Home > Configuring a Channel > Configuring Master Control Switcher (MCS) Settings
Configuring Master Control Switcher (MCS)
Settings
The Master Control Switcher (MCS) settings allow you to configure some settings for secondary
video and audio, audio profiles, and depending on your ChannelPort model, the I/O
configuration for your ChannelPort.
To configure MCS settings:
1. Click Configure > Channels to open the Channels page.
2. Click the MCS button for the desired channel.
3. Configure the settings as described in the following sections.
General Properties
Enable audio with secondary video: When selected, any audio present in a loaded template
(such as a .flv or .mp4 file) will be mixed in with the output audio.
NOTE: Harmonic recommends that you only enable this setting if you explicitly intend to play
audio with your secondary event video.
Secondary Output Mode: This option determines how the secondary output on your
ChannelPort will behave. Select from the following modes:
o Clean: If selected, the secondary output will play out clean without branding or any other
modifications.
o Independent Branding: If selected, the secondary output will play out independent branding
graphics as configured in the Graphics > Effects section. See Configuring Graphics Settings.
o Mirror: If selected, the secondary output will mirror the primary output.
I/O Configuration: (for ChannelPort 8200 only) Select the configuration for the ChannelPort
video I/O connectors. Select from the options shown in the following two tables.
Standard Channel Configurations
Configuration I/O 1 I/O 2 I/O 3 I/O 4 I/O 5 I/O 6 I/O 7 I/O 8
Standard Ext In 1 Out, Out, Out, Ext In 1 Out, Out, Out,
Configuration (Channel Primary Secondary Primary (Channel Primary Secondary Primary
(Channel (Channel Channel (Channel (Channel (Channel
1 A) B)
A) A) A) B) B) B)
Ext In 1 Ext In 2 Out, Out, Ext In 1 Ext In 2 Out, Out,
Standard
Secondary Primary Secondary Primary
Configuration
(Channel (Channel (Channel (Channel (Channel (Channel (Channel (Channel
2
A) A) A) A) B) B) B) B)
Enhanced Channel Configurations
Configuration I/O 1 I/O 2 I/O 3 I/O 4 I/O 5 I/O 6 I/O 7 I/O 8
Ext In Ext In Ext In Ext In
Enhanced Out, Out, Out, Clean
1/Key 2/Fill 4/Key 5/Fill Ext In 6
Configuration 1 Secondary Primary Primary
1 1 2 2
Ext In Ext In Ext In Ext In
Enhanced Out, Out, Out, Clean Out, Clean
1/Key 2/Fill 4/Key 5/Fill
Configuration 2 Secondary Primary Secondary Primary
1 1 2 2
Ext In Ext In Ext In Ext In
Enhanced Out, Out,
1/Key 2/Fill Ext In 3 4/Key 5/Fill Ext In 6
Configuration 3 Primary Secondary
1 1 2 2
Monitor Out
The Monitor Out feature allows you to display active player and mixer information for your
channel superimposed over your primary output while playing a clean output to air over the
secondary output. Monitor Out information can include details such as mixer state, player state,
clip name (for loaded and cued clips), time until next clip, player name, looping state, transport
status (PLAY, REW, FF, PAUS, IDLE), and timecode.
The Monitor Out information displayed over your primary output is configured in your Monitor
Out graphics template. Before configuring the Monitor Out settings, first create your own custom
Monitor Out template and save it to your graphics directory (/fs0/gfx.dir). To create and
configure your template, see “Creating a Monitor Out Template” in the Spectrum ChannelPort
Template Authoring Guide.
Once your Monitor Out template is saved to the graphics directory, make sure that the Secondary
Output Mode for your ChannelPort channel is set to Clean. This way, the secondary output will
display a clean output that can be played to air.
Enable: Click to enable Monitor Out.
Monitor Template: Enter the name of the graphics template to be used for Monitor Out.
Layer: Select a graphics layer between 1 and 8.
Audio Profile Group
The options in this section allow you to apply an Audio Profile Group to this ChannelPort
channel. Once you have applied an Audio Profile Group, you can map the channel sources to
individual Audio Profiles using the menus in the Audio Profile Mapping section. For details on
creating audio profiles, see Creating an Audio Profile Group.
View: Click to open a read-only view of the Audio Profile Group page for the attached video
server.
Change: Click open a drop-down list of all Audio Profile Groups on this MediaDeck 7000. If
you wish to change Audio Profile Group, select a new group and click Update.
o Audio Profile Groups: Click open the Audio Profile Groups page.
Audio Profile Mapping
Use this section to map ChannelPort channel sources to audio profiles from the selected Audio
Profile Group. For each source, you may select an Audio Profile from the drop-down menu. If
the default 0 is selected, no profile will be applied.
4. Click Save to save your changes.
To revert to the last saved changes, click Revert.
Home > Configuring a Channel > Configuring Graphics Settings > Configuring Graphics
Settings
Configuring Graphics Settings
Use the Graphics Settings page to configure serial port settings, and effects such as Independent
Branding, and to configure GPIO events that correspond to graphics templates to be played out
on the ChannelPort.
To configure Graphics settings:
1. Click Configure > Channels to open the Channels page.
2. Click the Graphics button for the desired channel.
3. Configure the settings as described in the following sections.
Effects
Click Configure to view Effects configuration options.
Effect Organization
The options in this section vary depending on whether Independent Branding is selected as the
Secondary Output Mode on the MCS page. See Configuring Master Control Switcher (MCS)
Settings. For detailed instructions on configuring Independent Branding, see Enabling and
Configuring Independent Branding.
Organize Independent Branding Effects by: (with Independent Branding only) Select Folder
or Extension to determine how Spectrum will look for graphics on the video server file system.
Primary Effects: This field shows the location of the graphics directory on your video server
file system. If you have named the graphics directory on your video server file system something
other than /fs0/gfx.dir, you must enter the new name in the Primary Effects Folder field.
If you have selected “Organize Independent Branding Effects by Extension” and have named
your SD and HD graphics with separate extensions, make sure to enter the name of your HD
extensions in the Extension column for Primary Effects.
IB Effects Required: (with Independent Branding only) Select if primary/HD graphics are
required.
Secondary Effects: (with Independent Branding only) this field shows the location or
extension of secondary effects.
If you have selected “Organize Independent Branding Effects by Folder” and have created a sub-
folder for your SD graphics, make sure to enter the name of the SD sub-folder in the Folder
column for Secondary Effects.
If you have selected “Organize Independent Branding Effects by Extension” and have named
your SD and HD graphics with separate extensions, make sure to enter the name of your SD
extensions in the Extension column for Secondary Effects.
IB Effects Required: (with Independent Branding only) Select if secondary/SD graphics are
required.
Serial Port
In the Serial Port section configure the following:
Port Name: From the drop-down menu, select the Serial Port that you are using to connect to
an automation system. For GPIO/RS-422 connector signal assignments, refer to the Spectrum
ChannelPort Module Quick Reference Guide.
Baud Rate: From the drop-down menu, select the required Baud Rate for your automation
system. Refer to the documentation for your automation system for details.
Template End Behavior
In the Template End Behavior (for non-.swf content) section, you can configure the “end
behavior” for non-.swf content that you load onto ChannelPort layers, which is the behavior
when the graphic reaches the last frame. This section applies only to non-.swf content that you
can play on the ChannelPort, including the following file types:
.flv (Flash Video)
.mp4 (MPEG-4)
.png (Portable Network Graphic)
.jpg (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
.tga (Targa Graphic)
.gif (Graphical Interchange Format)
.bmp (Bitmap Image)
.tif (Tagged Image File)
NOTE: JPEG file compression and planar formats within .tif files are not supported by
ChannelPort.
For instructions on configuring Flash Videos and MPEG-4 files to be played on a ChannelPort,
refer to “Creating Flash Videos and MPEG-4 Files for ChannelPort” in the Spectrum
ChannelPort Template Authoring Guide.
NOTE: When you load a graphic onto the ChannelPort, it is positioned on a layer above the main
video source. Layer 1 is the bottom-most layer, while layer 8 is the top-most layer.
Configure the following:
Add (button): Click to add an effect layer. You may add up to 8 layers.
Layer: Select a layer between 1 and 8.
End Behavior: This setting describes what happens when the graphic on the selected reaches
its last frame, and the graphic is still playing. For each layer, select from the following list of
behaviors:
o Still: The last frame of the graphic on this layer will be still.
o Loop: The graphic on this layer will loop continuously.
o Disappear: The graphic on this layer will disappear.
NOTE: If a still image (for example, .jpg or .gif file) is loaded on the layer and Disappear is
selected as the End Behavior, the image will appear for one frame and then disappear.
To remove a layer, click the delete icon for the layer you wish to remove.
Auto Load
The Auto Load feature allows you to select a graphic template that you wish to be automatically
loaded to the ChannelPort channel. You can also lock the layer so that the graphic cannot be
overridden except by un-checking the lock setting.
Configure the following:
Add (button): Click to add an effect layer. You may add up to 8 layers.
Layer Number: Select a layer between 1 and 8.
Template Name: Enter the name of the graphics template to be used for Auto Load.
Permanent Lock: Select to lock this graphics layer. When selected, this graphics layer cannot
be overridden except by un-checking this setting.
To remove a layer, click the delete icon for the layer you wish to remove.
Events
In the Events section, you can configure GPIO events that correspond to graphics templates to be
played out on the ChannelPort. For each event, you can select the graphics layer that it appears
over the video output and set the fade duration.
When you load a graphic template, or .swf file, onto the ChannelPort, it is positioned on a layer
above the main video source. Layer 1 is the bottom-most layer, while layer 8 is the top-most
layer.
You can also configure events that correspond to Trouble Slate, Mixer Transitions, and ARC
control. For instructions on creating the GPIO triggers to be used for events, see Configuring
GPIO.
Fade Layer
Configure a fade layer as follows:
Add (button): Click to add a fade layer. You may add up to 8 layers.
Event Name: From the drop-down menu, select the GPIO trigger to be used for this event.
Layer: From the drop-down menu, select the layer associated with this event (between 1-8).
Fade Duration (fields): Enter the fade duration (in fields) to be applied to this event.
To remove a layer, click the delete icon for the layer you wish to remove.
Toggling Graphics
Toggle all graphics on event: From the drop-down menu, select a GPIO trigger, which will
be used to toggle all graphics on or off.
Toggle graphics on event: If you have configured an Auto Load graphic, use this setting to
toggle all graphics except the Auto Load graphic. From the drop-down menu, select a GPIO
trigger, which will be used to toggle graphics on or off.
Trouble Slate
The Trouble slate feature allows you to configure an event that will mute audio and video and
load a specified graphic template when directed by an operator. This may be used if there is a
video failure and the channel goes to black.
NOTE: In order to configure Trouble Slate, you must have a GPIO trigger configured to Trigger
On = Active.
Event Name: From the drop-down menu, select the GPIO trigger to be used for this event.
Layer: From the drop-down menu, select the layer associated with this event (between 1-8).
Harmonic recommends choosing a layer not used for any other purpose in the overall branding
look.
Template Name: Enter the name of the graphics template to be used for Trouble Slate. Note
that the name must not include the path. Spectrum assumes the template exists in the graphics
directory.
Mixer Transitions
The Mixer Transitions feature allows you to configure a GPIO trigger to transition the mixer to a
specified mixer input when the trigger is asserted. When de-asserted, the mixer will return to its
previous input. The Mixer Source options in this section vary depending on the model of
ChannelPort and whether the ChannelPort is in Enhanced Channel mode or Standard Channel
mode. For instructions on enabling Enhanced Channel mode see Enabling Enhanced Channel
Mode.
Add (button): Click to add a Mixer Transition.
Event Name: From the drop-down menu, select the GPIO trigger to be used for this event.
Mixer Source: From the drop-down menu, select the mixer source to be used for the
transition. The available sources will vary according to ChannelPort model and mode. See the
following table for a list of available sources.
Standard
Model Enhanced Channel Mode
Channel Mode
Color Generator Available mixer sources
(may vary according to BNC
configuration):
Player A
Available mixer
sources: Player B
Player External In 1
ChannelPort
External In 1 External In 2
8200
External In 2 External In 3
Color External In 4
Generator
External In 5
External In 6
Color Generator
ChannelPort Available mixer Available mixer sources:
8100 sources:
Player A
Player
Player B
External In
External In 1
Color
Generator
External In 2
Color Generator
Transition: Select from the following transition options:
o Cut: If selected, the GPIO event causes the mixer to transition from the current source to the
selected mixer source immediately without any fade.
o VFade: If selected, the GPIO event causes the mixer to fade down the current source by the
number of frames specified in the Down Duration field, and then fade up the selected mixer
source by the number of frames specified in the Up Duration field.
o XFade: If selected, the GPIO event causes the mixer to fade down the current source by the
number of frames specified in the Down Duration field while simultaneously fading up the
selected mixer source by the number of frames specified in the Up Duration field.
Down Duration: Enter the number of fields/frames to be used for the fade down during the
transition.
Up Duration: Enter the number of fields/frames to be used for the fade up during the
transition.
To remove a transition, click the delete icon for the transition you wish to remove.
Mixer ARC Control
The Mixer ARC Control feature allows you to configure an event to temporarily change the
channel aspect ratio. Once the GIPO event is asserted, the aspect ratio change lasts the duration
of the current clip, and then, at the next primary transition in the schedule, the previous aspect
ratio resumes. The event automatically toggles to the “off” state at that transition point.
Configure as follows:
Add (button): Click to add an ARC configuration.
Event Name: From the drop-down menu, select the GPIO trigger to be used for this event.
ARC Mode Type: From the drop-down menu, select the desired aspect ratio to be used for
ARC control. Note that the “default” selection applies whatever aspect ratio was present on the
channel before the latest ARC Control event.
NOTE: Once the GPIO event for Mixer ARC Control is asserted, there will be a slight delay
before the ARC change takes effect.
To remove an ARC event, click the delete icon for the event you wish to remove.
4. Click Save to save your changes.
To revert to the last saved changes, click Revert.
