Grass Valley iTX System v.2.6 User Manual
Page 239
Working with the Media Watcher
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The Media Watcher can accept some video files (GXF, MPEG-2 and files encoded using
an Omneon video server) with external subtitles (closed captions) in media-file
metadata.
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Video files may have standard-definition (SD) EIA-608 or high-definition (HD) EIA-708
external subtitles (closed captions) inserted in the video signal.
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The Media Watcher does not import files that have DRM (Digital Rights Management)
protection.
Animated sequences and their different playout modes
An animated sequence is a set of image files in a specified format (.tga, .png or .tif) that make
up the frames in an animation. It may be used as an animated logo or as a background in a CG.
It cannot be used in DVEs, as a CG layer element or as an off-air slide.
So that the Media Watcher can process the sequence, you need to package the image files in a
Zip-type archive and rename the filename extension to ".tzip"; you then place the .tzip file in
the Inbox.
On importing an animated sequence, the Media Watcher creates a single file, registers it and
places it on the Media Store; the new file has the same name as the .tzip archive and the
filename extension ".spg". In creating the file, the Media Watcher sorts the images in ascending
order of filename (i.e. from 0 to 9 and A to Z) and by reading numbers as part of the text. So,
for example, if a sequence contains the image files IMG1, IMG11 and IMG100, these play out in
the order IMG1, IMG100, IMG11.
You should ensure the image filenames are such that the Media Watcher arranges the images
into the correct playout order; if necessary, insert 0s before a number. For example: IMG001,
IMG002, IMG003 … IMG009, IMG010, IMG011 … IMG099, IMG100, IMG101.
In the .tzip file, the image files should be at the top level – not stored in folders.
iTX calculates a default duration for each imported sequence, based on the number of images it
contains and the output frame rate (PAL or NTSCdf). When importing .spg files from another
iTX system, it assigns a default duration of 30 seconds to these.
There are three basic playout modes for an animated sequence:
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Loop. iTX repeats – or loops – the sequence for the duration of the logo event.
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Freeze. iTX plays the sequence once and then holds the last frame on a freeze.
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Once. iTX plays the sequence once and then removes it from the screen.
You specify an operating mode by including a text file, called "mode.txt", in the top level of the
sequence archive. The text file needs to contain a single word – LOOP, FREEZE or ONCE – that
corresponds to one of the modes. If an archive does not contain the text file, iTX applies the
loop mode by default.
To help operators to know how an animation is going to play out, we recommend you use a
naming system that makes it possible to deduce playout modes from filenames.
iTX can also play out an animated sequence in a more complex mode, to include an internal
loop. For this mode, you define three sections: the in-section, the loop, and the out-section. iTX
plays out the in-section once, the internal loop a complete number of times, and the out-
section once; it then removes the animation.
The number of loops is determined by the duration that is set for the animation. iTX always
completes the last loop before playing out the out-section. If it cannot complete a whole
March 2015
System Administrator Guide
Page 239 of 404