How to Run the Chyron (Lyric) Character Generator

Prepared by Greg O’Brien
CMCI Staff

Step 1 
Start the computer, located just under the Camera Control Units, CCU's. Open the panel door and switch on the Chyron by pressing the power button located on the lower right.

The rack that contains the Camera Control Unit (CCU). The blue panel below is the access port to switch on the Chyron.  

Open the blue panel to access the Chyron power switch. 

Step 2
Connect the Chyron User station to the Computer.  In the Atlas Studios we use a KVM System (Keyboard Video and Mouse) this allows multiple computers to be accessed by multiple user stations.

To connect to this computer 

  • Locate the Chyron station and power the computer monitor.  
  • Next hold down the red FN key and push Red Scroll Lock key twice. Release the keys and you’ll see the target KVM start select ‘Chyron’ using the mouse and click ‘Connect’

The Chyron station. 

Step 3 
Lyric is the software that runs on the Chyron Computer, Lyric is user interface to send graphics.

Once Chyron boots into windows in the center of the screen you’ll see a program icon called Lyric. Double click the icon and the program will start with a preload screen. Once complete Lyric will start, but WAIT! Before you begin we must also select the class/group you’re in.  To do this minimize Lyric and select one of the 3 .LUP files  NT = Newsteam, SM = Sports Mag, and TV1. 

Step 4
Your Work Environment 

  • Browser: This is where you can use the mouse to select the message (Graphic) you want to bring into the Active Frame Buffer (usually FB1) you can also look at the number and type that in on the keypad.
  • Canvas: This is where you can either Edit or transfer your graphic to the Frame Buffer
  • Properties: This controls the message (Graphic) settings, Color, Font, Movement, etc.
  • 2nd Canvas: This is a view to see the other frame buffer (there are two) it can flip between FB1 & FB2 depending on which graphic is in the Canvas
  • Scene Graph: This is the layers within your message, if your familiar with Photoshop it’s the same principle. This is what selects the layer of the message you’re working on.
  • Timeline: This is how you can animate the elements of your message, when they appear, disappear, etc 

Step 5 
Your Physical Environment: 

  • Keypad (Numbers on the right side of Keyboard): Typing numbers will change the Canvas message number
  • Xfer (transfer) Key: Transfers the graphic from the Canvas to the Active Frame Buffer. (FB1 or FB2)
  • Change (Frame Buffers): Changes the Canvas window to the 2nd Canvas Window pushing it again changes it back
  • Read Next: Reads the next available message from your browser
  • Read (Message) Key: This reads the next Canvas number in the Canvas
  • Erase Key: Clears the Canvas window
  • Alt Key(s): When held down with Record it saves over the current Canvas message number
  • Record (Message): Writes the message into the next Canvas number

Step 6 
Basic Operation

  • With the Keypad or Mouse select a Message from the Browser pane (fig.1) 
  • With a lower third (fig.2) you should default into the Names Font Box, from there you can type the Anchors name in the first template space (fig.4) and then by hitting the Tab Key you can jump to the next template space (fig.5)
    1. Whether that's a lower third with anchor names, or a lower third with anchor & locator, or even the closing credits.
    2. If for some reason you don't move template spaces you can manually click into them, but keep an eye on the   Scene Graph to make sure you stay in the layer (template) you're working in (fig.3)
  • To save your changes to this graphic you’ll need to hold the ‘Alt’ key and push the ‘Record’ key.  This will overwrite message 0 in the example instead of writing it to the next Canvas message 1 which is already occupied

  • You can now transfer the graphic to the Frame Buffer, FB 1 in the example.  By pushing the ‘Xfer’ button just above the number pad on the keyboard

  • Transferring it makes the graphic available to the Technical Director (TB) Board in the example of Frame Buffer 1 means the graphic is now on ‘CG 1’ and ‘DSK 1 Auto’ in the Switcher. The graphic should also appear in the monitors just above the keyboard
  • You can now open another graphic by using the keypad or the mouse and selecting a graphic from the message browser and repeat the process.
    1.         Even though the graphic will load into the Canvas (fig.2) you will not overwrite what was sent to the frame buffer or the switcher, until you transfer (Xfer) the message.

Step 7 
Importing a Graphic (Full Screen, OTS, Weather)

  • There are two ways, the first is to plug a thumb drive into the Chyron by going back into the rack room (fig.1) and identifying the USB cable located just above the camera CCU’s (fig.2) plug the thumb drive in.
    1. The Second is downloading the file from the internet simply minimize Lyric and choose ‘Firefox’ Web Browser from the windows desktop 
  • Once the Thumb Drive is plugged in minimize Lyric and open ‘My Computer’ (fig.3) the thumb drive will be identified under the ‘Devices with Removable Storage’ section.
  • On the Thumb drive locate the files and copy them to the desktop by dragging and dropping
  • Once the files have transferred maximize Lyric and choose a graphic you would like to overwrite (fig.4) from the ‘file’ menu choose ‘New’ -> ‘Canvas’ (fig.5) or choose the ‘Erase’ key from the keyboard. (Step 5, No. 6)
  • With the Canvas blank look up at the pictures on the top row of the program and identify the one that looks like a background (fig.6) from that button a dropdown menu will appear choose ‘Graphic File’
  • A menu will now appear in the center of the screen (fig.7) from the ‘lookup’ bar click the downward arrow, a menu will appear, choose ‘Desktop’ this will show you all the items on the computers desktop including your graphics, use the ‘preview’ checkbox if you would like to get a quick confirmation (fig.7) select the graphic and click open
  • Your graphic will now appear in the Canvas
  • Hold ‘alt’ on the keyboard and hit the ‘record’ key to overwrite the previous graphic
  • Finally right click on the graphic you just overwrote in the Browser window, from the dropdown menu select ‘update’ to show the thumbnail in the browser window

Step 7 NOTES

a.     Current Studio requirements ask the graphic to be 720x480px (pixels) in resolution.

b.     The graphic must conform to a standard graphic format: .gif, .jpg, .png, .tiff, or .bmp

c.      This is the same process for an over the shoulder (OTS) graphic, but the graphic MUST have an invisible layer, this is only possible with the .png and .tiff formats.

d.     This is the same process we use for Weather, place all the graphics next to each other in the browser to make access easier. For Weather persons labeling for order of graphics

 

Learn about Directing

Find out how to operate the EchoLab Switcher

Find out how to operate the Chyon Character Generator

Find out how to operate the Video Server