How to Run the Video Server (aka, Red & Green)
Prepared by Greg O’Brien
CMCI Staff
Step 1: Getting the Servers Started
- Identify the servers you're using: Server 1 for TV-1 and Servers 1 & 2 for NewsTeam and Sports Mag (fig.1 & 2).
- Next, power the servers by pressing the blue button on the front of the servers (fig.3) - one for each server.
- Next, pull out the monitor you’ll be using at this station. Grab the handle just below server 2 and pull out (fig.4) keep pulling until you hear a click, then flip the handle up to reveal a monitor and keyboard.
- Next, you’ll see the bank of video monitors (fig.5). At the upper right there is a power button. Push it up (fig.6). Both the red and green lights should be on. The monitors will all boot up shortly.
Step 2
Connect the server station to the
servers. In Atlas Studios we use a KVM
System (Keyboard Video and Mouse) this allows multiple computers to be accessed
by multiple user stations.
- Identify the KVM (fig. 1) and if the screen is blank, power it up (fig. 2)
- Now press the shift key twice in quick succession (fig.3) and the Avocent screen will appear (fig.4)
- Choose ‘SRVR RED – GRN’ then click connect, the server will appear (fig.5)
Step 3: Screen Breakdown
Each server is given a name, which can be found in the upper left corner. Our primary server is called ‘Journalism 1 NTSC.’ Each server has three channels: two playout channels, represented here by ‘Channel 2 (Red),’ and ‘Channel 3 (Green)’ and then one input channel represented by ‘Channel 1 (Input).’
As you might have guessed Red & Green are options on the video switcher. Please also note the Active Channel with a blue bar on top and the Inactive channels with Grey.
The Playout Channels also have two modes: Clip & Playlist, each has a purpose.
- Clip Mode: Think of this mode like your iTunes library, it allows you to play every song (video) you have in the library (server)
- Playlist Mode: Continuing the iTunes metaphor this is just like it sounds, the playlist is a list of specific songs (videos) complied to play together; like your workout mix in the morning for example. For the servers, these are usually commercial breaks.
Step 4: Clip List Operation
The Server is designed so that you can use both the mouse or keyboard to work. i.e. for every click there is an alternate key command. While you may find it easy to work with the mouse at first I suspect you’ll see the benefits of the keyboard later.
- Clip Player: In order to play a file you must first load a clip, the Director or your rundown will tell you which files you’ll need.
- File -> Open: To load a clip you must open the clip list by going to the file menu in one of the clip players and clicking open (key Command: Cntl+O)
- Click on Clip: From the clip list click on the clip you want to play (key Command: arrow keys) and select ‘OK’ (key Command: enter)
- Play Clip: Use the mouse an click ‘Play’ (key Command: space bar)
- Optional: Reset the Clip: Sometimes, you might accidentally start a clip before the director calls for it, if this happens you can Click on the Go To Start button, ‘|< ’ (key Command: home)
- Loop the Clip: Click the Checkbox or the Button on the screen (key Command: L)
Edit the Clip
In some cases a clip will be dropped (FTP’d) into the server and it has a slate (Title) on the front that lasts 5 seconds, you don’t want the slate to play live on TV so you’ll need to remove it by editing the clip.
- Click the edit checkbox (key Command: E) you can now play the clip in this window and watch it on the monitor above.
- Press play and use the ‘Jog-‘ and ‘Jog+’ (key Command: L & R Arrows) to get the time right
- Once you’ve found the place you want to start click ‘Mark In’ (key Command: I)
- To Close the edit and keep your changes Click the Edit checkbox again a window will appear asking you to confirm the changes, select ‘yes’. (key Command: left arrow, enter)
Removing Clips
‘File’ -> ‘Delete’ (keys: ctrl+D) the clip list will appear, select the clips to delete, (USE CAUTION) confirm with a double check, Click ‘OK’ (key: enter) a window will appear select ‘yes’ (keys: left arrow, enter)
Step 5. Navigation
To move between Channels 1, 2, and 3 you
can click somewhere within the window of the channel you want to activate or
use the key commands.
- To move to different Clip channels (key Command: Ctrl+1, or 2, or 3)
- To move to different Playlist channels (key Command: Alt+2, or 3)
Step 6: Playlist Operation
A Playlist is a series of clips added together to form one larger playable video, like a commercial break in the middle of a TV show.
- Playlist: To play a series of clips the first thing you’ll need to do is open one
- Transport -> Playlist -> Channel ID: to switch to a playlist go to the top left and find the ‘Transport’ menu, scroll down to ‘Playlist’ and select the channel you want to replace. (key Command: Alt+2 or 3)
- Open a playlist: goto ‘File’ in the playlist window and select ‘open’ (key Command: ctrl+O)
- Select a playlist: by clicking on one and selecting OK (key Command: Up or Down Arrow, enter) The blank playlist window should now be filled with multiple items and a yellow bar will indicate Cued to play
- Play the playlist: Click the ‘Play’ Button (key Command: space bar)
- Optional: Reset the playlist: Playlists are different from Clips there is no easy reset, if you have not progressed past the first item click ‘Stop’ twice until it become ‘Show’ then click ‘Cue’ (key Command: K, K, C) If it has progressed to the next item (key Command: K, K, Up Arrow, C)
- If you need to go to the next clip in the playlist click the ‘Next’ Button (key Command: N)
Step 7. Creating a New Clip
You might have noticed that Channel 1 has an extra button, ‘REC’ this is record and it does exactly what is says, it allows us to record video directly into the server, the benefits of this are usually to pre-record an in-studio package to be later played back during a show. Sports Mag and Newsteam both use this feature to pre-record their open videos.
- Active the Channel one Clip Window (fig.1)
- File -> New (key Command: cntl+N)
- The Clip Navigation window will appear with a blank name space, type in a name it is recommended you do NOT put spaces ‘ ’ between words but rather dashes – or underscores _ It’s also recommended that you begin with either the date or the prefix ‘AA.’ Ex. AA_DoubleTeam-2015-09-04_v1 this way the file will appear at the top of the clip list (fig.3) click ‘OK’ (Key Command: enter)
- Record a clip by click ‘REC’ (key Command: R)
- Stop recording by clicking ‘STOP’ (key Command: K)
- Review the clip by opening it in either Channel 2 or 3 (aka Red or Green)