In Player Mode, the Click Effects PRIME HD-SDI Workflow displays the Player Interface at the top section of the screen. From this interface, the user can control all media types in Preview or Program. In addition, it enables the User to control Live input, set audio levels, change transition settings, use transport controls, access data settings, and more.
| Note: This section of the User Guide also applies to the SDI Player tabs of the Event Workflow. |
This chapter provides an in-depth description of all aspects of the Player Interface.
The Player Interface consists of four elements:
- Audio Player: Controls for Audio buttons.
- Video Player: Controls for Video, Live Input, Graphics and DVE media.
- Preview Panel: Live Preview of Media Buttons, Preview Controls and Transition Controls.
- Options Panel: Provides Video format info, Input selection, and access to the Data Settings and Data Controller functions.
| Label | Element Name |
| 1 | Volume Slider, VU Meter, Mute Button |
| 2 | Audio button in Program*Audio button in Preview |
| 3 | Current Media Timecode |
| 4 |
Transport Controls and Looping |
Volume controls
The Audio Player has one Audio Slider that affects overall Audio volume. The Audio Player Volume Slider adjusts both left and right audio channels at the same time.
To mute the Audio Player, click the MUTE button located above the volume controls.
Transport controls
Transport Controls is a generic term for controls that affect the state of media in the system. Transport Controls affecting audio are PAUSE/PLAY, STOP and LOOP.
When audio is playing, the PAUSE/PLAY button displays the pause icon.
When audio is paused the button displays the play icon.
Note: Audio buttons will automatically play in Program unless a Player setting: Mimic Video Play Logic is selected. At that time, the Audio button name will appear in the Yellow box and then move to Program and the Red box on the second click.
| Label | Element Name |
| 1 | Volume Slider, VU Meter, Mute Button |
| 2 | Program Video Window |
| 3 | 10-second Clip Countdown |
| 4 | Current Clip Timecode |
| 5 | Pop out Program Video Monitor Button |
| 6 | Video Transport Controls and Looping |
| 7 | Reference and Input Signal Indicator Buttons |
| 8 | Live Input On/Off Button |
| 9 | Live Input Audio Mute Button |
| 10 | Take All Button |
| 11 | Graphics Stop All Button |
| 12 | DVE On/Off Button and DVE Title |
Program video window
The Program Video Window shows a real-time view of the output generated by your Click Effects PRIME HD-SDI Workflow. For a better view of the Program Window, click the Expand icon located below the Program Window between the Program indicator and the Program time code. This will show a pop-up screen with a bigger view of the output.
Located below the Program Window is the Program time code. When a video is playing in Program you will see the time code for the current video clip. If the current video clip is a Still, the time code will list STILL.
To change the format of the time code shown, see Player Settings: Video.
Playlist and countdown timecode
When a video playlist is actively playing, the system will indicate how much time is left in the playlist. A red timecode label will appear at the top left of the Program Video Window. Similarly, when the current video clip hits 10 seconds remaining, a red countdown will appear in the upper right corner of the Program Window.
Reference and video input indicators
In the right-half of the Video Player, there are two state indicators which are also buttons.
REF displays the current Video Reference Signal status. Green indicates no issues with the current signal, Red indicates a problem with the current signal, and Gray indicates that using a Reference Signal is disabled. Clicking the indicator opens the Genlock Settings window.
VID displays the current Live Input Signal status. Green indicates a Video signal is attached with the proper video format and frames per second (i.e. 1080i 29.97fps). Red indicates no signal or signal with improper video format.
Live Input controls
The Live Input On/Off button enables or disables the Live Feed. The graph icon is the Live Audio Mute/Unmute button. When Live is enabled, the Live Audio will override any current audio in the Video Player. If you wish to keep currently playing audio from an underlying video clip, make sure Live Feed audio is muted.
| Note: The Click Effects HD-SDI Workflow relies on valid signals connected to your system. Unreliable signals connected to the Workflow can cause unexpected behavior. Click Effects delivers broadcast-quality outputs and expects high-quality input signals to produce the best output. |
DVE On/Off Button
This button displays the current DVE selected and changes depending on the status of the DVE, in Program or not in Program. DVEs are normally sent to Program via double-clicking their media button, and then this button would be used to stop the DVE. The previously used DVE’s name will appear here and the user can click the DVE button to activate that DVE again.
| Label | Element Name |
| 1 | Clip Thumbnail |
| 2 | Clip CUED indicator |
| 3 | Clear buttons |
| 4 | Transition selection, length, and On/Off status |
The Preview panel shows a Live Preview of the video, still, and/or graphic loaded in Preview.
Once content is loaded into Preview, a single click on the Video Preview window will transition the content to Program. If a Graphic is loaded on top of video content, the graphic will follow the video into Program with the click. But if a Graphic is in preview by itself, you must use the Trans All button or the Play button in the Graphic Controller Window.
To remove a Video or Graphic loaded into Preview, click the appropriate CLEAR button located below the Preview window.
Cueing Video
When video is playing in Program, a seamless transition can be created to the clip loaded in Preview using Cueing. To achieve this, with content in Program, add a video clip into Preview. Single-click the Video Preview window and notice the CUED indicator appears. This assures that the clip in Preview will start playing when the clip in Program ends, considering the duration of a possible transition.
| Note: If the video currently in Program is a Still, then cueing is not possible. Video will immediately transition from Preview to Program. |
Setting transitions
To set the transition used for video clips,
- Click the transition selector button.
- This opens the Transition Picker window.
- To set the duration of transitions click the number next to the transition On/Off switch.
- Enter the desired value. This sets the duration of transition in number of frames.
- Depending on the video format selected, the number of frames per second is either 29.97 frames per second or 59.94 frames per second.
Video Input/Output status
The Options Panel displays the current Output video format and the Current Output Path for Audio. For each Video input, the current incoming video format is listed. In a multi-Player system, the USE control allows the user to select which input to use for the current Player tab.
Data tools
The Data Indicator displays the data stream status and provides access to the Data Settings screen. If it is red or blinks red, click it to open the Data Settings window, which contains a Log. The Select a Data Controller button opens the Select Data Controller window, which then allows you to open a pop-up control panel to select data such as Players from a roster or an Out-of-Town score rotator.
The video output of your Click Effects HD-SDI Workflow contains multiple layers. The bottom layer is the Video Playback layer. The middle layer is the Live Feed layer. The top layer is the Graphics layer.
Within the Graphics layer of the output, there is a possibility for countless individual layers of graphics objects. When you have composed a Bug, Full Screen Graphic or Overlay using the Graphics Editor, these graphics objects are then saved to a media button. Whenever you play one or multiple media buttons, of any of the graphics behaviors, you are adding layer upon layer to the Graphics layer of the output.
| Media Type | Description |
| Bug | A Bug stays in Program until it is sent a Stop command from a Stop button. A typical example of a bug is the station marker on broadcast TV. |
| Overlay | An Overlay is attaches itself to a Video, Still or Full Screen Graphic in Program. The Overlay disappears as soon as the associated Video is stopped or displaced. |
| Full-screen graphic | A Full Screen Graphic acts much like a Still. It displaces Video, Stills or Full Screen Graphics when moved to Program |
Graphic control panel
For each graphics media button added to Program, an individual controller appears that enables you to control this specific media button or layer. You can transition individually previewed graphics, remove a specific graphic, and set the output BUS assignment per graphic (if different from the graphic’s preset BUS assignment).
Setting bus types
There are three Bus Types that can be set using the Graphic Controller Window
- Video Bus
- Live Bus
- Graphics Bus
You can assign a graphic to both the Video and Live Bus Types, or specifically to the Video Bus or Live Bus. The following is an overview of what happens when certain Bus Types are selected:
| Bus Type(s) | The Graphic displays when: |
| Video and Live |
|
| Video |
|
| | | Video | T | | Live | |
|
| Graphics/DVE |
|
Using Bus Types can be useful when, for example, tying a logo bug to the Live Feed.
- When the Live Feed is turned on, the bug appears.
- When the Live Feed is turned off, the bug automatically disappears.
| Note: Changing the Bus Type does not need to be done each time a Graphic is played. Instead, each Graphic will remember its last state and load this state by default. |
The Bus Type assignment must be made while the graphic is in Preview. The Bus Type cannot be changed while the Graphic is in Program.
Graphics and DVEs
When the user associates Graphics with DVEs, the system will load that Graphic at the time the DVE is engaged. This introduces the third Bus Type: Graphics Bus. The Graphics Bus is a full screen area of the output that is not affected by any resizing performed by DVE elements. When a graphic is assigned to the Graphics Bus it is not resized or squeezed with the Video DVE.
Using this functionality, the user can create a mix of graphics. Some that are resized and follow the Video DVEs (Video Bus or the Live Bus), and some that are always full sized (Graphics Bus).
Any graphic assigned to a DVE is automatically assigned to the Graphics Bus and will never resize with DVE elements.
| To learn more about DVEs. see DVE Editor. |
Up to this point in the User Guide, the setup and preparation for using the GPU Workflow have been discussed. In this chapter, the In-Game Operations will be explained. The first step is to engage Player mode, which is the default mode when you launch the workflow. In Player Mode the Click Effects PRIME GPU Workflow displays the Player Interface at the top section of your screen. The Player Interface contains one or more Board Control widgets (that provide control over individual playback of LED boards), indicators, and global transport controls.
| Note: This section of the User Guide also applies to the GPU Board tabs of the Event Workflow. |
The Player Interface consists of the following elements:
- Board Control Widgets
- Global Controls and Indicators
- Data Control Tools and Indicators
For each Video Board set up in the GPU Workflow, a Board Control Widget will appear in the Player Interface.
| Label | Description |
| 1 | Board Name |
| 2 | Output Preview Zoom |
| 3 | Expand Preview/Program Controls |
| 4 | Output Preview Window |
| 5 | Media Element Control |
| 6 | Program/Preview Selector |
| 7 | Play Default Media Button |
| 8 | Board Stop Button |
| 9 | Timecode and Progress Bar |
Basics
Transport Controls is a generic term for controls that affect the state of media in the system. Transport Controls affecting video are TRANS, STOP and DEFAULT.
There are two locations of Transport Controls in each Board Control Widget:
On the main Board Control Widget interface
On each media element control interface
Video Board Control Widget Transport Controls
There are two Board Control Widget Transport Controls
- STOP
- DEFAULT
When you click STOP, all media on this specific Board are stopped. If the media are already in a stopped state it will fade to black.
- Click DEFAULT, to play the Board’s default media .
- To assign a DEFAULT media button to a Board, right-click in the Board Control Widget program window and select DEFAULT MEDIA. The GPU Workflow automatically switches to Organizer Mode so that you can select a Media Button from the Media Page and drag it onto the Default Media Assignment window.
Media Element Transport Controls
Each individual media element in Preview or Program can be controlled using its individual Media Element Control Widget. Depending on the state (Preview or Program) the following transport controls will be available:
- TRANS
- STOP
The video output of each Board contains multiple layers. The bottom layer is the Video Playback layer. The top layer is the Graphics layer.
Within the Graphics layer of the output, there is a possibility for countless individual layers of graphics objects. When you have composed a Bug, Full Screen Graphic or Overlay using the Graphics Editor. these graphics objects are then saved to a media button, and whenever you play one or multiple media buttons of any of the graphics behaviors you literally add layer upon layer to the Graphics layer of the output.
Depending on what behavior was selected for a graphic, the graphic will remain on the output of the Board until a specific event happens. Below is an overview of the graphics media types.
| Media Type | Description |
| Bug | A Bug is that it stays in Program until it is sent a stop command from a stop button. A typical example of a bug is the station marker on broadcast TV. |
| Overlay | An Overlay is that it attaches itself to a Video, Still or Full Screen Graphic that is in Program. The Overlay disappears as soon as the associated Video is stopped. |
| Full Screen Graphic | A Full Screen Graphic acts much like a Still. It displaces Video, Stills or Full Screen Graphics when moved to Program. |
The Video Program Window shows a preview of the output generated by the GPU Workflow. This view has been reduced to only a few frames per second to save system resources.
When a video is actively playing, the Board Control Widget indicates the length of time remaining. The green timecode label displays time remaining, along with a green progress bar indicator. When a STILL is currently in Program, the timecode label displays STILL.
When a video Playlist is actively playing, the Board Control Widget indicates the length of time remaining in the Playlist. A red timecode label appears along with a red progress bar indicator.
To control overall playback on the GPU Workflow, the following Global Transport Controls are available:
- TRANS ALL
- STOP ALL
Trans All
The TRANS ALL button will take all media that is currently in Preview on all Boards. This is the same as clicking each individual TRANS button for each element in Preview, however the TRANS ALL button ensures all elements are taken to Program at exactly the same time.
Stop All
The STOP ALL button will stop all media on all Boards. Depending on what option has been selected in the Player Settings the following will happen:
- Enabled: If Stop-to-Black has been enabled, all media will fade to black
- Disabled: If Stop-to-Black has been disabled, media will first stop if it is in a playing state. The second click on the STOP ALL button will cause the media to fade to black
Central Time of Day Clock Display
The Clock in the top-center can be changed from 12 to 24-hour format by double clicking. This does not change the format of any Clock Objects in graphics buttons.
Isolated Mode
This icon controls the system’s response to REMOTE commands.
- When the button is gray, then Isolated Mode is active.
- When the button is blue, then Isolated Mode is not active.
This GPU Workflow system ignores all Remote calls during this time, both from other machines and from itself. This prevents the Workflow from responding to an accidental or unwanted Remote call. An example is a marquee system that is independent from an event system.
The Data indicator light shows the connection state of data plug-ins loaded on the GPU Workflow system.
- Solid Green indicates valid data source connection with no issues.
- Black indicates that no data sources are set up.
- Red indicates that at least one data source has an error.
In addition, the indicator light is a button that will open the Data Editor, and the other button in this area is the Data Controllers button which opens the Data Controllers Picker.
Click Effects comes with a variety of Tools that make media management easy. In addition, there are tools that will help perform certain tasks such as managing hotkeys, finding media buttons and basic repair functions.
The Scene Control Panels tool allows the user to access a control panel created in a PRIME Scene that has been imported into the Click Effects PRIME Graphics Editor. This allows for manipulation of the graphic’s content without having to remove it from program.
This process begins in PRIME when a user creates a scene and includes controls in the scene’s control panel. These controls are linked to some aspect of the scene, such as Play or Stop a Clip object, or adjust the transparency of an object. When this scene is imported into the Click Effects PRIME Graphics Editor, the graphic displays whatever content is visible from the scene just like a normal template.
To view the Scene Control Panels window, choose the View menu from the Main window of Click Effects PRIME. Select Scene Control Panels and this opens the Scene Control Panels window. Without a proper graphic in Program, the window will be empty.
As soon as the user places a graphic into Program that has a control panel, the Scene Control Panels window populates with the thumbnail of the graphic button and the control panel for that graphic.
The following example panel has two button controls, a slider control and a radio-button control.
For this graphic, which contains a video clip, the Stop and Play buttons Start or Stop the clip. Depending on the configuration of the Scene, the clip may not start when the graphic goes to Program and would need to be played when appropriate.
The Slider control affects the opacity of the clip, in this case from 0 to 100 and the Radio-button also has Play/Stop commands and includes a Pause option.
If more than one graphic with a control panel is in Program, then the left side of the Scene Control Panels window displays a list of buttons. Clicking a button in that list displays the related control panel.
Hot Key: Overview
Click Effects provides a set of Keyboard Shortcuts to perform common tasks. Click Effect PRIME’s Hot Keys and Command Keys provide a powerful feature with which you can tie Media Buttons to keystrokes on the keyboard. Even without knowing the Media Page and Media Bank in which the Media Button is located, a keystroke on the keyboard can quickly play the associated Media Button(s) in Program.
Hot Keys
Using a Hot Key is similar to using the mouse to click a media button.
The first time a Hot Key is used, a video item goes to Preview.
The second time a Hot Key is clicked, the item goes to Program and is shown on the output of the Click Effects PRIME Workflow.
|
Note: If desired, the user can enable the “Send Items Directly to Program” option and then Hotkeys will act like Remotes and send buttons to Program with one click. |
Command Keys
Command Keys are special Hot Keys that perform system commands such as STOP ALL and other media controls.
Workflow Keys
You can assign Hotkeys to fire specific Workflow actions.
The Hot Key assignment process is straightforward. Right-click a media button and select Assign Hot Key from the context menu. This displays a window that shows the same media button and prompts to enter a keystroke on the keyboard. Single keystrokes can be used as well as combined keystrokes such as CTRL-T and even CTRL-SHIFT-T. Click OK and the Hot Key is saved to the list of Hot Keys. Another way to assign Hot Keys is by going into the Hot Key editing window by selecting Edit –> Edit Hot Keys from the Click Effects PRIME main menu at the top of the screen. This displays a window with all Hot Keys and Command Keys assigned in the system. Drag-and-drop any media button from the media pages onto the Hot Key assignment window. You will be prompted to enter a keystroke. Enter a keystroke and select OK to save the Hot Key assignment.
If a keystroke is already assigned to another media button, you can choose to either replace the existing assignment with the new assignment, or to share an assignment. When a Hot Key assignment is shared, one keystroke will fire multiple media buttons at once. It can be useful to combine media buttons or trigger media buttons on multiple channels to fire at once.
Click Effects PRIME comes preconfigured with a set of Command Hot Keys. Common commands such as STOP, PAUSE and LOOP are linked to keystrokes on the keyboard. Command Keys can be a valuable shortcut and can save a considerable amount of time when immediate action is required. For example, if at any point, you must stop video in Program, pressing the ESC key acts the same as using the mouse and clicking the STOP transport control button.
The following Command Keys have been assigned by default on Click Effects:
| Key | Description |
| ESC | Stop All Media [ALL] |
| F10 | Loop Video Toggle [ALL] |
| F5 | Clear Preview [ALL} |
| F6 | Clear Graphics [ALL] |
| ENTER | Trans [ALL] |
| SHIFT + SPACE | Stop Graphics [ALL] |
| SPACE | Stop Video [ALL] |
At any point in time, the user can change Hot Key and Command Key assignments for the Click Effects Workflow. To do so, open the Hot Key editing window by selecting Edit > Edit Hot Keys from the Click Effects main menu at the top of your screen. This displays a window with all Hot Keys and Command Keys assigned in the system.
Select one of the Hot Keys or Command Keys and double-click the selected Hot Key or Command Key to edit the keystroke assignments previously made. Enter a new keystroke on the keyboard and select OK to save changes.
- Send Items Directly to Program – This control allows Hot Keys to act like Remotes and go straight to Program.
- Locate Media – With a Hot Key selected that calls a Media button, this tool will move the Media Page to the button’s location and highlight it in teal.
- Assign Default Keys – This button resets all hotkeys for Commands to their original settings, overwriting what is currently assigned to that hotkey.
Media Finder
The Media Finder is a particularly useful tool. With over 4000 media buttons available, it is sometimes hard to find a clip that is needed for playback or editing.
The Media Finder has an entry field that performs an instant search of all media items.
Simply start typing in the search field, and with each character entered instant results are shown in the results field.
You can sort results by clicking the column headers. To change between ascending and descending sorting, click the same column header again.
When the item searched for has been found, double-click the item in the results field, the Media Finder will close, and Click Effects automatically opens the page that contains the item selected. The media button searched for is now selected and highlighted in teal.
| Note: If only one media button matches the text entered in the search field, then the Media Finder automatically closes and redirects the user to the media button. |
To open the Media Finder:
Press CTRL+F on the keyboard or select Edit > Find Media from the main menu.
| Note: The Media Finder can be used in conjunction with the Playlist Editor to drag-and-drop search results directly into the Playlist Editor. |
There can be times where media items may be played only once per event. The Media Marking option will identify which media buttons have been played at least one time.
When Media Marking is enabled, each media button that is sent to Program will be highlighted in red. To turn on/off Media Marking, use the shortcut combination CTRL-M on the keyboard or select Settings –> Media Marking.
When Media Marking is disabled, the Click Effects system clears any state information of previously marked buttons. This means that the next time Media Marking is enabled; all buttons will appear as “un-marked”.
Click Effects automatically creates database backups on a regular basis. To manually create a backup file of your database, select File > Backup Database from the main menu at the top of the screen.
In case something has happened to the database used by Click Effects, a backup copy of the database can be restored. Either select a manually created backup file, or a backup file that was automatically created by the system.
| Note: Restoring a copy of the database will remove the current database, including any changes made recently. Do not attempt a database restore without contacting Chyron technical support. |