Capture Media

 

Media may be captured from an incoming video source in either Clip or Conform Mode, provided that the Drastic Device is capture-enabled.  The Drastic Device may be operated under Local Control or Network Control.  All three modes provide capture functionality, hardware-dependent.

 

Video Signal - Confirm that there is a valid video signal of the correct type being sent to the video input of the QuickClipXO™ system performing the capture.  If necessary, attach and configure genlock.

 

Target Folder - Confirm the “Record To” directory.  Select the Setup View button to open the Setup View.  Press the Record Folder button to confirm where the media will be recorded.  If necessary, a new location can be set.  It is important that QuickClipXO™ is not set to record media onto the program drive.

 

Internal Channel - Use the pulldown menu labeled Internal Channel to select the correct channel to record onto.  This is not applicable in a one channel system.

 

Setup - Confirm that any other applicable settings have been properly adjusted using the controls offered in the Setup, Video Setup and Audio Setup tabs. Return to Main View by selecting the Main View button.

Clip Mode

 

Press the Clip button in the Mode selector.

 

Record Settings - Press the Record button to open the New Clip Settings window. This window allows the user to set the clip’s name and if needed, length.

 

Clip Name - The first field at the top is the New Clip Name field.  A default clip name will be supplied by QuickClipXO™.  To change this name, select the text and type in the preferred name.  Press the Set Name button at any time to update the clip name. 

 

Max Length - The next field is the Max Length field. It allows the user to define the length of the captured clip before the recording has started.  If this checkbox is unselected, pressing the Start button will cause QuickClipXO™ to continue recording until interrupted.  Once the Max Length checkbox has been selected, enter a length for the clip (by time code) in the field to the right of the checkbox. 

 

The last frame of video captured will actually be the clip duration minus one frame, as the first frame counted is always 00:00:00:00. A single frame of video for example would technically have In and Out points of 00:00:00:00 but a duration of 00:00:00:01.

 

The Time Remaining field displays the amount of video the user should expect to be able to capture, based on the available drive space, and the video/audio settings.

 

Set Name button - The name of the clip is displayed just below the Time Remaining field.  Enter a new clip name and press the Set Name button to change the current name.

 

Start - Once all parameters for the capture have been correctly set, press the Start button.  Clip capture will begin.  The record button will turn red, and the time code in the Transport Display will also turn red for the duration of the capture.

 

Upon completion of the record, the new clip should appear in the Clip Bin, available for playback.

 

Cancel - If it becomes useful or necessary to stop the capture dialog, press the Cancel button.

Film Space Mode

 

Set Capture Parameters

 

Select Film Mode.  Select the clip named ::Film in the Clip Bin.  If there is no ::Film clip in the Clip Bin, it may be created by pressing the File button.  This opens a dialog box which allows the user to create a new or load an existing Film Space. 

Where a new Film Space is being created, the user should specify the *.film file extension.

 

Create an Open Length Capture - If the user elects to press the Record button while cued to any time code location in Film Space, an open length record will begin at that point. So the user will need to confirm that the system is not cued to a location containing important media before pressing the Record button.

 

Cue to a Good In Point – the user may enter a time code location in the In Point field of the extents section and press the Q button.  Alternately the user may use the transport controls to seek to a good location.

 

Record the specified video - At the top center of the Transport/ Clip Control window, press the red Record button.  This performs the capture from the cued location and continues until the user presses Stop or the media storage drives are filled.

Conform Mode

 

Press the Conform button in the Mode selector.

 

In Conform Mode clip names are not used.  Instead, automatically generated file names are used.  These names are based on the name of the Conform Mode time code space EDL file.  Multiple copies of this file may be maintained for different pools of media.  Pressing the File button and selecting Open/ New TC VTRs opens a dialog box which allows the user to create a new or open an existing Conform Mode space.  If a new Conform Mode space is being created, the user must specify the *.log or *.edl file extension.

 

Open Length Record - The user may perform a “crash record”, which is to simply start recording from the cued location and stop when the user presses the Stop button.  This is also referred to as an open length record.

 

Set an In Point - Cue to a location where there is no media allocated.  If there is media already in Time Code Space, the user may cue to the last frame of the last clip.  Select a clip by clicking on its row.  Press the Q next to the Out field in the Clip Extents section to cue up the last frame. 

 

If there is no media in the Time Code Space List, the user can keep the default start location (typically 00:00:00:00 unless something has been changed) or enter a preferred start record location in the In time code field and press the Q button.  Note: if a record is placed to overlap or replace existing media in time code space, the old media is not deleted and still exists on the drive.  For a fully destructive capture mode (i.e. media in a give time code location is deleted upon a new record in the same place) see Film Mode.

 

Begin the Record - To start the crash record, press the Record button.  To stop the record, press the Stop button.  Upon completion of the record a new clip will appear in the Time Code Space Edit List having the specified parameters.

 

Set Length Record - The user may perform an “edit record”, which is to specify In and Out points and then record video into this area of time code space.  This is also referred to as a “set length” record.

 

To set an In Point, select the time code in the In box and type in a start time code location.  Press the Q button.  Press the In button. 

 

To set an Out Point, select the time code in the Out box and type in an end time code location.  Press the Q button.  Press the Out button.

 

Preview the Edit - The user may preview this section of time code space prior to starting the capture.  Press the Prev (preview) button.  This allows the user to confirm the edit and to adjust any parameters necessary before performing the capture.

 

Begin the Record - To perform the capture using the specified In and Out points, press the Edit button.  QuickClipXO™ will record the incoming video into the specified area of time code space.  Upon completion of the record a new clip will appear in the Time Code Space Edit List having the specified parameters.

FromVTR - Pull-ins

 

QuickClipXO™ can control an external VTR via RS-422 serial control to instruct it to play specific media sections while capturing them onto the QuickClipXO™ system.  Once all the settings have been adjusted and the pull-in is in progress, the VTR seeks, pre-rolls, and goes into play mode while the system is playing.  After each clip is captured both devices go into post-roll then begin cueing up to the next item if present.  When the pull-in is finished, the new clips will be available in either the Clip Bin (Clip Mode) or Drastic’s 24 hour time code space (Conform Mode).

 

A pull-in may be performed either in a Local Control or Network Control application. 

 

Confirm that the video/audio output(s) of the VTR are connected to the input(s) of the Drastic Device.

 

Confirm that the RS-422 output of the Drastic Device is connected to the RS-422 input of the VTR via a serial cable, and that the VTR is set to Slave (or Remote) Mode (in order to accept external control).  It may be necessary to open LocalConfig™ and confirm serial control settings.  Detailed instructions for setting up serial control are available in the QuickClip MDI Admin™ interface manual.

 

Following is how the options are set for a pull-in in either Clip Mode or Conform Mode.

Clip Mode Pull-ins

 

Press the Clip button on the Mode selector.

 

Press the FromVTR button.  This opens the Enter EDL Options window in Clip Mode. 

 

The top field is the Reel Name field.  This refers to the tape in the external VTR. Keep the default name or type in a new name for the reel.  Several pull-in items may be set from one tape, switch the Reel Name using this dialog box, insert a new tape, and set pull-in items from the new tape.  If the Reel Name changes during the pull-in list, a prompt will arise allowing the user to change tapes.

 

The Base Name adds a prefix during the pull-in to create each item’s clip name.  Enter (up to) 4 characters in the Base Name field or leave it blank. 

 

In Clip Mode pull-ins, the Record In is disabled.

 

Set Heads and Tails - The user can add “heads” and “tails” to each clip.  These are extra frames of media captured at the beginning and end of each clip so as to provide a safe (editable) zone surrounding the media being captured.  Enter a number of frames in the H/T field. QuickClipXO™ will add this amount of frames so that each item captured is that much longer.  For example an H/T setting of 4 would add 8 extra frames to each clip created in the Pull-in.

 

Press the Set Name button to confirm all of the above adjustments. The Create button then becomes active.  Press the Create button to begin setting up the EDL in Clip Mode.

 

Conform Mode EDL

 

Press the Conform button on the Mode selector.

 

Press the FromVTR button.  This opens the Enter EDL Options window in Conform Mode.  

 

The top field is the Reel Name field.  This refers to the tape in the external VTR. Keep the default name or type in a new name for the reel.  Several pull-in items may be set from one tape, switch the Reel Name using this dialog box, insert a new tape, and set pull-in items from the new tape.  If the Reel Name changes during the pull-in list, a prompt will arise allowing the user to change tapes.

 

In Conform Mode pull-ins, the Base Name is disabled, as media is captured into time code space using a default naming convention.

 

Set the Record In - The Record In field allows the user to set the In Point for the captured media in time code space.   

 

Set Heads and Tails - The user can add “heads” and “tails” to each captured item.  These are extra frames of media captured so as to provide a safe (editable) zone surrounding the important media being captured.  Enter a number of frames in the H/T field. QuickClipXO™ will add this amount of frames so that each item captured is that much longer.  For example an H/T setting of 4 would add 8 extra frames to each media section in time code space created in the Pull-in.

 

Press the Set Name button to confirm all of the above adjustments. The Create button then becomes active.

 

Press the Create button to begin setting up the EDL in Conform Mode.

Create Pull-In Items

 

Once the user has set the EDL Options, all of the View tabs have been disabled except for the top one, now displayed as Controlling VTR. 

 

The external channel (the external VTR/DDR) is loaded into the channel pulldown menu, which means that the transport controls and time code displays etc. now reference the external VTR. 

 

Confirm the Mode

 

The pull-in can be created to record media into either Conform Mode or Clip Mode.  QuickClipXO™ will retain the most recently used mode to use for the pull-in by default. 

 

To switch between Clip Mode and Conform Mode for the pull-in, use the Internal Channel Mode pulldown menu at the bottom center of the FromVTR screen.  If it is necessary to change the mode during the creation of an EDL, select the correct mode, the press the Options button and confirm the parameter settings correctly for the new mode.

 

e/e Mode - To see the output of the VTR on the VGA screen of QuickClipXO™, select the e/e checkbox.  In a Network Control application, there may be limitations on real-time display of video on the VGA screen of the Controller.

 

Create Pull-In Items

 

Find and Set an In Point – Seek and/or cue to the first frame of video to be captured from the VTR using the transport controls.  The user may also enter a time code location into the Clip Extents In Point field and press the Q button to cue to this point.  Press the In button in the Clip Extents section. 

 

Find and Set an Out Point - Cue to a good last frame for the edit (to be the out point).  This must be greater than (after) the In Point.   The user may also enter a time code location into the Out Point field and press the Q button to cue to this point.  Press the Out button to set this location as the last frame of the first pull-in item.

 

Comment – Click in the Comments field and type in a comment if it is useful to help identify the clip or its source etc.

 

Make a Pull-In Item - Press the New Clip button. This edit will be entered into the Pull-in EDL. More edits may be created using this method.

 

Edit a Pull-in Item – if any of the parameters of a pull-in item have been entered incorrectly or need to be changed, double-click on its row in the pull-in EDL.  This loads the item’s parameters, allowing the user to edit the In, Out, Reel, Comment etc.  Once the pull-in item has been adjusted correctly, press the Set Clip button to enable the changes.  The user can edit a pull-in item at any time before the pull-in has been performed.

 

Automatic Length Calculation for Pull-in Item

 

Once the user presses the New Clip button, the Out point of the clip just created is loaded into the In field, and a new Out point has been calculated to create a clip of equal length, and loaded into the Out field in the Clip Extents section.  The user could create a multitude of equal length edits by pressing the New Clip button repeatedly.

 

Multiple Reels - Multiple reels (or tapes) may be used for one pull-in.  This means the same EDL can be used to pull in media from any number of tapes.

 

Load the Second Reel - Once all necessary pull-in items have been created from the first tape, eject and remove the first tape from the VTR. 

 

Select the Options button to open the Enter EDL Options window again.  Select the Reel Name field and type in a name (different from the Reel Name used for the first tape) for the second tape, or reel.

 

Press the Set Name button.  Press the Create button.  Load the second tape into the VTR.

 

Create any pull-in items needed from the second tape.  As the pull-in is being performed, when the Reel Name changes from one item to the next, the user will be prompted to insert the second tape into the VTR. 

 

Delete Items in the EDL - The user may delete an item in the EDL if it becomes necessary.  Select the offending item and right click on it.  This opens the Pull-In EDL context menu.  Select Delete Clip from the context menu.  (This removes the clip from the EDL, but does not actually delete it from the hard drive).

 

Perform the Pull-in

 

Pull-In Context Menu - Once all the parameters are correct, DO NOT PRESS THE RECORD BUTTON!  The Pull-In is performed using the context menu.  Right click on a clip in the pull-in list. This opens the Pull-in EDL context menu.

 

Single Clip performs a pull-in of the selected clip.  Select the necessary clip and right click on it, then select Single Clip.

 

Selection performs a pull-in of specific clips.  Select the necessary clips and right click on them, and select Selection.

 

All performs each item in the EDL from start to finish. Once the pull-in has completed, the new clips should be available for playback.  In Conform Mode, the media will have been placed into 24 hour time code space.  In Clip Mode, the media will be available in the Clip Bin of the Drastic Device as a series of clips.

 

Delete Clip removes the selected edit from the EDL.

 

Clear List opens the Save/ Discard window, which allows the user to either save their current edits or to discard all edits in the EDL.

 

EDL File Options

 

Save the EDL - Once the pull-in EDL has been created, the user may save it.  Press the Save EDL button.  This opens the Save as EDL browser which allows the user to save the EDL in a location of their choice.

 

Once the EDL has been saved, it is a simple file and may be copied, pasted and otherwise relocated wherever the user needs to use it.  Therefore pull-in EDLs can be created on a station set up for that purpose, and made accessible or moved to any station set up to remotely perform them.

 

Delete the EDL - To clear the entire list, right click on the list.  The context menu will open.  Select Clear List. This brings up the Discard List window.

 

Select between Save (save the list in a directory chosen by the user) or Discard (remove all edits from the list).

 

Open a Saved EDL - If a Pull-in EDL has already been created and saved in an accessible location, the user may open and run it.  Select the Open EDL button.  This opens a browser, which allows the user to locate and load the saved EDL. 

 

Browse through the available directories to the location of the saved EDL.   To efficiently browse for specific EDL types the user may select the Filter pulldown menu, which limits the files displayed to certain EDL types.  Locate the saved EDL.  Press OK to select and load it into QuickClipXO™.

 

To close this dialog box without opening an EDL, press the Cancel button.

Play Media

 

Media may be played in Clip Mode, Film Mode or Conform Mode through the video hardware if present, with playback also displayed in the VGA screen monitor.

 

The user may advance forward or in reverse one frame at a time (Step Frame buttons).  The user may jump ahead or back in 5 second increments.  The user may play in fast forward or fast reverse.  The user may Play at 100% speed in forward or reverse.  Pause will stop at the present location and display the frame of video found there.  Stop will cause playback to stop and allow pass-through video to display, if any is present.

 

The Jog, Shuttle, Variable and Position slider bars allow the user to cue to and review sections of media quickly and efficiently.

Clip Mode

 

In Clip Mode the media is accessed as a series of clips, or discrete media segments starting at 00:00:00:00.  Confirm that the correct internal channel has been selected for playback.  In a single channel system, this will be Int0.

 

Press the Clip button in the Mode selector.  The interface will indicate Server Mode, and there are other controls and displays unique to Clip Mode.

 

Clip Playback

 

Select a clip from the Clip Bin by clicking on it. Upon its selection, the clip will be paused on the first frame, 00:00:00x00.

 

Press Play. The clip should play from the beginning to the end, and pause on the last frame (unless interrupted).

 

Preroll – To add 1 minute of black on the beginning and end of all the clips in the Clip Bin, press the Preroll button.  You will note each clip’s length is increased by 2 minutes.  You can still easily cue to the beginning of media by entering 00:01:00:00 into the In extents field and pressing the Q In button.

 

Preview a section of a clip – Select a clip.  To edit the In Point, either cue to a point within the clip or enter the time code location into the In Point field, and press the In button to set this as a new In Point.  To edit the Out Point, either cue to a point within the clip after the In Point just set, or enter the time code location into the Out Point field and press the Out button to set this as a new Out Point.  To run the preview, (i.e. to view the portion of the clip specified by the edit) press the Prev button.

 

Looped Clip playback – playback of a clip may be looped for display or review applications.  Select a clip.  Press the Loop button.  Press Play.  The clip will play from start to finish, over and over again until stopped.

 

Looped Preview Playback - A Preview may be looped in the same way.  Set up an edited portion of a clip as above and press the Loop button.  Press the Prev button.  The specified portion of the clip will play from start to finish, over and over again.

 

PlayList Playback

 

A PlayList allows the user to assemble clips from the Clip Bin, and arrange them in sequence for playback.  A PlayList may be quickly assembled by the user, and multiple PlayLists may be saved and run as needed.   A PlayList may be looped for display or review applications.

 

Create a PlayList - Confirm that there are clips in the Clip Bin.  Select the PlayList checkbox to reveal the PlayList section of the interface. The large list in the lower center is the PlayList.  The Clip Bin has been shifted to the right, and reduced in size.

 

Add Clips to the PlayList – clips are introduced to the Clip Bin from the PlayList.

 

Add Clips Context Menu:  Right click on a clip in the Clip Bin.  Select Copy Clip from the context menu.  Right-click on the PlayList. Select a pasting option from the context menu.  Add Clips Drag and Drop: Click and hold on a clip.  “Drag” it over to the PlayList and “Drop” it.  If dropped in a blank area of the PlayList, the selected clip will have been added to the end of the PlayList.  If dropped onto a clip in the PlayList, it will take that clip’s place and move the rest of the list down.

 

If a clip has been placed out of order it may be deleted (right click on the clip) and re-added elsewhere in the list.

 

Selecting Remove All Clips from the context menu will clear the PlayList of all clips.

 

Play the PlayList - select the Play List button.  The PlayList will begin playing at the first clip and continue until stopped or until the last frame of the last clip in the PlayList.  The Play List button becomes a Stop PlayList button while the PlayList is playing.  Therefore, it functions as a toggle for playback of the PlayList.

 

Play the PlayList in Looping Mode - To play the PlayList in looping mode, select the Loop List checkbox, then press the Play List button.  The PlayList will play from start to finish, over and over again until interrupted.  Uncheck this box to remove looping mode playback of the list.

PlayList File Options

 

PlayLists are saved as files, and may be copied and pasted, or moved to other locations on the network.  This allows the user to create PlayLists on the Drastic Device of their choice locally or remotely based on that system’s available media, and move these PlayList files as needed to whatever system is being used to control the Drastic Device.

 

In a Network Control application, PlayLists may be composed based on a shared pool of media.  These PlayLists may then be run by any other Drastic Device that can connect to the same network and access the same media files.  The user would need to confirm that the clips addressed by the PlayList are in the Clip Bin of the Drastic Device before they will play.

 

To Save the open PlayList, select the Save PlayList button. In Local Control, this opens a standard browser which allows the user to save the PlayList with a name entered by the user, in a location of their choice. 

 

In a Network Control application the browser will allow the remote user to save the PlayList in a location of their choice, but any drives local to the system being controlled will need to be shared with the controlling system.  See the Add a folder to access remotely section for more information on how to do this.

 

To Open a saved PlayList, select the Open PlayList button. This opens a standard browser which allows the user to search for and open a saved PlayList file.

 

Film Mode

 

Film Mode uses a 24 hour time code space, much like VTR Mode.  This mode does not use clips, so the Clip Bins and PlayLists are not available in this mode.  Film Mode is a fully destructive mode of operation; media captured into the same time code location as existing media will displace, and delete the existing media.  For a non-destructive capture mode, see VTR Mode.

 

Select Film Mode – Confirm that the system is set to Clip Mode.  Select the ::Film clip in the Clip Bin.  This places the system into Film Mode.  If there is no ::Film clip in the Bin, it is possible you have not set up a Film Space.  You can create a new on by pressing the File button and selecting New ::Film Space, and selecting a location for the files to be saved in.

 

Play Everything - The default In location is 00:00:00;00.  Pressing Play at this point will allow the user to play the entire time code space from beginning to end (23:59:59:29).

 

Cue to an In Point – Enter the time code location into the In field on the Transport/ Clip Control window and press the Q button (cue).  Pressing Play will play from this location to the end of Film Mode’s 24 hour time code space.

 

Preview a section of Film Mode media - to set an In Point, enter the time location into the In point field and press the Q button.  Press the In button. 

 

To set an Out Point, enter the time code location into the Out point field and press the Q button.  Press the Out button. 

 

To view this section, press the P (Preview) button.  This plays the selected section of media, pausing on the last frame.

 

Looped Preview Playback - A Preview may be looped in the same way.  Set up an edited portion of Film Space as above and press the Loop button.  Press the Prev button.  The specified portion of the clip will play from start to finish, over and over again.

 

Conform Mode

 

In Conform Mode, the media is accessed as having an associated time code location within Drastic’s 24 hour time code space.

 

Conform Mode is identified as VTR Mode in QuickClip MDI Admin™ software.  Media is captured or added into a virtual 24 hour time code space using system-generated names and allocated to specific time code locations.

Play Time Code Space

 

Select the Conform Mode button.  Any media loaded into Conform Mode will be displayed on the Time Code Edit List. Selecting any media section in the Time Code Edit List will load the In/ Out/ Duration parameters into the Clip Extents section, with the first frame of video loaded for playback (in Main View).

 

Play the Entire List - To play the entire list, cue to zero using one of the following methods.  Select the time code in the In box and type in 00:00:00:00.  Press the Q button.  Alternately, press the rtz button.  Press the Play button.  The list will play from start to finish, all 24 hours of it whether there is media or not. 

 

Play from In Point - Pressing the Play button will play from the cued location to the end of time code space unless interrupted.  If there is no media allocated to a section, QuickClipXO™ will play black.

 

Play a section of time code space media - select an item from the Time Code Space List.  This loads its In and Out points into the Extents section.  Press the Prev (preview) button in the Clip Extents section. Playback will stop on the last frame of the selected media section.

 

Play a selected section of media using time code - select the In Point time code and enter the new time code location (where the media will start playing).  Press Q to cue to this location.  Or use the transport controls to cue to a location at which you would like playback to start.  Press the In button.

 

Select the time code location in the Out field, and enter a new time code location (greater than the In point) as the last frame.   Press the Q button, then the Out button.  Press the Prev (preview) button.  This will play the selected section of media, even if it includes several sections of media in time code space.  Playback will pause on the last frame.

 

Note that even with the new extents entered, the Play button will not look for an Out Point; it will keep on playing until it reaches the end of time code space.

 

Looped Playback in Conform Mode - To loop the playback of a media segment, load its extents into the Clip Extents section.  This can either be a selected media item, or edited In and Out Points set by the user.  Press the Loop button.  Press the Prev button.  The selected section of media will play from start to finish, over and over again until interrupted. 

 

Note that even with the Loop button selected, the Play button will not loop the playback in this mode.

 

Laybacks

 

QuickClipXO™ may control an external VTR to lay clips back to the VTR under control.  A PlayList is assembled, and the VTR is placed into record under the control of the Drastic Device.  The media within the PlayList is captured in sequence onto the tape in the VTR.

 

Confirm that the video/audio output(s) of the Drastic Device are connected to the input(s) of the VTR.  If it is necessary or useful to see the video output of the VTR on the VGA screen of the Drastic Device (for example to cue to a good In Point location), confirm that the video output of the VTR is connected to the video input of the Drastic Device.

 

Confirm that the RS-422 output of the Drastic Device is connected to the RS-422 input of the VTR via a serial cable.  Confirm that the VTR is set to Slave (or Remote) Mode (in order to accept external control).  There may be an adaptor or adaptors required to effect serial communications.  Detailed instructions for setting up external VTR control are available in the in the QuickClip MDI Admin™ software manual.

 

Confirm that any media the user wants to lay back onto the external VTR is loaded into the Clip Bin before setting up the Layback.  In a Local Control application, it is possible to exit ToVTR Mode temporarily and add media to the pertinent Clip Bin, but in a Network Control application the user will have to confirm that any necessary clips have already been added to the Clip Bin of the Target Device.

 

Laybacks may be performed in a Local Control or Network Control application.

Create a Layback EDL

 

Select ToVTR Mode.  All of the View tabs have been disabled except for the top one, now displayed as Controlling VTR. 

 

The external channel (the VTR) is loaded into the channel pulldown menu, which means that the Transport Controls and Displays now address the external VTR.  The internal channel displays are relocated to the lower left hand corner of the interface.

 

Insert or Assemble – to capture all video and audio channels present in the media, switch the Insert/Assemble toggle button to Assemble.  To capture specific channels of either video or audio and leave other channels on the tape intact, switch the Insert/Assemble toggle button to Insert, then deselect any video and/or audio channel(s) which you do not want to replace on the tape.

 

Cue to and Set an In Point on the VTR – Use the Transport Controls to cue the tape to the location of the first frame of media to be captured.  Press the Mark button.  This sets the current location on the VTR as the In Point for the Layback.  Alternately, enter the time code location into the In-Point (VTR) field and press the Q button.  This cues the VTR to the specified location and sets this location as the In point.

 

Create a layback EDL.  The user places clips from the Clip Bin into the Layback EDL.  Either “drag and drop” or “copy and paste” will work to add clips to the EDL.

 

Drag and Drop:           Select a clip in the Clip Bin by clicking on it.  “Drag” it over to the EDL section and “drop” it.  It will be added as the first section of media that will be recorded onto the VTR.  The user may continue to drag and drop clips until the EDL section contains all the clips that are being laid back to the VTR. 

 

Copy and Paste:         Right click on a clip in the Clip Bin to reveal the context menu.  Select Copy Clip from the context menu in the Clip Bin.  This copies the selected clip to the clipboard.  Move the cursor over to the Layback EDL.  Right click on this EDL to reveal the context menu.  Select from the options to put the clip into the list.

 

The user may add more clips using either of these methods. 

 

Test Play - It may be useful to review the EDL by playing it.  Press the Test Play button to see if the EDL is correct.  This runs the EDL without recording media onto the VTR.

 

Edit an Item in the EDL - If an item needs to be adjusted, right click on the offending clip and select Edit Row.  This opens the Edit Layback window. 

 

The current parameters of the selected clip are loaded into this window.  The user may edit any of the parameters of the item.  When the necessary adjustments have been made, select the Change button to set these details in memory.

 

Cancel - If the user does not wish to adjust the item (whether any changes have been entered or not) select the Cancel button.

 

Delete a Clip - To delete a clip from the Layback EDL, right click on it and select Delete Clip.  This selection removes the clip from the EDL but does not actually delete it from either the Clip Bin or from the Drastic Device’s storage.

Perform the Layback

 

Once the layback EDL has been set up correctly, the user may begin the layback.

 

Press the Record to VTR button.  The Drastic Device and the VTR will synchronize, and for each clip they will pre-roll together, record the clip onto the VTR, then post-roll and seek for the next In point.  Once all the clips have been laid back to the VTR, the layback may be discarded or saved.

 

The clips will have been recorded (or laid back) onto the VTR contiguously, starting at the In Point specified by the user.

Layback EDL File Options

 

Save the EDL - To save the list, right click on the Layback EDL and select Save List.  This opens a standard browser which allows the user to save the EDL in a location of their choice.

 

Delete List - To clear the entire list without saving, right click on the Layback EDL and select Delete List.  This opens the Save/ Delete dialog box, which allows the user to discard the list if desired.

 

Open a Saved EDL - To open an EDL that has been saved in a location accessible to the user, press the Open EDL button.  This opens a standard browser, with the filter set to show only EDL (*.edl) file types. 

 

The user may select the Filter pulldown menu to view a list of file type filters which displays only one file type during the search.  If the EDL type being used is not shown, the user may select * (show all files) to locate a specific EDL.

 

Select the correct EDL and press the OK button.

 

Cancel - The user may close this dialog box without selecting an EDL by pressing the Cancel button..

 

External VTR-Controlled Layback

 

An external VTR may act as a controller to capture media existing on the Drastic Device. 

 

Once control has been established over the Drastic Device, the transport controls on the VTR allow the user to set In and Out points.  The VTR then acts as a controller to perform the Layback.  Each edit in this kind of layback is performed individually, so there is no EDL to create or save etc. 

 

Here is how to perform an external VTR-controlled layback.

 

Set Up the Drastic Device - Open LocalConfig™. 

 

Select the External VTRs tab.  Select the External Serial VTR Control checkbox.

 

Confirm that the 9 pin Emulation section (accept incoming serial control/ Slave Serial Control) uses COM 1.

 

Close LocalConfig™ by pressing the Done button.  Run QuickClipXO™.

 

Cabling between the VTR and the Drastic Device

 

Confirm that the video output of the Drastic Device is connected to the correct input on the VTR. 

 

Confirm that the audio output of the Drastic Device is connected to the correct input on the VTR. 

 

Attach a NULL adapter to the COM 1 port on the Drastic Device.  Connect a standard serial cable to the Drastic NULL adapter.  Connect the other end of the cable to the serial control port on the VTR. 

 

Set up the VTR

 

Confirm that the edit presets on the external VTR (the specific channels being captured, such as V1, A1, A2, A3, A4 etc.) are correct for the capture being set up.

 

Confirm that the VTR is set to Master (or Local) Mode (set to provide control over an external device).

 

Confirm that the correct tape is in the VTR.

 

Create In and Out points on the VTR

 

Use the transport controls on the VTR to seek to the location on the tape where the media should start recording.  Set this as the In Point on the VTR

 

Use the transport controls on the VTR to seek to the location on the tape where the media should stop recording.  Set this as the Out Point on the VTR

 

Set an In point on the Drastic Device

 

Select the mode on the VTR that provides transport control over the QuickClipXO™ system.

 

Cue QuickClipXO™ to the first frame of media to capture (using the VTR’s controls). 

 

Using the VTR’s controls set this as the In Point on the Drastic Device.

 

Perform the edit (press the Auto-Edit button in some cases)

 

Using this method the user may capture media existing on the Drastic Device to their VTR.

 

Editing and Accessing Media

Clip Mode

Add Clips to the Clip Bin

 

Local Control - Clip Mode: press the Clip button in the Mode selector. Click on the Add Media button. The Java file browser will appear. Select the file you want and press Add Clip. This loads the clip into the Add Clip Options dialog box. This dialog provides a default name which you can reset. Press the Set Name button to confirm any name changes, then press the Add button to add the clip to the Clip Bin.

 

Local Control - Conform Mode: press the Conform button in the Mode selector. Click on the Add Media button. The Java file browser will appear. Select the file you want and press Add Clip. This loads the clip into the Add Clip Options dialog box. Set the Timeline In, and optionally the Clip In, Clip Out (to add a portion of the clip) and Channels (to only add specific audio or video channels). Conform Mode also allows you to add media directly from the Clip Bin. Press the Add Clip button to see a pulldown menu containing all the clips in the Clip Bin. Clicking on a clip in this menu loads it into the Add Clip dialog box so you can set the parameters and add the clip as above.

 

Remote Control - Clip Mode: press the Clip button in the Mode selector. Click on the Add Media button. The web-based file browser will appear. This shows the folders accessible to the system you are controlling which have been added, allowing you to access them remotely. Select a file and press the Open button to add it to the Clip Bin.

 

Remote Control - Conform Mode: press the Conform button in the Mode selector. Click on the Add Media button. The web-based file browser will appear. Again you will only see folders which have been added. Select the file you want and press Add Clip. This loads the clip into the Add Clip Options dialog box. Set the Timeline In, and optionally the Clip In, Clip Out (to add a portion of the clip) and Channels (to only add specific audio or video channels). Conform Mode also allows you to add media directly from the Clip Bin. Press the Add Clip button to see a pulldown menu containing all the clips in the Clip Bin. Clicking on a clip in this menu loads it into the Add Clip dialog box so you can set the parameters and add the clip as above.

Please note, if the media file you are adding does not have the same frame rate, compression type and bit depth as the current DDR settings, it will appear in orange in the list and probably will not play back in real time.

 

Add a folder to access remotely

 

To be able to add media remotely, the folder to which the media is being added must be shared with the remote system that is doing the adding.  This allows the user to provide access to only those confirmed users who can provide the proper

 

Close QuickClipXO™ on the remote system being controlled.

 

Open LocalConfig™ on the remote system being controlled. Select the Network/Front Panel tab. The File Directories section will display a list of all currently mapped folders. If the folder you want to share is not already present in this list, press the Add button, browse to that folder and select it, then press OK. This loads the selected folder into the Enter Alias box. Enter a name for the folder if you like, and press OK. The remote user will now be able to "see" the folder for records, lists, media etc.

 

To provide password-controlled access to a folder, you can set a user name and a password for the folder. During the above procedure, select the UserName field and type in a user name. Select the Password field and type in a password. A remote user will now have to provide these credentials to open the folder. Close LocalConfig™ and open QuickClipXO™ on the system to return to being controlled remotely.

 

Remove a folder from remote access

 

Close QuickClipXO™ on the remote system being controlled.

 

Open LocalConfig™ on the remote system being controlled. Select the Network/Front Panel tab. Select a folder from the list and press the Delete button. This removes the folder from the list. The folder will no longer be visible to remote browsers and the remote user will not be able to "see" the folder to select it. If a folder has been removed by accident, you can add it again at any time.

 

Edit the Clip Bin

 

Remove or Delete a Clip - Right click on a clip in the Clip Bin.  This brings up the Clip Bin context menu.  Here are the options:

 

Select Remove Clip.  This does not affect the media file as it has been saved to the storage, but the clip will no longer appear in the Clip Bin. 

 

Select Delete Clip. The clip will be deleted, and the media file removed from the hard drive.  It will be gone.

Clip Picon Reset

 

Select Clip View.  Each clip is displayed with a small (compressed) image above its name.  This image is referred to as the picon (picture icon).   Note that each clip has as its picon the first frame of the clip.  In some cases this will not be the best visual reference for the media contained in the clip.  It may be useful to reset the picon to a more representative frame of the clip.

 

To reset a picon, select a clip.  Cue the clip to a location other than the first frame.  Press the Set Picon button.  In Clip View, the picon is changed immediately.  In Main View, the picon itself is displayed.

 

Once the picon has been reset, Clip View displays the clip with the new picon for easy visual reference.

 

Create Sub-Clips

 

In Clip Mode, the user may create sub-clips from a clip by specifying new In/Out points.  This activity does not alter the clip as it has been created on the hard drive; rather it functions to play only the specified portion of the clip.  Confirm that Clip Mode is selected.

 

Select a Clip and Edit It - Select a clip in the Clip Bin.  Note that its time code length is displayed in the Clip Extents section. 

 

To trim frames from the beginning, select the time code in the In field and enter a new time code location greater than 00:00:00:00 (must be prior to the end of the clip).  Press the Q button.  This cues the clip to that frame of video.  Press the In button.  This sets this location as the new In Point.  The clip length will automatically be recalculated to display its new duration, and the edited frames will be removed from the beginning of the clip if the user accepts these choices in the Create New Sub Clip dialog box.

 

To trim frames from the end, select the time code in the Out field and enter a new time code location (must be less than the present Out point).  Press the Q button to cue the display to this location.  Press the Out button.  This sets the current location as the new Out point.  The clip length will automatically be recalculated to display its new duration, and the edited frames will be removed from the end of the clip if the user accepts these choices in the Create New Sub Clip dialog box.

 

Press the Create Sub-Clip button.  This opens the Create New Sub-Clip dialog box, which allows the user to rename the sub-clip.

 

Rename the Sub-clip – A default name is supplied for the sub-clip, but here is how to enter a new name.  Select the text in the New Clip Name field, backspace and type in a new name. 

 

Press the Create button.  The sub-clip will be added to the Clip Bin for playback, and/or included in a PlayList.

 

Cancel - If the user does not wish to create the sub-clip at this time, press the Cancel button to close the Create New Sub-Clip dialog box.

 

Picon Display of a Sub-Clip - Where a sub-clip has been created, the user may note that in Clip View it retains as its picon the first frame of its parent clip, whether this matches the first frame of the sub-clip or not.  In fact in many sub-clips the first frame of the parent clip will not be played at all. 

 

Reset the Picon - To reset the picon for the sub-clip, select the sub-clip in the Clip Bin and then press the Set Picon button.  This resets the picon to the first frame of the sub-clip.  The user may also cue to any location within the sub-clip and reset the picon to that frame by pressing the Set Picon button.

 

The sub-clip will display the duration of its parent clip in the Clip View Property section, Length field.  This is because the parent clip has not actually been shortened by the sub-clip creation.  This allows the user to create multiple sub-clips from the same parent clip without duplicating media.

 

Custom Clip Bins

 

Clip Mode allows the user to either load an alternate saved Clip Bin or to create a new Clip Bin.  This allows the user to tailor the contents of each Clip Bin to the user’s requirements while maintaining the most efficient allocation of a shared pool of resources.

 

Create a New Clip Bin - Press the File button.  Select the Open/New Clip Bin option.  This opens a browser which allows the user to search for the location in which they would like to create a new Clip Bin.  A standard browser will open, set to the location of the current Clip Bin, with a clip named *.log in it.  The user may select the * part of the file name and type in a name for the new Clip Bin.  Press the Open button and the browser closes, with QuickClipXO™ set to the new Clip Bin. 

 

Open an Existing Clip Bin – To open a Clip Bin, press the File button.  Select the Open/New Clip Bin option.  Browse to the location in which the Clip Bin’s log file is saved.  Select it and press the Open button.  The browser closes, with QuickClipXO™ set to the selected Clip Bin.

Conform Mode

Add Media to Time Code Space

 

The user may add media in a Local Control application.  Network Control assumes that all necessary media will have been loaded into either Clip Mode or Conform Mode before Network Control is attempted.

 

Add clips from the Clip Bin into Conform Mode - Select the Conform Mode button.  Then select the Add Clip button.  This displays the contents of the Clip Bin as a pulldown menu.  Use the pulldown menu to select a clip to add to Conform Mode.

 

Add media in Conform Mode - Select the Conform Mode button.  Then select the Add Media button.

 

This brings up the Add Clip browser.  The Add Clip browser allows the user to search through their storage for a suitable media file to add. 

 

If it is necessary to cancel out of the Add Clip dialog for any reason, press the Cancel button.

 

Once a suitable file has been located, select it and press the Add Clip button.  This brings up the Add Clip Options window.

 

Add Clip Options - The clip name controls have been disabled, as Conform Mode does not reference the media as clips.  Media retains its existing file name when added into Conform Mode.

 

The Set Start checkbox is by default set to the currently cued location in time code space.  To set a different location, select the Set Timeline In checkbox, and enter a new time code location.  This is where the first frame of video will be placed when the media is added so confirm that this is the correct location in order not to eliminate allocated media from time code space.

 

Add a Portion of a Clip - A portion of a clip may be placed into time code space by editing the In and Out points. 

 

Select the Set Clip In checkbox to trim a number of frames from the beginning of the selected clip.  Select the time code to the right of this checkbox.  Enter a time code location greater than 00:00:00:00, and less than the length of the clip.  QuickClipXO™ will remove the frames from 00:00:00:00 to the selected time code location.

 

Select the Set Clip Out button to trim a number of frames from the end of a clip.  Select the time code to the right of this checkbox.  Enter a time code location greater than 00:00:00:00, and less than the length of the clip.  QuickClipXO™ will remove the frames from the selected time code location to the end of the clip.

 

The Channels buttons are available in some configurations to select or deselect video or audio channels for insert editing during add clip activities.  A “pressed” state indicates the channel will be retained.

 

If it is necessary to cancel out of the Add Clip Options dialog for any reason, press the Cancel button.

 

Press the Add button - Once the adjustments have been made, press the Add button to add the media as defined above.

Edit Time Code Space

 

The user may remove media from the Time Code Edit List.  Select a media segment and right click on it.

 

This brings up the context menu for the Time Code List.  Select Remove and the selected media segment will be removed.

Custom Time Code Space Lists

 

Conform Mode allows the user to either load an alternate saved Time Code Space Edit List or to create a new Time Code Space Edit List.  This allows the user to tailor the contents of each Time Code Space Edit List to the user’s requirements while maintaining the most efficient allocation of a shared pool of resources.

 

Press the File button.  This opens a browser which allows the user to search for the location in which they have either saved a Time Code Space Edit List or in which they would like to create one. 

 

If an existing Time Code Space Edit List is selected, pressing Open Clip Bin loads this Time Code Space Edit List into QuickClipXO™, and so the contents of the new Time Code Space Edit List are accessible to the user for playback in Conform Mode.

 

Keyboard Commands

 

The following keyboard commands are supported in QuickClipXO™ software. Note: all keys are case sensitive.

			Plain keypress		Keypress + Shift		Keypress + other
							<+Ctrl+Alt> Select CAM 1
	<F1>
			Help
	<F2>						<+Ctrl+Alt> Select CAM 2
	<F3>						<+Ctrl+Alt> Select CAM 3
	<F4>						<+Ctrl+Alt> Select CAM 4
	<F5>						<+Ctrl+Alt> Select CAM 5
	<F6>						<+Ctrl+Alt> Select CAM 6
	<F7>						<+Ctrl+Alt> Select CAM 7
	<F8>						<+Ctrl+Alt> Select CAM 8
	- _
			Window Size -
	= +
					Window Size +
	Q
					Record
	W
			Preview		Auto Edit
	E
			Preview In		Eject
	R
			Preview Out
					Loop
	T
	Y
			V1 toggle
	U
			A1 toggle		A5 toggle
	I
			A2 toggle		A6 toggle
	O
			A3 toggle		A7 toggle
	P
			A4 toggle		A8 toggle
	[ {
			-1 frame		-5 seconds		<+Ctrl> -5 frames
	] }
			+1 frame		+5 seconds		<+Ctrl> +5 frames
			Loop
	\ |
					Palindrome
	F
			Window Full Size
	G
			Shuttle -		Shuttle Fine -
	H
			Shuttle +		Shuttle Fine +
	J
			Reverse Play		-1 Frame		<Ctrl> -1 Field
	K
			Pause
	L
			Play		+1 Frame		<Ctrl> +1 Field
	; :
			Mark current location		Previous Mark
	‘ “
			Return to Zero		Next Mark
	Z
			Fast Reverse Play		-5 Seconds
	X
			Fast Forward Play		+5 Seconds
	C
Play		Play x2	<Ctrl+Shift> Play /2
V
	Pause	Stop
B
	Reverse Play	Reverse Play x2	<Ctrl+Shift> Reverse Play /2
N
	Cue to the In Point	Cue to the Out Point
M
	Mark In		<Ctrl> Mute, <Ctrl+Shift> Delete In
, <
	Mark Out	X Out	<Ctrl+Shift> Delete Out
. >
	Stop
/ ?
	Mode	Stop
Home
	Cue Start	Cue In
Page Up
	Previous Clip		<Ctrl+Shift> Volume Up, <Ctrl+Alt> Volume Up
Delete
	Remove	Delete
End
	Cue End	Cue Out
Page Down
	Next Clip		<Ctrl+Shift> Volume Down, <Ctrl+Alt> Volume Down
Left Arrow
	Shuttle -	Shuttle Fine -
Up Arrow
	+1 Frame
Right Arrow
	Shuttle +	Shuttle Fine +
Down Arrow
	-1 Frame
Num Pad 1
	Shuttle -	Fast Reverse
Num Pad 2
	Step Forward	Step Back
Num Pad 3
	Shuttle +	Fast Forward
Num Pad 4
	Mark In
Num Pad 5
	Cue In	Cue Out
Num Pad 6
	Mark Out
Num Pad 7
	Cue Start
Num Pad 8
	Preview	Edit
Num Pad 9
	Cue End
Num Pad 0
	Play/ Pause	Reverse Play
Num Pad +
	Stop
Num Pad -
Num Pad .
	Pause/ Stop

 

Front Panel Controller

Specific Drastic^® devices including the Titan Series™ digital disk recorders may be equipped with a front panel controller. The functionality of this controller allows the user to perform simple clip load and playback actions. As well, there are displays to indicate time code, clip and device information, and system status.

 

 

LEDs

There are four LEDs on the left of the front panel controller. Where the system has been turned on but Drastic^® DDR software is not running, the top two LEDs will display red.

 

Once Drastic^® DDR software is running on the system, the LEDs should indicate the following (top to bottom order)

LED0: (the top LED): Red = problem, Green = OK

LED1: (2^nd from the top): Green = Play, Orange = Pause, else Red

LED2: (3^rd from the top) Flashing Green when running (heart beat)

LED3: (the bottom LED) Green = Looping Playback, else unlit

 

Keys

There are six keys on the right of the front panel controller.  As in the diagram above, they are organized as left, right, up, down (arrow keys), check mark (middle) and X (lower left).

 

Once Drastic^® DDR software is running on the system, the following commands will be available:

Up: go to the first clip in the bin

Down: go to the next clip in the list

Right: toggle between Play and Pause states

Left: cue the first frame of the clip

X: Stop (E-E passthrough)

Check: Play the selected clip in Loop mode

 

LCD display

The front panel controller is equipped with a 4 line x 20 character LCD screen.  This screen has been subdivided into seven fields to offer device, clip, transport and time code information display.

 

Once Drastic^® software is running on the system, the LCD screen should display the following information:

Top line left: device name

Top line right: channel (i.e. Int0)

2^nd line: transport state

3^rd line left: time code location

3^rd line right: clip name

4^th line left: secondary time code

4^th line right: user bits

 

The Drastic^® front panel controller is supported for use in qualified systems running QuickClip™ OEM software. It is included in the Titan™ Series digital disk recorders.