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Avid iNEWS | Command Administration Guide

Avid® iNEWS® | Command

Administration Guide

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Footage

Arri — Courtesy of Arri/Fauer — John Fauer, Inc.

Bell South “Anticipation” — Courtesy of Two Headed Monster — Tucker/Wayne Atlanta/GMS.

Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior.

Eco Challenge Morocco — Courtesy of Discovery Communications, Inc.

It’s Shuttletime — Courtesy of BCP & Canadian Airlines.

Nestlé Coffee Crisp — Courtesy of MacLaren McCann Canada.

Saturn “Calvin Egg” — Courtesy of Cossette Communications.

“Tigers: Tracking a Legend” — Courtesy of www.wildlifeworlds.com, Carol Amore, Executive Producer.

"The Big Swell" — Courtesy of Swell Pictures, Inc.

Windhorse — Courtesy of Paul Wagner Productions.

Arizona Images — KNTV Production — Courtesy of Granite Broadcasting, Inc.,

Editor/Producer Bryan Foote.

Canyonlands — Courtesy of the National Park Service/Department of the Interior.

Ice Island — Courtesy of Kurtis Productions, Ltd.

Tornados + Belle Isle footage — Courtesy of KWTV News 9.

WCAU Fire Story — Courtesy of NBC-10, Philadelphia, PA.

Women in Sports – Paragliding — Courtesy of Legendary Entertainment, Inc.

News material provided by WFTV Television Inc.

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Avid iNEWS | Command v3.2 Administrator’s Guide • 9329-65263-00 Rev B • Created 9/9/14 • This document

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

Contents

Using This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

If You Need Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

How to Order Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Avid Training Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 1 Introduction to iNEWS Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Overview of the System Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Architecture and Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Command with Avid Deko Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Security via Administrator Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Starting Command at a Workstation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Overview of the User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Playlist Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Menu Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Disabling a Command Workstation’s Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chapter 2 iNEWS Command Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Main Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Device Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Framework Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Redundancy/Failover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Non-redundant services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Viewing Status of Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Starting and Stopping Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Chapter 3 System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Viewing System Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Channel Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Device Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Creating Channel Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Editing Channel Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Deleting Channel Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Ripple Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Indices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Programming the X-keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

MOS Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Configuring Command for MOS Redirection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Playlist Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Graphics Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Graphic Title Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Loading a Shotbox from iNEWS or NRCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Playout Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

As-run Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Recue Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Cue Fail Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Autocue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Inventory Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Enabling Mark In Points from Avid iNEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Enabling Loop Count from Avid iNEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

GPI Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Mapping Events to Actions for a GPI Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Enabling the GPI Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Tally Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Privileges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

System Alias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Importing and Exporting System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Chapter 4 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Support Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Standard Information to Include Regardless of Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Configuring the Avid Deko Renderer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Using This Guide

Congratulations on your purchase of your Avid iNEWS® | Command system.

The Command system offers a considerable amount of functionality for the state-of-the-art

newsroom, including newsroom system integration and playout control. With Command,

newsroom personnel can easily create and manage playlists.

This publication provides information on how to administer the Command system.

nThe documentation describes the standard features of a basic system configuration.

Therefore, your system might contain certain features and hardware that are not covered in

the documentation.

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.

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, 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, view error messages, access troubleshooting tips, download updates, and to

read or join online message-board discussions.

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1Introduction to iNEWS | Command

Command is a device automation system that integrates with any iNEWS or MOS-enabled

newsroom computer system (NRCS) and provides broadcasters precise control over a range of

playout devices, including video servers, still stores, and character generators in a broadcast

news environment. Backup services and mirrored playout make this system reliable while the

user interface allows you to control multiple production devices. Command also works with

Avid Service Framework applications and services to ensure you always have the best

system performance.

This chapter contains the following main sections:

•Overview of the System Architecture

-Architecture and Workflow

-Features

•Security via Administrator Password

•Starting Command at a Workstation

•Overview of the User Interface

Overview of the System Architecture

The basic iNEWS Command system is comprised of iNEWS Command Servers, workstations

that run the client software, and devices, such as Avid AirSpeed video servers, Thunder

production servers and Deko character generators. The system is designed to be an extension of

your current Avid system. It allows you to receive playlists from Avid iNEWS while controlling

your video and graphics devices. The iNEWS Command system supports industry standard

protocols making it compatible with many other products.

For newscast control your iNEWS Command system provides automated playlists, tracks script

changes, and automates control of production and playback devices including video servers, still

stores, and character generators. It integrates with the iNEWS rundown—or any other

MOS-enabled newsroom computer system—allowing a producer to change a show while it is on

air, and reflecting those changes in their iNEWS Command system. MOS commands are

supported so that journalists can use MOS plug-ins within the newsroom computer system script.

Production playout devices, including Avid Deko and Avid Thunder on-air graphics solutions

and AirSpeed video servers, are triggered based on the events in the rundown.

Overview of the System Architecture

News graphic and text templates for news elements can include logos and station IDs,

lower-third captions or superimposed graphics, and full-screen backgrounds with text.

Journalists, using iNEWS newsroom computer system, fill in the templates and insert them into

their stories either manually, by using a macro, or by using the iNEWS Title Entry tool. They

may also include clips and stills in their script by entering the ID of the of the graphic in the story

as a production cue. At air time an iNEWS Command operator triggers the graphics playlist,

which is synchronized with the iNEWS rundown.

Architecture and Workflow

Avid iNEWS Command is scalable and can adapt to work in traditional newsroom-based playlist

creation to production-centric workflows where running orders are created inside the Command

Workstation. All of the components can run on a single computer, or they can be spread out

across multiple computers with redundant services configured to take control if the primary

services should become unavailable.

An example of a basic Command system architecture is shown in the following illustration:

In the most common news workflow, playlists are created using the iNEWS newsroom computer

system and the video and graphic assets are referenced in stories using their IDs or by dragging

and dropping them from an Active-X plugin.

Overview of the System Architecture

Standalone playlists can be created and saved for later use. Multiple playlists can be embedded

in a single running order. You can set assets within a playlist to playback at a specified time, or

you can set groups of assets to play in follow-on mode.

A basic workflow is shown in the following illustration:

Command with Avid Deko Overview

This section contains an overview of each component involved in a Command/Deko workflow

and the main purpose each serves.

Component Description

DekoMOS Gateway • Defines Deko styles

• Equates channel number (1-9) with a MOS ID

• Provides inventory to the Avid Deko Select plugin in iNEWS

Avid iNEWS •

SYSTEM.MOS-MAP

equates the MOS ID with the channel group in

Command

•

SYSTEM.MAP

associates the newsroom rundown with the channel group

and assigns a style if it’s a Deko channel group

Avid Deko Select Used to choose the channel number and style for an item that is dragged into

the newsroom rundown.

Avid iNEWS Command • Creates channel groups

• Configure styles to match those in an Avid Deko.

• Sends playout control commands to the Avid Deko device

Overview of the System Architecture

Features

The Avid iNEWS Command system provides the features described in the following table.

Avid Deko • Inventory is copied from this device to the DekoMOS Gateway.

• Deko software provides graphics for on-air playout.

DekoMOS Macro Server • Gets style list from DekoMOS Gateway

• Sets style paths for replaceable, static graphics, motions, and so forth

• Sends inventory to the Inventory Manager in Command

Component (Continued) Description (Continued)

Feature Description

Playlist Functionality You can load a playlist from the newsroom computer system, or create the

playlist manually within Avid iNEWS Command. This provides the

flexibility to control event playout locally, at the desktop, or from a

rundown. You can also embed playlists within other playlists, which allows

for seamless transitions between shows or segments produced by separate

editorial teams.

Manual and Automated

Triggering

Items can be played back manually by the operator, via keyboard, X-keys, or

GPI. Items can also be played automatically, using the follow-on or looping

playout setting. And a playlist can be set to start at a specified time of day.

This provides total integration with the facility, its systems, processes,

and staff.

Mirrored Playout This allows a single Play command to initiate playback on two channels

simultaneously. This functionality is essential for redundancy/failover

operations.

Advanced Playback Features These features include: autocue, play while record, and play while transfer.

Flexible Integration You can configure the Avid iNEWS Command system to control any

combination of supported video or graphics devices that are operating in an

Avid iNEWS, ENPS, or other MOS environment.

User Interface The intuitive user interface provides visual tools, including clocks that show

time elapsed and time remaining, channel assignments for easy

identification of transmission paths, and color-coded status indicators that

illustrate the inventory of assets based on availability and playability on all

devices. This improves operation, reduces training time, and ensures

complete synchronization of devices with the playlist

Security via Administrator Password

Modifying system settings in Avid iNEWS Command requires an administrator password (if

set), which is configured through the Service Configuration application of Avid Service

Framework.

To set up or change the system administration password:

1. Click the Start button and select Programs > Avid > Service Framework > Avid Service

Configuration.

2. On the Hosts tab, navigate to and select the Avid System Configuration Service.

3. Select the Administrator Password tab.

4. Type in an alpha-numeric password and retype it.

5. Click Apply.

Status Updates Reflects playability status of inventory assets; display of playout and

channel group lock status; and status-based colors and fonts for stories and

items at a glance. These status updates speed up decision-making saving

time, while maintaining accuracy.

Feature (Continued) Description (Continued)

Starting Command at a Workstation

nShould you ever need to restore the default “blank” password, click the Reset button to do so.

Starting Command at a Workstation

While some administration tasks require a password—if the administrator password is set

up—the Avid iNEWS Command client application at a workstation requires no password to log

in and is easy to start.

Command supports the ability to log into different workgroups from a single workstation. This

can be accomplished by adding the respective workgroups to the Lookup tab in the Workgroup

Properties application. Once added, Command will present a dialog box when opened, giving

users the option to log into the desired workgroup.

To start iNEWS Command at a workstation:

1. Do one of the following:

tDouble click the iNEWS Command icon on the desktop.

tClick the Start button and select Programs > Avid > Avid iNEWS Command.

The iNEWS Command window opens to a default configuration showing Playlists, Alerts,

Inventory, and the Playlist Viewer.

Overview of the User Interface

The Avid iNEWS Command window is the graphical user interface that contains , the Playlist

Viewer, panels, a menu bar, status bar, and a workspace area.

Playlist Viewer

The Playlist Viewer is a customizable area of the window used to view and manage playlists for

on-air playout. The window can also have different playlists open simultaneously. All are

accessible through tabs located at the top of the Playlist Viewer.

For more information about the Playlist Viewer used in iNEWS Command, see the Avid iNEWS

Command User’s Guide.

Panels

Panels are components that provide information in various ways.The iNEWS Command window

contains panels that you can dock, undock, move, resize, or even hide from view. Each panel is

easily identified by the name appearing in its title bar.

For more information about the panels, including the Inventory panel and Playlist Explorer, used

in iNEWS Command, see Avid iNEWS Command User’s Guide.

Menu Bar

The menu bar for iNEWS Command contains the following:

•File

•Edit

•View

•Playlist

• Shotbox

•Media

•Tools

•Help

Each menu, its options and descriptions are described in the following tables:

Menu Submenu Menu Option Shortcut Keys Description

File New Playlist Ctrl+Shift+N Opens the Create New Playlist dialog box.

Overview of the User Interface

Shotbox Ctrl+Alt+N Opens the Create New Shotbox dialog box.

File Import Playlist Imports a playlist to Command.

Shotbox Imports a shotbox to Command.

Export Playlist Exports a playlist from Command.

Shotbox Exports a shotbox from Command.

Exit Closes the Command program.

Edit Cut Ctrl+X Cut selection.

Copy Ctrl+C Copy selection.

Paste Ctrl+V Paste selection.

Delete Delete selection.

View Playlist Explorer Ctrl+Shift+E Displays or closes the Playlist Explorer.

Inventory Ctrl+Shift+I Displays or closes the Inventory panel.

Shotbox Displays or closes the Shotbox Viewer.

Clock Displays or closes the Clock.

Playout Displays or closes the Playout panel.

Media Viewer Ctrl+Shift+M Displays or closes the Media Viewer.

Alerts Ctrl+Shift+A Displays or closes the Alerts.

Playlist View Next Ctrl+Tab Displays next playlist

Previous Ctrl+Shift+Tab Displays previous playlist

Set Focus Ctrl+F Sets the keyboard focus to the active view.

Close Ctrl+W Closes the current playlist.

Close All Ctrl+Shift+W Closes all playlists.

Maximize Maximizes the Playlist Viewer.

Playlist Select Next item Ctrl+Down Select next item in current playlist.

Previous Item Ctrl+Up Select previous item in current playlist.

Next Row Alt+Down Select next item in current playlist.

Menu Submenu Menu Option Shortcut Keys Description (Continued)

Overview of the User Interface

Previous Row Alt+Up Select previous item in current playlist.

Item In

Following Story

Ctrl+Page Down Select next item after story.

Playlist Edit Properties Opens Playlist Properties dialog box.

Edit Selection Ctrl+E Edit current selection in playlist.

Edit Channel Ctrl+* (asterisk) Sets focus to current playlist item’s

Channel column so the user can manually

assign a channel.

Edit Trigger Ctrl+/ (slash) Sets focus to current playlist item’s Trigger

column so the user can select manual or

follow-on playout.

Edit Media ID Sets focus to the current playlist item’s ID

column so the user can alter the ID.

Cut Cut selection.

Copy Copy selection.

Paste Paste selection.

Delete Delete selection.

Playlist Show Inventory Ctrl+I Opens the Inventory panel.

Playlist Insert New Story Ctrl+N Insert new story.

New Break Insert new break.

New Item Insert new item.

Playlist Channels Assign Ctrl+R Assign channel.

Lock All Ctrl+L Lock all channels.

Unlock All Alt+L Unlock all channels.

Add Existing... Add an existing channel group.

Add New... Add a new channel group.

Menu Submenu Menu Option Shortcut Keys Description (Continued)

Overview of the User Interface

Playlist Playout Cue . (period) Cue Selection. Additional submenu options

include: Selection Cue All Channels

(Shift+hyphen), Last Played (Ctrl+hyphen),

and Home, Select and Cue All

(Alt+Home). The last submenu option

moves the cursor to the first available item

in the playlist and cues all channels.

nThe Alt+Home keystroke combination works only when the Home key on the keyboard is used, not the

Home (7) key on the numerical keypad.

Play Enter Play media.

Pause + (plus) Pause media that is playing. Submenu

options include: Selection and Last Played.

Stop 0 (zero) Stops media from playing. Submenu

options include: Selection and Last Played.

Shotbox View Next Ctrl+Alt+Tab Displays next shotbox

Previous Displays previous shotbox

Set Focus Ctrl+Alt+F Sets the keyboard focus to the active view.

Maximize Maximizes the Shotbox Viewer panel.

Close Ctrl+Alt+W Closes the current shotbox.

Close All Closes all shotboxes.

Shotbox Edit Selection Ctrl+Alt+E Edit current selection in shotbox.

Edit Channel Ctrl+Alt+*

(asterisk on

numeric keypad)

Sets focus to current shotbox item’s

Channel list so the user can manually

assign a channel. This “pins” the channel to

that item.

Unpin Channel Alt+Shift+*

(asterisk on

numeric keypad)

Removes pinned channel assignment from

all selected items in shotbox.

Cut Cut selection.

Copy Copy selection.

Paste Paste selection.

Delete Delete selection.

Menu Submenu Menu Option Shortcut Keys Description (Continued)

Overview of the User Interface

Shotbox Show Inventory Ctrl+Alt+I Opens the Inventory panel.

Shotbox Insert Item Alt+Shift+Insert Inserts a new item in a shotbox.

Shotbox Playout Cue Cue media. Submenu options include:

Selection, Last played, or Items 01-12.

Play Play media. Submenu options include:

Selection or Items 01-12.

Pause Pause media that is playing. Submenu

options include: Selection and Last Played.

Stop Stops media from playing. Submenu

options include: Selection and Last Played.

Media Play Ctrl+Space Play media.

Go To Mark In Alt+Q Go to the marked In point.

Go To Mark Out Alt+W Go to marked Out point.

Set Mark In Alt+I Mark the In point.

Set Mark Out Alt+O Mark the Out point.

Forward One Frame Alt+. Move forward one frame.

Forward One

Second

Ctrl+. Move forward one second.

Forward ten

Seconds

Ctrl+Alt+. Move forward ten seconds.

Backward One

Frame

Alt+, Move backward one frame.

Backward One

Second

Ctrl+, Move backward one second.

Backward Ten

Seconds

Ctrl+Alt+, Move backward ten seconds.

Restart Alt+6 Restart media.

Eject Alt+J Eject media.

Tools Options Opens the Options dialog box.

Menu Submenu Menu Option Shortcut Keys Description (Continued)

Overview of the User Interface

Disabling a Command Workstation’s Keyboard

Some sites use alternative devices to control playout from Command, such as a GPI device or an

X-keys USB keypad, and therefore do not want the computer keyboard at the workstation

enabled.

nX-keys is third-party hardware. Command natively supports a variety of X-keys devices, which

are configured through the Command Workstation application. Native support gives users an

added level of functionality that is not available through the X-keys Macro Works software. See

the Avid iNEWS Command ReadMe for the specific X-keys devices that are supported.

You can also use the Macro Works software, a keyboard emulator, with any X-keys device. For

more information on X-keys USB keypads, see that manufacturer’s documentation on

www.xkeys.com.

System Settings Opens the System Settings dialog box.

These options apply to the workstation only

and are not system-wide settings.

Enable GPI playout Ctrl+G If selected, it enables the use of a GPI

keypad for playout control.

Help Command Help Displays help information for users.

Support Opens the Support dialog box.

About Display information about iNEWS

Command.

Menu Submenu Menu Option Shortcut Keys Description (Continued)

Overview of the User Interface

To enable or disable the computer keyboard:

1. Select Tools > Options.

2. In Category, select Keyboard.

3. Do one of the following:

tSelect Enable keyboard.

tDeselect Enable keyboard.

4. Click Apply.

5. Click OK.

nIf the keyboard is disabled, the numeric keypad cannot be used to control playout from the

Command Workstation. Disabling the keyboard does not affect the use of the keyboard for

software on the workstation PC unrelated to the Command client software.

2iNEWS | Command Services

The services for Command enable it to interface with newsroom computer systems as well as

providing for playlist control. Some of the services can be defined as Main services—those

responsible for communicating with newsroom computer systems and for playlist control. Other

services are known as Device services—those responsible for controlling other devices, such as

video servers, still stores, and character generators in a broadcast news environment.

nCommand uses Avid Service Framework applications and services to monitor and manage

Command services.

•Main Services

•Device Services

•Framework Services

•Redundancy/Failover

•Viewing Status of Services

•Starting and Stopping Services

Main Services

The main services are vital components that enable interfacing with a newsroom system, as well

as playlist control.

nIt is best to dedicate a computer to be a Command Server. Avid does not recommend running the

main services on a workstation, Thunder, or Deko. See “Redundancy/Failover” on page 29 for

more information.

The two Command services that pertain to newsroom computer system interfacing are:

•Avid iNEWS Communication Service—An iNEWS Command system uses this service as

the communication portal to load and unload iNEWS rundowns from an iNEWS

workstation. The service receives playlist messages from the iNEWS monitor server (a

utility program), distributes them to the appropriate Command components, and reports item

status and inventory messages back to iNEWS. A single iNEWS Command system can have

multiple Communication services for redundancy.

Main Services

•Avid MOS Communication Service—An iNEWS Command system uses this service to

load and unload rundowns from a MOS-compliant newsroom system, such as ENPS. The

service receives MOS playlist messages from the newsroom computer system, distributes

them to the appropriate Command components, and reports item status and inventory

messages back to newsroom computer system. A single iNEWS Command system can have

multiple MOS services. This service is server specific, meaning that services on different

computers act independently. In a failover scenario, if the Command playlist becomes

disconnected, users can continue playout functions. To get an updated playlist, the user must

perform a MOS redirection in the MOS-based newsroom computer system to the Command

Server running the now primary MOS Communication service.

The Command services related to playout are:

•Avid Playlist Controller—The playlist controller drives playout of the media on a locked

channel group from the playlist it controls. When one or more channel groups are locked, a

playlist controller is allocated by the Playlist Manager. A single iNEWS Command system

can have multiple primary playlist controllers and several backups. One playlist controller is

necessary for each concurrently loaded playlist. Separate controllers are not needed to

control embedded playlists.

•Avid Playlist Manager—This service assigns a playlist controller (and its backup, if any) to

a playlist when the first channel group is locked. It also manages the locks on channel

groups. Playlists that have locked channel groups are prevented from being deleted. An

iNEWS Command system can only have one primary Playlist Manager, but might have

others as backups.

•Avi d Play li st Store—This service is the data store or respository for all loaded (newsroom)

playlists and standalone playlists. It communicates playlist changes to other Command

components. An iNEWS Command system can only have one primary Playlist Store, but

might have others as backups.

The Command services related to inventory are:

•Avid Inventory Manager—This service maintains an inventory of media metadata for all

physical devices connected to any channel group in an iNEWS Command system. This

inventory is sent to the Inventory Manager via the individual device services. An iNEWS

Command system can only have one active Inventory Manager, but might have backups.

The Command services related to thumbnail images are:

•Avi d Interplay Ag ent—This service connects and logs in to the Interplay engine to retrieve

thumbnail images for video assets on AirSpeed (classic) video servers and

thumbnails/metadata for third-party video servers, such as Omneon. It runs on the iNEWS

Command servers.

Device Services

•Avid Deko Renderer—This service connects to the DekoMOS Gateway to retrieve

thumbnail images for graphics on Avid Deko character generators. To avoid playout

interference, it runs on the iNEWS Command servers, not on the Deko device.

Device Services

The Device services are those services responsible for controlling other devices, such as video

servers, still stores, and character generators in a broadcast news environment.

•Avid AirSpeed Multi Stream device service—This service provides control of a single

AirSpeed Multi Stream or AirSpeed 5000 video server. One is required for each device, but

a site can also have multiple backups. It runs on the AirSpeed Multi Stream or AirSpeed

5000 video server.

•Avid Video device service—This service provides control of supported third-party video

devices. Control can be via TCP/API, such as for Omneon or Nexio, or via VDCP. One is

required for each device. It runs on the iNEWS Command servers.

For monitoring transfer status, the Video device service must be configured to connect to

Transfer Manager and therefore can report status based on the actual progress of the transfer.

The service can connect to two transfer engines.

•Avid AirSpeed device service—This service provides control of a single AirSpeed (classic)

video server. One is required for each device, but a site can also have multiple backups. It

runs on the iNEWS Command servers, not on the device like other device services.

•Avid Deko device service—This service provides control of a single Deko device. One is

required for each Deko device. It runs on the device (Deko Server).

•Avid Graphic device service—This service provides control of supported third-party

graphics devices, such as Chyron, Vizrt, or Ross Xpressions.

•Avid Thunder device service—This service provides control of a single Thunder device.

One is required for each Thunder device. It runs on the device (Thunder Server).

•Avid UMD device service—This service interfaces with Under Monitor Display (UMD) or

In Monitor Display (IMD) devices.

•Avid GPI device service—This service interfaces to a GPI input card on the server.

Framework Services

Avid Service Framework consists of applications and services which provide dynamic discovery

and lookup mechanisms, a scalable notification system, a centralized configuration tool,

diagnostic logging for workgroup-enabled applications and services, system health monitoring,

and so on. Some of the services are known collectively as Support services. The Support services

are viewed, monitored, and configured using the Service Framework applications.

Redundancy/Failover

Those most vital to iNEWS Command are:

•Avid Lookup service—This service enables communication between all Command and

other Avid services running in the workgroup. Without it, there is no communication

between services. Only two should be installed in a workgroup.

•Avid System Configuration service— This service is a shared repository for data that is

used across services within a workgroup. Only two should be installed in a workgroup. You

can configure a list of machines for Health Monitor and change the administration password

using the System Configuration service's configuration settings. Service settings are

available for configuring services, such as AutoArchive, AutoTranscode, and AutoTransfer.

•Avid License service—This service manages the site licenses for Command Workstations

as well as CG and video devices that interface with the Command system. It must be

installed on the computer running the Command Server software, but is not necessary on any

other computer; however, two instances of this service can be installed for redundancy.

nAvid Service Framework also comes with management applications: Work Group Properties,

Health Monitor, Service Configuration, and Diagnostics. Avid strongly recommends the

installation of these applications.

•Workgroup Properties (installed by default)—This application is used to start and stop

services and enables basic configuration.

•Health Monitor—This application shows current status of all services within the

workgroup.

•Service Configuration—This application lists any services that require configuration.

•Diagnostics—This application is primarily used to gather logs for the Command

workgroup, but can also be used to monitor current or past workgroup activity.

Redundancy/Failover

Avid iNEWS Command services operate on a primary/backup basis. There can be only one

primary service, but there can be several backup services. It is best to have a dedicated computer

be a Command Server and, for additional system integrity, use multiple Command Servers—one

running all of the primary services while the backup services run on other backup servers.

Command determines primary and backup based on the length of time the service has been

running. The server that has been running longer is the primary. Therefore, to get all primary

services on one server, it is necessary to start the primary server first; when all services have

started, start the backup servers. This is the only way to ensure all services on the primary server

take on the primary role, which allows for more consistent behavior during times when

redundancy is needed, and it helps simplify any necessary troubleshooting efforts.

Redundancy/Failover

When a primary service goes down, Command conducts an election, and changes the backup

service to primary. The new primary service will remain primary until it is stopped. When the old

primary service comes back up, it becomes the backup service. If the primary Command Server

were to go down, all of the services on the backup server would become primary.

If you were to lose network connectivity to the primary Command Server, the services do not

actually go down, and so their duration remains longer than the backup. After the network

connection is restored, those services become primary again.

nIf you have an on-air failover on the primary Command Server due to a loss of network

connectivity, you must stop the services on the primary server. Otherwise, those services will

once again become primary when the connection is restored, which will interrupt on-air

playability. After the connection is restored, and at a non-crucial time, you should start those

services again.

Non-redundant services

There are some services that are not redundant:

•Lookup service — This Avid Service Framework service acts independently. If a second

one is running, it is doing the same work; they basically work as two primary services. In a

failover scenario, the second lookup service is already working, and services would continue

seamlessly.

•iNEWS Communicationservice— This Command service is server specific, meaning that

services on different computers act independently. In a failover scenario, the Command

playlist will become disconnected, users can continue playout functions. To get an updated

playlist, the user can reload the iNEWS rundown to the second Command Server and

continue.

•AMS, GDS, Deko & Thunder device services— These Command services must run on the

device respectively, and do not support a primary/backup configuration.

•Service Starter service, Machine Monitor service, Time Synchronization— These Avid

Service Framework services are computer specific, so redundancy does not apply.

•Deko Renderer & Avid Interplay Agent services— These Command services should run

on the Command Server. Used for thumbnail generation, the service load share, so

redundancy does not apply.

The following graphic shows an example of what a redundant system might look like from the

Health Monitor application. The primary Command Server is selected.

Viewing Status of Services

nThe small green dot over the bottom right corner of any service’s icon indicates that the service

is running in primary mode. Services running in backup mode will appear with a yellow dot. If

there are no backup services, the primary ones will still appear with green dots—as shown in the

previous graphic.

Viewing Status of Services

Avid Command uses Avid Service Framework as its structure for discovering and

communicating with services.

The Avid Workgroup Properties is the primary application through which you can:

Viewing Status of Services

• Configure the workgroup.

• Start, stop, and disable services.

• Set a workgroup login.

• Configure lookup locators, which help with workgroup connectivity.

• Use the Lookup tab to enable you to log into different workgroups from a single

workstation. This can be accomplished by adding the respective workgroups to the Lookup

tab in the Workgroup Properties application. Once added, Command will present a dialog

box when opened, giving users the option to log into the desired workgroup.

• Specify the physical location of the server.

• Perform any system checks and do network diagnostics.

To start Workgroup Properties:

tClick the Start button and select > All Programs > Avid > Service Framework > Avid

Workgroup Properties.

The Avid Workgroup Properties window opens.

Starting and Stopping Services

When you start the Workgroup Properties application, the Services tab appears by default

displaying the name of the workgroup, to which this computer belongs, in the Workgroup

text box. Also shown, in the Status text box, is the status of all Avid services running on the

local computer.

The Workgroup Properties application uses colored icons—in combination with text—on

the Services tab to show the status (started and/or enabled) of all Avid services. A user can

click the Advanced button to see more information about individual services. The icons

displayed provide fast, easy identification of the current status of an Avid service.

For more information on viewing Avid services using the Workgroup Properties application,

see the Avid Service Framework User’s Guide.

Starting and Stopping Services

The Services tab allows you to edit the workgroup to which the computer belongs. You can also

view the status of all the Avid services running on the local computer, or start, stop, and restart

the local Avid services.

To simultaneously stop or start all Avid services in a workgroup:

tFrom the Services tab in the Avid Workgroup Properties window, click the Start or Stop

button.

Icon Description

When all of the enabled Avid components are running on the local machine a green

circle with a check mark in the center is shown next to the Status text box and the

sentence—All enabled services are running—is displayed.

When some of the enabled Avid components are running on the local machine a caution

symbol (yellow triangle with an exclamation mark in the center) is shown next to the

Status text box and the sentence—Some services are enabled but not

running—is displayed.

When none of the enabled Avid components are running on the local machine a red

square is shown next to the Status text box and the sentence—No services are

running—is displayed.

Starting and Stopping Services

To stop, start, or enable specific Avid services:

1. From the Services tab in the Avid Workgroup Properties window, click the Advanced button.

The Advanced button on the Services tab opens the Avid Services dialog box. This dialog

box allows you to stop, start, or enable individual or multiple Avid services running on the

local computer.

2. Select a service to stop, start or enable.

nMultiple rows can be selected.The Start button changes to Restart if the services are already

running. The Enable button changes to Disable if the services are already enabled.

3. Do one of the following:

tClick Start to start the selected services(s).

tClick Stop to stop the selected service(s).

tClick Enable to enable the selected service(s).

4. Click Exit to close the dialog box.

5. Click OK to close the Avid Workgroup Properties window.

For more information on starting and stopping services using the Workgroup Properties

application, see the Avid Service Framework User’s Guide.

To disable a service:

1. From the Services tab in the Avid Workgroup Properties window, click the Advanced button.

The Avid Services dialog box opens.

2. Select the service you want to disable and click Stop first.

3. After the service stops, click the Disable button to disable the service.

4. Click Exit to close the dialog box.

Starting and Stopping Services

5. Click OK to close the Avid Workgroup Properties window.

For more information on enabling and disabling services using the Workgroup Properties

application, see the Avid Service Framework User’s Guide.

3System Settings

System settings can be accessed through the Command user interface at any Command

Workstation. System settings are used to configure channel groups, GPI keypads, MOS

integration with third-party newsroom systems such as ENPS, and so forth.

nModifying system settings in Avid iNEWS Command requires an administrator password (if set).

For more information, see “Security via Administrator Password” on page 17.

This chapter contains the following main sections:

•Viewing System Settings

•Channel Settings

•MOS Settings

•Playlist Settings

•Playout Settings

•Inventory Settings

•GPI Settings

•Tally Settings

•Privileges

•System Alias

•Importing and Exporting System Settings

Viewing System Settings

The system settings for Command can be accessed at any Command Workstation.

To view system settings:

1. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box appears.

Channel Settings

2. Click any category to access the settings related to that part of the Command system.

3. When finished, click the X button to close the dialog box.

Channel Settings

The first category in the System Settings dialog box pertains to channels. It is used to map device

channels to channel names, as well as configuring indices and channel groups.

This section covers the three sub-categories, listed below in the order they appear within the

software:

•Groups

•Indices

• Device Channels

Channel Settings

Before you assign groups, the actual device channels should be mapped to a channel name. You

must also map device channels before you set up indices. Therefore, information on device

channels is provided first in this section, followed by groups and indices.

Device Channels

The Device Channels section of the System Settings dialog box lets system administrators map

actual channels from a device, such as an Avid Deko or AirSpeed video server, to a name of your

chosing. This name can then be used to create channel groups or assign channel-specific actions

to keys on a USB keypad at the Command Workstation.

For more information on channel groups, see “Groups” on page 41.

To map device channels to names:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box appears.

Channel Settings

3. Expand Channel.

4. Select Device Channels.

5. Click Add.

6. Enter the channel’s name, which can be any alpha-numeric character(s), based on the

following guidelines:

Device Type

Channel

Index

Channel

Name Description

nAll channel names within a single device type must be unique.

Multi Stream 1 A AirSpeed Multi Stream video servers begin channel

designations at one (1). The channel names can be

anything, but a typical example is alphabetic names

from A through F.

An AirSpeed 5000 can be configured in the same way

as the Multi Stream video server.

Multi Stream 2 B

Multi Stream 3 C

AirSpeed 2 A AirSpeed (classic) video servers begin channel

designations at one (1); however, the first channel is

reserved for video ingest. So the first available channel

for playout or browse purposes would be channel 2.

AirSpeed 3 B

Video device

service

1 A All supported third-party video devices begin channel

designations at one (1). The channel index values here

must match the channel index values set for the Avid

Video device service in Avid Service Configuration.

Video device

service

Channel Settings

7. Select the name and type of the device from the lists. The device name is the host name for

the device, such as deko3000. If it does not appear in the list, you must enter it.

nFor third-party video devices controlled via VDCP, the device name must match the device name

set for the Avid Video device service in Avid Service Configuration.

8. Select the channel, using the Channel index spinbox.

9. Enter any notes you want, which can help identify the device should future alterations be

necessary.

10. Click OK.

11. Repeat steps 5 through 10 for each device channel, as needed.

12. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

Graphic device

service

0 1 All devices using the Avid Graphic device service

begin channel designations at zero (0).

Graphic device

service

Deko 0 1 Avid Deko devices begin channel designations at zero

(0); however, the name of the first channel can be one.

Deko 1 2

nBoth channel names for a Deko must be numeric to match the channel selection available

through the Deko Select plug-in inside of the iNEWS newsroom computer system.

Thunder 1 aPlay Avid Thunder begins channel designations at one (1).

The channel names must be in the following format:

aPlay, bPlay, cPlay, 1, 2...8, or pgm (for program).

Thunder 2 bPlay

nAvid recommends against using numeric names for the Thunder to avoid confusion with

channel names for any Avid Deko device.

Device Type

Channel

Index

Channel

Name Description

Channel Settings

13. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

Until this procedure is completed, device channels cannot be added to a channel group.

nBefore you can delete a device channel, you must first delete that channel from that channel from

any channel groups or delete the channel group(s) that use the channel.

Groups

A channel group is a cluster configured with one or more device channels composed from

compatible video servers or character generators. Many channel groups can be created from the

same pool of resources, and different groups can use the same resources to serve different

operational needs.

nEach channel group must contain a single “type” of device. For instance, a channel group called

AS is a grouping of channels from two or more AirSpeed video servers, while a different channel

group named CG is a grouping of channels on a Deko character generator. All channel names

within a single device type must be unique.

AirSpeed channels provide one of the best examples of the way in which channel groups provide

control configurations; they do not guarantee media availability, which is the role of the

AirSpeed studio configuration. For example, a station has two AirSpeed video servers, each with

two channels that are numbered 2 and 3. (With AirSpeed video servers, the first channel is

reserved for ingest.) Let’s call the first AirSpeed AS1 and the second one AS2. With channel

groups on Command, the station’s system administrator can set up numerous different channel

groups and call them anything, such as:

Channel Group

Channel

Names Actual Device Channels Purpose

AS-Noon A

AS1 - channel 2

AS1 - channel 3

AS2 - channel 2

Playout

Browse

Channel Settings

The following graphic shows a more visual example of how multiple channel groups can be

created from the same four AirSpeed video server channels.

The first group shows a single channel group configured to create four playback channels called

A, B, C, and D. The next set shows two groups, representing control rooms, with two playback

channels each. Alternatively, the groups can be created from any combination of channels and

used to support simultaneous two-channel playout from two control rooms sharing the same

resources. The last set shows four channel groups, each controlling a single channel.

The following graphic shows a more visual example of how channel groups are used to mirror

playout for redundancy.

AS-5PM A

AS1 - channel 2

AS1 - channel 3

AS2 - channel 2

AS2 - channel 3

Playout

AS-10PM A

AS1 - channel 2

AS2 - channel 2

AS1 - channel 3

AS2 - channel 3

Playout

Mirrored

Playout

Mirrored

Channel Group

Channel

Names Actual Device Channels Purpose

Channel Settings

The first group creates a two channel playout solution with both channels mirrored on a

secondary video server for maximum reliability. Whenever a video clip is cued and played on

either of the primary channels, the same clip is also cued and played on the corresponding

secondary channels. The other two groups depict single channel solutions with redundancy.

All of these channel groups can exist at the same time, although they cannot necessarily all be

used simultaneously.

Creating Channel Groups

Channels must be created before they can be assigned to channel groups. For more information

on how to create channels, see “Device Channels” on page 38.

nThe first eight (8) characters of a channel group’s name must be unique to match the

eight-character device name in the iNEWS newsroom computer system. For instance, a channel

group name in Command that is ASNoonMirrored will appear as ASNoonMi in iNEWS.

System administrators can create channel groups via the System Settings dialog box.

Channel Settings

To create channel groups:

1. Select Tools > System Settings. The System Settings dialog box appears.

2. Expand Channel.

3. Select Groups.

4. Click Add.

The Add New Channel Group to Playlist dialog box opens.

Channel Settings

5. Enter the name of the new channel group and any notes you want. Names of channel groups

can be upper or lowercased and contain any alpha-numeric character. Avoid using spaces

before or after the name.

6. Click Add to add a channel to the group.

nIf channels have not been created, they cannot be assigned to channel groups; therefore, the Add

button will be disabled if no channels exist in the system. For more information on how to create

channels, see “Device Channels” on page 38.

7. In the Channel Detail section, select the following:

Channel Settings

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 as needed. You can use the Up and Down buttons to rearrange the order

of channels in the group.

9. Click OK. This will close the Add New Channel Group to Playlist dialog box. The new

channel group will appear in the System Settings dialog box.

10. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

Channel Detail Description

Channel type Select the appropriate channel type, based on:

Standard - This is the channel type selected for playout.

Browse - This is the channel type selected for changing In and Out points

of pre-existing clips for preview or editing purposes only. This does not

apply to playout operations.

Hotswap - This is the channel type selected for emergency backup

channel assignment.

Primary Select the channel designated as the primary playout channel for the

device.

Mirrored (Optional) If mirrored playout is necessary, select the device’s channel

designated for mirrored playout.

Preview (Optional) Select which device channel to use for displaying the

headframe of the next media event in the playlist.

Ripple group (Optional) Define the ripple group by entering a numerical value or any

text string in the text field. Channels that are part of the same ripple group

must have the same numerical value or text string.

nDo not disable autocue if using ripple groups or looping. For more information, see “Ripple

Groups” on page 51 and “Enabling Loop Count from Avid iNEWS” on page 78.

Channel Settings

11. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

cUntil the Apply or OK button is clicked and administrator password supplied, the channel

group(s) are not created.

12. Close all workstation sessions and restart all Command and Avid Service Framework

services throughout the environment.

Editing Channel Groups

Should it become necessary to modify a channel group, you can do so from any Command

Workstation via the System Settings dialog box.

To edit a channel group:

1. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box appears.

2. Expand Channel.

Channel Settings

3. Select Groups.

4. Select the channel group from the list on the right.

5. Click Edit. The Edit Channel Group dialog box appears.

Channel Settings

6. You can rename the channel group, add notes, rearrange the order of channels by using the

Up and Down buttons, add or delete channels, or alter the channel details for each channel in

the group. For more information on ripple groups, see “Ripple Groups” on page 51.

7. (Optional) If you want to disable the autocue feature for your channel group, click the

checkbox in the Autocue section.

nDo not disable autocue if using ripple groups or looping. For more information, see “Ripple

Groups” on page 51 and “Enabling Loop Count from Avid iNEWS” on page 78.

8. (Optional) For graphics integration, set the minimum and maximum numerical values for

page ranges.

9. (Optional) If your Command system is integrated with a graphics device and the GPI device

service is set up to do GPI out (also known as GPO) commands, then you can set the GPO

for both playing and ejecting graphics, and if necessary, also add any delay in milliseconds.

nFor more information on setting up the GPI device service for GPO commands, see the

procedure for configuring the GPI card in the Avid iNEWS Command Installation and

Configuration Guide.

10. After editing the channel group, click OK.

11. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

12. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

cUntil the Apply or OK button is clicked and administrator password supplied, the changes

in the system settings are not saved.

Channel Settings

Deleting Channel Groups

Should it become necessary to delete a channel group, you can do so from any Command

Workstation via the System Settings dialog box.

To delete a channel group:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box appears.

3. Expand Channel.

4. Select Groups.

5. Select the channel group from the list on the right.

6. Click Delete.

7. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

Channel Settings

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

8. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

cUntil the Apply or OK button is clicked and administrator password supplied, the channel

group(s) are not deleted from the system settings.

Ripple Groups

Command assigns the channel of a playable item based on its availability on the device. So, if an

item is playable only on channel C, Command will assign the item to that channel. Ripple groups

is a feature that takes this concept one step further by letting users create a subgroup for channel

assignments. Ripple groups let users have more than one channel or type of device in a single

channel group.

• Users can add multiple devices that have different assets to a single channel group.

• Users can separate SD from HD channels.

nRipple groups require that Strong channel assignment be turned on. This setting is located in the

System Settings dialog box in the Playout > Autocue category. For more information, see

“Playout Settings” on page 68.

If an item is unplayable, Command will assign the default channel specified in iNEWS or, for

standalone playlists, the first channel in the channel group. After the item becomes playable,

Command automatically assigns the channel based on its playability on the device.

Ripple groups let users add all video channels to a single channel group, rather than using a

second channel group and adding a production cue with the video item. With all items in the

iNEWS story form, users can see ONLINE/OFFLINE and transport status in the story form for

all items.

To use ripple groups:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box appears.

Channel Settings

3. Expand Playout and select the Autocue sub-category.

4. Select the Strong channel assignment system setting.

5. Click OK.

6. Expand Channel and select the Groups sub-category.

7. Do one of the following:

tClick Add to create a new channel group.

tSelect a group and click Edit to edit the existing channel group.

8. Define the ripple group in the Channel Detail section of the dialog box.

You can enter a numerical value or any text string in the Ripple group text field. Channels

that are part of the same ripple group must have the same numerical value or text string.

9. Click OK.

10. Click Apply then OK in the System Settings dialog box.

After ripple groups are set up, Command users can view and sort by ripple group in the

Inventory panel.

Indices

Channel indices are a configuration feature used to map an index integer (1-16) to a channel

name, which can be alpha or numeric, to enable assignment of channel-specific actions to certain

keys on a keypad.

This pre-configuration can be done before assigning the channel-specific actions to any keys on

playout control keypads, such as the X-keys® USB keypad.

The X-keys USB keypads connect to the USB port the Command Workstation and offer up to

fifty-eight user-reprogrammable keys for one-button access to playout functionality.

Channel Settings

Some improvements to the X-Keys functionality has been added. To see the new options, go to

Tools > Options > Actions > X-Keys. The Choose Action dialog box opens.

• Main Window, Keyboard - Up and Down: These options emulate the keyboard up/down

arrows, and support a press-and-hold functionality, where the cursor continues to scroll

when the key is pressed and held. These keys also function in other panels, such as Playlist

Explorer and Inventory.

• Playlist, Selection – NextRow, NextItem, PreviousRow, and PreviousItem: These key

functions now support press-and-hold functionality, so that you can scroll through your

playlist by pressing and holding the respective keys.

• Playlist Explorer – TakeFocus: This key moves the focus to the Playlist Explorer panel, so

that users can use the up/down arrow keys (via keyboard or X-Keys) to navigate to a

particular playlist.

• Playlist Explorer - OpenSelected: This key will open the selected playlist.

nX-keys is third-party hardware. Command natively supports a variety of X-keys devices, which

are configured through the Command Workstation application. Native support gives users an

added level of functionality that is not available through the X-keys Macro Works software. See

the Avid iNEWS Command ReadMe for the specific X-keys devices that are supported.

You can also use the Macro Works software, a keyboard emulator, with any X-keys device. For

more information on X-keys USB keypads, see that manufacturer’s documentation on

www.xkeys.com.

Ensuring the successful integration of an X-keys keypad to control playout through Command

requires the completion of the following tasks:

Channel Settings

nAnother alternative keypad is one that connects to a GPI card. For more information on GPI

integration, see “GPI Settings” on page 79.

To map an index to a channel name:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box appears.

Tasks Refer to...

(Optional) Disable the keyboard at the Command

Workstation.

“Disabling a Command Workstation’s Keyboard”

on page 24

Verify installation of the keypad on the Command

Workstation.

See the Avid iNEWS Command Installation and

Configuration Guide.

Map Indices to Channel Names. See procedure on page 54.

Program the keypad. “Programming the X-keys” on page 56

Channel Settings

3. Expand Channel.

4. Select Indices.

5. Enter the channel’s name in the Name column next to the appropriate index.

nAvid recommends that if a channel name must be numeric, such as is the case whenever the

ActiveX plug-in Avid Deko Select is used, assign it to the same Index number to avoid confusion.

6. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK. The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

Channel Settings

7. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

Programming the X-keys

The following procedure should be conducted at the Command Workstation to which the

X-keys USB keypad is installed.

To program the X-keys from the Command Workstation:

1. Select Tools > Options.

2. In Category, expand Actions and select X-keys.

3. Select Enable X-keys.

4. Set the de-bounce period. Designed to avoid inadvertent repetition, this is the span of time

(in milliseconds) during which the system should ignore duplicated signals.

nIf you find that you are having problems with “double-hits” when you press a key, increase the

de-bounce period.

5. Select the tab corresponding to the type of keypad you have.

6. Click on a gray box that represents (or corresponds to) the key on the keypad.

nSome sites might use key caps that cover 2 or 4 buttons on the keypad, turning a set of buttons

into a single key. If that is the case, select the left box to set the “2-button” key. For 4-button keys,

select the upper left box.

Channel Settings

7. Assign an action to the key by selecting it from the list of those available in the Choose

Action dialog box. The most commonly used actions will appear open for your selection

already.

- The Playlist > Channel Group actions refer to channel group commands, such as lock,

unlock, and assign channel.

- The Playlist > Selection actions refer to selected items on the playlist, such as play

selection, cue selection, stop selection, and move up/down.

- The Control actions refer to channel-specific actions that correspond to a particular

index as configured when mapping indices to channel names. An example of this would

be for a key to initiate a play command on a single channel. Assigning the

channel-specific actions affects only the keypad attached to the workstation at which the

assignments are programmed.

nChannel 01 actually refers to Index value 01.

8. Click OK.

9. Repeat steps 5-7 as needed.

10. Click Apply.

11. Click OK.

The following graphic shows a closeup of the first row of keys after they were assigned to the

four playout control options of play, cue, pause, and stop.

MOS Settings

The MOS category in the System Settings dialog box allows system administrators to configure

the Command system to integrate with a MOS-enabled newsroom computer system, such as

ENPS. A MOS-enabled newsroom computer system can send playlists to Command.

MOS (Media Object Server) is an industry-standard, XML-based protocol that is primarily used

by a newsroom computer system (NRCS) to maintain running orders on a video server. MOS

also enables servers to update the newsroom computer system with changes to the server’s media

inventory. Command’s MOS support enables communication between the newsroom computer

system and AirSpeed video servers, as shown in the following illustration.

MOS does not provide a means of controlling playout from a video server. Command supplies

this function.

Under the MOS category are three subcategories:

• General - used to configure MOS and graphics style settings.

• Channel Groups - used to create channel groups for integration with MOS-based newsroom

computer systems.

• Advanced - used for advanced MOS feature configuration.

nAvid strongly recommends contacting Customer Support before altering any of the advanced

settings.

To configure Command for a MOS-based newsroom computer system:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

MOS Settings

The System Settings dialog box appears.

3. Expand the MOS category.

4. Select General.

5. Edit the MOS settings accordingly:

MOS Setting Description

iNEWS Command MOS

The ID that enables enables bidirectional communications between a

MOS-based newsroom computer system and Command. The ID is case

sensitive and cannot contain spaces.

Newsroom NCS ID Usually, this is set to the host name of the newsroom computer system’s

server. It is case sensitive.

Newsroom Host Name Host name of the newsroom computer system’s server. The name entered

in this field must be resolvable via the Domain Name Service (DNS);

otherwise, an IP address can be used instead.

MOS Settings

6. Set the default graphics style for playlists loaded from a MOS-based newsroom computer

system, if necessary.

Graphics styles are added via the Playlist category in the System Settings dialog box. If none

are added, then the list in the MOS > General category will appear blank.For more

information, see “Playlist Settings” on page 63.

7. Select Channel Groups.

8. Click Add.

The Channel Groups dialog box appears.

9. Select a channel group. The order is important. The primary video channel group should be

first, then any graphics channel groups, followed by any secondary video channel groups.

Newsroom BuddyID Usually, this is set to host name of the newsroom computer system’s

“buddy” or backup server. The name entered in this field must be

resolvable via the Domain Name Service (DNS); otherwise, an IP address

can be used instead.

Newsroom Buddy Host

Name

Host name of the newsroom computer system’s “buddy” or backup

server.

MOS version Determines which version of MOS protocol Command will use.

MOS Setting Description

MOS Settings

nYou can override the Command channel group by setting the MOS channel in the ENPS rundown

properties.

10. Click OK.

The chosen channel group will appear in the list on the right side of the System Settings

dialog box.

nUnless the channel is specified in ENPS, Command will assign channels based on the channel

group listed first. Specifically, Command will only assign the first channel of the first channel

group by default.

11. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

MOS Settings

12. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

nAfter changing any MOS system settings, you must restart the MOS Communication service.

To view advanced MOS settings:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box appears.

Playlist Settings

3. Expand the MOS category.

4. Select Advanced.

While a newsroom computer system can use non-standard ports for the incoming and

outgoing sockets and the advanced settings can be customized, Avid recommends that the

default settings be used.

The first four settings specify the port numbers for the sockets used to communicate with the

MOS-based newsroom computer system. The defaults, as defined in the MOS protocol

specifications, are: 10541 (upper) and 10540 (lower).

5. If you want to send inventory when connected, check the Send inventory on connect box.

6. If using object placeholders, check the Create object placeholders box.

7. Click Apply.

Configuring Command for MOS Redirection

Command sites that interface with the ENPS newsroom computer system can run two MOS

Communication services and set the second one to have a different MOSID so that MOS

redirection can be used to send playlists to the backup server.

To configure Command for MOS redirection:

1. Click the Start button and select Programs > Avid > Service Framework > Avid Service

Configuration.

2. On the Hosts tab, navigate to and select the Avid MOS Communication Service running on

the backup server.

3. Enter the MOSID for the backup server.

4. Click Apply.

When you need to direct MOS traffic to the backup server, disconnect from the primary server

and connect to the backup server via MOS redirection in ENPS. For more information, see

documentation that came with your third-party ENPS system.

Playlist Settings

Playout of items in a playlist can be set to either to manual playout or to automatically occur

immediately following the completion of the previous item. This latter functionality is called

follow-on playout and is indicated by an icon that looks like a bent blue arrow in the playlist at a

Command Workstation.

Playlist Settings

While a user at a Command Workstation can change individual items in a playlist from one

playout type to another, the system administrator can set the default condition for items added to

playlists in the System Settings dialog box. This default applies to both standalone and

newsroom playlists.

To set the playout default for new items:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box appears.

3. Select Playlist.

4. In the Media section, ensure the checkbox called New items are follow-on by default is

selected if you want the default for new items to be follow-on playout. If you want them to

be set for manual playout, ensure this checkbox is not selected.

5. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

Playlist Settings

6. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

Graphics Styles

Graphics styles are added to the system via the Playlist category in the System Settings dialog

box. This category lets you specify the set of graphics styles that will appear as options in

various parts of the user interface, such as: the Default style list (shown in following graphic), in

the MOS category of the System Settings dialog box, and in the Playlist Properties dialog box .

To add a style:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

3. Select Playlist.

4. Click the Add button.

A style will appear in the list as shown:

5. By default, the name of any added style is

Style

, but that can be changed. To do so,

double-click on the name in the Styles list and retype the new name.

6. After multiple styles are added, use the drop-down list to select which one the system should

use as a default.

Playlist Settings

7. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

8. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

For more information on styles, see the Avid Deko Select User’s Guide.

Graphic Title Format

Because Command users have the ability to edit graphics at a Command Workstation, they can

also set the format for the Title column at the workstation. Formatting of graphic titles for

playlists and shotboxes is accomplished via system settings.

To customize graphic title formats for playlists and shotboxes:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

3. Select Playlist.

4. In the Graphics title format section, fill in the format you want for playlists in the Playlist

field.

5. In the Graphics title format section, fill in the format you want for shotboxes in the Shotbox

field.

You can use the following terms to define the Title column format for both playlists and

shotboxes. The corresponding XML field, if any, is shown in parenthesis.

Format Description

$S Slug (objSlug)

$A Abstract (mosAbstract)

$B Object ID (objID)

Loading a Shotbox from iNEWS or NRCS

6. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

7. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

Loading a Shotbox from iNEWS or NRCS

You have the ability to load a shotbox from iNEWS or ENPS.

To load a shotbox from iNEWS or NRCS:

tMake sure the playlist has the word “shotbox” in its name.

For example, if you had an iNEWS rundown called SHOW.SHOTBOX.6P, the rundown

would appear as a shotbox when loaded to Command, with new icons differentiating

between a normal rundown and a shotbox.

$R Replacement data—You can also enter a number after the $R to represent the

limit to the number of fields that are shown. For example, entering $R4 will

limit the display to the first four replacement fields.

$O Mark out (itemEdStart and itemEdDuration)—Command will display the In

and Out times in the title field. Use this when the iNEWS Active-X plug-in

uses In/Out times, such as for Avid Deko Select.

Adding F after the $O, such as $OF, will show the frames.

$D Duration (itemEdStart) and itemEdDuration)—Command will display the In

and Duration times in the title field. Use this when the iNEWS Active-X

plug-in uses In/Duration times, such as plug-ins for Chyron LUCI and the

Viz VDCP Template Filler.

Adding F after the $D, such as $DF, will show the frames.

Format Description

Playout Settings

nThe Command shotbox still only supports a single channel group. The iNEWS/ENPS rundown

can only have one story, and all items (video or graphic) must be added to that story.

Playout Settings

The Playout category of the System Settings dialog box provides a variety of settings related to

autocueing of items, channel assignment, playout behaviors, and the as-run log.

To access the playout settings:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box appears.

Playout Settings

3. Select Playout. The Playout category contains settings in several distinct sections:

-As-run Log—For more information, see page 69.

-Behavior—For more information, see page 70.

- Exclusive playout control—When this checkbox is selected, playout control is handled

solely from a GPI keypad.

-Recue Control—For more information, see page 71.

-Cue Fail Control—For more information, see page 72.

4. Select the Autocue sub-category for additional settings related to playout. For more

information, see “Autocue” on page 72.

5. Click Apply.

As-run Log

The As-run log is used to keep records of playout data for traffic-related purposes.

Playout Settings

To enable the As-run log:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

3. Select Playout.

4. Select the As-run log enabled checkbox.

5. Enter either a drive path local to the Command Server or a network-shared location

accessible to the Command Servers running the Avid Playlist Controller services.

If, for example, you enter

C:\AsRunLogs\

, then logs will be stored at that location on the

Command Server that is running the Playlist Controller in a primary role. The drive path

entry is not the C drive of the workstation on which you are enabling the As-run log. To store

logs at the workstation, you must enter the network pathname to that location, such as

\\cmd-wkstn\AsRunLogs\

, and you must also ensure that the location is shared over the

network.

Behavior

The Playout category’s Behavior section supplies configuration options for integration between

Command and playback devices, such as the automated graphic triggering functionality

available through the Avid Deko Select plug-in that opens inside the iNEWS newsroom

computer system. With the plug-in, a user can set a character-generated graphic to automatically

go on-air based on the video’s elapsed time and for a specific duration during a video event.

Timecode information specified in the plug-in is forwarded to the Command Workstation and

appears in the playlist so that the operator knows when this automatic event will occur.

Administrators at sites that want to take such events to air manually can turn off the automatic

functionality by modifying the system setting in Avid iNEWS Command. This does not disable

the ability of a user to enter an start time or duration in the Deko Select plug-in. If entered, the

times would still appear as information only for the Command operator.

To turn on or off automatic graphic triggering:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

3. Select Playout.

4. Do one of the following:

Playout Settings

tEnsure the Automatic Graphic Triggering checkbox is selected to turn it on.

tUncheck the Automatic Graphic Triggering checkbox to turn it off.

5. Set the time in seconds that the system should hold the last frame.

6. Set the time in seconds that the system should wait before ejecting .

7. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

8. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

The other settings available in the Behavior section of the System Settings dialog box are

explained in the following table:

Recue Control

Command can send a Goto command when you recue a playing or done item, rather than

ejecting the item and cueing it again. The advantage of using a Goto command is that it is faster

than ejecting and cuing the same video item on the channel. It also prevents the precued item

from briefly displaying on the output.

Hold last frame time Sets a delay that determines how long the last frame of a clip is held on the

channel before it is ejected. When using clips that are less than 10 seconds in

duration, specify a value that is less than the duration of the events in the

playlist. For example, when using clips that are five seconds in duration,

specify the value to any positive integer less than five.

Eject previous items Sets the time for an item to get ejected after the next item starts playing. For

example, if set to three (3) and a two-minute clip is playing on channel A,

playing the next item on channel B will cause the clip on channel A to get

ejected three seconds after the item on channel B starts, regardless of whether

the first item has finished playing its full two-minute duration.

Playout Settings

To enable the Goto command:

1. Select Tools > System Settings > Playout.

2. Select the checkbox named Perform goto when recuing active item.

Once enabled, a recue will cause a playing item to pause at the first frame of video as shown,

and the time elapsed clock will show 0:00:00.

If the item has finished playing, a recue command will cause the item to recue rather than

pause.

nThis feature requires that the Avid Multi Stream Device service be upgraded to at least version

3.5.0.

3. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

Cue Fail Control

Command supports ejecting precued and autocued items that are unplayable with most devices,

such as Avid Multi Stream, Omneon, and VDCP-controlled devices.

nThis feature requires the system setting called Skip items that are not playable be turned off; the

setting is located in the Playout > Autocue subcategory of the System Settings dialog box.

When the precue or autocue of an unplayable item fails, Command sends an Eject command to

the channel. Command can also send an Eject command to a channel after the cue fails, but this

feature does require a change to the Playout system settings.

To enable cue fail control:

1. Select Tools > System Settings > Playout.

2. In the Cue fail over section, select the Send eject if cue fails checkbox.

3. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

Autocue

The Autocue settings is a sub-category of the Playout system settings.

Playout Settings

Options for the Autocue feature are described as follows:

Autocue enabled When autocue is enabled, items are cued automatically

whenever the playlist’s channel groups are locked and

when the preceding item is played. If this checkbox is not

selected, events must be cued manually.

When the Autocue enabled checkbox is selected, the other

options in the Autocue section are enabled for selection as

well; when it’s not, the rest appear grayed out.

Playout Settings

Independent channel cueing Applies autocue to single channels only.

For example, the first three items (1, 2, and 3) in a playlist

are cued in order on channels A, B, and C, respectively

when the playlist’s channel group is locked. The next four

items (4, 5, 6, and 7) are assigned to A, B, C, and A. If

this setting is enabled, then should a user manually play

item 4 on channel A, item 7 instead of item 1 would then

be cued on A, while items 2 and 3 would remain cued on

B and C.

If this setting is not enabled, then when item 4 is played

on channel A, items 5, 6, and 7 would be cued on

channels B, C, and A respectively, while items 1, 2, and 3

would no longer be cued for playout.

Skip items that are not playable If selected, the system will skip over any items that are

unavailable for playout.

Auto-assign channels If selected, channels are assigned automatically whenever

the channel groups are locked.

Strong channel assignment If selected, channels are re-assigned automatically when a

playlist is altered to maintain their sequence, such as

ABAB, etc. Assignment only applies to unplayed items in

the playlist or below any manually cued item. This

checkbox should also be selected if ripple groups are used

for automatic channel assignment based on item

playability on devices.

You also have the ability to override a channel assignment

when Strong Channel Assignment is turned on. Previous

versions of Command did not support this functionality,

and would change the channel back to the assigned value.

Here are the expected behaviors.

• Once the channel has been manually assigned, it will

keep that assigned channel until the channel group is

unlocked, and be shown with < and > around it (e.g.

<A>).

• To add the item back into the ripple sequence (and

have the channel be assigned automatically), change

the channel to default.

• Once the channel group is unlocked, all manually

assigned channels are erased.

For more information, see “Ripple Groups” on page 51.

Inventory Settings

Avid iNEWS Command provides a system setting that allows administrators to decide whether

to allow deletion of inventory from a Command Workstation via the Inventory panel and delete

protection of media items.

Avid iNEWS Command supports placeholders that can be used to associate media with a

newsroom story before the media is actually available. The iNEWS newsroom computer system

can request placeholders from the Command system. Placeholder creation is also a feature of

MOS-based ENPS systems and is invoked as part of the AutoCreate feature.

Each placeholder must have a unique ID to avoid playback of the wrong media. In Avid iNEWS

Command, the prefix for such placeholders can be configured.

Avid iNEWS Command also supports the ability to set the mark-in or loop status from an

iNEWS newsroom computer system.

cThe system administrator can also decide whether to use short IDs. However, redundancy

is no longer supported if this optional feature is enabled.

To configure placeholder defaults:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box appears.

nWhen strong channel assignment is enabled, any channel assignment made by the newsroom

computer system is ignored. Also, changes to the autocue settings do not take affect for

pre-existing playlists immediately upon clicking OK. Give the system about 15 seconds or so

to reflect such changes.

Restart auto-assign at break If selected, channels assignment begins again as opposed

to continuing the sequence from prior to the break. For

example, if the sequence involves four channels: A, B, C,

and D, and the first segment ends on an item assigned to

channel B, the first item in the next segment after the

break will be assigned to A and not C.

Inventory Settings

3. Select Inventory.

4. Select whether short IDs are used. Short IDs are the prefix followed by the date in the format

MMDDYY

—representing the month, day, and year—followed by three randomly generated,

uppercased alpha-numeric digits:

<prefix>MMDDYY<3digits>

Short IDs are only unique on a single Command system. If long IDs are used, the prefix and

date are followed by a hyphen (-) and 8 randomly generated, uppercased alpha-numeric

digits. Long IDs are unique across multiple Command systems or if a new installation

occurs.

nRedundancy is not supported with the use of short IDs, although a unique prefix can ensure the

possibility of generating about ten-thousand IDs without overlap in one day.

5. Set the prefix. By default, the format for placeholders uses the long ID, which is:

<prefix>MMDDYY-<8digits>

Inventory Settings

The prefix can be set by a system administrator to any alpha-numeric sequence of digits,

such as a station’s call letters. If set to

, a three letter, all-cap representation of the day of

the week is used based on the day when the placeholder was created, such as

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

, or

SUN

. If set to

, a single digit is used to represent the day. Prefixes are

truncated to keep the ID under 31 bytes.

6. Set the number of days after which any unused placeholders are deleted from the system. To

disable this feature, set the number to zero (0).

7. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

8. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

To enable inventory delete and protect:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

3. Select Inventory.

4. Select Enable inventory delete and protect.

5. Click OK.

6. Enter the administrator password when prompted and click OK.

This enables a right-click menu option in the Inventory panel of the Command user

interface, allowing users to delete media from the inventory or protect media from deletion.

Disabling this feature also prevents users from being able to rename an item’s video ID. For

more information, see the Avid iNEWS Command User’s Guide.

Enabling Mark In Points from Avid iNEWS

Mark in points may be set or changed at a Command Workstation from the Media Viewer.

However, Command also supports allowing users to set mark in points from an iNEWS

Workstation.

Inventory Settings

If you want to let users set mark in points from an iNEWS Workstation, you must configure the

system settings in Command to allow it.

To configure Command to enable setting mark in points from iNEWS:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

3. Select Inventory.

4. Check the Parse mark-in separator (+) box.

5. Click OK.

To set a mark in point from iNEWS:

1. At an iNEWS Workstation, navigate to the story containing the media’s video ID.

2. Add a plus sign (+) to the end of the video ID in the story form field, followed by the

numerical value for the mark in point.

The format for the mark in value is:

- XX — The mark in point will be set to seconds.

- XX:YY — The mark in point will be set to seconds and frames (ss:ff).

- XX:YY:ZZ — The mark in point will be set to minutes, seconds, and frames (mm:ss:ff).

nAfter the mark in point is set from an iNEWS Workstation, it cannot be changed at a Command

Workstation from the Media Viewer.

Also, for HD frames, they are parsed correctly, but display in the UI is divided by 2. So, if you set

a mark in point to 02:10 in iNEWS, Command displays the mark in at 2 seconds and 5 frames;

although, the HD video will start at 2 seconds and 10 frames.

Enabling Loop Count from Avid iNEWS

Looping is the repeated playing of a media event for either a specified number of times or

indefinitely, which is continuous until manually stopped. Avid iNEWS Command provides users

with a way to loop a specific item within a playlist or an entire playlist. Loop count can be set

from an Avid iNEWS or Command Workstation. If you want to let users set loop count for items

in a Command playlist from an iNEWS Workstation, you must configure the system settings in

Command to allow it.

nThe looping only feature requires Autocue be turned on in Command. For more information, see

“Autocue” on page 72.

GPI Settings

To enable loop count from iNEWS:

1. Select Tools > System Settings.

2. Select Inventory.

3. Check the Parse loop count separator (@) box.

Actual procedures for setting items in a playlist to loop are provided in the “Playout

Control” chapter of the Avid iNEWS Command User’s Guide.

GPI Settings

A GPI panel is another alternative keypad device that can be used to control playout through

Command. The GPI panel connects to a GPI card installed in the Command Server. Command

supports redundant GPI configurations, so a second computer with a GPI card can be used as a

backup to control playout. The GPI panel allows a user to select up to four channels, with each

channel having its own set of Control buttons for play, cue, pause, and stop functionality.

Configuring the system to work with a GPI panel requires defining certain parameters through

the system settings in Command. For more information on the complete installation and

configuration procedures for GPI integration, see the Avid iNEWS Command Installation and

Configuration Guide.

This section contains procedures related to the GPI settings in System Settings dialog box.

Mapping Events to Actions for a GPI Panel

Mapping events to playout actions is done at a Command Workstation in the System Settings

dialog box. In most cases, GPI events are mapped directly to channel-specific actions because

these actions are communicated directly to the Playlist Controller, bypassing the user interface;

the procedure for this type of mapping is provided below.

nThe procedure on mapping GPI events for selection-based playout is provided later in this

section.

To map GPI events to channel-specific actions:

1. Log in to a Command Workstation.

2. Select Tools > System Settings. The System Settings dialog box appears.

GPI Settings

3. Select GPI.

4. Expand the panels to view each panel’s events.

5. Double-click on an event to map it to an action.

The Choose Action dialog box appears with the GPI > Control options expanded by default.

GPI Settings

6. Expand the action, such as Play, and select the index value that corresponds to the

appropriate channel.

Here are some of the most commonly used commands for channel-specific playout:

- Play a specific channel - Choose GPI > Control > Play > index value

- Stop a specific channel - Choose GPI > Control > Stop > index value

nIf doing level-based playback, set the Level:Active to Play a specific channel and the

Level:Inactive to stop that same channel.

- Cue a specific channel - Choose GPI > Control > Cue > index value

nThe Cue channel action only recues the item that is playing. Cueing a different item in the

playlist must be done manually—via mouse, keyboard, or X-keys—or a GPI button must be

mapped and enabled for selection-based playout.

7. Click OK.

8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 as needed.

9. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

GPI Settings

10. Enter the administrator password and click OK. If there is no administrator password, leave

the field blank and click OK.

11. Confirm functionality by playing items in a playlist.

To map GPI events for selection-based playout:

1. Log in to a Command Workstation.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

3. Select GPI.

4. Expand the panels to view each panel’s events.

5. Double-click on an event to map it to an action.

The Choose Action dialog box appears with the GPI > Control options expanded by default.

6. Navigate to the Playlist action and expand it.

GPI Settings

Here are some of the most commonly used commands for selection-based playout:

- Play selection - Choose Playlist > Control > Play > Selection

- Stop selection - Choose Playlist > Control > Stop > Selection

- Cue selection - Choose Playlist > Control > Cue > Selection

nIf you program the GPI panel for these selection-based actions, you must enable the GPI panel

at the workstation.

7. Click OK.

8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 as needed.

9. Click Apply (if you want the System Settings dialog box to remain open after settings are

applied) or OK.

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

Enabling the GPI Panel

10. Enter the administrator password and click OK. If there is no administrator password, leave

the field blank and click OK.

11. Confirm functionality by playing items in a playlist.

Enabling the GPI Panel

The GPI panel must be enabled to control a playlist if used for non-channel-specific,

selection-based actions that go through the Command user interface.

nThis procedure does not apply to GPI panels (or Maney panels) with events mapped only to

actions chosen in GPI > Control—such as Cue, Pause, Play, or Stop—because those are sent

directly to the Playlist Controller and do not go through the user interface.

A user can enable a panel at any Command Workstation.

To enable a GPI panel to control a playlist:

1. At the Command Workstation, select Tools > Options.

2. In Category, expand Actions and select GPI.

3. Select a GPI panel from the list.

4. Click Apply.

Tally Settings

5. Click OK.

System administrators must configure system settings to provide a list of GPI panels in the

Options dialog box. You can confirm mapping by playing items from the GPI panel; test all of

the commands.

Tally Settings

The Tally setting is one the system administrator can use to enable tally reflection and restriction.

Tally restriction, when enabled, is used for on-air protection of a playing clip. When tally is

active (or high), users can pause a playing clip or continue playing a paused clip, but they cannot

recue or eject the clip.

Tally reflection is a feature that allows users to alter the appearance of the Channel bar when

tally is active on a certain channel.

To enable tally reflection and restriction:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box opens.

Privileges

3. Select Tally.

4. Do the following:

tSelect Enable tally reflection to enable this feature.

tSelect Enable tally restriction to enable this feature.

5. Click OK.

Privileges

The Privileges setting is one the system administrator can use to limit access to the Options

dialog box at a Command Workstation.

To configure privileges:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box opens.

System Alias

3. Select Privileges.

4. Select Setting Workstation options requires administrator password to limit access to the

Options dialog box to users who know the system administrator password.

5. Click OK.

System Alias

The default system alias is the numeral one (

). However, the system administrator can configure

the alias to be something more meaningful. The alias will appear in the status bar of the

Command user interface at a Command Workstation. If you have multiple command systems,

name them so that it is easy for users to distinguish between the systems.

To configure the system alias:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

3. Select System Aliases.

Importing and Exporting System Settings

4. Double click on the alias and rename it.

5. Click Apply.

6. Click OK.

Importing and Exporting System Settings

Should it become necessary to change computers, Command offers a way to export system

settings from one PC to another. It’s located on the System Settings dialog box in Command.

To import or export system settings:

1. Open the Command Workstation application.

2. Select Tools > System Settings.

The System Settings dialog box appears.

Importing and Exporting System Settings

3. Do one of the following:

tClick Export to export the current system settings as an XML file. Go to step 4.

tClick Import to import system settings. Go to step 4.

4. When the Export Studio Settings dialog box appears (as shown below), type a name for the

XML file and select a directory where you want the file to be saved. Then click Save. You

can disregard the rest of this procedure, which applies to importing settings.

The system will prompt you for the administrator password.

5. Enter the administrator password and click OK.

Importing and Exporting System Settings

6. Navigate to and select the XML file you want to import. Then click OK.

4Troubleshooting

Avid iNEWS Command is a system that offers redundancy in case of failover and a method for

system administrators or users to keep track of issues for troubleshooting purposes.

When attempting to troubleshoot any problem, it is best to have the latest version of release notes

available, which are available as free downloads on Avid’s Knowledge Base at:

http://support.avid.com

nFor the latest information pertaining to failover and hotswap functionality, including failover

scenarios, symptoms, and recommended recovery procedures, see the Avid iNEWS Command

Best Practices document, which is also available as a free download in PDF format on Avid’s

Knowledge Base.

This chapter contains the following main sections:

•Support Dialog Box

-Standard Information to Include Regardless of Issue

•Configuring the Avid Deko Renderer Service

Support Dialog Box

The Support dialog box is provided for Command users to log information about any issues

encountered that might require contacting Avid.

To log support information at a Command Workstation:

1. Select Help > Support.

2. Enter a description of the issue in the Support dialog box.

For instance, the following example shows a sentence regarding a GPI device:

Support Dialog Box

3. Click Save.

4. Select the location where you want the zipped file to be saved.

5. Click OK.

The system saves your comments inside a zipped file that also contains other vital information,

such as system settings and event logs, which enable support personnel to troubleshoot the issue.

This file can then be sent to Avid. For more information, see “If You Need Help” on page 10.

Standard Information to Include Regardless of Issue

The following is a list of information you should have when contacting Avid, regardless of the

type of issue your system is experiencing:

• The version of Avid iNEWS Command

• The version of Avid Service Framework

• The Command system name

• How many and what type of devices are being controlled by Command

• Detailed summary of the problem.

Configuring the Avid Deko Renderer Service

The Avid Deko Renderer service is installed at sites that want to integrate with an Avid Deko and

utilize thumbnail images. After the service is installed on the Command Server, additional

configuration should not be necessary. By default, this service is pre-configured to automatically

locate the DekoMOS Gateway on the network.

However, if the service was installed and cannot locate the DekoMOS Gateway, you can

manually configure it to do so via the Avid Service Configuration application—the process for

which is provided in this section.

nThe Deko Renderer service does not take up a HASP license seat.

To configure Deko Renderer services:

1. Click the Start button, and then select All Programs > Avid > Service Framework > Avid

Service Configuration.

2. On the Hosts tab, navigate to and select the Avid Deko Renderer Service.

3. When prompted, enter the system administrator password and click OK. If you have not yet

created one, leave the space blank and click OK.

4. If the Allow Unrestricted Security dialog box appears, click Yes.

On the Settings tab, you’ll see the service set to Automatically.

Configuring the Avid Deko Renderer Service

5. Select Manually.

6. Enter the host name or IP address for the DekoMOS Gateway computer.

7. Click Apply. You can then close the Avid Service Configuration application.

nYou might need to restart the service after applying any changes. For redundant systems, ensure

that all Deko Renderer services on every Command Server are set the same.

Index

Administrator password 17

AirSpeed 13

channel groups 41

device service, defined 28

service for thumbnail generation 28

AirSpeed Multi Stream

channel designations 39

device service, defined 28

Apply Studio Settings dialog box 83

As-run log 69

Auto-assign channels 74

Autocue 73

Automated graphic triggering 70

Avid

how to order documentation 10

online support 10

training services 11

Avid Deko

channel designations 40

device service, defined 28

Avid Deko Renderer 28

Avid GPI device service 28

Avid iNEWS Command

administrator password 17

features of 16

introduction 13

overview of user interface 19

system architecture 13

Avid iNEWS Communication service 26

Avid Interplay Agent 28

Avid Inventory Manager 27

Avid MOS Communication service 26

Avid Playlist Controller 27

Avid Playlist Manager 27

Avid Playlist Store 27

Avid Service Framework 29

nonredundant services 30

System Configuration 29

Workgroup Properties 31

Avid services 33

Avid Thunder device service 28

Backup server 60

Behavior, configuring 70

Channel groups

creating 43, 44

defined 41

deleting 50

examples of 41

redundancy 42

Channel settings 37

Channel-specific actions 57

assigning 57

Choose Action dialog box 81, 82, 83

Command

configuring MOS redirection 63

features of 16

introduction 13

overview of user interface 19

security 17

system architecture 13

with Avid Deko 15

workflow illustration 15

Command Server

GPI card 79

services for 26

Command Workstation

alternative keypad device 79

disabling keyboard 24

menus explained 19

starting application 18

Index

using X-keys 52

Customer Support

logging support issues 91

Deko 30

Command overview 15

device service, defined 28

service for thumbnail generation 28

Deko Renderer 30

configuring the service 93

Deko Select, tagged events 70

Delete protection 77

Device services

configuring Deko Renderer service 93

types of 28

Dialog boxes

Apply Studio Settings 83

Avid Services 33

Choose Action 57, 81, 82, 83

System Settings 43, 79

Eject previous items 71

ENPS

MOS settings 58

placeholders 75

Exclusive playout control 69

Failover 29

GPI card 79

GPI device

enabling the panel 84

GPI device service 28

GPI events, mapping 79

GPI panel, enabling 84

GPI settings 79

Graphics styles 65

setting default 60

Hold last frame time 71

Icons

iNEWS Command 18

iNEWS Command

administrator password 17

defined 13

features of 16

MOS ID 59

MOS support 58

overview of system 13

overview of user interface 19

services 26

starting software 18

system architecture illustrated 14

workflow 14

workflow illustration 15

iNEWS Communication service 26, 30

Interplay Agent service 30

Inventory Manager 27

Inventory, protect from deletion or renaming 77

Keyboard

alternative 79

disabling 24

Keypad, GPI device 79

License service, defined 29

Lookup service 30

Lookup service, defined 29

Machine Monitor service 30

Maney panel service 28

Mapping GPI events to actions 79

Menu bar 19

Mirrored playout 16, 46

channel groups 42

Index

MOS Communication service 26

MOS protocol

described 58

version 60

MOS redirection 63

MOS settings 62

editing 59

MOS version 60

MOS, defined 58

Multi Stream

channel designations 39

device service, defined 28

Newsroom buddy host name 60

Newsroom buddyID 60

Newsroom host name 59

Newsroom NCS ID 59

Non-redundant services 30

Online support 10

Panels, defined 19

Password security 17

Placeholders 75

Playlist Controller 27

Playlist Manager 27

Playlist settings 63

Playlist Store 27

Playlist Viewer, defined 19

Playout settings 68

Procedures

access the playout settings 68

add a graphics style 65

configure Deko Renderer service 93

configure placeholder defaults 75

configuring Command for MOS-based NRCS 58

configuring MOS redirection 63

create channel groups 44

delete a channel group 50

edit a channel group 47

enable a GPI panel to control a playlist 84

enable inventory delete and protect 77

enable or disable Avid services 33

enable or disable the keyboard 25

enable the as-run log 70

import or export system settings 88

log support information 91

map an index to a channel name 54

map GPI events to actions 79

programming X-keys 56

set or change administrator password 17

set the playout default for new items 64

start iNEWS Command at a workstation 18

start Workgroup Properties 31

stop or start Avid services 33

turn on or off automatic graphic triggering 70

view advanced MOS settings 62

view system settings 36

Redundancy 29

caution regarding short IDs 75

channel groups 42

Service Framework 29

Service Starter service 30

Services

defined 26

license service 29

lookup service 29

Service Framework 29

starting and stopping 33

types of 26

viewing status 31

Short IDs, caution regarding redundancy 75

Shortcut keys 19

Starting

services 33

Workgroup Properties 31

Strong channel assignment 74

System Configuration service, defined 29

System settings 36

device channels 38

GPI 79

import and export 88

Index

System Settings dialog box 43, 79

Thumbnails

Deko Renderer service 28

Interplay Agent service 28

Thunder 30

device service, defined 28

Time Synchronization service 30

Training services 11

Troubleshooting 10, 91

information to send Avid 92

logging support issues 91

USB keypad 52

User interface, overview 19

Video server

channel designations 39

channel groups 41

Workflow, illustration 15

Workgroup Properties 31

X-keys 52

channel-specific actions 57

integration checklist 53

XML-based protocol 58

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Avid INEWS | Command Administration Guide I News 3.2 NEWSCommand V32 AG EN

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