User Guide. Automation Interface /6/

Transcription

1 Automation Interface /6/

2 8.0.3 Publication Information 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. Imagine Communications considers this document and its contents to be proprietary and confidential. Except for making a reasonable number of copies for your own internal use, you may not reproduce this publication, or any part thereof, in any form, by any method, for any purpose, or in any language other than English without the written consent of Imagine Communications. All others uses are illegal. This publication is designed to assist in the use of the product as it exists on the date of publication of this manual, and may not reflect the product at the current time or an unknown time in the future. This publication does not in any way warrant description accuracy or guarantee the use for the product to which it refers. Imagine Communications reserves the right, without notice to make such changes in equipment, design, specifications, components, or documentation as progress may warrant to improve the performance of the product. Trademarks Nexio, Nexio Connectus, Nexio G-Scribe, and Nexio TitleOne AE are trademarks or trade names of Imagine Communications or its subsidiaries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective companies. Contact Information Imagine Communications has office locations around the world. For domestic and international location and contact information, visit our Contact page ( Support Contact Information For domestic and international support contact information see: Support Contacts ( ecustomer Portal ( Academy Training ( Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 2

3 Contents Contents Automation Interface Overview... 7 How Automation Interface Works... 7 Output... 7 MOS Option... 8 Connectus Integration... 8 News Feed Simulator... 9 Use a Nexio CG with Automation Interface Folder/File Structure Tagged Data Fields Graphic Resources Using CII with Automation Interface CII / Nexio Terminology How CII Works RGB Fonts Installation Before You Start System Requirements Hardware Requirements Determine Connection Settings Determine Machine ID Uninstall Content Receiver Application Install Automation Interface Connect Dongle Install the Nexio CG Begin Installation Advanced Dual Channel Functionality Install a Second Automation Interface Create Shortcuts Set Preferences for Both Copies of Automation Interface Advanced Channel Assignment Set the Baud Rate Configure Firewall Settings Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 3

4 Contents Add Automation Interface Software to Exceptions List News Feed Simulator Connect to News Vendor Serial Port Connection TCP/IP Connection Initiate Communication Automation Interface Output Automation Interface Output Render Directly to Framebuffer Check Output Set Up VGA Preview Render to Strata Set Up Your CG Configure Nexio CG Software Set Layout Size Set Automation Interface Preferences General Settings Framebuffer Settings CII Settings Resource Settings Effects Settings Player Server Prepare CG Templates Identify News Vendor Data Create CG Layouts with Tagged Data Fields Create CG Templates CG Basics Create Text Objects Text Object Formatting Text Object Properties Add Tags to Your Templates Add Tags Delete a Tag Manage CG Templates Change a CG Template Name Assign.scribelist Files to Output Channels Move Templates Between Systems Work with SD and HD Files Conversion Considerations Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 4

5 Contents SD to HD Conversion Conversion Limitations Use Automation Interface Prepare Your CG Templates Fill and Render Your CG Templates Fill and Render CG Templates Use Templates with Automation Interface Unicode Support Image Replacement Change Styles Last Rendered File Framebuffer not Required to Render View Commands Hands Off Operation Global Transition Settings News Feed Simulator Install News Feed Simulator Connect News Feed Simulator to the Automation Interface System Serial Port TCP/IP Port Local Receiver Network Receiver Test CG Templates Test a Previously Created Nexio CG Template Test Your Own Nexio Template Test Communication Connect to Automation Interface Send Commands Using the Test Interface Create a Log of Commands Received Test with Scripts Connect to Automation Interface Send Scripts Manage Scripts Troubleshoot Automation Interface Program Problems Automation Interface Won t Open No Layout Names in Nexio CG Playlist Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 5

6 Contents Communication Problems Not Receiving Commands Layout Problems Layouts Don t Appear on Monitor Layouts Don t Include New Data Layouts Don t Look Right Layouts with Updated Image Tags Show Old Images Inscribe.ini File Machine ID Com Port Resolution Data Transfer Rate Generating Log Files/Debug Messages Job Folder HyperTerminal Test Set Up HyperTerminal HyperTerminal Preferences Create a Log File Set Up Automation Interface For Test Send Commands Reference List of CII Commands Supported CII Commands Unsupported CII Commands Inscriber II Commands Inscriber II Commands Infinit Keyboard Commands Index Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 6

7 Automation Interface Overview Automation Interface Overview Automation Interface fills Nexio CG templates with live data from News Vendors, renders the resulting layouts, and sends them directly to video. Automation Interface follows the Chyron Intelligent Interface (CII) message protocol, a broadcast industry standard protocol for passing data and display commands to character generators. How Automation Interface Works 1. News Vendor sends data to Automation Interface, using CII commands. 2. Automation Interface opens the Nexio CG templates called by the commands. 3. Automation Interface pulls graphic resources from the network or local machine. 4. Automation Interface extracts data from the CII commands. The data is inserted into the tagged data fields of the Nexio templates. 5. Automation Interface either saves the resulting layouts as editable files or renders the layouts and sends them directly to video output. Output You can output layouts directly from Automation Interface. Using the Strata Configuration utility, Automation Interface can be configured to control multiple CG layers from a single system Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 7

8 Automation Interface Overview See Automation Interface Output (on page 25) for more information about the output options for Automation Interface. MOS Option Imagine Communications provides MOS plug-in options for Dalet, inews, ENPS, and OCTOPUS newsroom control systems. These plug-ins integrate with Automation Interface through a MOS Gateway system, allowing instant access to Nexio CG templates in the newsroom. If you are using the MOS option, see the documentation included with the MOS option software for more information. Connectus Integration Automation Interface can be integrated with Nexio Connectus software to receive CG templates and media files automatically through a network. To configure Automation Interface to automatically receive templates and media files from Connectus, see Player Server (on page 36). Consult the Connectus for more information about using Connectus Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 8

9 Automation Interface Overview News Feed Simulator Automation Interface installs a News Feed Simulator application which contains a variety of pre-created test templates. Use News Feed Simulator to test com port functionality, tag filling, rendering, and framebuffer display. News Feed Simulator comes with a test interface to check the communication setup, and a set of Nexio templates with tagged data fields. See News Feed Simulator (on page 59) Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 9

10 Automation Interface Overview Use a Nexio CG with Automation Interface Automation Interface does not create templates or layouts. Templates must be created in an Nexio CG program like Nexio G-Scribe or Nexio TitleOne, and Automation Interface requires templates that are created with specific file structures and tag properties. Follow these instructions to create CG templates that Automation Interface can properly open, fill and render. Note: To avoid confusion, all tagged CG files are referred to as templates in this document, whether they come from.scribe or.scribelist files. After Automation Interface fills the templates with data they are referred to as layouts. Folder/File Structure To create CG templates that are compatible with Automation Interface, you must use a specific CG layout folder and file structure that conforms to the CII protocol. You must create and name folders that correspond exactly to folders called by the CII protocol. We recommend users new to Nexio products use the CII-style names. We also recommend that users new to Nexio products export their Nexio templates as.scribe files instead of.scribelist files, and group them in one folder per job. If you use.scribelist files with Automation Interface each folder can contain only one.scribelist file, and the.scribelist files can have any name (eg. weather.scribelist).scribelist files contain a collection of CG templates, as opposed to.scribe files which contain single CG templates. The CII "save" command usually saves the resulting data-filled layouts in the same folder as the source files. When Automation Interface receives the "save" command it saves the rendered layout in a sub-folder called Output. You can change this output folder in the Automation Interface Preferences dialog (see Optional Startup Defaults (on page 34)). Tagged Data Fields Automation Interface uses tagged data fields to insert data into CG templates. You must configure the Nexio CG program to use tagged data fields (RTX tags). See Configure Nexio CG Software (on page 27). Your Nexio CG templates must contain tagged data fields. See Add Tags to Your Templates (on page 47). You must make sure the tagged data fields occur in the order expected by the News Vendor Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 10

11 Automation Interface Overview Graphic Resources Nexio CG templates and layouts contain references to where various graphic resources (fonts, images, etc.) are stored. These graphic resources must be available on the machine that runs the CG program in order to re-create your templates and layouts. Consider the accessibility of graphic resources when planning and implementing an Automation Interface system, especially if you want a CG operator to access and edit the layouts from a remote machine. If a CG operator requires the ability to edit the templates or rendered layouts, the CG operator s machine must have the same graphic resources as the Automation Interface machine. If any of the graphic resources are not available, the CG operator cannot recreate the editable layout on their machine, nor can they preview or edit them Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 11

12 Automation Interface Overview Using CII with Automation Interface Automation Interface follows the Intelligent Interface message protocol supported by the Chyron infinit! series. This protocol is referred to as CII in this documentation. Some of the information in this section is from the Chyron Intelligent Interface Option Handbook, Pub. No. 2A01989 February, 1999, Revision C CHYRON Corporation. CII / Nexio Terminology CII and Nexio use different terms for similar concepts. CII and Nexio Terms CII Terms Full page message Tab message Tab data Message directory (all files for one production, for example) Nexio Terms Layout or template Template with tagged data fields Tagged data field.scribelist file (holds descriptions of elements of one or many layouts) How CII Works The CII system uses a folder structure with one single CII message in each folder. The message uses font resources from an associated machine font directory. CII commands are text strings that contain the required data and a command for a specific Nexio template. Automation Interface interprets the command, retrieves the required template, extracts the data from the command, and inserts the data into the template s tagged data fields. The CII protocol uses a command syntax based on this folder structure. Each CII command calls for the required template by including a specific folder in the command text string. For instance, the "M" command followed by a folder name changes the current folder. All subsequent commands only affect templates in this folder. The "W" command opens a specific template, fills the template s tags, and saves the rendered layout in an output directory. The "A" command takes a rendered layout to air. A typical CII command set looks like this: M\c/news\\ W\2000\1000\Ralph Phelpps\Waterloo\Crime Reporter\\ T\7\2000\A\\ 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 12

13 Automation Interface Overview The first command sets the current directory to c:\news. The second command opens the standard news template (#1000) and fills the tags. Tag#1 receives the reporter s name (Ralph Phelpps), tag #2 receives the location (Waterloo), and tag #3 receives the reporter s title (Crime Reporter). The layout (with the tags filled) is saved in the output directory as layout #2000. The third command takes the generated layout (#2000) to air on Channel A. CII commands call templates by a number up to 8 digits long. The templates are typically numbered sequentially, and the sequence corresponds to a predefined subject (news, sports, weather, etc.) Your administrator can customize the News Vendor System to alias the 4 digit ID numbers to descriptive text names to easily identify individual templates in the run-down. Automation Interface supports text names for the templates in place of the numbers in the CII commands. For more information on CII Commands, see List of CII Commands (on page 73). RGB Fonts On a Chyron CG system, the keystrokes of particular fonts can be mapped to specific images or logos known as RGB fonts. Automation Interface does not currently support the use of RGB fonts Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 13

14 Installation Installation Before You Start System Requirements You must have Windows Administrator privileges to install Automation Interface. Hardware Requirements If you are sending commands through a serial port, the computer running the Nexio CG software with Automation Interface connects to the News Vendor machine using a Windows Standard RS232 null-modem cable. If you are running the News Feed Simulator application, the RS232 null-modem cable connects to the machine running the simulator s data-sending software. Make sure you have this cable available before you start the installation. Unix null-modem cables use different pinning than Windows Standard null-modem cables. You need to change Unix null-modem cables to Windows Standard null-modem cables. Determine Connection Settings When you install Automation Interface you need to know how Automation Interface will communicate with News Vendors or the News Feed Simulator. Automation Interface can communicate through the network, a serial cable, or a com port Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 14

15 Installation Determine Machine ID Your system administrator might configure the News Vendor systems to look for files and save files on specific machines. To help differentiate between different Automation Interface machines, each machine must be given a machine ID. You must specify the machine ID code during installation. Most machines use "1" as their ID. Contact your administrator if you are uncertain about how to proceed. When you need to send CII commands to specific machines, use a lower case letter for the first letter in the CII command, and use the machine code as the first modifier in the command string. The machine code must match an Automation Interface machine on your network. Uninstall Content Receiver Application Automation Interface automatically installs an integrated version of the Content Receiver application, which can be set up using the Player Servers tab in the Automation Interface Preferences window. If you are upgrading your version of Automation Interface and you have previously installed the Content Receiver application on your system, be sure to uninstall Content Receiver before installing Automation Interface. Your old Content Receiver settings will be maintained within Automation Interface. To learn how to access the integrated version of Content Receiver within Automation Interface, see Player Server (on page 36) Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 15

16 Installation Install Automation Interface Follow these instructions to install Automation Interface and News Feed Simulator. Connect Dongle You must attach a special interlock device (dongle) to the USB port of the computer running Automation Interface. The dongle you attach depends on how you received Automation Interface. If you received Automation Interface with Nexio G-Scribe or TitleOne, you must attach your G-Scribe or TitleOne dongle to the computer running Automation Interface. If you purchased Automation Interface as a stand-alone product, you must attach your Automation Interface dongle to the computer running Automation Interface. News Feed Simulator does not require a dongle. Install the Nexio CG If you plan to send rendered layouts directly to a G-Scribe Strata utility, the CG must be installed before you install Automation Interface. Follow the instructions in the CG s to install the CG, then continue installing Automation Interface. Begin Installation Run the Automation Interface install program on the CD ROM and follow the instructions in the install dialogs. Select Configuration You can choose to render layouts to disk or to send them to output. If you are outputting rendered layouts select the System Equipped with Output Channels option, click the Next button, and choose your output hardware in the following dialog. Hardware Settings If your system is equipped with output channels and you have not already installed a Nexio CG, select your output hardware, preview device, and audio settings. For information about setting up VGA preview, see the Hardware Manual that came with your system Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 16

17 Installation Video and GPI Settings During the install, select the video standard you wish to use. If you are triggering Automation Interface with a GPI trigger, choose the COM port the trigger is attached to. Renderer Settings Set the renderer settings for Automation Interface. Select whether you are communicating to the News Vendor through a network, a serial cable, or a com port. If you have more than one Automation Interface installed on your system, set the renderer names so that each instance can be sent its own commands. Enter your system s Machine ID in the Renderer Code field. See Determine Machine ID (on page 15) for more information about this setting. News Feed Simulator If you want to communicate with the News Feed Simulator application through an external com port, select the port you will use Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 17

18 Installation Advanced Dual Channel Functionality You can have up to two different automation systems control a single Nexio system by setting up two Automation Interface applications on one computer, and having each application use one program channel. You need to install a second copy of Automation Interface on your system to set up Automation Interface to act as two channels. Each copy operates as a unique channel. Use these instructions to install and set up a second installation of Automation Interface and then set up dual channel functionality. Install a Second Automation Interface Run the Automation Interface install program again and follow the instructions in the install dialogs, with the following changes. 1. In the Renderer Settings dialog, change the Renderer Name to Channel2, and change the Renderer Code to Change the install location to something like C:\Automation Interface2 so the second copy of Automation Interface does not overwrite the first copy. 3. Do not add shortcuts to the Start Menu. 4. Do not add shortcuts to the desktop. 5. When prompted to restart the computer, choose Cancel. Create Shortcuts Manually create Start Menu and desktop shortcuts for the second Automation Interface installation. Set Preferences for Both Copies of Automation Interface Open the first copy of Automation Interface and configure it as follows: 1. Click the Preferences button to open the Preferences dialog. 2. Switch to the General tab. 3. In the Receive Commands From section of the dialog, select the Dispatcher radio button Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 18

19 Installation 4. In the Name field, enter the name of the com port you will be using for communication. For example, COM2. 5. In the Machine field, enter the local computer name listed in the titlebar of the Preferences dialog. 6. Switch to the CII Settings tab and confirm or change the settings. See Set Automation Interface Preferences (on page 29) for more information about the options in the Preferences tabs. 7. Switch to the Resources tab and confirm or change the settings. 8. Close the first Automation Interface copy. 9. Open the second copy of Automation Interface and configure it in exactly the same way, following steps 1-8 above. Advanced Channel Assignment Select Start > Programs > Harris > [CG Product] > Configuration Utilities, and open the Strata Configuration Utility. Use the Strata Configuration to assign specific layers to your Automation renderer. Set the Baud Rate Open the inscribe.ini file in the folder where Automation Interface s common files are located. By default this is C:\Program Files\Harris\Automation Interface Common Files. Add the following lines to the inscribe.ini file: [COM2] Baud= Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 19

20 Installation The baud rate for the serial port communication is currently being used by most automation systems Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 20

21 Installation Configure Firewall Settings Use these instructions to configure firewall settings for Automation Interface installed on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) system. If you have multiple instances of Automation Interface installed on your system you will require a firewall exception for each application. Add Automation Interface Software to Exceptions List For correct operation of Automation Interface on a Windows XP SP2 system, you have to set up Firewall Exceptions to the Automation Interface program services and the ports it communicates on. 1. Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > Security Center. The Security Center dialog opens. 2. Double-click on the Windows Firewall link. 3. In the Windows Firewall dialog, switch to the Exceptions tab. All of the firewall exceptions for your system are listed in the dialog Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 21

22 Installation 4. Click the Add Program button. The Add a Program dialog opens, showing you all the programs installed on your system. 5. Click the Browse button and navigate to the folder where Automation Interface is installed. 6. Click on AutoCG.exe, then click Open to add the Automation Interface software to the exceptions list. 7. Next, click the Browse button and navigate to the folder where Automation Interface s common files are located. By default this is C:\Program Files\Harris\Inscriber Automation Interface Common Files. Select AutoCG_S and click OK to add the AutoCG_S service software to the exceptions list. The Exceptions list shows a checkmark beside the Automation Interface and the AutoCG_S service software. News Feed Simulator For testing or demonstration purposes, or for communication through TCP/IP, you can install the News Feed Simulator on a remote machine. News Feed Simulator simulates a News Vendor. It sends CII commands to Automation Interface and also contains pre-made Nexio demo templates. See News Feed Simulator (on page 59) for more information Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 22

23 Installation Connect to News Vendor You can connect Automation Interface to a news vendor through a serial port or TCP/IP connection. Serial Port Connection Connect an RS232 null-modem cable between the Automation Interface machine and the News Vendor system (or the machine running the News Feed Simulator application, if applicable). Verify News Vendor Settings The News Automation Service Provider must have the correct settings to connect with Automation Interface. Use the General tab in the Preferences dialog to configure the Automation Interface serial port settings. See General Settings (on page 29) for more information. TCP/IP Connection The Automation Interface system must be able to connect to the news vendor system through a network. Use the General tab in the Preferences dialog to configure the Automation Interface TCP/IP port settings. See General Settings (on page 29) for more information. There are many third party applications capable of sending scripts via TCP/IP. You can also use the News Feed Simulator application to send scripts. See News Feed Simulator (on page 59). Initiate Communication If you are running the News Feed Simulator to simulate News Vendor data you need to open Automation Interface on the other machine Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 23

24 Installation If you are connecting to a News Vendor system, select a run-down from it and call for a template Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 24

25 Automation Interface Output Automation Interface Output Render Directly to Framebuffer If you are using Automation Interface to render layouts directly to output, follow these steps to configure your output. If you chose the System Equipped with Output Channels option during the Automation Interface install, the drivers for your selected output hardware will already be installed on your system. Automation Interface automatically sends layouts to the framebuffer. Check Output Follow these steps to ensure that Automation Interface is working with your output hardware. 1. Open Automation Interface. 2. Click the Test Page button. Automation Interface sends a test image to the framebuffer. If the test page displays correctly, Automation Interface is working properly with your video hardware. 3. Click on the Clear Screen button to clear the test screen. Set Up VGA Preview To use VGA preview, you must select the VGA Preview option during the Automation Interface installation. If the VGA Preview was not selected, you can uninstall and then reinstall the software with the option selected. See the Hardware Manual supplied with your system to learn how to set up VGA preview Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 25

26 Automation Interface Output Render to Strata When you install G-Scribe, the Strata utility is automatically installed. Automation Interface can send output to Strata layers by configuring the layers using the Strata Configuration utility. Strata is a utility that controls the output and display of Nexio applications. Using Strata you can easily assign output from G-Scribe, G-Store, Automation Interface, or Overly applications to layers on one or two channels. Strata automatically detects your Strata-enabled applications and the number of framebuffers on your system. See the Strata section of your Nexio CG s for information about configuring Strata to work with Automation Interface. Check Output After you have configured Strata to work with Automation Interface, follow these steps to ensure that Automation Interface is working with the Strata utility. 1. Open Automation Interface. You will see the number of Strata layers that have been configured. 2. Enter a Strata layer in the FB field. 3. Click the Test Page button. Automation Interface sends a test image to Strata. If the test page displays correctly in Strata, Automation Interface is working properly. 4. Click on the Clear Screen button to clear the test screen. See Test Page (on page 31) to set your own test page in Automation Interface Preferences Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 26

27 Automation Interface Output Set Up Your CG Before you can work with Automation Interface, you need to enable your Nexio CG (G-Scribe or TitleOne) to create appropriately-named templates with tagged data fields which your News Vendor can fill with information. Configure Nexio CG Software Automation Interface searches for tagged data fields in your template and replaces them with the data from your news service. You must configure the Nexio CG software to show tags before you can create templates for Automation Interface. Show Tags Use the Display Options menu to show or hide the tag labels in a layout. 1. Click the Display Options button on the CG toolbar. The Display Options menu appears. 2. Select the News Tags option to show tag labels. 3. Clear the News Tags option to hide tag labels. Show Filenames in Playlist Nexio CG organizes your individual CG templates into ordered playlists. In each playlist Nexio CG can show either the event number of a template or the template s rendered filename. CII users might want to see the rendered filename in the playlist, and possibly change the name to use the CII naming protocol. 1. To show filenames in your playlists, choose File > Preferences in your Nexio CG. The Preferences dialog opens. 2. Switch to the Project tab. 3. Check the Show Filename in Job Strip checkbox to show the filenames. Click in the checkbox again if you want to have the template s event number appear in the playlist instead. 4. Click OK to finish. CII users might want to change the names of their templates to correspond to a four digit naming convention, which allows for easy keyboarding and shot box operations. See Manage CG Templates (on page 48) for details Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 27

28 Automation Interface Output Set Layout Size If your templates were created in a different resolution than the resolution you will be using for output, you can set how rendered layouts will be scaled in Automation Interface. For example, your CG operator may create templates for High Definition (HD) output but need to output the rendered layouts in Standard Definition (SD). 1. Open the inscribe.ini file in the folder where Automation Interface is installed. The default folder is C:\Automation Interface. 2. Look in the [Configuration] section of the file. You will see three different types of scaling: ScaleLetterbox, ScaleCrop, and ScaleSizeToFit. If you don t see these scaling types in the inscribe.ini file, enter them yourself as described in step 3. ScaleLetterbox: Scales the layout to fit to the new screen resolution without any change in aspect ratio. The entire layout will appear onscreen. This option is recommended if you are converting layouts from SD to HD. ScaleCrop: Scales the layout to fill the output screen resolution without any change in aspect ratio. The layout will be centered on screen with the outside edges cropped. This option is recommended if you are converting layouts from HD to SD. ScaleSizeToFit: Adjusts the aspect ratio of the layout to fit the new screen resolution. The layout will fill the entire screen without any cropping, and may be distorted vertically or horizontally. 3. Set the type of scaling you require to 1, and set the others to zero. The default scaling type is letterbox. For example, if you would like your layout to be scaled without a change in the aspect ratio, centered and cropped, you would change or enter the following configuration settings. [Configuration] ScaleLetterbox=0 ScaleCrop=1 ScaleSizeToFit= Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 28

29 Automation Interface Output Set Automation Interface Preferences Use the Preference dialogs to make changes to the behavior of Automation Interface or adjust the way CII and Nexio commands are used. Your preferences are remembered when you close Automation Interface. To open the Preferences dialog click the Preferences button on the main Automation Interface window. General Settings The General tab allows you to customize Automation Interface to suit your system. The General tab appears when you first open the Preferences dialog. Renderer You must name your Automation Interface during the initial install, but you can rename it at any time in Preferences. If you have more than one Automation Interface application installed on your system you may want to change the renderer name so that each instance can be sent its own commands Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 29

30 Automation Interface Output Receive Commands From Select the Serial Port option if your News Vendor connects directly to Automation Interface through a serial port. Use the fields in the Serial Port section of the dialog to configure serial port communication. Select the TCP/IP option if your News Vendor connects to Automation Interface through a network. Use the Port field to set the communication port. Select the Dispatcher option if your News Vendor connects to Automation Interface through a dispatcher. This option is useful if you have more than one Automation Interface installed on your system (or if you have multiple instances of Automation Interface on different computers) and you want to connect them to your News Vendor through a single serial port. Select the Custom Application option if you have created a custom application to simulate a News Vendor. For example, select Custom Application if you are connecting to your News Vendor using the MOS option. If you select either the Serial Port or Dispatcher option you can still use any custom created application. If you select the Custom Application option you cannot use other automation sources. Framebuffer Settings Set the preferences for your output channels. You can have more than one output channel but your resolution and keying settings remain the same for all of them Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 30

31 Automation Interface Output General Settings Automation Interface automatically receives General Settings from the output device, so you cannot use Automation Interface s preferences to set Resolution, Keying Type or Video Format. If you need to change any of the general settings use the configuration utility for your framebuffer hardware. Framebuffers If your Automation Interface system contains output hardware and you would like to send rendered layouts to Strata or directly to the hardware, check the Use Frame Buffers checkbox. Test Page You can choose any 32 bit image file to use as a test page. When you click the Test Page button on the main Automation Interface screen, this page appears in your Last Rendered window and is sent to your hardware or your Automation Interface Strata layer. Edit Framebuffers.ips This option is no longer applicable in Automation Interface version 2.0 and later. XFER Channels Assign your XFER channels, setting one to be the program channel and one to be the preview channel. If you don t want to set a preview channel you can set the program channel and allow Automation Interface to buffer your output without using a preview channel. To set a program channel and a preview channel, enter "[program channel #], [preview channel #]" in the XFER field. For example, enter 1, 2 to set channel 1 as the program channel and channel 2 as the preview channel. To set a program channel and use no preview channel, enter "[program channel #], 0" in the XFER field. For example, enter 1, 0 to set channel 1 as the program channel and to use no preview channel. Automation Interface will buffer the preview layout but won t send it to output until it is taken to air Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 31

32 Automation Interface Output CII Settings Use this tab to configure how Automation Interface deals with CII commands. Reply A checksum reply verifies the integrity of the communication between Automation Interface and the News Vendor. Check Add Checksum to add a checksum to each set of commands. Select an Error radio button to choose the number of digits that are used for error codes. Error codes follow the existing CII protocol. Tags When the Use Space To Skip Tag checkbox is checked Automation Interface does not fill tags when CII commands contain spaces. For example, when Automation Interface receives the following CII command: W\1000\1001\data1\ \data3\\ it does not fill the second data tag. If you don t check the checkbox the same command fills the second tag with a space. Enter the tag ID number Automation Interface uses as your first tag. CII protocol sends data to a tag using the Tag ID in the CII command. Tag IDs can be set directly in the template. You can begin tag IDs at 0. Select a radio button to choose a method for identifying your tags to the News Vendor. We recommend you select the Use TagID As Tag Name option. Tags labeled with numbers in your CG template will be referenced with those numbers in all CII commands. If you select the Use Creation Order option, CII commands will reference the tags in your CG template in the order the tags were created. To use this method you will need to know the order in 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 32

33 Automation Interface Output which tags were added to the template. You cannot find that information if the person who created the template is unavailable. Special Codes If your News Vendor uses special CII codes for starting and stopping commands, enter the codes in these fields. Use Custom Receive-Send You can create custom send and receive codes by checking the checkbox and entering your own codes. Resource Settings The Resources tab sets preferences for resources that Automation Interface requires for rendering templates. It also sets the location and format of Automation Interface s output files. Resources The Use RGB Fonts checkbox is not supported in Automation Interface. Check the Auto Update Resource Path checkbox to automatically update changes to the resource file path. Automation Interface can record changes to a resource path only if your resources remain in the job folder. You must update the paths individually if your resource files move outside the job folder Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 33

34 Automation Interface Output Optional Startup Defaults The Default Startup Folder is where you plan to store your templates and/or layouts. You should create this folder on your media drive in case your system drive needs to be restored. If your templates have come from another system this folder also needs to contain all the graphic and font resources for your templates. When Automation Interface is part of a Connectus solution, all content sent to Automation Interface from Connectus is stored in the Default Startup Folder. On Chyron systems the CII "save" command usually saves the resulting rendered layouts in the same folder as the source files. Automation Interface modifies the instruction to save the rendered layout in a subfolder called Output. Change the Default Output Folder to store your rendered layouts in a different location. You can use a relative or absolute file path, but you must use an absolute path if you locate your folder in a shared directory on another machine. On Chyron CG systems the keystrokes of particular fonts can be mapped to specific images or logos known as RGB fonts. The RGB Fonts Folder field is not currently supported in Automation Interface. Nexio CG templates and layouts contain references to where various graphic resources (fonts, images, etc.) are stored. These graphic resources must be available on the machine that runs the CG program in order to re-create your layouts. If you wish to store your graphic resources in a specific location, set the Materials Folder to the folder where the resources are stored. Default Input Select the file format of the CG templates that Automation Interface imports and fills with News Vendor data. We recommend users new to Nexio CGs create their templates as.scribe files. You can store all your related.scribe files in one single job folder, making organization more like the CII protocol. More experienced users who are familiar with.scribelist files must remember that each job folder can contain only one.scribelist file. If you use the.scribelist file format, you must change the names of the events (.scribelist) to match the filenames called by the News Vendor. See Folder/File Structure (on page 10). Some versions of Nexio CG products include a ".ipacked" file format. The.ipacked format compiles and compresses into one file all of the graphic resources required to create a layout. Automation Interface does not currently support the.ipacked format. Note: All of the templates used with Automation Interface must be in the same format. Default Output Select the format of the layouts Automation Interface produces after filling the CG template tags with News Vendor data Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 34

35 Automation Interface Output The Output files are referred to as the rendered files. Rendered files are ready to go to air. Normally you will select the Automation Interface (XML) format. This format tells Automation Interface how to output your rendered files. You also have the choice of outputting.vii (.vir,.vic,.via),.tga, or.scribe files with Automation Interface. If you want an editable layout to be created instead of a rendered file you can select the.scribe option. Effects Settings The Effects tab allows you to set defaults for take and CG behavior. Roll/Crawl Defaults These options are not applicable in Automation Interface version 2.0 and later. Active Texture Defaults The Motion Frame Buffer setting is not applicable in Automation Interface version 2.0 and later. "Take" Defaults Effects usually end automatically, but Active Textures are continuous loops which never end on their own. If you have Active Textures in your layouts you should check the Stop Previous Effect checkbox. You can also stop effects with the clear screen button in Automation Interface. You must check the Stop Previous Effects checkbox to enable this feature Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 35

36 Automation Interface Output CG Defaults Automation Interface supports 32-bit video clips. Automation Interface ignores the embedded alpha channel in all.avi clips when the Ignore AVI Alpha checkbox is checked. In some cases Automation Interface is unable to determine the field dominance of video clips. When this happens, the video jitters during preview or playback. Check the Invert Video Field Order checkbox to invert the field dominance for all video clips played using Automation Interface. Player Server When you are using Automation Interface as part of a Connectus solution, the Player Server tab allows you to enable or disable Automation Interface s content retrieval options. There are two methods you can choose for retrieving content. Automation Interface can run a player server. Automation Interface can run an integrated version of the Content Receiver application. This is a much more flexible option which allows you greater control over how your incoming content is organized. We especially recommend Content Receiver use for MOS users. Set Up Automation Interface Player Server Select the Member radio button to enable Automation Interface s player server. If you wish to stop Automation Interface from behaving as a player select the Not a Member radio button. Click the Set Up Automation Interface Player button to configure your player settings with the Player Settings window. In the Player Identity section of the window, enter the name and physical location of the player, as well as a brief description. By default the description displays the login ID of the individual who installed the player. The player s name is used by Connectus to select the player when sending content. In the Server Name field, enter the name of the system that Connectus is installed on. Enter the port used to communicate with Connectus in the TCP/IP Port field Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 36

37 Automation Interface Output Player systems can provide Connectus with information about the system s operator. Use the Name, , and Telephone fields to enter or update the operator s contact information. This information is displayed when player systems are selected within Connectus. Choose the type of account you will use to connect to the Connectus system s LAN servers. The Local System Account is a built-in default account on all Windows machines. It is designed to allow services to run, but it does not often have permission to access the network. You can usually run the Player service with the Local System Account when accessing the Connectus LAN file server, though it is recommended that you use an Administrator account for this service instead. To use the Local System Account, check the Local System Account checkbox. When using the Local System Account, check the Allow Service to Interact with Desktop to allow the Player Server to open windows on the desktop when necessary. This also allows the Player Server to place a monitor icon in the Windows task bar. If you are not using the Local System Account, uncheck the Local System Account checkbox and enter the account s username, password, and domain information. Do not enter a domain if you are using a workgroup. In the Player Server HTTP Account section of the window, enter the username and password that the Player Server will use when accessing the Connectus system s HTTP file servers. Click the OK button to return to the Preferences dialog. When Connectus sends content to Automation Interface, the content is stored in Automation Interface s default startup folder. You can change this folder with the Resources tab of the Preferences dialog. See Resource Settings (on page 33) for more information about configuring your resources Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 37

38 Automation Interface Output To learn how to manage content with Connectus and send content to Automation Interface, see your Connectus. Set Up Content Receiver Players To set up content receiver players on your system, check the Also Run Content Receiver Players checkbox and click the Setup Content Receiver Players button. The window displays all of the content receivers currently set up on the system. Each content receiver will appear as a separate player within Connectus. When content is sent to a content receiver within Connectus, Automation Interface downloads the content from the appropriate file server and stores it in the appropriate folder. 1. Set the username and password that the Automation Interface uses when it accesses the Connectus file servers over a LAN connection. The Local System Account is a built-in default account on all Windows machines. It is designed to allow services to run, but it does not often have permission to access the network. You can usually run Automation Interface with the Local System Account when accessing a Connectus LAN file server, though it is recommended that you use a Power User account for this service instead. To use the Local System Account, check the Local System Account checkbox. When using the Local System Account, check the Allow Service to Interact with Desktop to allow the Player Server to open windows on the desktop when necessary. If you are not using the Local System Account, uncheck the Local System Account checkbox and enter the account s username, password, and domain information. Do not enter a domain if you are using a workgroup Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 38

39 Automation Interface Output 2. Click the Add New button in the Receivers section of the window to add a new content receiver. The Content Receiver dialog opens. 3. Add information about the content receiver. a. Enter the name of the content receiver. This name appears in the player list within Connectus. b. Click the Choose button and navigate to the folder where the receiver stores all downloaded content. c. Add additional information about the content receiver. This information appears within Connectus when the content receiver is selected. 4. In the Server Name field, enter the name of the system that the Connectus system is installed on. 5. Enter the port used to communicate with Connectus in the TCP/IP Port field. 6. In the HTTP Account section of the window, enter the username and password that the Automation Interface will use when accessing the Connectus HTTP file servers. 7. Click OK. You are returned to the list of content receivers. To edit a content receiver s information or connection settings, select the receiver in the Receivers list and click the Edit button. If you need to remove a content receiver, select it in the list and click the Remove button. Note: If you need to set up many similar content receivers, select a content receiver in the list and click the Add Clone button. The Content Receiver dialog opens with all of the information from the selected content receiver. Change the required settings to create a new content receiver and click the OK button. You must update the Name and Folder fields before you can click OK Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 39

40 Prepare CG Templates Prepare CG Templates Before you create templates for Automation Interface you must be familiar with your News Vendor s data requirements. Identify News Vendor Data Contact your News Vendor to determine what data they provide and the folders, files, and tags the News Vendor requires to deliver the data properly. When you set up your account with a News Vendor, identify the information you want to receive and inform the News Vendor which templates receive data. If you add new templates you must inform your News Vendor of your new data requirements. For more information about organizing files and folders, see Folder/File Structure (on page 10). Create CG Layouts with Tagged Data Fields When you create new Nexio CG templates you must create tagged data fields as well. Depending on how you have configured your Automation Interface, you may need to know the order of the tags your News Vendor expects to find in each layout. If Automation Interface depends on the creation order of the tags we recommend you name your tagged data fields sequentially (1, 2, 3, 4, and so on). It does not matter where you assign field numbers, as long as the data fields in your layouts match the ordered tags being sent by the News Vendor. See Tags (on page 32) to change the way Automation Interface uses tag names. We recommend you double-check that the names of your tagged data fields agree with the expectations of your News Vendor Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 40

41 Prepare CG Templates Create CG Templates Use the CG module in your Nexio CG application (G-Scribe or TitleOne) to create the templates that you will use with Automation Interface. This section provides general information about creating templates that are compatible with Automation Interface. For more detailed information, see the that came with your CG application. CG Basics Within your Nexio CG, switch to the CG module using one of the following methods: Click the CG button in the Main toolbar. Select Tools > Character Gen. Press the F6 key. Interface Overview The CG workspace contains the tools for creating your CG layouts, as well as the tools for outputting your layouts and for transferring resources between layouts and between other modules. Workspace Area CG Toolbar Description The CG toolbar allows you to configure your layouts and your display. It also helps you navigate between the objects in the CG workspace Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 41

42 Prepare CG Templates Workspace Area CG Workspace Description Create your layout by adding and positioning text, graphic, logo, and clock objects in the CG workspace. You can also add a background to the layout. The workspace shows what your layout looks like as you work. Tools Palette CG Editor Toolbar Use the text, graphic, logo, and clock tools from the Tools palette to draw objects in the CG workspace. The Tools palette also contains the Pointer and Selection tools, which allow you to select and transform your objects. The CG Editor toolbar contains tools to help you position, transform, and layer the objects in the CG workspace. Attributes palette Library Palette The tabs in the Attributes palette help you change the attributes and appearance of your objects. To display the contents of a tab, click the tab name. Manage your objects, styles, and media with the Library palette. The Layout Tree View allows you to manipulate objects within a tree structure. The Style Library helps you maintain a consistent look for your layout objects, and the Media Library stores commonly-used images, clips, and clocks. The CG Workspace Create your layout within the CG workspace. The CG workspace displays the layout as it will appear on your output, with a grey checkerboard pattern representing the video transparent areas. Layouts are made up of layout objects which you customize and position within the CG workspace Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 42

43 Prepare CG Templates To automatically switch the application focus to the CG workspace, use the F6 shortcut key. The Tools Palette The Tools palette contains tools for creating text and graphic objects. Some of the buttons in the palette contain multiple tools. If the tool you are looking for is not visible in the Tools palette, hold the left mouse button on the visible tool. When the flyout menu appears, click the tool you want to use. Text and Graphic Tools Icon Name Icon Name Pointer Selection Text Field Text Constrained Field Round Rectangle Logo Vertical Text Field Vertical Text Constrained Field 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 43

44 Prepare CG Templates Icon Name Icon Name Paragraph Field Fixed-Width Paragraph Field Text Path Wedge Arc Oval Rectangle Vertical Paragraph Field Vertical Fixed-Width Paragraph Field Spline Polygon Clock Horizontal Guide Vertical Guide Round Corner Rectangle In most cases, create objects by selecting a tool and either clicking in the CG workspace or drawing boundaries for the object. Layout Types The layout type determines how your work displays on video. You can select one of four different layout types, depending on the type of template you are creating. To change the layout type, select a type from the Title Type drop-down list in the CG toolbar. Create Text Objects Use the appropriate text tool from the Tools palette to add a text object to a layout. Icon Tool Description Text Field Text Constrained Field For single lines of text. The field expands as text is entered. Pressing ENTER creates a new Text Field. For single lines of text. The field's width is constrained and the text gets smaller to fit the field. Pressing ENTER creates a new Text Constrained Field Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 44

45 Prepare CG Templates Icon Tool Description Paragraph Field Fixed-Width Paragraph Field Text Path Vertical Text For multiple lines of text. The field expands as text is entered. Pressing ENTER creates a new line within the field. For multiple lines of text. The field's width is constrained and the text gets smaller to fit the field. Pressing ENTER creates a new line within the field. For single lines of text on a complex path. For vertical text fields containing characters that are stacked on top of each other. To create a new text object in a layout: 1. Select the appropriate text tool from the Tools palette. 2. Use the tool to add a text object to the CG workspace. When using an unconstrained text tool (like the Text Field or Paragraph Field tool) click the CG workspace to create the text object. When using a constrained text tool (like the Text Constrained Field or Fixed-Width Paragraph Field) click and drag in the CG workspace to place the text object and define its length. The new text object is added to the layout. The object contains a blinking text cursor. Text Object Formatting Use the controls in the Attributes tab to change text options such as font style, rotation, text size, alignment, and spacing. You can also customize the way an object behaves when text is added to it. The Attributes tab contains a Paragraph tab and a Text Object Properties tab. Click either tab to display its options. Text Alignment Use the Attributes tab to change the alignment of your text. Note: The text within Text Field objects cannot be aligned because the text always fills the object. 1. Select a text object. 2. Switch to the Attributes tab of the Attributes palette Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 45

46 Prepare CG Templates 3. In the Paragraph section of the tab, click the Alignment buttons to change the way your text lines are aligned. Text Alignment Button Description Click the Align Left button to align your text to the left edge of the object. Click the Align Center button to center your text inside the object. Click the Align Right button to align your text to the right edge of the object. Text Object Properties Use the Text Object Properties options to customize your text object behavior. 1. Select a text object. 2. Switch to the Attributes tab in the CG Attributes toolbar and click the Text Objects Properties section. 3. Change the settings in the Text Object Properties section to customize the behavior of your selected text object. Lock the Object Height Select the Lock Object Height checkbox to prevent the text field s height from changing as more text is entered. When checked, new lines of text are added to the text field by shrinking the height of the existing text. You can also lock an object s height by right-clicking it and choosing Constrain > Lock Object Height. Lock the Object Width Select the Lock Object Width checkbox to prevent the text field s width from changing as more text is entered. When checked, additional controls set how the object behaves when text fills the text object: When the Constrain Text to Width control is checked the text in the field gets narrower to fit new text. Otherwise, any new text is placed outside the field and is not displayed unless the object is enlarged. The Enable Word Wrapping radio button appears when the text object s height is unlocked. When word wrapping is enabled your text is wrapped to a new line when you type beyond the edge of the field. You can also lock an object s width by right-clicking it and choosing Constrain > Lock Object s Width Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 46

47 Prepare CG Templates Add Tags to Your Templates Use your CG to add tags (also called RTX Tags) to the objects in your templates. Automation Interface fills these tags according to CII commands sent from the News Vendor. In order to add tags in your CG you need to enable it to show tags first. See Configure Nexio CG Software (on page 27) for more information. Add Tags Follow this procedure to add a tag to an object in your template. 1. Select a text or logo object in the CG layout. 2. Click the News Edit button in the CG Editor toolbar. News Edit opens. 3. In News Edit, enter a tag label in the Tags text box and then click Add. The tag is applied to the object. Note: If you are adding a tag to a logo or clip object, start the tag name with "image_". This makes it easier to update your images and video clips using MOS. 4. Select another text or logo object in the layout to add another tag. Do not use duplicate tag names in a single layout. Note: Name your tags as your News Vendor requires. Check that your Automation Interface preferences match your tag naming style. Delete a Tag If you need to delete a tag from an object: 1. In News Edit, select the tag name from the list of tags. 2. Click the Delete button. The tag is removed from the object Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 47

48 Prepare CG Templates Manage CG Templates Templates must be named according to the requirements of the News Vendor. This section describes how to rename templates and how to assign templates to specific output channels. Change a CG Template Name It is important that the CG template names correspond to the folders called by the News Vendor. Use Nexio CG to change your template names. 1. In your CG, select the template you want to use with Automation Interface. 2. Press CTRL+J, or choose Playlist > Change Render Filename. The Change Render Filename dialog opens. 3. Enter the new name in the New field. 4. Click on the OK button to change the name. Each.scribelist file contains many templates in the playlist. Each template can have its own name. Assign.scribelist Files to Output Channels Strata lets you output multiple CG layouts simultaneously through one physical output channel. Your layouts can be assigned to different layers or virtual channels. See Render to Strata (on page 26) for more information about setting up and using Strata. Using Strata, assign your.scribelist files to different layers in the CG. Note that if you are using a News Vendor to output your content, the News Vendor will send its own output channel assignments. 1. Open the Strata Wizard by selecting Start > Programs > Harris > Inscriber Strata Configuration Utility. Use the Strata Wizard to assign your Nexio applications to virtual output channels and assign virtual channels to layers on a specific output board. You can assign your Nexio CG application to more than one virtual channel. 2. Assign your layout to a channel in your CG. All layouts in a.scribelist file need to be assigned to the same channel. Switch to the Sequencer and select an event. Select a channel by clicking on a Program button on the Event Editor tab Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 48

49 Prepare CG Templates Move Templates Between Systems These instructions describe how to efficiently move templates from one system to another. Commonly, templates are created on one system but used on another system. If the resource files are not located, your templates can appear to be missing graphic resources, such as logos and video clips. Search Routine Nexio products automatically perform the following search routine to look for resources. 1. Search for the resources in the location specified in the template. 2. Search for the resources in the project path (location of the.scribelist or.scribe file). 3. In G-Scribe or TitleOne, search for the resources in the samples folder in the directory where the product is installed. This location cannot be changed. In Automation Interface, search for the resources in the Materials folder. The Materials folder is specified on the Resources tab of the Automation Interface Preferences. 4. Search for the resources in the Project Folder and its subfolders as set on the Project tab in the Preferences dialog (File > Preferences). Move Projects If you need to move projects between a CG system and a separate Automation Interface system you have several options. 1. Use a drive on a central server for logos and video clips. You should not put.avi and.via files on the network because of bandwidth limitations. The share on the server must be for the entire drive. The name of the share on the server must be a single letter matching the name of the drive on the server. To link to the server, you can make a drive mapping to the network drive and call it Z (for example) on each system. You can create your layouts on the CG system, and find them on the Automation Interface system. 2. Copy the.scribe file and all the resource files, and paste them all into the same folder (project path) on the Automation Interface system. 3. Copy the.scribe file and paste it into a folder (project path) on the Automation Interface system. Copy all the resource files and paste them into the Materials folder on the Automation Interface system Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 49

50 Prepare CG Templates Work with SD and HD Files Automation Interface and Nexio CG can output both Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) video formats. For single channel systems you can operate in one mode at a time, either SD or HD. For dual channel systems you can operate both channels in the same mode. You can also use the HD/SD Down Conversion option in the System Manager to output one channel in SD and output the other channel in HD (Start > All Programs > Harris > System Manager > System Manager). Since SD and HD templates have different formatting, SD templates cannot be used when working in an HD program output, and vice versa. In order to use SD templates in an HD program, the SD template must be converted to match the HD format prior to creating the program output. The same is true if you want to use HD templates in an SD program output. Conversion Considerations Native Resolution and Frame Rate are two important criteria to consider when converting between SD and HD formats. Native Resolution refers to the resolution at which a TV or monitor is designed to display images. Image signals higher or lower than a specified native resolution must be converted to be displayed accurately. For example, the native resolution of an SD image is 720x480 and must be upconverted to display on an HD monitor, which has a native resolution of 1920x1080 or 1280x720. Although Automation Interface and Nexio CG output SD in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios, the native resolution is the same; 720x480. When the lower resolution SD image is upconverted to match an HD format (1920x1080 or 1280x720), some of the sharpness of the original image is lost as the pixels are increased in size, not in number, to fit the larger display. In contrast, downconverting from HD to SD results in a sharper image quality as more pixels fill a smaller display. It is good practice to start with a larger 1920x1080 image and scale it down to 720x480, rather than scale up a smaller image. Frame Rate refers to the number of frames per second (fps) that are displayed on a TV or monitor. The frame rate is 30 fps (NTSC) and 25 fps (PAL). There are two output displays available: Interlaced - SD 720x480 (480i NTSC), SD 720x576 (576i PAL), and HD 1920x1080 (1080i). Progressive Scan - HD 1280x720 (720p). In Interlaced, a frame is divided into two fields, with each field containing half the number of scanning lines of a complete frame. For NTSC, the second field is scanned 1/60th of a second after the first field; for PAL, the second field is scanned 1/50th of a second after the first field. These two fields are displayed in rapid succession on a TV or monitor. In progressive scan, the complete frame is scanned every 30 fps (NTSC) and 25 fps (PAL). Interlaced is the most common output for HD (1080i), as it has higher native resolution. However, progressive scan (720p) provides better picture quality when editing with filters and effects that affect motion, including rotating a frame or compositing live-action video with special effects Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 50

51 Prepare CG Templates SD to HD Conversion You should create archives of all your SD and HD templates before conversion. You might need to edit the templates for aesthetic quality when converting between the 4:3 SD aspect ratio and the 16:9 HD aspect ratio. Select how your graphic elements are scaled when you convert templates from SD to HD. 1. In your Nexio HD product, select File > Preferences. 2. Switch to the Character Generator tab. 3. Select one of the following Scale Types: Letterbox, Crop, or Size-To-Fit. Letterbox: SD (4:3) to HD (16:9). Scales and centers the SD image to fill the height of the new workspace without changing the 4:3 aspect ratio. This results in black bars on the left and right of the SD image in the HD frame. Crop: SD (4:3) to HD (16:9). Scales and centers the SD image to fill the width of the new workspace. This results in cropping the top and bottom of the SD image in the HD frame. Size-To-Fit: SD (4:3) to HD (16:9). Scales the SD image to fit the new workspace by pulling or stretching the image to fill the HD frame. This results in a slightly distorted image. Size-To-Fit: SD (16:9) to HD (16:9). Scales the SD image to fit the new workspace by zooming the image to fill the HD frame without changing the aspect ratio. This results in a slightly lower quality image as the pixels increase in size to match the larger frame. 4. Click OK to save your preferences and close the dialog. 5. Open your SD template or playlist. A message indicates that the file will be converted, and then displays the progress. 6. When the conversion is complete, save the new HD template or playlist. If required resave using another name to distinguish the HD file from the SD file. Conversion Limitations The template files are editable, and the graphic elements within are scaled individually when converted from the 4:3 SD aspect ratio to the 16:9 HD aspect ratio. Where an element is a vector graphic, the scaling is seamless. Where an element is a raster graphic such as a bitmap, the scaling may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the nature of raster graphics. A playlist file (.scribelist) is composed of raster graphics and may be subject to the same limitations. Some graphic design elements are known to be unsuitable when converted from SD to HD. Rendered video clips (.via files) are not resized on conversion between SD and HD. An SD.via file is too small and is in the wrong position in the HD monitor. An HD.via file is too large and is in the wrong position in the SD monitor. It will only display on the top left corner of the monitor. Active textures used on objects are not resized on conversion from SD to HD. The active texture may not be visible on the object in the HD graphic. SD bitmaps used as backgrounds for HD output are distorted or "stretched" to fit the monitor. SD bitmaps mapped onto objects are resized to fit the HD monitor, but the results are grainy Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 51

52 Prepare CG Templates If you intend to use both SD and HD templates, you should maintain a set in both formats if you use a lot of raster graphics and you find results of conversion unsuitable. If you are working exclusively with SD, consider creating all your templates in the SD 16:9 aspect ratio, as this will make the transition easier should you upgrade to an SD/HD switchable system in the future. Working in SD 16:9 allows you to see how your layouts work in the HD world Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 52

53 Use Automation Interface Use Automation Interface After you have installed and configured your Automation Interface and Nexio CG software, the workflow for using Automation Interface is broken into three phases. Prepare Your CG Templates Use your Nexio CG software to create templates according to your News Vendor s specifications. See the overview for more detailed information. 1. Identify the data that you will receive from your News Vendor, including the precise names of the folders, files, and data fields that the News Vendor expects to find. 2. Create Nexio templates with your Nexio CG (G-Scribe or TitleOne). 3. Ensure that your CG templates are correctly named. 4. Add and edit tagged data fields in your templates. Fill and Render Your CG Templates Fill the tagged data fields with commands sent to Automation Interface from your News Vendor Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 53

54 Use Automation Interface Fill and Render CG Templates Automation Interface fills templates with data received from a News Vendor, renders them, and sends the resulting layouts directly to video. If you are using a Nexio CG (G-Scribe or TitleOne) an operator on another machine can access the layouts across a network for reviewing, editing, or building a new playlist. Note: Do not use Windows Remote Desktop to connect to G-Scribe, TitleOne, or Automation Interface. The drivers used for remote desktop conflict with the drivers required to operate the software. If you need to connect to the system remotely, please use VNC Free which will not conflict with the software. Use Templates with Automation Interface To use your templates with Automation Interface: 1. Close the Nexio CG program. 2. Go to the Automation Interface machine. Ensure your templates are located in the folder that is named to match the News Vendor s CII commands. Automation Interface saves rendered layouts in an Output sub-folder as both rendered files (.vii,.vic,.vis, or.via) and editable.scribe files). You should delete old rendered files from the Output sub-folder. You can delete your rendered files easily by creating and running a batch file to delete.vii,.vic,.vis, and.via files. Double-click on the Automation Interface shortcut on the desktop to start Automation Interface. 3. Go to the News Vendor System. Select a run-down. Call for the CG. The number of events in the run-down determines the time that Automation Interface takes to fill and render layouts. If you want to create additional layouts using another News Vendor system, repeat this procedure from step one. You don t have to double-click on the Automation Interface shortcut (step two), unless you closed Automation Interface in the meantime. Note: You can also use News Feed Simulator to simulate the News Vendor system. See News Feed Simulator (on page 59) for more information. Unicode Support Automation Interface supports the Unicode standard. Follow these steps to enable Unicode support in Automation Interface. 1. Make sure Automation Interface is closed Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 54

55 Use Automation Interface 2. Using Windows Explorer, locate the inscribe.ini file located in the Automation Interface folder. On a G7 or G8 system this is located in C:\Program Files(x86)\Harris\Inscriber Automation Interface Common Files. On a G3 system this is located in C:\Program Files\Harris\Inscriber Automation Interface Common Files. 3. Open the inscribe.ini file with Windows Notepad. 4. Within the file, find the section labelled [AutoCG]. 5. Within the [AutoCG] section, find the AcceptUnicodeCommands setting and change it to AcceptUnicodeCommands=1. If this setting doesn t appear in your inscribe.ini file, enter it yourself. 6. Save the inscribe.ini file. 7. Choose START > Settings > Control Panel > Regional and Language Options. The Regional and Language Options window opens. 8. Switch to the Advanced tab. 9. Use the drop-down list to select the language you want to use for sending text updates to Automation Interface. 10. Click OK. To disable Unicode support in Automation Interface, change the inscribe.ini setting back to AcceptUnicodeCommands=0. Image Replacement To apply new image files to layout objects, include image editing commands in the text you send to the object tags. For logo objects and objects that contain image treatments or Active Texture treatments, enter the full file path to the image you want to apply. For example, C:\Images\ZXYLogo.tga. If the object already has an image assigned to it, you can use another image file in the same folder by entering a relative file path. For example, ZXYLogoSmall.tga. If the image file is in the Media Library, reference it by number for logo objects, text objects that contain inserted images, and objects that contain image treatments or Active Texture treatments. The Media Library number follows two number symbols (##). For example, if the image is number five in the Media Library, enter ##5. To insert images by file path within text objects, use the ## command, followed by the image path enclosed in double quotes. For example, ##"C:\Images\Flags\Canada.tga" Team Canada. When updating layouts with Automation Interface, you can also specify a new image file path using any command that allows you to modify tag contents within a layout. Note: Video clips display as stills if they are applied to logo objects. You may see old images in your layouts if you make frequent changes to the files which are accessed through image tags. See Layouts with Updated Image Tags Show Old Images (on page 69) for troubleshooting instructions Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 55

56 Use Automation Interface Change Styles To apply a new style to a layout object, include a style-change command in the data you send to the object tags. The tag data must begin with command, followed by the layout s style number you want to apply. For example, if you want to display the text "Weather" in style number six from the Style Library, to your tag. If you wish to change the tag s style multiple times within a single line, use the ^^ command for each style change after the first one. For example, if you want to display "Weather" in style number six, then "Warning" in style number eight, and then "Special" in style number three, ^^8Warning ^^3Special to your tag. Note: If you are sending additional text to the tag and the text begins with a number, use an asterisk to separate the number from the style-change command. For dollars will output "20 dollars" with style five. See your CG program s user guide for more information about creating and managing styles. Last Rendered File To see a thumbnail view of the last file that was rendered by Automation Interface: 1. Switch to the Last Rendered tab. 2. Right-click anywhere in the blank window. 3. Select Disable or Enable View Last Rendered layout. Viewing your last rendered layout helps test and monitor Automation Interface. Enabling the Last Rendered window may slow your system as it requires more CPU and network time. Framebuffer not Required to Render Automation Interface does not require a framebuffer to render CG templates. Templates render to local or network drives. Templates are commonly rendered without a framebuffer in Hands Off operation, when CG operators need to access rendered graphics over a network Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 56

57 Use Automation Interface View Commands You can choose to view the News Vendor commands as Automation Interface receives them, or you can minimize Automation Interface and view no commands. Automation Interface opens with the log window enabled. To disable the log window: 1. Right-click anywhere in either the CII or Inscriber Log Window. 2. Select Disable Log Window. Hands Off Operation Automation Interface can work with a framebuffer to output rendered layouts directly to video without operator intervention. Your CG does not need to connect to the Automation Interface if your layouts do not require editing. The data from your News Vendor will continue to drop into your layouts automatically. Global Transition Settings If your News Vendor is unable to send transition settings, or if you wish to override the News Vendor s transition settings, specify a global transition which will override all user defined transitions that are sent to Automation Interface. To enable the global transition add the following information to the inscribe.ini file found in your Automation Interface folder. The following example enables a global 15 frame dissolve transition, but these parameters can be modified as described below. [AutoCG] UseGlobalTransition=1 GlobalTransitionEffect=D GlobalTransitionPattern=A GlobalTransitionDuration=15 GlobalTransitionDirection=0 After adding these lines to the inscribe.ini you must restart Automation Interface before the global transition is applied. The following are the parameters that can be used for the global transition: 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 57

58 Use Automation Interface UseGlobalTransition 0 - Disable the global transition 1 - Enable the global transition GlobalTransitionEffect D - Dissolve W - Wipe P - Push H - Hide C - Cut GlobalTransitionPattern A - Horizontal slide wipe B - Vertical slide wipe C - Horizontal split wipe D - Vertical split wipe E - Box wipe Not all transition patterns are applicable to all transition effects. GlobalTransitionDuration This value is the duration of the transition in frames. GlobalTransitionDirection 0 - Forward 1 - Reverse 2014 Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 58

59 News Feed Simulator News Feed Simulator News Feed Simulator acts as a data sending application. It can help you test your Automation system before connecting to a News Vendor, and can also be used to send TCP/IP commands to Automation Interface. You can test com port functionality, tag filling, rendering, and framebuffer display. Three components make up the News Feed Simulator. The News Feed Simulator application. A null-modem cable. Automation Interface. News Feed Simulator contains pre-made Nexio CG templates tagged to receive data. You can enter the data into the News Feed Simulator screens and transfer it to Automation Interface (with or without a framebuffer). Use the Generic Demo to send data to fill the tags in your own Nexio templates, and use the Script Demo to send CII commands directly to Automation Interface. Additionally you can use the Test Interface to test communication between Automation Interface and News Feed Simulator systems. Install News Feed Simulator News Feed Simulator is automatically installed when you run the Automation Interface install program. If you want to test communication with your Automation Interface computer, use the stand-alone News Feed Simulator installation program to install News Feed Simulator on a separate computer. Connect the News Feed Simulator computer to the Automation Interface computer with the null-modem cable. Copy the complete set of.scribelist and.tga graphic resource files from the News Feed Simulator folder to the Automation Interface s resource folder. Create a C:\newsdemo folder on the hard drive of the Automation Interface system. When you do a News Vendor run-down and render layouts with automation data, the Automation Interface creates an Output sub-folder. The data-filled rendered output files (.vii) and the editable output files (.scribe) are placed in the Output folder. Connect News Feed Simulator to the Automation Interface System Use the Preferences tab to connect News Feed Simulator to the Automation Interface system. You can test communication by connecting to other systems through a serial port or network connection, or you can connect through a local receiver if you don t need to test communication Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 59

60 News Feed Simulator Switch to the Preferences tab to set up your connection. Use the tab arrows to scroll to the right-end of the tabs if the Preference tab isn t visible. Serial Port If you are connecting to Automation Interface through a serial port, select the Serial Port radio button and click Set. In the Com Port Settings dialog, enter the port s communication settings and press the OK button. TCP/IP Port If you are connecting to Automation Interface through a network, select the TCP/IP Port radio button and click Set. Enter the port s communication settings and press the OK button. Local Receiver You can run the News Feed Simulator from your Automation Interface machine if you don t need to test communications. 1. On the Preferences tab, select the Local Receiver radio button to tell News Feed Simulator to send data through the local computer to Automation Interface. 2. Click the Set button. The Network Settings dialog opens. 3. Click the Browse button and navigate to a local renderer. 4. Click the Connect button. News Feed Simulator connects to the renderer on your computer. Network Receiver Follow these instructions if you are connecting to Automation Interface through a Local Area Network. 1. Select the Network Receiver radio button Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 60

61 News Feed Simulator 2. Click the Set button. The Network Settings dialog opens. 3. Click the Browse button and navigate to the receiver. When you select the receiver and click OK, the receiver name and machine name display in the Network Settings dialog. 4. Set the receiver type. Select the Renderer radio button if the Automation Interface you are connecting to is configured to fill tags and render templates. Select the Dispatcher radio button if the Automation Interface is configured to dispatch CII commands to different machines, or to update multiple templates with a single command. See Advanced Dual Channel Functionality (on page 18) for more information. 5. Click the Connect button to connect News Feed Simulator to the receiver. 6. Click Done Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 61

62 News Feed Simulator Test CG Templates Use News Feed Simulator to test your automation system with pre-made Nexio CG templates. You can also test your own templates with the Generic Demo and use the Test Interface window to check communication between your systems. Before you can connect to Automation Interface, set your connection settings as described in Connect News Feed Simulator to the Automation Interface System (on page 59) Test a Previously Created Nexio CG Template News Feed Simulator contains a number of pre-made templates to help you test Automation Interface. Each template has its own tab. 1. Switch to the tab of the template you want to test with. The News tab appears in this example. 2. To change the data that is sent to Automation Interface, enter new text in the data fields. 3. Click the DRAW button to render the resulting layout to preview. 4. View the rendered layout in the Last Rendered tab on your Automation Interface system. See Last Rendered File (on page 56). 5. Click the TAKE button to send the rendered layout to your framebuffer for video output. You can do this immediately after clicking on the DRAW button if you want. 6. Repeat steps 1-6 to test other pre-made Nexio CG templates, or use the Generic Demo to create and test your own templates. 7. Click the OK button to close News Feed Simulator. Test Your Own Nexio Template Use the Generic Demo to test one of your own Nexio CG templates with the Automation Interface. You must use an existing template that contains tagged data fields or create a new Nexio template with tagged data fields. See Prepare CG Templates (on page 40) to learn how to create new templates Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 62

63 News Feed Simulator 1. Switch to the Generic tab. 2. Type the path of the folder containing the template you want to use with News Feed Simulator. 3. Type the path of the folder you want to use for your output. 4. Use the radio buttons to select the format for the template you are testing. 5. Type the name of the Nexio template file in the Source field. If you are using a.scribelist file, type the template s name. Note: We recommend that users new to Nexio products use.scribe files in the test. 6. Type the name of each tagged data field in the Field Name column. Use the name of the tagged data fields from the Nexio CG template you re testing. 7. Type some data into the Field Data lines. 8. Click the DRAW button to render the file. 9. Click the TAKE button to send the file to the framebuffer. 10. Click Save to save this demo file in your Output folder. To reuse a saved generic demo file, click on the Open button and navigate to your file Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 63

64 News Feed Simulator Test Communication Use the News Feed Simulator s Test Interface to check communication between News Feed Simulator and Automation Interface computers. See List of CII Commands (on page 73) for a list of the commands that you can send from the Test Interface. Connect to Automation Interface Before you can connect to Automation Interface, set your connection settings as described in Connect News Feed Simulator to the Automation Interface System (on page 59). Send Commands Using the Test Interface 1. Within News Feed Simulator, switch to the Test Interface tab. 2. Check the CR and LF checkboxes to automatically add carriage return and line feed data to the end of each command line. Automation Interface doesn t respond to spaces or carriage returns in commands. 3. Type your CII command in the Line Command window. 4. Press the Enter key or click on the Send button to send the command to the Automation Interface computer. Check the Results The command appears in the News Feed Simulator s Command Reception window Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 64

65 News Feed Simulator Send a List of Commands 1. Type a list of CII commands in the List Command Window. 2. Double-click in the window or click on the Send button to send the commands to your Automation Interface computer. Create a Log of Commands Received You can log the commands that the Automation Interface computer receives to help you troubleshoot connection problems. 1. On the Test Interface tab, click the File button to indicate the location you want the log file saved. 2. Click on the Start button to begin logging. 3. Send your commands from the News Feed Simulator. 4. Click on the End button to finish logging. 5. Click OK when you finish your test. The log file is saved automatically Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 65

66 News Feed Simulator Test with Scripts For longer and more complex communication, use the Script tab to send CII commands directly to Automation Interface. Connect to Automation Interface Before you can connect to Automation Interface, set your connection settings as described in Connect News Feed Simulator to the Automation Interface System (on page 59). Send Scripts Follow these steps to send scripted commands to Automation Interface. 1. Within News Feed Simulator, switch to the Script tab. 2. Type your CII commands in the command window. 3. Click on the Run Script button to send your commands to Automation Interface. Loop Scripts Check the Loop checkbox before sending a script to loop the script commands. Edit Scripts If you want to change a command while a script is looping, edit the command line and click the Use This Script For Next Loop button. The next time the script is looped, News Feed Simulator will send the modified script Imagine Communications. Proprietary and Confidential. 5/6/2014 Page 66