Broadcasting & Network Automation

 SUMMER TRAINING REPORT SUBMITTED TOWARDS THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF BACHOLERS OF TECHNOLOGY (ECE)

Industry Guide Mr. Arunava Konar Senior Manager

Faculty Guide Er. Anurag Sharma

 SWAMI VIVEKANAND INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY, BANUR, DIST. – PATIALA, PUNJAB 

“

SWAMI VIVEKANAND INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

,

”

BANUR, DIST.  – PATIALA, PUNJAB

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Mr.

, a student of   

,

Swami Vivekanand Institute of Engineering & Technology, Banur, Patiala  has worked on the  designation 

, under the able 

“

, Company 

The period for which he was on training for  to 

. , starting from 

. This Summer Training report has the requisite 

standard for the partial fulfillment the Bachelor in Electronics &  Communication Engineering. To the best of our knowledge no part of this  report has been reproduced from any other report and the contents are based   on original research. I wish him all success in his life .

Date: 09 AUGUST 2010

(Signature of the Internal Guide)

(Signature of Student)

“

SWAMI VIVEKANAND INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

,

”

BANUR, DIST.  – PATIALA, PUNJAB

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Mr.

, a student of   

,

Swami Vivekanand Institute of Engineering & Technology, Banur, Patiala  has worked on the  designation 

, under the able 

“

, Company 

The period for which he was on training for  to 

. , starting from 

. This Summer Training report has the requisite 

standard for the partial fulfillment the Bachelor in Electronics &  Communication Engineering. To the best of our knowledge no part of this  report has been reproduced from any other report and the contents are based   on original research. I wish him all success in his life .

Date: 09 AUGUST 2010

(Signature of the Internal Guide)

(Signature of Student)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The satisfaction of completion of any successful task is incomplete  without mentioning the name of people who made it possible and whose  constant guidance and encouragement crowned our efforts with success. succe ss. I have a pleasure in submitting the project report and I take this opportunity  to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have helped me in this  organization. I express my sincere gratitude to  Senior Manager, who    gave the vital inputs and necessary information regarding the project and    organization. I would also like to thank my project guide for giving me the  opportunity constant encouragement, support and guidance and for imparting  their views regarding the project. I wish to place on record my sincere thanks  to people of    team for their contribution and    cooperation. I am grateful to  report could not have been completed without his guidance.

, This project 

I also wish to express my gratitude to  and all those who  have directly or indirectly given assistance in making this project easier and    possible.

( 

 ) 

“BROADCASTING & NETWORK AUTOMATION”

CONTENTS 1.  INTRODUCTION OF THE TOPIC  1.1

Broadcasting

2

1.2

Television

2

1.2.1 1.3

2.

2-3

Analogue television systems

2

Basic Understanding Under Analogous Television System

3

1.3.1

Frames

3

1.3.2

Viewing technology

3

1.3.3

Over scan

3

 RELAIVE WORK DONE & BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE REPORT 

5 - 10

2.1

Device Controller

5

2.2

Time Code Reader Card

6

2.3

GPI Card

7

2.4

RS422 Serial Card

8

2.5

Housekeeper

8

2.6

Browse Server

9

2.7

Browse System

10

12 – 16

 3.   LABORATORY REQUIREMENTS 3.1

Devices

12

3.2

Device Drivers

12

3.3

Device Status

13

3.4

Resource Manager

13

3.5

Serial Devices

14

3.6

Video Servers

15

3.7

Logomotion & Iconmaster)

16

18 - 29

 4. TRANSMISSION  4.1

Introduction

18

4.2

Navigating the List

18

4.3

Transmission

19

4.3.1

Populating the list

19

4.3.2

Using drag and drop

19

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“BROADCASTING & NETWORK AUTOMATION” 4.3.3

List controls

20

4.3.4

List control bar buttons

20

4.3.5

Running a playlist

21

4.3.6

List toolbar

21

4.3.7

Edit Mode

21

4.3.8

List menu options

21

4.3.9

Event fields

22

4.3.10

Editing layout

22

4.3.11

Event start types

23

4.3.12

Start type summary

24

4.3.13

Event end types

24

4.3.14

Fixed events

24

4.3.15

Understanding +/-

25

4.3.16

+/- Fields

25

4.3.17

Danger of small gaps

25

4.4

Controlling Secondary’s

26

4.5

GPIs

26

4.6

Search and Replace

26

4.7

Timers

27

4.8

List Properties

28

4.9

List Media Usage

29

4.10

Periscope Timeline

23

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“BROADCASTING

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“BROADCASTING

•

& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults.

•

The original term "broadcast" referred to the literal 'sowing of seeds' on farms, by scattering them over a wide field. Broadcasting forms a very large segment of the mass media. Broadcasting to a very narrow range of  audience is called narrowcasting.

•

Television

(TV)

is

a

widely

used

telecommunication

medium

for

transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic ("black and white") or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission. The word is derived from mixed Latin and Greek roots, meaning "far sight": Greek tele far, and Latin visio, sight (from video, visto see, or to view in the first person).

1.2.1 Analogue television systems: •

All but one analogue television system began life in monochrome. Each country, faced with local political, technical, and economic issues, adopted a color system which was effectively grafted onto an existing monochrome system, using gaps in

•

Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults.

•

The original term "broadcast" referred to the literal 'sowing of seeds' on farms, by scattering them over a wide field. Broadcasting forms a very

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“BROADCASTING

& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

large segment of the mass media. Broadcasting to a very narrow range of  audience is called narrowcasting. •

the video spectrum (explained below) to allow the color information to fit in the channels allotted. In theory, any color system could be used with any monochrome

video

system,

but

in

practice

some

of

the

original

monochrome systems proved impractical to adapt to color and were abandoned when the switch to color broadcasting was made. All countries use one of three color systems: NTSC, PAL, or SECAM.

•

Frames

•

Viewing technology

•

Over scan

•

Audio

•

Modulation

1.3.1

Frames: Ignoring color, all television systems work in essentially the same manner.

The monochrome image seen by a camera (now, the luminance component of a color image) is divided into horizontal scan lines, some number of which make up a single image or frame.

1.3.2

Viewing technology: Analog television signal standards are designed to be displayed on a

cathode ray tube (CRT), and so the physics of these devices necessarily controls the format of the video signal.

1.3.3

Over scan: Television images are unique in that they must incorporate regions of the

picture with reasonable-quality content, that will never be seen by some viewers.

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“BROADCASTING

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& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

“BROADCASTING



& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

The controller communicates with and controls broadcast devices via RS422 serial connections and, in some cases, via network connections. GPI contacts can also be issued for the more simple devices.

Controller features •

Easy case access (two thumb screws to remove the lid)

•

Single or dual PSU options

•

Support for up to four 8 port RS422 cards, allowing control of 32 serial devices

•

Supports multiple 8 relay, 8 input GPI cards

•

Control of up to 20 different devices

•

Support for up to 16 playlists

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“BROADCASTING

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Inside the controller chassis:-

•

•

•

Reads and generates both LTC and VITC Will continue outputting time code in the absence or loss of either LTC or VITC The board has one LTC input, one Video input, one LTC output and one video output.

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“BROADCASTING

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Checking the card status •

The card status can be checked from within windows Device Manager.

•

Can be useful if you think you have problems with your time code feeds

•

•

The GPI card is an Advantech PCI-1760 The automation will accept as many GPI cards as there are available PCI slots

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“BROADCASTING

•

•

•

•

•

& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

The device controller uses PCI RS422 serial cards to control devices Each board has eight serial ports Each port is selectable as a master (controller) or slave (device) For a device controller all switches on the card should be set to the on position

The Housekeeper is responsible for the non-real time functions of the system, such as •

As-run logging

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“BROADCASTING

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•

User action and system logging

•

Managing the system database.

•

It also acts as a file server from which playlists can be saved or loaded.

•

It‟s primary function is as a database server, holding records of all content and

•

associated metadata know to the automation

A browse encoder device is employed to take an input SDI stream and generate a low resolution version of broadcast content.

This content is

stored on the browse server. •

Browse content will contain VITC information.

•

Browse versions of content can be used as enablers for things like desktop editing.

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“BROADCASTING

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& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

“BROADCASTING

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& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

“BROADCASTING

& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

Neptune has the capability to interface and control a variety of devices. Devices can be controlled by serial, GPI or network communication. •

When a system is installed, the devices are configured for control by automation and are shown in the Neptune explorer tree.

•

In this example, there is a video server, two standalone VTRs, a cart machine with two internal VTRs, browse server, Clarity, Subtitle and GPI secondary devices, and a Router.

Secondary devices are represented by the yellow dot

•

Each device that Pebble Beach controls may use a custom driver or standard protocol to communicate

•

Pebble Beach use the following drivers with standard protocols: •

VDCP

•

GVGM2100

•

CII2

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All devices which are controlled via serial or network are shown in the device status of the client (shortcut F3).

•

The device status shows how each device is connected and if it is communicating with the automation.

•

For non-secondary devices it also shows status information, for example, whether in play, cued etc.

•

For secondary devices, a separate UI is provided for status information by double-clicking on the device in the explorer tree.

•

This is a very useful tool to check if you are having trouble with your devices.

Device Status display

•

To view which resources are allocated where, we can use the Resource Manager.

•

The resource manager is primarily an engineering tool. It provides a view of which devices are available to the system and how they are being used.

•

Resources can be acquired or released at any time.

•

Be careful! You do not want to acquire a stream used by the list. 13

“BROADCASTING

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•

Each serial device will have a COM port associated with it.

•

Devices are usually connected to an RS422 serial card within the controller.

•

Each serial card has 8 COM ports.

•

The first COM port available on the first serial card will be numbered 3. This is because there are two RS232 COM ports board. Network Devices

•

Devices that are controlled via network communication, may have a storage collection in which Pebble Beach can access by specifying a directory path within the configuration.

•

•

Such devices are: •

character generators

•

subtitlers

•

servers

Network controlled devices can be either a main or slave device. GPI Devices

•

Such devices require only a simple on/off command

•

For example, these are:

14

“BROADCASTING

•

•

aspect ratio converter

•

audio processors

•

logo generators

•

regional opt-outs.

& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

GPI inputs can be used to trigger playlist functions such as Play, Next, Play Next, Cue Next and Recue. With each GPI card, there are 8 outputs and 8 inputs Manual Control

•

GPI outputs can be controlled manually by using the GPI interface. This can be accessed by double-clicking on the GPI

symbol in the Neptune

explorer tree.

•

A video server is controlled by serial communication and uses VDCP (Video Disk Control Protocol).

•

Using VDCP allows Pebble Beach to have direct communication with the device.

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“BROADCASTING

•

& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

A video server may contain ports that are capable of either playout or ingest, and in some cases both. All server ports whether an encoder or decoder are denoted by the icons shown to the right. Each server port connects to one serial communication port.

•

The logoMotion is controlled using RS422 serial communication.

•

The IconMaster is connected to the automation via serial control and uses the GVGM2100 protocol. Both devices are set up as secondary devices and can be scheduled in list as a secondary event.

16

“BROADCASTING

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& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

“BROADCASTING

•

& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

The transmission client provides a user interface to enable the transmission operator to control the playback of material using playlists.

•

Transmission clients share the same software as Ingest clients, though functionality

of

the

client

may

differ

depending

on

the

system

configuration.

•

To open a transmission list, click on the + sign next to the Transmission folder to expand the branch in the Neptune explorer tree.

Playlist:

18

“BROADCASTING

•

& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

Each channel a broadcaster transmits that is under automation control will have associated with it a playlist.

•

A playlist is a schedule of events run by Neptune. An event in a list is represented by either a media event, such as a program or a commercial, a live event or an event comment.

•

Both media events and live events may have secondary events associated with it. For example, logos, Keyers, GPI triggers, subtitles etc. Comments are editable data fields that allow the operator to make notes, enable list looping or add markers in the list.

4.3.1 Populating the list •

Transmission lists are populated by loading a pre-scheduled playlist or by manually creating and modifying events.

•

When loading a playlist the operator can choose between the following options: •

Open a List. This will create a new playlist and overwrite an existing playlist.

•

Append a List. This will add a new playlist to the end of the existing playlist.

•

Insert a List. The operator may specify where in the transmission list, the playlist is to be inserted.

4.3.2 Using drag and drop •

Events can be moved or copied by drag and drop from one position to another in the same transmission list or from one transmission channel to another

•

Events can also be copied from a content window to a transmission list. For example, storage device or database content.

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“BROADCASTING

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4.3.3 List controls •

Starting a List – the list can be started by selecting the CUE button and then pressing the PLAY button

•

Stopping a List – the list can be stopped by selecting either the UNCUE or RECUE button •

Selecting RECUE  will stop the list running, recue the event that had been playing to air and keep the list cued.

•

Selecting UNCUE will stop the list and take it out of the cued state

Skipping the event – If you need to skip to the next event immediately select the NEXT button.

4.3.4 List control bar buttons •

Control bar can be edited to remove, add or rearrange different control buttons. Note, CUE and UNCUE cannot be edited.

•

The table below summarises those available:

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4.3.5 Running a playlist •

Once a playlist is running, the events may be coloured to show four different statuses: •

Green – event is On Air

•

Yellow – event is cued or in preroll

•

Red – media is unavailable

•

Dark Green – event is in postroll

4.3.6 List toolbar •

The list toolbar has a number of shortcuts to event property windows within the list.

•

The table below shows a summary of the shortcuts available:

4.3.7 Edit Mode •

Before any changes can be made to the list, whether editing an event or opening a playlist „edit mode‟ must be enabled.

•

Selecting F4, double-clicking in the control bar using the toolbar shortcut will place the list in edit mode.

•

Edit mode has a timeout. By default, this is set to 1 minute.

•

When in „edit mode‟, the control bar will be highlighted red

4.3.8 List menu options •

The list dropdown menu provides the user with a variety of useful functions. It can be accessed by right-clicking over the playlist area.

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4.3.9 Event fields •

You will notice that associated with each event in a list are quite a large number of fields.

•

Because so many fields are available they cannot all be displayed on the screen at the same time.

•

Those that are out of view can be accessed by using the horizontal scroll bar located at the bottom of the list.

4.3.10 Editing layout •

This function is accessible by right clicking on a list and from the right-click menu and selecting the Layout option. configuration tool.

22

This will display the layout

“BROADCASTING

& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

4.3.11 Event start types

•

•

Start types that are available are: •

Sequential

•

Fixed

•

Manual

Each start type is shown in a different background colour so that operators can be alerted when their input or attention is needed.

•

A sequential start will not need any operator input so has a white background colour. The fixed start type is shown with an orange background colour and the manual start type a red background colour to indicate operator input is required.

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4.3.12 Start type summary •

The table is a summary of the event start types available for the list.

4.3.13 Event end types •

The live event source is selected from a dropdown menu of configured sources, available in “SRC” column of the event.

•

Live events can be configured with either a known (“Normal”) duration “N”  or an unknown duration “U”. Live events with an unknown duration will play until a user manually exits the event by clicking the list “Next” button.

4.3.14 Fixed events

•

When selecting a fixed event, the operator must consider the Time and Date fields in a list. If a fixed start type is selected the Time and Date fields

are automatically populated with data. By default, this data is shown as if  the event was a sequential start i.e the time and date follows from the previous event.

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4.3.15 Understanding +/•

The +/- field in a playlist will indicate to the operator if the playlist is running as scheduled.

•

The Time and Date fields can be used to keep track of how the list is running. These fields will allow the operator to see if a playlist is running early or late, or if there is a gap or an overlap between events.

4.3.16 +/- Fields •

The various states are described as follows: •

Early. If a time is entered in the Time field, Early  will be displayed

only on a sequential event, when the estimated start time for the event is earlier than the scheduled time. •

Late. If a time is entered in the Time field, Late will be displayed only

on a sequential event, when the estimated start time for the event is later than the scheduled time. •

Gap. This will be displayed only on fixed events, where the end of the

previous event will finish before the start time of the fixed event. The size of a gap can be from 1 frame to 99 hours. •

Overlap. This will be created only on fixed events, where the start

time of the fixed event is due to begin before the end of any previous event.

4.3.17 Danger of small gaps

•

Small gaps can appear in a playlist when using fixed start events. Ordinarily, a fixed start event should be used so that an event can play at a fixed start time, and replace whatever the current clip on air is.

•

The danger of using fixed starts is that you have a gap between the playing segment, and the time of the fixed start.

•

If the gap is a large gap, you will see black, or the first frame of the next clip.

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If this gap before the fixed event is very small (less than 3 seconds) the consequences become a lot more serious. If we assume a gap of 10 frames, the video server will drop its playbit. When this is done, the video server will not have time to cue the event, and the event will be dropped, with the dev aborted message.

•

Neptune supports many types of secondary event. A secondary event can occur at the same time or at an offset from the primary event to which it is associated. Some examples of slave events include CG, DVE, GPI, Logo inserters etc.

•

Secondary events are managed by the Secondary Event Properties panel in the list. The properties panel can be toggled on/off using the relevant shortcut icon in the toolbar.

Secondary Event Properites

Secondary Event List

•

GPIs can be triggered by entering a pre-defined macro set for each list.

•

Each GPI macro is pre-configured in the controller registry

•

A GPI is scheduled as a secondary event or as a macro within the playlist

•

The search and replace tool enables the user to search through the playlist for events and choose to replace them individually or all at once.

26

“BROADCASTING

•

The tool can be opened by right-clicking within the list and selecting Search and Replace or by selecting the

•

& NETWORK AUTOMATION ”

icon in the toolbar.

Timers monitor any event in a transmission list including media, live or marker events.

•

Timers will show a dynamic count from the current on air event to any event in the playlist that is tagged with a timer or to the first of any event type.

•

The timers are updated each frame and take into account any user actions, such as a skip or schedule changes.

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For each list, there are some configurable properties. Right-clicking on the list from the explorer tree will reveal this property window

•

List Media Usage is a table which lists all media currently in use by all the transmission lists in the system.

•

It is dynamically updated as the media changes status i.e. cued, on-air etc and is listed in the order of „most needed‟ first.

28