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Version 4.2 End User Documentation

1. Y Many email systems limit the size of attachments If you re having 5 trouble emailing your database be sure you are not up against this limitation Main Menu Server Setup Database Tools Current database version 4 2 0 Required database version 4 2 0 Database Backup Options Backup on FrontDoor Server Backup to network share UNC myServer myShare my OBackup and email Address jschmoe trms com backup cancel 2005 tightrope media systems e Figure 4 10 The Database Tools form in Server Setup 50 First Steps No events are scheduled for this channel Figure 4 11 Main Menu Shortcuts 4 7 The Cablecast Interface Once you have completed the setup of your Cablecast server you will want to click on the Cablecast button to enter the software The Cablecast system is organized by menus and forms Menus present options that lead to forms which you fill out and submit back to the web server by clicking the appropriate buttons This may seem brain dead obvious to you but it bears explaining here because it highlights the nature of the Cablecast web interface which in many important ways is different from a traditional application that is installed and run from your computer Specifically Cablecast is not aware of your input until you save it by clicking on a form button Simply typing your changes and navigating to a new menu is not eno
2. Channel Feeder a k a Primary Channel Channel when feeder channels are involved Feeder Location Primary Location Final Channel Output 4 Multi Channel Multiple Locations Multiple channels from multiple locations You can set Cablecast to program and maintain separate channels and locations Channels exist at one or more locations Channels at multiple locations will require video feeds between sites These feeds behave exactly like any other source except that Cablecast coordinates the devices and the switch between the feeder location and the primary location This type of installation is typical for a community that has multiple access channels that share some of the same resources Remember one Cablecast is controlling all of the head ends represented in the diagram below Primary Location for All prin O O O Channel d End Is at this Hea Channel 2 Channel 3 Channel 4 Output Output Output Feeder for Ch 2 Feeder For Ch Jam Feeder for Ch 4 Feeder Location for All Primary Location for All Channels at this Head End Channels at this Head End Channel 5 4 Output
3. 17 Events Listed ShowlD 21426 1 21651 1 21651 1 21651 1 21651 1 21651 1 21426 1 21327 1 21327 1 21501 1 21327 1 21009 1 21009 1 21009 1 21009 1 21009 1 21501 1 Input BCIT DVD A BEC CG TBC CG VS4 500 1 BCIT BEC CG DVD B BEC CG TBC CG send cancel delete Device DVD A DVD A DVD A DVD A VS4 500 1 VS4 500 1 DVD B DVD B DVD B DVD B Figure 8 9 The Event Table Slot Actions Output Take TBC Load Jump Take Play Take Stop Take Play Take Take Take Load Jump Take Play Take Stop Take Autopilot 156 Automating Your Head End Output When the event has a switch its output is listed here You ll notice that at the bottom of the list the total number of events is listed You may check any combination of events and click the delete button at the bottom You should be really smart about Cablecast the event table and the consequences of hitting delete within this menu In fact if you run into problems after deleting events resend Autopilot before calling tech support If you did not send the events to hardware when you sent autopilot or you made changes that you want the hardware to pick up click the send button 8 4 1 An Autopilot Event To see an event click on its time and date You will see a similar form to the one in Figure 8 10 on the facing page While referencing this form review
4. Figure 8 13 If you rest your mouse over a matrix switch you will see the rout that will happen if you click Autopilot 160 Automating Your Head End 8 5 1 Performing a Switch To perform a switch simply click on the point where the desired input and output meet If the Actions pop down is set to None no action will happen and the switch will be performed immediately 8 5 2 Performing a Device Action To perform a device action select the action from the Actions pop down list and click the Dev Only button that lines up with the device that you re affect ing Some devices have a green arrow between their name and the Actions pop down list Typically these are video servers encoders or DVD changers Depending on the action you will need to click on this green arrow to expand options for this device DVD changers have slot numbers title and chapters Figure 8 14 If you are loading a disk you will enter the slot number into the Slot field and select Load from the Actions pop down If you are jumping to a title and chapter simply enter the information into the corresponding fields and select Jump DVDA Y Play Slot 25 Title E Chapter 1 Figure 8 14 In this example we see a device only force with a DVD changer If this were a DVD player the Slot field would not appear When forcing a video server Figure 8 15 on the next page
5. tip 5 2 Diagram The Head End 65 For primary channels this will most likely be a bulletin board system like Carousel For feeder channels this may be a color bar or logo generator if the CG is located at the Primary Location If the CG is located at the feeder location then the feeder channel s default input will be the CG located at the feeder location and the primary channel s default input will be the feed from the Feeder Channel If you write this all down on a sheet of paper it may help to make more sense 5 2 3 Linking Multiple Locations Skip this section if you do not have more than one routing switcher in your head end If you have channels in your installation that have content that originates from multiple routing switchers you will need to write down the interconnects On your feeder On the primary location s worksheet mark down the output from your feeder for your feeder channel location s worksheet mark the input where the feeder channel is received 9 City Wide Channel Ll Primary Location Feeder Channel for City Wide Channel Feeder Location Figure 5 1 You need to make a note on both locations sheets that indicates where the interconnects are for your multi location channels Without skipping
6. B 4 For Digital Rapids Encoders DRStreamCM Physical Connections This device communicates using Telnet port 23 The control module communicates with the server in real time There fore the connection between it and the server must be reliable and fast No more than a single Ethernet switch should separate the two Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time This control module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references this control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56712 CM URI DRStreamCM Authentication DRStreamCM56712 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting File path where the encoded files will be
7. 118 The Schedule 7 2 1 The Tour BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Modify Schedule for Saturday January 01 2005 Show ID Title Length End Time 10 00 00pm 9230 Christmas Carol Humorous Student Prod 02 03 22 12 03 22 am 7 00 00 am 21286 Oak Grove Orchestra Concert Y 00 51 22 7 51 22 an 8 00 00 am 21357 Jefferson Winter Band Concert SVHS 01 43 10 9 43 10 arr 10 30 00 am 9230 Christmas Carol Humorous Student Prod 02 03 22 12 30 00 pm 21325 Tomorrow s Voices Today TVT 22 00 14 46 1 1 00 00 pm 21286 Oak Grove Orchestra Concert 00 51 22 1 51 22 p 2 00 00 pm 21357 Jefferson Winter Band Concert 01 43 10 4 00 00 pm 9230 Christmas Carol Humorous Student Prod 02 03 22 6 6 03 22pm B 21335 Ridgeview Gr 1 Anansi amp the Moss Covered Rock 00 24 51 6 30 00 pm Tomorrow s Voices Today TVT 22 00 14 46 9 00 00 pm 21 K 12 TV 7 The Importance of Reading 00 28 13 9 9 30 00 pm 21078 November Education News Meeting Getting 00 59 33 10 29 Ready for College 10 30 00 pm 21135 Music da Camera Trio Atlantica 104 00 27 26 10 57 2 11 00 00 pm 21180 Time of our Lives Special Holland Up Close 00 30 38 1 o E a JO oo Update New Delete Print Copy Paste Block Ripple Unbump 01 01 2005 t 22004 tightrope media systems Figure 7 1 This is an example schedule in Cablecast There are many tools and lots of information packed into this screen The following list references
8. 13 14 on its own you ll have to check the Wake Device checkbox and indicate the amount of time it will take for Cablecast to rustle the player out of its slumber This value must be at least 20 seconds For devices that have multiple media loaded in at any given time such as a DVD changer or Microcart system you will have the Load Duration field available The value in here is the maximum amount of time a device takes to unload the current media and load a new selection Consult the control module s documentation for the is value Some devices such as DVD and VTR TC devices have a Jump Duration field Here we establish the maximum amount of time that it takes the media to cue when Cablecast instructs it during automation For example a VTR may take three minutes to rewind and cue from the end of the tape to the beginning while a DVD player may take only 10 seconds to cue to Title 1 Chapter 3 Consult the control module s documentation for hints on this value The Take Delay field represents the amount of time it takes the device to spin up When you press play on a DVD the player will take time to spin the disk and then play A tape deck will need time to thread the tape and get rolling It is that amount of time you are entering here Post Roll roll is the amount of time to wait before performing the De vice End Action after switching to the next input That is play the show swit
9. E or L might appear between the start time and show ID A B indicates that this show has been bumped If a show is bumped the start time will show it If you mouse over the B the bump value is displayed as we see in Figure 7 7 Figure 7 7 When you mouse over the B you ll notice that it displays the amount that the show was bumped by If you modify the start time of a bumped show the bump value is cleared An E indicates a CG Exempt program These programs will not be adver tised on Carousel or on any public web interface Also the interstitial length is not added to length of the run as Cablecast will not force a break to the CG after the program An L indicates that the program is locked within the schedule You can still change the time but if Cablecast needs to bump the program it will cut the previous program off instead Y Locking a show is common when it is live Nx 8 Schedule Buttons These are the main buttons that act on the schedule Update The Update button does not require you to select any records Any and all updates will post when you click this button 20f course if there is nothing to run after the program the default input will be switched to 7 2 Using The Scheduling Interface 123 Any time you hit return in a Start Time or Show ID field you are hitting Update N
10. Feeder Location for Some Channels And Primary for Others 2 3 Abusing Multiple Locations Two Routing Switchers in One Head End Cablecast makes the all important assumption that a routing switcher can switch any input to any output This assumption is at the very heart of how Cablecast manages a location When you introduce a second routing switcher into your head end this assumption falls apart Why would you want to have a second routing switcher in your head end 2through the Internet or through your own metro area network 2 4 The Benefits of a Constant Internet Connection 21 Here are some examples 1 You want to switch the background audio on your character generator to a different source and on a timed schedule In this scenario the feeder location s routing switcher is used to switch your background audio and the output of this switcher is sent to the primary routing switcher s input that has the character generator s video connected 2 You don t have enough space on your primary routing switcher and can t afford a bigger one Here you have one or two outputs from the feeder loca tion s routing switcher connected to inputs of the primary routing switcher You may only use as many devices at a time as you have connections be tween the routing switcher That is if you have two connections between the two routing switchers you can only use two devices on the secondary routing switcher at one time 3 You enjoy com
11. If you delete a category that is used by show records those show records will no longer be associated with any category 6 3 2 Producers Producers are people who make shows They are associated with projects and show records You may associate a producer with a project and a different producer with a show record that is associated with that project Create a new producer by clicking the new button Fill the form out as required saving as much or as little information as you wish V Producers do not have to be people Many users find that it s more useful to track organizations such as Saint Edwards Church Oth d ers find their needs met by tracking just Inside Producer or City Resident To delete a producer click the check box to the left of the show and click the delete button Projects Shows 94 Producers and Media Records If you delete a producer they will be removed from all of the show records they are associated with So even if someone falls of the face of the earth you need to leave their entry in place if you still want to track what they produced in the past To save all of your changes click the save button There is no need to click the check box to the left of the producer record Cablecast will save all of the information on the form when you click this button 6 3 3 Dispositions Oh DVD 8795 DVD 8795 Wherefore art thou
12. Post Roll Enter a value appropriate for this device This number will depend the device and cannot be predicted without testing device Device CMS Will always be to the CMS you defined for the TCD IP Device Address The ProBus address for this device Example 1 or 16 Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Whatever is appropriate for this device e Important notes about this device It is not required that your location connect the routing switcher to the TCD IP Many stations connect a routing switcher directly to the Cablecast machine The TCD RP cannot handle a dash in the file name Instead use an r before the reel number Before you upgrade the BIOS on your TCD IP check with Tightrope support staff for compatibility issues Keeping a copy of WinTCD handy is a good idea as the program is useful for troubleshooting and maintenance Control Module 212 Information Remember that the CMS describes the TCD IP and the work you do in Location Settings 1 O Devices is at least in part for the devices attached to your TCD IP B 17 ENC Series Encoders OptibaseMovieMakerCM 213 B 17 ENC Series Encoders OptibaseMovieMak erCM Physical Connections This device uses an Ethernet connection Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the de
13. This is important When you CG Exempt a run there will be no forced break after the run This means that you can run a station bumper with CG Exempt chain a run to appear immediately after it and Cablecast will run those two shows without going to the CG in between If you didn t exempt the bumper from the CG Cablecast would play the bumper go to the CG and then play the main program Figure 7 5 When you mouse over the length of a show Cablecast will reveal the combina tion of the show s length and the intersti tial that has been added to it When a show is CG exempt the interstitial is not added If a show conflicts with the next run the end time will be in red as we see in Figure 7 6 If we leave the show in conflict Cablecast will bump the next show unless that show is locked If the next show is locked Section 7 3 on page 125 Cablecast will cut this show off 01 00 22 10 30 22 pm Details 01 21 07 11 51 07 pm Details Figure 7 6 When two shows overlap the first show s end time will appear in red The details button reveals more information about this show record We 122 The Schedule can adjust the bump value and other details related to this run 6 Previous Day s Run This run overlapped from the previous day We can open the show record by clicking on its title but we have to go back a day to change the start time or show 7 Run Information A B
14. navigation 50 location bar 52 menu shortcuts 52 navigation bar 53 outputs 80 router address 80 passwords see Frontdoor permissions see Frontdoor preview outputs see routing switch ers primary channel see channels producers see also shows 88 93 projects 96 linking to shows see shows public web site 27 reels see also shows 88 routing switchers 28 35 77 no contact with 249 preview outputs 29 testing 248 INDEX 261 using more than one in a head end 20 run bump see schedule runs see schedule schedule 26 B 122 blocks and bumping 134 creating 130 136 bug text 127 bump 122 CG Exempt 121 122 125 chaining events 119 crawl text 127 detail 125 E 122 L 122 125 lock 122 manual runs 127 printing 123 run bump 125 run lock 125 run type 127 runs 117 unbump 125 update button 122 serial Mixing with IR devices see for mats server security see Frontdoor server setup see Frontdoor shortcut bar see navigation show ID see shows shows 26 88 100 automating live 144 categories 91 setup 91 CG exempt 102 CG titles 102 custom fields 96 detail see schedule dispositions see media finding 106 free show IDs 109 jump to show ID 100 linking to projects 102 local ID 102 Locking in the Schedule see schedule making new records 100 missing 25 more than One per media record 90 multi reel 89 producers 105 reels 103 Sc
15. 183 B 6 Extron MAV Series Routing Switchers ExtronMAVCM 185 B 7 JVC SR S365U SVHS VTR JVCSRS365UCM 187 B 8 Test Control Module GenericCCM 2 189 CONTENTS 7 C B 10 16 I O and Higher Knox RS Series Routing Switchers KinOxO4GM A AAA ee et eee A 193 B 11 Knox Pro Switch Series Routing Switchers KnoxProSwitChGMeew s i cad ea deat Sane caer ne Gk aS 195 B 12 Leightronix Mini T Pro LgxMiniTProCM 197 B 13 Leightronix Pro 8 LgxMVP2000CM 200 B 14 Leightronix Pro 8 LxgProBCM 00 2 0 004 203 B 15 Leightronix TCD 1000 LgxTCD1000CM 206 B 16 Leightronix TCD IP LgxTCDIPCM 2 209 B 17 ENC Series Encoders OptibaseMovieMakerCM 213 B 18 Pesa Routing Switchers Resa TEM ro oe wig ce PS adel lee en a ta 215 B 19 Pioneer DVDV7400 and V5000 PioneerDVDV7400CM 0 0000000 2 ee eee 217 B 20 Pioneer DV FO7 PioneerD VEO Msc a go a ge Gh Oa oR a i a 219 B 21 Sierra SVS Series Routing Switchers Si hraSVSCM a acta o ed kobe ew ee 222 B 22 Sigma Routing Switchers SigmaS CEM s e eG eee ie Aaa A AU ee ee es 223 B 23 Sonny DVP CX777ES SOMYDMPTLTEM iremen a ES POE a a e e 224 B 24 Tascam DVD6500 DVD Player TascamDVD6500CM 2 0 2 00000 ee ee 226 B 25 Tightrope 422 Control TRMSGBERS422 MP sci aag oo Be WES A a ee See ad 228 B 26 Visual Circuits Based Video Servers VC4ReelPraGMi os Soara ar la oo bk Mika d
16. 3 1 Control Modules 27 included Carousel User Guide for information regarding Carousel e updates a public web site of programming information including the pro gram schedule and library e makes this information available for plug ins and reporting Now that we understand what you do within a location let s look at all of the elements that tell us how locations work In order to examine how locations work we will look at the major elements that make it up These elements are Control Modules Routing Switchers Devices Formats and Channels 3 1 Control Modules The program called Cablecast on your server does not control any devices Cable cast knows general commands like Play and Jump to Timecode 2 30 04 00 and Switch Input 2 to Output 3 after 4 Seconds When it comes to knowing the exact code for controlling your VTR or video server Cablecast is at a complete loss That is where control modules come into play Control modules are services that run on Tightrope Servers They act as the intermediary between Cablecast and the hardware that you are controlling This model provides an extreme amount of flexibility not only in terms of what we control but also in terms of how and where we control it First the control module can communicate through any method necessary includ ing IP networks serial ports RS422 and RS232 or by any future means Second the control module can operate in var
17. 4 6 1 Server Setup Site Name The bold text banner at the top of the Frontdoor is set within this submenu Figure 4 6 Usually this is the organization s name Changing this field changes what is displayed on the banner 2The User Manager is a special built in account on the system that manages user accounts Tightrope Media Systems Main Menu Server Setup Site Name Server Security Mail Settings Time Settings Licensing Database Tois 2005 tightrope media systems Figure 4 5 The Server Setup Menu P 5 E Tightrope Media Systems lt q Figure 4 6 The arrow points to the banner 44 First Steps Y The banner at the top of the page will not change until you log out In some cases you may need to close your browser and re open it in order for the change to be displayed on your computer 4 6 2 Server Setup Server Security Every time a user interacts with Cablecast the system resets a timer If they haven t interacted with Cablecast before the maximum number of minutes that are allowed set within this menu using the minutes field the system will boot them out If the minutes value is set too high there will be a significant period that a malicious person could access the system if a user s computer is left unattended Usually 20 minutes is a good number but your environment and security needs may vary 4 6 3 Server Setup Mail Settings Frontdo
18. Logout Ends the current session 42 First Steps 4 5 Changing Your Password All users may change their account s password by selecting the Change Pass word button Simply type the new password into the Password and Verify fields If the account has the Require Secure Passwords field checked accessible from the Frontdoor User Manager then the account must have a secure password These passwords must be at least six characters long two of which must be non alpha For example hello12 is valid but Me12 is not because it is too short hello is valid whereas helloAB is not because it contains no non alpha characters Users are required to change their password upon first login if the User Manager has set their account to User must change password on next login within the Frontdoor User Manager mr 7 S Tightrope Media Systems Main Menu Change Password System Administrator Username Admin Password eses Verify EE cancel Figure 4 4 When changing your password make sure you enter it in the Password and Verify fields 4 6 Server Setup 43 4 6 Server Setup When you log in as the administrator the Frontdoor main menu includes the Server Setup button As you can see in Figure 4 5 This menu gives you control over global settings of the Server that apply to all Frontdoor tools Each submenu contains a single form These forms are outlined below
19. Show Management Shows Projects Media Search Project Name Time Producer John Parker search J subset Project Name Producer RS John Parker Figure 6 5 The Project Search Form If you search with both the Project name and producer fields blank Cablecast will return all project records After you click search Cablecast returns the results Clicking the checkbox to the left of an item selects it If you click the delete button the selected projects will be deleted Clicking subset returns the same list with only the items selected showing This is helpful if you want to print a specific list of projects and some undesired projects crept into your search results 6 4 3 Linking Shows to Projects See Section 6 5 1 on page 100 for how to link a show to a project Once you successfully do so calling up a project will display information that includes the shows that it is tied to Figure 6 6 on the next page 6 4 Projects 99 BEC BCIT BCAT Description Producer Shows Tightrope Media Systems Main Menu Show Management Shows Projects Media Search Project Name Time of Our Lives Variety show for Seniors featuring interviews music and special presentations for Bloomington s mature audience BEC 20817 Time of our Lives 91 Magic of Music 21179 Time of our Lives 94 Senior Services 21346 Time of our Lives 95 Gallimafry 21347 Time o
20. vices Describe both how the device is controlled and through what port Here are some important notes e In cases where the device is plugged into a third party event controller such as a Leightronix Pro 16 also list how it is attached Example ProBus Interface 6 e In cases where the device is controlled through a network list its IP address e Where a device is controlled through a serial port list the computer and its IP address and port number for the serial port e When a device is a part of a video server that has more than one output port list the output number Examples Leightronix TCD IP 192 168 1 10 PlusBus 16 Cablecast RS422 Com Port 7 Video Server 192 168 1 11 Video Output 3 Video Server 192 168 1 11 5 2 Diagram The Head End 63 RS232 Com Port 1 Supported Formats Examples SVHS VHS 6 Hour VHS or MPEG2 rad x Please refer to Section 3 4 on page 30 for information about o formats for live feeds differently abled devices in the same head end and all manner of tricks and traps related to deciding the appropriate format s for your devices o e Cablecast 3 5 required you to create formats as a way to force an assignment for a show This is still possible but no longer necessary as you can now override Cablecast s auto assignment feature when editing the reel record Section 6 6 2 on page 113 Each device must have at least one format if it is
21. If the system didn t see the files on the video server when you sent autopilot you will need to correct this error before the first run time You may notice when you review your device assignment list that Cablecast only displays one entry for every program even if that program repeats This is because the system is smart enough to know that you need only load a tape or DVD once There is no need to show repeats because the intent of this list is to display what needs to be loaded not what is running on your channel and when q 8 3 1 Swapping If you send more shows at autopilot than your head end can handle Cablecast will generate swaps These swaps are kept under their own heading in the device assignment list as you can see in Figure 8 8 Swap List Available 2 12 2005 2 56 31 21339 Valley View Middle School Orchestra Concert Deck 1 Slot 1 Tse pm Load by 2 20 2005 6 29 56 pm Media Valley Mew Middle School Orchestra Concert 00 47 42 Available 2 13 2005 1 20 04 21599 Hillcrest Gr 2 Jody Rabbit amp Tiger Deck 2 Slot 1 SECT pm Load by 2 20 2005 6 59 56 pm Media Hillorest Gr 2 Jody Rabbit amp Tiger 00 12 24 Figure 8 8 This is a typical swap listing within the device assignment list It shows when the earliest and latest time a swap may happen Cablecast does its best to keep swaps together as you can see here In addition to the Load By listing on the l
22. Show Management Create Delete Modify O View O No access Schedule Create Delete Modify O View O No access Autopilot Send Autopilot Device Assignments Event Table Force Batch Functions Allow to Access Reporting Allow to Access Plug ins Allow to Access System Settings Allow to Access Location Settings Allow to Access save J cancei Figure 4 2 The Cablecast Permissions form in Frontdoor User Manager 4 4 The Frontdoor Main Menu 41 4 4 The Frontdoor Main Menu a I Q Tightrope Media Systems Main Menu Cablecast Carousel Change Password Server Setup Logout 2005 tightrope media systems A v Transferring data from localhost futo Copy Figure 4 3 Frontdoor Main Menu The Frontdoor Main menu which appears after you successfully log in is common to both the administrator and user level accounts The list of menu options is as follows Frontdoor Applications This is the list of Frontdoor applications such as Carousel and Cablecast which are installed on the system While the ad ministrator always sees the complete list user level accounts may only see a subset of tools depending on privileges assigned in the Frontdoor User Manager Change Password Change the account s password from here Server Setup Unique to the administrator account this menu option gives the administrator control over email server setup the banner title and clock synchronization settings
23. Usually this value will be around 30 seconds although your millage will vary Take Delay This will depend completely on the device Test this by pressing play on the device and counting the number of seconds before the device actually starts to play Enter that value into this field Post Roll This device does not require a post roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Enter the COM Port number to which this device is at tached Example 1 or 7 Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Control Module 230 Information Device End Action For video servers choose Stop Tape machines typ ically take a Rewind command Router Output If the device records choose the output on the routing switcher that is connected to the record input on this device Record Quality This setting is not used even with video servers Consult your servers documentation on alternate ways to adjust the bit rate Record Copy UNC e Important notes about this device This control module supports Sony Protocol devices and Odetics servers If you are using a 360 Systems Image Server then you will be estab lishing 3 devices under the Location Settings 10 Devices menu Two for each input channel and one for the input record channel That
24. When you are finished click the save button Remember if you have multiple locations refer to the list you made in Section 5 2 on page 60 you have to repeat all of these steps for each location After your done we re ready for a trip back to the System Settings menu 5 6 Finalizing the System Settings Now that each and every location has been lovingly described by you in the previous section you re ready execute the final steps of our initial setup by telling Cablecast how it all works on a global scale Of course if you have just one location this will be anti climatic Sorry We will now setup each channel and describe the interconnects between each location Ww Why didn t we do this in the location settings Because channels can exist within multiple locations Because channels may transcend locations we need to configure them somewhere else Here is where somewhere is Navigate to the System Settings menu Then follow the rest of this section in order 5 6 1 Channels Click the Channels button You ll repeat these steps for each channel 5 6 Finalizing the System Settings 83 BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu System Settings Channels TBC Channel lO Primary Location BEC Output TBC Feeder Location BCIT m Feeder Output TBC Feed Primary s Input BCIT Feeder Location BCAT w Feeder Output TBC Primary s Input B
25. application that Cablecast was specifically designed for and that is cable access If you are part of an access center then the conventions used in this manual will make perfect sense If not then you may need a bit of context Do not worry though cable access centers push Tightrope into developing the most capable and reliable head end management system available If you are not a cable access professional you will still feel right at home using Cablecast for your audiovisual automation system In order to be clear and concise this manual will assume that you are using Ca blecast in a cable access center Therefore some definition work and context is necessary in order to understand exactly to what we are referring Please refer to Appendix A on page 171 1 3 About Tightrope Tightrope Media Systems is a manufacturer of web centric media delivery and display systems We strive to provide integrated solutions designed specifically for the markets we choose to address with a web centric interface as a core design of everything we do For more information on Tightrope Media Systems please visit our web site http www trms com Email us at info trms com Our Address is Tightrope Media Systems 800 Transfer Road Suite 17 Saint Paul Minnesota 55114 For customer service please contact your dealer or Customer Support Email support trms com Support Forum http www trms com home Forum This forum requires a free registrati
26. jumping to that number on its counter Why Because a deck jumping to a time on a counter is not counting any tape that does not have timecode or control track Therefore an IR deck will cue to a spot significantly before the serial controlled deck Because of this difference you need a way to differentiate between the two decks Oropi 2 Decide to degrade the primitive type of the serial decks so that they do not cue to counter or timecode numbers Instead like IR decks they will play for the amount of time designated in the show s cue field allowing the routing switcher to switch at the right time Both decks will be set to the Generic primitive format Obie 3 Throw out the IR decks ll That is rewind them to the leader 34 Mechanics These same scenarios play out when DVD players with IR and serial control are mixed with the added difference of not being able to cue to a title or chapter on an IR DVD player Which compromise is best At Tightrope we re not a big fan of IR devices so we d bring them out to a deserted field and have ourselves a technology skeet shoot But that s us You ll have to decide what s best for you on your own 3 5 All About Channels Feeder and Primary Channels represent the scheduled output that you produced Each channel on your Cablecast system has its own schedule Cablecast automates the scheduled con tent on channels so that programming appears as you intended which is pr
27. or Digital Signage System displays information on a monitor using text and graphics These messages are created using the authoring software provided by the system s manufacturer Typically these messages are displayed on a closed circuit television network within an organization Examples of such systems include The messaging system that appears on your hotel s TV set when you first turn it on the messages that display on the television in most public school buildings and some bars have video messaging systems that display trivia or advertisements Streaming or Streaming a very broad term that people used to describe pushing content across a network and viewing that content as it arrives Often times manufacturers will use the term when they network multiple media playback devices even though the content might not technically be streaming as it is first loaded on the remote server and then played back on demand Streaming also typically refers to the streaming of video and audio and not the streaming of other multimedia presentations although the technology is the same O o Control Module Information B 1 Introduction Control modules are services that help Cablecast communicate with devices that are used in your head end We discuss them in Section 3 1 on page 27 This appendix includes all of the documentation that is available on each control module As new modules are released they will be added to this guide or released
28. save button Devices Click the Devices button When installing a fresh system there will be devices already entered that Tightrope created when your system was assembled These devices were left in here as ex amples and may be deleted if you wish To delete them click the check box next to the devices and click the delete button For the purposes of this documentation we ll assume that they do not exist You will repeat this process all of your devices listed on your sheet from Sec tion 5 2 1 on page 61 until all are accounted for Reference this list as you go through the following steps Remember that many of the fields listed in the steps below will be missing de pendent on what is selected in the Device Type field When a field is missing skip that step with confidence This document is long enough without having to re type the enumeration below for every device type 1 Click the new button 2 Select the newly created device which will be called New Input 3 Rename the device making sure that the name is unique such as Deck 1 4 If the device has playback ability choose the input number on the routing switcher in the Router Address field 5 In the Device Function pop down select the function of the device os Remember from Section 5 2 1 on page 61 if a device records i and plays at the same time it is two device Another way to see it For every inpu
29. third channel is set up as Playback amp Record Cablecast will not allow this port on the Image Server to play and record at the same time which is desirable If you are having trouble communicating with your 422 device be sure of two things First check the cabling Be sure you read the notes at the top of this section Second check that the device is set for 422 control and not local mode B 26 Visual Circuits Based Video Servers VC4ReelProCM 231 B 26 Visual Circuits Based Video Servers VC4ReelProCM Physical Connections This device uses an Ethernet connection Control Module Implementation This control module compiles a list of events that is compatible with the device When sending autopilot the control module will send the entire list to the device and the device will execute each command independently and on schedule This control module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references this control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device Each port on each video server will be listed as a device under the Location Settings 10 Devices menu Settings used within
30. was fired on a day of the week With those systems an event on Monday would fire every Monday until you changed the event table In Cablecast events happen on their time and date and they only happen once Reviewing Figure 8 9 on the next page Date and Time This column provides the date and time of the event and a link that opens that event which we cover later in this section Show ID This is the show ID that generated this event Often a single run will generate up to seven events Input If this event includes a switch on your routing switcher it will be listed in this column If not there will be a Device f a device is used it will be listed here Slot When a device has more than one slot such as a DVD changer the slot that is being requested is listed here 3Without Cablecast you would be generating all seven of those events by hand 8 4 The Event Table 155 Events for channel All Channels Last sent from 2 14 2005 6 00 00 PM to 2 14 2005 6 45 00 PM at 2 14 2005 12 21 10 PM Y Date and Time O 2 14 2005 6 00 00 pm 2 14 2005 6 09 03 pm 2 14 2005 6 09 48 pm 2 14 2005 6 09 58 pm 2 14 2005 6 21 54 pm 2 14 2005 6 21 57 pm 2 14 2005 6 28 42 pm 2 14 2005 6 29 57 pm 2 14 2005 6 29 59 pm 2 14 2005 6 30 00 pm 2 14 2005 6 40 13 pm 2 14 2005 6 44 03 pm 2 14 2005 6 44 48 pm 2 14 2005 6 44 58 pm 2 14 2005 6 55 14 pm O 2 14 2005 6 55 17 pm O 2 14 2005 6 57 17 pm E ele
31. with the new control module Refer to this appendix as you are configuring each control module for use in your head end Each control module description includes e Description of the hardware and models that this control module works with e Method by which the device is connected to the server Example Ethernet Serial Etc e A description of the control module to use within the list found in System Settings Control Modules e A list of CMS setting information e A list of information for setting up a device with this control module Control Module 176 Information The remainder of the control module s section is devoted to special instruction and notes about implementing the control module B 2 Adtec Edje Server 177 B 2 Adtec Edje Server e Physical Connections This device uses an Ethernet connection Communicates with Cablecast s control module using Telnet port 23 The control module communicates with the server in real time There fore the connection between it and the server must be reliable and fast No more than a single Ethernet switch should separate the two e Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time Each server location that uses this device will need only one control module set If multiple devices exist within the installation then they will be addressed within the
32. 1 Here we have contact with the control module but not the routing switcher Troubleshooting 252 and Miscellaneous Tasks Generally serial communications are the most reliable because there are only a few points of configuration and communication By far the most common problem is bad cabling wether it be a broken cable or one that is NULL when it should be straight or vice versa You know that you have a serial communication problem when Cablecast complains that it has no contact with the device Figure F 1 on the preceding page It s important to distinguish between this error and actively refused it When Cablecast complains about machines actively refusing connections that s a control module issue and you should be reading Section F 3 on the next page To troubleshoot serial communications step through the following list e s the cable good Swap it out with a known good cable e Check the required cable type Is it the right type of cable for your routing switcher null or straight thru e s the cable plugged into the correct server and the correct comport e See Section 5 5 2 on page 75 and XXX Missing Reffor information on configuring the connection Make sure you didn t type COM1 in the Port Settings field Only the number is required e Are you sure you ve selected the correct control module If the wrong control module is used serial communication may happen but the control module may
33. 13 Leightronix Pro 8 LgxMVP2000CM Physical Connections This device uses an Ethernet connection Control Module Implementation This control module compiles a list of events that is compatible with the device When sending autopilot the control module will send the entire list to the device and the device will execute each command independently and on schedule This control module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references this control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56707 CM URI LgxMVP2000CM Authentication LgxMVP2000CM56707 Settings used within Location Settings O Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the IP address of the MVP 2000 Authentication Enter your user name and password in the following format username password where us
34. Default Channel Crawls Name Air Force News Record Media Airforce News Show Reel 1 Remove Time 7 30 00 am Length 00 30 00 Source Destination Device Satellite Device MPEG Encoder v X Cue 00 00 01 Cue 00 00 00 File Key 7 1 Figure 7 17 The Record Event Form 7 8 Run Types 139 devices appear within this pop down list Cue This is the amount of time to record before the record time O It may be useful to cut back the cue time on the source and add that number to the cue time on the destination That way whatever cueing video you had on the source will be recorded on the destination In the reel record for this program you will enter this cue value into the reel record for the program that you are recording When you are finished with these settings click the save button 7 8 Run Types City Hall Head End Main Menu Location Settings Run Types Shows Schedule I O Autopilot Block Useas Type Bugtext O Live d C Remote Location Fj Fj X Run Type Name new delete 2005 tightrope media systems Ex Figure 7 18 The Run Types Form Run types are merely a record keeping field within the details section of Cablecast The identify what type of run was performed Most stations do not use this field and those that do typically do not specify it or they select Live as the value We learned how to assign a run type back in Section 7 3 on pag
35. E 2 The Routing Switcher From the Main Menu navigate to Autopilot Force This is where we ll play with Cablecast s virtual routing switcher Main Menu Schedule Shows Autopilot About FrontDoor Tightrope Media Systems Jump to ShowID cablecast City Hall Head End Main Menu Autopilot Force Device Q Force Menu Retrosh OUTPUTS ac Monitor Actions Dev Only Delay BEC TV Output Status VCR 1 Y J Q Carousel J Video Server 1 None v Q Stopped D 144 mpg n gt f Video Server 2 None i Video Server 1 to BEC TV Video Server 3 None v topp 2005 tightrope media systems Ex Figure E 1 Notice how the dark green lights show the switcher s status When you mouse over an input Cablecast reports the switch that would happen if you clicked your left mouse button We cover the virtual routing switcher in more detail in Section 8 5 on page 158 Take a look at the grey title bar underneath the navigation bar in Figure E 1 Error messages and results from your actions will be reported here In this figure you ll notice that we do not have any errors and the switcher s current status is reported by the dark green dots This means success Test the switcher by selecting one of the green dots We cover the Force Menu in Section 8 5 on page 158 but we will touch on some of its features as we continue to test our installation E 2 The Routing Switcher 249 E 2 1
36. Feb E 11 30 00 am Figure 7 12 This is a multi location schedule You can not edit the shows that do not originate from this location 7 5 Manual Runs 129 Manual runs are runs that are not attached to show records In theory you could program your entire Cablecast system using manual runs but then much of the benefits of the system would evaporate The only way to add a manual event is to click the New button from the Modify Schedule form Once you click New select Manual Run s from the New radio button list Then click add When you return to the schedule you ll see a run with a title of New Event Click on the title You will be presented with the form illustrated in Figure 7 13 Name This is the name of the event lt doesn t matter to Cablecast what you name it as this only appears in the schedule within Cablecast Length At the end of the length Cablecast will switch to the next program or to the default input whichever is the right thing to do The length determines how long to wait before doing that Device This is the device that you want to perform the action on Action This is the action that you want to perform There are a couple of very important points to make about manual runs First depending on what you are trying to accomplish you may need at least two runs to accomplish it Specifically if you want to play a tape wait 10 seconds switch to it swi
37. Host Port Every control module operates on its own port When Tightrope makes a new control module we assign It a port and hard code it into the service Therefore don t change this number unless you ve been told to do so by someone really smart at Tightrope Media Systems 12There are a few of them and they ll identify themselves 68 Setup Also when communicating with control modules through firewalls you will need to note the value in this field You will need to open the port on the local firewall and forward this port to the remote machine on the remote firewall CM URI This is the name that Cablecast uses to identify the control module Therefore it should not be edited Authentication The authentication string is used to identify the communication as coming from a Cablecast machine Do not change this setting Details The details button queries the control module for its status and event table if there is one When setting up remote locations clicking the Details button is the quick est way to verify the connection If you see a status window like in Fig ure 5 3 then you ve got a connection If you get the same window with nothing but Generic on 192 168 1 3 is not available then you don t have a connection Log for Generic on localhost View Events Log List Details No events in the log Event Date CMS ID Event ID Event Status Device Action Router Input Router Output
38. Introduction Welcome to the chapter on testing your Cablecast system You re here because you ve just finished installing the system or you ve added equipment and your ready to make sure that everything is working This chapter and Appendix F on page 251 go hand in hand You ll see plenty of references leading you to steps that help you correct any problems with the aspect of the system you are working on There is good information here and we think you ll find the time you spend in this chapter and in Chapter F time well spent If you want to test a specific aspect of the system check the Table of Contents for the section that best describes what you re working on Because many aspects of the system are similar there will be a good amount of skipping around as you go This chapter may not be one that you will read from front to back but we hope it proves to be useful If you re testing a fresh system it s best to test the routing switcher and then every device before you release the Cablecast system on your un witting public During the process you ll be able verify communication with each device including the routing switcher and proper execution of each command This is important when establishing the correct cue Jump and take delays for the mechanical devices that Cablecast must manage When you re done you ll proceed with confidence 248 Testing Cablecast knowing that Cablecast will automate your system just as expected
39. Media Search Search for Media Media Name Bloomington Today Media Format MPEG Creation Date Greater than v Disposition None Preassigned only O search subset Preassign Device X Media Name Disposition O Bloomington Today August 8 14 O Bloomington Today Sept 26 Oct 2 Bloomington Today Oct 3 9 2004 tightrope media systems AE Figure 6 18 The Media Search Form The fields at the top of the form act as filters for the media records that are returned when you click the search button If you clicked search without entering anything into the fields on this form every media record in the database would be returned to you 6 6 Media 113 a In general never do that It is not a good habit to get into since one day you will have thousands of media records From top to bottom this is a description of each field in Figure 6 18 on the facing page Media Name This can be all or part of the title given to the media record Media Format Limit the results to a specific format using this pop down list Creation Date By using the pop down list and entering a date to the right you can see all the media records of a specified date Disposition Remembering our definition of dispositions from Section 6 3 3 on page 94 you can limit the search only to shows that match what you select in this pop down Preassigned only As we ll discuss in Section 6 6 2 we can for
40. O O LU o gt O First Steps 4 1 Introduction Before you begin configuring Cablecast we need to cover some basics such as logging in adjusting the Frontdoor server settings and becoming acquainted with the Main Menu In this chapter you will get your first look at the Cablecast user interface 4 2 Logging into the Frontdoor Server Remember Cablecast is a web application This means that Cablecast s interface is created from a web server that is running on your Tightrope server Figure 4 1 on the following page You can access Cablecast directly from the server but more often you will access it from a computer that is on your network Your Cablecast system comes with a built in account called the Admin ac count The username for the Administrator account is Admin The default password is trms 38 First Steps The Admin and Manager Usernames are not case sensitive You may type Admin or admin and log in successfully You will use this account when following the instructions in this chapter The Ad min always has access to all of the features of Cablecast and includes a Server Setup menu that is not available while logged in using any other account In addition to the Admin account every Frontdoor Server comes with a Man ager account The Manager account is used to manage the user accounts of all Tightrope products and is the only account that ha
41. O Autopilot Allow Assignment In House Dispositions Erased O Archive Shelf Returned to Producer In Post new delete seve canco 2005 tightrope media systems Ex MM Figure 6 3 The Dispositions Form Depending what state the disposition is describing you may or may not want a head end operator to be able to automate a show with that reel in it That is an erased show may loose some of the pop it had back when its disposition was In House That s where un checking the Allow Assignment box next to the disposition name comes in handy This will prevent Cablecast from automating media records with these dispositions Delete a disposition by selecting the checkbox on the left and clicking delete Deleting a disposition will clear the disposition setting for shows that are using it 3Other stations don t track dispositions at all It s up to you Projects Shows 96 Producers and Media Records When you re done click save Don t bother checking the dispositions with your changes as Cablecast will save all changes automatically 6 3 4 Custom Fields When you cannot find a field to capture a needed item within your show record making a custom field is often the answer There are always eight custom fields available to you When you type a name into an empty Field Name field and select a field type in the Field Type pop down Cablecast automatically show
42. Router Take Delay Device Cue Device Slot Device Title Device Chapter Device Primitive Format Device Record Copy UNC Device Record Quality Device File Key Device Address 2004 tightrope media systems dE Figure 5 3 The Details Screen of a Control Module There is no event history in this Generic Control Module If Cablecast could not communicate with it it would say so at the top of this window 5 3 Gathering Control Modules 69 5 3 2 Identifying Your Control Modules Deciding When to Make Copies The first rule to remember about control modules is that every one is unique on each server That is there can never be two copies of an identical control module on one server Therefore if you have ten JVC SRS 365U s connected to your Cablecast machine one control module handles all ten Taking our example one step to the left if you have five 365U s on your Cablecast machine and five more connected to a Tightrope server sitting right next to your Cablecast machine then you need to make a copy of the JVC 365U control mod ule changing its name to reflect its location and editing the location field with either the IP address or the name of the remote server See Figure 5 4 for an example You make a duplicate of a control module by selecting the check box to its right and clicking the Duplicate button on the bottom of the form JVCSRS365U localhost 56716 JVCSRS365UCM JVCSRS365UCM567
43. What Could Possibly Go Wrong No Contact With the Routing Switcher A number of errors may be reported in the grey area below the navigation bar The most common error is beautifully illustrated in Figure F 1 on page 251 Cablecast is telling us that it can t communicate with the routing switcher See Section F 2 on page 251 for help with this error You may get the error shown in Figure F 2 on page 253 Cablecast is telling you that it could not make contact with the control module for switcher This would be more common on control modules running on remote machines such as a video server See for help with this issue If neither of these two errors and the routing switcher doesn t respond to your inputs it may represent an incompatibility between your switcher and the control module Check over the steps outlined in this section and if you still do not have success review any notes included with the control module in XXX Missing Ref If this doesn t provide you with any clues contact your dealer or Tightrope support for help 250 Testing Cablecast Troubleshooting and Miscellaneous Tasks Introduction F 2 Serial Communications City Hall Head End Main Menu Autopilot Force Device An error occured while obtaining router information No response from device TRMS ControlModules Knox8CMDevice OUTPUTS ac Monitor gt Actions Dev Only Delay BEC TV Output VCR 1 eo b O O Carousel Q Q Figure F
44. a VHS player in your head end that is capable of handling 6 hour tapes and other decks that are not you will need a 6 hour VHS format for that device and for the shows that are recorded in that method On the other hand if 20 devices in your head end can all replay DVC PRO tapes the same format should be used for all 20 devices 3 4 2 Multiple Formats Per Device A device may have up to three formats associated with it In this way Cable cast can prioritize secondary formats for devices that can replay multiple for mats 9As opposed to simply being represented as a device so that an operator may force a command to it within the Autopilot menu 32 Mechanics For example imagine that Device A is a Pseudo S VHS deck and it can replay 6 Hour tapes The other decks in the head end which are real S VHS decks cannot replay the 6 Hour format Device A would have the following formats in the following order VHS 6 Hour VHS S VHS The other decks will be S VHS VHS We ll cover this in more detail when we create devices in the Location Settings Devices menu which we do in Section 5 5 2 on page 77 3 4 3 Primitive Types Like devices formats have types which we call primitive types Cablecast will show different options within a media record depending upon the primitive type of the format that you choose Also Cablecast will limit the selection of formats within the Location Settings Devices Device Edi
45. a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Enter the port number starting with 0 Therefore card 1 has ports 0 3 card 2 has ports 4 7 etc Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Stop is recommended for this device e Important notes about this device Remember the control module for this server must be on the video server in order for it to operate correctly Support for network paths in the Port Setting field will be available in version 4 3 or Cablecast O O O e Pin Out Diagrams C 1 RS 232 9 Pin Serial Cable Straight Thru Straight Thru Cable Device Pin Out Pin Out 2 Receive 2 Transmit 3 Transmit 3 Receive 5 Ground 5 Ground 234 Cable Pin Out Diagrams C 2 RS 232 9 Pin Serial Cable Null Modem Null Modem Cable Server RS 232 Device Pin Out Pin Out Receive Receive Transmit Transmit Ground Ground C 3 RS 232 9 Pin Serial Cable Sierra Routers 235 C 3 RS 232 9 Pin Serial Cable Sierra Routers Sierra Routing Switcher Server RS 232 Device Pin Out Pin Out Receive Ground Transmit E Transmit Ground Receive 236 Cable Pin Out Diagrams C 4 RS 422 9 Pin Serial Cable With Internal Blastronix Cards 422 With Internal Card Blast
46. able Cablecast is a web centric cable head end management system that automates the equipment in your audiovisual head end From show management to controlling your equipment to generating the schedule for your web site Cablecast will be at the center of your media operations Cablecast has a few components that make up the system The web foundation that the software is built upon is called Frontdoor All of Tightrope s products utilize this common platform in an effort to provide you with a reliable easy to use and instantly familiar interface to our system Finally Frontdoor is what manages the user logins and rights on the system s web interface It is possible that your Cablecast server has Tightrope s Carousel video messaging system If this is the case you will want to read the Carousel Administrator Guide and the Cable Display for Carousel Guide Using the Cable Display plug in Carousel works with Cablecast in several important ways You will not want to miss these features 10 Introduction 1 2 Conventions Used In This Guide Throughout this guide the following conventions will be used Pp Se This is a note Notes are used to call attention to special information i that may be helpful to keep in mind an Q gt This is a warning Warnings call attention to actions that may result in unforeseen consequences such as batch functions that delete large amounts of data or configurations that mi
47. ahead too much you will later designate feeder locations and Channels that will be associated with the Primary channel Mark the channel on the feeder location and write down the location and channel that it is associated with On the Primary Location s worksheet mark the Device which is in reality and more simply put the input on the routing switcher that is connected to the feeder location Figure 5 1 These connections will require extra setup steps so marking them down is impor 66 Setup tant 5 2 4 Summarizing Your Worksheets Congratulations A large part of the setup has been completed By writing down all the devices outputs and routing switcher interconnects you ve created a clear picture of your head end for Cablecast Furthermore by first writing it down you have a good chance of getting the setup right the first time Before moving on you should know e how all of your playback sources are connected and controlled e where all of your primary channels are located e where all of your feeder channels are located e how the Feeder and Primary channels are connected to each other e how all of the preview and non automated outputs are connected For most installations the information that you have written down will show you exactly how your routing switcher is being used 5 3 Gathering Control Modules Four chapters later and armed with our list we re ready to start configuring Cable cast As
48. and user account information Within this menu you can backup and update the database If the current and required versions do not match your database is out of date To update the database click the update button To backup the database select the type of backup that you wish to perform Figure 4 10 on page 49 The first option backs it up to the server s hard disk at D TRMS Database Backup To copy it to a Window s share type the share name into the UNC field UNC names in the Windows world begin with two back slashes Example myServer myServerShare SubDirectory First Steps P x Tightrope Media Systems Main Menu Server Setup Time Settings Time Synchronization Service Enabled Time NTP Server time trms corn Synchronize Every 10 minutes update now Next Update 1 21 2005 11 47 36 PM Last Correction 1364 ms at 1 21 2005 11 37 36 PM save cancel 2005 tightrope media systems Ex Figure 4 9 Notice the information at the bottom of this form You can see when the last successful time synchronization took place 4 7 The Cablecast Interface 49 To attach a backup of your database to an email that is forwarded to you choose the Backup and Email option Enter your email address in the Address field as Before you can email the database you need to set up the email server settings as shown in Section 4 6 3 on page 44
49. connections between routing switchers red or dark greay bar 1The Cablecast server a third party event controller etc Something that controls playback equipment 18 Overview Ss Remember in Cablecast you schedule channels This is fundamen tally different from programming an event schedule because within an event schedule you are free to program your head end to do whatever you wish While freedom in societies works nice freedom can cause problems in the rigid world of head end automation where programming two shows at the same time on the same channel is generally frowned upon By working within a single schedule for each of your channels Ca blecast clarifies the impending results of your work If you have ex perience with traditional automation systems you will have to keep this nugget of fact in mind as you read about the process of setting up and eventually using your system It is important to understand the significance of channels and locations so if you are not sure go back and read the previous definitions again Cablecast uses these concepts in an effort to properly control and utilize the resources under its domain 2 2 1 The Four Basic Installation Types There are four basic types of configurations and all of them center around the concepts of Locations and Channels Remember as you review the list below each of these configurations has one thing in common Only one Cablecast server i
50. in the upper right Local ID The local ID is a number you can enter if you have an existing database that has an identifier you would like to track This field is not guaranteed to be unique between show records so is therefore less reliable than the show ID Project If you would like you can link this show record to a project Click the Link project button to search for the project this show belongs to Title The Title is used for internal representation of your program If nothing is entered into the CG Title field then this field is copied into it so that both internal and external representation of this show is covered by what you type here CG Title CG Titles are public titles They are used when Carousel needs to display a title for a show that it is advertising or when Cablecast is showing information on its public web site 7 By using a different title for the Title and CG Title field gt Cablecast gives you a way to represent your shows for you and your viewers differently My favorite example is the hockey game where the announc ers didn t show up The station put Kennedy Jefferson Hockey NO TALENT in the Title field and a more appropriate title in CG Title Imagine the comments they d have gotten without this feature in play CG Exempt When you check this box you are setting a default for this show when it is scheduled Whenever this show is scheduled
51. in your search then select the filter you would like to apply Depending on the field and the filter you may see a pop down Show Search Title Contains Time of our lives Date Greater than w 11 1 2003 12 C Search all Locations O search show all J subset J save tobin 2 results found Category Show ID gt Title Length Producer Date O 21347 gt Time of our Lives 96 00 59 00 Information 3 1 2004 BEC O 21346 Time of our Lives 95 Gallimafry 00 59 01 Information 1 1 2004 Reel 1 Time of our Lives 95 OVDB 00 59 01 BEC Gallimafry tm any _ Figure 6 13 This is search which has returned some results Notice that the second show s green arrow has been selected and the media record has been revealed Projects Shows 108 Producers and Media Records Save Search Search Name TOOL 2004 Search fn Figure 6 14 Saving a Search Show Search Title Contains Time of our lives Date Greater than w 11 1 2003 12 C Search all Locations O And M Field Subject Contains Music 1 LH search show all subset save 1 results found Category Show ID Title Length Producer Date O 21346 gt Time of our Lives 95 Gallimafry 00 59 01 Information 1 1 2004 BEC subset to bin Figure 6 15 If you would like to add more filters click the and select AND from the pop down list If you d like to include more shows in your re sults choose
52. lf you set the length to 0 then Cablecast will hold the first program on the air until the next one is scheduled up to 10 seconds If the gap between programs is greater than 10 seconds Cablecast will switch to the default input Click save when you ve entered the desired value 8 We ll skip over setting up your public site as that really deserves it s own chapter See Chapter 9 on page 165 for more information 9 To repeat these steps for the next channel click the Channels hyperlink in the menu bar at the top Select the next channel in the list and start again from the top 5 6 2 Time Sync Settings Once you ve completed the setup of your channels you have one step left Navi gate back to the System Settings menu and click Time Syncing This is where we tell Cablecast how often to synchronize remote devices that oper ate on their own event list Video servers event controllers and remote locations all have their own clocks and since computer clocks are notoriously inaccurate they need to be reset at regular intervals Most often every 3 or 4 hours is more 5 6 Finalizing the System Settings 85 Main Menu Schedule Shows Autopilot About Tightrope Media Systems Jump to cablecast BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu System Settings Channels TBC Interstitial Length Interstitial Length 45 Note A value of 0 will disable interstitial switches save H cancel 22004 tig
53. listed as it was in the first locations However the shows that you can edit will be changed to those shows that are at that location 7 5 Manual Runs Manual runs go against everything that is good and right about Ca blecast Instead of letting the system manage conflicts and devices you re overriding its good decisions with your own and therefore lim iting the power of the system There are good reasons to use manual run events but they are few and far between Up until version 4 0 they didn t even exist and their absence wasn t noticed by the vast majority of people 128 The Schedule BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Modify Schedule for Wednesday February 09 2005 BEC TV TBC Schedule Channel Record BEC TV Crawls Update New Delete Print Copy Paste Block Ripple Unbu Y StartTime ShowID Title gt 12 00 00 am 21021 BAA Baseball 2003 Major Consolation i 2 30 00 am 21060 Patchwork Every Life A Story Worth Telli 4 00 00 am 21425 Crime Time Feb 6 12 4 30 00 am 21500 Bloomington Today Feb 4 10 C 5 00 00 am 20985 Bloomington School Board Agenda for Feb E 5 30 00 am 13329 Bloomington Schools Volunteer Orientation 6 00 00 am 21021 BAA Baseball 2003 Major Consolation Philli 8 30 00 am 21060 Patchwork Every Life A Story Worth Telli 10 00 00am 21425 Crime Time Feb 6 12 10 30 00am 21500 Bloomington Today Feb 4 10 C 11 00 00 am Bloomington School Board Agenda for
54. of these devices it s often helpful to enumerate the devices either starting with 1 or starting with the routing switcher input that each device is attached to Device Function Choose Record Only Device Type Choose Digital File Take Delay This device does not require a take delay although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Post Roll This device does not require a post roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Leave this blank as you address the device in the Device CMS section Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Stop Move File is recommended for this device Router Output Use the output number on the routing switcher that is connected to the input on this device This is used during record ing encoding Record Quality Use any value that seems appropriate for your stations qual ity expectations Typically 6 mb sec offers the best quality per megabit Record Copy UNC Enter the network path to the content directory for your video server Example VS4500 1001 Content e Important notes about this device Selecting Move File from the Device End Action list will cause newly encoded files to be pushed to the value that you entered int
55. operator uses to prepare the head end BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Autopilot _ Send Autopilot _ Event Table _ Device Assignments D Force _ Digital File Management Figure 8 1 The Autopilot Main Menu Below is a quick explanation of all of the options within the autopilot main menu which we get to by clicking Autopilot from the main menu Figure 8 1 Send Autopilot This is where we instruct Cablecast to create a new event table and device assignment list Also we can tell Cablecast to program the devices immediately after it generates the event table 8 1 Introduction 143 Event Table This is the list of raw commands that Cablecast generates when you send autopilot Each event in this table contains a set of commands destine for an either or combination of the routing switcher and the device that is specified in the event When troubleshooting issues it is often helpful to look here and that is the primary purpose of this form You can however send the events to the hardware from this form and you can edit events in the list as well You can no longer create events within the event table This feature was removed as of 4 0 due to the complexities related to the way Cablecast generates it Device Assignments This is the list the operator uses to load the head end It includes the load time media and show information and the device and slot to load the media in Force This is the virtual
56. other devices If there is more than one of these devices it s often helpful to enumerate the devices either starting with 1 or starting with the routing switcher input that each device is attached to Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to Device Function Choose Playback only Device Type Choose DVD Jump Duration Enter 10 as the value This is the number of seconds to wait after a jump command is issued There needs to be enough time for this device to jump to the new cue point and our experience says that 10 is the right value Your mileage may vary Take Delay This device does not require a take delay although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Post Roll This device does not require a post roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Leave this blank as you address the device in the Device CMS section Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Stop is recommended for this device e Important notes about this device There are no special notes for this device Control Module 228 Information B 25 Tightrope 422 Control TRMSCBLRS422CM e Physical Connections
57. record of this example we have the Assignment field set to a specific DVD changer and slot number We are highlighting that we can force the autopilot system within Cablecast to always pick a device and slot if applicable for a media record This comes in handy when you have media that you do not want to reload and is more common in DVDs that hold multiple programs Finally notice the cueing information within each reel record See how the second reel for the second show is pointing to Title 2 This is significant Because of this Cablecast can cue to the shows correctly even though they are on the same DVD a Media Record N d e Reel Record Show Record Show ID 1234 Order Number 1 Title TOOL 80 Show ID Link 1234 All of the Length 00 29 12 Coe adi a Name TOOL DVD 04 00 00 05 de Format DVD gt lt Disposition In House Reel Record Disposition Date 1 2 2005 Show Record Assignment DVD 2 Slot 231 Show ID 1235 Order Number 1 Title TOOL 81 Show ID Link 1235 All of the Length 00 31 30 other info Cue Info Title 2 Chapter 1 00 00 12 L J 6 3 Preparing your Location for Show Information 91 ie Ss Is this all that important to your understanding of Cablecast Not really Cablecast makes it all work so that for most people reels are just a section within Cablecast which they enter the show information related to the length format and cue time Every
58. that seems appropriate for your stations qual ity expectations Typically 6 mb sec offers the best quality per megabit Record Copy UNC Enter the network path to the content directory for your video server Example VS4500 1001 Content e Important notes about this device Selecting Move File from the Device End Action list will cause newly encoded files to be pushed to the value that you entered into the Record Copy UNC field B 5 VS4 Series Video Servers EnseoAlchemyCM 183 B 5 VS4 Series Video Servers EnseoAlchemyCM e Physical Connections This device uses an Ethernet connection e Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time This control module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references this control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device Each port on each video server will be listed as a device under the Location Settings 10 Devices menu e Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Ent
59. the CG Exempt checkbox within the details menu of the schedule will be marked and the show will be hidden within all areas of Cablecast s public web site nor will it appear within Carousel s schedule This checkbox is only specifying a default You can change this setting for every run of this show by clicking on the details button within the schedule C This check box is especially handy for public service announce ments station bumpers and other programming that should run but not be advertised 6 5 Shows 103 Reels We specify the reel information within this section of our show record It is best to select the format of the show before you specify any cuing information as Cablecast may change the fields related to cuing depending on the format that you choose Length Media Show ID 5 Reel 1 Link media Cue E Title Chapter Format DVD v Save New Delete Figure 6 8 This is the reel section of a show record If you click the save button Cablecast will reformat your length and cuing in formation to match its standard format HH MM SS If you need to create an additional reel for this show click the new button Figure 6 9 ea Media Show ID 5 Reel 1 Link media ue Title Chapter Format DVD Y Save a Media TOOL Reel 2 Link media ue Title Chapter Format DVD Save New Delete Figure 6 9 Notice how ther
60. the following descriptions Date The date of the event Time The time of the event Input If there is a switch associated with this event this will be the input for that switch Device If there is a device action associated with this event this is the device Slot The slot number for the device This will only appear when a multi slot device is selected Title For DVD s this field will appear to select the title from which to cue Chapter The DVD chapter to cue to Cue The timecode or cue time for the device Action The action to take for this event Output If there is a switch with this event this will be the output Take Delay When there is a switch this is the number of seconds to wait after the device command before the switch happens CG Action This is the hook with Carousel that tells the Cable Display plug in the appropriate slide to show This field along with the show ID number is all that Cable Display needs to advertise the program 8 4 The Event Table 157 Main Menu Autopilot Event Table Edit Event Date 2 14 2005 Time 6 09 58 pm Input DWD A Device DVD A Slot 1 Title 0 Chapter O Cue 00 00 00 Action Output Take Delay 2 CG Action Next save cancel Figure 8 10 Within the Event Table form you can click on an event and see this form Autopilot 158 Automating Your Head End Editing an event is an extremely advanced activity and is almost never done Cha
61. the Administrator or with an account that has full access to Cablecast log into Cablecast and navigate to the System Settings Control Modules menu You will see a gigantic list of control modules These are all of the control modules that shipped with your Cablecast system If you have control modules that were provided to you that did not ship with Cablecast please refer to their documentation for installa tion and setup instructions Often there isn t any configuration necessary within this menu All of the control modules listed are active on your Cablecast system quietly awaiting instruction from the system You tell Cablecast which control modules to use in the Location Settings Control Module Sets under the I O tab In this menu we are telling Cablecast that there is a control module and where the control module is running Put simply we re naming the control module for us and for Cablecast and we re telling Cablecast its address It is important to 5 3 Gathering Control Modules 67 note that you will most likely use only a tiny fraction of the control modules in this list We pick and choose them later when we set up our location 5 3 1 Control Module List The Tour Name Host Address Host Port CM URI Authentication Info DenonDVD2900 localhost i 56717 DenonDVD2900CM DenonDVD2900CM5671 details DigitalRapidsStream localhost 56712 DRSteamCM DR
62. the CMS describes the TCD 1000 and the work you do in Location Settings 1 O Devices is at least in part for the devices attached to your TCD 1000 All devices attached to the TCD 1000 must have a device type of Generic The ProBus interface that the TCD 1000 uses does not allow two way communication If you are having trouble communicating with the TCD 1000 and you are certain that you have the correct type of cable check that the unit is set to 38400 baud and in no modem mode The TCD 1000 will not execute its event table unless it is left in its main menu which you can identify as the menu that shows the current time You can get to the main menu by repeatedly hitting the left arrow on the front of the unit until the clock appears B 16 Leightronix TCD IP LgxTCDIPCM 209 B 16 Leightronix TCD IP LgxTCDIPCM e Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device uses an Ethernet connection e Control Module Implementation This control module compiles a list of events that is compatible with the device When sending autopilot the control module will send the entire list to the device and the device will execute each command independently and on schedule This control module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references t
63. the two Tightrope Servers 4 provided a constant and reliable network connection between servers 5That is a control module can t access COM2 on another computer 3 3 Devices 29 The center of each location is the routing switcher All devices are associated with inputs for sources and outputs for record devices on the routing switcher Cablecast assumes that any input may be routed to any output within the routing switcher Channels are assigned to outputs on the routing switcher and have a default input on that same routing switcher Preview outputs are represented only in the Autopilot Force menu within Cablecast They are not automated in any way but may be manually switched to within the Force menu V In a way the routing switcher organizes devices When you label the inputs and outputs for your routing switcher in Cablecast s setup you also describe all of the mechanics of the devices that are connected to them That is you start with the input output number and build an accurate picture of your head end equipment from there c 3 3 Devices Simply stated a device is anything that Cablecast has to switch to sources or route things to record Designating a device as playback only record only or playback and record must be set within the device s description as we do in Section 5 5 2 on page 77 Therefore noting this role for a device while planni
64. there may be any number of fields which represent targets The first pop down is the target day and the second field is where you enter the target time You may add more targets by clicking the New button at the bottom of the block If you click the Update button Cablecast will save your entries To delete targets select them with the checkbox on the left and click Delete When you are finished you may click the save button to save your changes and exit the form To create a new block click the new button from the bottom of the form 4 We learn how to change this behavior in Section 7 6 5 on page 136 7 6 Creating Blocks 135 City Hall Head End Main Menu Location Settings Block Setup Shows Schedule I O Autopilot Name Source Day Source Time C Monday Selectman Monday w 6 30 pm O Tuesday w 1 00am O Tuesday w 7 00pm O Wednesday 6 00 00 am O Saturday w 3 30 pm Update New Delete new J delete Figure 7 14 This is the Block Setup form The buttons at the bottom of this form work on entire blocks The buttons within each block work on the block that they are contained in 136 The Schedule To delete a block check the checkbox to the left of the block s name and click the delete button at the bottom of the form 7 6 5 Changing Block Settings City Hall Head End Main Menu Location Settings Blocking Settings Shows Schedule I
65. this page outline the major elements of the Cablecast system Below is a broad description of each menu option Main Menu Schedule Shows Autopilot About FrontDoor Logd Tightrope Media Systems Jump to ShowID BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Modify Schedule for Friday January 21 2005 A BEC TV TBC Schedule Channel Record BEC TV Crawls This is where you create and modify schedules The buttons at the bottom of the page act on the items above This page represents one day of a schedule for one channel The date is listed at the top and the channel is listed at the top and bottom right To change the channel select it from the pull down menu where the current channel is displayed To change the date click the or button or enter the desired date and click jump Special note in most browsers entering information in a time or Show ID field and hitting the Enter key on your keyboard is the same as clicking the Update button Also when entering a new show the listing will be displayed with the title No Show Data Clicking on this hyperlink dumps you into the search menu where you can search for the program Otherwise you can enter the show s Show ID in the blank and hit return thus automatically inserting the program Update New Delete Print Copy Paste Block Ripple Unbump 01 21 2005 t Figure 4 16 Online Help is provided below the Location Bar by clicking on the located on the right h
66. wait after a jump command is issued There needs to be enough time for this device to jump to the new cue point and our experience says that 10 is the right value Your mileage may vary Take Delay This device does not require a take delay although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Post Roll This device does not require a post roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Leave this blank as you address the device in the Device CMS section Device Slots Enter 1 for the in the first field and 400 in the second field Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Stop is recommended for this device e Important notes about this device You will want to test the load and jump duration for this device before you use it on your channel Sticker DVD labels do not work well with this changer 226 Control Module Information B 24 Tascam DVD6500 DVD Player TascamDVD6500CM Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device requires a null modem cable See Section C 2 on page 234 for pin out diagram The device has a 9 pin male connector Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal sched
67. where you can search for a show grab it from your bin or select a saved search As shown in Figure 7 2 on the preceding page you ll notice that mousing over the show s title reveals the formats in use for that show If more than one reel is in play then Cablecast will display the formats separated by a comma When show is preassigned to a device the device information is displayed as well The length of a show is calculated by adding the lengths of all reels in a show record S In some cases Cablecast will re fudge this number when you g automate your head end in autopilot One example of this fudging is when you only have one DVD changer and a two reel show In this case Cablecast will play reel one wait 60 seconds to change disks or however long your Load Dura tion duration is set then start playing the next reel from the changer This will add 60 seconds to the show s duration but Cablecast deals with the ramifications of that automati cally The end time of a show includes not only the end time but also the inter stitial length Figure 7 5 on the next page which we set in Section 5 6 1 on page 82 unless CG Exempt is check in the run s details tab as we learn about in Section 7 3 on page 125 Shows that are CG Exempt are not 7 2 Using The Scheduling Interface 121 padded with the interstitial length and a show record can be placed after them with no break 7 bod
68. with each day that passes For example with a 10 hour cycle send it at 6 00pm the next swap will be at 4 00 am the next morning then at 2 00 pm and so on The Next Three Checkboxes We discuss the purpose of these options in Sec tion 8 2 on the next page Checking these options here will turn them on by default Default Location Main Menu Location Settings Autopilot Shows Schedule 1 0 Autopilot Start Time 6 00 00 pm End Time 5 59 00 am Send for 1 day s Use Swap cycle 24 hour s O Use sticky devices when choosing a device O Use run balancing when choosing a device Send the events to the hardware Figure 8 2 The Autopilot Settings Form 8 1 6 About the Rest Of This Chapter This chapter focuses on some concepts that are helpful when trying to understand automation with Cablecast and on walking through each of the menu items that we just covered 8 2 Sending Autopilot 147 8 2 Sending Autopilot BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Autopilot Send Autopilot O Calculate from 2 9 2005 at 6 00 00 pm Last sent 1 11 2005 6 00 00 pm to 2 10 2005 at 5 59 00 pm Last sent 1 12 2005 5 59 00 pm O using a hour swap cycle O Use sticky devices when choosing a device O Use run balancing when choosing a device Send the events to the hardware This will send for channel s TBC BEC TV Schedule Channel pa A 2004 tightrope media systems AQ Figure 8 3 This is the Send Aut
69. with more data it s up to you Our feelings will be hurt if you don t fill out all of the fields within your show and project records but that s between you and your higher power Don t come to us if someone asks you what you ve been doing the last ten years and all you can say is I ve run some shows but don t really know anything beyond that 6 2 Shows Reels and Media Records Because Cablecast does so much for you automatically it is sometimes necessary to explain a complicated concept so that in case you need to understand a subtlety about the system you re armed with a grasp of how Cablecast sees and then in turn rocks your world With that disclaimer aside let s talk about the fantastic world of shows reels and media records 6 2 Shows Reels and Media Records 89 As you know from previous sections a show record describes a program that you intend to track and eventually air on your channel A show is always stored on something like a DVD tape or MPEG filet The key is a show is always on a media record This is all well and good in a world where one show is on one tape or one DVD But sadly sometimes this is not the case That is where we get into reels and media records Reels relate very closely to media records but technically they describe slightly different things A reel describes the part of a show that exists on a single media record Specifically it stores the length and cueing informa
70. you must have the DSK plug in installed 7 4 Schedules With Multiple Locations 127 previous program short This is handy for runs that are live Run Type You can track the type of runs that you perform on your channel Types may include Live Studio or Remote To learn how to add new run types see Section 7 8 on page 139 Bug Text This is part of the DSK plug in and is only active when this plug in is installed When this run is active and there is a station bug overlayed on the program the text in this field will be displayed according to the settings in the plug in See Appendix D on page 241 for more information Crawl Text This text will be overlayed during this run according to the intervals established in the Length and Interval fields Click the save button when you are finished 7 4 Schedules With Multiple Locations A special mention needs to be made regarding channels that exist at multiple locations and their schedule The schedule for these channels behave in the same way as those that originate from a single location The only difference is that you cannot edit delete or add shows or runs from other locations If you need to edit shows from another location then the account with which you logged into Cablecast needs to have permission to view and edit the schedule at the remote location When you switch to the remote location in the Cablecast interface the channel will be
71. 0 show records Otherwise you will be in for quite a wait cancel duplicate clear tobin transfer Figure 6 12 These buttons are located at the bottom of a show record when you add a new one or edit an existing one Only save and cancel will appear if you get here from the schedule 6 5 Shows 107 When you have completed your search you can check a subset of the shows and click the subset button to return only the shows you ve selected This is helpful when you want to print a list of shows and filter out a few results that crept into your list If you have generated a complicated search and would like to later re use it select the save button Figure 6 14 on the next page Later you can recall a saved search as we see in 6 5 4 To copy a set of shows into a temporary bin which you can later recall a collection of shows while you re scheduling programs click the to bin button We ll explore the Saved Shows Bin in 6 5 5 If you click on the just below the Search All Locations checkbox Fig ure 6 13 you can specify additional filters or additional shows to include in your search If you would like to filter out shows choose AND from the check box on the right Figure 6 15 on the next page If you would like to include additional results in your search choose OR from the pop down list on the right Select the field you would like to include
72. 1 Examples For our first example we ll look at a single show that first plays on Monday at 9 00 am and block copy it to Tuesday at 12 00 pm In this example Cablecast would create the following block Block Setting Monday 9 00 am Tuesday 12 00 pm 27 Hours Result Cablecast will copy your one program and ripple it by 27 Hours One program would run once at Monday 9 00 am and again at Tuesday 12 00 pm Monday Tuesday Wednesday Program 1 at 9 00 am Program 1 at 12 00 pm If we were to add a second show to our example that starts on Monday at 10 00 am Cablecast will add the same 27 hours to the second show even though it doesn t start at 9 00 am 132 The Schedule Block Setting Monday 9 00 am Tuesday 12 00 pm 27 Hours Result Cablecast will copy your two programs and ripple them by 27 Hours The first program would run once at Monday 9 00 am and again at Tuesday 12 00 pm The second pro gram would be played on both days one hour later Monday Tuesday Wednesday Program 1 at 9 00 am Program 2 at 10 00 am Program 1 at 12 00 pm Program 2 at 1 00 pm If we take our same two shows and add a second block that has a target of Wednesday at 11 30 am the results look like this 7 6 Creating Blocks 133 Block Setting Monday 9 00 am Tuesday 12 00 pm 27 Hours Result Cablecast
73. 16 details UVCSRS365U WS4 192 168 1 3 56716 JVCSRS365UCM JVCSRS365UCM56716 details Figure 5 4 See how the two control modules are identical except for their names and their address This is how Cablecast knows that there are two con trol modules within its grasp that can handle the SRS 365U s 5 3 3 The Buttons at the Bottom At the bottom of this list are six buttons Figure 5 5 duplicate delete cancel clear Figure 5 5 The Control Module Form Buttons The Delete Duplicate and Clear buttons operate on the control modules you have selected Select control modules by checking the checkbox to their left 70 Setup To create a new control module entry ready for your description click the New button To save the changes that you ve made click Save It is not necessary to select specific control modules to save as Cablecast will save any and all changes made to this form once Save is selected To discard your changes click the Cancel button 5 3 4 Final Notes on the Control Modules List Finding the control module that matches your equipment should be pretty simple If you re having trouble check Appendix XXX Missing Reffor a description of the control modules included with your system Often the names are obvious like PioneerDVFO7 and often their not Knox64 refers to any Knox routing switcher bigge
74. 16 The Free Show ID list 6 6 Media 111 BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Show Management Shows Projects Media Search Shows Bin Category Show ID Title Length Producer Date 2345 gt JEFFERSON JAGUAR NEWS amp 00 05 00 News 5 14 1986 VIEWS 5 14 86 12345 Kennedy Spring 98 Choir Concert 01 58 30 Fine Arts 5 8 1998 Reel 1 Time Out 1 4 84 VHS 01 58 30 BEC O 21684 gt Valley View Grade 5 Blast from the 00 39 19 Fine Arts 2 12 2004 Past WE X 52004 tightrope media systems Ji Figure 6 17 Notice that the second show in this list has had its green are selected This expands the show listing to reveal any media records associated with the show Clicking on the show title opens the show record Clicking the media title opens the media record Projects Shows 112 Producers and Media Records In this section we ll explore the Media Search form and a media record 6 6 1 Searching for Media The Show Management Media Search form is the only way to directly access a media record within Cablecast Otherwise they are accessed either by searching for a show and revealing the media record by click the green arrow or by editing a show record and accessing the media record from the reels section Calling up media records is sometimes helpful especially when what you are dealing with has more than one show on it BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Show Management Shows Projects
75. 70 Reporting O O CJ DO O o Definitions Within the context of this guide the following definitions are used Cablecast Tightrope s system that manages devices in a head end Specifically Cablecast manages the media library schedule and automation of the head end By entering information into the library and making a schedule Ca blecast can build an event table and automate the equipment in the head end Cablecast also works with Carousel and automates the creation of programming announcements and schedule publishing Cable System The media management and playback operation of your facility The concepts related to these systems are applicable to all Cablecast instal lations Carousel Tightrope s video messaging system Software is bundled and pre installed on a computer as a turnkey package Carousel s user interface is completely web based meaning users and administrators access the system through a web browser Typically updates to the system do not take place on the Carousel box and instead happen elsewhere on the user s network Channel Each output that is scheduled by Cablecast If you have a routing switcher with many outputs more than one of the outputs is intended for your audience and Cablecast is in charge of scheduling the devices that are used for these outputs then you have multiple channels If you have just one schedule then you have just one channel CODEC Stands for Compressor De Compressor A COD
76. Also clicking the delete button at the bottom will delete any shows you have selected Default Location Main Menu Autopilot Force Device An error occured while obtaining router information No response from device TRMS ControlModules Knox64CMDevice Figure 8 17 An example error you might encounter in the force menu MCTV TCDIP Main Menu Autopilot Digital File Management Y ShowlD Title File Name Size SERVER Available Space 247 02 GB 147 21 08 001 UNCOMMON BRIGHT PT 1 7054 001 mpg 1 24 GB 002 UNCOMMON BRIGHT PT 2 7055 002 mpg 1 26 GB 004 ELECTIONS 4277 004 mpg 624 6 MB 005 VIETNAM BIKERS 4276 005 mpg 719 2 MB 006 FOGGY NOTION 4275 006 mpg 2 53 GB 007 ROOM 813 4278 007 mpg 17GB 008 GLORIFY HIM 4279 008 mpg 2 43 GB 008 CAMPUS POLE 04 7063 009 mpg 26 de MCC SEPT 7061 010 mpg 25 GB HEALTH 7062 011 mpg 02 GB MONEY CHECK 21 7064 012 mpg 09 GB MUSICAL OCT 7065 013 mpg 27 GB UNCOMMON DEVOS 7066 014 mpg 25 GB Figure 8 18 The Digital File Management Menu Here we see a busy video server courtesy MCTV of Mid land Michigan Autopilot 164 Automating Your Head End O O O O ublic Web Interface 9 1 Introduction 166 The Public Web Interface O O O O O Batch Functions 10 1 Introduction 168 Batch Functions O 11 11 1 Introduction 1
77. Bloomington School Board Meeting February 9 2004 Media Bloomington School Board Meeting February 9 2004 01 56 28 21207 Hillcrest Gr 3 Cluster Scout Hoedown Michelle s Class Media Hillcrest Gr 3 Cluster Scout Hoedown Michelle s Class 00 22 11 21651 Jaguar SPOTS 2 10 2004 Media Jaguar SPOTS 2 10 2004 00 11 54 21360 Olson Middle School Chorale Concert Media Olson Middle School Chorale Concert 00 43 13 21009 Bloomington School Board News February 9 2004 Media Bloomington School Board News February 9 2004 00 10 14 BEC TV Digital Files and Live Feeds Available Load by 2 11 2005 6 29 57 pm Available Load by 2 11 2005 6 30 00 pm 21327 Tomorrow s Voices Today TVT 24 Slot1 Media Tomorrow s Voices Today TVT 24 00 10 13 21501 Bloomington Today Feb 11 17 Media Bloomington Today Feb 11 17 00 27 17 Slot 1 Figure 8 7 This is a short device assignment list 2005 tightrope media systems Az It in cludes some programs running from VTR s DVD changers live inputs and a video server 8 3 The Device Assignment List 153 is separate because no action is typically needed If the files are loaded on the video server and the connections are in place for the live feeds then nothing needs further needs to be done Of course the video servers do need to be loaded Do not over look the warnings that Cablecast issued when you sent autopilot
78. CAT delete feeder Figure 5 12 Here we have a channel with its primary loca tion and two feeders With this description Ca blecast knows exactly how this channel is put together 84 Setup 1 Click the Channel Name button Give your channel a name and click save 2 Click the Channel 10 button Select this channel s primary location from the Primary Location pop down 3 Select the output on the routing switcher that this channel will use 4 If this channel has feeder inputs click new feeder Select the location of the feeder channel the output of this feeder channel on the feeder location s routing switcher and the input on the primary location s routing switcher that this feeder is being received on 5 Repeat the last step for all feeder channels at this location If you need to delete a feeder location select the radio button next to the the feeder location and click delete feeder 6 When the primary location and all feeders are defined click save 7 Click the Interstitial Length button This is where you will define the minimum amount of time between each advertised program Figure 5 13 on the next page When you schedule two programs in Cablecast you may want it to force this amount of time between them so that there is enough time to advertise when the first show is repeated and name of the show that is coming up Usually 20 to 30 seconds is appropriate
79. CAT Main Menu Show Management Shows Projects Media Search Edit Media Creation Date 10 15 2002 Media Name TOOL DVD1 Format DVD Y Preassign nz TEA DEE DVDA v Preload Slot 245 Disposition Iv Disposition Date Shows 19755 Time of our Lives 88 Voices TOOL 19831 Semptember Education News Tools and Information Parents Can Use 20083 Time of our Lives 89 Rediscovering Rochester TOOL save pp cancel t 9 3 2002 2005 tightrope media systems E Figure 6 19 Two things are interesting about this media record First it has multiple shows assigned to it You can click on any show s ID number and be sent to that show record Second the media is assigned to a specific device When Cablecast automates this media it will always choose this DVD changer and slot 6 6 Media 115 convenient device for playback pursuant to factors that only clerics pretend to understand You can override this by specifying a a device and slot if applicable for Cablecast to use A T When preassigning a DVD to a slot in a changer use a very high slot like 100 or higher Cablecast uses slot 1 2 3 etc when it populates a changer If you preassign a DVD to a very high slot number then Cablecast will never interfere with your DVD That way you can leave the DVD in the changer VY Disposition Select the disposition for this media record Disposition Date I
80. CM Authentication SierraSVSCM56727 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Limit Events No This device has unlimited events e Important notes about this device Sierra routers that support the SVS protocol NOTE the router must be in command mode by setting HOST 1 B 22 Sigma Routing Switchers SigmaSCICM 223 B 22 Sigma Routing Switchers SigmaSCICM e Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device requires a null modem cable See Section C 2 on page 234 for pin out diagram The device has a 9 pin female connector e Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time e Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56703 CM URI SigmaSCICM Authentication SigmaSCICM56703 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name
81. Cablecast has a Network Time Protocol compliant client that allows it to log in to Internet timeservers such as time trms com Once synchronized the sys tem automatically updates the equipment that are within its control This greatly increases the accuracy of programming when multiple head ends and equipment resources depend on remote feeds for content etc For information about connecting your Cablecast server to and from the Internet please see the Tightrope Server Installation Guide 2 5 Chapter Quiz Below is a list of questions that you should be able to answer before reading the next chapter Some of these questions will have definite answers while others will depend on your specific installation Q How many locations will you need to establish in order to set up your head end A This will depend on how many routing switchers you in tend to have Cablecast control You will create a location for each routing switcher 2 How many channels will you need to set up A In Cablecast you will need to set up a channel for every scheduled output that Cablecast is controlling This means that you do not need to create a channel for out puts that are only showing character generators or used for previewing sources You only need to set up channels for scheduled outputs You will need a channel license for every channel that is scheduled in Cablecast Cablecast comes with one channel If you need more please con
82. Commit and send the schedule to the head end equipment Forcing actions in the head end is also accomplished here about Version information about your Cablecast system frontdoor Return to the Frontdoor Main Menu logout End the current session jump to show ID Enter a Show or Local ID to jump to a show record If no record is found using this number Cablecast brings you to the Show Man agement Shows Find Show menu Show ID numbers are explained in section Section 6 5 1 on page 100 4 8 Navigating Locations and Channels 7 If you are going to establish only one location and one channel in your Cablecast system you can safely skip this section Across the top of the main section of the interface is a list of tabs that includes entries for all of the locations that you have permissions to Figure 4 13 on the facing page Y Selecting specific locations is a new feature in Cablecast 4 2 It was necessary to add this feature in light of the ability to limit user s access to certain locations In addition highlighting the parent child relationship of the location and channels clarifies the flow of your lay out Finally as you will see in Section 7 4 on page 127 Cablecast is capable of representing where shows are playing from in the schedule by making them non click able depending on the active location When you are editing information within Cablecast you are most often editing It only
83. D When you schedule and automate this show Cablecast will automatically pull up both reel and media records for you Notice how the links are represented One show has two reels and these reels are linked to separate media records Also notice how the reel records have an order This is so that Cablecast 1 although technically it could be stored on a live input 2In fact that s how older versions of Cablecast worked Projects Shows Producers and Media Records knows which reel to play first when it automates this show on your channel TEN a Reel Record gt Media Record gt Order Number 1 Name ShowlD Show ID Link 1236 1236 Reel1 Length 01 55 32 Format DVD Cue Info Title 1 Disposition In House Show ID 1236 Chapter 1 Disposition Date 1 2 2005 Title School Board 00 01 55 Assignment Auto p Meeting y 3 All of the Reel Record Media Record other info Order Number 2 Name ShowlD Show ID Link 1236 1236 Reel 2 Length 00 47 16 Format DVD Cue Info Title 1 Disposition In House Chapter 1 Disposition Date 1 2 2005 00 00 18 Assignment Auto J Two Shows on One DVD Here we have two shows on one DVD Notice how the shows are each linked to their own reel and each reel is pointing to the same media record Also notice how the order for each reel is set to 1 As we saw in the previous example this field is the order of reels within a show Notice that in the media
84. DVD 8795 Deny thy producer and refuse thy place in his per sonal library and if thou doest be but sworn my automa tion system and shalt no longer show Carousel during thy allotted time on mine channel Anonymous Heartbroken Operations Manager Main Menu Schedule Shows Autopilot About FrontDoq Tightrope Media Systems Jump to ShowlD cablecast City Hall Head End Main Menu Location Settings Producers Shows Schedule I O Autopilot Name Notes Address O John Parker The producer of 123 Any Street N 800 555 1212 several excellent Any Town USA documentaries on 866 555 1212 Andrew Starks and tipping at or 456 My Boulevard S 866 866 4118 below 15 on meals Any Town USA at local diners 612 866 4118 delete 2005 tightrope media systems e Figure 6 2 The Producers Form 6 3 Preparing your Location for Show Information 95 Where is that show That is the question that the Dispositions pop down list in a media record strives to answer A disposition may be used to describe both the where On Archive Shelf and what stage In Post of a DVD or tape Name your dispositions any thing you like Many stations use the dispositions that you see in Figure 6 3 Main Menu Schedule Shows Autopilot About Fi Tightrope Media Systems Jump to Shor City Hall Head End Main Menu Location Settings Dispositions Shows Schedule I
85. Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Enter the port number starting with 0 Therefore card 1 has ports 0 3 card 2 has ports 4 7 etc Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Stop is recommended for this device e Important notes about this device Remember the control module for this server must be on the video server in order for it to operate correctly Support for network paths in the Port Setting field will be available in version 4 3 or Cablecast B 6 Extron MAV Series Routing Switchers ExtronMAVCM 185 B 6 Extron MAV Series Routing Switchers Extron MAVCM Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device requires a straight through cable See Section C 1 on page 233 for pin out diagram The device has a 9 pin female connector Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time Each server location that uses this device will need only one control module set If multiple devices exist within the installation then they will be addressed within the device definition in Location Settings I O Devices Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the cont
86. Devices using this control module will need an open RS 422 Port This device requires an open RS 422 port This device requires a 422 video cable unless it is used with Tightrope s internal 422 adapters When used with Tightrope s internal 422 adapters use a straight through cable This does not include Tightrope s USB 422 adapter which require the specially wired 422 video cable For pin outs see Section C 4 on page 236 for internal serial cards and Section C 5 on page 237 for external USB to Serial adaptors Generally the devices will have a 9 Pin Male connector Check your specific device to be sure e Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time Each server location that uses this device will need only one control module set If multiple devices exist within the installation then they will be addressed within the device definition in Location Settings I O Devices e Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56714 CM URI TRMSCBLRS422CM Authentication TRMSCBLRS422CM56714 e Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry i
87. EC is a software library 172 Definitions that enables other programs to translate digital video and audio into a spe cific format and back out again The CODEC is at the heart of all digital media technology and provides the mechanisms for capturing and playing back digital video Without a CODEC digital video would have to be cap tured in its raw form which would make the storage of digital video extremely expensive DVD Changer A DVD player that holds a large number of discs Encoder or MPEG Video Encoder a computer that receives video from a variety of sources and digitally capture them on to a hard disk While the capture Is taking place the encoder is translating and compressing the video The encoder may be using the MPEG2 CODEC as well as any number of other compressors available on the market Event Controller A machine that controls playback devices and routing switchers on a schedule to generate a television channel By telling the event controller play VCR 1 at 12 00 am then switch the routing switcher to it at 12 00 03 am then at 12 30 am switch to the video messaging system and rewind VCR 1 you build an event table or a table of events By creating this table you describe to the event controller a schedule which essentially creates a television channel Event controllers are typically not as robust as the systems found in broadcast stations but they are adequate for cable access education hospitals
88. Figure 7 1 1 Channel Tabs These are all of the channels within this location Clicking on a tab changes the schedule to that channel Notice the last two tabs Record and BEC TV Crawls The Record tab is where record events are created which we cover in Section 7 7 on page 137 The BEC TV Crawls schedule is an example that is part of the DSK package that is installed on this system Here you can schedule a crawl to appear over the BEC TV channel independently of any programming We cover this in Appendix D on page 241 2 Date Entry This is where you control the date for the schedule Entering a date into the field and hitting return jumps to that day The button uo opens a calendar The and jump forward and back by a single day 7 2 Using The Scheduling Interface 119 and the t button jumps to the current date Y Notice that these buttons are duplicated at the bottom of the form 3 24 Hour Day Bar This bar is a graphical representation of this day The yellow section represents a show that overlapped from the previous day The white sections represent blank areas in your schedule The green sections are shows The red sections are shows in conflict They overlap other shows If you click on a show yellow green or red the interface will jump you down to that show On many browsers you ll see a subtle dotted outline around that show s t
89. In short free show IDs are show ID numbers that are associated with show records that are blank Navigating to the Show Management Shows Free Show IDs menu will bring up a list of free show IDs where you can click on them and re edit the record Figure 6 16 on the next page 6 5 4 Saved Searches Back in Section 6 5 2 on page 106 and Figure 6 14 on the preceding page we saw that we could save searches Clicking on any searches within this menu will bring Projects Shows 110 Producers and Media Records us to the Show Management Shows Find Show form with the results from the selected search To delete a search check the box on its left and click the delete button 6 5 5 Saved Shows Bin When you move a show into the bin it goes into this list Deleting a show from this list only deletes it from the bin it doesn t delete the actual show To edit the show record from this list click on its hyper link Click the green arrow to the left of the show record Figure 6 17 on the facing page to reveal the media record s information 6 6 Media We discussed the definition of media records in Section 6 1 on page 87 We can access them by searching in the Show Management Media Search menu and selecting one of the results from our search City Hall Head End Main Menu Show Management Shows Projects Media Search Free Show IDs Free Show ID 2005 tightrope media systems e Figure 6
90. O Autopilot Block Run Locks Block Bug Text Block Crawl Text Figure 7 15 The Block Settings Form There are some settings related to blocks that are in the Location Settings Schedule Blocking Settings form These settings effect attributes of the run that are copied when a block copy is performed Block Run Locks If you check this checkbox the system will copy the run lock status of the source show Generally this is not done because run locks are usually in place for live programs Since the repeats of a program won t be live blocking their run lock is not desirable Block Bug Text This sets whether or not you want the system to copy the bug text that is stored in the Details form of the source run Block Crawl Text Same as above except that it s crawl text When you are finished click the save button 7 7 The Record Interface 137 7 7 The Record Interface Within the Modify Schedule menu you will see a special channel listed that is called Record The record channel is not a channel in the strictest sense because it is not tied to an output on your routing switcher Instead it is a list of record events sorted by time and listed by individual days of the week The record schedule uses the same equipment as your channels Cablecast au tomatically checks for device conflicts so generally this is not a problem unless you ask for the impossible Cablecast will automatically
91. OR from the pop down list 6 5 Shows 109 list or a field where you enter a value If you have 20 shows in your database refining your search will not be a priority Once you reach a good number of shows like the 25 000 q shows that one station in Minnesota has then this feature becomes very important You can add more criteria to your search by repeatedly clicking on the but ton The results that are returned show limited information about the show You can re sort this list by clicking on the column headings at the top of the list Click on a show s hyperlink to reveal the show record If you select the down arrow next to the show as we can see from Figure 6 13 on page 107 Cablecast will reveal the show s media information and some details about that media If you select the media record s hyperlink Cablecast will open that media record Y When you enter this menu from the Show Manage ment Shows Find Show menu clicking on a result opens that record If you entered this menu from a schedule by selecting the show s title clicking on the show will send you back to the schedule with that show entered into the run record that you clicked on 6 5 3 Free Show ID Menu You can never fully erase a show record in Cablecast you can only clear it When Cablecast sees a show record with no information in it it considers that show id free
92. Series Routing Switchers Ox EM da Fe a aa a ie E Pete 6 CONTENTS 8 1 5 Changing Defaults 145 8 1 6 About the Rest Of This Chapter orcas a ace She ea ae 146 8 2 Sending Autopilots ei 4 000 de a tas eh he 147 8 2 1 Errors When Sending Autopilot 149 8 3 The Device Assignment List 00 4 151 SL SWapping nek ii OR ee Sok we Pe do een 153 8 3 2 Device Assignment Views 153 8 4 The Event Table ee a a eR we RE 154 8 4 1 An Autopilot Event ooa aa a a a a a aa 156 30 FOCE oa d A a ee OE em Ae amp Soe eee ee d a 158 8 5 1 Performing a Switch 0 160 8 5 2 Performing a Device Action 160 8 5 3 Performing a Device Action and Switch 161 8 5 4 Forcing an Encode 161 E A E A 162 8 5 6 Communication Failures 162 8 6 Digital File Management 000 163 9 The Public Web Interface 165 Oe MAtKOMUCHION 0 a fe ly ee ee ee A ee Pa we Ae oe E 165 10 Batch Functions 167 1041 Introduction Hita add Bt eA OR ao 167 11 Reporting 169 ToT Introduction ear a a da ds 169 A Definitions 171 B Control Module Information 175 Bil Introduction ma dr db dci hd 175 B 2 Adtec Edje Server a 177 B 3 Denon DVD2900 scx cd i Sa A ats Bho wae Bee ce E 179 B 4 For Digital Rapids Encoders DRStreaamCM 2 181 B 5 VS4 Series Video Servers EnseoAlchemyCM
93. Shows Schedule I O Autopilot Formats Primitive Format O MPEG2 Digital File iy None E SvHs Generic O DVD Timecode Tape DVD O VHS TC Digital File Live 3 new delete save cancer Figure 5 7 In this example we re choosing the Digital File primitive for our MPEG2 format We ll use these entries for show records and in our device list 5 5 Setting Up Your Location 75 Deleting Formats F a ote If you are upgrading from Cablecast 3 5 you may have quite a few formats that you need to delete especially if you have a DVD changer This is because in Cablecast 3 5 there was no way to force the system to assign a DVD or tape to a specific device Now that Cablecast 4 X has pre assignments this is no longer a necessary although this method still works Because show media records use formats deleting them should not be done care lessly You can effect potentially thousands of show records by deleting one for mat When you delete a format Cablecast gives you the opportunity to re assign it to an existing one Just check the box next to the format click delete select the new format in the pop down list and click delete Main Menu Schedule Shows Autopilot About Front Tightrope Media Systems Jump to Showl BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Location Settings Formats Shows Schedule I O Autopilot Are you sure you want to delete this format e VHS 5222 s
94. Streamcm56712 details EnseoAlchemy BCIT 192 168 0 4 56709 EnseoAlchemyCM EnseoAlchemyCM56703 details Figure 5 2 The Control Module List This is where you tell Cablecast where your con trol modules are First take a look at the columns in the control module list Figure 5 2 From left to right Name This is your name for the control module Cablecast doesn t use this name when identifying the control module so feel free to edit it to make it more descriptive For example instead of LgxPro16 why not name rename it Leightronix Pro 16 Also when preparing for multiple locations it may be helpful to add the name of the location that the control module is at Knox 8x8 Valley View Middle In this way you can distinguish between identical control modules operating in different locations on different machines Host Address The default entry of localhost tells Cablecast that the control module is running on the Cablecast server If you enter an IP address or DNS name Cablecast will attempt to access the control module on the remote server at that address A V When you are adding a Tightrope video server or encoder such as the VS4 series or ENC series then you will enter the IP address of the machine This is because the control module for these devices operate on the video server encoder and not on the Cablecast machine
95. Sync Time Yes Check this box to maintain proper synchronization with the Cablecast system Limit Events Limit events from 1 to 500 Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices Important Note Remember that in this section we are describing devices that are attached to the Mini T Pro If you have devices that are controlled by Cablecast but not connected to the Mini T s ProBus interface you use that device s control module for control Name Enter the name of the device attached to the MiniT Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to Remember that in many cases the Mini T is the routing switcher Device Function Choose Whatever describes this device usually either Playback Only or Playback amp Record Device Type Choose Generic The Mini T is not compatible with any other device type Take Delay Enter a value appropriate for this device This number will depend the device and cannot be predicted without testing device Post Roll Enter a value appropriate for this device This number will depend the device and cannot be predicted without testing device Device CMS Will always be to the CMS you defined for the Mini T Pro Device Address The ProBus address for this device Example 1 or 16 Leave empty if the device is only attached to the routing switcher Formats Choose the forma
96. System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Enter the IP address of the video server This control module must run on the video server Host Port 56710 CM URI VC4ReelProCM Authentication VC4ReelProCM56710 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the path to the content directory where the content will be stored Example E Content or hugeServer mpegContentShare Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time Yes Check this box to maintain proper synchronization with the Cablecast system 232 Control Module Information Limit Events No This device has unlimited events Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices Remember You will create a device for every output on your server The only difference between these devices will be the name and the address Name Enter the video servers name and port number here Example Video Server 1 Router Address Enter the router address that this port is plugged into Device Function Choose Playback only Device Type Choose Digital File Take Delay This device does not require a take delay although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Post Roll This device does not require a post roll although often
97. Tasks by 1 Follow the steps in Section F 4 2 Look for the control module in the list on the right 3 Check that its startup type is Automatic If it isn t double click on it and select Automatic from the Startup type pop down and click Ok 4 If you don t see a status of Started then select the control module with the right mouse button and click Start e Is there a firewall between the two computers that is blocking the port for your control module Check the Host Port field from Figure 5 2 on page 67 Make sure that there is nothing blocking this port e Related to firewall issues Windows XP Service Pack 2 and virus protection software has been known to kill control module communications with its firewall ing capabilities If the server with the control module is running Windows XP 1 Navigate to the control panel and open Windows Firewall 2 Click the Exceptions tab 3 Click the Add Port button 4 As seen in Figure F 3 on the facing page type the name of the control module in the name field and the port number for the control module Section 5 3 1 on page 67 and click ok If none of this helps you may be in for a call to your dealer or Tightrope F 4 Opening the Services Control Window In many parts of this manual we instruct you to open the Services Control Window These are the steps to accomplish this task 1 On the server with the
98. User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Limit Events No This device has unlimited events e Important notes about this device There are no special notes for this device 224 Control Module Information B 23 Sonny DVP CX777ES SonyDVP777CM Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device requires a null modem cable See Section C 2 on page 234 for pin out diagram The device has a 9 pin male connector Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time This control module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references this control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control modu
99. a Show ID field will appear When playing a program this is where you will enter the show ID and reel number For example to play show 1234 reel one you would enter 1234 1 8 5 Force 161 When you are playing an MPEG program with one reel you may simply put the reel number omitting the 1 VS4500 1 Y None Show 1234 Figure 8 15 Video servers have a Show ID field where you tell the video server control module the show that you want to play Encoders share the same show ID field for both the Record action as well as the Move action 8 5 3 Performing a Device Action and Switch To perform a device action and a routing switcher action at the same time simply set up a device action as you saw from Section 8 5 2 on the facing page only do not click the Dev Only button Instead select the switch from the same row as the device When you have a device action set and you click on a switch that matches that device s row Cablecast will perform the action wait for the amount of time specified in the Delay field then switch Think of it as a sentence from left to right first the action then q the delay and then the switch 8 5 4 Forcing an Encode Encoding to a video encoder from the force menu requires a bit of explanation be cause even though the encoder is connected to an output on the routing switcher it is liste
100. a watt 231 Cable Pin Out Diagrams 233 C 1 RS 232 9 Pin Serial Cable Straight ThE Vk bee se xt le OS th A ee nt OEE Set ee 233 C 2 RS 232 9 Pin Serial Cable NullEMGd em 2x4 ate ase aise hE a on th eaten ee aa 234 C 3 RS 232 9 Pin Serial Cable Si tratROUt rs soc asim ag la a da 235 C 4 RS 422 9 Pin Serial Cable With Internal Blastronix Cards 0 0 0 04 236 C 5 RS 422 9 Pin Serial Cable With Quatech Serial Converters 20404 237 C 6 RS 232 9 Pin to 15 Pin Serial Cable For Most Pioneer 0000000002 238 CONTENTS C 7 RS 232 9 Pin to 25 Pin Serial Cable For Leightronix Pro 8 16 The Down Stream Key DSK Plug in Did INtFOUUCHION ocaso e Oe Wake D 2 Configuring the DSK Display Engine D 3 DSK Display Engine Requirements Testing Cablecast El IMtroducti n teca ge doe Ae a Aa Red E 2 The Routing Switcher 2 E 2 1 What Could Possibly Go Wrong Troubleshooting and Miscellaneous Tasks Fed INtroducti N mts coe atk Steam oe deded genes F 2 Serial Communications 2 F 3 Control Module Communications F 4 Opening the Services Control Window F 5 Pinging a Computer O O O LU o 0O Introduction 1 1 Welcome to Cablecast Thank you for purchasing a Cablecast system from Tightrope Media Systems We have worked hard to make your new system versatile easy to use and reli
101. ame User defined Pick any name that is descriptive of this device and unique from all other devices If there is more than one of these devices it s often helpful to enumerate the devices either starting with 1 or starting with the routing switcher input that each device is attached to Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to Device Function Choose Playback only Device Type Choose DVD Multidisc Device Load Duration Enter 30 for this field In testing this seems to be the amount of time this device needs to load its media Your mileage may vary Jump Duration Enter 10 as the value This is the number of seconds to wait after a jump command is issued There needs to be enough time for this device to jump to the new cue point and our experience says that 10 is the right value Your mileage may vary Take Delay This device does not require a take delay although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Post Roll This device does not require a post roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Leave this blank as you address the device in the Device CMS section Device Slots Enter 1 for the in the first field and 300 in the s
102. and many business applications Often times event controllers will include an integrated routing switcher Cablecast is often considered an event controller even though it offers many features outside the realm of a traditional event controller Executive Producer or Station Manager any person who is in charge of man aging the library and schedule of your facility lt may or may not be the same person who programs the head end Head End A group of audiovisual equipment in a single location mounted in an equipment rack that works together to deliver media to remote locations Head ends typically have a number of playback devices such as VCR s DVD Players MPEG Video Servers etc In addition a head end often has a routing switcher modulators event controllers encoders and video messaging systems Head End Operator The person or persons in charge of programming the head end and making sure that it operates smoothly Modulator RF Modulator takes a standard video signal and converts it into a radio frequency signal that travels down a coaxial cable It is what takes video and turns it into a channel that your television can tune to A standard video signal called base band video needs one cable per signal plus one cable for each audio signal An RF signal can share the same wire with 173 many other RF signals and can travel a much greater distance This is what the cable company uses for much of their delivery of
103. ar Figure 4 15 as a collection of electronic bread crumbs that guide you all the way back to the Main Menu This bar displays the your current location within Cablecast and provides hyperlinks to the menus that you used to get there Main Menu Schedule Shq o o a te Tightrope Media Systems _ cablecast BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Reporting Export Data Export Data Schedule Dates 1 22 2005 to 1 22 2005 TBC BCAT Figure 4 15 The Navigation Bar Remember if you do not save information in a form your changes did not happen Save your modifications by using the buttons provided on the form Do not click the Navigation Bar links unless you do not need to save the data that you have entered 4 10 Online Help Help is available on almost every form On the opposite side of the Navigation Bar is the Help button which is a circle surrounding a question mark Figure 4 16 on the next page Toggle this button to display or hide the context sensitive help o e Expect to see enhancements to this feature in future updates Tightrope plans to add imbedded video clips and graphics into the online help system as development of this feature continues 4 11 Main Menu Tour After selecting the Cablecast button from the Frontdoor Main Menu you are greeted with the Cablecast Main Menu Figure 4 17 on the facing page The 4 11 Main Menu Tour 55 options on
104. ary channel whether or not it has feeder channels associated with it 3 6 A Final Look at The Big Picture Hopefully the above paragraphs will go down as the driest reading you will ever experience Sorry about that Let s look at these building blocks again viewing all of this as one giant system Locations have one routing switcher Attached to the routing switcher are devices These devices have formats and these formats link devices to show records Channels are automated by Cablecast s autopilot system which analyzes the schedule show reel records and devices in the head end and them programs all of it to automate your playback Channels are assigned to outputs on the routing switcher When a channel s content is located at multiple locations a primary channel and location are assigned in the Cablecast system This is where the final output of the channel is sent to the distribution hardware Remote locations called feeder locations supply content to the channel through feeder channels The output of these feeder channels ultimately ends up on an input of the primary 14Technically media and reel records but for simplicity we say show records because we haven t introduced the difference yet 15Review the explanation lovingly detailed in Section 2 2 1 on page 18 36 Mechanics location s routing switcher Cablecast automatically coordinates the switching between feeder and primary locations O
105. be programmed This list contains all of the channels at this location F a ot In the old Cablecast system you could choose specific channels to program This caused incredibly inefficient use of some devices and we found nobody who used this feature Now it programs all channels by default which is what people expected anyway When the form is set and you have everything ready to be sent it s time to take the plunge and click the go button 8 2 Sending Autopilot 149 If all goes well you ll get a report like the one that we see in Figure on page As you can see we got a couple of warnings in this example These two warnings are the most common and harmless Our show was bumped and Cablecast didn t see a video file on the video server that we automated We note the bump and it isn t severe enough to require a re schedule If we make certain that we load the video file in time we should be set to move on A very common error in a show record which could creep up here is where someone enters 30 hours for a length on a reel instead of 30 minutes This would result in an incredible amount of bumping if your station is busy with programming within the 30 hours this program would walk over If you see anything like this you ll have to re send autopilot after you un bump your programming We learn about the un bump feature in Section 7 2 on page 117 c 8 2 1 Errors When Sending A
106. be the amount of time this device needs to load its media Your mileage may vary Jump Duration Enter This will appear with the MicroCart You will need to test the deck for the maximum time required for cuing the tape as the value This is the number of seconds to wait after a jump command is issued There needs to be enough time for this device to jump to the new cue point and our ex perience says that This will appear with the MicroCart You will need to test the deck for the maximum time required for cuing the tape is the right value Your mileage may vary Take Delay Enter a value appropriate for this device This number will depend the device and cannot be predicted without testing Generally pressing play on the device and counting the number of sec onds before it is stable is the best way to determine the take delay Post Roll This device does not require a post roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Will always be to the CMS you defined for the MVP Device Address If the device is attached to the ProBus use that address for this device 202 Control Module Information Example 1 or 16 Leave empty if the device is only attached to the routing switcher If the addressing the MPEG video server use 0 If addressing the MicroCart use MC Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device En
107. cablecast Version 4 2 End User Documentation Ak tightrope media systems Tightrope Media Systems February 1 2005 1 Contents Introduction 9 1 1 Welcome to Cablecast o oo oa a aa a 9 1 2 Conventions Used In This Guide oaoa aa aa aa 10 1 2 1 To Whom Are We Talking 11 1 3 About Tightrope issos s peos donee ew Bk Aide a ea ed a 11 1 4 About This Documentation oaoa aa a a 2 00 4 12 1 5 New Cablecast Users 2 2 200 000 0000 00000085 12 1 6 Upgrading From Older Versions 04 12 Overview 15 QL IMEFOGUECION sena oa EA So BM ed ete a OE 15 2 2 Configuring Hardware 2 o 17 2 2 1 Installation Types o 18 2 3 Abusing Multiple Locations Two Routing Switchers in One Head End 20 2 4 The Benefits of a Constant Internet Connection 21 DB Chapter QUIZ 0 0 a Gad Gea lace tee Gls ate 22 Mechanics 25 3 1 Control Modules s ss 0aca ged ae we aR Re aa 27 3 2 Routing Switchers 2 2 aa o 28 3 3 DEVICES cise eG Bun gle a GIS oe doe BES ak te ad tid 29 SA FORMATS ww ses ls oe ens Ges Seg A wee aoe ae Bs 30 3 4 1 Using Formats to Distinguish Between Similar Devices 31 3 4 2 Multiple Formats Per Device 31 3 4 3 Primitive Types 32 3 44 Using Formats to Distinguish Between Devices With Dif ferent Capabilities a a 32 3 5 All About Channels Feeder and Primary 2 34 3 6 A F
108. cached or stored Example E Cache Authentication f left blank it will default to password in the control module If you change the password to the Digital Rapids telnet API you will need to set this to the new password 182 Control Module Information Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Limit Events No This device has unlimited events Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices Name User defined Pick any name that is descriptive of this device and unique from all other devices If there is more than one of these devices it s often helpful to enumerate the devices either starting with 1 or starting with the routing switcher input that each device is attached to Device Function Choose Record only Device Type Choose Digital File Take Delay This device does not require a take delay although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Post Roll This device does not require a post roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Leave this blank as you address the device in the Device CMS section Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Stop Move File is recommended for this device Record Quality Use any value
109. ce Cablecast to select a specific device when automating this media If we only want to see media records that have been pre assigned to specific devices we can check this box When we are finished editing our search criteria we can select the search but ton Once our search is complete we can choose shows to eliminate from our results and select the subset button This is helpful when we want to print a list of media records and our results included some strays Once you click subset Cablecast returns the same list minus the unselected entries If you wish to edit a record click its hyperlink 6 6 2 Media Records In this section we explore all of the fields within a media record Lets take the tour of a media record Figure 6 19 on the next page Creation Date This is the date that the media record was created and cannot be edited Media Name The media name is only a description of the media such as My Show Season 1 Disc 1 Format This pop down reveals all of the formats at this location Every media record must have a format in order for Cablecast to automate it Preassign Device By default Auto Assign is selected This means that if Cablecast were to play this video on its channel it would pick the most Projects Shows 114 Producers and Media Records Main Menu Schedule Shows Autopilot About FrontDoor Logout Tightrope Media Systems Jump to ShowlD 3456 BEC BCIT B
110. ce requires an open RS 232 port This device requires a straight through cable See Section C 1 on page 233 for pin out diagram The device has a 9 pin female connector e Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time Each server location that uses this device will need only one control module set If multiple devices exist within the installation then they will be addressed within the device definition in Location Settings 1 0 Devices e Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56717 CM URI DennonDVD2900CM Authentication DenonDVD2900CM56717 e Settings used within Location Settings I O Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Leave this field blank Addressing is accomplished within each device Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Limit Events No This device has unlimited events e Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices 180 Control Module Information Name User defined Pick any name that is descripti
111. ch to the next input wait for the value in Post Roll and then perform the selection in Device End Action If you are worried about sync impli cations of taking away from this device at the same time that you switch away from it enter a value of 1 or 2 seconds Select the control module that is responsible for this device in the Device CMS pop down list Refer to the control module s instructions for the value needed in Device Address Select all of the formats that you want to associate with this device Cable cast gives precedence to formats listed on the left then middle then right Therefore Cablecast will use all devices with a matching format on the left before it will consider one in the middle or right 4 a ta For those of you coming from Cablecast 3 5 these fields were the way you forced Cablecast to assign specific shows to spe cific devices like always play City Council from Deck 8 You can still do that however you can also assign shows to spe cific devices by editing their Preassign Device values in the show s media records 80 Setup 15 When a show is finished Cablecast will always switch to another input In addition it s often necessary to rewind the tape or stop the device or move the file or etc Select the actions that Cablecast should take at the end of a show referring to the control module s documentation 16 If the device records you ll nee
112. content and it is what the majority of schools universities and businesses used to deliver media to the televisions in their facilities It is also what many PEG stations used to deliver their signal back to the cable company s head end MPEG or MPEG2 stands for Motion Picture Experts Group MPEG2 is a very popular CODEC It is used in DVD as well as all consumer digital video cameras It provides very high compression rates meaning that the size of the files are small compared with the original uncompressed video and the quality is very good It is the industry standard for broadcast video MPEG Video Server or Video Server computers that store video content on their hard disks and can play back that video through dedicated computer hardware Typically there is some form of scheduling capability either on the video server itself or on some other piece of equipment that is desig nated as the controller for the video server PEG Center Remember that Cablecast was designed for community television stations These stations are often known as PEG centers PEG standing for Public Education and Government We will use many examples that relate to this application but often the concepts apply in other applications as well Reel or Show Reel any media DVD Tape File etc that holds your program Most often one show is on one reel which leads many to believe that a reel and a show are the same thing In Cablecast it is necessary t
113. cted to the ProBus interface you use that device s control module for control Name Enter the name of the device attached to the Pro 8 Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to Remember in many cases the Pro 8 is the routing switcher Device Function Choose Whatever describes this device usually either Playback Only or Playback amp Record Device Type Choose Generic The Pro 8 is not compatible with any other device type Take Delay Enter a value appropriate for this device This number will depend the device and cannot be predicted without testing device Post Roll Enter a value appropriate for this device This number will depend the device and cannot be predicted without testing device Device CMS Will always be to the CMS you defined for the Pro 8 Device Address The ProBus address for this device Example 1 or 16 Leave empty if the device is only attached to the routing switcher Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Whatever is appropriate for this device e Important notes about this device Even though the Pro 8 only has 8 inputs you can use all 16 addresses on its ProBus It is not required that your location use the Pro 8 s routing switcher Many stations connect a routing switcher directly to the Cablecast machine B 14 Leightr
114. custom fields Optionally show records may belong to a project They may not belong to more than one project however Projects Shows 88 Producers and Media Records Show records may have one or more media records associated with them The show record holds these media records as reels sequencing from start to finish When the Total Run Time TRT is requested Cablecast adds the length for each reel in the show records Conversely Show records can point to media records that are shared with other shows In this way Cablecast is tracking multiple shows on one media record Media Media records contain length format cue time and status information for every show that points to it For example if two shows are pointing to a media record the length and cue information are stored for each show record Producers Producer information is optionally stored with both project and show records Producer records hold basic information about the producer such as addresses and phone numbers If all of this record keeping sounds a bit daunting fret not Cablecast tracks as much or as little as you need In fact the only information that Cablecast needs to know Is e The show title e The program length e Any cue ing information such as title chapter and cue length e The format of the media Beyond that the rest is gravy What can you do with this tasty gravy Mostly you can perform more effective searches and reports
115. cy in swapping for some predictability in the timing of the swaps You may not be in the office at 3 00 am when Cablecast needs you We learn how to force Cablecast to target swaps for a specific cycle in Section 8 2 on page 147 8 1 4 Automating Live Programs Sometimes a show might be live In these cases the operator might for example be ready with their live production switcher on a logo at the starting time When the start time passes Cablecast switches to the input on the routing switcher that is connected to that production switcher and the program starts when the director is ready When the program is finished they ll navigate to the Autopilot Force menu and manually switch their program from the live feed to the CG After they post the show they update the show record with the new reel information and re send autopilot We cover forcing in Section 8 5 on page 158 8 1 Introduction 145 When a live show is automated usually the show record s length is set to a suf ficiently high value so that the program does not overrun its time slot If an overrun does happen the operator will delete the current and next show out of the schedule before the impending end time and re send autopilot They do this because they do not want Cablecast to switch away from the live program when it is scheduled to end Also they are anticipating that the next show will have to be canceled because of the overrun 8 1 5 Changing Defaults If yo
116. d Action Whatever is appropriate for this device e Important notes about this device It is not required that your location use the MVP s routing switcher Many stations connect a routing switcher directly to the Cablecast machine Remember that the CMS describes the MVP and the work you do in Location Settings 1 O Devices is at least in part for the devices attached to it This control module does not support any of the features in Autopilot Digital File Management Also you will not see a status in the Autopilot Force screen All devices attached to the MVP s ProBus must have a device type of Generic The ProBus interface does not allow two way communica tion which is required by other device types B 14 Leightronix Pro 8 LxgPro8CM 203 B 14 Leightronix Pro 8 LxgPro8CM e Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port Leightronix ships the Pro 8 with the adaptor and cable needed to con nect to the server If you require a new cable see Section C 7 on page 239 A straight thru 9 Pin cable with a 9 Pin to 25 Pin adaptor should work The device has a 25 pin male connector e Control Module Implementation This control module compiles a list of events that is compatible with the device When sending autopilot the control module will send the entire list to the device and the device will execute each command independently and on schedule This control
117. d to specify the output the device is attached to on the routing switcher in the Router Output field 17 When setting up an encoder you need to specify the bit rate of all encoded files in the Record Quality pop down 18 If you are setting up a digital video encoder you can specify the network address that the encoder should copy the file to when it is finished in the Record Copy UNC field 19 When all of the fields have been set click the save button As you go through the above steps remember many steps will be skipped espe cially when you set up live feeds Also notice that in the Location Settings Devices menu there is a check box on the right of each device in a column called Active Un checking a device in this list removes it from all menus within Cablecast The system will not show this device in the Autopilot Force menu nor will it use the device when the system automates your channels This feature is important when you want to temporarily disable a device during maintenance To reset a device s run counter check the box to the left of the device and click the reset runs button When you are finished adding devices and back at the Location Settings De vices menu click the save button Outputs From the Location Settings Outputs menu select the I O tab By default Cablecast ships with a test output called Channel Output already cr
118. d with the inputs This is because encoders are devices and Cablecast renders all devices in the rows of the force menu To encode from the force menu 1 Switch the device to the encoder 2 Select Record from the encoder s Actions pop down Autopilot 162 Automating Your Head End 3 Type the show ID number in the Show ID field 4 Click Dev Only 8 5 5 Status To the right of the routing matrix each device has a Status column For live and IR devices the status will always be For devices that provide feedback helpful information will be listed here such as Playing Show ID 1234 or Load ing Playing 00114371 mpg stopped 00 11 353 mpg stopped D 761 mpg Figure 8 16 Example of statuses you might see courtesy of MCTV in Midland Michigan 8 5 6 Communication Failures If the force menu seems to take an exceedingly long time to load and you are receiving errors at the top of the screen check Appendix F on page 251 on trou bleshooting These symptoms may reveal a communication problem between Ca blecast and the device 8 6 Digital File Management 163 8 6 Digital File Management Navigate to Autopilot Digital File Management where you will see a form similar to the one in Figure 8 18 Cablecast does a pretty good job estimating the amount of free space on each device You may click on the show s hyperlink to jump to that show record
119. device definition in Location Settings I O Devices e Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56726 CM URI AdtecEdjeCM Authentication AdtecEdjeCM56726 e Settings used within Location Settings I O Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting IP Address of the device Authentication Set to username password for the device The username and password are not case sensitive Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Limit Events No This device has unlimited events e Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices 178 Control Module Information Name User defined Pick any name that is descriptive of this device and unique from all other devices If there is more than one of these devices it s often helpful to enumerate the devices either starting with 1 or starting with the routing switcher input that each device is attached to Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to Device Function Choose Playback only Device Type Choose Digital File Take Delay This device does not r
120. devices but do not have them connected use the this control module in place of the real one to suppress errors e Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56717 CM URI GenericCM Authentication GenericCM56717 e Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Ignored Authentication Ignored Sync Time Either Limit Events Ignored e Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices Name User defined Pick any name that is descriptive of this device and unique from all other devices If there is more than one of these devices it s often helpful to enumerate the devices either starting with 1 or starting with the routing switcher input that each device is attached to 190 Control Module Information Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to Device Function Choose Any Device Type Choose Any Take Delay This device does not require a take delay although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Post Roll This device does not require a p
121. ding then click the green arrow to the left of the show record to reveal the media record Then select the media record that this record event is being performed for This mainly useful when recording to an MPEG file because the file must be 138 The Schedule named after the show ID and reel number This is done automatically when you link a media record Time This is the start time of the record event Length This is the length of the record not including any cuing Source This heading has two fields Device This is the source device Cablecast will use its control module and device setup information to correctly play the device If the device is a live input Cablecast will take to that device using the routing switcher Cue This is the cueing information required for this device For DVD s it may include a title and chapter For tapes either a timecode number or a cue wait where the device plays N seconds before the record start time so that the beginning is being played at the correct moment a It is always good to enter a cue time even for a live device This is because It is more likely that the sync will be stable if the routing switcher switched to the input ahead of time Destination This heading has two fields Device This is the record device You will notice that only record capable City Hall Head End Main Menu Modify Record Schedule Record Event Default Channel Record
122. ducers and the project while linking to all of the shows attached to it Media or reels can be related to one or more shows and multiple reels can be associated with a single show If you ve ever been unlucky enough to sit through a three tape meeting now Ca blecast can accurately represent it as a show that belongs to the Selectman s Meeting project that exists on three reels Luck you Scheduling The process of assembling programs in your media library into a sched ule Autopilot or Hardware Control The control software that translates the sched ule into a format that is readable by the various devices that make up a location These include routing switchers event controllers video servers and satellite receivers By managing these three aspects of each location Cablecast e works with Carousel a web centric messaging system that facilitates message generation through a similar interface as Cablecast Cablecast and Carousel work closely together providing seamless integration with the pro gramming schedule As updates and program changes are made to the Cablecast schedule information is updated on Carousel s display output eliminating the need for double entry of the programming information Fur thermore Carousel can display active information regarding upcoming pro gramming times that shows are repeated and automatically expire old in formation all without intervention from the administrator Refer to the
123. dyftrms com If you are reading this it worked Figure 4 8 The email that you will receive when your email is set correctly 4 6 Server Setup 47 If the test fails if could be for a number of reasons First Cable cast uses SMTP which is not compatible with some proprietary mail systems such as Lotus Notes Second if your email server requires authentication in order to send mail you re out of luck Finally you may have your Cablecast system on a separate network from your mail server If so you cannot use your standard mail system as that system will assume your Cablecast machine is a spammer There are ways around this but it s just easier to discover the address of the mail server for your Cablecast s Internet connection 4 6 4 Server Setup Time Settings The Cablecast Server has a service that synchronizes the system clock at an interval that you establish in the Synchronize field Figure 4 9 on the following page Enter the location of the network timeserver in the Time NTP Server field Cs The default setting of time trms com will work fine if your network i has UDP port 123 open to the Internet If it does not or you are not sure contact your network administrator 4 6 5 Server Setup Database Tools Your system has three primary databases This is where you maintain the Front door Database It holds all of the general settings
124. e 125 In this section we learn how to create more run types 140 The Schedule First navigate to Location Settings Schedule Run Types You will see a form like the one pictured in Figure 7 18 on the previous page The new button creates a new run type The Run Type Name field is the name given to the run The Block Type checkbox determines whether or not this type is carried over to copies when the block copy feature is used This wouldn t make sense for live run types because a show is only live once If your system has the DSK plug in installed and configured the Use As Bug Text field will be important If this option is check and no bug text is specified in the details for that run then this text will be incorporated into the logo You can adjust the look of this text by following the instructions in Appendix D on page 241 To delete run types select one or more run types with the checkbox to their left and click the delete button When you are finished with this form click the save button to keep your changes O O O O O 0 Autopilot Automating Your Head End 8 1 Introduction The autopilot section of Cablecast is unique As of the writing of this manual Cablecast is the only system available at any price that is able to automatically assign programming to devices without any user intervention On its face assigning programs to devices seems easy In fact wh
125. e Schedule 7 You can select multiple blocks when copying a set of programs This is helpful when you have some programs that do get copied multiple times with other programs that have a more limited repeat schedule 7 6 3 Blocks and Bumping When you use blocks you often create conflicts because the target days do not necessarily have to match the source day That is the programming that surrounds the copies may be different This is the reason Cablecast uses bumping By default Cablecast does not fac tor a bump when it makes a block copy In that way Cablecast understands your intended runtime and will use that to calculate when the program should be repeated 7 6 4 Creating and Modifying Blocks Navigate to Locations Settings Schedule Modify Blocks Each block which has one source and one or more targets is surrounded by a gray box with a green header as you can see in Section 7 14 on the next page The green header holds the the name of the block as well as the target s source day and time The name of the block may be anything you like O y If you are not sure what to name the block try naming it after it s purpose or after the first run of the program s If you re block copy ing 5 programs from Monday evening Monday Evening Block might be a logical choice If your block copying your Selectman s meeting then Selectman Meeting might be a good name YY Below this
126. e Server that is located closer to the device as is the case with an Adtec Edje Server in a remote location Convenient Many times multiple Tightrope Servers are in the same head end all of them with available serial ports Instead of purchasing additional serial ports cards or USB to Serial Converters when more than one device requires a port it may be easier to run the control module on a Tightrope Server other than Cablecast thereby using the that machine s serial port The bottom line is Cablecast communicates with control modules which in turn communicate with devices These control modules operate on any Tightrope Server in your installation and can communicate with devices that are attached to any port Ethernet serial FireWire etc on the machine they are operat ing e SS Would you like to bend your mind further Then consider Cablecast controlling a video server attached to a Leightronix TCD IP Here we have Cablecast talking to a control module talking to the TCD IP talking to a PlusBus interface talking to a video server This is not only possible but very common Many customers use this exact setup when they use their TCD RP video server with a TCD IP event controller and Cablecast Routing Switchers While not a unique section within Cablecast routing switchers are so important we thought it would be useful to give them their own section 3A network connection is required between
127. e are two reels Cable cast automatically creates a second media record for the second reel If you need to delete a reel click the delete button This will delete the last reel in the list To associate a reel with an existing media record click the Link Media button on the right This will open the Media Search form where you ll enter your search criteria Figure 6 10 on the next page Once you find the media record click on its title This will bring you back to the show record with the updated media record Projects Shows 104 Producers and Media Records City Hall Head End Main Menu Show Management Shows Projects Media Search Search for a Media to assign to reel number 1 Media Name Media Format Creation Date Greater than Disposition None Preassigned only search cancel subset Media Name Disposition Preassign Device TOOL DVD 1 Show ID 2 Reel 1 Show ID 3 Reel 1 Show ID 4 Reel 1 TOOL DVD 3 TOOL e 2 Show ID 6 Reel 1 Show ID 7 Reel 1 Show ID 8 Reel Figure 6 10 Finding a media record for your show Do this when you want your show to point to an existing media record 6 5 Shows 105 i Once you ve done this your show through the reel record will be pointing at a media record that is most likely shared with another show So make sure the cuing informat
128. e each name is distinct from other devices Device Type Pick a device type that matches Cablecast s options See Chapter 3 on page 25 for the complete list 5Incidently this is why we say Devices and not Inputs 6 such as preview monitors static feeds etc 7 and thus require outputs 62 Setup T When establishing connections between locations for feeder channels use the type Live T Every device can only have one input on your routing switcher If a device can play back more than one source at the same time each output of the device is considered a separate device so list each output separately That is a four channel video server is four devices even though it is one server with one storage system d W If a device can play back and record at the same time the record ability needs to be listed as its own device and not as a device that can play back and record This is because when Cablecast performs conflict checking it assumes that all de vices can only playback or record not both at the same time C Therefore a Leightronix TCD RP will be two devices and a VS4 100 with the VS4 ENC6 option will be listed as five de vices one for each output and one for the encoder s input Controlled By Example Serial Port 2 From Cablecast or ProBus Interface 6 from TCD IP Cablecast can control devices directly or through other de
129. eam Key DSK Plug in 2 Select the Settings tab 3 Slide the Screen resolution slider to the position where the resolution on the bottom reads 800 by 600 pixels Figure D 2 is play Properties Themes Desktop Screen Saver Appearance Settings Drag the monitor icons to match the physical arrangement of pour monitors Display 1 Multiple Monitors on MOBILITY RADEON 7500 iv Screen resolution Color quality Less More Highest 32 bit v 800 by 600 pixels ii nin E Use this device as the primary monitor Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor Figure D 2 Notice how the screen resolution reads 800 by 600 pixels 4 Click OK to save your changes 5 Your monitor will go blank and then return asking you to confirm your change Click OK to do so Next you will need to replace the default station logo The logo should be a PNG file but others will work for Stand Alone Mode PNG is required for Compix Mode unless your logo has perfectly straight edges PNG files contain an alpha channel that the Compix software can read and are therefore mandatory if you 2Unless your station is called TRMS TV D 3 DSK Display Engine Requirements 245 plan on seeing through desired elements of your station s logo Put your station s logo in the same directory as CablecastDSK exe which is probably in D TRMS CablecastDSKEngine Your machine i
130. eated You can re use this output by selecting it but for the purposes of this manual we ll assume that you are starting with a blank list Turning your attention to the outputs that you have listed from Section 5 2 2 on page 63 for this location repeat the following steps to establish each output on your routing switcher 1 Type the address of the output in the Router Address field 2 Name the output in the Name field 5 5 Setting Up Your Location 81 BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Location Settings Ouputs Edit Shows Schedule I O Autopilot Router Address 1 Name TBC Type Channel Default Input TBC CG Fade CMS None save p cancel fn Figure 5 11 An example of a channel output 82 Setup 3 Select Channel or Preview from the Type field Remember the tip from Section 5 2 2 on page 63 Priview is for any non scheduled output 4 For channel outputs select the default input The default input is the device that Cablecast switches to when there is no programming 5 If you have a device that is attached to your channel that will fade between switches select the control module for that device If you would like to establish outputs but would like to temporarily disable them from Cablecast un check the Active checkbox to the right of the output To delete an output permanently select the checkbox to the right of the output and click delete
131. ecast define any default settings that we d like for our Cablecast user account such as our default location and channel So we ve got a lot left but we re done with our setup walk through because everything else can be done as needed and in any order that makes sense for you Now that you ve completed this step go to Appendix E on page 247 where you ll test and troubleshoot your work O O Projects Shows Producers and Media Records 6 1 Introduction Projects shows producers and media records Oh my In Cablecast you will schedule programs to replay on your channel These pro grams or shows as they are called in Cablecast are often part of a series of programs which we call a Project These shows and projects are made by peo ple that we call Producers When they re recorded they are put onto tapes DVD s saved as video files etcetera We call these Media We track all of this information within Cablecast and we do it with the elements shown in bold within the title of this chapter Let s define each element Projects A project is only a container for shows It has a name can have a producer and holds all of the show records assigned to it Projects typically have many shows Shows A show record describes a program It does not describe the media that the program is stored on although it does hold the pointers to those records It holds the program s title date notes and up to eight
132. ecast is organized ensuring that you get the most from your new system 1 6 Upgrading From Older Versions If you are an experienced Cablecast user then welcome to 4 2 For many of you the differences will be subtle and pleasant with user interface tweaks that will speed the process of data entry and Gee Wiz features that you will appreciate as you go along For others you will be breathing a deep sigh of relief and if you are the impatient type your sigh will be accompanied by Finally With FULL support for DVD Changers Panasonic MicroCart control and an integrated record schedule Cablecast is now poised be the total head end application that will make your job that much easier Here is a list of changes from version 3 which includes 3 5 1 6 Upgrading From Older Versions 13 e Cablecast 4 2 is a rewrite of Cablecast Every button every menu every control module and every aspect of the system was completely re written in a modern and highly extensible design For you programming types Cablecast is now a NET application e Now you can limit users to specific locations channels and activities within Cablecast You can even limit users to only being able to see but not edit certain information like show records or the schedule e Cablecast 4 2 includes support for an ever expanding list of devices While 3 5 was used with traditional third party event controllers that were respon sible for the control of dev
133. econd field Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Stop is recommended for this device e Important notes about this device As of version 4 0 it is no longer necessary to create multiple devices for one changer The system now uses the slot entries to figure out where to play DVD s B 20 Pioneer DV F07 PioneerDVF07CM 221 If you plan on pre assigning shows in this device then assign them to a higher slot number such as 100 or higher That way Cablecast s auto assignment will not be likely to interfere with your pre assignment Rumor has it that this changer is more reliable when DVD R s are used Sticker labels are problematic with this device Control Module 222 Information B 21 Sierra SVS Series Routing Switchers SierraSVSCM e Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device uses a special cable which is illustrated in Section C 3 on page 235 The device has a 9 pin female connector e Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time e Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56727 CM URI SierraSVS
134. ed a Location Like it or not that means that you will repeat this process for every routing switcher in your head end From Cablecast s main menu navigate to the Locations menu Select the location you wish to edit by selecting its tab at the top In this section you will be working from list that you created in Section 5 2 on page 60 Within this menu there are four tabs Shows Preferences related to show records are kept here For this first go around of setting up your location we ll only deal with Formats For more infor mation see Section 6 3 on page 91 Schedule Preferences related to scheduling and block copies are configured here We ll deal with these later See Chapter 7 on page 117 for more information 5 5 Setting Up Your Location 73 1 O We deal with all of the input and output of Cablecast within this menu This tab will be the focus of this section Autopilot You can establish default settings for Autopilot within this menu We will do this later in the setup process Chapter 8 on page 141 5 5 1 Defining Formats Your notes from Section 3 4 on page 30 on will be extremely helpful right about now From the Location Settings menu with the Shows tab selected click on the Formats button In this form we establish the formats that will be in use within your head end There are many important rules to remember from Section 3 4 on page 30 Here is just a summary of the
135. eft their is an Available By time as well This is the last second the device Is used and represents the earliest time an operator may swap taps with this device 8 3 2 Device Assignment Views There are three views in the device assignment list Autopilot 154 Automating Your Head End Swap View This is the default view It shows every assignment that will take place ordered by when it will need to be loaded This list includes digital files and live feeds which may be unnecessary within this list if your operator only needs to know what to load where to load it and when Swap Load View Exactly the same as Swap View only without the Digital Files and Live Feeds table Device View Instead of sorting by load time this view segments each list by device If you first place the show next to the device to help you visualize everything in its place this view will be helpful 8 4 The Event Table The event table within Cablecast is generated for you when you send autopilot There is no way within this system to create it by hand The event table shown in Figure 8 9 on the facing page Is a very short example of what you might see when you send autopilot Each event may have a device action and or a switch with the routing switcher that happens at a single specific time and date This is different than what some of you may be use to with a Leightronix or Tech Electronics event controllers where an event
136. elect an item to view its Name Descripti 43 Shared Folders description Adobe LM Ser Adobe LN Local Users and Gror AdtecEdjeCM Performance Logs ar bb Alerter Notifies 2 Device Manager Application La Provides amp Storage Application M Provides Removable Storage S ASP NET State Provides Disk Defragmenter Automatic Upd Enables 1 33 Disk Management Background In Transfers Ba Services and Applicatio S Cablecast Microsoft SOL Serve Carousel S ClipBook Enables 4 WMI Control SW COM Event S Supports B Indexing Service COM System Manages 2 Message Queuing Ha Computer Bro Maintain BB a Y Internet Information ali la A i gt Extended Standard Figure F 6 Select the Services snap in Troubleshooting 258 and Miscellaneous Tasks Out would be the response If this happens you have network issues Check the Tightrope Server Installation Guide for help with your network Microsoft Windows XP Version 5 1 2608 lt C gt Copyright 1985 2061 Microsoft Corp C Documents and Settings pancreas gt ping 10 8 1 133 Pinging 10 0 1 133 with 32 bytes of data from 10 0 1 133 time lt ims TTL 128 from 18 0 1 133 time lt ims TTL 128 from 18 0 1 133 time lt ims TTL 128 from 18 8 1 133 time lt ims TTL 128 Ping statistics for 10 0 1 133 Packets Sent 4 Received 4 Lost z loss gt Approximate round trip ti
137. equire a take delay although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Post Roll This device does not require a post roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Leave this blank as you address the device in the Device CMS section Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Stop is recommended for this device e Important notes about this device The files on this device require the following naming conventions showid reelnum mpg where showid is the show id number of the program and reelnum is the reel number Example 1234 1 mpg would be show 1234 reel 1 Edje servers can only handle MPEG files that are less than 2 gigabytes Multi reel MPEG programs will be very common with this device If you have more than one video server remember that this device does not share content with other devices You will have to have a unique format for each Edje server in your head end unless you plan on putting the exact same content on each server This control module supports the following commands Play Stop and Pause Events are stored on the control module and not in the Edje server B 3 Denon DVD2900 179 B 3 Denon DVD2900 e Physical Connections This devi
138. er the IP address of the video server This control module must run on the video server Host Port 56709 CM URI EnseoAlchemyCM Authentication EnseoAlchemyCM56709 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the path to the content directory where the content will be stored Example E Content or hugeServer mpegContentShare Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time Yes Check this box to maintain proper synchronization with the Cablecast system Limit Events No This device has unlimited events e Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices 184 Control Module Information Remember You will create a device for every output on your server The only difference between these devices will be the name and the address Name Enter the video servers name and port number here Example Video Server 1 Router Address Enter the router address that this port is plugged into Device Function Choose Playback only Device Type Choose Digital File Take Delay This device does not require a take delay although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Post Roll This device does not require a post roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues
139. ername is the username that you use to login to the MVP and password is the password that you use Sync Time Yes Check this box to maintain proper synchronization with the Cablecast system Limit Events Unlimited or 1 to 4000 B 13 Leightronix Pro 8 LgxMVP2000CM 201 e Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices Important Note Remember that in this section we are describing devices that are attached to the MVP 2000 If you have devices that are con trolled by Cablecast but not connected to the MVP s ProBus interface you use that device s control module for control Name Enter the name of the device attached to the MiniT Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to Remember that in many cases the Mini T is the routing switcher Device Function Choose Whatever describes this device usually either Playback Only or Playback amp Record Device Type For devices attached to the MVP s ProBus choose Generic For the internal MPEG server choose Digital File For the Panasonic MicroCart choose WTR TC Multitape Device Load Duration Enter This will appear with the MicroCart You will need to time the MicroCart between tape switches The longest time required plus some for a fudge factor is the value to enter here for this field In testing this seems to
140. es between these modes if it senses a Compix card Operation within the Cablecast interface is identical in either mode with some functions having no effect in Stand Alone Mode D 2 Configuring the DSK Display Engine Configuring the DSK Display Engine is simple 1 Navigate to d TRMS CablecastDSKEngine directory If your TRMS directory is on a different drive us that drive instead of the D drive 2 Double click on the CablecastDSK exe icon and quickly click on the Configure button Figure D 1 Loading CablecastDSK cablecast Configure 2 Figure D 1 Click on the Configure button be fore it counts down to zero D 2 Configuring the DSK Display Engine 243 10 11 12 13 14 15 Enter the IP address of the Cablecast server in the Cablecast Server field Select the number of the channel you want this display engine to point to within Cablecast Each channel is listed in order within the System Settings Channels menu Count from the top starting with one That is the third channel in the list would be number 3 and that is what you would select here Click the check mark to the left of the Cablecast Server field The DSK Display Engine will check that there is a connection between it and the Cablecast machine If there is it will say Ok If not it will return Not Ok If it returns Not Ok verify the add
141. es of one or more programs into specified slots by creating and using blocks We learn more about blocks and how to create them in Section 7 6 on page 130 Select the shows you would like to block copy and click the Block button Then select the desired block or blocks from the list as seen in the example shown in Figure 7 9 When you click continue the copies will be made BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Modify Schedule Block BEC TV TBC Schedule Channel Record BEC TV Cra Select the blocks that you would like to copy to TBC Saturday Ceontinye cancel fn Figure 7 9 The Block Select Form Ripple Rippling a run means to shift the start time by a positive or negative value See Figure 7 10 on the next page Any shows that you have selected will be rippled when you click this button Unbump When shows are bumped it s often because the autopilot system in Cablecast bumped them If this was a mistake you can select the 7 3 Run Details 125 show and click the Unbump button Often it s easiest to click the green arrow at the upper left of the schedule to select all shows then click the Un bump button This will un bump all of the programming in this day We re done with our tour of the schedule During this tour we learned most of what you ll use in your day to day use of Cablecast The following sections fill in the holes we did not cover here 7 3 Run Detai
142. ese devices it s often helpful to enumerate the devices either starting with 1 or starting with the routing switcher input that each device is attached to Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to Device Function Choose Playback only Device Type Choose DVD Jump Duration Typically this device requires about 15 seconds to jump to a title and chapter With DVD s that lock out control during the initial play this number may be longer Take Delay A value of 3 seconds is best for this device although your millage may vary Post Roll This device does not require a post roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Leave this blank as you address the device in the Device CMS section Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action STOP is recommended for this device e Important notes about this device This control module also works with the Pioneer V5000 B 20 Pioneer DV F07 PioneerDVFO07CM 219 B 20 Pioneer DV FO7 PioneerDVF07CM e Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device uses a custom cable illustrated in Section C 6 on page 238 This device has a 15 pin male co
143. evices to use for a specific show record because the formats will match When more than one device has a format Cablecast will pick any available device usually the device with the least number of hours under its belt TWe say show record for simplicity In actuality Cablecast is matching the media record to the device Sdetermined by how many times Cablecast tried to use the device 3 4 Formats 31 If a device is to be utilized for automated playback then it must have at least one format for Cablecast to match against a show record s format If no device matches a format for a show record Cablecast throws an error during an autopilot send if that show is included 3 4 1 Using Formats to Distinguish Between Similar Devices High So High School x _ e Center Community pore Center Figure 3 1 How can you force Cablecast to pick between two devices of the same type By making unique formats for each device Given what we know so far any time Cablecast must choose one device over another there has to be be a unique format that distinguishes between the two devices For example if you have a feed from a Community Center and a feed from a High School Figure 3 1 you must have a unique format for each feed so that when you schedule a live program from the High School you can explicitly instruct Cablecast to use the correct feed by selecting its unique format As another example if you have
144. ew When you click the New button you are presented with the form shown in Figure 7 8 Once you fill this form out you will be returned to the schedule with the new entries in place See more about manual runs in Section 7 5 on page 127 BEC TV TBC Schedule Chan Add 4 New Show run s Manual run s ia eg TT Figure 7 8 You can add more than one run by inserting a number into the Add field Also you can add manual runs by selecting the Manual Run s field Delete To delete runs select them and click this Delete button Print This brings up a printable version of this form Just choose print from your browser s File menu Copy Copies any selected show or shows into a buffer You can paste them here or into another day and or channel 124 The Schedule If you want to move a show copy it with the Copy but ton then paste it into the target with the Paste button Then delete the original with the Delete button Delet ing the original show must happen last or Cablecast will loose the show and pasting it will not work yb You cannot paste a show run into another location Paste Pastes a show that was copied with the Copy button Block Block copying is an enormous time saver for those who make pre dictable repeats of their programming Instead of manually copying and pasting shows you can make multiple copi
145. f multiple devices exist within the installation then they will be addressed within the device definition in Location Settings I O Devices Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56702 CM URI Knox64 Authentication Knox64CM56702 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Control Module 194 Information Limit Events No This device has unlimited events e Important notes about this device Do not use for routing switchers below 16 inputs or 16 outputs Instead use the Knox8CM control module B 11 Knox Pro Switch Series Routing Switchers KnoxProSwitchCM 195 B 11 Knox Pro Switch Series Routing Switchers KnoxProSwitchCM e Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device requires a straight through cable See Section C 1 on page 233 for pin out diagram The device has a 9 pin female connector e Control Module Implementation This con
146. f our Lives 96 X save J cancel J clear 7 Figure 6 6 A Project with Show Records Projects Shows 100 Producers and Media Records Clicking on the show records show ID number will call up that show record 6 5 Shows If you track nothing else within Cablecast you will track shows Almost nothing happens without a show record because that is where Cablecast mines the impor tant information that it needs to display and automate your programming When you create a show record you automatically create a media record to go with it Section 6 2 on page 88 You can add more media records to your show record which is useful when your show goes beyond your DVD s capacity Also you can reassign your show to an existing media record useful for when your show is on a tape or DVD with other shows Navigate to the Show Management menu and click on the Shows tab Let s take a quick tour of this menu Find Show Search for existing programs in this menu New Show Create a new show record Free Show IDs Look for existing show records whose contents have been cleared Saved Searches Look for show records using searches that have been saved for later use Saved Shows Bin Look for shows that have been collected in a bin Much like a shopping cart in an online store the saved show bin is a place to temporarily collect show records for use within other parts of Cablecast primarily the schedule 6 5 1 Adding and Editing Show
147. f statistical information as it relates to your programming and show library Plug ins Various utilities that add functionality to the Cablecast system User Settings Options to adjust the user s preferences Location Settings Adjust settings related to the active location This is where you describe the physical and conceptual configuration of your head end This will be your home when you are first setting up the system System Settings Establish your system wide settings including your location s name s channel settings and information related to the control of any hardware that is connected to your system Return to Frontdoor Brings you back to the IRFrontdoor Main Menu To the right of the Main Menu options is the current status table Figure 4 18 on the next page This table displays the status of every channel that is primary to the active location and according to the event table that was last sent Clicking on the table updates the status 4 12 Chapter Quiz Q True or false Cablecast will pick up the changes you enter in the software even if you do not click the save button A False Like any web application the program doesn t re ceive your input until you click a button on the form Q Where do you toggle the online help A On the right hand side of the screen opposite the naviga tion links which is just below the location selection bar 4 12 Chapter Quiz 57 Q Where do you specify the timeserver to wh
148. f you want to track the date that this media entered the last selected disposition type enter it here That is when you select In House you can enter a date that designates when the DVD went in house Shows This is the list of show records that are using this media record You may select the show ID number to open that record When you re finish click the save button 4Such as how many times a device was used whether or not the program that came before it is the same DVD changer etc Projects Shows 116 Producers and Media Records O O O DO O The Schedule 7 1 Introduction Now that you re smart about show records it s time to schedule Generally speaking Cablecast schedules shows and each show that is in the sched ule is called a run Although you can schedule a manual event within the schedule all of Cablecast s power resides in its ability to analyze show records and schedule them Furthermore Cablecast schedules these runs on a time and date not on a day of the week Therefore what you schedule for Monday will not automatically repeat on the next Monday In this chapter we will learn all about the scheduling system within Cable cast 7 2 Using The Scheduling Interface Navigate to the Modify Schedule screen from the main menu Most of this chapter will focus on the activities within this menu 1There are tools for batch scheduling that we cover in this chapter
149. fect automation in any way If you went your entire life without ever using projects your hardware and your automation in general would not be affected Projects were added in Cablecast 4 0 They are a central part of the design of the new system but not many features were added to them Look for Tightrope to develop more features around the projects architecture 6 4 1 Creating a Project Navigate to Main Menu Show Management and select the Projects tab Here we can either find a project or make a new one Click on New Project Figure 6 4 Fill out the form describing and naming the project as you see fit City Hall Head End Main Menu Show Management Shows Projects Media Search Project Name Time of Our Lives Variety show for Seniors featuring interviews music and special presentations for Bloomington s mature audience Description Producer f Shows No shows are currently associated with this project cancel Figure 6 4 The Projects Form 6 4 2 Finding a Project Finding a project is simple Navigate to Show Management and click on the Projects tab Then select Find Project Projects Shows 98 Producers and Media Records Just type all or part of the project name in the Project Name field and or select a producer from the Producer pop down list Figure 6 5 Tightrope Media Systems cablecast City Hall Head End Main Menu
150. for TCD RP PLUSBUS TCD_RPO1 Device Load Duration Enter This will depend on the device Tightrope controls many of the same devices directly If yours are B 16 Leightronix TCD IP LgxTCDIPCM 211 attached to the TCD IP you can review the notes for these devices in control modules listed in this appendix Just copy the value here as the same value works for the TCD IP for this field In testing this seems to be the amount of time this device needs to load its media Your mileage may vary Jump Duration Enter This will depend on the device Tightrope controls many of the same devices directly If yours are attached to the TCD IP you can review the notes for these devices in control modules listed in this appendix Just copy the value here as the same value works for the TCD IP as the value This is the number of seconds to wait after a jump com mand is issued There needs to be enough time for this device to jump to the new cue point and our experience says that This will depend on the device Tightrope controls many of the same devices directly If yours are attached to the TCD IP you can review the notes for these devices in control modules listed in this appendix Just copy the value here as the same value works for the TCD IP is the right value Your mileage may vary Take Delay Enter a value appropriate for this device This number will depend the device and cannot be predicted without testing device
151. for the location you have selected One of the few exception is the System Settings menu where settings are not location dependent 4 9 Navigation Bar 53 In menus where information is channel specific the list of channels at the active location will appear in another bar Figure 4 14 Make sure you select the desired channel before editing 4 9 Navigation Bar You are in an unfamiliar woods with a bag of croutons To combat the likelihood of getting lost you drop a crouton every few steps tracing the tasty treats on your way out to safety cablecast BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Modify Schedule for Friday January 21 2005 BEC TV TBC Schedule Channel Record BEC TV Crawls Figure 4 13 In this is example we show three locations BEC BCIT and BCAT BEC is the active lo cation sd Main Menu Schedule S o o Le Tightrope Media Systems cablecast BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Modify Schedule for Friday January 21 2005 BEC TV TBC Schedule Channel Record BEC TV Crawls Update New Delete Print Copy Paste Block Ripple Unbump Y startTime ShowID Title 12 10 00 am 21320 Jaguar SPOTS January 20 12 30 00 am 121326 Tomorrow s Voices Today TVT 23 Figure 4 14 In this is example we are still in the BEC lo cation and we can see the channels that are located here in these channel tabs 54 First Steps Think of the Navigation B
152. ght have network security implications r W This is a tip Tips show unique ways to use the software and tricks Y that have been picked up by other Cablecast users F o Y This highlights features that are new for version 4 2 If you are a current user of Cablecast you will want to pay special attention to these boxes as It highlights new and improved features of the new version When the text references a particular menu item field or label within the software that text will be quoted in bold Example Click on the Main Menu button When the text references user input this format will appear Example If you are working with the Pioneer DVF 07 the Device Address field will be PLUSBUS DVDCHG t where is the changer address number on the Plusbus number When quotes are used do not include them in your input unless specifically told to When it is necessary to navigate to a menu this documentation will represent each menu level with a colon For example if it were necessary to navigate to the Search menu for shows a user would go to the Main menu then click the Show Management button then the Shows button then Find Show button Instead this is reduced to Show Management Shows Find Show skipping the Main Menu portion altogether 1 3 About Tightrope 11 1 2 1 To Whom Are We Talking Cablecast has many uses and is well suited for a variety of tasks There is one
153. he show record is updated when the program is posted shoot your program Here we are emphasizing that it doesn t matter when you shoot the program Enter data early Data for the program is entered into Cablecast Some of the data isn t known because the show hasn t been posted prepare the head end When all ofthe programming information is set and the schedule is completed you are ready to Send Autopilot This is done when the information that is already in the head end runs out Before the show is aired Autopilot is sent within Cablecast This programs the head end equipment Cablecast automatically detects conflicts that arise from shows bumping into each other post production process The program is scheduled Format and length are guessed at within the show record finalize autopilot program Is aired During this process the Cablecast takes care of operator swaps out the old the rest media with the new The head end operator follows the device assignment list generated by Cabelcast Sending the instructions to the equipment is called sending Autopilot Figure 2 1 A visual representation of how a station uses Cablecast left Follow the diagram from the top 2 2 Configuring Hardware 17 Given that there are endless configurations you will need to prepare a system diagram Read the rest of this section and then look at Section 2 2 1 on the next page for exam
154. heduling one right after another see schedule show ID 100 titles 102 total run time 88 site name see Frontdoor sticky devices see autopilot swap see autopilot time settings see also Frontdoor 47 titles see shows
155. here everything is set This is because if something is going to change autopilot will have to be resent and there is little point in re sending the same information There are exceptions however When only one show will be updated in the middle of a send some stations will go ahead and send autopilot past the un posted show re sending autopilot once the show record is updated Cablecast has an elegant way to deal with these situations with a feature called sticky devices When a send is done with sticky devices selected Cablecast always assigns shows to the same device as the last send The sticky devices algorithm can handle one or two device changes in the second send but generally the sends have to be very similar in order for that feature to work When the re send is successful the operator can leave most if not all of the programming in place We cover sticky devices in Section 8 2 on page 147 8 1 3 Swapping When you Run Out of Devices When a send has so many shows that the system run out of devices to play them Cablecast starts re using devices Reloading a device during a send is called a swap Cablecast does its absolute best to make swapping as efficient as possible so that the fewest number or most logical swap pattern is achieved Any time a swap is required the operator will see it on the device assignment list which we cover in Section 8 3 on page 151 Sometimes operators might choose to trade some efficien
156. his control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56708 CM URI LgxTCDIPCM Authentication LgxT CDIPCM56708 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the IP address of the TCD IP Authentication Username and password of the user to connect as for the TCD IP in the format username password Example trms trms If this field is left blank it will try to log in as the guest account Control Module 210 Information Sync Time Yes Check this box to maintain proper synchronization with the Cablecast system Limit Events 1 to 4000 e Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices Important Note Remember that in this section we are describing devices that are attached to the TCD IP Also if you have devices that are controlled by Cablecast but not con nected to the TCD IP use that device s control module for control Due to the flexibi
157. hows What format would you like to change the effected shows to VHS BEC Studi U Matic Passive Balun _S BSN Figure 5 8 Here we are about to affect 5 222 media records We can re assign them to a different format or select the blank option Remember without a format Cablecast can t assign them to devices 5 5 2 Defining a Location s After you ve picked your formats click the I O tab We will accomplish the bulk of Cablecast s setup within this tab 76 Setup Control Module Sets Main Menu Schedule Shows Autopilot About FrontDooy Tightrope Media Systems Jump to ShowiD cablecast BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Location Settings Control Module Sets Shows Schedule I O Autopilot Sync Limit CMS Name Control Module Port Setting Authentication Time Events Start End TCD 1000 LgxTCD1000 BEC on Cablecast y 2 Y E 1 DenonDVD2900 m pee ENC 106 110 EnContent g DVDA ExtronMAV 1 Generic DVDB Innotech Spitfire 1 JVCSRS365U DvD Cc Knox64 BCIT on videoserver 1 1 Knox8 a LgxMiniTPro BCIT on videoserver LgxMVP2000 _ new delete LgxPro16 BCAT on BCAT Carousel save cancel ETOD LgxTCD1000 BEC on Cablecast LgxTCDIP New Control Module loviemaker 2004 tightrope media system D 7400 Figure 5 9 The Control Module Sets Menu Click the Control Module Sets butto
158. htrope media systems AG Figure 5 13 Setting the interstitial length 86 Setup than enough The default setting of 60 minutes is overly aggressive but you can leave it in place if you wish If you ve been told to change your time sync settings by someone at Tightrope this is where you do it When you are finished click save 5 7 Take a Step Back and Review You re done with the initial setup That means that Cablecast is ready to automate programs that you enter into the system At the very least shows could be entered scheduled and automated Up to this point there haven t been many tough decisions to be made as everything except the names of devices channels and locations has been pretty mechanical If a dealer installed your system for you they would stop here and let you do the rest We do have some additional things to consider before we put the system in action We need to e test what we ve done so far e define show related items such as categories producers dispositions and custom fields e define any run types that we d like to track e set the defaults for autopilot e create and modify Blocks for our programming e set up Carousel for each channel if applicable e setup our down stream key DSK plug in if applicable e set up the public web interface for Cablecast which displays show and schedule information to the public on a web site generated by Cabl
159. ices like VTRs and DVD players Cablecast 4 2 can control those devices directly RS422 controlled VTRs many RS232 devices JVC BR S365U DV F07 Knox Routing Switchers etc and over 2000 IR controllable devices are controlled directly from Cablecast e Cablecast now supports multiple cueing methods including minutes seconds timecode chapter title and slots which refer to multiple media reels in a single playback record device e The record system can be used with Tightrope supported MPEG encoders with future support for batch transcoding into Internet streaming formats e An improved scheduling interface that includes a timeline bar showing you where the holes in your schedule are as well as where each show lands in a day e Show records can now have any number of reels associated with it No longer are you limited to two tapes or DVD s per show e Multiple shows can be associated with one reel Now you can store any number of programs on one DVD and Cablecast will know how to access the correct Title and Chapter automatically This also works for timecode controllable VT Rs e Show Dispositions can prevent you from sending your schedule to Autopilot That is marking a show as erased can result in an error message when you schedule the program and send it to your hardware e Cablecast tracks what happens in each control module Now you can find out for sure what happened on your head end no matter what equipment was res
160. ich the Ca blecast machine synchronizes its clock A In the server setup menu that is accessed in the first menu that you see after you log in Q What is the purpose for the tabs on the top of most menus A They designate the current location that you are working with By selecting different locations you change the available records that you re working with These records include the producers media shows formats devices and more BEC TV 20179 Boys Hockey Jefferson vs Kennedy 20917 Tomorrow s Voices Video Server Today TVT 13 4 1 20255 Olson Gr 4 Music Around the World Now 10 00 00 am 11 39 43 am DVDA 1 Next 12 30 00 pm 12 39 26 pm Next 1 00 00 pm 1 27 12 pm Deck 1 1 TBC 20736 Wrestling Kennedy at Eagan Next 11 00 00 am 11 23 35 am praia RETO Deck 1 1 Voyage Concert Next 12 00 00 pm 12 26 40 pm 20501 Crime Time Aug 15 21 BCIT 1 Schedule Channel No events are scheduled for this channel Updated 8 17 2004 10 32 33 AM click to refresh Now 8 30 00 am 10 39 38 am Deck 6 1 X Figure 4 18 The Current Status Table Remember click ing on the table refreshes the information 58 First Steps O O O Do O Howto Cablecast Setup 5 1 Introduction After three boring chapters on concepts and definitions you re finally ready to dive into the actual setup of your Cablecast system If you haven t vis
161. ied ways depending on the intel ligence of the device it is controlling If the device has a memory and stores a table of commands in an event list the control module can translate Cablecast s instructions into a compatible format and store it on the remote device period ically synchronizing the remote device s clock with the Cablecast Server If the device can only execute commands as they are received then the control module will store the commands and execute them on its own schedule Lastly the control module can operate from anywhere Commonly the control module will be on the Cablecast Server Sometimes this is not practical efficient or convenient lAccessing this web site from outside of your network requires an appropriate Internet con nection 2This is very common when the system is working with a third party event controller such as a Leightronix Pro 16 28 Mechanics Practical When controlling multiple head ends with a Cablecast system devices controlled at remote head ends become unreachable If a Tightrope Server is located at the remote head end then control modules may be loaded on it and thus control over the remote devices becomes possible even when Cablecast is across town Efficient If a device is controlled over an IP network it may be more efficient and thus more reliable to run the control module on the device itself as is the case on a Tightrope VS4 Series video server or on a Tightrop
162. if you have devices that are controlled by Cablecast but not con nected to the ProBus interface use that device s control module for control Name Enter the name of the device attached to the TCD 1000 Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to If your routing switcher is connected to the TCD 1000 then the TCD 1000 is the routing switcher Device Function Choose Whatever describes this device usually either Playback Only or Playback amp Record Device Type Choose Generic The TCD 1000 is not compatible with any other device type Take Delay Enter a value appropriate for this device This number will depend the device and cannot be predicted without testing device Post Roll Enter a value appropriate for this device This number will depend the device and cannot be predicted without testing device Device CMS Will always be to the CMS you defined for the TCD 1000 Device Address The ProBus address for this device Example 1 or 16 Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Whatever is appropriate for this device Important notes about this device It is not required that your location connect the routing switcher to the TCD 1000 Many stations connect a routing switcher directly to the Cablecast machine 208 Control Module Information Remember that
163. ighlighted by the black arrow Main Menu Schedule Shows Autopilot About FrontDoor L Tightrope Media Systems Jump to ShowID cablecast BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu There is no help avaliable for this screen Modify Schedule BEC TV ls Show Management No events are scheduled for this channel Autopilot UES Batch Functions Reporting Plug ins No events are scheduled for this channel Schedule Channel No events are scheduled for this channel Record User Settings No events are scheduled for this channel Location Settings Updated 1 22 2005 12 09 34 AM click to refresh System Settings 2004 tightrope media systems Ex Figure 4 17 The Main Menu 56 First Steps Modify Schedule Create and modify the schedule for your channel or channels In the modify schedule menu you select the location and channel you want to edit the date of the schedule and populate the schedule with shows Show Management Add edit and search for projects shows and media in your Cablecast database Autopilot Send programming information to your equipment force an action to happen immediately view the device assignment list or review and edit the event table Batch Functions Perform operations on your show or schedule database Typi cally they create or delete a block of information when used You will want to be sure you understand their purpose before using them Reporting Functions related to the reporting o
164. ile not easy it s done every single day by people all across the world who automate their head end for channel playback The trouble is in creating a program that is able to anticipate every what if scenario every installation type every device that may be used in the head end and every user s personal preference on how a channel should operate Cablecast s autopilot system accomplishes just that When Tightrope shills this system to potential end users we like to say Autopilot is why you would pay all that money for Cablecast In software development terms it is the ten percent of the system that took ninety percent of the development time Reduced down to the basics autopilot 1The other ninety percent of the program took the other ninety percent of the development time Autopilot 142 Automating Your Head End takes the schedules at any given location e looks up the show reel and media records that are used within those schedules checks the device setup for this location e then works an incredible amount of magic to figure out the best possible way to make every thing work The end result of this magic is an event table and a device assignment list The event table is the aggregate list of commands that are sent to all of the control modules By executing these commands on a precise schedule your system is automated The device assignment list is the list of times devices and media that the
165. inal Look at The Big Picture 35 First Steps 37 41 A eRe en hoe oe oh A Re A 37 4 2 Logging into the Frontdoor Server 0 37 CONTENTS 4 3 User Permissions in Cablecast 04 39 4 4 The Frontdoor MainMenu 208 41 4 5 Changing Your Password 0 0 000000000 as 42 LO Sewer Setups ere aw a eee a Bee ie a Be aes 43 4 6 1 Server Setup SiteName 0 43 4 6 2 Server Setup Server Security 202 44 4 6 3 Server Setup Mail Settings 0 44 4 6 4 Server Setup Time Settings 47 4 6 5 Server Setup Database Tools 20 47 4 7 The Cablecast Interface 2 0 0 2 ee 50 4 8 Navigating Locations and Channels 52 4 9 Navigation Bar 2 2 00020 53 4 10 Online Help occ ss bd etek ae es LAL RA ES BDA do 54 4 11 Main Menu Tour ee 54 4 12 Chapter QUZ ua Ghote est Save BR a ace BA bred 56 Setup 59 Dl IntrodictiON sr aye BO ee ee a ee PB A an n a 59 5 2 Diagram The Head End 2 2 20 20020008 60 5 2 1 Making the Device List 0 2 61 5 2 2 Making the Output List 63 5 2 3 Linking Multiple Locations 65 5 2 4 Summarizing Your Worksheets 66 5 3 Gathering Control Modules 204 66 5 3 1 Control Module List The Tour 67 5 3 2 Identifying Your Control Modules Deciding When t
166. ion 8 3 2 on page 153 When looking at the Initial Load table in 8 7 notice the first column It includes the last minute that you can load each show The next column includes the show information and the media information beneath that in smaller text The next two columns contain the device name and the slot number for the media The last column shows the channel s on which this this show will appear Even though most device can only hold one tape or DVD at a time Cablecast always lists a slot number Ignore this unless you are work ing with devices that can take more than one piece of media at a time such as a DVD changer The key with this list is the Load By time the show media information the device and the slot With this information the operator knows what to load when and where The table beneath Initial Load is Digital Files and Live Feeds This table Autopilot Automating Your Head End BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Autopilot Device Assignments Device assignments for Location BEC Channel All Channels Viewing Mode Swap View y Last sent from 2 11 2005 6 00 00 PM to 2 11 2005 8 00 00 PM at 2 11 2005 4 21 09 PM Initial Load Available Load by 2 11 2005 6 59 56 pm Available Load by 2 11 2005 6 59 03 pm Available Load by 2 11 2005 6 09 03 pm Available Load by 2 11 2005 7 29 03 pm Available Load by 2 11 2005 6 44 03 pm 20961
167. ion on both the reel record for this show and for the other shows is entered and correct SN You cannot directly create media records They are only cre ated when you make a show record Event Date Generally this field describes when the program was shot That is when the meeting took place or when the Football game was played Click the to reveal a helpful calender Category If a category fits this show record select it from this pop down list If not then review Section 6 3 1 on page 91 on how to add another one Producer Select the producer of this show here If you need to add one see Section 6 3 2 on page 93 Comments Comments go here Custom Fields If you have any custom fields they will appear here Runs When this show is entered into a schedule within Cablecast it will appear here If a show is to happen in the future it will appear with a plus in front of it Figure 6 11 12 Runs Total Sun 02 06 05 07 00 AM Sun 02 06 05 01 00 AM Sat 02 5 05 07 00 PM Thu 02 03 05 01 00 PM Thu 02 03 05 07 00 AM Figure 6 11 The plus symbol next to these runs de notes that the run will happen in the fu ture Clicking on the date of a run will bring you to that day on that channel The buttons at the bottom act on the entire form Remember you must click save to save your settings Click duplicate if you would like to create a new show record using
168. is name comes into play is within the Cable cast interface However we are not describing the channel We are describing the 13 and all other devices attached to the TCD IP 72 Setup head end or your organization Therefore it may be helpful to name the location after your station or building When finished navigate click save and back to the Main Menu 5 4 2 If you have more than one location Navigate to System Settings Locations Figure 5 6 on the previous page Click the new button until you have an entry for every routing switcher in your installation Starting from the top and repeating for each location click each location s name type a descriptive name and click the save button Fight the urge to name your location after a channel because it is important in multi location installations to name each location after its physical location So instead of Channel 16 choose City Hall or BCAT Access Center or whatever you re calling yourself these days If you are creating a location for a secondary routing switcher name the location after its function while tying it to the primary location For example City Hall BKG Audio Feeder or BCAT Secondary When finished navigate click save and back to the Main Menu 5 5 Setting Up Your Location Ss Remembering from Chapter 2 on page 15 every routing switcher automated by Cablecast is consider
169. ited Chapters 2 4 or 3 and you are new to Cablecast stop reading this chapter This chapter makes bold assumptions about your knowledge of this system and things will not go well for you if you are not up to the task This chapter is a walk through of the basic and mandatory setup procedures of Cablecast We go from a fresh Cablecast system and explore all of the steps necessary in making a functional system When you are finished with this chapter your system will be ready for action even if you won t know how to use itt We do not cover some of the optional settings within the system nor do we cover settings related to daily use We just want to pull all the information from the previous chapters together and configure Cablecast to work with your hardware 1That comes later 2You know locations channels and all that 60 Setup When we re all done we ll move on to Appendix E on page 247 and test what we ve done and talk about the different steps we can take next 5 2 Diagram The Head End Get a sheet of paper for each routing switcher in your installation Each sheet will represent a location Title each sheet with a name that describes the loca tion Example High School Head End or Brunswick Community Television T Spreadsheets work well for this exercise and are more forgiving if you need to change your mind Make sure you use one sheet for each location At the top of the workshee
170. itle Figure 7 2 Figure 7 2 Notice the subtle outline around the show s title This resulted from clicking on the green square in the 24 Hour Bar that represents this show Also notice that mousing over the show title reveals the format of this show This show is preassigned to a device and slot numbers which is also revealed If you click on a white area a new schedule entry will be created that chains to the previous show If you mouse over any section you will see fly over text that reveals timing and title information for each element as we can see in Figure 7 3 Start 12 10 00 AM End 12 19 20 AM Duration 00 09 20 Jaguar SPOTS 2 3 04 Figure 7 3 When you mouse over a section of the 24 Hour Bar most browsers will show you the helpful text you see here 120 The Schedule 4 Schedule Header This contains the heading information for your schedule If you click the green arrow all of the checkboxes for each run will be selected or de selected 5 Run Record This is a single run in the schedule The checkbox on the left selects the record The start time may be edited using the Start Time field If no show ID is entered the title illustrated in Figure 7 4 is displayed You may click on that link to search for a show or enter a show ID number to reveal it No Show Data Click for show search Figure 7 4 Clicking on this link brings you to a menu
171. le is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56720 CM URI SonyDVP777CM Authentication SonyDVP777CM56720 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 Authentication Leave this field blank B 23 Sonny DVP CX777ES SonyDVP777CM 225 Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Limit Events No This device has unlimited events e Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices Name User defined Pick any name that is descriptive of this device and unique from all other devices If there is more than one of these devices it s often helpful to enumerate the devices either starting with 1 or starting with the routing switcher input that each device is attached to Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to Device Function Choose Playback only Device Type Choose DVD Multidisc Device Load Duration Enter 60 for this field In testing this seems to be the amount of time this device needs to load its media Your mileage may vary Jump Duration Enter 10 as the value This is the number of seconds to
172. lity of the TCD IP there are many options available to you through the device list Much of what is listed here will not appear as you are editing your specific device Name Enter the name of the device attached to the TCD IP Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to If your routing switcher is connected to the TCD IP then the TCD IP is the routing switcher Device Function Whatever describes this device usually either Playback Only or Playback amp Record Remember the TCD RP must be listed as two seperate devices This is because the unit is capable of playback and recording at the same time Therefore Cablecast must see it as two devices to get around conflict checking Device Type The TCD IP has a ProBus PlusBus interface For ProBus Devices Enter the numeric address of the device Exam ple 1 or 16 For PlusBus Devices Enter PLUSBUS Device Symbol where De vice Symbol is the value denoted in the Plus Bus Interfaces sec tion of the WinT CD software that was provided by Leightronix Also the numeric value at the end of Device Symbol and the PlusBus address need to be the same That is if you changed the name of the Device Symbol to exclude the numerical name at the end change it back so that it includes the original number Example for Pioneer DV FO7 changer PLUSBUS DVDCHGO1 Example
173. localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56701 CM URI Knox8CM Authentication Knox8CM56701 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Control Module 192 Information Limit Events No This device has unlimited events e Important notes about this device Do not use for routing switchers above eight inputs or eight outputs Instead use the Knox64CM control module for routing switchers above 8 inputs or 8 outputs B 10 16 I O and Higher Knox RS Series Routing Switchers Knox64CM 193 B 10 16 I O and Higher Knox RS Series Routing Switchers Knox64CM Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device requires a straight through cable See Section C 1 on page 233 for pin out diagram The device has a 9 pin female connector Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time Each server location that uses this device will need only one control module set I
174. ls Each run has a detail button on the right Clicking this button reveals the form in Figure 7 11 on the following page CG Exempt You can exempt this run from public display using this checkbox This will hide the run from both the public web display interface in Cablecast and the Cable Display plug in within Carousel Run Bump This is the value of the offset for the start time Shows that are said to be bumped have a value that is not zero Also bumps may not be less than zero Run Lock If you lock this program Cablecast will not be able to move it if there is a conflict during autopilot s calculations Instead autopilot will cut the BEC TV TBC Schedule Channel Ripple the selected shows by 00 15 00 hh mm ss ripple jn cancel Figure 7 10 In this example the show would be rippled by negative fifteen minutes 126 The Schedule Default Location Main Menu Modify Schedule Advanced Default Channel Record Advanced settings for run of ShowlD 1 CG Exempt O Run Bump Run Lock Run Type Bug Text Crawl Text 00 00 23 O Live v Over Logo This is text that will crawl every 10 minutes for the first half hour of this show That means it s on 3 times v Length 30 00 Interval 10 minut Figure 7 11 You can set attributes for this run of the pro gram In order to show a crawl of text on top of a station logo
175. m e Formats glue shows to devices Any time that Cablecast must pick one device over another there must be a unique format that Cablecast can use to distinguish Therefore use Live Feed From Studio and Live Feed From Stadium instead of one format called Live Feeds Otherwise Cablecast will pick either feed when a show Is set to that format which would obviously not work e The same principles apply for sub format types such as S VHS VHS and 6 Hour VHS If some of your devices cannot playback certain formats you need to make that distinction e When Cablecast can choose between more than one device to replay a pro gram only enter one format to represent those devices Cablecast will automatically choose a device on its own e The DVD primitive should only be used for serial controlled DVD players IR controlled DVD players are not compatible with this type Use the list of formats from the list of devices you created from Section 5 2 1 on page 61 Generally the list you created will identify the formats needed here Click the new for each new format and be sure to select the correct primitive type on the right Figure 5 7 on the following page When you are finished establishing your formats click the save button to return to the Location Settings menu 74 Setup Main Menu Schedule Show Tightrope Media Systems City Hall Head End Main Menu Location Settings Formats
176. meetings sports and concerts Projects Shows 92 Producers and Media Records Main Menu Schedule S Tightrope Media Systems cablecast City Hall Head End Main Menu Location Settings Categories Shows Schedule I O Autopilot Categories CI Meetings O Sports C Music O Variety new delete save cancel _ 2005 tightrope media systems A Figure 6 1 The Show Categories Form 6 3 Preparing your Location for Show Information 93 V Be weary of creating categories that are too specific Often these duplicate information stored in other fields For example instead of Council Meetings why not just Meetings Given that Coun cil Meetings may be represented by a title or a project there s no point in specifically tracking them as a category Also it s probably more useful to know how many meetings of any type that you ve covered instead of having to collect all types of meetings and add them together Also remember you can always add more categories as you need to It s best to start with just a few adding judiciously and as needed To save all of your changes click the save button Checking items to save is not necessary as Cablecast will save all changes To create a new category click the new button The delete button on the bottom acts on items at the top that are selected by the check box to the left of the item
177. mes in milli seconds Minimum ms Maximum ms Average Gms C Documents and Settings pancreas gt Figure F 7 Ping Success If it didn t work it would respond three times with Request Timed Out automating live shows see shows autopilot 26 35 141 changing defaults 145 device assignment 142 views 153 digital file management 163 event table 142 154 force 158 248 action and switch 161 device action 160 encoding video 161 failures 162 status 162 switching 160 forcing autopilot to pick a specific device see for mats sending from the event table 156 sticky devices 144 148 swap 144 153 swap cycles 146 147 background audio see channels bug text see schedule bump see schedule Cablecast 9 Carousel 26 CG Exempt see also schedule see also shows CG Title see shows channels 17 29 34 35 default inputs 34 background audio 21 multi location channels 34 feeder 34 64 licenses 22 Index primary 34 63 control modules 27 28 175 control module sets 76 list inside System Settings 67 operating on remote Servers 27 crawl text see schedule current status table 56 database tools see also Frontdoor default inputs see channels device assignment see autopilot devices 29 30 active field 80 creating 77 device address 79 device CMS 79 device end action 79 forcing autopilot to pick a specific device see for mats jump duration 79 load durati
178. module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references this control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56718 CM URI LgxPro8CM Authentication LgxPro8CM56718 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 204 Control Module Information Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time Yes Check this box to maintain proper synchronization with the Cablecast system Limit Events Limit events from 1 to 1000 Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices Important Note Remember that in this section we are describing devices that are attached to the Pro 8 If you have devices that are controlled by Cablecast but not conne
179. n System Settings Control Mod ules B 25 Tightrope 422 Control TRMSCBLRS422CM 229 Port Setting Leave this field blank Addressing is accomplished within each device Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Limit Events No This device has unlimited events e Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices Name User defined Pick any name that is descriptive of this device and unique from all other devices If there is more than one of these devices it s often helpful to enumerate the devices either starting with 1 or starting with the routing switcher input that each device is attached to Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to Device Function Choose Pick the value that matches the function for this device Device Type The setting in this pop down will depend on the device If it is a VTR then VTR TC Multitape will be the correct value If you are describing an Odetics compatible video server then choose Digital File Jump Duration This setting will vary depending on your specific device For Odetics compatible video servers the jump duration will most likely be 0 or 1 second For tape machines the value will be the greatest amount of time you would expect your tape machine to take to cue to a time code point
180. n If you are starting from a fresh system you should see an entry for a control module named Generic Erase the CMS Name for this entry and replace it with the name of your routing switcher Then in the Control Module pop down select the control module that you identified in Section 5 3 on page 66 Refer to Appendix XXX Missing Reffor the settings that you will use on the remaining fields Repeat this process for all of the equipment listed in the device list from Section 5 2 1 on page 61 clicking the new button to add another control module set For every piece of equipment make sure you refer to the instructions in Appendix XXX Missing Reffor device specific setup information Remember different devices are addressed using different methods For example the JVC SR S365U is represented in this menu once for every computer running the control module with the device s address set to the comport of each VTR as we will see in Section 5 5 2 on the next page Others like the Pioneer DV FO7 are repeated within this menu as you can see in Figure 5 9 The specific instructions for the control module that you are working with are your key to getting it right When you are finished configuring the control modules in this location click the save button 5 5 Setting Up Your Location 77 Router Click the Router button and select the control module that is controlling your routing switcher Click the
181. n the device in real time This control module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references this control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device e Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56721 CM URI PioneerDVDV4700CM Authentication PioneerDVDV4700CM56721 e Settings used within Location Settings I O Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization 218 Control Module Information Limit Events No This device has unlimited events Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices Name User defined Pick any name that is descriptive of this device and unique from all other devices If there is more than one of th
182. nces are you ll be on the phone with technical support if you re in this menu It s usually enough to know that this form is here so do not bother memorize each field 8 5 Force BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Autopilot Force Device Q Force Menu Refresh OUTPUTS Preview MPEG 2 gt Actions Dev Only Delay TBC Monitor Encoder Status ENC 106 Q Q Deck 1 None Deck 2 None DVDA gt None VS4 500 1 None Satellite Stadium Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Carousel 2005 tightrope media systems E Figure 8 11 This is the Autopilot Force Menu It acts like a virtual routing switcher with the added ability to coordinate simple device control with your switches When you want to force something to happen immediately you will do it in Ca blecast s Force menu The force menu can be found by navigating to Autopilot Force You should see a menu similar to the one seen in Figure 8 11 The matrix of green and dark green dots Figure 8 12 on the facing page represents the routing switcher at this location with inputs as columns and devices as the rows If you hover over a switch point Cablecast will display the switch using flyover help as we see in Figure 8 13 on the next page 8 5 Force 159 OUTPUTS Brunswick ly Delay Cable Output2 Status I Q s be 0 0 0 0 Figure 8 12 The dark green dots represent switched inputs Courtesy Brunswick Community Television Deck 2 to TBC
183. nfiguring 5 4 Creating and Naming Your Locations 71 If you are using a third party event controller the devices attached to that con troller are controlled through the control module for the event controller That is if you are using a Leightronix TCD IP and your Knox 16x16 routing switcher is attached to it you will not use the Knox64 control module In this example the Knox is controlled through the TCD IP s control module Finally it is not necessary to delete control modules from this list even if you are not using them As you will see later in the setup process we pick and choose the active control modules for our location and Cablecast will ignore the control modules that are not in use 5 4 Creating and Naming Your Locations 5 4 1 If you have one location Navigate to System Settings Locations and select Default Location Type a descriptive name for your location and click save Main Menu Schedule Sho Tightrope Media Systems cablecast Default Location Main Menu System Settings Locations Location Name Location Name City Hall Head End cancel Figure 5 6 Remember we re not naming the channel we re naming the location This may be a distinction without import but if you re trying to be accu rate you might as well follow the systems intent The temptation here is to name your location after your channel This is fine and truth be told the only place where th
184. ng your setup is important The word device implies something physical like a tape player or a video server In Cablecast a device might also be a live input such as a studio feed These distinctions and more are represented in Cablecast by a field called the Device Type Each type is listed below Generic Generic devices must be controlled but do not provide two way com munication These devices are almost exclusively IR controlled devices but may also be devices controlled by Leightronix s ProBus interface Because there is no two way communication there is only limited control over these devices Therefore there is no ability to cue to a timecode number or jump to a title and chapter on a DVD VTR TC Tape devices that are controlled in a two way manner such as by serial port or IP connection Most often these devices will utilize some form of timecode allowing reliable and repeatable cuing VTR TC Multitape Same as VTR TC except that the device stores multiple tapes within slots and can load a tape within a slot on command and without SRead that sentence again 30 Mechanics user intervention One example is the Panasonic MicroCart DVD Used for DVD players that can cue to a title and chapter This buy neces sity rules out any DVD player controlled by IR devices DVD Multidisc Same as DVD except that the device stores multiple DVD s within slots and can load a DVD within a slot on command and without
185. nnector e Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time This control module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references this control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device e Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56711 CM URI PioneerDVFO7CM Authentication PioneerDVF07CM56711 e Settings used within Location Settings I O Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization 220 Control Module Information Limit Events No This device has unlimited events Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices N
186. now and then they click on the hyperlink that gives them more options related to the media record If you re the kind of person that will get more out of the system by fully understanding how things really work with show reel and media records then this section is important to master If not then forget about it until the need arises and you need to re visit this topic 6 3 Preparing your Location for Show Information When we walked through the setup of our Cablecast system we skipped over most of the sections related to show records We did this because they were not critical to the operation of our head end Before we dive into creating our first show records or projects let s take a minute to define the categories producers and other information that will make up our show records To do that navigate to Location Settings and select the Shows tab We covered all there was to cover about formats back in Section 5 5 1 on page 73 Now we focus on the other items in this menu Remember what you do here effects only the location that is selected at the top of the user interface Each location has its own settings under the Location Setup menu and they all need to be set up individually 6 3 1 Categories Within the Categories form Figure 6 1 on the following page you can add edit and delete categories Categories typically describe shows of different genres and purposes like differentiating between
187. o Make Copies 69 5 3 3 The Buttons at the Bottom 69 5 3 4 Final Notes on the Control Modules List 70 5 4 Creating and Naming Your Locations 71 5 4 1 If you have one location 0 71 5 4 2 If you have more than one location 72 5 5 Setting Up Your Location 0 2 20004 72 5 5 1 Defining Formats 0 73 5 5 2 Defining aLocation s 75 5 6 Finalizing the System Settings 0 82 Dor 4 Ghanmelss 5 a 2 22 ha ay deat a Harn Bk he Sate Read 82 5 6 2 Time Sync Settings 0 0 0 0 2000 84 5 7 Take a Step Back and Review 86 Projects Shows Producers and Media Records 87 Gel Introduction xy em ame is He ee ee BE A ao a ee 87 6 2 Shows Reels and Media Records 00 88 CONTENTS 5 6 3 Preparing your Location for Show Information mis e e a Teeth 91 6 31 CategorieS mo ao a Ga BG ia a E 91 63 22 PrOUES SS ir a A 93 6 3 3 Dispositions 0 0 02020 200000008 94 6 34 Custom Fields 4 seu tia he AL Re eS dc da 96 OA IPROJOGES asado da e oP o o aie Slory ad Ita 96 641 Creatingua Project iii ge bk BP a ech Gk aoe 97 6 4 2 Finding a Project o 97 6 4 3 Linking Shows to Projects 0 98 625 SNOWS sas tb Se ce A Seo e 100 6 5 1 Adding and Editing Shows 100 6 5 2 Finding Sh
188. o distinguish between the two because one show can have many reels and many shows can be on one reel Routing Switcher A device that routes audio and video from playback or live sources to specified outputs For example 12 VCR s may be plugged into the inputs of a routing switcher and the outputs may be plugged into 12 TV monitors A routing switcher can send any VCR s video and audio signal to any combination of outputs Server or Cablecast Server or Tightrope Server or Frontdoor Server the ma chine that is running the Cablecast software A term used to describe the basic server that Tightrope ships It may have Cablecast Carousel or both Cablecast and Carousel pre installed Frontdoor is also the software that is the common login for both software packages meaning it manages the user names passwords and access rights of the system Station Media Center If you are a community access center you are a station If you are the media center for a school university or corporation you are a media center We will use these terms interchangeably throughout this document Subscriber or Viewer or Audience any person watching your content If you are a PEG center then you probably think of your audience as a subscriber If you re operating cablecast within a school or hospital then you think of 174 Definitions them as patients or students Video Messaging System or Bulletin Display System or Character Generator Web
189. o make all of the Cablecast plug ins This means your programmers can use Tightrope s plug ins as examples of how to program extensions into the system An improved inter networking interface that works well through firewalls This feature makes it easier to setup installations where a single Cablecast system is controlling more than one head end and the head ends are located across the Internet and connected through a firewall Technically speaking Cablecast communicates using fixed TCP ports eliminating the need to open a range of ports for the Cablecast server From the ground up Cablecast has been redesigned for the future making sure that expanded capabilities can be added without disrupting the founda tion of the system This increases reliability and enhances the opportunity to accommodate new technologies and features in the future f O O O O Overview ations and Channels 2 1 Introduction Cablecast is the heart of your head end system and the endless configurations and possibilities mean that there is a wide range of possible setups This is why careful planning and integration is a requirement for reliable operation Before you begin planning your installation it will be helpful to understand how Cablecast fits into your operation Review Figure 2 1 on the next page a flow chart of how programs go from the planning stage to beign broadcast on your channel Notice how Cablecast is a part of the process from star
190. o the Record Copy UNC field B 18 Pesa Routing Switchers PesaP1CM 215 B 18 Pesa Routing Switchers PesaP1CM e Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device requires a Pesa specific cable The device has a 9 pin male connector e Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time e Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56729 CM URI PesaP1CM Authentication PesaP1CM56729 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Limit Events No This device has unlimited events e Important notes about this device Important You must set the total number of outputs and levels in the TRMS ControlModules PesaP1CM exe config file that is located in the TRMS Control Modules directory 216 Control Module Information When you open the file with No
191. obably why you bought the system in the first place Channels are assigned to outputs on the routing switcher The video distribu tion hardware in your head endt is connected to this output Channels have default inputs to which Cablecast automatically switches when no programming is scheduled In multi location installations channels may be spread across multiple routing switchers Content originates from one or more remote locations routing switch ers and is routed to a central head end where it is then routed out to video distribution hardware Figure 2 2 on page 17 These remote head ends are called feeder locations The central head end where the output of the channel is sent to the public is called the primary location At each of the feeder locations a portion of the channel is automated These channel portions are called feeder channels They operate exactly like a regular single location channel except that their output goes on to an input on another routing switcher which is designated as the primary location At the primary location the channel in this multi location channel scenario that we re painting is called the primary channel S Again these channels are au tomated exactly like a single location channel The only difference is that when content is provided by a feeder channel at a feeder location the primary channel s output is switched to the feeder channel When channels originate from multiple location
192. ol Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56716 CM URI JVCSRS365UCM Authentication JVCSRS365UCM56716 e Settings used within Location Settings I O Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Leave this field blank Addressing is accomplished within each device Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Limit Events No This device has unlimited events e Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices 188 Control Module Information Name User defined Pick any name that is descriptive of this device and unique from all other devices If there is more than one of these devices it s often helpful to enumerate the devices either starting with 1 or starting with the routing switcher input that each device is attached to Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to Device Function Choose Playback only Device Type Choose VTR TC Take Delay This device does not require a take delay although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Post Roll This device does not
193. on Phone Number 866 866 4118 612 866 4118 ext 255 12 Introduction 1 4 About This Documentation A standard Tightrope server ships with three to seven manuals depending on the purchased software This is the Cablecast Guide and is intended for anyone who will be involved in the playback automation of your cable station Since every system ships with the software pre installed this manual does not cover installation of the software on a new system Instructions on how to set up a system from a clean hard drive will be included with the installation media Physically installing your Cablecast server into your head end is covered in the Tightrope Server Installation Guide 1 5 New Cablecast Users Cablecast is a cable head end management system capable of managing many aspects of your cable system including program information schedules routing switchers event controllers digital video servers public web schedule output and Carousel schedule display It is the automation and back office system for your head end operations Through its web centric interface Cablecast gives cable coordinators and media directors the tools they need to program their entire audiovisual head end If you are looking for a quick start guide to Cablecast or to understand the basic concepts that comprise a Cablecast controlled head end you will want to make sure you read Chapters 2 5 These chapters will give you a basic understanding of how Cabl
194. on 79 pin out diagrams 233 post roll 79 record copy UNC 80 record quality 80 reset runs 80 router address 77 take delay 79 types 29 wake device 79 with the same format but with different capabilities or mixing IR and serial see formats 260 INDEX without a format 63n digital file management see autopi lot Down Stream Key see DSK DSK 241 encoders setting quality 80 event table see autopilot feeder channels see channels force see autopilot formats 30 34 73 devices with multiple 31 distinguishing between devices with different capabilities 32 primitive types 32 using to pick between two devices 31 Frontdoor database tools 47 mail settings 44 Passwords 42 permissions 39 server security 44 server setup 43 site name 43 time settings 47 hardware control see autopilot help 54 I O 75 interstitial length 84 IR Mixing with serial devices see for mats Leightronix 27n 28 62 67 71 150 154 live inputs Destinguishing between two inputs for Autopilot see formats local ID see shows location two routing switchers in one head end 20 locations 17 25 35 creating and naming 71 feeder and primary relationship 34 navigation bar 52 locking shows see schedule logging in 37 admin account 37 mail settings see Frontdoor media 88 110 dispositions 94 editing 113 finding through a show search 109 preassign devices 79 90 113 searching for 112
195. onix Pro 8 LxgPro8CM 205 Remember that the CMS describes the Pro 8 and the work you do in Location Settings 1 O Devices is at least in part for the devices attached to your Pro 8 All devices attached to the Pro 8 must have a device type of Generic The ProBus interface that the Pro 8 uses does not allow two way communication If you are having trouble communicating with the Pro 8 and you are certain that you have the correct type of cable check that the unit is set to 9600 baud and in no modem mode The Pro 8 will not execute its event table unless it is left in its main menu which you can identify as the menu that shows the current time You can get to the main menu by repeatedly hitting the left arrow on the front of the unit until the clock appears 206 Control Module Information B 15 Leightronix TCD 1000 LgxTCD1000CM Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port Leightronix ships the TCD 1000 with the adaptor and cable needed to connect to the server If you require a new cable see Section C 7 on page 239 A straight thru 9 Pin cable with a 9 Pin to 25 Pin adaptor should work The device has a 25 pin male connector Control Module Implementation This control module compiles a list of events that is compatible with the device When sending autopilot the control module will send the entire list to the device and the device will execute each command independentl
196. ons only own part of the programming day switching away to another head end with its own automation system when it is not their turn Instead of creating a 12 hour show record and scheduling that for their switch they create a manual event that does the same thing thereby keeping their show records clean for programming that they actually create 7 6 Creating Blocks As you ve learned from reading this chapter Cablecast schedules programming on a time and a date not on a day of the week Often times however scheduling works on days of the week especially as it relates to repeat programming If your station plays programs at a semi predictable time and repeats them letter in the week then block copying these programs will save you a tremendous amount of time Simply put block copying is a tool that will make any number of time shifted copies of any number of programs Blocks have source days and times and one or more target days and times Cablecast will then take each target and subtract the source resulting in an offset Finally Cablecast makes a copy of the show s and ripples the show s forward by the offset Mathematically put target time source time offset 3Incidently this is what many automation systems ask of you because they do not have a built in concept of a show that s where the noun event controller came from These systems merely perform events that you specify 7 6 Creating Blocks 131 7 6
197. opilot Form When you click the go button at the bottom Cablecast calcu lates the schedules within the from and to dates that you enter Reference Figure 8 3 when reviewing the descriptions below Calculate Section At the top of the form you ll notice the from field followed by a and an at field You are specifying a range of time with these fields To the right you may notice a tiny hyperlink of text which reveals when the last from and two times were sent If you click these links their dates will be pasted back into the fields on the right This is handy when you are re sending autopilot because of an error or change in the schedule Swap Cycle Checkbox You can tell Cablecast to target swapping times to the interval that you specify here If you check this checkbox you are trading some efficiency in Cablecast s swapping algorithm in an effort to coax the system into targeting swaps at times when you are around Due to the nature of Cablecast autopilot and channel automation It s not possible to enter a specific time of the day Instead you are entering a time interval from the start time and date of your send Autopilot 148 Automating Your Head End If your send s time date range starts at January 1 2005 at 5 00 PM and you have 24 for your swap cycle then Cablecast will try schedule most of its swapping at 5 00 PM on every day that falls within the range of your
198. or applications make use of email to notify administrators and users of different events In order to use these features you must enter the address of an email server that the Server can use to distribute email An example may be mail yourdomain org Enter that name in the Mail Server field Figure 4 7 on the facing page In the Mail Bounce Address field enter the email address that should receive notices of bounced mail ro V This may be the person in charge of your Cablecast system When everything is set be sure to use the test function Simply enter your email address into the Test Address field and click the test button This will send a test email to your account Figure 4 8 on page 46 4 6 Server Setup 45 P c Tightrope Media Systems Main Menu Server Setup Mail Settings Test Address jschmoe trms com b Mail Server test mail myserver com Mail Bounce Address dschmoe trms com save cancel 2005 tightrope media systems Figure 4 7 Be sure to test your settings by entering your own email account If set correctly you ll receive a test email within a few minutes 46 First Steps From Sent Mon 8 16 2004 2 37 PM To Andrew A Starks Ge Subject TEST FrontDoor 4 0 1 8 16 2004 2 37 20 PM his is the FrontDoor service running on PANCRIPUTER Someone requested to send a test message to this address an
199. ost cases will be COM1 On each sheet of paper you will have two lists The first will be labeled Devices the second labeled Outputs Generally the Device list will be filled with playback devices that will be used as sources for content However some devices may playback and record Others may only record Regardless you will put them all here because they represent the devices within your head end that Cablecast will automate The output list will be filled with channel outputs un automated outputs and any outputs that you have listed for devices that record from your Device list 5 2 1 Making the Device List Starting with the Device list write each of your devices in order of their place on your routing switcher s input side For devices that only record and thus would only be attached to the output side of your routing switcher list them on the bottom of the list in order of their placement on the routing switcher s output side For each device include the following information Router Input Examples 4 or NONE The number of the input connector on the routing switcher that this device will be plugged into For sources only Router Output Example 10 or NONE The number of the output connector on the routing switcher that this device is plugged into For record capable devices only Name Examples Deck 1 or Studio A Feed 1 or Feed from Remote Location X Any descriptive name Make sur
200. ost roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Ignored Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Ignored is recommended for this device e Important notes about this device This is a test control module that can be used in place of an ex isting control modules for troubleshooting purposes It supports all commands including those for routing switchers video servers tape players DVD s and encoders B 9 8 I O and Lower Knox RS Series Routing Switchers Knox8CM 191 B 9 81 0 and Lower Knox RS Series Routing Switchers Knox8CM Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device requires a straight through cable See Section C 1 on page 233 for pin out diagram The device has a 9 pin female connector Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time Each server location that uses this device will need only one control module set If multiple devices exist within the installation then they will be addressed within the device definition in Location Settings I O Devices Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default
201. ow Records 2004 106 6 5 3 Free Show ID Menu 2004 109 6 5 4 Saved Searches 2 ee 109 6 5 5 Saved Shows Bin 2 0 00 20 00 002 2 eae 110 6 6 Media si ar tig Se wi Oe amp one eee e WS 110 6 6 1 Searching for Media 200 4 112 6 6 2 Media Records 2 0 0 0000 eee eee 113 7 The Schedule 117 fede INTO dUCHION ota ic eta A amp be wate By eet ek wilds 117 7 2 Using The Scheduling Interface o 117 Talk A A E I a a a 118 TO SERUM Details Z a a e y IS ot er Pete ie tes e a hola 125 7 4 Schedules With Multiple Locations o oo oao a a aaa 127 feb Mangal RUNS e ta a 8 ee oR A n a AR 127 T0 Creating BIGEKS seg Ae a aa a r Paha rr ie a ao 130 TOS Examples nal tues id a OL Be A Be 131 7 6 2 Rules To Live By for Blocking 133 7 6 3 Blocks and Bumping 048 134 7 6 4 Creating and Modifying Blocks 134 7 6 5 Changing Block Settings 0 136 7 7 The Record Interface o oo a a ee es 137 eG TRUMAL VES 2 Nea a OS A eh ee tenes BBE A oh A a 139 8 Autopilot Automating Your Head End 141 Bele WA tKOGUCtlonn ae oo hse one tae Day eB a de dete Ge Bede 141 8 1 1 When and How To Send 0 143 8 1 2 How Much to Send o 144 8 1 3 Swapping When you Run Out of Devices 144 8 1 4 Automating Live Programs aooaa 144 B 9 81 0 and Lower Knox RS
202. page 11 for the forum address F 3 Control Module Communications City Hall Head End Main Menu Autopilot Force Device An error occured while obtaining router information No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it OUTPUTS ac i Monitor Actions Dev Only Delay BEC TV Output VCR 1 Q Q Carousel Q Q Figure F 2 Here we have no contact with the control mod ule When Cablecast complains that it couldn t make a connection because the device actively refused it Figure F 2 it generally means that Cablecast cannot com municate with the control module Follow the steps below to troubleshoot this issue e First check your settings in System Settings Control Modules Make sure the Address field has the correct information If the control module is running on the Cablecast machine then the address should be localhost If it is a Tightrope server it will either be a name like VS4 100 1004 or an address like 192 168 1 4 Names work only sometimes therefore addresses are considered more reliable If the name is correct find the IP address on the remote server and enter that instead e You may try going to the Cablecast machine opening a command prompt and pinging the remote machine To ping a remote machine see Section F 5 on page 255 e Check that the control module on the remote machine is running Do this Troubleshooting 254 and Miscellaneous
203. page 233 for pin out diagram The device has a 9 pin male connector e Control Module Implementation This control module compiles a list of events that is compatible with the device When sending autopilot the control module will send the entire list to the device and the device will execute each command independently and on schedule This control module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references this control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56704 CM URI LgxMiniTProCM Authentication LgxMiniT ProCM56704 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 Authentication Leave this field blank 198 Control Module Information
204. ple installation scenarios You may choose to model one of the four configurations that most closely match your system We will not do any real work in this chapter or the next Instead we ll save that for Chapters 4 and 5 where we ll walk through every installation step in a how to fashion 2 2 Configuring Hardware Locations and channels are the first two elements that will need to be addressed in your system and they are the focus of this chapter Location A location in Cablecast is a single head end The primary limitation is that a location must have exactly one routing switcher A location will typically have one or more playback controllers and or video server Think of a location as a description of all of the hardware that is connected to your head end with the routing switcher at the center of it all Channel A channel is associated with a dedicated output on the routing switcher and represents the final execution of a schedule A channel must be asso ciated with at least one location called the primary location Additional locations may be used for a channel and these are called feeder locations These feeder locations coordinate with the primary location to provide ad ditional content to the final output The output on the feeder locations that are designated to feed the primary location are called feeder channels Figure 2 2 Figure 2 2 Feeder channels left add content to primary channels right using AV
205. plicated configurations and want to test the limits of Cable cast If you need to implement a second routing switcher in your head end you will be setting up a second location This location will be represented by the secondary routing switcher and the devices if any that are connected to it The output s of the secondary routing switcher will be connected to the input s of the primary Each one of these connections will be represented as a feeder location in the channel setup menu If all of this seems hopelessly complicated it should be come clear in Section 3 5 on page 34 Also we discuss this in further detail in Chapter 3 2 4 The Benefits of a Constant Internet Connec tion It should be noted that in any of the four types of installations Cablecast benefits from a constant connection to and from the Internet First system administrators can control the head end from anywhere on the In ternet For example from live shoots located in a city an administrator would be able to bump programming that would conflict with the event should it go past the anticipated length Second Cablecast comes with a public web interface that the public can access This interface includes the ability to search and view programming and schedule information 22 Overview The public web interface for 4 2 is greatly improved and customiz able Third the system can synchronize its internal clock with all devices under its con trol
206. ponsible e The main menu includes a status of what is happening for each channel in your head end e When using third party event controllers Cablecast 4 2 makes more efficient use of the limited memory in these devices lIR devices by their nature will not be able to report their status 14 Introduction Full support for devices that can hold multiple reels but can only play or record one reel at a time like DVD changers With this new support Ca blecast can perfectly manage a DVD changer in a head end taking into account load times switches between DVDs in multiple reel shows and all other issues related DVD changer playback Cablecast adds the ability to pre assign reels to devices and slots for DVD Changers This way you can play your council meeting out of the same VCR every time without having to set up a special format A greatly improved Autopilot system that handles advanced conflict situa tions such as multi channel head ends with multiple DVD Changers video servers and record devices You can target tape swapping to time intervals Cablecast s Autopilot sys tem will now attempt to force the operator to swap tapes or DVD s on a schedule that you specify A completely new public web interface that provides scheduling information and show searching capabilities for anonymous network users An exposed API for programming new features into Cablecast This API is exactly what Tightrope developers used t
207. ppear e When scheduling programs only the channels that are at the current location will appear e When working with equipment only items within the current location will appear in the Autopilot menu y If you have only one location you will not need to worry about se lecting the intended location All locations operate identically within the Cablecast interface Remembering from Chapters 1 and 2 locations identify a head end and the facility that is using it However sometimes locations are created only to identify a secondary routing switcher as we saw in Section 2 3 on page 20 Cablecast creates the same internal 26 Mechanics infrastructure to support all locations so navigating between them will not bring about any obvious changes within the software interface except that different channels shows schedules and devices will appear at each location Ss Some setup functions supersede locations Almost all examples of this are within the System Setup menu Since we covered why and how Cablecast draws distinctions between channels and locations we can explore the mechanics of how everything is put together within each a location Within a location Cablecast manages three basic activities Show Management This is the database of all producers projects shows and media 5 a ot Cablecast manages projects shows and media separately Projects encompass information related to pro
208. r than an 8x8 Remember Tightrope video servers and encoders need to be addressed in this menu because their control modules operate on their server not on the Tightrope server That is your VS4 500 has a control module for itself already running Therefore change the address from localhost to the IP address or network name of the video server or encoder E Often this is done for you when Tightrope builds the system a W Most Tightrope servers have all of the control modules running on them This means it s very simple to connect additional devices to them as opposed to running them all from your Cablecast machine Even though Carousel machines do not have these loaded by default you can easily install them Which way is best controlling them from Cablecast or from a bunch of different machines Well that s really dependent on your in stallation Sometimes it s better for your chi if you control everything from Cablecast other times it s more convenient to spread the love See Section 3 1 on page 27 for help on making this decision This does not apply to all devices that are connected via network Therefore and for example an Adtec Edje server may be at 192 168 1 4 but the control module is on the Cablecast machine Therefore the address in this list stays at localhost The key here is to read the section in Appendix XXX Missing Refabout the control module that you are co
209. require a post roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Enter the COM Port number to which this device is at tached Example 1 or 7 Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action Rewind is recommended for this device e Important notes about this device This control module also works with RS 232 controlled JVC Edit Desk Series machines If this deck has the RS 422 card installed use the RS422CM control module instead of this one If tapes are time coded with JVC s control track time code then no special cuing is required If not set the deck to local control rewind it to the leader and then reset the counter After you do this cue the tape to the beginning of the show The counter number will be your cue time for this device BE SURE YOUR DECK IS IN RS 232 MODE FOR AUTOMA TION Cablecast cannot control the deck in remote or local mode B 8 Test Control Module GenericCM 189 B 8 Test Control Module GenericCM e Physical Connections This is a phantom device and requires only a spiritual connection to your system e Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time If you are testing
210. ress that you typed and verify the network connection between this computer and your Cablecast server When everything appears set click OK and the DSK Display Engine will start hold down the ESC key until the display engine closes Right click on the Windows Start menu and select Open All Users Navigate to Programs Startup If there is no shortcut to CablecastDSK exe within in this directory com plete the next five steps Otherwise if there is a shortcut skip the remaining steps as we are finished configuring the Cablecast DSK Display Engine Select the D TRMS CablecastDSKEngine window or open it if nec essary Right click on CablecastDSK exe and select Create Shortcut Select the newly created shortcut and hit CTRL X Select the window with with the Windows Startup directory showing and hit CTRL V You should see the CablecastDSKEngine shortcut in the Windows Startup directory It will now start automatically each time Windows is started If your system is running in Stand Alone Mode it will be important to set the monitor to the correct resolution which is 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall To do this follow these steps Ii Right click on an empty portion of the computer s desktop and click Prop erties Mf you have a special version of the DSK Display Engine that has this field labeled Carousel Server enter it there 244 The Down Str
211. rol module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56725 CM URI ExtronMAVCM Authentication ExtronCM56725 Settings used within Location Settings O Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Limit Events No This device has unlimited events Control Module 186 Information e Important notes about this device There are no special notes for this device B 7 JVC SR S365U SVHS VTR JVCSRS365UCM 187 B 7 JVC SR S365U SVHS VTR JVCSRS365UCM e Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device requires a null modem cable See Section C 2 on page 234 for pin out diagram The device has a 9 pin male connector e Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time Each server location that uses this device will need only one control module set If multiple devices exist within the installation then they will be addressed within the device definition in Location Settings 1 0 Devices e Settings used within System Settings Contr
212. ronix Straight Thru Cable A Server Device Pin Out Pin Out Receive Transmit Transmit Receive Receive Transmit Transmit Receive C 5 RS 422 9 Pin Serial Cable With Quatech Serial Converters 237 C 5 RS 422 9 Pin Serial Cable With Quatech Serial Converters 422 With Quatech Device Pin Out Transmit Transmit Receive y Receive Transmit Transmit Receive Receive 238 Cable Pin Out Diagrams C 6 RS 232 9 Pin to 15 Pin Serial Cable For Most Pioneer DV F07 Cable Server 9 15 Pin Device Pin Out 1 Ground 2 Transmit 3 Receive C 7 RS 232 9 Pin to 25 Pin Serial Cable For Leightronix Pro 8 16 239 C 7 RS 232 9 Pin to 25 Pin Serial Cable For Leightronix Pro 8 16 9 Pin to 25 Pin for Leightronix Pro 8 16 0000000000909 Device Server Pin Out 25 Pin Device E Receive a Transmit Transmit Receive Ground CTS RTS A RTS CTS 3 Ground 240 Cable Pin Out Diagrams O o B o O The D Key DSK Plug in D 1 Introduction The Down Stream Key hereinafter DSK Plug in is an optional package that you can purchase from Tightrope Media Systems You may or may not have it with your system If you purchased this plug in you have taken the first step in automating graphics that are keyed over your channel s One DSK plug in is required per Cablecast system If you have 5 channel
213. routing switcher Within this form you can switch any input to any output and you can force an action on any device Digital File Management If your system has a video server that supports file listings you can see the files loaded on your servers and encoders within this form Furthermore you can see the approximate remaining recording time and delete any shows that are on the server 8 1 1 When and How To Send Sending autopilot is the act of programming your head end If this isn t clear to you then think of Cablecast as a batch automation system Remembering back to Figure 2 1 on page 16 you program the show information and schedule within Cablecast as early as you can Once everything is set in place with run times formats and the schedule then you automate within the Send Autopilot form Nothing you do in Cablecast happens on your channel until you send autopilot That is why it is a batch automation system Most people find a semi predictable schedule by which they perform their autopilot sends They get all of their scheduling and show information set perfectly for the next 24 or 48 hours and they send for that period of time Every time they go to send autopilot their event table is just about to run out of show information We cover sending autopilot in Section 8 2 on page 147 Autopilot 144 Automating Your Head End 8 1 2 How Much to Send Typically autopilot sends are not done beyond the point in the schedule w
214. s To add a new show to your location click the New Show button from the Show Management menu This will produce a blank show record Use the search facility or the Jump to Show ID Section 6 5 2 on page 106 field at the upper right to find an existing show to edit Once you have a show record in front of you fill it out in any order you please using the list below as your guide Show ID This is filled in for you It is the one thing besides the title that you should associate with your show because it is the only thing guaranteed to be unique about it Cablecast generates this number when the show is created 6 5 Shows 101 City Hall Head End Main Menu Show Management Shows Projects Media Search Edit Show ShowID 5 Local ID Project Not Assigned Link project Title TOOL 1432 CG Title Time of our Lives Episod 1432 January 05 CG Exempt fl A Length Media Show ID 5 Reel 1 Link media Reel 1 Cue Title Chapter Format DVD New Delete Event Date 1 31 2005 Category Variety v Producer JohnParker m Mel s Last Show Comments 0 Runs Total M Save save cancel duplicate clear to bin _ transfer 2005 tightrope media systems Ex Figure 6 7 An Example Show Record Projects Shows 102 Producers and Media Records and it cannot be changed It is also the number you enter into the Jump to Show ID
215. s the setup of the default input for each of the associated channels becomes interesting As you may recall each channel has a default input which in single location channels is a character gen erator that shows bulletins while no programming is running The same is true for 12The on air TBC audio compressors modulators etc 13we lacked sufficient imagination to come up with a catchier name 3 6 A Final Look at The Big Picture 35 multi location channels except that the character generator might exist in any of the locations primary or one of the feeder locations Remember both feeder and primary channels have default inputs If the character generater is at the primary location then the primary channel s default input will be set to it If not then the default input for the primary channel will be set to the feeder channel that has the character generator and that feeder channel will default to its character generator For feeder locations with no character generator their default input may be set to anything Often a color bar generator or a logo generator is used in these situations es The term primary channel may imply that there can be only one within a location This is not true Designating a channel as primary is useful when pointing out that the channel is combined with another head end to create a multi location channel In this manual when we simply say channel we are talking about the prim
216. s access Show Management Grants or denies access to Cablecast s library of projects shows and media records Schedule Grants or denies access to the Scheduling system Autopilot Grants or denies access various Autopilot features including Send Autopilot Allows the user to send information to the hardware and automate the head end Device Assignments Allows the user to see the list of media assignments for the devices in the head end Event Table Allows the user to edit and view the event table which is the list of raw commands that is sent to the hardware Force Gives the user manual control of the head end through the web in terface Batch Functions Reporting Plug ins System Settings and Location Settings Controls access to these Main Menu options You will want to understand these features of Cablecast before you give un trusted staff members access to these functions an When you set permissions in this menu you are doing it for all lo cations and channels that this user can access That is if they can edit shows in Location A they can edit them in all locations 40 First Steps Main Menu Edit User Cablecast Permissions Location Channel All Select channels below BCAT All Channels Record Tec 3 BCAT y All Channels Record TBC BRAIN y All Channels Record ad TBC BEC TY v Use the Control or Open Apple key to select multiple channels
217. s access to the Frontdoor User Manager Ss We will touch on some activities within the Frontdoor User Manager in this chapter For complete instructions on using the Frontdoor User Manager please see the Frontdoor User Manager guide Ss All accounts are shipped from Tightrope Media Systems with the default password of trms You should change this password as soon as possible The Administrator account also manages Carousel if that is installed on your system User Name admin Password log in ly Figure 4 1 Logging into the Cablecast Server 4 3 User Permissions in Cablecast 39 Every system that Tightrope ships includes trms as the password For fun you may want to log in to a neighboring access center s Cablecast system and check to see if they were dumb enough to leave it at the defaults Make sure that you are not as careless 4 3 User Permissions in Cablecast You may wish to create additional accounts that have access to Cablecast To do so you will use the Frontdoor User Manager Each account may have a different set of permissions that relate to the various capabilities of your Cablecast system For information on how to create a new user see the Frontdoor User Manager Guide Within the Cablecast Permissions Form shown on Figure 4 2 on the next page you will see the following options Location Channel Specifies to what locations and channels this user ha
218. s been pulled for maintenance and you are running more than one channel with too few devices of a specific type The second type of error is very common when you have more than one channel and too few devices of a certain type For example you might have video servers that do not share storage across channels and you ve assigned a show to the 2 like a Leightronix TCD RP BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Autopilot Send Autopilot Conflict Report The following items must be resolved before autopilot can be sent Show ID 21799 media Show ID 21799 Reel 1 doesnt have a format unable to assign a playback device Click on the media names to edit device assignments or times to edit the schedule to eliminate these conflicts before continuing Resend Autopilot Figure 8 5 If you forget to assign a format to a show record Cablecast will generate this error BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Autopilot Send Autopilot Report Send Repot Could not find a playback device for ShowlD 21327 reel 1 Events will not be created for this run Could not find a playback device for ShowlD 21327 reel 1 Events will not be created for this run Could not find a playback device for ShowlD 21327 reel 1 Events will not be created for this run Could not find a playback device for ShowlD 21327 reel 1 Events will not be created for this run Device Assignments Resend Autopilot Event Table Figure 8 6 Cablecast r
219. s it in all of the show records for this location Internally Cablecast is storing information within these fields as text You may have up to 256 characters in each of these fields in every record Unfortunately Cablecast does not do any data verification math or date storage with these fields They re merely text The Field Type pop down determines the appearance of the field within the show record form Short Text will display a narrow single line field whereas Long Text will display a wider field Note Text shows a wider multi line field Changing these types has no effect on the data If you change your mind about a specific fields type or its name for that matter change it without fear of disrupting the data that has already been entered When you re done click the save button to save your changes Remember you can always come back and edit these fields later You may not be able to foresee every possible format category or producer that you ll come across Add as needed but don t over do it Also remember that each location has its own set of these fields What you do here has no effect on the other locations within your Cablecast system 6 4 Projects Projects help you organize shows into groups If you have a series of programs that run together you may find it useful to put them in a project 6 4 Projects 97 Projects do not ef
220. s needed for each of these examples provided the necessary network support and licensing is in place Review each installation type carefully as these examples will help you understand the capabilities of Cablecast 1 Single Channel Single Location One channel from one location There is one location or head end and one channel One output of your routing switcher is dedicated to your channel while the others may be used for 2 2 Configuring Hardware 19 recording and previewing sources cueing tapes verifying live feeds etc Channel Outpu Primary Location Final Channel Output 2 Multi Channel Single Location Multiple channels from one location The single location shares all of the resources to support playback and rout ing for multiple channels of output The system will balance playback devices between all channels Channel 1 Output Primary Location Channel 2 Output Channel 3 Output 3 Single Channel Multiple Locations One channel fed by multiple lo cations With this configuration you have multiple playback facilities with their own playback devices and routing switchers feeding a primary location Feeds from the locations called feeder locations are combined at the pri mary location to produce a single channel Typically the remote locations 20 Overview are controlled over a network using a direct TCP IP connection
221. s now configured to run the DSK Display Engine You may reboot to activate it or double click the CablecastDSK icon from the TRMS CablecastDSKEngine directory D 3 DSK Display Engine Requirements If you purchased your Tightrope system with a Compix VideoCG card pre installed your system has been tested and meets the minimum requirements If you are purchasing the Compix card separately then make sure the host computer meets these minimum requirements e Windows 2000 XP Professional or Standard Edition PC Net Framework 1 1 with at least Service Pack 1 DirectX 9 with Managed DirectX Compix GenCG Driver included with the Compix VideoCG card The Cablecast Control Modules Package provided to you either on your Cablecast machine or on a separate CD AMD Model 2000 or Faster or Pentium 4 2 0 GHz Processor or faster 256 Megabytes of RAM 20 Megabytes of free hard drive space Consistent network connectivity to the Cablecast server A DirectX 8 0 compatible Graphics card A genlocking overlay scan converter that keys video on the luminance chan nel If you are installing the Control Module Package on a separate machine see Ap pendix on page for further details 3See for downloading these updates 4Required only for Compix Mode 5Required for Stand Alone mode only SRequired only for Stand Alone Mode 246 The Down Stream Key DSK Plug in O O B o O Testing Cablecast E 1
222. s oper ating from Cablecast you just need one plug in If you want to key graphics over all five channels you will need the required hardware to accomplish this task and that is separate from the DSK Plug in When you purchase the plug in two elements are activated on your system The first is the DSK Display Engine which is in the D TRMS CablecastDSKEngine directory This was installed either with Cablecast or when the Cablecast Control modules were installed on a remote server or on a computer that you already own The installer will always put the display engine in this directory but on computers without a D drive the directory will be on the C drive The second element installed with this plug in is additional menu items that are revealed in Cablecast The DSK Plug in works in two modes 242 The Down Stream Key DSK Plug in Stand Alone Enabled when the host computer is generating the graphics for the overlay and the output is sent through a luminance key device Compix Mode The display engine is off loading the graphics to a Compix VideoCG Plus card You will see a preview on the VGA display but this is not what is broadcast on your channel Compix VideoCG cards have the ability to key video using an alpha channel This gives them a cleaner look visavis luminance keyers and makes it possible to generate semi transparent backdrops and fuzzy shadow effects The Display Engine automatically switch
223. send Use sticky devices If you send autopilot Cablecast will make the best deci sion possible regarding device assignments If you want it to look at the last send that you performed and keep as many device assignments as possible then check this box Otherwise let Cablecast recalculate assignments each time by leaving this box unchecked which is highly inconvenient if all of your programming is exactly the same except for a few changes 7 This checkbox is a Pandora s Box unless you use it wisely Make sure that you only use it when you are deleting or mod q ifying one or two shows Otherwise Cablecast will turn your event table into spaghetti Use run balancing Run balancing is where Cablecast checks the number of times a device was used The device that is compatible with the media that is being played and has the fewest runs will be chosen first Otherwise with this box unchecked Cablecast will pick the first device in the list Send the events With this box checked and after it completes the calculations and generates the event table Cablecast will send the event table to all of the necessary control modules If this box is checked and you click go your head end is programmed V Most people leave this box checked by default That way C sending autopilot is a one step process Channel List Below the checkboxes Cablecast lists the channels that will
224. service you wish to access right click on My Com puter 2 Click on Manage Figure F 4 on page 256 The Computer Manage ment window will open Figure F 5 on page 257 3 Click on Services and Applications to expand the items beneath it 4 Click on Services A list of services will be listed on the right Figure F 6 on page 257 F 5 Pinging a Computer 255 F 5 Pinging a Computer When network communications fail there can be a million reasons why The process of trouble shooting network problems begins with the ping Not lacking a sense of history if not humor computer nerds named the process of verifying basic contact and measuring connection speed between two points the ping after the submarine tool used to accomplish a similar task The process of pinging just means that the Ping er sends a network message to the Ping ee and the Ping ee sends an acknowledgement back If the Pinger gets the message back it says so reporting the amount of time each message took to make the round trip Figure F 7 on page 258 Sending a ping from one networked device to another is easy You can do it on Windows machines by following these steps 1 Open the Start menu and click Run 2 Type cmd and hit return 3 In the command prompt type ping lt address gt where address is the address of the machine with the control module Hit return 4 If you had
225. success you ll see output like that of Figure F 7 on page 258 If the Cablecast machine could not reach the remote server Request Timed Use these settings to open a port through Windows Firewall To find the port number and protocol consult the documentation for the program or service you want to use Name VS4 Video Servers Port number 56709 Figure F 3 The Add a Port form In this example we enter the values for a VS4 Series video server Troubleshooting 256 and Miscellaneous Tasks Open Explore Search Manage i Map Network Drive Disconnect Network Drive Create Shortcut Delete Rename Properties Figure F 4 Click on Manage from My Computer If you do not see this from the desktop lo cate it within the Windows Start menu F 5 Pinging a Computer 257 Computer Management 88 Ele Action View Window Help e gt 1 2 amp System Tools System Tools 8 Event Viewer amp Storage Shared Folders Services and Applications G Local Users and Gror 8 Performance Logs ar X 2 Device Manager Storage 2 Removable Storage Disk Defragmenter 33 Disk Management E Services and Applicatio Figure F 5 The Computer Management window Computer Management El File Action View Window Help A e amu ARB el gt gt si Computer Management Lo Services amp System Tools ii Event Viewer S
226. t menu to formats that have primitive types that are compatible with the device type Here is the complete list of primitive types Generic Used to designate a format that will be replayed on a device without two way communication Typically these are IR devices like consumer DVD players and tape decks Timecode Tape A format where cuing to a specific point within a tape is possible Typically this will be RS232 or RS422 controlled devices DVD For serial or network controlled DVD players Not for use with IR controlled DVD players Digital File For digital video servers where Cablecast will specify file names and directory locations Live Formats that do not require device control of any kind fall into this primitive type Examples include satellite or studio feeds 3 4 4 Using Formats to Distinguish Between Devices With Dif ferent Capabilities If you have two devices of similar playback ability but different control types such as a serial controlled VHS deck and an IR controlled VHS deck compromises will have to be made The reasons for this are involved so make sure you don t have to use the restroom and turn down the radio before you start reading this Maybe put the kids to bed as well 10Example Title and Chapter will appear if you select a format with a DVD primitive type 3 4 Formats 33 When you cue tapes in an IR deck you either have to A cue them up just seconds before the show or B rewind them
227. t write the name of your routing switcher and the way it is connected to your head end x The routing switcher is at the center of your head end see Sec tion 3 2 on page 28 if you don t believe me There can be only one routing switcher in your location There must be one routing switcher in your location If you have two routing switchers in your installation and they both are controlled by Cablecast then you need two sheets of paper No exceptions i If it is a part of an event controller such as a Leightronix MiniT Pro just note the controller as your routing switcher Wether or not the routing switcher is stand alone or a part of an event controller include information on how it is connected to your system and to which port Examples ComPort 1 On Cablecast Machine ComPort 1 On Video Server at 192 168 1 24 IP Controlled at 192 168 1 16x4 Routing switcher in Pro 16 connected to COM 1 5 2 Diagram The Head End 61 Cablecast usually communicates to routing switchers in real time That is it usually does not send an event list to a routing switcher instead feeding each command to it as needed This means that a low latency connection such as a serial port is a good idea Switch ing inputs to outputs is at the core of your system and keeping that connection simple reliable and fast is a great idea We suggest the built in ComPort on the Cablecast server which in m
228. t or output that a piece of equipment can use at the same time you have a device A four channel video server is four devices as far as Cablecast is concerned 6 Select the device type from the Device Type pop down 7 If the device type is generic and you are controlling an IR DVD player you may need to wake the device after a period of time To determine this let the DVD player sit with a DVD loaded for a couple of hours If it turns off 78 Setup Main Menu Schedule Shows Autopilot About Tightrope Media Systems Jump to BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Location Settings Devices Edit Shows Schedule I O Autopilot Name VS4 500 Output 1 Router Address 17 Device Function Playback only Device Type Digital File Take Delay 1 seconds Post Roll 0 seconds Device CMS vs4 500 iv Device Address Device Formats Device End Action None Stop Rewind Eject save cancel t 22004 tightrope media systems AE Figure 5 10 Notice that this video server has Digital File listed as its device type and MPEG2 selected as the format Cablecast only allows the selec tion of formats that match the correct device type Also notice that there is no Jump Du ration field That is because this isn t valid for this device and is therefore not included You could say there is no jumping on video servers 5 5 Setting Up Your Location 79 10 11 12
229. t that you created for use with this device Device End Action Whatever is appropriate for this device e Important notes about this device Even though the Mini T Pro only has 8 inputs you can use all 16 addresses on its ProBus It is not required that your location use the Mini T Pro s routing switcher Many stations connect a routing switcher directly to the Cablecast machine B 12 Leightronix Mini T Pro LgxMiniTProCM 199 Remember that the CMS describes the Mini T Pro and the work you do in Location Settings 1 O Devices is at least in part for the devices attached to your Mini T Pro All devices attached to the Mini T Pro must have a device type of Generic The ProBus interface that the Mini T Pro uses does not allow two way communication If you are having trouble communicating with the Mini T Pro and you are certain that you have the correct type of cable check that the unit is set to 9600 baud and in no modem mode The Mini T Pro will not execute its event table unless it is left in its main menu which you can identify as the menu that shows the current time You can get to the main menu by repeatedly hitting the left arrow on the front of the unit until the clock appears If clock synchronization is activated in Cablecast you will hear a beep every time the system updates the Mini T Pro s clock This is normal behavior 200 Control Module Information B
230. t to finish This will repre sent a new way of thinking for those who may be used to updating an automation system just before air You will want to include Cablecast much earlier than this because the system is used in so many aspects of your station s activities The simplified view in Figure 2 1 on the following page does not take into account several important variables You may be managing more than one channel or there may be multiple head ends feeding multiple channels Cablecast deals with these situations gracefully provided the system has been planned appropriately and configured correctly Overview 16 At this point viewers can see the program by searching for it from your public web site At this point viewers can see when this show will be aired on your public web site and on your character generator start here planning stage You might be used to systems that would never have you enter show data this early Remember you re doing more than just automating your head end The earlier the information is entered the more useful it is to your station Someone at your station becomes aware of a program that will be aired on your channel post production process When you are done posting the program you will know the format and total run time You may choose to give people who post programs access to Cablecast s program library so that they can enter this information for you T
231. tact your Tightrope Media Systems dealer or contact Tightrope directly Q What are feeder locations and do you need any A Feeder locations refer to outputs on secondary routing switchers that feed a primary routing switcher and are used when content is being provided from more than one 2 5 Chapter Quiz 23 routing switcher As to the answer to the question do you need one it is probably not How does Cablecast benefit from a connection to the Internet Some of the benefits include access to the Network Time Protocol for synchronizing clocks access to Cablecast s interface from outside your network subscriber viewer ac cess to your schedule and program library and the ability to interconnect Cablecast to outside head end equipment True or false Show information should be entered just before it is sent to the hardware False Enter show and scheduling information as soon as possible Cablecast will use this data for purposes outside of merely controlling your head end equipment 24 Overview O O hanics of Cablecast Working within your Location Day to day use of Cablecast is segmented by locations within the user interface If you have multiple locations it is very important to understand that Cablecast sees only the shows channels and equipment that are at the location that is currently selected For example e When searching for shows only the shows in your location will a
232. tch away from it and then rewind it that s three runs BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Modify Schedule Manual BEC TV TBC Schedule Channel Record BEC TV Crawls Name Take Arts Showcase Length 06 00 00 Device Satellite x Action Take save canes 7 i Figure 7 13 This form is where you define the action for this event Unlike everything else in the schedule you specify a device and action directly within this form This requires you to know something about your head end equipment and the control modules that operate that equipment 130 The Schedule 1 Issue a play command to the desired deck The length of this manual event would be zero 2 Issue a take command to the same deck with a length that equals the amount of time you want to wait before Cablecast switches back to the default input or the next show 3 Issue a rewind command to that deck If all of this seems like a pain that is because it is The second important point to make is that manual runs never appear in Carousel s Cable Display plug in and they never appear in the public web interface of Cable cast Also Cablecast will try to work around your manual runs If it sees an event with a length specified Cablecast will steer clear of the device selected in that event for that duration Chances are however that using manual runs could interfere with regular programming so be careful Why use manual runs Some stati
233. tepad it should look something like the following lt xml version 1 0 encoding utf 8 gt lt configuration gt lt appSettings gt lt add key Port value 56729 gt lt add key AuthString value PesaP1CM56729 gt lt add key Levels value 3 gt lt add key Outputs value 8 gt lt appSettings gt lt system runtime remoting gt lt customErrors mode off gt lt system runtime remoting gt lt configuration gt Edit the lines that say lt add key Levels value 3 gt lt add key Outputs value 8 gt Change the values to match your routing switcher The Levels key refers to the number routing switcher levels to change on each switch This includes audio Therefore if the routing switcher is a composite video stereo audio switcher then there would be 3 levels For a Y C stereo audio switcher it would be 4 The Outputs key pertains to the number of outputs on the routing switcher When you are finished editing this file save it and reboot the server B 19 Pioneer DVDV7400 and V5000 PioneerDVDV7400CM 217 B 19 Pioneer DVDV7400 and V5000 PioneerDVDV7400CM e Physical Connections This device requires a straight through cable See Section C 1 on page 233 for pin out diagram The device has a 9 pin male connector e Control Module Implementation This control module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command o
234. the data in this form as a template Projects Shows 106 Producers and Media Records Click clear if you want to clear all of the data in the show record out and start new Click to bin if you wish to store the show in Cablecast s temporary holding bin where you can later retrieve the show for use in the schedule Click transfer if you would like to move this show record to another loca tion 6 5 2 Finding Show Records Navigate to the Show Management menu and click on the Shows tab Then click on Find Show The Title Contains field is where you may enter all or part of the title of your show This search does not pick anything up from the CG Title field Enter a date into the Date field and select a filter criteria from the pop down on the left to filter out shows that you do not want returned as part of your search Use the button on the right to display a calender for selecting a date a Y The most popular selection here is to filter out older shows That is VY why the Greater Than selection is the default The Search All Locations checkbox box will expand your search to other loca tions When your search criteria is ready click the search button to begin your search Click the show all button to have Cablecast return all show records A Only use the show all button if you have less than 20
235. throw an error during an autopilot send if such a circumstance arises City Hall Head End Main Menu Modify Schedule for Wednesday February 09 2005 Default Channel Record Default Channel Crawls New Delete Copy Paste 02 09 2005 t 4 StatTime Title Length End Time C 7 30 00 am Air Force News Record 00 30 00 8 00 00 am MPEG Encoder C 6 00 00 pm Satellite Record for Classic Arts 01 00 00 7 00 00 pm MPEG Encoder New Delete Copy Paste 02 09 2005 t Figure 7 16 This is the Record Schedule Notice how it is very similar to the regular schedule within Cablecast just with fewer options Referencing Figure 7 16 notice that the buttons and fields are very similar to a regular channel schedule within Cablecast The New Delete Copy and Paste buttons all behave as they do in Section 7 2 on page 117 The one exception is that clicking the New button creates one new record event with the title No Name Specified If you do this and click on that title you may follow along with the form illustrated in Figure 7 17 on the following page Name This is where you may name this record event A name is not mandatory but if you want it to say something other than No Name Specified this is where you accomplish that Media Clicking on the Find link opens the Find Shows form that we explored in Section 6 5 2 on page 106 Find the show that you are recor
236. tion for your show as it relates to one media record Media records describe the what and where of a piece of media They track the format disposition Section 6 3 3 on page 94 and any autopilot assignment preferences that you have for the tape or DVD Like shows media records can be searched for and the show records that are attached to them are revealed through the link that the reel record provides A media record describes a DVD tape MPEG 2 file or some other type of media and a reel describes a recorded segment of a show on that piece of media Please review these three examples One Show on One MPEG 2 File Here we have one program that has one reel on one file When you have shows like this it is hard to see the difference between a show reel and media record because if all shows were like this there would be no need to have separate records for each In reality there is rarely a need to see the difference in this scenario because Cablecast automatically links them together for you Show Record Media Record Reel Record Show ID 1237 Name Showin Title BASketball Game Order Number 1 1237 Reel1 Show ID Link 1237 Format MPEG 2 ack All of the g ties other inio Length 01 36 27 Disposition In House a Cue Info 00 02 23 Disposition Date 1 5 2005 T Assignment Auto J One Show on Two DVDs The show ran past the capacity of the media it was on so we had to add a second reel on a second DV
237. to an input on a primary location s routing switcher again page 34 Feeder and primary channels behave the same in Cable cast which makes no distinction between when setting the system up When planning it is helpful for you to make that distinction Preview When you designate an output as Preview it is only available from the Autopilot Force menu From there you can switch an input to this output You will not be able to select this output from anywhere else within the Cablecast system Lan 7 We use the name Preview because most often these out puts are used for quality control in the head end However this does not describe every use for these non automated outputs You may have feeds that you run through your routing switcher that rarely change If you want to be able to switch them manually through Cablecast s web centric interface then adding them as preview outputs is the way to go That way their available in the Autopi lot Force menu even if you cannot schedule them Default Input Examples Carousel CG or Bars and Tone Applicable for all Pri mary and feeder channel entries this will correspond to an entry on your device list This is the input that this channel will switch to when there is no programming and often this is the bulletin board system 7 If your installation has only one routing switcher skip the next
238. to be automated By way of example through contrast if you never want to schedule your color bar generator to play back on your channel you do not need to assign it a format 5 2 2 Making the Output List Next make your list of outputs in order of their placement on the output side of your routing switcher Include the following information for each entry Router Output Example 1 The number of the output connector on the routing switcher that this output is associated with Name Examples Preview Monitor or Channel 15 or Feed 1 to Location Y A descriptive name for this output Make sure that every output is unique Output Type Any of these primary channel Remembering the definition of a channel see Section 3 5 on page 34 this type is used to designate the final output for a channel As of the writing of this manual it is where the output hits the TBC which in turn hits the fiber which in turn goes to the cable company 8Why would you want to create a device devices without a format for your color bar generator If you want to access this input on your routing switcher through Cablecast s force interface Section 8 5 on page 158 you ll add it as a device without a format That way it shows up on the virtual routing switcher but is unavailable in all other parts of the system 2 Technology could change by the time you re reading this so who knows 64 Setup feeder channel This is an output that is designated to go
239. to the very beginning of the tape Option A works when you have a deck that has a counter and you can tell the deck to rewind to 00 00 00 Option B works when you cue tapes to the very beginning and tell Cablecast to Play the deck for 00 01 32 then switch the routing switcher to it Cuing a tape in a serial control deck also has two options dependent on whether or not timecode is present If timecode is present then A With Serial the operator sticks the tape in the deck If not then B With Serial the operator rewinds the tape to the very beginning and zeros the counter in order to be sure that the counter reflects the correct position on the tape In a head end with only IR decks the station must choose option A or B not both With only serial decks both will be applicable but if timecode is used it must be stable and consistent to ensure successful cuing If you mix serial and IR decks there are three bad options 1 Decide to designate unique formats for the IR decks and the serial decks When you add show records you ll have to pick one format or the other Cablecast will not allow playback of shows that have been designated as VHS IR for example on the VHS SERIAL formatted deck All of this is necessary because you will enter different cue times into the show records depending on which deck they are replayed on That is a 00 01 30 cue time for an IR deck is different than one for a deck that is
240. trol module executes events from an internal schedule exe cuting each command on the device in real time Each server location that uses this device will need only one control module set If multiple devices exist within the installation then they will be addressed within the device definition in Location Settings I O Devices e Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56730 CM URI KnoxProSwitchCM Authentication KnoxProSwitchCM56730 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Limit Events No This device has unlimited events Control Module 196 Information e Important notes about this device There are no special notes for this control module B 12 Leightronix Mini T Pro LgxMiniTProCM 197 B 12 Leightronix Mini T Pro LgxMiniTProCM e Physical Connections This device requires an open RS 232 port This device requires a straight through cable See Section C 1 on
241. u navigate to Location Settings Autopilot Autopilot you will see a screen that looks like the one pictured in Figure 8 2 on the following page which looks remarkably similar to the form pictured in Figure 8 3 on page 147 There is a reason for this and it s because the form within this menu establishes the defaults for sending autopilot Start End Time If you typically send autopilot at a specific time of the day setting these values to that time is helpful A 7 Many stations plan their scheduling around their send Often sj they will not schedule a program near the time that they send or they will specifically schedule a program over their send so that they have plenty of time to change decks and devices before the program ends If they scheduled a program to start right after Cablecast ran out of data from the last autopilot send they d be in a bit of trouble Send For This field specifies the number of days for which to send Cablecast will usually assume that you want to send for today plus the number of days you enter here Use Swap Cycle We discuss swap cycles in Section 8 2 on page 147 If you want them on by default check this box Autopilot 146 Automating Your Head End If you choose to enable the swap cycle a 24 hour value is usually the correct choice If you target the swaps for a period that is less or more then the time the swapping will occur will change
242. ugh Cablecast doesn t know what you ve done until you click a form button that saves the information In addition it is important to remember that Cablecast often relies on context This means that Cablecast is storing information about what you are doing and will guide you to forms based on what you have done in the past 2 Because of this it is very important that you do not use your browser s back button Often this will confuse Cablecast It is always best to use the buttons provided in the user interface Navigating through the Cablecast menus is simple Some of the main menu items 3For example if you click on a show record from the schedule Cablecast will allow you to edit the show After you are finished it will dump you back in to the schedule Otherwise saving changes to a show record dumps you back into the Show Management menu 4 7 The Cablecast Interface 51 Edit View Go Bookmarks j gt sO Tightrope Me cablecast BEC BCIT BCAT Figure 4 12 Do not use the web browser s back button when navigating Cablecast Only use the form buttons provided in the system 52 First Steps can be accessed from the upper right corner of the page and they are always available Figure 4 11 on page 50 main Brings you back to the Cablecast Main Menu schedule Create and modify program schedules shows Edit items in the show library including media and project records autopilot
243. ule exe cuting each command on the device in real time This control module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references this control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56722 CM URI TascamDVD6500CM Authentication TascamDVD6500CM56722 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 Authentication Leave this field blank B 24 Tascam DVD6500 DVD Player TascamDVD6500CM 227 Sync Time No This device does not require synchronization Limit Events No This device has unlimited events e Settings in devices used within Location Settings 1 0 Devices Name User defined Pick any name that is descriptive of this device and unique from all
244. uns out of devices and cannot resolve the shortage it will generate an error that looks much like this 8 3 The Device Assignment List 151 wrong server Since Cablecast can t play two shows from one single channel video server and it can t access the file from the other server it throws the error Or you may have only one DVD changer and you attempt to play two shows at the same time on it Unlike most errors Cablecast will program your head end leaving these programs out You can always correct the error and resend if you want to run these pro grams If you get errors relating to Cablecast s inability to communicate with devices visit Appendix F on page 251 where you will find helpful troubleshooting tips related to device communication 8 3 The Device Assignment List Once you ve sent Autopilot it s time to review the device assignment list Pictured in Figure 8 7 on the next page This example has some of the typical things you might encounter in your device assignments if your viewing mode matches that of the example which is Swap View Notice that we can view all channels at one time or filter down to individual chan nels Sometimes it is useful to see only the programming for a specific program If so use the Channel pop down list For the majority of this section we will assume that you are viewing the table in Swap View We will discuss the other views and why you may use them in Sect
245. user intervention One example is the Sony DVP CX777ES which is a 400 disc DVD changer All DVD players must have two way communication and therefor cannot be IR controlled Digital File Video servers and encoders use this device type It tells Cablecast that the server has files stored in a path and that any one file may be played on a device at any time One input output is represented by each device That is a four channel video server is listed as four devices Live Live inputs have formats so that shows may be designated for replay from these devices but there is no machine control Bulletin Board Like the Live device type there is no machine control with Bul letin Board However there is also no format designations either These devices are switched to either manually or by default when a channel has no programming Anything that might be a part of your scheduled playback must be represented as a device Furthermore all devices are connected to your location s routing switcher If it is not connected it isn t a device as far as Cablecast is concerned because there is no path from or to it You may have devices such as DVD recorders that are connected to your routing switcher that are not controlled by Cablecast You set these up as live inputs if you want to route them on your routing switchers 3 4 Formats Formats are the glue between show records and devices Cablecast knows which d
246. utopilot If you accidently forget to set a format in one of the show records of your send Cablecast will generate the error that you see in Figure 8 5 on the following page You can click on the show or media record in the error message to correct the error BEC BCIT BCAT Main Menu Autopilot Send Autopilot Report Send Report Show 21080 January Education News Meeting 2nd Anniversary of No Child Left Behind is now bumped by 00 04 13 to 2 12 2005 9 29 13 PM to eliminate conflicts Could not find a file that matches 21327 1 on the server Make sure this file is loaded on the server before it s airtime Device Assignments Resend Autopilot Event Table Figure 8 4 This is an example send report It wouldn t be any fun without at least one warning and this report has two These are the most common warning you to load a file in the video server before it s too late and that Cablecast had to bump a show Autopilot 150 Automating Your Head End rN w It may be easiest to click on the show record as this will reveal the ba reel record as well In this way you can correct any missing cue and length information in addition to the format information that Cablecast is complaining about If Cablecast cannot find a device for a show that you are automating then it will generate an error like the one we see in Figure 8 6 The two main reasons for this error are a device ha
247. ve of this device and unique from all other devices If there is more than one of these devices it s often helpful to enumerate the devices either starting with 1 or starting with the routing switcher input that each device is attached to Router Address Since this device is a playback device choose the input on the routing switcher that this device is attached to Device Function Choose Playback only Device Type Choose DVD Jump Duration Enter 15 as the value This is the number of seconds to wait after a jump command is issued There needs to be enough time for this device to jump to the new cue point and our experience says that 15 is the right value Your mileage may vary Take Delay This device does not require a take delay although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Post Roll This device does not require a post roll although often a setting of 1 is desired to help avoid sync and timing issues Device CMS Pick the control module set that you established for this de vice Device Address Enter the COM Port number to which this device is at tached Example 1 or 7 Formats Choose the format that you created for use with this device Device End Action No special end action is required for this device e Important notes about this device There are no special notes for this device B 4 For Digital Rapids Encoders DRStreamCM 181
248. vice in real time This control module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references this control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Enter the address of the encoding server This control mod ule must run on the encoder in order for it to operate correctly Host Port 56715 CM URI OptibaseMovieMakerCM Authentication OptibaseMovieMakerCM56715 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the path of the encoders MPEG cache Example E Cache Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time Yes Check this box to maintain proper synchronization with the Cablecast system Limit Events No This device has unlimited events Settings in devices used within Location Settings O Devices 214 Control Module Information Name User defined Pick any name that is descriptive of this device and unique from all other devices If there is more than one
249. wait until it receives the response that it was expecting Since the device isn t compatible this will never happen and Cablecast might in terpret this as a communication problem Carefully read the control module documentation in XXX Missing Ref This is especially important for rout ing switchers as manufacturers often have incompatible protocols between their own routing switcher lines e Check the serial cable again This is the most common solution to communication problems e Be sure you are not trying to use an RS 422 port Many Cablecast systems ship with an RS 232 422 card By default the last four ports of the card are configured for 422 operation Check the Tightrope Server Installation Guide for information about optional hardware like the ACC RS422 232 card e Does the serial port that you are using work with other devices See if you can verify that e Is the device listening Some hardware can be in a state where it ignores remote control WTR s often have a remote or RS232 mode they need to be in for communication to work This may also be true in cases where the device is off F 3 Control Module Communications 253 e In rare cases you configure things correctly and it still doesn t work Some times this is because the device has an incompatible BIOS Check XXX Missing Reffor any notes about BIOS revisions Also the Tightrope web site often has the answer especially in the forum Check Section 1 3 on
250. will make two copies of your two programs It will ripple the first copy by 27 Hours and the second copy by 50 5 hours The first program would run once at Monday 9 00 am again at Tuesday 12 00 pm and again on Wednes day at 11 30 am The second program would be played on all three days one hour later Monday Tuesday Wednesday Program 1 at 9 00 am Program 2 at 10 00 am Program 1 at 11 30 am Program 1 at 12 00 pm l L Program 2 at 12 30 am Program 2 at 1 00 pm 7 6 2 Rules To Live By for Blocking As we review the examples above there are some important rules to understand about blocks 1 Blocks have a source day of the week and time Example Monday 9 00pm 2 Blocks are only available within the Cablecast schedule and only on when the source day matches the day of the week that you are scheduling That is a block with a source of Monday will not be available for you to select on a schedule for Tuesday 3 Blocks do not work backwards Therefore if the source day is Friday and the target day is Thursday Cablecast will ripple shows forward by six days 4 Blocks only work within one seven day period after the source date 5 Blocks work over days Therefore if a target starts at 11 00pm it will ripple forward into the next day 6 There is nothing stopping you from making multiple target copies into the same day as long as they have different times 134 Th
251. y and on schedule This control module uses multiple control module sets in each location to identify individual devices Therefore for every device in the location a new control module set CMS will be created which references this control module but uses a different name and address to identify the specific device to be controlled In turn the devices within Location Settings 1 0 Devices will use the CMS that addresses the intended device Settings used within System Settings Control Modules CMS Name User defined Host Address Default localhost If the control module is located on a remote server enter the IP address or DNS name of that server here Host Port 56706 CM URI LgxTCD1000CM Authentication LgxT CD1000CM56706 Settings used within Location Settings 1 0 Control Module Sets CMS Name User defined Control Module Linked to the entry in System Settings Control Mod ules Port Setting Enter the COM Port number to which this device is attached Example 1 or 7 B 15 Leightronix TCD 1000 LgxTCD1000CM 207 Authentication Leave this field blank Sync Time Yes Check this box to maintain proper synchronization with the Cablecast system Limit Events Limit events from 1 to 1000 Settings in devices used within Location Settings O Devices Important Note Remember that in this section we are describing devices that are attached to the TCD 1000 Also

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