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evertz MetaCast 2 Instruction Manual

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© Copyright 2000, 2001, 2002
EVERTZ MICROSYSTEMS LTD.
5288 John Lucas Drive, Burlington, Ontario, Canada, L7L 5Z9
Phone: 905-335-3700
Fax:
905-335-3573
Internet:
Sales:
Tech Support: service@evertz.com
Web Page:
Version 2.0 March 2002
The material contained in this manual consists of information that is the property of Evertz Microsystems and is
intended solely for the use of purchasers of MetaCast 2. Evertz Microsystems expressly prohibits the use of this
manual for any purpose other than the operation of the device.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of
Evertz Microsystems Ltd. Copies of this guide can be ordered from your Evertz products dealer or from Evertz
Microsystems.
MetaCast 2
Instruction Manual
sales@evertz.com
http://www.evertz.com

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  • Page 1 The material contained in this manual consists of information that is the property of Evertz Microsystems and is intended solely for the use of purchasers of MetaCast 2. Evertz Microsystems expressly prohibits the use of this manual for any purpose other than the operation of the device.
  • Page 3 MetaCast II Instruction Manual REVISION HISTORY REVISION DESCRIPTION DATE Metacast 1 Version Feb 00 MetaCast 2 Version Mar 02 Revision 2.0...
  • Page 4 MetaCast II Instruction Manual This page left intentionally blank Revision 2.0...

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual Table of Contents GETTING STARTED......................1-1 1.1. CHOOSING A CONFIGURATION..................1-1 1.1.1. Loading/Creating a Playlists................... 1-1 1.1.2. Connecting to an Encoder..................1-2 1.1.3. Connecting to a Logo Inserter ................1-2 1.1.4. Sending Data......................1-3 1.1.5. Automation ......................1-3 1.2.
  • Page 6 MetaCast II Instruction Manual 1.14.3. Canadian English Ratings ..................1-17 1.14.3.1. Canadian English Rating Categories ..............1-17 1.14.4. Canadian French Ratings..................1-18 1.14.4.1. Canadian French Rating Categories..............1-18 PLAYLISTS ........................2-1 2.1. CREATING A PLAYLIST USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR ..........2-1 2.1.1. Overview ........................
  • Page 7 MetaCast II Instruction Manual PAGES..........................4-1 4.1. AUTOMATION PAGE......................4-1 4.1.1. Toolbar ........................4-2 4.1.2. Context Menu ......................4-2 4.1.2.1. Add Row......................4-2 4.1.2.2. Delete Row......................4-2 4.1.2.3. Play from Here ....................4-2 4.1.2.4. Skip to Next Row....................4-3 4.1.2.5. Stop Automation....................4-3 4.1.2.6. Toggle Load by Date ...................4-3 4.1.2.7.
  • Page 8 MetaCast II Instruction Manual OPTIONS..........................6-1 6.1. ENCODER STATUS OPTIONS.................... 6-1 6.1.1. Warning Colours..................... 6-2 6.2. OPTIONAL PROPERTIES OPTIONS .................. 6-2 6.3. PLAYLIST COLOURS......................6-3 6.4. PLAYLIST COLUMNS......................6-4 6.4.1. Showing / Hiding Columns ..................6-5 6.4.2. Formatting Columns ....................6-5 6.5.
  • Page 9 Building The V-Chip Encoding Events in BMS ............9-2 9.4.2. File to be sent to Evertz..................9-4 9.4.3. How Evertz and Louth detect a V-Chip Rating event in Enterprise files:....9-4 9.4.4. Rules for Extracting V-Chip Rating Data From Enterprise File ......9-6 9.5.

  • Page 11: Getting Started

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual GETTING STARTED 1.1. CHOOSING A CONFIGURATION When opening MetaCast you are prompted to choose a configuration. Having separate configuration files allows you to run multiple sessions of MetaCast using different settings on one computer. A default configuration file 'default.evc' ships with MetaCast.

  • Page 12: Connecting To An Encoder

    PC and the encoder. If you are using an Evertz 8070, 8075 or port A on the back of an Evertz 8074 you will need a NULL modem cable with a unique pin configuration described in the manual you received with the encoder. If you are connecting to port B or C on an 8074 or any port on an 8084, 8084AD or 8085 then you will need an ordinary NULL modem cable which you can purchase at any computer supply store.

  • Page 13: Sending Data

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 1.1.4. Sending Data Once connected to the required devices, MetaCast must be instructed to begin encoding the XDS data and to start displaying logos. For this to happen, you must air the playlist by clicking 'Air Playlist' from either the main toolbar or the Playlist menu.

  • Page 14: Logo Rules

    The name of the playlist file. The field will show 'New Playlist' if you have not yet saved your playlist. 1.3.2. Version The file version of the current playlist. All files created within MetaCast 2 or imported will appear as version 3.00 whereas files created from earlier version of MetaCast will appear as versions 1 or 2.

  • Page 15: Optional Properties

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 1.3.5. Optional Properties These controls allow you to define optional properties associated with the playlist. These properties will be saved in the playlist file but may or not be used depending on the Optional Properties page in the options dialog.

  • Page 16: Primary And Secondary Events

    PRIMARY LOG Primary logging events allow you to decode captions out of CC1 of the video stream using an Evertz 80xx Closed Caption encoder and write the results to a time stamped file. Since multiple logs can be written at once, MetaCast allows you to overlap as many logging events as you wish.

  • Page 17: Primary Logo

    1.6. PRIMARY LOGO Primary logo events allow you to control an Evertz 9525 Logo Inserter and therefore the ability to fade in and fade out graphics on screen. The logos must already be in the box by downloading them through Evertz Instalogo software.
  • Page 18 MetaCast II Instruction Manual Primary program events appear as white rows in the playlist and have an accompanying 'P' icon in the event type column on the far left side. If the 'P' icon has a small arrow next to it then there are secondary events associated with that program.

  • Page 19: Secondary Logo

    Secondary logos behave identically to primary logos in that they allow you fade in and fade out on screen graphics through an Evertz 9525 Logo Inserter. The major difference is that like all secondary events, secondary logos are intended to control data that changes over the course of a program. This means that start times are entered as offsets from the beginning of the parent program event and the duration may not extend beyond the duration of the parent program event.

  • Page 20: Playlist Rippling

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 1.11. PLAYLIST RIPPLING To make editing playlist event times simpler, MetaCast provides a sophisticated rippling system that automatically adjusts adjacent programs to accomodate your changes. Since, program events cannot overlap, the rippling system will shift programs earlier or later in the day to leave room for the program you are editing.

  • Page 21: Soft Ripple

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 1.11.2. Soft Ripple A soft ripple preserves event durations by shifting other programs in the playlist to make room for the new event. For example, if you have a playlist containing back to back half hour programs and you extend one by fifteen minutes, every program after that will start fifteen minutes later to accomodate the change.

  • Page 22: Lights

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual The three text boxes allow you to change the values for each field and the buttons on the right are used to Send or Halt the associated data packets. If you edit a field after you have sent the data, MetaCast will update the encoder as soon as you leave the text box.

  • Page 23: Encoder Status

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 1.13.1.1. Encoder Status The first panel indicates the connection status. When the background is white, the device is offline. When the background is green the device has connected successfully. If the background is red, the device has gone offline due to an error.

  • Page 24: Rating Systems

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual The third light corresponds to the Message page and flashes green whenever a positive message occurs and red if an error message occurs. Double-clicking this panel will open the message window so that you can view the message details. The fourth light indicates whether automation is currently active or not.

  • Page 25: Tvpg Flags

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 1.14.1.2. TVPG Flags Fantasy Violence Violence Sexual Situations Adult Language Sexually Suggestive Dialog 1.14.2. MPAA Ratings The MPAA rating system consists of eight categories and does not use any flags. A N/A rating implies a program for which motion picture ratings do not apply while a Not Rated rating indicates a feature that did not receive a rating.

  • Page 26: Mpaa Rating Categories

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 1.14.2.1. MPAA Rating Categories PG-13 NC-17 Not Rated (default)  See Also: TVPG Ratings , Canadian English Ratings , Canadian French Ratings Page 1-16 Revision 2.0...

  • Page 27: Canadian English Ratings

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 1.14.3. Canadian English Ratings The Canadian English language rating system consists of seven categories and no flags. If you choose the ‘Upstream’ rating, MetaCast will not encode rating information for that program. 1.14.3.1. Canadian English Rating Categories Programming includes: news, sports, documentaries Exempt and other informational programming.

  • Page 28: Canadian French Ratings

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 1.14.4. Canadian French Ratings The Canadian French language rating system consists of six categories and no flags. If you choose the ‘Upstream’ rating, MetaCast will not encode rating information for that program. 1.14.4.1. Canadian French Rating Categories Exempt (default) Programming intended for audiences of all ages.

  • Page 29: Playlists

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual PLAYLISTS 2.1. CREATING A PLAYLIST USING THE BUILT-IN EDITOR 2.1.1. Overview For stations that do not have XDS program information accessible or do not wish to write a utility to convert the information, MetaCast supplies a built-in editor for creating playlist files. The editor allows you to easily insert, edit and remove events and also supports ripple, sort, cut, copy, paste, undo and redo features.

  • Page 30: Editing The Playlist

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 2.1.3. Editing the Playlist With a list of blank events now occupying the event grid, you can proceed to enter your program or logo data. When creating a new playlist, MetaCast opens in Edit mode. In this mode, MetaCast will not play out events from the playlist.

  • Page 31: Name

    For logo events, the name represents the name of the logo file as stored in the Evertz Logo Inserter. If you are connected to a logo inserter and have retrieved a list of logos, you may select them from the combobox.

  • Page 32: Saving The Playlist

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual upstream channel will block it while leaving the box unchecked will permit data to travel downstream. To set blocking for multiple events, highlight the desired rows in only the blocking column and hit enter. (See section 5.1 for more channel status dialog information). 2.9.

  • Page 33: Importing Enterprise Logs

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual IMPORTING ENTERPRISE LOGS In addition to MetaCast's own playlist file format, MetaCast can also load Enterprise logs. An explanation on how to create the file can be found in Creating Enterprise Logs for MetaCast. With the file created, the playlist can be loaded just like native MetaCast playlists. By default any of the Open dialogs will only show MetaCast files but you can open the 'Files of Type' combo to show files with different extensions.

  • Page 34: Stretch Primary Program Events To Be Continuous

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 3.1. STRETCH PRIMARY PROGRAM EVENTS TO BE CONTINUOUS This feature is highly recommended to ensure that no gaps appear in your playlist and therefore XDS information is encoded at all times. Gaps may be present in your log file if you only choose to load primary programs or if there are events in your log that MetaCast does not recognize.

  • Page 35: File Format

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual Example file names: s010100.evp January 1, 2000 s021002.evp February 10, 2002 3.2.3. File Format Playlist files are human readable ASCII text files that can be created or modified in any simple text editor such as NotePad or WordPad. In order for MetaCast to properly identify the file the first line must be as follows not including the quotations: 'MetaCast - Playlist File' Files that do no contain this header will be forwarded to the import routine and will not be loaded...
  • Page 36 DefaultURL A URL to be used Any valid web URL. DefaultURL=http://w during programs for ww.evertz.com which none was defined and during gaps in the playlist. DefaultWebDesc A web description to A text string of any...
  • Page 37 Also sent during gaps in the playlist. StationName name Up to 32 characters StationName=Evertz station broadcasting in the range of ASCII this playlist 32 to ASCII 127. CallLetters The call letters of the...

  • Page 38: Playlist Columns

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual Users may also define any custom headers they wish for the purpose of better identifying this playlist or its contents. All headers, including any custom ones, appear in the Playlist Header Dialog accessible from the Playlist menu. The following table lists possible headers the user may wish to include in the playlist.

  • Page 39: Playlist Body

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual Column Description The number of days after the start of the playlist before this event begins A URL web link associated with the event* WebDesc A description of the associated web page.* WebType The type of web page.* WebDate The last date on which the web page will be valid* Block...

  • Page 40: Start

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual The rules governing the ordering of primary and secondary events are very important. Only primary programs are permitted to have secondary events attached to them and all secondary events must follow immediately after their associated primary. Secondary events that do not follow these rules may be discarded.

  • Page 41: Url

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 3.2.6.8. The URL for a web page associated with a program event. The URL must be complete including the required protocol i.e. 'http://', 'mailto:', etc. 3.2.6.9. WebDesc Description of the web page associated with a program event. Should be kept as short as possible to reduce bandwidth consumption.

  • Page 42: Airing The Playlist

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual MetaCast - Playlist File Version=3.00 Airdate=06/12/2001 RatingSystem=CDN English Columns=EventType, Start, Name, Duration, Rating 1, 23:55:00, "Program A", 00:00:30, PG 5, 23:55:00, "canengpg", 00:00:07, PG 1, 23:55:30, "Program B", 00:00:30, C 5, 23:55:30, "canengc", 00:00:07, C 1, 23:56:00, "Program C", 00:00:30, PG 5, 23:56:00, "canengpg", 00:00:07, PG 1, 23:56:30, "Program D", 00:00:30, 14+ 5, 23:56:30, "caneng14", 00:00:07, 14+...
  • Page 43 MetaCast II Instruction Manual Light Description MetaCast is in edit mode and the playlist has not been aired. Select 'Air Playlist' from the Playlist menu to begin broadcasting your playlist The current broadcast time falls before the first event in the playlist. If no more than fifty days previous to the beginning of the playlist, either the next logo event or next program event counters will indicate the time remaining until the playlist begins.
  • Page 44 MetaCast II Instruction Manual This page left intentionally blank Page 3-12 Revision 2.0...

  • Page 45: Pages

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual PAGES 4.1. AUTOMATION PAGE This page allows you to automate how MetaCast loads playlists. You can either create a list of playlists to load in sequence or you can instruct MetaCast to find a file that matches the current date.

  • Page 46: Toolbar

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 4.1.1. Toolbar Button Title Description Import Automation Load an automation list from file and append it to the current Entries one. This can be used to load old Script files from MetaCast versions 1.xx Export Automation Write an automation list to a file.

  • Page 47: Skip To Next Row

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 4.1.2.4. Skip to Next Row Skip ahead to the next item in the list. 4.1.2.5. Stop Automation Stop automation. 4.1.2.6. Toggle Load by Date Toggle whether the selected entry is a regular fixed filename or whether it should compute the file name based on the date.

  • Page 48: Clocks Page

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 4.2. CLOCKS PAGE The clocks page allows you to view and set the current Broadcast time. Additionally, you can send Time of Day and Time Zone XDS packets from this page. The first box on this page displays a full version of the current Broadcast Time; this time is also available in 24 hour format on the status bar.

  • Page 49: Toolbar

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 4.2.1. Toolbar Button Title Description Set Clock Open up the Date/Time Properties window so that you can edit the Date, Time and Time Zone. If your clock source is the PC, this button will open the standard dialog used to set the PC clock.
  • Page 50 MetaCast II Instruction Manual The majority of the page contains a grid listing packets that MetaCast has sent to the encoder as well as any packets that were sent to the encoder by another device. Each row represents a separate packet and the colour of the row indicates its status. On the Encoder Status options page, you can define what colour will represent the various packet states and what columns appear in the grid.

  • Page 51: Toolbar

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 4.3.1. Toolbar Button Title Description Check & Confirm Check the encoder memory to confirm that packets are Packets being encoded as expected. This function will update the status for the packets in the grid. Update Playlist and MetaCast will resend all data to the hardware and if the Hardware (Ctrl + R) playlist is on air, MetaCast will re-evaluate what the...

  • Page 52: Logging Page

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 4.4. LOGGING PAGE This page allows you to monitor and control MetaCast's caption logging features. The logging status grid occupies the majority of this page and contains a list of the current log destination files. Each row corresponds to a separate logging event that is currently active in the playlist.

  • Page 53: Lights

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 4.4.2. Lights The lights on this page, from left to right, indicate the logging connection status and whether any logs are currently active respectively Light (gray) (green) (red) (yellow) Connection The logging The logging The logging The logging Status device is offline...

  • Page 54: Columns

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual Logos highlighted in red are under manual control and cannot be accessed by playlist events. A logo comes under manual control if you press the cue , fade in or fade out buttons in the toolbar while that logo is highlighted. To release the logo so that playlist events can once again access it, click the Release button, , in the toolbar.

  • Page 55: Toolbar

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 4.5.2. ToolBar Button Title Description Connect / Connect to the Logo Inserter. Clicking this button when it is depressed Disconnect will disconnect MetaCast from the logo inserter. The connection process may take a couple of seconds. During this time the connect light will turn yellow.

  • Page 56: Lights

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 4.5.3. Lights The three lights on this page from left to right, are the logo inserter connection status, logo visible indicator and the animation active indicator respectively. Light (gray) (green) (red) (yellow) Connection The logo inserter The logo inserter The logo inserter The logo...

  • Page 57: Lights

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual Colour Device Green Encoder Blue Logo Inserter Logging Decoder 4.6.1. Lights The light on this page flashes when a new message appears. The light will go green if the message is expected or red if the message indicates an error situation. The MSG light in the status bar behaves identically to this light and double-clicking it will open this page.
  • Page 58 MetaCast II Instruction Manual The fields on this page correspond to the available program columns in the main event grid. Every parameter sent from a primary or secondary program event can be encoded through this page without having to create the event at the correct time. Clicking the red switch in the toolbar so that the button is depressed and the switch is up, triggers the program override to begin.

  • Page 59: Toolbar

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 4.7.1. Toolbar Button Title Description Toggle Toggles whether the override is active or not. Override is Override engaged when the button is depressed and the switch is up. Resend Resends all XDS packets to the encoder. Normally MetaCast Packets only updates the encoder at the beginning of an event or when the data changes.
  • Page 60 MetaCast II Instruction Manual This page left intentionally blank Page 4-16 Revision 2.0...

  • Page 61: Forms

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual FORMS 5.1. CHANNEL STATUS This dialog allows you to change the status of individual data channels for the duration of the event in regards to passing or blocking upstream data. If a box is checked, then upstream data will be blocked and will not be outputted by the encoder.

  • Page 62: Creating Custom Filenames

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 5.2. CREATING CUSTOM FILENAMES You can use this dialog to create a custom filename format for MetaCast. To use when finding playlists or schedules. The grid in the middle of the screen displays each of the components that make up the file name.

  • Page 63: New Playlist Options

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 2. Using the insert and delete functions, set the number of columns to match the number of items you found in your breakdown. Note: You cannot insert or delete the separator (.) column. 3. Select each column and change it to the appropriate type using the buttons at the top of the screen.

  • Page 64: New Playlists

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual The 'New' tab gives you different means of creating a new playlist in MetaCast. Clicking any of the icons will display a brief description of what the icons does, and clicking 'OK' will run the selected task. When this dialog appears after you load MetaCast, you will also have access to the 'Existing' and 'Recent' tabs.

  • Page 65: Metacast Playlist Wizard

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual grid will display the intended air date using the format you have selected. If you try to air the playlist on a date for which it wasn't intended, MetaCast will prompt you to update that air date so that it matches the current broadcast time.
  • Page 66 MetaCast II Instruction Manual Recent The 'Recent' tab is a shortcut to load some of the more recent files you have previously opened. Like the 'Existing' tab, the options section lets you choose whether you wish to edit the file or air it immediately.

  • Page 67: Program Type

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 5.4. PROGRAM TYPE This dialog allows you to edit a program type for encoding in the XDS stream. The program type as defined in EIA/CEA-608-B is a set of keywords that define the type or category of a program. The Basic group is used to define the the program at the most general level.

  • Page 68: Program Type Mapping

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 5.5. PROGRAM TYPE MAPPING This dialog allows you to alter the mapping scheme used to assign program types to values found in columns 155-158 in an Enterprise log file. Mapping List Each row in the grid represents a separate mapping key. The first column contains the key that is compared to the value found in the playlist file.

  • Page 69: Save Options

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual Save Saves the current mapping list to a file. Warning: If you click OK before saving, all changes will be lost. 5.6. SAVE OPTIONS This form appears when you save a playlist and it allows you to choose what fields from the event grid will be saved in the file.
  • Page 70 MetaCast II Instruction Manual The URL is the universal resource locator for the web page and must contain the protocol, i.e. 'http://', 'ftp:', 'mailto:' etc, in addition to the full file name. Type The type of web page the URl points to. This can be 'Program', 'Network', etc. A value of 'None' indicates that this fields will not be encoded.

  • Page 71: Options

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual OPTIONS 6.1. ENCODER STATUS OPTIONS The encoder status page displays the current status for XDS packets, web links and upstream blocking. These options allow you to customize how the page is displayed. The two list boxes at the top of the form allow you to change what columns are displayed in the encoder status grid and in what order they appear.

  • Page 72: Warning Colours

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual The columns are described as follows: Column Description Packet ID The four number ID for the packet as defined by EIA-608. For web packets, the ID is 'URL' and for upstream blocking the packet is 'Block'. Category A descriptive identifier for the packet.

  • Page 73: Playlist Colours

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual but these values are not processed by MetaCast and serve only as a reference for the user. All properties can be viewed through the Playlist Properties dialog. If MetaCast encounters a valid playlist property that it has been instructed to read, this value will be processed and used accordingly.

  • Page 74: Playlist Columns

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual The contents of the list box are defined in the following table: List Box Description Offline Program The current program event, secondary or primary, when you are not encoding the playlist. Online Program The current program event, secondary or primary, when the playlist data is being sent to the encoder.

  • Page 75: Showing / Hiding Columns

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 6.4.1. Showing / Hiding Columns The two list boxes at the top of the form allow you to change what columns are displayed in the events grid and in what order they appear. The left list displays the columns that are presently hidden but can be displayed in the grid.

  • Page 76: V-Chip Logo Mapping

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual Code Description Example (June 9, 2001 - 1:38:10 PM) dddd Full day of week. Saturday Numerical month with leading zero 06 Abbreviated name of month Jun. mmmm Full name of month June yyyy Full year 2001 6.5.
  • Page 77 MetaCast II Instruction Manual Reset The Reset button will clear the entire logo map and allow you to enter new data. Warning: This action cannot be undone, even if you click Cancel on the Options page. Import This button allows you to import a text logo map file. MetaCast only fills entries that are defined Map Files for in the file, pre-existing entries that are not in the file will remain intact.
  • Page 78 MetaCast II Instruction Manual This page left intentionally blank Page 6-8 Revision 2.0...

  • Page 79: Automating Metacast

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual AUTOMATING METACAST Once you have created or loaded a playlist and are ready to begin broadcasting, you will need to take MetaCast out of edit mode and begin airing your playlist; the details of this are discussed in Airing your Playlist.

  • Page 80: Broadcast Time

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual The second method is to create a series of playlists that cover a week, month or any fixed block of time and set them to loop in sequence. This situation is ideal for stations who wish to broadcast specific information for each program but who do not want to spend the time creating unique playlists for every day.

  • Page 81: Time Source

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 7.3.1. Time Source The first issue when configuring MetaCast's time features is to determine what device will be driving the clock. This can be chosen from the Clock page and may have one of the following values: Time Source Description...

  • Page 82: Pc Clock

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 7.3.2.1. PC Clock For PC Clock mode, Date, Time and Time Zone are taken from the PC's settings so, if they are correct, there is nothing more to do. If they are not however, click 'Set Time' from the Clock toolbar and update the clock.

  • Page 83: Encoder

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 7.3.2.2. Encoder If you select an Encoder as your time source, you will need to set the time zone so that it can properly convert between UTC and local time. Click the 'Set Clock' button on the Clock toolbar and select a new time zone from the dropdown list.

  • Page 84: Pc Clock

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 7.3.3.1. PC Clock Generally in PC Clock mode, Windows will control the DST adjustment. The exception is if you choose a time zone, such as Indiana or Saskatchewan, that does not use DST. In this case Windows will not adjust for DST automatically and, in order to properly encode XDS clock packets, you must check the Daylight Saving box manually on the Clock page.
  • Page 85 MetaCast II Instruction Manual The 'Set PC' check box instructs MetaCast to set the PC clock in addition to its internal BroadCast time assuming the PC is not already the source time. This allows additional instances of MetaCast running on the PC to be synced to one Encoder with an LTC reader. Page 7-7 Revision 2.0...
  • Page 86 MetaCast II Instruction Manual This page left intentionally blank Page 7-8 Revision 2.0...

  • Page 87: File Specifications

    8.1. LEGACY PLAYLIST FILE FORMATS MetaCast 2.0 and greater will load files created MetaCast version 1.x. If you are creating custom filters it is possible to the old file format described below but it is recommended that you upgrade to version 3 playlist files as they are more flexible and can utilize the new features of MetaCast 2.x...

  • Page 88: Column Headers

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 8.2.4. Column Headers A list of column headers that describe the data in the body of the file. Data will be formatted and entered into the playlist according to which column it falls under. Therefore, playlist information must appear in the same order as the column headers.

  • Page 89: Example

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 8.2.6. Example This example may be loaded into MetaCast by copying it into Windows Notepad and saving the file. "MetaCast - Schedule File" "2.01" "02/10/2000" "TVPG" "Start", "Duration", "Rating", "Name" "05:00:00", "00:30:00", "TV-G","D" "05:30:00", "00:30:00", "TV-14-DS", "C" "06:00:00", "00:30:00", "TV-MA", "B"...

  • Page 90: Example

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual The lines that follow that immediately follow the rating system consist of rating/logo pairs separated by commas. For example if you wished to relate a Canadian C8+ to a logo named 'canengc8' the entry would appear as follows: C8+, canengc8 You can have as many pairs as you wish but they must relate to the last rating system entry.

  • Page 91: Creating A Playlist Using Enterprise's Bms Traffic System

    Enterprise’s WinDEI software (v1.1.1 and above) with Evertz interface installed. Accept the system defaults when adding this interface. The only setting you will probably have to adjust to suit your own needs is the Copy File to Path. This specifies how to send the file to Evertz (using a mapped drive).

  • Page 92: Separation Of Logo Bug Events And Evertz Rating Events

    9.4.1. Building The V-Chip Encoding Events in BMS V-Chip rating events can be built in BMS show formats to instruct Evertz to begin encoding a rating. If Louth Automation is used, these same events are used to instruct Louth to trigger Evertz to begin encoding a rating.
  • Page 93 MetaCast II Instruction Manual An illustration of how the v-chip events should be included into show formats is shown below. Placing an “E” next to this message line and pressing ENTER will provide access to the extension screen (shown below), where more details may be specified. Page 9-3 Revision 2.0...

  • Page 94: File To Be Sent To Evertz

    In case of changes, this download can be re-executed, transmitting updated information to Evertz. Each transmission of a V-Chip log to Evertz will consist of an entire broadcast day’s log. 9.4.3. How Evertz and Louth detect a V-Chip Rating event in Enterprise files:...
  • Page 95 TV-G NR is used to table are indicate “not acceptable. TV-PG rated”. TV-PG-DLSV TV-PG-DLS If this field is Evertz and TV-PG-DLV blank, MetaCast Louth will utilize TV-PG-DSV will encode a these codes to TV-PG-LSV default rating as determine the TV-PG-DL...

  • Page 96: Rules For Extracting V-Chip Rating Data From Enterprise File

    “Pos” indicates position(s) of this field in the playlist file 9.4.4. Rules for Extracting V-Chip Rating Data From Enterprise File Evertz/Louth will be able to look in the Enterprise playlist file, and look for records with: Secondary Source = Y (indicates secondary source)

  • Page 97: Default Programs

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual Here is a sample of how such a playlist file could appear, with the appropriate pieces of data highlighted. A ruler line is provided at the top. #########1#########2#########3#########4#########5#########6#########7#########8#### 123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234 0010000040197KESGTV 23ESI TUESDAY 97091 0110001 060000T000600V V RWOODY WOODPECKER CE P Y01R 0610002 232 1310003 060000 000020VCHP TV-Y V-CHIP RATING: TV-Y YI00000 0610004 ITV:WWW.WEBTV.COM/SHOWS/WOODYWOODPECKER.HTML M...

  • Page 98: Default Program Fields

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual Located in the options dialog under Program Defaults, this page allows you to enter default values for every field associated with a playlist program event. MetaCast uses the default program data to fill in undefined fields when loading or importing a playlist. MetaCast will also encode the default event during program gaps in the playlist.

  • Page 99: Web

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 9.5.1.4. To edit the detail fields for the web link, double-click this field. If you do not wish to encode a web link, set the URL to blank or "http://". 9.5.1.5. Upstream Blocking To block an upstream channel, click the corresponding button until it appears depressed. 9.5.2.
  • Page 100 MetaCast II Instruction Manual This page left intentionally blank Page 9-10 Revision 2.0...

  • Page 101: Troubleshooting

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual TROUBLESHOOTING 10.1. TROUBLESHOOTING ENCODER COMMUNICATIONS Solutions to common communications problems: 10.1.1. Cannot Detect Encoder • Ensure the comm port settings are the same on the box as they are in MetaCast. Encoder comm settings are available under the Encoder menu for MetaCast and from the engineering menu on the hardware.

  • Page 102: Troubleshooting Logo Inserter Communications

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual 10.2. TROUBLESHOOTING LOGO INSERTER COMMUNICATIONS If you are experiencing problems connecting to the logo inserter or find that the logo inserter is periodically disconnecting from MetaCast due to errors, the following solutions may help: • Ensure you are using a straight-thru serial cable to connect the PC to the logo inserter. This cable is significantly different from the NULL modem cable used with the encoder.

  • Page 103: Contact Information

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual CONTACT INFORMATION Please visit our Web site at http://www.evertz.com. For General Enquires or Sales Information: You can reach our offices at 1+(905) 335-3700 Fax: 1+(905) 335-3573 Or e-mail tech support at service@evertz.com Evertz Microsystems 5288 John Lucas Dr.
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  • Page 105: Index

    MetaCast II Instruction Manual INDEX ......................... Automating MetaCast ........................Automation Page Blocking ..........................Upstream .......................... Broadcast Time ......................Canadian English Ratings 1-17 ......................Canadian French Ratings 1-18 ..........................Clocks ........................... Configuring ............................. Page ..........................Colours ........................Encoder Status ..........................Events ........................
  • Page 106 MetaCast II Instruction Manual ......................... Playlist Files Getting Started .........................1-1 ......................Importing Enterprise Logs Introduction ..........................1-1 ..........................Logging Page ..........................Logo Inserter ............................. Page ........................... Logo Map Files Mapping ........................V-Chip Logos .......................... Message Page 4-12 .......................... MPAA Ratings 1-15 ......................
  • Page 107 MetaCast II Instruction Manual ........................Save Playlist Options ..........................Station Page 1-11 ..........................Status Bar 1-12 ............................Time ........................... TVPG Ratings 1-14 ......................Upstream Blocking/Passing ......................... V-Chip Logo Mapping ........................... Web Links Page 12-3 Revision 2.0...
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