Maestro. User Guide. Version 6.0

Transcription

1 Maestro User Guide Version 6.0 June 2011

2 Copyright 2011 by Orad Hi-Tec Systems Ltd. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced, modified, transmitted, transcribed, stored in retrieval system, or translated into any human or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the express written permission of Orad Hi-Tec Systems ( Orad provides this documentation without warranty in any form, either expressed or implied. Orad may revise this document at any time without notice. This document may contain proprietary information and shall be respected as a proprietary document with permission for review and usage given only to the rightful owner of the equipment to which this document is associated. This document was written, designed, produced and published by Orad Hi-Tec Systems. Trademark Notice: 3Designer, Maestro, Maestro Controller, Maestro PageEditor, JStation, JServer, ProSet, 3DPlay, DVP-500, X-pecto, Morpho 3D, 3DPlay are trademarks of Orad Hi-Tec Systems Ltd. All other brand and product names may be trademarks of their respective companies. Feedback to this manual should be sent to documentation@orad.tv. If you require technical support services, contact Orad Hi-Tec Systems Ltd. at support.il@orad.tv. June 30, 2011

3 Contents Getting Started...7 Starting Maestro...8 Maestro Main Screen...9 Menus...9 File menu... 9 Edit menu Control menu Customize menu Toolbar Playlist Area Creating/Opening a Playlist Page Creation...17 Creating Pages Using the PageEditor Layout The PE Workspace Page Variations Loading a Scene Placing Exports in a Page Page Properties Control Properties The Timeline Setting Animations for a Page Saving/Loading a Page Connecting to External Data Sources Advanced Page Editing Options Signals Scripts Using the Script Wizard Coding a Script Global Parameters

4 Building a Playlist...37 Creating/Opening a Playlist Stories Adding Playlist Items Using the Browser Editing Rundown Items Data Fields Textures Saving Playlist Items Assigning a Channel Previewing and Airing Items Playback Control The Asset Browser Working with Tickers The Image Browser The Clip Browser Data Sources...51 Setting up a Data Source ODBC Data Source Database (SQL) Data Source Excel Data Source Text Data Source News (RSS) Data Source XML Data Source Using Queries Customizing...61 Asset Database Log Appearance Shortcuts PGM & PRV Defining HDVG Channels Play Miscellaneous JStation Virtual Slots

5 Automation Configuring an Automation System Avid ControlAir / Sony VDCP Protocol CII Protocol GPI MOS External Tools Customizing the GUI Creating Groups in Windows Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy) Configuring Cinegy for Maestro Setting Permissions Creating New Metadata Fields Using Cinegy in Maestro Journalist Station...97 Setting Up JStation The Journalist Station Main Screen Main JStation Window Working in JStation Setting JStation Preferences Hosts PGM & PVW Log Miscellaneous NLE Plug-in NLE Server NLE Server Preferences Login Log NLE Renderer Miscellaneous NLE Using the Plug-in

6 M6 scripting API Item level API Playlist level API Application level API

7 1. Getting Started In this section: Starting Maestro on page 8 Maestro Main Screen on page 9 Creating/Opening a Playlist on page 14

8 Starting Maestro Maestro is opened from the Start menu in Orad > Maestro 6.0. You can also use the shortcuts placed on the desktop during installation, as shown below. To start Maestro: 1. Select Start > Orad > Maestro 6.0, -Or- Use the desktop shortcut. The Login dialog box is displayed. 81. Getting Started 2. Enter the required parameters, and click Login. The required parameters are: Login Password Server name Database name Server type Authentication User name. Password. Host name or IP address of the computer on which the Server is installed (database location). Server name must be in the following format: <hostname or IP>\<instance>. Name of the asset database. (Default values are maestro_2 for the native Maestro database, and orad_cinegy for GAM). Choose the type of Server on which the asset database is stored. Choose the type of authentication method to log in with; Windows or SQL. If you choose Windows authentication, no password is required, and the Windows logon name is used. Starting Maestro

9 Maestro Main Screen Maestro s main (default layout) screen looks like this: Menus Playlist Toolbars Page Browser Preview Window Layout Tabs Menus The following sections provide information about the Maestro menus. File menu Timeline Playback Control Page Control Device Indicators 1. Getting Started New Open... Save... Save as... Import Playlist Close <list> Create a new playlist. Open an existing playlist. Save the current playlist. Save the current playlist with to a different location/with a different name. Import a playlist from another system. Close the current playlist. List of recently opened playlists. Maestro Main Screen 9

10 Edit menu Insert new item Cut Copy Paste Delete item Insert a new playlist item. Cut the selected playlist item. Copy the selected playlist item. Paste the playlist item from the clipboard. Delete the selected playlist item. Control menu Connect renderer(s) Load all Unload all Load clips of selected items Connect all defined render channels. Load all pages to connected hosts. Unload all pages from local and remote hosts. Load all clips referenced by the selected playlist items. 1. Getting Started unload clips of selected items Cue Take Out Preview Vslot + unload all clips referenced by the selected playlist items. Rewind the animation timeline to the start. Play all events in the first take track in the timeline. Run the events from the Out track in the timeline. Play animations to Preview window. Set the next Vslot in the list of defined Vslots (see Virtual Slots on page 74). Vslot - Move focus to UniqueID field Take output snapshot NOTE: Virtual Slots are like visual layers in a viewer (preview or on-air). Different scenes can be played to different Vslots. The result would be one scene appearing superimposed upon another, or one scene loaded in the background waiting for a scene in the foreground to play out. You can define up to 255 Vslots. 0 is the back layer, and 254 is the front layer. Set the previous Vslot in the list of defined Vslots Move the cursor to the Page selector field. For more information, see Page selector on page 43. Open a dialog box to select a channel from which to save a screenshot of the rendered image. 10 Maestro Main Screen

11 Customize menu Settings Layout Selected options are marked with Open the Settings dialog box. For more information, see Customizing on page 61. Lock - Lock the current layout to prevent any changes to the displayed panels, their size, position, etc. Auto save - When this option is selected, changes to the current layout are saved automatically as the current layout. When this option is cleared, changes to layout must be saved manually in order to retain them when Maestro is next opened. Save current - Open the Save layout dialog box to save the current layout using the current name, or create a new layout with a new name. Remove - Open the Remove layout dialog box to select a saved layout for removal. 1. Getting Started Maestro Main Screen 11

12 Toolbar New Create a new playlist. Open Open an existing playlist. Save Save the current playlist. Cut Cut an item (playlist, story, or page). Copy Copy an item (playlist, story, or page). Paste Paste an item (playlist, story, or page). Delete Delete an item (playlist, story, or page). Start Log Opens the Log View dialog box. 1. Getting Started Connect All Load All Unload All Clear Load Clips Connect all defined renderers. Load all pages to connected renderer channels. Unload all pages from connected renderer channels. Instantly clears all output being broadcast on all channels, and recalls the mute preset set in the preferences. Loads the video clips used by the selected playlist items to the available caches (set in the HDVG Control Panel), so that they are ready to be played. Unload clips Connect Automation Devices Update Playlist Data Query Refresh Asset Browser Timeline Unloads the video clips used by the selected playlist items from their cache, to free the cache. Connect to all defined automation systems. Update the current playlist, with all data (applies only to imported playlists from.lst or.xml files). Refresh data in all database queries used in the open playlists. Show/hide the Asset browser. Show/hide the Timeline. Browser Show/hide the Browser. 12 Maestro Main Screen

13 Data Sources Control Show/hide the Data Sources tab. Show/hide the Control panel. PageEditor Show/hide the PageEditor tab. Playlist area Global parameters Macros Show/hide the Playlist area. Show/hide the Global parameters tab. Show/hide the Macros panel. RE manager Preview window Show/hide the RE manager tab. Show/hide the Preview window. Playlist Area The Playlist area is where you create and edit playlists. Multiple playlists can be opened simultaneously, each in its own tab. The column headings displayed in the Playlist area can be shown or hidden, depending on your requirements. The playlist area toolbar contains the following buttons: View mode Toggle the available display modes: List - display the playlist with all defined details. Thumbnail view - displays the content of the playlist as large thumbnails with a representative item of the graphic, and other information. Dual view - display both detailed list and thumbnails. 1. Getting Started Playlist item Parameters Show/hide special items (with associated timeline) that is associated with the playlist. Show/hide the parameters panel. Maestro Main Screen 13

14 Creating/Opening a Playlist Before you load pages, you must create a playlist. The playlist acts as a container for all the pages that you plan to load. To create a new playlist: Select File > New. A new playlist is created. When you save this playlist, you are asked to name it. To load a previously saved playlist: 1. Select File > Open. The Open asset dialog box is displayed, with recently opened folders displayed. NOTE: Playlists are stored in the "workspace" folder in the database. Playlists that were stored in "list" mode in previous versions, must be converted to "folder" type playlists. 1. Getting Started 2. Browse to the required playlist, and click OK. The playlist is opened. 14 Creating/Opening a Playlist

15 NOTE: Multiple playlists can be open in the work area simultaneously, stacked, or tabbed. 1. Getting Started Creating/Opening a Playlist 15

16 1. Getting Started 16 Creating/Opening a Playlist

17 2. Page Creation Maestro uses the 3Designer authoring tool scenes as a basis for the graphics it broadcasts during a production. Data entry pages (templates), use 3Designer scene graphics, and allow modification of elements marked as exports in 3Designer. In this section: Using the PageEditor Layout on page 19 Placing Exports in a Page on page 23 Setting Animations for a Page on page 33 Saving/Loading a Page on page 34 Connecting to External Data Sources on page 34 Advanced Page Editing Options on page 35 Global Parameters on page 36

18 Creating Pages To create a data page, you must first select a 3Designer scene containing the graphics and object exports that you want to use. When selecting a 3Designer scene, you begin to build a page to use for airing graphics. You can take a snapshot of a scene, a single frame from a scene that is used as a background for your page, or use any image as a background, to represent the scene. The main functions performed in the PageEditor are: Building timeline event sequences for the page. Specifying the export elements (data entry fields) that you want to include in the page. Defining links to data sources. Data entered in the PageEditor is the default data shown when the page is loaded in Maestro Controller and other Maestro suite applications and plug-ins. 2. Page Creation 18 Creating Pages

19 Using the PageEditor Layout Maestro has a predefined PageEditor layout, convenient for creating pages. This layout can be changed as required, or new layouts can be created for your convenience. (For more information, see on page 83.) NOTE: PageEditor can be opened as a standalone application from the Start menu. To work in the PageEditor layout: Click the PageEditor tab inn the upper right corner. The PageEditor layout displays modules that are especially important for setting up a page: The Workspace where you can set up pages visually, set page properties, and view scene elements. This is where the PageEditor toolbar is located. The Timeline (tab) is where you set the animation sequence in a page, when to update data and ticker, run a script, and all other graphic actions. For more information, see The Timeline on page 28. The Data Sources tab where you can create queries, and assign them to parameters in a page. For more information, see Data Sources on page 51. The PE Workspace The PageEditor workspace is where a page template is displayed, together with its properties and the elements used in the scene that it is based on (exports, animations, etc.). At the top of the PageEditor workspace is a toolbar dedicated to the PageEditor. 2. Page Creation New Open Select a scene from which to make a new page, from a browser window. Open an existing page, from a browser window. Save Open a browser window to save the current page. Cue Rewind the timeline to the beginning. Take Number Take The amount of takes defined for the page, and the current position. Play the current take. Play all Play all takes that appear in the linear timeline. For more information, see Linear Timeline on page 32. Using the PageEditor Layout 19

20 Out Execute all events in the Out track, in the Preview window. Undo Undo last action. Redo Redo last action. Copy Copy a control. Paste Paste a control. Cut Cut a control. Delete Delete a control. Spell check Check spelling in all text fields in the page, that are not connected to data sources. 2. Page Creation Alignment Use to align all selected controls in the page (CTRL+click to select multiple controls); Align right Align left Align top Align bottom Align to horizontal center Align to vertical center Unify control widths Unify control heights Order Bring to front or Send to back Tab ordering Show control names Snapshot Show tab ordering (the order in which controls were added to the page), so that when you press TAB, the next control according to this order, is selected. Press SHIFT+TAB to select the previous control. Show labels for all controls, displaying the name of the control. Take snapshot of Preview window to use as page background. 20 Using the PageEditor Layout

21 Page Variations You can save a single page with different variations for greater versatility. The variation that is saved as the active tab will be the page that is sent to air. Page variations can be based on the same scene, a different scene or page. To create a page variation: 1. Click the arrow to open the list next to the page tab. 2. Page Creation 2. Select the required option from the list: Add empty page Add empty page from scene... Add and copy from... Import from asset... Add an empty page from the current scene. Open a browser window to add an empty page from any scene. Add and copy a page from one of the current page tabs. Add and copy a page from any scene. A new page tab is added, and saved with the page tabs. The selected/active tab is the page that will be broadcast when the page is aired. Using the PageEditor Layout 21

22 Loading a Scene In order to use the graphics and exports in a scene, the scene must be loaded. To load a scene: 1. Select New in the PageEditor toolbar. 2. The Select Scene dialog box opens: 2. Page Creation 3. Select the scene that you want to create a page for, and click OK. The scene is loaded and is displayed in the Preview window. In the work area, an empty data page for this scene is created. 22 Using the PageEditor Layout

23 4. If you want to set a background for the page, in the toolbar, click Set Background. The snapshot appears as the background of your page. NOTE: Snapshots can only be taken when the local Preview window is open. Placing Exports in a Page Place exports in a page so that you can control their content during a broadcast. Any export created in a 3Designer scene is available in Maestro. The exports are listed in the workspace in the Scene tab. Control+click allows you to drag and drop multiple controls. Most of the properties in the Properties window can be applied to more than one control (including, for example, Size). For more information, see Control Properties on page 26. Clicking on the background of the page displays page properties. Setting these parameters is important when setting up a page. For more information, see Page Properties on page 25. To add an export to the page: 1. Find the export in the Scene tab, and drag it to the page in the workspace. A list of export types is displayed. 2. Select the appropriate option. Label Single Line Text Add a label without input options. Add a standard text input box. The text in PageEditor is the default text that appears in all Maestro-related applications. Link this text input box to a database query, for automatic data retrieval. 2. Page Creation Multi Line Text Decorated text Add a text input box that allows carriage returns. Can be linked to exports that require a carriage return (SHIFT+ENTER). Pastes a text input box that allows you to format different parts of the text. In Play mode, formatting options are available above the text box, that can be used. These formatting options are available later in the export seen on the Maestro Controller. (The export in 3Designer must have the Use Style Modifier option enabled.) Placing Exports in a Page 23

24 Drop down list Add a drop-down list from which to choose items. List items can be added manually or from a data source. Each list item has a label that the user sees in the list, and a value that is the text that will be aired or a path that calls a file. See also Control clip on page 31. To populate the list manually: 1. Drag and drop an export as a drop-down list. 2. Under Properties click... to open the Items dialog box. 3. Enter and item label and value. To add items, click. 4. Click OK. To add items from a data source: 1. Open the Data Sources tab, and drag the required query to the export. 2. Under Properties, select a value for the CurrentItemIndex and click OK. The items now appear in the drop-down list. 2. Page Creation Image selector Clip selector Clip controller Add a button to open a file browser. Browser buttons allow you to change textures that have been assigned to scene elements, such as team logos, correspondent s photos, etc. For more information, see The Image Browser on page 46. Open a browser window to open a clip object. The clip browser allows you to preview, manage, and search for clips. The folder set in PageEditor is the default folder that is displayed. For more information, see The Clip Browser on page 49. Add a drop-down list from which you can set clip behavior. The following options can be set: Pause: pause corresponding clip playout. Play: plays corresponding clip. Pause & Recue: pauses corresponding clip and reloads (so it is ready for playout again from the beginning). Recue & Play: reloads a clip (so it plays from the beginning), and play. Rewind & Play: go the first frame (without reloading) and start playing. Pause & Rewind: stop playout and go to the beginning of the clip without reloading it. Rewind: go to the first frame (and continue playout if it was already playing). Boolean value Add a check box that acts as an on/off switch. A check box can be linked to exports from a scene, such as video on/off, tracking on/off, object show/hide, to provide simple controls for scene attributes. 24 Placing Exports in a Page

25 Integer value Double value Date selector Time selector Script control Add a text input box for integers only. Value constraints can be edited under Properties. Add a text input box for decimal numbers only. Value constraints can be edited under Properties. Add a text box containing the current date. The default date or date format can be edited under Properties. Add a text box containing the current time (static - is not updated). The default time or time format can be edited under Properties. Add a control to execute a script defined for this control (note that this script control is not a script event in the timeline). 3. Right-click the page background to display a context menu and set the following: Fit in View Channels Scale the page to fit the browser window. Define the default output channel(s) of the page. This can be changed. Vslot Page Properties You can set various properties for a page in the Properties window. To set page properties: Define the default Vslot on which a page will be run. This can be changed later. Select the property in the Properties window, and set its value as required: Name Page name. 2. Page Creation Size Project Scene Unique ID Background color Background image path Vslot Channels Audio preset Show control names Page size. The Maestro project to which the page belongs. The 3Designer scene on which to base the page. The unique identifier number of the page in Maestro. The background color of the page as it is displayed in PageEditor. The name of the graphic file used as the page background. The Vslot on which the page is displayed. The channel(s) to which the page is played by default. The audio preset number from the audio preset file. Show the export names as labels in the page. Placing Exports in a Page 25

26 Item duration Item default color TakeCount Duration of all takes in the page, as set up in the linear timeline. The background color of the page in the playlist. Number of takes in the timeline. When this is set to Auto, the number of takes is equal to the number of take tracks. You can set this manually, to reflect the actual number of takes for instances when takes are conditional. Control Properties Different export controls can have different properties. The common properties are described in the first table, and specific properties in subsequent tables. To set control properties: Select the property in the Properties window, and set its value as required: Common properties 2. Page Creation Name Position Size Visible Read only Use in item title Layout direction Control name. Position of the control in the page. Control size. Show/hide the control. Lock/unlock the control for editing. Use control content in item title. (Enable page parameters in item s title must be selected, see page 71.) Left to right or Right to left settings. Control-Specific properties Font Text color Background color Text alignment Case Data Set the text font (all types except Script control). Set the text color (all types). Set the background color (all types). Set the text alignment (all types). Set the case of the text content in the control; Mixed - as typed, Upper - all capitals, Lower - all lowercase. (Text controls) Set the content of the control (all types). 26 Placing Exports in a Page

27 Control-Specific properties Input mask Text max length Current item index Items Limits the format in which text can be entered in a line text control, as follows (for Single line text controls): A ASCII alphabetic character required. A-Z, a-z. a ASCII alphabetic character permitted but not required. N ASCII alphanumeric character required. A-Z, a-z, 0-9. n ASCII alphanumeric character permitted but not required. X Any character required. x Any character permitted but not required. 9 ASCII digit required ASCII digit permitted but not required. D ASCII digit required d ASCII digit permitted but not required (1-9). # ASCII digit or plus/minus sign permitted but not required. > All alphabetic characters following > are uppercase.< All alphabetic characters following < are lowercase.! Switches off case conversion. \ Use \ to escape the special characters listed above to use them as separators. Set maximum character length for text export field. This setting is ignored if an input mask is defined (for Single line text controls). Set the currently displayed item (for a drop-down list). Open a dialog box to display the available items in a list, and add or delete items, as required (for a drop-down list). 2. Page Creation Search directory Aspect Loop count Video Alpha channel Interlaced Reversed polarity Audio Text Set the default folder to search for files (for image selector and clip selector controls). Set the aspect ration of an image (for an image selector control). X:Y=displayed value. Set the number of times a clip is played (for a clip selector control). Set the video to play (true) or not to play (false, for a clip selector control). Enable or disable the alpha channel (for a clip selector control). Enable or disable interlacing (for a clip selector control). Enable or disable reversed polarity (for a clip selector control). Set the audio to play (true) or not to play (false, for a clip selector control). Set the check box label text (for a boolean value control). Placing Exports in a Page 27

28 Control-Specific properties GUI type Maximal value Minimal value Default value Date order Date format Date separator Set the type of control that you want to display for setting a numeric value; spin box, horizontal slider, or vertical slider (for integer value and double value controls). Set the maximal value allowed in a integer value or double value control. Set the minimal value allowed in a integer value or double value control. Set the default value displayed in a integer value or double value control. Select the order of the elements for displaying a date (for a date selector control). Select the date format; ISO, long, or short (for a date selector control). Set the character to use as a separator for the date elements (for a date selector control). 2. Page Creation Time Time format Time separator Data format Script code Set the time in the 24-hour time format, regardless of the data format (for a time selector control). Select the time format (for a time selector control). Set the character to use as a separator for the time elements (for a time selector control). Select the type of time selector to use; time, minutes, seconds, frames, etc. (for a time selector control). Open an editor window to enter the script code (for a script control). Parameter list Script language Script file The Timeline Open the Run script dialog box to set a script to run automatically when the value of a [selected] control is changed (for a script control). Set the script language to use; Visual Basic or Java (for a script control). Open a browser window to select a script file to use when the control is activated (for a script control). The timeline tab displays the tracks you define for your page, and the events in each track. A track is executed upon command, according to its type. To add a track: 1. Click. A Take track is added to the timeline. 2. Click the arrow in the new track to open a list of track types. 28 Placing Exports in a Page

29 3. Change the track type, if required, according to the types described below: Take Cue Out All events in this track are executed when you play an item. (Multiple take tracks can be added to the page.) In the Event property window, you can set the take number. (By default, numbers are assigned automatically according to the order of the tracks in the timeline, and the numbers change if a track s position in the timeline changes.) All events in this track are executed when you cue an item. All events in this track are executed when you play an item s out sequence. Callback tracks, executed when a page is on-air and its defining condition is true: Animation started Animation finished When the animation defined in the Event property window is started, the events in this track are executed. When the animation defined in the Event property window is finished, the events in this track are executed. Animation paused Animation resumed Ticker: item needed When the animation defined in the Event property window is paused, the events in this track are executed. When the animation defined in the Event property window is resumed (after a pause), the events in this track are executed. When the ticker that is currently running does not have any more items to display, it informs the controller so it sends new content. This track type is created automatically when you use the ticker plug-in to create a ticker or it can be added manually to define an action to perform when ticker data is played out. In the Event property window, define the ticker name. If required, set the data index to send a callback according to the number of cell specified here. 2. Page Creation Ticker: item left Slot: signal received When each individual ticker item leaves the ticker, events in this track are executed. When a signal, defined in the event property window, is received, the events in this track are executed. For more information, see Signals on page 35. Placing Exports in a Page 29

30 To add events to a track: To each track, you can drag different Events. Each type has properties that must be defined in the Event property window in the Timeline tab.: Send Export Wait Time Script Event Update the export data. In the Event property window, select or clear the exports to be updated, as required. (Use the Export name field to find exports quickly.) When an event is selected, double click any column (except the Name) to edit the export; if the data is taken from a data source, you can set the displayed value, and switch to the next field in the data source by setting the iteration interval. Wait before proceeding to the next item. In the Event property window, define the wait duration. Run a script, written in JScript. Must run the return true command in order for the remaining timeline events to be executed. You can use the Wizard to create a script. For more information, see Scripts on page Page Creation Signal event Start Animation Stop Animation Signal Maestro to start a signal received-type track. In the Event property window, define the name of the track to be executed. For more information, see Signals on page 35. Play an animation group. In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be played, as required. Stop an animation group. In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be stopped, as required. Pause Animation Resume Animation Break looped animation Rewind animation Scene activate Scene deactivate Pause an animation group. In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be paused, as required. Resume playing a paused animation group. In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be resumed, as required. Stop a looped animation group when the current loop plays out. In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be stopped, as required. Rewind an animation group. In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be reset, as required. Load a scene with its default values. In the Event property window, you can set the VSlot. Unload a scene. 30 Placing Exports in a Page

31 Scene reset Ticker start Ticker stop Ticker pause Ticker resume Send data Load clip Reload a scene with its default values. In the Event property window, you can set the VSlot. Start a ticker. In the Event property window, select the ticker, the offset between ticker items, and the ticker speed. Stop a ticker. In the Event property window, select the ticker. Pause a ticker. In the Event property window, select the ticker. Resume a paused ticker. In the Event property window, select the ticker. Update ticker data. In the Event property window, the ticker data to update. Load the clip. Select the clips to load in the Event property window. Unload clip Control clip Activate audio preset Unload the clip. Select the clips to unload in the Event property window. Play a clip as required. (Same options can be set for a Clip controller export type). Define the required command for a clip in the Event property window. (Options are - Pause, Play, Pause and Cue, Cue and Play, Rewind and Play, Pause and rewind, Rewind.) Specify an audio preset to activate (as defined in the audio presets file). 2. Page Creation Keyframe position Keyframe value Define a keyframe position for an object, to change its timing (available only for key frames defined in the scene). Define a keyframe value for an object to change its properties (available only for key frames defined in the scene). NOTE: Timeline elements can be resized by dragging the corners of the track labels or the linear timeline separator. Placing Exports in a Page 31

32 Linear Timeline At the bottom of the timeline tab is a linear timeline that, by default, displays all the tracks in the [visual] timeline in chronological order. The linear timeline can be edited to include only certain tracks for previewing or working in NLE (where scripts cannot be executed). To edit the linear timeline: Right-click and reset. All Take tracks are added, and you can rearrange the tracks, move the cursor to adjust time, and set the frame to use when "single frame preview" is enabled. 2. Page Creation 32 Placing Exports in a Page

33 Setting Animations for a Page Define the sequence in which animations are played by adding them to the timeline. To set how an animation plays: 1. Choose an animation group from the Scene tab. 2. Drag the animation to the timeline. A Start Animation event is placed in the timeline. For more information on using the Timeline, see The Timeline on page 28. If you require an event other than Start Animation, drag the required type of event to the timeline, and define the animation group for it to trigger. 3. Select other animation groups as required, and repeat the procedure until you have constructed a page containing all required animations. 4. When your sequence is complete, click take in the PageEditor toolbar to preview, or save the page, and play the item from the Controller layout. You can also connect to a remote rendering host, and preview the page using the Remote Preview button. 2. Page Creation Setting Animations for a Page 33

34 Saving/Loading a Page After editing a page, you must save the page so that it can be loaded into Maestro Controller for airing. To save a page: Click Save in the PageEditor toolbar. The arrow by the Save icon opens a context menu allowing you to Save the current page, Save As..., or Save All open pages. To load an existing page: 1. Click Open in the PageEditor toolbar. The Open Page dialog box opens. 2. Page Creation 2. Choose the folder and page you want to open. 3. Click OK. Connecting to External Data Sources You can assign database queries to the various types of input controls, so that information can be retrieved from the data sources and sent directly to a page without the need for user input. For more information, see Data Sources on page Saving/Loading a Page

35 Advanced Page Editing Options Signals Signals allow you to use basic internal logic without the need for programming syntax. Using a signal event, you can trigger any track in a page. A signal track is played when a signal of that name has been received, only if the item is on-air. To add a signal to be sent: 1. Add a signal event to an appropriate track in the timeline, as described in The Timeline on page In the Event properties, assign a name to the signal event. The signal is sent when its track is played, and any Slot:signal received track with the same name is executed. You can assign a name and value to the event to allow triggering of other events according to the value and name. To add a Slot:signal received track: 1. Add a Slot:signal received track in the Timeline, as described in The Timeline on page In the Event properties, fill in the signal name under Value. All events placed in this track are played when the matching signal event is played. Scripts Maestro allows you to use Java scripts for more complex operations. In order to write a script, prior knowledge of Java or Visual Basic is required. However, Maestro provides both a script assistant and wizard for easier scripts, and a built-in syntax checker. 2. Page Creation To add a script for execution: 1. Add a script event to an appropriate track in the timeline, as described in The Timeline on page In the Event property window, use the wizard to compose a script (in the Wizard tab) or enter the script code in the Script tab. Using the Script Wizard When you select a script event in the Timeline, the relevant tabs are displayed in the Event property window. In the Wizard tab, compose a script as described here. To write a script using the wizard: 1. Click to add a new line. 2. In the new line, double-click the Action column to allow you to display a list of commands that you can use in the script. Advanced Page Editing Options 35

36 3. Select the required command. Take item Out item Cue item Load item Unload item Send event Send event direct Play a playlist item. Remove a playlist item from the playout. Cue a playlist item. Load a playlist item. Unload a playlist item. Add a signal event. Add a signal event destined for a specific control. 4. Double-click the Parameters column to reference the required item. 5. Click Copy to script. The script is now in the timeline, and is coded in the Script tab. Coding a Script 2. Page Creation If you are proficient in Java script or VB script, you can write a script from scratch in the Script tab. Maestro s assistant displays a list of relevant commands for applications, playlists, and items, when you type app., playlist., and item. You can press F5 to check your syntax. Global Parameters Global parameters are user-defined parameters that can be used for a production, together with other commands. Global parameters are given a value that can be used by a script or set by a script, as required. You can define two types of global parameters; integer and string. 36 Global Parameters

37 3. Building a Playlist This section explains how pages are used and edited for broadcast. For any production, you create a playlist that contains the pages that you want to display. The playlist is subdivided as follows: Rundown top element, usually the rundown is identified with a program (e.g., News at 10, Closing Markets, etc.). A rundown can contain both stories and play items. Multiple rundowns an be open together. For information on creating a rundown, see Creating/Opening a Rundown on page 38. Story (optional) divides the rundown into logical sections. This element can be used if a show naturally breaks into subsections. A story can contain only play items. Play Item a page, an essential element of the rundown, identifies a graphical template containing the data/animation/tickers/etc. to be displayed during production.

38 Creating/Opening a Playlist Before you load pages, you must create a playlist. The playlist acts as a container for all the pages that you plan to load. To create a new playlist: Select File > New. A new playlist is created. When you save this playlist, you are asked to name it. To load a previously saved playlist: 1. Select File > Open. The Open asset dialog box opens. 2. Browse to the required playlist, and click OK. The playlist is opened. 3. Building a Playlist Stories NOTE: Multiple playlists can be open in the work area simultaneously, as tabs, thumbnails, or docked alongside each other. Toggle View mode in the playlist toolbar to switch between views. To create a story: 1. Right-click in the playlist area. A menu is displayed. 2. Select New > Story item. The new story now appears in the rundown. 3. Press F2 to rename the story (type the name, then press ENTER). 34 Creating/Opening a Playlist

39 Adding Playlist Items After creating a playlist (see Creating/Opening a Playlist on page 34), you can load any page created in PageEditor to the playlist. To add an item to the playlist: From the Browser (see Using the Browser on page 35): Drag a page to the playlist. A playlist item with default data and animation settings is created. From a page (that is open in the Browser): Drag the button from the Browser to the playlist or press the INSERT key. From the popup menu (see Editing Rundown Items on page 36): Right-click a rundown/story/item element and select New > Dummy item. An empty item (without an assigned scene) is created. Using the Browser The Browser provides access to all of the pages created in PageEditor. Pages and folders are displayed as Thumbnail images. Double-click a page to open it, and enter data. Double-click a folder to display its contents. The following table describes the Page Browser toolbar: Drag Item Save Item Drag and drop this icon into the rundown to add the page. Saves changes to the currently selected rundown item. 3. Building a Playlist Up directory Moves the browser up one level in the directory. Home directory Spell check Moves the browser to the root directory. Check spelling for all exports that are not connected to data sources. This field displays the unique ID of the selected item. Adding Playlist Items 35

40 Editing Rundown Items In the Browser, you can change the page data components used by an item: The content of Data Fields Textures and Clips that need to be updated In the Browser, you can update both text and graphic exports in the page, but you cannot move, add, or rearrange the labels themselves. If you want to do so, you must return to PageEditor and edit the page there. Editing a play item will not alter the original page. Each item receives a unique ID that is displayed in the rundown. Data Fields Depending on the control type added in PageEditor, you can edit the content of the controls in the browser; select the displayed item in a drop-down list, the state of a check box, the text in a field, etc. 3. Building a Playlist Textures To edit a texture in a scene: 1. Click the Select Image control that was added in PageEditor. A Browser window opens. For more information, see The Image Browser on page Select an image file to be used as the texture. You can select an image stored on your computer, or one stored in the Cinegy database, if relevant. 3. Click OK. The texture is assigned to the exported object, scaled to fit the object to which it is mapped. Saving Playlist Items After editing a page to be used as a playlist item, you have various options for saving your changes. If you don t save the item, its data is the same as other playlist items created from the same page. Click Save to save the items with their new content, without replacing the original page. NOTE: If the Automatically save changes for edited items option (in the preferences) is selected, the save option is disabled (See Automatically save changes for edited item on page 68). If you want to save the original page with the new content, use the Save as template option. 36 Editing Rundown Items

41 Assigning a Channel When an item is added to the playlist, an output channel should be assigned. Maestro Controller can control up to four channels. To assign a channel to an item: 1. Right-click in the channel column of the item to which you want to assign a channel. A menu opens. 2. Select Add to Channel. 3. Select the playback channel(s) to be used. Each item can have a predefined channel assignment, and can be changed with shortcuts (1,2,3,4...). New items will be added to a playlist assigned to the default channels set in PageEditor. Previewing and Airing Items After each item has been added to the playlist, preview the playlist and then make any required changes to the items, before sending to air. 3. Building a Playlist To preview the playlist: 1. Click Connect to connect renderer devices. As each host connects, the status lights for each rendering host in the bottom right hand corner changes. Green indicates that the host is connected, and Red indicates that the host is not currently connected. Assigning a Channel 37

42 Next to each host name is a small menu short cut that allows you to connect or disconnect from individual hosts. Items are initially displayed as Not Loaded. 3. Building a Playlist 2. Click Load All to load all items in the playlist (or use CTRL+L.) -Or- Right-click the status indicator to load the specific item in the channel that you chose. (If multiple items are selected, you can right-click and select Load Selected.) Each item in the rundown changes to READY when they are ready for use. The status buttons are colored as follows (by default. This can be changed in the PGM & PRV preferences.): grey light green green Neither graphics nor clip is loaded. Item is loading/unloading, or item is partially loaded. For example, graphics are loaded but clips are not. Item is loaded graphics and clips are ready to play. Item is being aired to assigned channel. red Item is cued. yellow 3. Once the items are loaded, play the items as follows: Press CTRL+SPACE to view playback on local preview. Press CTRL+ENTER to view playback on PGM channel only. Additional status information is shown in the status bar in the lower left corner of the screen. Gfx shows scene status, and Clip shows if the clips in the item are cached and ready. Color coding is as described above. 38 Previewing and Airing Items

43 Playback Control The Playback Control allows you to Preview, Cue and Take pages from the rundown. Actions initiated with the Playback Control are for the currently active item only. To display the Playback control: Click to toggle the Playback Control. To select a channel for an item: In the rundown list area, right-click in a channel column, select Add to Channel, and then select the required channel. Channels can be assigned automatically to all default channels defined in the settings window. Each page will then be added to these pre-assigned channels. Cue Take Out Current Take Number Cue the selected item to all assigned Program channel(s) and rewind animations. (Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+O) Display the total number of takes required to play an item and the current status of the item, for example, 2/3 means that there are three "takes", two that have been already executed. Play the selected item on the assigned program channel(s) until next break event or end of events. (Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+ENTER) Run all events in the Out track in the timeline. 3. Building a Playlist Preview Play the selected item on the assigned Preview channel(s). (Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+SPACE) Page selector Input box for unique ID. The unique ID for page can be entered here, to send that page to air at the next Take. Selected either with keyboard shortcut CTRL+ or onscreen with the cursor. The following color-coding is applied: Red when: the unique ID is not in the current playlist or the database. Yellow when: the page is in database, but is not loaded. Green when: the page is loaded in the current playlist. Playback Control 39

44 The Asset Browser The Asset Browser is for quick management of all Maestro assets (templates, data sources, workspaces, data sets, tickers), and for search capabilities. The data sources folder contains all the defined queries. The templates folder contains all available pages. The workspace folder contains all playlists and items. To display the Browser: Click the button, to toggle the Asset Browser tabs. 3. Building a Playlist For more information on search capabilities when using GAM, see Using Cinegy in Maestro on page 84. The Asset browser has a toolbar for easy management. Navigate to the previous or next folder. Up Search Folders Details view/ Thumbnail view Cut Copy Paste Delete New folder Navigate one level up in the folder hierarchy. Open a window that allows you to search for an asset. Open a sidebar showing the folder hierarchy. Display the assets according to details or as thumbnail images. Cut an asset. Copy an asset. Paste an asset. Delete an asset. Create a new folder. 40 Playback Control

45 Working with Tickers NOTE: The Ticker feature requires a separate license. Tickers in a scene can be controlled from Maestro; you can control both the ticker content and when and how the ticker is run. To add a ticker control: 1. To show the available tickers, click the arrow next to in the Browser, and select Show Plug-ins Bar. The available plug-ins are displayed at the top of the Browser window. 2. Click Ticker in the Plug-ins bar. The Browser displays Scene and Ticker options. 3. Building a Playlist 3. Click Scene, and select the scene from which you want to run a ticker. 4. If required, click Ticker to select the ticker parameter with the content that you want to update manually. 5. Click Add under Ticker data to display ticker content parameters. Use and to add or remove ticker items. 6. Click Build timeline. Tracks are built for the ticker in the timeline. 7. Select the Start Ticker event, and set the ticker properties in the Event property window. To add a ticker to a rundown: With the ticker open in the Browser, drag the button to the playlist or press the INSERT key. Tickers can be saved as pages using Save As in the browser window. Playback Control 41

46 The Image Browser For Image selector control types, you can open a browser that allows you to select an image from any directory, to display. You can also edit the way the image is displayed in Maestro. To open the Image Browser: Click the export control in the page (open in the Page Browser). 3. Building a Playlist To Edit an image: Right-click an image, and select Edit. 42 Playback Control

47 The Editor window is displayed. 3. Building a Playlist Edit graphic parameters as required. Adjust Deinterlace Adjust the following effects in the image editor, using the sliders, arrows, or by setting the numerical values: Brightness Contrast Gamma Hue Saturation Lightness Sharpness Discard one of the fields that compose a frame, by selecting one of the available options: Keep upper Keep lower Playback Control 43

48 Flip Resize Crop Flip the image horizontally or vertically. Resize your image as required, using the required resampling algorithm from the Method list. Use the cursor to mark the required area, while pressing CTRL. Click Crop to crop the selected area. When an area is selected, you can resize it using the cursor while pressing CTRL. NOTE: If the page aspect ratio is set to anything other than 0, a selection rectangle with the correct aspect ratio is marked. Display Reset For editing purposes, you can choose to fit the image in the image editor window, or display it at its normal size. Cancel all settings made in the editor. 3. Building a Playlist 44 Playback Control

49 The Clip Browser For Clip selector control types, you can open a browser, that allows you to select a clip from any directory (or from the GAM database, in the Database tab), to play, preview in the Clip Browser, or set the clip properties that determone how it will be played by RenderEngine. To open the Clip Browser: Click the export control in the page (open in the Browser). 3. Building a Playlist To preview a clip: 1. Select a clip. 2. Set the required properties: Loop count The default number of loops for which a new clip added to a page. By default, the value is Infinite. Playback Control 45

50 Video Audio When set to true clips are treated as video clips. When false, video stream is ignored. If clips are marked as video clips, you can set: Alpha channel - when true, clip is played with an alpha channel. Interlaced - when true, clip is defined as interlaced, with or without reversed polarity, as required. When set to true, clips are played with audio. When false, audio is ignored. 3. To preview, click. NOTE: Certain clips might require you to install extra codecs in order to play them. 3. Building a Playlist 46 Playback Control

51 4. Data Sources This section provides information on drawing content from databases. Using a database is a way of airing text content without user/operator input. This reduces the chances of accidental changes being made to text. You can determine the rate at which content is refreshed, if at all, and draw that content from various sources as required. In this section: Setting up a Data Source on page 52

52 Setting up a Data Source When drawing content from a data source, you must define the database itself, and a specific query in the database from which to take the contents. Data sources have their own dedicated tab in Maestro, for managing data source setup and queries. To define a data source: 1. Open the Data Sources tab. 2. Right-click in the Data Sources column and select Add Data Sources. The Data Source dialog box is displayed. 3. Define your data source as required. Factory name Type Set the format of the data source; each type requires installation of its own dedicated driver. Set the data source file type. (All other settings derive from the data source type) 4. Data Sources 52 Setting up a Data Source

53 ODBC Data Source ODBC databases that have been defined in the ODBC Data Source administrator can be used as data sources for Maestro. (Select Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC) to open the ODBC administrator and add a data source for your system). 4. Data Sources To define an ODBC data source: 1. In the Data Source dialog box, select ODBC from the Type list. 2. Select a DSN Connection Name from the list (this must be defined in the ODBC data source administrator), -Or- Type the path and filename of a File DSN Connection. 3. Type a User name and Password if necessary (this should be available from the database administrator). 4. Type the Data source name as it will appear in the Data Sources and Queries dialog box. 5. Click Test Connection to verify the connection has been made. 6. Click OK to save the data source information. Setting up a Data Source 53

54 Database (SQL) Data Source Databases that are stored remotely can be defined using the Database Server type. 4. Data Sources To define a database data source: 1. In the Data Source dialog box, select DATABASE from the Type list. 2. Under Enter database server location, type the path. 3. Type the database file name under Enter database name. 4. Type a User name and Password if necessary (this should be available from the database administrator). 5. Type the Data source name as it will appear in the Data Sources and Queries dialog box. 6. Click Test Connection to verify the connection has been made. 7. Click OK to save the data source information. 54 Setting up a Data Source

55 Excel Data Source Microsoft Excel files can be used as data sources. 4. Data Sources To define a database data source: 1. In the Data Source dialog box, select EXCELFILE from the Type list. 2. Specify the path of the Excel file. 3. Type the database file name under Data source name. 4. Type a User name and Password if necessary (this should be available from the database administrator). 5. Type the Data source name as it will appear in the Data Sources and Queries dialog box. 6. Click Test Connection to verify the connection has been made. 7. Click OK to save the data source information. Setting up a Data Source 55

56 Text Data Source 4. Data Sources To define a text data source: 1. In the Data Source dialog box, select TEXT_FILE from the Type list. 2. Specify the folder containing the file. 3. Type the User name and Password if necessary (this should be available from the database administrator). 4. Type the Data source name as it will appear in the Data Sources and Queries dialog box. 5. Click Test Connection to verify the connection has been made. 6. Click OK to save the data source information. 56 Setting up a Data Source

57 News (RSS) Data Source 4. Data Sources To define a news (RSS) data source: 1. In the Data Source dialog box, select News as the Factory name. 2. Specify the URL address of the news feed. 3. If you are using a proxy server, select Use proxy server, and set the required parameters. 4. Type the Data source name as it will appear in the Data Sources and Queries dialog box. 5. Click Test Connection to verify the connection has been made. 6. Click OK to save the data source information. Setting up a Data Source 57

58 XML Data Source 4. Data Sources To define an XMLdata source: 1. In the Data Source dialog box, select XML as the Factory name. 2. Specify the file path of the XML file. 3. Type the Data source name as it will appear in the Data Sources and Queries dialog box. 4. Click Test Connection to verify the connection has been made. 5. Click OK to save the data source information. 58 Setting up a Data Source

59 Using Queries Database queries allow you to draw certain data from a given data source. Once the data source is defined, you must create a query to use in Maestro. You can type an SQL query in the Query Editor tab at any time, or use the query wizard as follows. To define a query: 1. Under Data Sources, select the required data source. 2. In the Query Columns subtab, in the Table/Column window, the available tables in the data source are shown with their columns. 3. Select the columns from which you want to read data, and click to display the column names in the right window. 4. Define a query name at the bottom of the Query Sources tab, and click Save Query. 5. Open the Query Order subtab. 6. Under Column, select the table column by which to arrange the data items, from the list. 7. Under Order, select ASC (ascending) or DESC (Descending), as required. 8. Open the Query Result subtab. 9. All cells from the selected table(s) are displayed. 4. Data Sources Using Queries 59

60 4. Data Sources 60 Using Queries

61 5. Customizing This section includes information on customizing Maestro for your needs. Preferences can be set for the following: Asset Database on page 62 Log on page 64 Appearance on page 65 Shortcuts on page 66 PGM & PRV on page 67 Play on page 69 Miscellaneous on page 71 JStation on page 73 Virtual Slots on page 74 Automation on page 75 GPI on page 79 MOS on page 81 External Tools on page 83 Customizing the GUI on page 84 Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy) on page 86

62 Asset Database The Asset Database settings display the defined the storage database for all of your Maestro assets and the login information used during login. The only setting to edit here is the length of the unique ID used for each asset. NOTE: These settings are defined during Login, and cannot be changed here. 5. Customizing Login Password The current username used to login to Maestro Asset Database. The username is defined during Maestro installation. The password used to login to Maestro Asset Database. The password is defined during Maestro installation. It is recommended not to change this parameter. 62 Asset Database

63 Server name Database Name Server type Authentication Unique ID Length The name and path of the current database server. The name of the current Maestro Asset database. The type of database you are using. The Native Maestro Database option is for the Orad database. The GFX Asset Management enables many options, the most notable being conditional access to assets according to the user logged in. This option uses third party software. The type of database authentication protocol. Set the allowed length of Item and page IDs (default=8, max. of 32 characters). ALL applications connected to the same database need to use the same unique ID length. Warning: Changing the ID length might reset all IDs in the database. Do not change the length. 5. Customizing Asset Database 63

64 Log In the Log options, you can define log storage options. 5. Customizing Log File Path Remove older than Remove when larger than Specifies the location where the log files are saved. Logs older than the time defined here will be automatically deleted. Logs larger than the size defined here will be automatically deleted. 64 Log

65 Appearance The Appearance settings show you the location of the default Maestro style sheet, which defines the appearance of the GUI. 5. Customizing Style sheet Item colors Define the style sheet to use to define the GUI display. This file is an HTML cascading style sheet (CSS) file and can be used to customize the Maestro GUI. Define the colors used in playlists to color-code item status. Select the check box of an item status to display it using the color defined here. Edit color by clicking the color display. A color pallet dialog box opens. Appearance 65

66 Shortcuts You can define shortcuts for many of the actions in Maestro. You can save personal settings as a file, and load them when required. To edit/create a shortcut: 1. In the Shortcuts dialog box, select an action in the left window. 5. Customizing 2. Place the cursor in Press shortcut keys, and press the required key combination. 3. Click Assign. To cancel a shortcut: Select the action and click Remove. When you are finished customizing the settings, click OK. 66 Shortcuts

67 PGM & PRV In the PGM & Preview window, you define output settings, DVG channels, and local and remote RenderEngine behavior. 5. Customizing NOTE: While connected to your devices, you cannot change any of the remote program channel definitions. Program See Defining HDVG Channels on page 68. Local Remote When this check box is selected, the output is previewed in the embedded RenderEngine Preview window. When this check box is selected, the output is previewed on the host whose IP address or host name is defined here. PGM & PRV 67

68 Aspect Single Vslot Preview Single Image Preview FPS Select the aspect ratio of the Preview window. When this check box is selected, only a single scene can be displayed in the preview, regardless of different Vslots defined for each scene. Dynamic blending is disabled. When this check box is selected, only a given frame of the animation is shown. This frame is defined in PageEditor for each page, by setting the Background image path property (see page page 25). A yellow triangle is displayed on the required frame on the linear timeline. Select the frame rate (frames per second). This setting affects the time displayed in the duration of the timeline. Defining HDVG Channels Before you begin previewing and airing items, you must define the HDVG channels on which they will be played. For example, define a program channel that is played on air, and a backup channel. To define a channel: 5. Customizing 1. Select Customize > Settings. The Preferences dialog box is displayed. 2. Select PGM & PVW on the left. The PGM & Preview settings are displayed. You can define settings for up to 16 program channels, and two preview channels. One of the preview channels can be a remote host (requires additional hardware), the other is the Preview window. Define the hostname of each channel. 3. Click Add host. A new empty channel slot is appended. Each of the program channels is assigned a letter (A, B, C, etc., to P). 4. Enter the name of the remote host to be used in the Host column, and if required, give an Alias Name that will be used in the status bar and in the playlist as the channel name. NOTE Alias names for channels are unique across all Maestro family applications connected to the same database. If you want different channel definitions on each Maestro station, leave the Alias names blank. The default channel(s) can be set here as well; whenever a new item is added to the playlist, it is automatically assigned to the default channels listed here. Under On select the check box to activate a channel. 5. Click OK to close the Preferences dialog box. In the status bar you see all of the channels and devices that have been defined, listed at the bottom of the controller. You have the option to disconnect device in the status bar. 68 PGM & PRV

69 Play In the Play options you can set default scene options that are executed when cueing, playing or fading out, as well as audio presets. 5. Customizing Cue\Custom Cue\Reset scene Cue\Activate scene When selected, application executes the item s cue.when cleared Cue track is not executed. When selected, the scene is reset upon cue. When cleared, scene remains in its current state when an item is cued. Note: Remember more than one page can use the same scene. When selected, scene is activated upon cue; that is - the scene is displayed, if not already visible. When cleared, nothing new is displayed upon cue. Play 69

70 Cue\Load scene Cue\Load clip Take\Cue item Take\Advance to next item Out\Reset scene Out\Deactivate scene Out\Mute audio When selected, the scene used by the cued item is loaded upon cue. When cleared, the scene is not loaded upon cue, and must be loaded manually. When selected, clips used by the cued item are loaded upon cue. This can be used as an alternative to smart clip management. When cleared, clips are not loaded upon cue. When selected, the current item is re-cued (reset) after the last take. When cleared, item remains as is. When selected, advance to next item after the last take in the item. When cleared, an item remains selected after it has been played out. When selected, the scene is reset upon scene out. When cleared, scene is not reset. When selected, scene is deactivated upon scene out. When cleared, scene might remain active or even displayed after scene out. When selected, the mute audio preset is set upon scene out. When cleared, audio plays out. 5. Customizing Smart Clip Management Mute audio preset When selected, Maestro looks ahead at items in the playlist, and preloads any clips to an available cache. If you air items randomly (not according to their order in the playlist), disable this option, and cache clips manually. Select the number of items that should be inspected for clips in advance, when smart clip management is enabled. The number of caches is set in the HDVG Control Panel. For more information, see the HDVG Control Panel Configuration Guide. Select the audio preset to be recalled when an HDVG channel is cleared of output. Preset file Mute audio on channel clear Select the XML file that contains the definitions for audio presets. This file is created in the HDVG audio panel. When selected, the preset defined under Mute Audio Preset will be recalled when one channel output is cleared. When cleared, nothing is changed in audio processing when a channel is cleared. 70 Play

71 Miscellaneous In the miscellaneous options you can define various system parameters. 5. Customizing Enable page parameters in item s title When selected, item name/content is displayed in the playlist page title for easier identification. If required, you can display only certain exports, by setting the UseInItemTitle property. (True (default)=display, False=hide). When this option is selected, you can modify the contents of the item by pressing F2 and TAB to move between fields in the title itself. When cleared, only the item name is displayed in the playlist. Miscellaneous 71

72 Automatically save changes for edited item Check user profile Spell check Language Data path mapper Graphics event prefix When this option is selected, changes made to the current item in the playlist are saved automatically when a different item is selected. When this option is cleared, changes made to an item are discarded when a different item is selected, unless the item is saved manually in the Browser. When selected, access to various functions is applied according to permissions given to logged in user. When cleared, user profile is not checked and users have access to all functions. Once you activate this option, you cannot access preferences unless you belong the right group. Define the dictionary language and path to use when running the spell-checker. Define the language displayed in the Maestro GUI. This preset is how to set the correspondence between Windows and MAC/Linux path, for setting the asset storage location. Define the prefix for items that Maestro should use in a.lst format file. (Default=G) 5. Customizing Dummy item template Define the template to use as a dummy item when using third level playlist items in imported.lst playlists. 72 Miscellaneous

73 JStation The Journalist Server (known as JServer) is enabled here. By activating the JServer, multiple journalists, working remotely can view, edit, and add to playlists. It is used to receive items entered by remote users using JStation. These items are added to a playlist, that is updated automatically when new items are added. To enable the Journalist Station: Select the Accept incoming connections from JStation on port check box, and set the port number. 5. Customizing NOTE: Journalist station requires additional software. JStation should not be enabled unless required. JStation 73

74 Virtual Slots Virtual Slots (Vslots) are visual layers in a channel (preview or on-air). Different scenes can be played simultaneously to different VSlots. The result would be one scene appearing to be superimposed upon another. You can define up to 255 Vslots. 0 is the back layer, and 254 is the front layer. In the VSlots window, you can define slots Customizing To define a slot: 1. Set a VSlot number. 2. Type an Alias for the slot. 3. Click Add. 4. Click OK to close the dialog box. NOTE: The Virtual Slots definition is applied to the resource database. You can modify the Vslot; changes made here affect all hosts connected to the current database. To delete a VSlot from the list: Select the VSlot from the list, and click Delete. 74 Virtual Slots

75 Automation In the Automation window, define Maestro behavior when controlled by one or more external automation systems. 5. Customizing Root folder Connect/ disconnect devices when PGM channels are connected/ disconnected Define the location in which to save external automation-related items. This definition is important especially for systems using a VDCP protocol, because only items within this folder or in the current playlist can be played. When selected, automation system is connected whenever a PGM channel (RenderEngine) is connected. When cleared, you must connect the Automation system manually by left-clicking its device indicator. Automation 75

76 Remove item from playlist on STOP event Force item reload on cue event Automation devices When selected, if the automation systems sends a 'STOP item' command, the item is removed from the playlist. When cleared, the items are not removed, and the playlist becomes longer over time. Select this check box to reload items whenever a cue command is received from the automation system to ensure that the latest data is always aired. Define the automation systems that Maestro can receive commands from. For more information, see Configuring an Automation System on page 76. Configuring an Automation System Maestro can be controlled by an Automation system using multiple Avid ControlAir, CII, VDCP, and Sony protocols. In order to work with an automation system, the appropriate driver must be installed, and you must configure Maestro, as described here. 5. Customizing To configure an automation system: 1. Select Customize > Settings. The Preferences window opens. 2. In the Automation options, under Automation devices, click Add to add a device to the list. 3. Double-click the device name to rename it, as required. 4. Select the device type from the list. 5. Click Configure to open the device configuration dialog box. Continue as required: Avid ControlAir / Sony NOTE: ControlAir works only when the inews system is used. To configure an Avid ControlAir system: Load a Profile and specify the MOS page number, then click OK. A default profile is provided with Maestro in the file called: C:\Orad\Maestro\DM\oradDM.dmp. The following settings must be modified in this file according to the settings in ControlAir. SvrHostName=serveName (ControlAir Server host name) DeviceName=oradCG (Orad device name in NRCS) 76 Automation

77 VDCP Protocol To configure the VDCP protocol: 1. In the Driver tab, select the required options: Communication protocol Logger File path Trace levels Select Serial or TCP/IP according to the automation system requirements. Select the Logger check box to create a log for Maestro s interaction with the automation system. Set the path and file name of the log file. Select the trace level check boxes to set which types of messages are written to the log file. 2. In the Settings tab, set the following: ID length Set the required length of the item IDs that the automation system can send to Maestro. Port to channel mapping IDReqest: Cue ID on validation IDList Assign a Maestro channel and Vslot to each automation system port. Click Add to add new ports, double click the port/channel/vslot name to edit. Select this check box to cue items once they are validated by the automation system. When cleared, validated items must be cued independently. Set which item IDs to send when the automation system requests a list of items; Return automation root folder content - list the item IDs that are in the folder specified in Root folder on page page 75. Return playlist content - list the item IDs in the currently active playlist. 5. Customizing 3. Click OK. CII Protocol To configure the CII protocol: 1. In the Driver tab, select the required options: Communication protocol Charset Logger Select Serial or TCP/IP according to the automation system requirements. Set the character set to use for communications between the automation system and Maestro. Select the Logger check box to create a log for Maestro s interaction with the automation system. 2. In the Settings tab, set the following: ID length Set the required length of the item IDs that the automation system can send to Maestro. Automation 77

78 Send ACK immediately Play item with READ/UPDATE command PGM channel assignment Select this check box to immediatly send an acknowledgment when an item is sent, or clear for item to be fully loaded before acknowledgment is sent. Select this check box to automatically play an item when an update command is received from the automation system. Clear to update the item without playing. Assign a Maestro channel and Vslot to each automation system output. 3. In the Macros tab, you can set a name for any macro command not defined in the protocol. 5. Customizing 78 Automation

79 GPI NOTE: The GPI option is a licensed option and is available only if the appropriate card is installed. 5. Customizing Connect/ disconnect devices when PGM channels are connected/ disconnected Device When selected, the device is connected whenever a PGM channel (RenderEngine) is connected. When cleared, you must connect the device manually by left-clicking its device indicator. Select the installed GPIO device from the list. Automation 79

80 GPI configuration Define what action to execute when the GPIO device status changes; double click the Action name to open a list of possible actions, or Data to enter an item s unique ID. Cue selected - cue the item selected in the playlist. Cue ID - cue an item with the specified ID. Take selected - play the item selected in the playlist. Take ID - play an item with the specified ID. Preview selected - cue the item selected in the playlist. Clear output - clear output from all Vslots. Clear output on Vslot - clear output from specified Vslots. Out selected - play the out sequence of the item selected in the playlist. Out ID - play the out sequence of the item with the specified ID. 5. Customizing 80 Automation

81 MOS In the MOS window, you can set preferences for using the MOS protocol for communication with newsroom clients. 5. Customizing Use MOS connection Listen Port rochannel(s) When this check box is selected, MOS communication with newsroom systems is enabled. It is recommended to leave the default. This parameter defines the communication port between the Orad MOS Server and Maestro. (Default = 6001) This parameter defines channel names, as defined in the newsroom system, that Maestro should listen to. If left empty, Maestro receives all active playlists in the newsroom system. MOS 81

82 Database Host/UserName /Password Initialize MOS on application start Allow playlist synchronization Used for accessing the MOS database. Host should be the location of MOS database. It is recommended to leave the defaults (username: sa, password: Maestro). When this option is selected, MOS is started when you open Maestro. When this option is cleared, you must use the Start MOS toolbar button to start MOS. When this option is selected, the Sync MOS List button is available in the toolbar. When this button is clicked, all active playlists are resent from the newsroom system. Manual playlist selection When this option is selected, the Select playlist button is available in the toolbar. This button opens a window that displays a list of active playlists in the newsroom system, and allows you to select playlists to open. 5. Customizing Manual playlist update When this option is selected, the Update playlist List button is available in the toolbar. This button is inactive when no updates are available to the active playlists in the newsroom system; the button blinks several times before becoming active when any modification to an active playlist in the newsroom system becomes available. Use aliases as channel names When this option is selected, channel aliases are stored in the database are used by the Maestro news producer plugin to refer to render channels, instead of the channel ID (A, B, C...). 82 MOS

83 External Tools Maestro allows you to start external applications or scripts and adding them to the Toolbar. 5. Customizing To add a command to the Toolbar: 1. Select Add. A browser window opens. 2. Browse to the required executable, and click Open. The application icon is added to the toolbar. Icon and application parameters can be defined as required. External Tools 83

84 Customizing the GUI By default, Maestro has three pre-programed layouts for convenience when working in PageEditor, playout, or a third, default layout, optimized for playlist creation in high resolution screens, with access to all available tools. You can save a layout with a new name, for a tabbed option that will be available whenever you start Maestro. To create your own layout: 1. Arrange the GUI as required; open or hide windows and panels, and resize them as required. 2. Select Customize > Layout > Save Current. The Save layout dialog box is displayed. 3. Type in a new name, or select an existing name from the list. 4. Click OK. The layout is saved, and its tab appears alongside the default tabs. To automatically save changes to the current layout: 5. Customizing 1. In the Customize menu, select Layout > Auto save. 84 Customizing the GUI

85 Creating Groups in Windows In order to allow different permission levels, users must be part of one of four Windows administrative groups, defined by the system administrator. The Check user profile option (on page 72) must be selected during setup (if the option is cleared, all users have full control). Each group has the permissions specified below: Orad Administrator Locked features: None Allowed features: a. All features currently available b. Full Assets administration Orad Super User Locked features: a. Change in Default Pages b. Add/remove renderer c. Change rendering format Allowed features: everything else Orad Standard User Locked features: a. Changes in Configuration menu b. Change layout c. Query assignment to items d. Changes in VSlot assigned to items Allowed features: everything else 5. Customizing Orad Restricted user Locked features a. Changes in Configuration menu b. Change layout c. Access to Timeline editor d. Add items to playlist e. Add items to Quick Pages f. Changes in VSlot assigned to items g. Changes in item s duration or start time h. Query assignment / modification i. Change Clip / Texture browsing filter j. New ticker creation k. Access to DB folders without proper user permissions l. Scene edit. Creating Groups in Windows 85

86 Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy) NOTE: Cinegy is a third party utility, sold separately, to be used by Maestro. The information in this section may be subject to change. When you select the Gfx Asset Management option (see Asset Database on page 62) you are, in effect, choosing to use the Cinegy database. For this you must have a license to use Cinegy, and a host with an installed database. (For more information, contact the Orad Support team.) The Cinegy database allows more control over user permissions at multiple levels. Configuring Cinegy for Maestro To configure the Database for Maestro: 1. Open the Cinegy Enterprise Manager (on the computer where the database is installed). The Connection dialog box opens. 5. Customizing 2. Enter the information as follows, and click OK: SQL Server Use trusted connection Login ID Password Enter the name of the host computer where the database is located, and \Maestro. Select this check box to authenticate your database connection against your login name, so no password is required. Should be sa (do not change). Should be Maestro (do not change). 86 Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy)

87 The Enterprise Manager main screen opens. 3. Select Install and update procedures. The Install dialog box opens. 5. Customizing 4. Click Update, and wait for the files in the lower list to appear in the upper list. 5. Close the Install dialog box. Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy) 87

88 The Enterprise Manager window changes. 5. Customizing 6. Close the Enterprise Manager window. 7. Open the Cinegy Database Wizard. 8. Enter the parameters as described in step 2, and click Next. 88 Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy)

89 A dialog box is displayed. 9. Select Create new database, and click Next. A dialog box is displayed. 5. Customizing Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy) 89

90 10.Select the latest version from the list, and click Next. A dialog box is displayed. 5. Customizing 11.Select New Database, and type in orad_cinegy. 12.Click Next. 13.In the dialog box that opens, leave the font setting unchanged, and click Next. An installation progress screen is displayed. 14.When you see the message installation successful, close the Cinegy Database Wizard. You can now set permissions in the Enterprise Manager. Setting Permissions A number of roles are predefined in Cinegy, with preset permissions. For each role you can define relevant permissions. To set permissions: 1. In the Enterprise Manager window, click Permissions and Security. 90 Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy)

91 A dialog box opens. 2. In the Roles and metadata restrictions tab, the Roles sub tab lists all predefined rolls. Add or delete roles as required. 3. Select a role for which you want to set metadata restrictions. 4. Open the Metadata restrictions subtab. 5. Customizing 5. Restrict access to specific metadata by moving items between the panes. Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy) 91

92 For more information, see Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy) on page Open the Actions tab. 5. Customizing 7. Select or clear the relevant check boxes to allow or restrict permissions for each role. The relevant actions when using Cinegy with Maestro are: View a folder Edit a folder Edit a Root View full paths Edit metadata 92 Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy)

93 8. Open the Groups, users, and assigned roles tab. 9. A list of Windows user groups is displayed under Groups. 10.Select a group, and under Roles select the role with the appropriate permissions to assign to the group. 11.Close the Groups, users, roles, actions, activity dialog box to return to the Enterprise manager main window. Creating New Metadata Fields 5. Customizing You can create Metadata field that will be accessible to Maestro users (as defined). To create new metadata fields: 1. In the Enterprise Manager window, click Descriptors, presets. Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy) 93

94 A dialog box opens. 5. Customizing 2. Select the type of asset to which you want to add a metadata field under Descriptor groups. 3. Under Descriptors, click new and enter the information for the metadata field to be added. 4. Click Commit to save new fields to the database. Using Cinegy in Maestro When working in Maestro, you must select the Gfx Asset Management option (see Maestro on page 50), and then restart Maestro, in order to see the Cinegy database. Once this is done, you will notice a few changes: Assets that the logged user does not have the permission to view are not visible. A lock icon indicates the status of items according to color: Blue: view access only. Red: locked asset by other user (no editing possible). Green: asset open by another user that does not have editing permission. The metadata capabilities are extended. Metadata for each item is displayed according to the permissions set in Cinegy (type of metadata per item, and viewable metadata per user). The search capabilities in the Browser tab are extended to allow full text searches. To search for an asset: 1. Click Search in the Asset Browser. 94 Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy)

95 The Search window is displayed. 2. Type in a name for your search and click Search. 5. Customizing Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy) 95

96 5. Customizing 96 Graphics Asset Management Database (Cinegy)

97 6. Journalist Station This section covers the setup and use of Journalist Station (JStation). The JStation provides access to the Maestro Assets for operators outside of a newsroom environment. Users can open Maestro Workspaces and add pages with new data. The JStation workflow is straightforward: choose pages, edit data as required, and save the page in an existing playlist. If playlist is open in Maestro and the JStation is connected, the new item will appear at the end of the playlist, and it can be sorted, previewed, modified, and played in Maestro. Jstation is recommended when distributed data entry is required, and newsroom systems are not in use.

98 Setting Up JStation The JStation provides access to Maestro assets for operators during a broadcast. Users can open Maestro workspaces and add items with new data. Pages sent from JStations are added to the playlist while Maestro is running. You can specify custom columns that are used to display additional information about an item; for example, journalist name, location, etc. Each title that is added is displayed as an additional column in the playlist. JStation operators can use the same column settings, and send data with each item in Maestro s playlist. Once JStation is enabled, a connection light is displayed in the lower right corner of the screen. (You don t have to be connected to work, only to send new items to an active playlist.) When JStation connects, the indicator switches to green. The number indicates the number of connected JStations. 6. Journalist Station For more information on enabling JStation for Maestro, see JStation on page Setting Up JStation

99 The Journalist Station Main Screen JStation software provides a simple interface for newsroom operators to add their items to playlists on the main controller. JStation requires an additional PC for installation, as well as a HASP and JStation license. After installation, you can launch JStation from the desktop shortcut, or from Start > Programs > Orad > Journalist Station. Main JStation Window Each area in the GUI is used for the following: The Asset browser showing the workspaces available to the JStation operator, where you can add items (this list is updated when new playlists are created) and the selected folder content display. Pages added to the playlist will be listed in this window. Their order is unrelated to the place of items in the playlist. Display of all pages stored in the Maestro database (Browser). You can select pages from here, and provide new data prior to adding to the playlist. Custom data (metadata) for use and identification in Maestro. Preview window for previewing pages. 6. Journalist Station The Journalist Station Main Screen 99

100 Working in JStation After starting JStation, the status light in the bottom right hand corner is green when connected to the JServer. The folders listed in the browser can be selected; the contents of the folder will be displayed. 6. Journalist Station Operators can select pages from the right browser window, which can be modified and added to the currently selected playlist. To create a new item in a playlist: 1. Select the page in the browser (or in the Asset browser). 2. Enter data to the input boxes. 3. Add additional information to the page tags. 4. Click Save to add the page to the playlist. You can also preview a page using the Play button (5) in the local preview, to check playback. The Custom data is also displayed in the custom data columns in Maestro. When the page is saved, it is appended to the end of playlist. Existing items are not affected. The item is also added to the currently selected playlist in the JStation. If the Maestro Controller operator has the same playlist open, they will see the item added to the end of the playlist. 100 Working in JStation

101 Setting JStation Preferences The Customize > Settings menu allows access to various settings that can be personalized as required. Hosts 6. Journalist Station In the Hosts settings, set the name of the Maestro station to which JStation connects. You can add additional hosts by clicking Add, and setting the host name and port. Setting JStation Preferences 101

102 PGM & PVW 6. Journalist Station Local Aspect Single Vslot Preview Single Image Preview Select this to display a local preview window in the JStation Main window. Select the aspect ratio of the Preview window. When this check box is selected, only a single scene can be displayed in the preview, regardless of different Vslots defined for each scene. Dynamic blending is disabled. When this check box is selected, only a given frame of the animation is shown. This frame is defined in PageEditor for each page, by placing taking a snapshot or by setting the Background image path property (see page page 25). 102 Setting JStation Preferences

103 Log 6. Journalist Station Log file path Remove older than Remove when larger than Set the location of the log file. Send log files older than the limit defined here to the recycle bin. Send log files larger than the limit defined here to the recycle bin. Setting JStation Preferences 103

104 Miscellaneous 6. Journalist Station Custom data Check user profile Spell check Set metadata fields here, to be used in Maestro for asset sorting and searching. You can add as many fields as required. When selected, the system verifies that you have user rights for changing the JStation preferences against your user name. This only applicable for users working via an asset management system. IMPORTANT If you select this check box and do not use an asset management system, you will not be able to access the settings again. Define the dictionary language and path to use when running the spell-checker. 104 Setting JStation Preferences

105 7. NLE Plug-in The Maestro plug-in for non-linear editing requires a separate license. The plug-in works with Avid Media Composer and Apple Final Cut to allow adding Maestro graphics to video.

106 NLE Server In order to run the plug-ins, the NLE server must be running. To start the NLE Server: Double click the Maestro NLE shortcut on the desktop. The server functions as a browser only, for viewing the pages available from Maestro. In order to set the proper connection to allow you to connect to the server from Media Composer or Final Cut, you must set the connections in the Server. To set connection preferences: Right-click one of the empty spaces in the menu bar, and click Preferences. The Preferences dialog box opens. 7. NLE Plug-in 106 NLE Server

107 NLE Server Preferences Login 7. NLE Plug-in Login & Password Server name Database name Use DSN connection Server type The user name and password for logging in to the required Maestro database. The name of the computer where the Maestro database is stored. The name of the Maestro database. Select to use a DSN Connection, and specify the connection name (this must be defined in the ODBC data source administrator). Choose the type of Server on which the asset database is stored. NLE Server Preferences 107

108 Authentication Choose the type of storage security to log in with; Windows or SQL. If you choose Windows authentication, no password is required, and the Windows logon name is used. Log 7. NLE Plug-in Log file path Remove older than Remove when larger than Set the location of the log file. Send log files older than the limit defined here to the recycle bin. Send log files larger than the limit defined here to the recycle bin. 108 NLE Server Preferences

109 NLE Renderer 7. NLE Plug-in Local RenderEngine Initialize on application start Remote RenderEngine Aspect Select this check box to set if to display a local preview window. If this is selected, you must specify the path of the Render engine application and the work directory. Select this check box to start RE when you start the NLE Server. Select this check box to use a remote HDVG as a PVW device, and specify the host name. Set the aspect ratio of the Preview window. NLE Server Preferences 109

110 Miscellaneous 7. NLE Plug-in Spell check Remember last folder Data path mapper Define the dictionary language and path to use when running the spell-checker. Select to remember the last folder opened in the browser, or clear to return to the root each time the browser is opened. Set the path where the required graphics are stored. 110 NLE Server Preferences

111 NLE 7. NLE Plug-in Communication Port Response timeout It is recommended to leave the default. This parameter defines the communication port between the NLE Server and Maestro. (Default = 2310) Set the duration before the system time out. NLE Server Preferences 111