canceled, it might take a short time for the job to actually stop and the

status change to be reflected. It is also possible that a job might finish before it can be canceled.

In this case, a dialog box might open stating that the Production Services Engine was unable to

cancel the job.

Using the Jobs Page

70

To cancel a job:

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

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

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

3. Click the Cancel button or right-click the job and select Cancel.

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

4. Click OK to cancel the job.

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

Deleting a Job

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

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

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

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

3. Click the Delete button or right-click the job and select Delete.

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

4. Click OK to delete the job.

Retrying a Job

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

To retry a job:

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

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

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

3. Click the Retry button or right-click the job and select Delete.

The Production Services Engine changes the state to Pending and places the job in the queue

for the next available provider.

Exporting the Jobs List

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

Using the Providers Page

71

To export the Jobs list:

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

the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

The Jobs page opens by default after you log in to the Production Services and Transfer

Status tool.

2. In the Tools area, click Export list.

A Save dialog box opens.

3. Select a location for the Jobs list file.

4. Type a name for the Jobs list file.

5. Click Save.

Using the Providers Page

The Providers page displays information about computers that are running provider software and

are registered with the Production Services Engine. You can also view specific provider details

and capabilities.

The following topics provide information about using the Providers page:

•Opening the Providers Page

•Customizing the Providers Display

•Viewing Details About a Provider

•Deleting Providers

A provider is automatically registered the first time it connects to the Production Services

Engine.

Opening the Providers Page

To open the Providers page:

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

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. Click the Providers tab.

The Providers page opens.

Using the Providers Page

72

The following table describes the information displayed in the Providers display.

Customizing the Providers Display

By default, the Providers page displays all providers that are registered with the Production

Services Engine. You can customize your view to show only the connected providers or

providers of a particular service.

Providers Page Description

Status Indicates whether or not the provider is connected to the Production Services

Engine.

Provider The name of the service provider, as registered with the Production Services

Engine.

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

Application The name of the service provider application.

Host The computer name of the provider.

IP The IP address of the computer of the provider.

Using the Providers Page

73

To customize the Providers display:

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

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

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

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

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

The Providers page displays providers that match your selections.

Viewing Details About a Provider

To view details about a provider:

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

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

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

3. Click the Details button or right-click the provider and select Details.

The Provider Details window opens.

The following table provides descriptions of the type of provider information displayed in

the Provider Details window.

Providers Page Description

Name The name of the service provider, as registered with the Production Services

Engine.

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

Host Name The computer name of the provider.

Application The name of the service provider application.

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

Connected Indicates whether or not the provider is connected to the Production Services

Engine.

Using the Services Page

74

Deleting Providers

If a provider is connected to the Production Services Engine, the provider cannot be deleted until

it has been disconnected and all processing jobs are stopped. You must be logged in as an

administrator to delete any providers.

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

the provider system.

To delete a service, see “Deleting a Production Services Service” on page 76.

To delete a provider from the Production Services Engine:

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

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. On the Providers page, select the provider that you want to delete.

3. Click the Delete button or right-click the provider and select Delete.

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

4. Click OK.

The provider is no longer registered with the Production Services Engine. To register it

again, see “Configuring a Provider for the Production Services Engine” on page 87.

Using the Services Page

The Services page displays information about the services that are installed and lets the user

install new services, upgrade existing services, or delete services that were previously installed.

For information about installing a service, see “Registering Services” on page 82.

The following topics provide information about the Servers page:

•Opening the Services Page

•Displaying Details About a Service

•Deleting a Production Services Service

Opening the Services Page

To open the Services page:

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

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. Click the Services tab.

Using the Services Page

75

The Services page opens.

Displaying Details About a Service

To display information about a specific service:

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

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. On the Services page, select the service about which you want information.

3. Click the Details button or right-click the service and select Details.

The Service Details page opens.

Using the Services Page

76

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

installed service.

Deleting a Production Services Service

Deleting a Production Services service from the Services page deletes the information required

for the service to operate. If one or more providers have been registered for the service on the

Providers page, you must first delete the providers for the service. For more information, see

“Deleting Providers” on page 74.

Using the Users Page

77

To delete a service:

1. Open the Production Services and Transfer Status tool and log in as a user with

administrator privileges. For more information, see “Opening the Production Services and

Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. Make sure all providers for the services that you are deleting have been deleted prior to

deleting the services themselves. See “Deleting Providers” on page 74.

3. Click the Services tab.

The Services page opens.

4. Select the service you want to delete.

5. Click the Delete button or right-click the service and select Delete.

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

page 83.

Using the Users Page

The Users page lets you create and manage user accounts. The default login for the Production

Services and Transfer Status tool is the user name Administrator, without a password. Avid

recommends assigning a password to this account after installing the Production Services

Engine. For more information, see “Reassigning Passwords” on page 79.

The Users page displays information based on the user’s login profile. A user logged in as an

Administrator can view information about all jobs, whereas users without administrator

privileges can view all jobs, but can only see the username and clip names of their own jobs.

There are two methods for managing Production Services users:

• Using Interplay authentication

If you set a host name in the Interplay Production Services Engine Settings dialog box, the

Production Services Engine authenticates user names and passwords with the Interplay

Engine (see “Configuring the Production Services Engine” on page 31). As a result, you do

not need to manage a separate user database for Production Services. If a host name is set,

when you attempt to log in to the Production Services Engine, and the login is successful,

the user name and password are added to or updated in the Production Services database

user’s table. The user name and password appear on the Users page.

Adding or changing users on the Users page has no effect if a host name is set in the

Interplay Engine Hostname setting in the Interplay Production Services Engine Settings

dialog box.

Using the Users Page

78

• Managing a separate user database

Managing Production Services users through a separate database can be useful if you want

to give administrator privileges to users who do not have administrator privileges in the

Interplay database. However, if you do not use Interplay authentication, make sure any user

name and password exactly matches a user name and password in the Interplay database,

because Production Services operations usually require login by a valid Interplay user.

The following topics describe the Users page:

•Opening the Users Page

•Setting Up User Accounts

•Reassigning Passwords

•Deleting User Accounts

Opening the Users Page

To open the Production Services Users page:

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

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. Click the Users tab.

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

Using the Users Page

79

Setting Up User Accounts

To set up a user account:

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

Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. On the Users page, click the Add button.

A dialog box opens.

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

User names and passwords are case sensitive and can contain only letters, numbers, and

underscores. They can be up to 255 characters.

4. (Option) You can assign a password by typing a password in the Password text box, then

typing it again in the Retype Password text box. Passwords are not required.

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

nThe eMail address field is for information only and is not used for Production Services e-mail

notification. For more information, see “Configuring the Production Services Engine” on

page 31.

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

7. Click Save.

Reassigning Passwords

If a user forgets his or her password, a new one must be assigned. If you forget the

Administration password, it must be reset. Contact Avid Customer Support.

To reassign a user password:

1. Open the Production Services and Transfer Status tool and log in as a user with

administrator privileges. For more information, see “Opening the Production Services and

Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. On the Users page, select the user whose password you want to change.

3. Click the Edit button or right-click the user and select Edit.

A dialog box opens.

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

text box.

5. Click Save.

Using the Users Page

80

Deleting User Accounts

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

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

error message.

To delete a user account:

1. Open the Production Services and Transfer Status tool and log in as a user with

administrator privileges. For more information, see “Opening the Production Services and

Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. On the Users page, select the user for each account you want to delete.

3. Click the Delete button or right-click the user and select Delete.

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

4. Click OK.

The user account is deleted.

To re-create user accounts, see “Setting Up User Accounts” on page 79.

4Installing Services and Registering

Providers

This chapter provides general procedures for installing services, registering a provider, and

connecting it to the Production Services Engine. For specific information about each service, see

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

information about the service.

The following topics provide information about the required tasks:

•Managing Services

•Registering Services

•Registering a Service Manually

•Configuring a Provider for the Production Services Engine

•Verifying That a Service Provider Is Connected

•Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving Profiles

Managing Services

Starting with Production Services v3.1, most Production Services operate as Windows services,

and can be managed like other Windows services.

cInterplay Transcode, STP Encode, and Interplay Consolidate operate as Windows

applications, not as Windows services.

Production Services as Windows services are started automatically and restart automatically

after a system reboot or crash. They are listed with other Windows services in the Services tab of

the Computer Management window. The following illustration shows the Interplay Delivery

service installed and running.

Registering Services

82

nThe Archive and Restore services require a third-party vendor dll. By default the services run

under the Local System account. If the third-party vendor dll needs more privileges than Local

System, the vendor must change the services to use the appropriate credentials.

Prior to Production Services v3.1, services operated as Windows applications, and needed to be

started manually. An advantage to this new feature is that all services are started automatically

and restart automatically after a system reboot or crash.

Because service providers are no longer applications, they are no longer listed in the Start menu

and no longer have a user interface window. Information that was displayed in the dialog box is

included in the service .ini file or in log files.You also edit the .ini file to register the provider

with the Production Services Engine. For more information, see “Configuring a Provider for the

Production Services Engine” on page 87.

Registering Services

The Production Services Engine requires configuration files for each service. These files are

called service description files and are contained in a .zip file (called a service package). For

example, Interplay Copy requires the service package CopyMedia.zip.

In earlier versions of Production Services, you needed to open the Production Services and

Transfer Status tool, click the Install/Upgrade button, then locate and open the correct .zip file on

the provider system. In Production Services v3.0 and later, the .zip files are installed on the

Production Services Engine system when you install the Production Services software. The first

time the Production Services Engine runs after a new installation, it checks which services and

versions were installed. It then automatically upgrades registered services or registers new

services.

nThe Interplay Consolidate service and the Production Services Automation service must be

registered manually. See “Registering the Automation and Consolidate Services” on page 305.

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

Registering a Service Manually

83

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

Manually” on page 83.

nIf you try to connect from a provider to the Production Services Engine before the latest service

is registered, the Status line in the Transcode Service dialog box reads:

Error From Broker! UNKNOWN_SERVICE.

To register services:

1. Install the Production Services Engine software from the Interplay Production Servers

installer.

2. Restart the Production Services Engine.

The services are listed in the Services tab of the Production Services and Transfer Status

tool.

Registering a Service Manually

Prior to Interplay v3.0, you needed to open the Production Services and Transfer Status tool and

install the service description. This procedure is now automatic (see “Registering Services” on

page 82). If necessary you can use the following procedure.

nThe Interplay Consolidate service and the Production Services Automation service must be

registered manually.

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

Registering a Service Manually

84

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

nYou do not use the Production Services Engine to configure the Auto Archive, Auto Transcode,

and Auto Copy services. Instead, use the Interplay Administrator and the Avid Service

Framework services. For more information, see “Configuring Auto Archive Using Avid Service

Configuration” on page 175.

To install a Production Services service description:

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

described in “Opening the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. Click the Services tab.

The Services page displays the currently configured services.

Service

File Name of Service Package

C:\Program Files\Avid\

Interplay Archive Interplay Archive Provider\ArchiveService\Archive.zip

Interplay Copy Interplay Copy\CopyService\CopyMedia.zip

Interplay Consolidate Interplay Consolidate\TranscodeService\ConsolidateService.zip

Interplay Delivery Interplay Delivery\PTFService.zip

Interplay Production Services

Automation

Interplay Production Services

Automation\MediaServicesAutomation.zip

Interplay Move Interplay Move\MoveService\MoveMedia.zip

Interplay Restore Interplay Archive Provider\RestoreService\Restore.zip

Interplay STP Encode Interplay STP Encode\LongGOPExport.zip

Interplay Transcode Interplay Transcode\TranscodeService\TranscodeService.zip

Registering a Service Manually

85

3. Click Install/Upgrade.

The Install/Upgrade Service dialog box opens.

4. Click the Browse button and navigate to the folder containing the service package (.zip file).

Make sure you have access to the folder.

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

package is for the Transcode service.

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

You can use the Microsoft Windows Search tool to help you locate the folder that contains

the service package. For a list of package file names, see “Registering a Service Manually”

on page 83.

Registering a Service Manually

86

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

The following illustration shows the TranscodeService.zip file selected.

6. Click Save.

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

7. Click Install/Upgrade.

The service and its description appear on the Services page.

Configuring a Provider for the Production Services Engine

87

Configuring a Provider for the Production Services

Engine

After the service descriptions are registered (see “Registering Services” on page 82), you need to

configure a provider for the Production Services Engine.

Prior to Production Services v3.1, you used a dialog box to connect a provider to the Production

Services Engine. Starting with Production Services v3.1, you edit an .ini file.

cInterplay Transcode, STP Encode, and Interplay Consolidate require you to use a dialog

box to connect a provider. See “Connecting the Transcode Provider to the Production

Services Engine” on page 106, “Connecting the STP Encode Provider to the Production

Services Engine” on page 291, and “Registering and Connecting a Consolidate Provider”

on page 310.

Configuring a Provider for the Production Services Engine

88

Note the following:

• If you are upgrading from a previous version, the existing .ini file is copied to the

appropriate new folder. If the associated Production Services Engine remains the same, no

further configuration is needed.

• If you are performing a new installation, the installed .ini file uses “localhost” as the name of

the associated Production Services Engine. This is appropriate if you are installing the

service on the same system as the Production Services Engine. If you are installing the

service on a different system, you need to change the default hostname by editing the .ini

file.

• The .ini file includes an automatically generated provider name. You can change the

provider name if you want.

The following procedure can be used for any service. For specific information for a service, see

the chapter for that service.

nThe Production Services and Transfer Status tool includes a Register button, which opens the

Register Provider dialog box. This dialog box is no longer needed because a provider is

automatically registered the first time it connects to the Production Services Engine.

To configure a provider for the Production Services Engine:

1. Locate the .ini file for the service and open it in a text editor, such as Windows Notepad.

The following table lists the Production Services with the path for the .ini file and the log

files.

Service Path for .ini File and Log Files

Interplay | Archive C:\ProgramData\Avid\Archive Service\DMSArchive.ini

C:\ProgramData\Avid\Archive Service\log

Interplay | Copy C:\ProgramData\Avid\Copy Service\DMSCopyMedia.ini

C:\ProgramData\Avid\Copy Service\log

Interplay | Delivery C:\ProgramData\Avid\Delivery Service\DMSIDService.ini

C:\ProgramData\Avid\Delivery Service\log

Interplay | Production

Services Automation

C:\ProgramData\Avid\Media Services

Automation\DMSCMService.ini

C:\ProgramData\Avid\Media Services Automation\log

Interplay | Move C:\ProgramData\Avid\Move Service\DMSMoveMedia.ini

C:\ProgramData\Avid\Move Service\log

Interplay | Restore C:\ProgramData\Avid\Restore Service\DMSRestore.ini

C:\ProgramData\Avid\Restore Service\log

Verifying That a Service Provider Is Connected

89

2. Substitute the hostname of the Production Services Engine.

Following is an example of a Copy service .ini file with the default hostname “localhost”:

#Mon May 05 11:34:54 EDT 2014

@5%?MaxJobs=1

@2%tMedia_Services_Engine_Hostname=localhost

@1%tProvider_Name=a51-dev_Copy_4080

Following is the same .ini file, edited to use the hostname “a51-ms_engine.”

#Mon May 05 11:34:54 EDT 2014

@5%?MaxJobs=1

@2%tMedia_Services_Engine_Hostname=a51-ms_engine

@1%tProvider_Name=a51-dev_Copy_4080

nExisting .ini files include the line @3%yAutomatically_Connect=TRUE. This line is no longer

applicable, because all services are now automatically connected.

3. A default name for the provider is automatically created by the provider software using the

following syntax:

<hostname>_<servicename>_<unique#>

The provider name in the previous example is a51-dev_Copy_4080.

Accept the default name or type a new name. This name appears in the Production Services

and Transfer Status tool. The provider name in the previous example

4. Save and close the .ini file.

The service automatically reads the .ini file and tries to connect to the Production Services

Engine. If the service fails to connect, it continues to try to connect. The re-connect interval

grows from 5 seconds to 10 minutes, depending on the amount of time that the service tries

to connect.

Verifying That a Service Provider Is Connected

To verify that a service provider is running and connected:

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

Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. Click the Providers tab.

The system displays the status of the Production Services providers. In the following

illustration, connected providers are indicated by a check mark in the Status column.

Providers not connected are indicated by a Stop sign.

Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving Profiles

90

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

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

Archive Service is Running” on page 178.

Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving

Profiles

When you are upgrading a Production Service you need to perform the same procedures as a new

installation, such as installing the service description, registering the service provider and

connecting the provider to the Production Services Engine. However, before and after you

upgrade a service you need to follow a few rules:

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

• You should perform the upgrade of the service during a low usage time or when the

Production Services Engine is offline.

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

• The Production Services Engine only supports one version of a service at a time.

• Make sure the service providers are disconnected, by verifying that the Production Services

and Transfer Status tool’s Providers page shows Stop in the Status column.

Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving Profiles

91

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

upgrade, as was required in versions prior to v2.0. However, if you want to delete a service

completely, you need to first delete all the profiles and providers, and then delete the service.

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

work.

• When upgrading any of the Production Services, all existing profiles are saved. However,

because the new version of the service might contain new or modified profile settings, you

must review your profiles after the upgrade. New and modified settings are marked with a

caution icon (yellow triangle) in the Parameters area of the profile. These marked settings

require you to either set a valid value or leave the text box blank, depending on the

requirements for the new or modified profile setting.

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

Profiles” on page 92.

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

“Modifying Multiple Profiles” on page 96.

• On the Profiles page, after the service is upgraded, a caution icon displays next to any profile

settings that were removed in the new version of the service. You need to check each

existing profile to make sure it meets your needs. The existing profile retains the older

profile settings to provide backward compatibility, however these older settings are not used

with the new version of the service.

• On the Profiles page, after the service is upgraded, a caution icon displays next to any profile

settings that the values were modified by the new version of the service. You need to check

each existing profile to make sure it meets your needs. The existing profile retains the older

profile setting values to provide backward compatibility, however these older setting values

are not used with the new version of the service.

5Working with Production Services

Profiles

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

•Understanding Production Services Profiles

•Creating a Service Provider Profile

•Modifying Multiple Profiles

•Modifying Changed or New Options in a Profile

•Exporting and Importing Profiles

Understanding Production Services Profiles

Profiles let you set up templates to use when performing an operation. For example, you can

create a profile to use with the Interplay Transcode service. When you select the profile, the

Transcode service automatically performs the transcode operation using the specified target

resolution, stores the new media on the specified workspace, and stores the new asset in the

designated target folder, as defined in the profile.

Profiles are required if you request a service from an Avid editing application. If you request a

service from Interplay Access, some services require a profile, and others provide the option of

using a profile or setting the parameters for the current operation.

You can update the values set in multiple profiles at the same time by using the Multiple Profile

Select mode. To use this mode, the profiles must be of the same type. For example, you can

select multiple Transcode service profiles and then change the Workspace value to update the

values in all the selected Transcode service profiles. For more information, see “Modifying

Multiple Profiles” on page 96.

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

“Rules for Upgrading a Service and Preserving Profiles” on page 90.

This chapter provides an example of how to create a profile. For specific procedures to create

profiles for the various services, see the references in the following table.

Creating a Service Provider Profile

93

nYou do not need to create a Production Services profile for the STP Encode service. The service

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

nA profile is not needed for the Interplay Production Services Automation service.

If a profile includes a target workspace on an ISIS system that is configured in a multiple ISIS

workgroup, and the workspace is on a remote ISIS system, the workspace path must include the

hostname of the ISIS System Director and the name of the workspace, in the standard UNC

format:

\\hostname\workspace_name

For more information, see “Workgroups with Multiple ISIS Systems” in the

Interplay | Production Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

Creating a Service Provider Profile

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

service as an example.

To create a profile:

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

the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. Click the Profiles tab.

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

Service name Documentation

Interplay Transcode Service “Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile” on page 110

Interplay Archive Service

Interplay Restore Service

“Creating an Interplay Archive or Interplay Restore Profile” on

page 161

Interplay Copy Service “Using an Interplay Copy Service Profile” on page 213

Interplay Move Service “Creating a Interplay Move Service Profile” on page 252

Interplay Delivery Provider “Creating an Interplay | Delivery Profile” on page 268

Interplay Consolidate “Creating a Consolidate Profile” on page 313

Creating a Service Provider Profile

94

4. Click Add in the Profiles area.

The Add Profile dialog box opens.

5. Type a descriptive name for the new profile in the Add Profile dialog box. This is the name

that users see when they right-click an asset and select a service, for example Transcode.

6. Click OK.

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

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

8. Click Save in the Parameters area.

The Save Profile dialog box opens.

9. Click Yes to save your changes.

You can define several operations under one main profile name. For example, you can add

subjobs to transcode several resolutions using one profile. The system processes each subjob

in turn.

Selecting Audio Formats for Copy, Move, and Deliver

95

To add subjobs:

tClick Add in the Sub Jobs area.

Selecting Audio Formats for Copy, Move, and Deliver

In earlier versions of Interplay Copy, Interplay Move, and Interplay Delivery, transfer of audio

files depended on whether the Include Audio option was selected in the profile. With the option

selected, all audio associated a video clip was transferred with the clip. If the option was not

selected, no audio was transferred with the clip.

Starting with version 3.1, you have the option of selecting which audio formats you want to

include in the operation.

nIf you are performing a Copy or Move operation from Interplay Access, and you do not use a

profile, the behavior is not changed. Transfer of audio files depends on whether you select the

Include Audio option. A Delivery operation requires a profile.

The following illustration shows the Move profile settings, with a new setting named

AudioQuality. The default option is All.

Modifying Multiple Profiles

96

Note the following:

• For audio-only clips, the TargetVideoQuality setting is not applicable. The selection is

ignored.

• For sequences that contain an audio-only segment, you must select All or None as the

TargetVideoQuality.

• The AudioQuality setting is supported when the Production Services provider is connected

to a Production Services Engine v3.1 or later. The setting is also supported in the Production

Services Status tool in Interplay Access v3.1 when Access is connected to a Production

Services Engine v3.1 or later.

• If a pre-v3.1 version of Interplay Access is connected to a Production Services Engine v3.1,

Service Description files are already installed on the Production Services Engine, but the

AudioQuality setting is only displayed if you upgrade to v3.1 of Interplay Access.

• After the components are upgraded to v3.1, the AudioQuality setting will be displayed in

any existing Copy, Move, or Delivery profiles. It will be marked by a caution icon (yellow

triangle with exclamation point) until you make a selection from the menu and save the

profile.

• Data tracks (D tracks) are always included in a Copy, Move, or Delivery job.

Modifying Multiple Profiles

From the Profiles page of the Production Services and Transfer Status tool, you can select

multiple profiles to batch modify option values at the same time. When you select more than one

profile in the Profiles list, the Parameters area changes to multi-select mode with the title

“Parameters for All Selected Profiles.”

For example, you can select several Transcode profiles, and then change the Workspace value

once in the parameters area for all the selected profiles.

Option Audio Formats Included

All All audio formats associated with the selected asset or assets.

None No audio included with the selected asset or assets.

Uncompressed Only high-quality audio formats associated with the selected asset or assets,

for example, PCM or WAVE.

Proxy Only proxy-quality audio formats associated with the selected asset or assets,

for example, MPEG1 Layer 2.

Modifying Multiple Profiles

97

This feature is useful after you upgrade a service provider and you need to modify your existing

profiles to correct any values that are not supported with the new version of the service provider.

In the Parameters area of the profile, a caution icon (yellow triangle) indicates which profile

settings require attention. This feature is also useful for setting the parameters of multiple

profiles after installing a new Production Services service.

To modify multiple profiles at the same time:

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

the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. Click the Profiles tab.

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

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

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

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

change.

The option’s value field displays.

Modifying Changed or New Options in a Profile

98

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

7. Click Save All.

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

Modifying Changed or New Options in a Profile

If you upgrade a service provider, you might need to modify your existing profiles to correct any

values that are not supported with the new version of the service provider, or to add a value for a

new option. In the Parameters area of the profile, a caution icon (yellow triangle) indicates which

profile settings require attention.

To remove the Caution icon for a new profile value:

tMake any change to the option value.

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

Exporting and Importing Profiles

You can export all Production Services profiles from one Production Services database to

another. This feature can be useful if your facility has more than one workgroup and you want to

share the same set of profiles. It can also be useful if you are setting up a backup Production

Services Engine. For more information, see “Setting Up a Workgroup for Production Services

Backup” on page 36.

nYou cannot export or import selected profiles. All profiles in a Production Services database are

exported or imported.

If you export profiles to a Production Services Engine that does not have the appropriate service

installed and registered, the profiles are not imported. For example, if a Production Services

Engine server does not have the Interplay Delivery service installed and registered, Interplay

Delivery profiles are not imported. After you install and register the service, import the profiles

again.

To export all profiles from a Production Services Engine:

1. On the Production Services Engine system, start the Production Services Engine.

2. In the Production Services window, click the Profiles button.

Exporting and Importing Profiles

99

The Import/Export Profiles dialog box opens.

3. To specify a location and file name, click the Browse button.

The Select File Location dialog box opens.

Exporting and Importing Profiles

100

4. Navigate to the folder in which you want to store the file that contains the profiles, type a file

name with the extension .xml, and click Open.

The path and file name are displayed in the Import/Export Profiles dialog box.

5. Check the path and file name, then click Export.

nAlternatively, you can type the full path and file name in the File field of the Import/Export

Profiles dialog box and click Export, If you type a file name only, the file is exported to the folder

that holds the Production Services Engine executable (for example, C:\Program

Files\Avid\Interplay Production Services\Broker).

nIf you do not use the extension .xml in the file name, a message is displayed, telling you that you

need to add the .xml extension.

A status window shows the progress of the Export process. If the operation succeeds, a

confirmation message is displayed.

Exporting and Importing Profiles

101

To import profiles:

1. On the Production Services Engine system, start the Production Services Engine.

2. In the Production Services window, click the Profiles button.

The Import/Export Profiles dialog box opens.

3. To locate the profiles file, click the Browse button.

The Select File Location dialog box opens.

4. Navigate to the folder that holds the profiles file, select the file, and click Open.

The path and file name are displayed in the Import/Export Profiles dialog box.

The file must use the .xml extension.

5. Click Import.

nAlternatively, you can type the full path and file name in the File field of the Import/Export

Profiles dialog box and click Import.

A dialog box asks if you want to overwrite existing profiles. Click Yes.

A status window shows the progress of the Import process. If the operation succeeds, a

confirmation message is displayed.

6Working with the Transcode Service

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

•Understanding the Transcode Service

•Check List for Transcoding Assets

•Registering the Transcode Service with the Production Services Engine

•Connecting the Transcode Provider to the Production Services Engine

•Starting the Transcode Provider

•Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

•Understanding the Transcode Services Modes

•Transcoding an Asset from Interplay | Access

•Understanding CROSSRATE Mode

•Understanding DATAEXTRACT Mode

•Transcoding an Asset from an Avid Editing Application

•Transcoding OMF Clips

•Working with an Auto Transcode Folder

•Stereoscopic 3D Support in Interplay Transcode

Understanding the Transcode Service

Transcoding Avid assets from one resolution to another resolution is available with the Interplay

Transcode service and Interplay Auto Transcode service. For example, you can use the Interplay

Transcode service to create a low-resolution version of a sequence or master clip. You can also

use the Interplay Transcode process to mix down the video and audio tracks during the

transcode.

If you are using the Transcode service to transcode a clip with multiple resolutions, the

Transcode service relinks to the Highest Quality resolution and then performs the transcode. The

Highest Quality resolution is determined by the Dynamic Relink feature of the Avid editing

system. For more information, see “Using MultiRez and Dynamic Relink” in the Interplay Help

or in the documentation for your Avid editing application.

Check List for Transcoding Assets

103

Before you can use the Transcode service, you need to check that the Transcode service is

installed and connected. For a list of the steps to prepare for transcoding, see “Check List for

Transcoding Assets” on page 103.

Interplay Transcode v3.0 and later is qualified to run as multiple instances on the same server.

Up to four providers are supported, depending on the total amount of CPU used. For more

information, see “Installing Multiple Transcode Providers on the Same Server” in the

Interplay | Production Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

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

Remote Desktop Connect command instead of VNC. The Remote Desktop Connect feature

requires setup on the Interplay Transcode system. For information, see the Microsoft Windows

documentation.

Interplay Transcode is used during a send-to-playback operation from MediaCentral UX. For

more information, see “Production Services Used By MediaCentral | UX” on page 23.

Check List for Transcoding Assets

For the transcode process, the following table provides a check list of steps for installing and

configuring the Production Services system in an Avid shared-storage environment, and

configuring an Avid editing system. The check list also provides references where to find more

information about each step.

Check List for Transcoding Assets

104

Transcoding Assets Check List

Task Section Reference

Make sure the Production Services Engine software

and the supporting software are installed and

configured in the workgroup.

• Avid Service Framework for Client

• Interplay Access

• Production Services Engine

• Interplay Transcode service (install this on each

server used as a provider)

nStarting with version 2.6, the Interplay

Transcode service and the STP Encode

service require you to choose during

installation how ISIS workspaces are

mounted: by drive letter or by UNC path.

For multiple ISIS workgroups, select UNC

paths if the number of workspaces required

for the client exceeds the available drive

letters. Mount the workspaces before you

start the service.

See Interplay | Production Software

Installation and Configuration Guide and

“Production Services Engine Installation and

Configuration” on page 28.

(Option) Install the Interplay Auto Production

Services service, which includes the Interplay Auto

Transcode software.

See “Preparing the Workgroup for Auto

Transcode” on page 137.

Activate the Interplay Transcode license by

connecting the application key (dongle) to a USB

port or by installing a software license.

A license can be configured for up to four

Transcode providers.

See Interplay | Production Software

Installation and Configuration Guide.

Make sure the Interplay Transcode service is

registered.

See “Registering the Transcode Service with

the Production Services Engine” on

page 105.

Connect the Interplay Transcode service provider to

the Production Services Engine.

See “Connecting the Transcode Provider to

the Production Services Engine” on

page 106.

Mount workspaces by drive letter or UNC path,

depending on how you installed Interplay

Transcode.

See “Mounting Workspaces for Interplay

Transcode and Other Production Services”

on page 26.

Registering the Transcode Service with the Production Services Engine

105

nYou do not use the Production Services Engine to configure the Auto Archive, Auto Transcode,

and Auto Copy services. Instead, use the Interplay Administrator and the Avid Service

Framework services. For more information, see “Configuring the Auto Transcode Service” on

page 138.

Registering the Transcode Service with the

Production Services Engine

After installing the Transcode provider software, you need to make sure that the current

Transcode service is registered with the Production Services Engine. The service should be listed

on the Services tab of the Production Services and Transfer Status tool. Registration is automatic

but takes place only after you restart the Production Services Engine. See “Registering Services”

on page 82.

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

page 109.

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

Connected” on page 89.

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

Service Profile” on page 110.

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

Interplay | Access” on page 132.

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

Editing Application” on page 133.

Transcoding Assets Check List (Continued)

Task Section Reference

Connecting the Transcode Provider to the Production Services Engine

106

Connecting the Transcode Provider to the

Production Services Engine

After making sure the service is registered, register the provider by connecting to the Production

Services Engine.

nIf you try to connect to the Production Services Engine before the latest service is registered, the

Status line in the Transcode Service dialog box reads:

Error From Broker! UNKNOWN_SERVICE.

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

page 83.

To connect the Transcode provider to the Production Services Engine:

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

The Transcode Service dialog box opens.

2. Click Settings.

The Provider Settings dialog box opens.

Connecting the Transcode Provider to the Production Services Engine

107

3. Do the following:

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

default name or type a new name. In this example, the name is Transcode_01.

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

Production Services Engine application.

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

Production Services Engine when the application starts. To prevent automatic

connection, select No.

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

the Transcode provider.

4. Click OK.

Connecting the Transcode Provider to the Production Services Engine

108

5. Click Connect in the Service window.

The Transcode Service dialog box now shows that the service is connected and shows the

name of the provider you connected.

The Provider page in the Production Services and Transfer Status tool now shows that the

service is connected, indicated by a check mark in the Status column.

Starting the Transcode Provider

109

Starting the Transcode Provider

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

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

To start the Transcode provider:

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

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

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

and is connected to the service.

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

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

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

the Microsoft Windows time.

After the connection is made, the Status line in the service dialog box reads “Checking for

Jobs,” and the History window displays the message “Connection Established.” The Connect

button changes to a Disconnect button.

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

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

110

nIf the provider cannot connect to the Production Services Engine, the Status line reads

“Connection Error.” Ensure the Production Services Engine is running, the service is registered,

the provider is registered, and then click Connect again.

nStarting with Interplay 3.0.5, all Production Services (Transcode, Copy, and so on) are displayed

as two processes in the Processes tab of the Windows Task Manager of the provider system. This

is as designed. The tool that creates the services automatically creates a second process for each

service to ensure that the service shuts down smoothly. This change is visible only in Task

Manager.

Each service is listed only once in the Services tab.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

You must create a profile to use when performing a Transcode or an Auto Transcode operation.

You select a Transcode profile after selecting an asset in Interplay Access or in an Avid editing

application.

Transcode profiles let you define the following:

• The portion of the Avid asset that is transcoded

• Job priority

• Resolution and format

• Workspace for the media files

To create a transcode profile:

1. Open and log in to the Production Services and Transfer Status tool as described in

“Opening the Production Services and Transfer Status Tool” on page 56.

2. Click the Profiles tab.

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

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

111

4. Click Add in the Profiles area.

The Add Profile dialog box opens.

5. Type a descriptive name for the new profile in the Add Profile dialog box. This is the name

that users see when they right-click an asset and select Transcode.

6. Click OK.

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

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

- WHOLE: Transcodes the entire clip.

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

portions of clips used to create a sequence.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

112

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

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

with two resolutions associated with it.

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

format of the original clip.

- DATAEXTRACT — Extracts the D1 track as a separate MXF file when you transcode

DNxHD media that contains embedded ancillary data.

For more information, see “Understanding the Transcode Services Modes” on page 122.

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

See “Transcode Profile Parameters” on page 112.

9. Click Save in the Parameters area.

The Save Profile dialog box opens.

10. Click Yes to save your changes.

You can define several transcode operations under one main profile name. For example, you

can add subjobs to transcode several resolutions using one profile. The system processes

each subjob in turn.

To add subjobs:

tClick Add in the Sub Jobs area.

Transcode Profile Parameters

All transcode profile parameters are displayed for any mode that you select, but some parameters

are applicable only to particular modes. The following table describes all parameters with notes

about specific modes.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

113

Transcode Profile Settings

Parameter Description

Interplay Checkin Folder (MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, CROSSRATE,

DATAEXTRACT only) Specify the folder where the

transcoded assets are stored in the Interplay database. Use a

forward slash. For example,

/Catalogs/CheckinFolder/Test

nDo not set the Interplay Checkin Folder as a top-level

folder under AvidWG. Instead, create the check-in

folder at least one level down from the top-level folder.

This checkin folder is limited to the Interplay database in the

local workgroup

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

the Transcode Services Modes” on page 122.

•CONSOLIDATE: Transcodes only the portion of a clip

used to create a subclip or portions of clips used to create

a sequence. See “Understanding the Transcode Services

Modes” on page 122.

•MIXDOWN: Transcodes and mixes down the video and

audio of a sequence to create one master clip. See

“Understanding MIXDOWN Mode” on page 123.

•DUALMIXDOWN: Transcodes and mixes down the

video and audio of a sequence to create a one master clip

with two resolutions associated with it. See

“Understanding DUALMIXDOWN Mode” on page 125.

•CROSSRATE: Creates a master clip in a project format

different from the project format of the original clip. See

“Understanding CROSSRATE Mode” on page 127.

•DATAEXTRACT: Extracts the D1 track as a separate

MXF file when you transcode DNxHD media that

contains embedded ancillary data. See “Understanding

DATAEXTRACT Mode” on page 129.

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

to different profiles. Priority numbers range from 1 (highest

priority) through 100 (lowest priority). The default priority

number assigned to each job is 50.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

114

Requested Provider The name of the Transcode provider that you want to use to

send an Transcode job. This must be the name of the

Transcode provider as it is registered with the Production

Services Engine, not the host name. Supply this name only if

you have more then one Transcode provider and want to use

this profile for a particular Transcode provider.

TargetAspectRatio Select the desired aspect ratio.

TargetAspectRatio Dual (DUALMIXDOWN mode only) Select the aspect ratio for the

second transcode

TargetAudioQuality Select an audio resolution for the transcode or select None.

• None

(MIXDOWN or DUALMIXDOWN mode only) The

mixed-down clip does not include the audio tracks.For

example, if you select None from the TargetAudioQuality

menu, then the audio tracks are not mixed down during

the Interplay Transcode operation.

• MPEG1 Layer 2: Digital audio compressed to the

MPEG1 Layer 2 specification at 96 Kb/s.

• Uncompressed PCM: 16-bit 48-kHz digital audio

• Uncompressed PCM 24-bit: 24-bit 48-kHz digital audio

TargetAudioQualityDual (DUALMIXDOWN mode only) Select an audio resolution

for the second transcode.

• None

The mixed-down clip does not include the audio tracks.

For example, if you select None from the

TargetAudioQualityDual menu, then the audio tracks are

not mixed down during the Interplay Transcode operation.

• MPEG1 Layer 2 - digital audio compressed to the

MPEG1 Layer 2 specification at 96 Kb/s.

• Uncompressed PCM: 16-bit 48-kHz digital audio

• Uncompressed PCM 24-bit: 24-bit 48-kHz digital audio

nIf you select a dual target, you should also select a

primary target.

This parameter is ignored for other Transcode modes.

Transcode Profile Settings (Continued)

Parameter Description

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

115

TargetAudioTrackMapping (MIXDOWN or DUALMIXDOWN mode only) Lets you

identify the mapping of source audio tracks to the output

(target) audio tracks. See “Mapping Audio Tracks in

MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE Modes”

on page 116. This parameter is ignored for other Transcode

modes.

TargetProjectType (CROSSRATE mode only) Select the project type to which

you want to transcode. See “Understanding CROSSRATE

Mode” on page 127. Select None if you do not want to

transcode to a different project type. This parameter is

ignored for other Transcode modes.

TargetVideoQuality Select a video resolution for the transcode. Select None if you

do not want the transcoded clip to include a video track.

TargetVideoQualityDual (DUALMIXDOWN mode only) Select a video resolution for

the second transcode. Select None if you do not want the

transcoded clip to include a video track.

This parameter is ignored for other Transcode modes.

nIf you select a dual target, you should also select a

primary target.

VideoTimeCodeFormat Not used - for future use.

Workspace Type the name of the Avid shared-storage workspace that will

hold the new media files.

If the workspace is part of a multiple-ISIS workgroup:

Existing profiles will work correctly with the workspaces as

currently defined, but new or edited profiles that specify a

workspace on a remote ISIS system must include the

hostname of the ISIS System Director.

\\hostname\workspace_name

WorkspaceDual (DUALMIXDOWN mode only) Type the name of a second

Avid shared-storage workspace that will hold the new media

files. See “Understanding DUALMIXDOWN Mode with

Two Workspaces” on page 126.

This parameter is ignored for other Transcode modes.

Transcode Profile Settings (Continued)

Parameter Description

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

116

Mapping Audio Tracks in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE

Modes

When you create a Interplay Transcode profile for mixing down the source audio (in

MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE modes), you can also specify how the

source audio tracks map to the target audio tracks. The TargetAudioTrackMapping text box lets

you identify the source audio tracks and how you want them mapped to the target audio tracks.

Use the following rules in the TargetAudioTrackMapping text box:

AudioMode[S or A]TargetAudioTrack=SourceAudioTrack+SourceAudioTrack;

For example, S1=1+2; performs a stereo mapping of the source audio track 1 to the target audio

track 1 and the source audio track 2 to the target audio track 2.

If you leave the TargetAudioTrackMapping text box blank, then the default audio track mapping

is used: S1=0; which is stereo mode with all source audio tracks mapping to target audio tracks 1

and 2.

You can enter a series of output (target) track mapping specifications. The following table

explains the specifications:

TargetAudioTrackMapping

Text Box Rule

AudioMode Type S for stereo mode that uses two target audio tracks and applies

balancing.

Type A for mono mode that uses one target audio track and does not

include balancing.

Type O to specify surround sound 5.1

Type Q to specify surround sound 7.1. For more information, see

“Support for Surround Sound Audio Tracks” on page 120.

nThe letters S, A, O, and Q are not case sensitive.

TargetAudioTrack Type the target audio track number.

• For stereo mode the target audio track must be an odd number.

The second stereo target audio track is automatically set using

the number you type +1. For example, if you type S1 then the

target audio tracks are audio track 1 and audio track 2.

=You must type an equal sign after the Target Audio Track before

specifying the source audio tracks.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

117

The following table provides some common uses of the audio track mapping process.

SourceAudioTrack Type a source audio track number.

• Type a specific source audio track number or a series of track

numbers separated by a + (plus sign).

•Type 0 to include all available source audio tracks.

•Type -1 to include all odd numbered source audio tracks.

•Type -2 to include all even numbered source audio tracks.

;You must type a ; (semicolon) as a terminator after the source audio

track numbers.

TargetAudioTrackMapping

Text Box Rule

TargetAudioTrackMapping

Text Box Explanation

A0=0; Mono mode, all available source audio tracks are mapped to equal

number of target audio tracks, such as source audio track 1 maps to

target audio track 1, source audio track 2 maps to target audio track

2, and so on.

A1=0; Mono mode, all available source audio tracks are mapped to target

audio track 1.

A1=-1; Mono mode, all available odd numbered source audio tracks are

mapped to target audio track 1.

A2=-2; Mono mode, all available even numbered source audio tracks are

mapped to target audio track 2.

S1=0; Stereo mode, all available source audio tracks are mapped to target

audio track 1 and target audio track 2. This is the default result if the

text box is left blank.

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

118

The following table provides an example of using audio track mapping with multi-language

source clips.

Override for default panning in Transcode mixdowns: The default audio panning behavior

for stereo mixdowns is center pan. This has been the behavior since Interplay v2.5 and matches

the behavior of Avid editing applications. (Previously the default panning was odd tracks left and

even tracks right.)

You can override this default to pan all odd tracks left and all even tracks right. To use this

override, enter P0=0; in a profile's TargetAudioTrackMapping text box, followed by the desired

track mapping. For example, to pan all odd tracks stereo left and all even tracks stereo right,

enter P0=0;S1=0;

nIf you enter only P0=0; the following error message is displayed: “No output track descriptors

found.”

Source Audio

Tracks

TargetAudioTrackMapping

text box Results

Track 1 and 2 - music

Track 3 and 4 - English

voice over

Track 5 and 6 - French

voice over

S1=1+2+3+4; Stereo mode

• source audio track 1 is mapped to target

audio tracks 1 (music odd track)

• source audio track 2 is mapped to target

audio tracks 2 (music even track)

• source audio track 3 is mapped to target

audio target track 1 (English odd track)

• source audio track 4 is mapped to target

audio track 2 (English even track)

S3=1+2+5+6; Stereo mode

• source audio track 1 is mapped to target

audio track 3 (music odd track)

• source audio track 2 is mapped to target

audio track 4 (music even track)

• source audio track 5 is mapped to target

audio track 3 (French odd track)

• source audio track 6 is mapped to target

audio track 4 (French even track)

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

119

Mapping Multichannel Audio Tracks in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and

CROSSRATE Modes

Avid editing applications let users create and work with multichannel audio tracks. For example,

for a clip, you can combine audio tracks A1 and A2 into a single stereo track.The Interplay

Transcode Mixdown option (in MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE modes) lets

you specify how stereo tracks map to target audio tracks.

For example, you might want to transcode and mixdown a sequence that includes two tracks (A1

and A2), each of which is a stereo pair.

If you are using the Transcode Mixdown option, and you want to preserve the two tracks as

stereo pairs, use the following mapping:

S1 = 1;S3 = 2;

This mapping specifies that:

• For stereo output track 1 (S1), use source track 1

• For stereo output track 3 (S3), use source track 2

For stereo mode, the target track must be an odd number, because it represents two stereo tracks.

The transcoded, mixed-down sequence preserves the two tracks as stereo pairs, as shown in the

following illustration:

V1

A1

A2

Clip 1 Clip 2

V1

A1

A2

A1 & A2

A3 & A4

V1Clip 1 Clip 2 Clip 1.new

Transcode

Mixdown

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

120

Other mappings will combine the stereo pair to a single track. For example, A0 = 0 will create

two mono tracks, as shown in the following illustration.

cIf you are using the Transcode Mixdown option with stereo tracks, make sure that your

audio track mapping is correct for the output that you want. The Transcode Mixdown

service uses the track information as labeled in the sequence, not as labeled in the original

master clips.

Support for Surround Sound Audio Tracks

Interplay v2.5 and later supports an end-to-end workflow for clips and sequences that include

surround sound audio tracks. Track groups are preserved when you check objects in and out of

the Interplay database and process them through Production Services and Interplay Transfer.

If you want to use the Transcode MIXDOWN, DUAL-MIXDOWN, or CROSSRATE mode with

surround sound audio, you need to create a profile that includes mapping information in the

TargetAudioTrackMapping text box. For information about creating a Transcode profile, see

“Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile” on page 110.

Production Services v2.5 and later includes two letters to use for mapping surround-sound audio:

• Use the letter O to specify surround sound 5.1

• Use the letter Q to specify surround sound 7.1

You use an Avid editing system to configure audio tracks for the surround sound mix. By default,

the Avid editing system arranges the surround sound mix as follows. Tracks are relative to the

output starting track number.

V1

A1

A2

A1

A2

V1

Clip 1 Clip 2 Clip 1.new

Transcode

Mixdown

Track 5:1 7:1

First Left Front Left Front

Second Center Center

Third Right Front Right Front

Fourth Left Rear Left Center

Fifth Right Rear Right Center

Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile

121

For additional information on surround sound, see the What’s New guide for your Avid editing

application.

You can create a Transcode profile that specifies which tracks to use in the mixdown. The

surround sound mix is preserved in the mixdown. The following table shows several examples of

what to type in the TargetAudioTrackMapping text box.

Limitation

Interplay Assist cannot play sequences created in an Avid editing system that contain surround

sound clips if the Audio Monitoring Mix Mode is set to Direct Out. Workaround: Set the Audio

Monitoring Mix Mode to Mono or Stereo.

nInterplay Assist can play surround sound clips as Direct Out, and can create and play shotlists

that contain surround sound clips.

Sixth Low Frequency Left Rear

Seventh Right Rear

Eighth Low Frequency

Track 5:1 7:1

Format Result

O1=0;

All source tracks are included in a 5.1 mix and are mixed down to tracks

1through 6.

Q1=0;

All source tracks are included in a 7.1 mix and are mixed down to tracks 1

through 8.

O1=3+4+5+6+7+8;

Tracks 3 through 8 are included in a 5.1 mix and are mixed down to tracks 3

through 8. Use this if there are tracks that are not included in the surround

sound mix. In this example tracks 1 and 2 are not included.

Q1=2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9;

Tracks 2 through 9 are included in a 7.1 mix and are mixed down to tracks 2

through 9. Use this if there are tracks that are not included in the surround

sound mix. In this example, track 1 is not included.

Understanding the Transcode Services Modes

122

Understanding the Transcode Services Modes

The Transcode profile lets you select various modes to perform different types of transcodes.

• WHOLE — The transcode process creates new media for an entire clip. For sequences or

subclips, the complete source clips that make up the sequence or subclip are transcoded. All

audio tracks and video track V1 are transcoded. Effects are not transcoded. No new clip is

created.

• CONSOLIDATE — For subclips, the transcode process creates new media only for the

portion of the clip that makes up the subclip. For sequences, the transcode process creates

new media only for the portion of the clips that are contained in the sequence. This process

creates partially online media for the related clips. Relevant portions of all audio tracks and

video track V1 are transcoded. Effects are not transcoded. No new clip is created.

• MIXDOWN — The transcode process mixes down the audio and video of a sequence to

create new media and a new master clip. Profile settings let you control if the audio and

video are included in the mixed-down master clip. See “Understanding MIXDOWN Mode”

on page 123.

The new master clip is named clipname,xcode mix,n, where n is the number of Transcode

jobs run since the last start of the service (for example, MyClip,xcode mix,2). It is created in

the same folder as the source sequence.

• DUALMIXDOWN — The transcode process mixes down the audio and video of a sequence

to create two sets of new media and a new master clip associated with both sets of media.

Profile settings let you control if audio and video are included in the mixed-down master clip

and if resolutions are stored in separate workspaces. See “Understanding DUALMIXDOWN

Mode” on page 125 and “Understanding DUALMIXDOWN Mode with Two Workspaces”

on page 126.

The new master clip is named clipname,xcode mix,n, where n is the number of Transcode

jobs run since the last start of the service (for example, MyClip,xcode mix,2). It is created in

the same folder as the source sequence.

• CROSSRATE — The transcode process creates new media and a new master clip in a

project format different from the project format of the original clip. See “Understanding

CROSSRATE Mode” on page 127.

The new master clip is named clipname,crossrate,n, where n is the number of Transcode jobs

run since the last start of the service (for example, MyClip,transcode,3). It is created in the

same folder as the source master clip.

• DATAEXTRACT — The transcode process extracts the D1 track as a separate MXF file

when you transcode DNxHD media that contains embedded ancillary data. See

“Understanding DATAEXTRACT Mode” on page 101.

Understanding the Transcode Services Modes

123

Understanding MIXDOWN Mode

The Interplay Transcode service can mix down the audio and video during the transcode process

of sequences. You can set up an Interplay Transcode profile in the Production Services and

Transfer Status window for the type of mixdown you want to perform. Then you can use

Interplay Access or an Avid editing system to select the items to transcode and select the profile

to use for the transcode and mixdown.

When performing a mixdown the following items are preserved in the mixed-down master clips,

if they are available in the original sequence:

• Locators and column property values

• Restrictions on any portion of the sequence

• Headframes are generated if the source sequence contained them

The metadata of the newly created mixed-down master clip contains a reference to the original

sequence.

Video mixdown supports all target resolutions available in the TargetVideoQuality list in the

Transcode profile tab. Audio mixdown supports all target formats in the TargetAudioQuality list.

See “Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile” on page 110.

You can set up the Interplay Transcode profile to map the source audio tracks to various target

audio tracks. For information about mapping the audio tracks, see “Mapping Audio Tracks in

MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE Modes” on page 116.

nAn Interplay Transcode profile that is set up for audio mixdown can be used with sequences or

clips that do not contain audio. Therefore, you do not need a specific profile for video-only

mixdowns. This is also true for video mixdowns: a profile set for video mixdown can be used with

sequences that do not contain video. In both cases, the mixdown finishes as expected.

Effects Support

If the sequence you send to the Transcode Mixdown service contains Avid real-time effects

(including RTAS audio effects), the effects are rendered as part of the Transcode Mixdown

process.

If the sequence you send to the Transcode Mixdown service includes any of the following

effects, you need to render them in your Avid editing application before starting the Transcode

Mixdown process:

• Non-real-time effects (blue-dot effects)

• Third-party 3D effects

Understanding the Transcode Services Modes

124

• AudioSuite plug-in effects

• Third-party audio plug-in effects

If you revise the sequence after transcoding, you might need to render the effects again.

To make sure all effects are transcoded and mixed down correctly, consider rendering all effects

before starting the Transcode Mixdown process.

Interplay Transcode Mixdown and Avid Editing Mixdown

The Mixdown mode in the Interplay Transcode service functions differently from the Avid

editing application’s mixdown features. The following table lists the differences between the

Interplay Transcode Mixdown mode and an Avid editing application’s mixdown feature.

nWhen selecting the target audio quality in the profile, Uncompressed PCM is for 16 bits/sample

rate.

Interplay Transcode

Mixdown Mode

Avid Editing Application Mixdown

Feature

Mixdown type Mixes down a sequence to audio only,

video only, or can include both audio

and video in the mixdown.

Mixes down a sequence to audio only or

video only. Cannot mix down both audio

and video in the sequence.

Effects Limited effect support:

Avid real-time effects (including RTAS

effects) are supported for rendering.

Other audio plug-in effects are not

supported for rendering.

Non-real-time effects (blue-dot

effects), third-party 3D effects,

AudioSuite and third-party audio

plug-in effects must be rendered before

the mixdown.

Mixdown supports full effects.

Video support Additional target resolutions are

available, including proxy resolutions.

Limited target resolutions, cannot create

proxy resolutions.

Audio support MP2 audio support. You can select

48 kHz sample rate and 16 bits.

PCM audio support. You can select

48 kHz sample rate and 16 or 24 bits.

MP2 audio not supported.

PCM audio support. You can select sample

rates (32, 44.1 or 48 kHz) and 16 or 24 bits.

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Understanding DUALMIXDOWN Mode

The Interplay Transcode service uses the DUALMIXDOWN mode to create one master clip with

two resolutions. For example, you can use DUALMIXDOWN mode to create a master clip that

contains both low-resolution and high-resolution media files of a selected asset. The

low-resolution proxy files are available for use while the high-resolution is being generated. You

can use profile settings to determine if the video and audio are included in the mixed-down

master clip.

nFor information about the Interplay Transcode profile settings used for mixing down the audio

and video in DUALMIXDOWN mode, see “Transcode Profile Parameters” on page 112.

Transcoding with DUALMIXDOWN mode is useful in workflows that include streaming

playback of assets in Interplay Access.

When performing a dual mixdown the following items are preserved in the mixed-down master

clip, if they are available in the original sequence:

• Locators and column property values

• Restrictions on any portion of the sequence

• Headframes are generated if the source sequence contained them

The metadata of the newly created mixed-down master clip contains a reference to the original

sequence.

Video mixdown supports all target resolutions available in the TargetVideoQuality lists in the

Transcode profile tab. Audio mixdown supports all target formats in the TargetAudioQuality

lists. See “Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile” on page 110.

You can set up the Interplay Transcode profile to map the source audio tracks to various target

audio tracks. For information about mapping the audio tracks, see “Mapping Audio Tracks in

MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE Modes” on page 116.

nAn Interplay Transcode profile that is set up for audio mixdown can be used with sequences or

clips that do not contain audio. Therefore, you do not need a specific profile for video only

mixdowns. This is also true for video mixdowns: a profile set for video mixdown can be used with

sequences that do not contain video. In both cases, the mixdown finishes as expected.

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Understanding DUALMIXDOWN Mode with Two Workspaces

If you use the DUALMIXDOWN mode in the Interplay Transcode service to create two

resolutions for a single sequence or clip, you can save the media files in two different

workspaces. For example, if you mix down a sequence to a low-resolution version and a

high-resolution version, you can save the low-resolution media files in one workspace and store

the high-resolution media files in another. Using two workspaces can help you manage

shared-storage disk space and deletion workflows.

For Interplay v2.4, a Transcode profile now includes an option labeled WorkspaceDual. In the

following illustration, the result of the Transcode operation will be low-resolution media

(MPEG1Layer2 audio and H.264 video) created in workspace d_ws1 and high-resolution media

(Uncompressed PCM and DNxHD 1080) created in workspace d_ws2.

Note the following:

• The WorkspaceDual field is ignored unless the profile mode is set for DUALMIXDOWN.

• If the profile mode is set for DUALMIXDOWN:

- If either of the workspace fields is empty, the workspace in the other field will be used to

store media for both mixdowns.

- If the workspace fields are the same, the workspace listed will be used to store media for

both mixdowns.

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- If the workspace fields are different and a secondary video or audio target is specified

without a corresponding primary target, the following error is displayed in the Details

window:

“Dual video selected without a primary selected” or “Dual audio selected without a

primary selected.”

- If the workspace fields are different and a primary video or audio target is specified

without a corresponding secondary target, the mixdown is performed as usual and the

media is stored in the primary workspace.

- If there is a problem storing the media in one of the workspaces (for example, the

workspace is full), the mixdown job fails.

Understanding CROSSRATE Mode

You can use the Interplay Transcode service to transcode master clips and subclips from one

project type to another, even if the frame rate does not match. Previously, you could use

Transcode only for rate-compatible project types, such as NTSC 30i to 1080i/60. Now you can

use Transcode for project types that have different frame sizes or rates, such as transcoding a

720p/60 clip to a 1080i/60 clip, or a 25i PAL clip to a 30i NTSC clip.

Transcoding a clip from one project type to another creates a new clip and media. Transcoding a

subclip creates a new master clip associated only with the media used in the subclip.

Starting with Interplay v2.4, a Transcode profile includes the following options:

• From the Mode list, select CROSSRATE.

• From the TargetProjectType list, select the project type to which you want to transcode. This

parameter is ignored for other Transcode modes.

This parameter is ignored for CROSSRATE mode when you select a DNxHR resolution as

the TargetVideoQuality. The frame rate and frame dimensions in the TargetVideoQuality are

used instead.

CROSSRATE mode uses the same audio processing as MIXDOWN mode. By default, a new

clip is created with a stereo pair of audio tracks. If you want a different result, specify the audio

track mapping in the TargetAudioTrackMapping field of the CROSSRATE profile. For example,

A0=0; specifies mono mode in which all available source audio tracks are mapped to an equal

number of target audio tracks. For more information, see “Mapping Audio Tracks in

MIXDOWN, DUALMIXDOWN, and CROSSRATE Modes” on page 116.

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The following illustration shows specific CROSSRATE options. The result of a Transcode

operation using this profile is a 1080i/60 clip with XDCAM-EX media and uncompressed PCM

audio.

The following project types are qualified as targets:

Frame Rate Project Type

25 PAL 25i, 1080i/50

29.97 NTSC 30i, 1080i/60

23.976 720p/23.976

50 720p/50

59.94 720p/60

23.976 1080p/23.976

24 1080p/24

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Note the following:

• You need to install a v2.4 or later service description file (TranscodeService.zip) and

Interplay Access v2.4 or later to use the new profile options. See “Registering a Service

Manually” on page 83.

•Sequences are not supported for transcoding across project types.

• Ancillary data tracks (D tracks) in source clips are not preserved in transcoded clips.

• Transcoding a clip from one project type to another creates a new clip with the additional

text “crossrate.” For example, transcoding a clip named “Clip1” produces a new clip named

“Clip1,crossrate,n” where n is the number of Transcode jobs run since the last start of the

service.

• Because transcoding a clip from one project type to another creates a new clip, you cannot

dynamically relink the original clip to the media created with the new clip. If you select

“Allow Mixed Frame Rate Media” in the Dynamic Relink settings, you can replace the

original clip with the new clip.

• Transcoding to two target resolutions is not supported. Any entry in

TargetAudioQualityDual or TargetVideoQualityDual is ignored.

• Audio-only clips are not supported for CROSSRATE mode.

• CROSSRATE mode uses the default Motion Adapter settings that are used by Avid editing

applications during editing transcode operations.

Understanding DATAEXTRACT Mode

DATAEXTRACT mode allows you to extract the D1 track as a separate MXF file when you

transcode DNxHD media that contains embedded ancillary data.

This mode is specific to the Legacy method of handling ancillary data that uses DNxHD media

with the ancillary data embedded in it. It does not apply to the Data Track method where a

master clip contains an accompanying data (D1) track. If you attempt to process a master clip

with an accompanying D1 track, the Transcode operation fails.

nThis mode is used in a workflow that exports a simplified AAF file using XDCAM HD media.

When you activate DATAEXTRACT mode in a profile, the resulting transcode operation

performs the following tasks:

• Creates new transcoded video and audio .mxf files in the specified resolutions.

• Isolates the embedded ancillary data in a separate .mxf file data track.

• Creates a new clip that references the audio and video tracks plus the new data (D1) track.

The system appends the

,extract

extension to the clip or sequence name to designate that

the media file set now contains an extracted D1 track.

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130

The following illustration shows the Transcode profile Parameters area with DATAEXTRACT

mode selected. The illustration also shows an Interplay Checkin Folder field.

The following illustration shows the clip created in this example in Interplay Access.

• The clip appears in the specified check-in folder. The system creates the folder if it does not

exist.

• The clip name contains the added text

,extract,2

.

• A new .mxf file is created for the data track.

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131

Limitations for DATAEXTRACT Mode

DATAEXTRACT mode is new for releases later than Interplay Transcode v3.0.5. If you send a

profile specifying DATAEXTRACT mode to an Interplay Transcode v3.0.5 or earlier system,

Interplay Transcode defaults to WHOLE mode, which performs an ordinary transcode based on

the video and audio targets in the profile. The system does not create a D track and does not

report any D track-related errors.

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132

Transcoding an Asset from Interplay | Access

This section describes how to manually transcode an asset. For information on automatically

transcoding an asset, see “Working with an Auto Transcode Folder” on page 137.

To transcode an asset from Interplay Access:

1. Make sure the Production Services Engine and Interplay Transcode service are running.

2. Click Start and select All Programs > Avid > Avid Interplay Access.

3. Locate the asset that you want to transcode.

4. Right-click the asset and select Transcode.

The Transcode dialog box opens.

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133

5. Select a profile from the menu and click Set.

The system performs the transcode operation.

6. (Option) To view the progress of the Transcode job, select View > Interplay Production

Services Status.

After the transcode is complete, the new resolution comes online on the asset selected for

transcoding.

nIf media is already available in the target resolution, the Interplay Transcode job displays a

warning (green with a question mark icon) in the Production Services and Transfer Status tool.

Transcoding an Asset from an Avid Editing

Application

To transcode an asset from an Avid editing application, first connect to the Production Services

Engine, then perform the transcode.

To connect to the Production Services Engine:

1. In the Avid editing application, select Production Services from the Settings list.

The Production Services Settings dialog box opens.

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2. Fill in the following sections:

- Select the “Production Services are Available” option.

- Hostname — Type the computer name of the system running the Production Services

Engine.

- Type your user name and password. This user name can be one set up explicitly in

Production Services Engine by the Production Services administrator. It can also be any

valid Avid Interplay user name. For example, you can use the same user name and

password that you use to connect to the Interplay Window.

- Shared Storage — Leave this field blank. This setting is no longer used

- Notification and Email address — You can use this option if your Production Services

Engine is set up for e-mail notification. See “Configuring the Production Services

Engine” on page 31.

3. Click OK.

To transcode a clip or sequence:

1. Make sure the Production Services Engine and Interplay Transcode service are running.

2. Select the clip or sequence in the bin or select the asset in the Interplay Window.

3. Select File > Production Services > Avid Interplay Transcode Service > profile name, where

profile name is a profile set up for the Transcode service.

The system performs the transcode operation according to the rules in the profile that you

select. See “Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile” on page 110.

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135

4. (Option) If you have the Interplay Access application installed on your system, start the

application and select View > Interplay Production Services Status to view the job progress.

If you have the standalone Production Services and Transfer Status tool installed, click Start

and select Programs > Avid > Avid Production Services and Transfer Status.

nIf media is already available in the target resolution, the Interplay Transcode job displays a

warning (green with a question mark icon) in the Production Services and Transfer Status tool.

Transcoding OMF Clips

You can use the Interplay Transcode service to transcode OMF clips to AAF/MXF clips while

maintaining the same resolution or by transcoding them to a different resolution.

Maintaining the same resolution is especially useful for facilities that have a large number of

OMF clips (a format used by earlier versions of Avid products) and want to transcode them to the

current AAF/MXF format.

The following illustration shows how the transcoding takes place:

• Clip 1 includes OMF metadata that is associated with DV 25 OMF media.

• Interplay Transcode uses a profile that specifies DV 25 as the target resolution to transcode

Clip 1 and its associated media.

• Clip 1 retains its Source ID but now includes AAF metadata. The clip retains its association

with the DV 25 OMF media, but it is also associated with the new DV 25 MXF media.

Clip 1 (OMF)

Source ID: 12345

Media (OMF)

DV 25

Media (MXF)

DV 25

Clip 1 (AAF)

Source ID: 12345

Media (OMF)

DV 25

Transcode

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136

After you transcode the clip, you have the option of deleting the OMF media. Use the Delete

function in Interplay Access, and select “only OMF media,” as shown in the following

illustration:

If the “only OMF media” option is not displayed, use the Delete Behavior view in the Site

Settings of the Interplay Administrator and select the option “Allow user choice for deleting

OMF/MXF media.”

nIf you transcode an OMF clip to an AAF/MXF clip with a different resolution (introduced in

Interplay v2.2.1), the transcoded clip will be associated with both the original OMF media and

the new MXF media.

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137

nAfter you transcode an OMF clip once to any AAF/MXF resolution, you cannot transcode it to

the same resolution. The job will fail with a warning.

Working with an Auto Transcode Folder

You can identify a folder or subfolder as an Auto Transcode folder. When you move a clip or

sequence asset to the Auto Transcode folder, the Interplay Auto Transcode Service automatically

submits the clip to the Interplay Transcode service for transcoding.

nThe system does not create a new asset when you perform the transcode. You have one asset with

two resolutions associated with the asset. You can view the resolutions in Interplay Access or the

Interplay window.

The Auto Transcode service processes files according to the date and time, using a first-in,

first-out (FIFO) rule. The date and time used depends on when an asset was copied to the auto

folder.

You should create only the minimum number of Auto Transcode folders that you need. The Auto

Transcode service regularly scans all auto folders, so if there are a lot of folders to scan, there can

be an impact on the performance of the Interplay Engine.

The following topics describe working with an Auto Transcode folder:

•Preparing the Workgroup for Auto Transcode

•Identifying an Auto Transcode Folder

•Transcoding Avid Assets Using an Auto Transcode Folder

•Location of Automatically Transcoded Files

Preparing the Workgroup for Auto Transcode

For information on setting up your workgroup for transcoding, see “Check List for Transcoding

Assets” on page 103.

In addition to the Transcode Service application, you must also install the Interplay Auto

Production Services, which includes the Auto Transcode service. These services are installed

with the Auto Archive installation. For details on installing the software, see the

Interplay | Production Software Installation and Configuration Guide.

For details on configuring the Interplay Auto Transcode service, see “Configuring the Auto

Transcode Service” on page 138.

To verify that the Auto Transcode service is running, see “Verifying that the Auto Transcode

Service is Running” on page 140.

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138

Configuring the Auto Transcode Service

You use the Avid Service Configuration tool (a component of Avid Service Framework) to

configure the Auto Transcode service. The Avid Service Configuration tool is an application that

lets you set and change parameters for each of the different Avid services and applications in

your workgroup environment. For more information about using Avid Service Framework, see

the Avid Service Framework User’s Guide.

To configure the Avid Auto Transcode service using Avid Service Configuration tool:

1. Click the Start button, and select All Programs > Avid > Avid Service Framework > Avid

Service Configuration.

The system displays the Workgroup Server Setting tab for the Avid Automatic Archive,

Transcode, Transfer, and Copy services.

2. Type the Interplay Engine hostname, user name, and password.

3. Click the Transfer and Transcode Settings tab.

The system displays the settings for the AutoTransfer and AutoTranscode.

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139

4. In the Configure AutoTranscode area, do the following:

a. Enable AutoTranscode—Select Yes.

b. AutoTranscode scanning interval—Type the number of minutes between scans,

minimum allowed is 3 minutes.

c. Number of times to retry when encountering an error—Type the number of times you

want the system to retry after an error occurs.

d. Number of clips to submit to Interplay Transcode at once—Type the number of clips

you want sent for transcode at one time.

The system can better manage the job-processing task when the jobs are processed in

small batches. The default number is 10 clips submitted for processing at one time. For

example, when the system is transcoding 1,000 clips to the Auto Transcode folder, the

first 10 clips are transcoded, then the next 10 clips are transcoded, and so on until all

1,000 clips are transcoded.

You can verify that the Auto Transcode service is running. See “Verifying that the Auto

Transcode Service is Running” on page 140.

e. Include clips in subfolders—Select Yes if you want to transcode the clips in subfolders.

5. Click Apply.

6. Close the Avid Service Configuration window.

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140

nFor information about configuring the Auto Transfer service, see the Interplay | Transfer Setup

and User’s Guide.

Verifying that the Auto Transcode Service is Running

You use the Interplay Workgroup Properties (a component of Avid Service Framework) to verify

that an Auto service is running. For more information about using Avid Service Framework, see

the Avid Service Framework User’s Guide.

To verify that the Auto Transcode service is running:

1. On any server in the workgroup, click the Start button, and then select All Programs > Avid

> Avid Service Framework > Avid Workgroup Properties.

The Avid Workgroup Properties window opens.

If there is a green check mark next to the “Status” field, all services are running.

2. To view the services, click the Advanced button.

The Avid Services dialog box opens.

This dialog box lets you view all services that are monitored by the Service Framework. The

Auto Transcode service is managed by the Interplay Auto Production Services service

(formerly called Interplay Auto Production Services service).

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141

3. If necessary, select a service and click Start.

Identifying an Auto Transcode Folder

You must be logged in as an Administrator on Interplay Access to create an Auto Transcode

folder in the Interplay database.

To set up an Auto Transcode folder:

1. Create a folder (or select an existing folder) in the Interplay database, using Interplay

Access.

The following illustration shows a folder named Auto Transcode. You can use any name that

fits your workflow.

2. Right-click the folder and select Set AutoTranscode.

The Set AutoTranscode dialog box opens.

3. Select a Transcode profile for the folder and click Set. For information about profiles, see

“Creating an Interplay Transcode Service Profile” on page 110.

The system adds an Auto Transcode icon to the folder.

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142

Transcoding Avid Assets Using an Auto Transcode Folder

To transcode Avid assets using an Auto Transcode folder:

1. Make sure a folder is configured for Auto Transcoding. See “Identifying an Auto Transcode

Folder” on page 141.

2. (Option) Ensure that the Production Services Engine and the Interplay Transcode Service

are connected. See “Verifying That a Service Provider Is Connected” on page 89.

3. Open Interplay Access and log in.

4. Locate a clip that you want to transcode, right-click the file, and select Move To.

The Move To dialog box opens.

5. Navigate to your Auto Transcode folder and click OK.

The system starts the Transcode job as a background task.

6. (Option) To view the progress of the Transcode job, select View > Interplay Production

Services Status.

Location of Automatically Transcoded Files

The workspace for the new media files associated with the asset is specified by the profile

associated with the Auto Transcode folder. See “Identifying an Auto Transcode Folder” on

page 141.

The system does not create a new asset in the Interplay database when you perform an Auto

Transcode operation. The asset that you selected for transcode now has an additional resolution

associated with it. You can view the associated resolutions in Interplay Access or in the Interplay

Window.

To view the new resolution in Interplay Access:

1. Open Interplay Access and log in.

2. From the View Presets menu, select Resolutions.

The Resolutions window opens.

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143

3. Select a new resolution for displaying in the Content area.

4. Click OK.

Columns appear for each resolution you selected.

Stereoscopic 3D Support in Interplay Transcode

Interplay Transcode v2.6 and later includes the following stereoscopic 3D support:

• Transcoding of stereoscopic clips, stereoscopic subclips, and sequences containing

stereoscopic clips and subclips, in WHOLE and CONSOLIDATE modes.

• Mixdown of sequences containing only stereoscopic clips, stereoscopic subclips, or both.

Metadata properties (column data) and DRM (restrictions) are preserved.

You can use MIXDOWN mode to change the stereoscopic project type of the sequence when

creating a mixed-down clip. Options for creating a MIXDOWN profile now include an option

labeled TargetStereoScopicProjectType.

The following table lists the stereoscopic project types you can select and the resulting

mixed-down clips.

Stereoscopic

Project Type Master Clips Created

Stereoscopic

Clip Created?

Monoscopic One master clip No

Leading Eye One master clip for the Leading Eye footage only No

Left eye only One master clip for the Left Eye footage only No

Right Eye only One master clip for the Right Eye footage only No

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144

The following project types and resolutions are supported as sources and targets:

• 1080p 23.976

- DNxHD 36, 115, 175, 175x, 444

- AVC-Intra 50 and 100

- 8-bit HD Uncompressed (1:1 MXF in Avid editing systems)

• 1080i 60

- DNxHD 145. 220, 220x

- AVC-Intra 50 and 100

- 8-bit HD Uncompressed (1:1 MXF in Avid editing systems)

• 1080i 50

- DNxHD 120, 185, 185x

- AVC-Intra 50 and 100

- 8-bit HD Uncompressed (1:1 MXF in Avid editing systems)

Note the following limitations:

• DUALMIXDOWN mode is not supported for sequences containing stereoscopic clips,

stereoscopic subclips, or both.

• CROSSRATE mode is not supported for stereoscopic clips or subclips.

• Frame locators (markers) are not preserved during mixdowns.

• H.263 and H.264 resolutions are not supported as target resolutions for transcoding.

nFor information about working with stereoscopic project types on an Avid editing system, see the

Avid Stereoscopic 3D Editing Workflow Guide, which is available on the Customer Support

Knowledge Base.

nFor information about creating a Transcode profile, see “Creating an Interplay Transcode

Service Profile” on page 110.

Side by side One master clip with Left and Right images side by side Yes

Over / Under One master clip with the Left image above the Right image Yes

Full One master clip for the Left eye, one master clip for the Right eye Yes

Stereoscopic

Project Type Master Clips Created

Stereoscopic

Clip Created?

7Working with the Archive and Restore

Services

The following topics explain how to set up and use the Interplay Archive service and Interplay

Restore service to archive and restore assets:

•Understanding Archive and Restore Services

•Check List for Archiving and Restoring Assets

•Archive Configuration and Setup

•Registering the Archive or Restore Service with the Production Services Engine

•Configuring an Archive Provider or Restore Provider for the Production Services Engine

•Configuring the Archive Service

•Connecting to the Archive Database and Creating Folders in Interplay Access

•Working with Interplay Archive and Interplay Restore Profiles

•Archiving Assets from an Avid Editing Application

•Archiving Assets Using Interplay Access

•Working with an Auto Archive Folder

•Searching the Archive Database

•Restoring Assets from the Archive Database

•Working with Partial Restore

•Configuring a Workgroup to Use Multiple Archive Engines

Understanding Archive and Restore Services

Interplay supports two types of databases:

• An online database maintained by the Interplay Engine. The name of the database must be

AvidWG.

• An offline database maintained the Interplay Archive Engine. The name of the database

must be AvidAM. The Interplay Archive Engine requires its own server.