Maestro News UG v2021.8

Avid® Maestro™ | News
User Guide
Version 2021.8
Legal Notices
Product specifications are subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part of Avid Technology, Inc.
This product is subject to the terms and conditions of a software license agreement provided with the software. The product may only be used in
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Copyright © 2021 Avid Technology, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2003-2007 of MOG Solutions
The following disclaimer is required by Apple Computer, Inc.:

APPLE COMPUTER, INC. MAKES NO WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THIS PRODUCT,
INCLUDING WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO ITS MERCHANTABILITY OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE
EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES IS NOT PERMITTED BY SOME STATES. THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
THIS WARRANTY PROVIDES YOU WITH SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS. THERE MAY BE OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE WHICH
VARY FROM STATE TO STATE.
The following disclaimer is required by Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics, Inc. for the use of their TIFF library:
Copyright © 1988–1997 Sam Leffler
Copyright © 1991–1997 Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software [i.e., the TIFF library] and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted
without fee, provided that (i) the above copyright notices and this permission notice appear in all copies of the software and related documentation, and
(ii) the names of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics may not be used in any advertising or publicity relating to the software without the specific, prior
written permission of Sam Leffler and Silicon Graphics.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING
WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL SAM LEFFLER OR SILICON GRAPHICS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR
PROFITS, WHETHER OR NOT ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE, AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF
OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:

This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.
This Software may contain components licensed under the following conditions:
Copyright (c) 1989 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms are permitted provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are duplicated in all such
forms and that any documentation, advertising materials, and other materials related to such distribution and use acknowledge that the software was
developed by the University of California, Berkeley. The name of the University may not be used to endorse or promote products derived from this
software without specific prior written permission. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED ``AS IS'' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED
WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 by Jef Poskanzer.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the
above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. This
software is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.
Copyright 1995, Trinity College Computing Center. Written by David Chappell.
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose and without fee is hereby granted, provided that the
above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. This
software is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.
Copyright 1996 Daniel Dardailler.
Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright
notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation, and that the name of
Daniel Dardailler not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining to distribution of the software without specific, written prior permission. Daniel
Dardailler makes no representations about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.
Modifications Copyright 1999 Matt Koss, under the same license as above.
Copyright (c) 1991 by AT&T.
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Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any purpose without fee is hereby granted, provided that this entire notice is included in
all copies of any software which is or includes a copy or modification of this software and in all copies of the supporting documentation for such
software.
THIS SOFTWARE IS BEING PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY. IN PARTICULAR, NEITHER THE
AUTHOR NOR AT&T MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND CONCERNING THE MERCHANTABILITY OF
THIS SOFTWARE OR ITS FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
This product includes software developed by the University of California, Berkeley and its contributors.
The following disclaimer is required by Nexidia Inc.:

© 2010 Nexidia Inc. All rights reserved, worldwide. Nexidia and the Nexidia logo are trademarks of Nexidia Inc. All other trademarks are the property
of their respective owners. All Nexidia materials regardless of form, including without limitation, software applications, documentation and any other
information relating to Nexidia Inc., and its products and services are the exclusive property of Nexidia Inc. or its licensors. The Nexidia products and
services described in these materials may be covered by Nexidia's United States patents: 7,231,351; 7,263,484; 7,313,521; 7,324,939; 7,406,415,
7,475,065; 7,487,086 and/or other patents pending and may be manufactured under license from the Georgia Tech Research Corporation USA.
The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:

Portions of this software licensed from Paradigm Matrix.
The following disclaimer is required by Ray Sauers Associates, Inc.:

“Install-It” is licensed from Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. End-User is prohibited from taking any action to derive a source code equivalent of “Install-It,”
including by reverse assembly or reverse compilation, Ray Sauers Associates, Inc. shall in no event be liable for any damages resulting from reseller’s
failure to perform reseller’s obligation; or any damages arising from use or operation of reseller’s products or the software; or any other damages,
including but not limited to, incidental, direct, indirect, special or consequential Damages including lost profits, or damages resulting from loss of use or
inability to use reseller’s products or the software for any reason including copyright or patent infringement, or lost data, even if Ray Sauers Associates
has been advised, knew or should have known of the possibility of such damages.
The following disclaimer is required by Videomedia, Inc.:

“Videomedia, Inc. makes no warranties whatsoever, either express or implied, regarding this product, including warranties with respect to its
merchantability or its fitness for any particular purpose.”
“This software contains V-LAN ver. 3.0 Command Protocols which communicate with V-LAN ver. 3.0 products developed by Videomedia, Inc. and V-
LAN ver. 3.0 compatible products developed by third parties under license from Videomedia, Inc. Use of this software will allow “frame accurate”
editing control of applicable videotape recorder decks, videodisc recorders/players and the like.”
The following disclaimer is required by Altura Software, Inc. for the use of its Mac2Win software and Sample Source Code:
©1993–1998 Altura Software, Inc.
The following disclaimer is required by Ultimatte Corporation:

Certain real-time compositing capabilities are provided under a license of such technology from Ultimatte Corporation and are subject to copyright
protection.
The following disclaimer is required by 3Prong.com Inc.:

Certain waveform and vector monitoring capabilities are provided under a license from 3Prong.com Inc.
The following disclaimer is required by Interplay Entertainment Corp.:

The “Interplay” name is used with the permission of Interplay Entertainment Corp., which bears no responsibility for Avid products.
This product includes portions of the Alloy Look & Feel software from Incors GmbH.
This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).
© DevelopMentor
This product may include the JCifs library, for which the following notice applies:
JCifs © Copyright 2004, The JCIFS Project, is licensed under LGPL (http://jcifs.samba.org/). See the LGPL.txt file in the Third Party Software
directory on the installation CD.
Avid Interplay contains components licensed from LavanTech. These components may only be used as part of and in connection with Avid Interplay.
This product includes the Warlib library, for which the following notice applies:
Copyright Jarle (jgaa) Aase 2000 - 2009
COPYRIGHT file which is included in the distribution:
warlib is copyright Jarle (jgaa) Aase 2000 - 2009
The warlib C++ Library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as
published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 3.0 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
The warlib C++ Library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
Portions copyright © 2012 Avid Technology, Inc.
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Attn. Government User(s). Restricted Rights Legend
U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS. This Software and its documentation are “commercial computer software” or “commercial computer
software documentation.” In the event that such Software or documentation is acquired by or on behalf of a unit or agency of the U.S. Government, all
rights with respect to this Software and documentation are subject to the terms of the License Agreement, pursuant to FAR §12.212(a) and/or DFARS
§227.7202-1(a), as applicable.
Trademarks
003, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, Adrenaline, AirSpeed, ALEX, Alienbrain, AME, AniMatte, Archive, Archive II, Assistant Station,
AudioPages, AudioStation, AutoLoop, AutoSync, Avid, Avid Active, Avid Advanced Response, Avid DNA, Avid DNxcel, Avid DNxHD, Avid DS
Assist Station, Avid Ignite, Avid Liquid, Avid Media Engine, Avid Media Processor, Avid MEDIArray, Avid Mojo, Avid Remote Response, Avid Unity,
Avid Unity ISIS, Avid VideoRAID, AvidRAID, AvidShare, AVIDstripe, AVX, Beat Detective, Beauty Without The Bandwidth, Beyond Reality, BF
Essentials, Bomb Factory, Bruno, C|24, CaptureManager, ChromaCurve, ChromaWheel, Cineractive Engine, Cineractive Player, Cineractive Viewer,
Color Conductor, Command|24, Command|8, Control|24, Cosmonaut Voice, CountDown, d2, d3, DAE, D-Command, D-Control, Deko, DekoCast, D-
Fi, D-fx, Digi 002, Digi 003, DigiBase, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign Development Partners, Digidesign Intelligent Noise
Reduction, Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiLink, DigiMeter, DigiPanner, DigiProNet, DigiRack, DigiSerial, DigiSnake, DigiSystem, Digital Choreography,
Digital Nonlinear Accelerator, DigiTest, DigiTranslator, DigiWear, DINR, DNxchange, Do More, DPP-1, D-Show, DSP Manager, DS-StorageCalc, DV
Toolkit, DVD Complete, D-Verb, Eleven, EM, Euphonix, EUCON, EveryPhase, Expander, ExpertRender, Fader Pack, Fairchild, FastBreak, Fast Track,
Film Cutter, FilmScribe, Flexevent, FluidMotion, Frame Chase, FXDeko, HD Core, HD Process, HDpack, Home-to-Hollywood, HYBRID,
HyperSPACE, HyperSPACE HDCAM, iKnowledge, Image Independence, Impact, Improv, iNEWS, iNEWS Assign, iNEWS ControlAir, InGame,
Instantwrite, Instinct, Intelligent Content Management, Intelligent Digital Actor Technology, IntelliRender, Intelli-Sat, Intelli-sat Broadcasting
Recording Manager, InterFX, Interplay, inTONE, Intraframe, iS Expander, iS9, iS18, iS23, iS36, ISIS, IsoSync, LaunchPad, LeaderPlus, LFX,
Lightning, Link & Sync, ListSync, LKT-200, Lo-Fi, MachineControl, Magic Mask, Make Anything Hollywood, make manage move | media, Marquee,
MassivePack, Massive Pack Pro, Maxim, Mbox, Media Composer, MediaFlow, MediaLog, MediaMix, Media Reader, Media Recorder, MEDIArray,
MediaServer, MediaShare, MetaFuze, MetaSync, MIDI I/O, Mix Rack, Moviestar, MultiShell, NaturalMatch, NewsCutter, NewsView, NewsVision,
Nitris, NL3D, NLP, NSDOS, NSWIN, OMF, OMF Interchange, OMM, OnDVD, Open Media Framework, Open Media Management, Painterly
Effects, Palladium, Personal Q, PET, Podcast Factory, PowerSwap, PRE, ProControl, ProEncode, Profiler, Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, Pro
Tools M-Powered, Pro Transfer, QuickPunch, QuietDrive, Realtime Motion Synthesis, Recti-Fi, Reel Tape Delay, Reel Tape Flanger, Reel Tape
Saturation, Reprise, Res Rocket Surfer, Reso, RetroLoop, Reverb One, ReVibe, Revolution, rS9, rS18, RTAS, Salesview, Sci-Fi, Scorch, ScriptSync,
SecureProductionEnvironment, Serv|GT, Serv|LT, Shape-to-Shape, ShuttleCase, Sibelius, SimulPlay, SimulRecord, Slightly Rude Compressor,
Smack!, Soft SampleCell, Soft-Clip Limiter, SoundReplacer, SPACE, SPACEShift, SpectraGraph, SpectraMatte, SteadyGlide, Streamfactory,
Streamgenie, StreamRAID, SubCap, Sundance, Sundance Digital, SurroundScope, Symphony, SYNC HD, SYNC I/O, Synchronic, SynchroScope,
Syntax, TDM FlexCable, TechFlix, Tel-Ray, Thunder, TimeLiner, Titansync, Titan, TL Aggro, TL AutoPan, TL Drum Rehab, TL Everyphase, TL
Fauxlder, TL In Tune, TL MasterMeter, TL Metro, TL Space, TL Utilities, tools for storytellers, Transit, TransJammer, Trillium Lane Labs, TruTouch,
UnityRAID, Vari-Fi, Video the Web Way, VideoRAID, VideoSPACE, VTEM, Work-N-Play, Xdeck, X-Form, Xmon and XPAND! are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
Avid Maestro | News User Guide v2021.8• Created 9/7/21 • This document is distributed by Avid in online (electronic) form only,
and is not available for purchase in printed form.
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Contents
Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chapter 2 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Starting Maestro | News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Maestro | News Main Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Customizing the GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Edit Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Control Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Customize Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Chapter 3 Page Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The PageEditor Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
The PageEditor Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Creating Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
SubPages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Placing Exports in a Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Arranging Controls in a Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Page Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Control Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Additional Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Linear Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Setting Page Behavior in the Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Filtering Controls and Content. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Saving/ Loading a Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Triggering Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Triggering Events with Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Triggering Events with Interactive Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Using Clip Status as a Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Writing Basic Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Timeline Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Using the Script Wizard and Script Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Script Editor - Coding Scripts for Pages or Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
5
Global Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
World Mapper Plugin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Plugin Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Chapter 4 Building a Rundown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Creating/Opening a Rundown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Rundown Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Customizing the Rundown View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Stories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Adding Rundown Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Using the Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Video Item Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Editing Rundown Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Data Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Animating Transitions Between Rundown Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Saving Rundown Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Assigning a Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Locking a Channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Previewing and Airing Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Media Validation Before Playout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Media Type Indicators Displayed in the Maestro | News Rundown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Playback Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
The Asset Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Searching for Assets in the Asset Browser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Working with Tickers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
The Image Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
The Clip Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Chapter 5 Data Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Setting up a Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
ODBC Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Database (SQL) Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Excel Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Text Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
News (RSS) Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
XML Data Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
JSON Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
X.News Data Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Using x.news Assets in Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
SMH Data Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Using Queries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
6
Chapter 6 Customizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Setting Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Asset Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Configuring an Automation System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
CII Protocol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Maestro | TX Device (3DPlay) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Orad Control Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Avid ControlAir / Sony Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
VDCP Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
MediaCentral | Cloud UX Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Data Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
External Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
External Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
GPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
iNews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
MAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
MAM File Transit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
MOS Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
PGM & PRV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Defining Channels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Using the VE Deck Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
PGM Assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
RenderServer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
SceneEdit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
SmartShot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Setting the SmartShot LCD Button Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
VideoEngine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Virtual Slots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Chapter 7 Maestro Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Using Maestro Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Chapter 8 Maestro | News Sync Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Working with Maestro | News Database Sync. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Main Maestro Sync Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
7
Working with Native2-Sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Working with the Page Converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
The Page Converter File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Scripting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Conversion Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Chapter 9 NLE Plugin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Maestro | News NLE Server. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
NLE Server Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Login. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
NLE Renderer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Miscellaneous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
NLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Using the Plugin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Avid Media Composer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Adobe Premiere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Using the NLE Template Linear Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Chapter 10 NRCS Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
NRCS Plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Maestro | News MOS Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Maestro | News Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
NRCS Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
NRCS Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
NRCS MOS Gateway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Using the Maestro | News NRCS Plugin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Opening Items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Editing Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Previewing Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Direct MediaCentral | Newsroom Management Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Working with MediaCentral | Newsroom Management Rundowns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Chapter 11 Scene Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Getting Started with Scene Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Scene Editor Menus and Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Editing Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Animation Strip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Defining an Animation Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
8
Keyframe Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Changing Keyframe Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Creating Multiple Animation Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Editing Animation Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Transformation Strip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Property Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Saving Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Chapter 12 Integration with Asset Management Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Working with MediaCentral | Asset Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
MAM File Transit Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Video Engine Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Adding Graphics and Clips from MediaCentral | Asset Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Adding Metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Searching for MediaCentral | Asset Management Assets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Working with MediaCentral | Production Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Adding Video Assets from MediaCentral | Production Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Searching for Assets in MediaCentral | Production Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
The MediaFS Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Chapter 13 Access and Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Starting Maestro Admin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Maestro | News Users. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Creating New Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Importing Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Limiting Functionality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Working with Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Creating Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Restricting Access to Assets and Metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Adding Metadata Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Deleting Metadata Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Displaying Metadata Fields for Assets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Working with Active Directory Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Importing Active Directory Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Synchronizing Active Directory Users. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Chapter 14 M6 Scripting API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Timeline and Macro API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Item Level API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
9
Playlist Level API. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Examples. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Application Level API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Asynchronous Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
External Device Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
CMD Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
GPI Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
VideoEngine Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Datasource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
ReTalk Scripting API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Page Level API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Page Object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Subpage Object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Control Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Media Manager API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Metadata API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
MetaData Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Basic Use. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Chapter 15 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Asset Search Using Regular Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Collections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Special Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Example of Asset Search Using Regular Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
10
Using This Guide
Symbols and Conventions

Avid documentation uses the following symbols and conventions:
Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action
n A note provides important related information, reminders,

recommendations, and strong suggestions.
c A caution means that a specific action you take could cause harm to
your computer or cause you to lose data.
w A warning describes an action that could cause you physical harm.

Follow the guidelines in this document or on the unit itself when
handling electrical equipment.
> This symbol indicates menu commands (and subcommands) in the

order you select them. For example, File > Import means to open the
File menu and then select the Import command.
This symbol indicates a single-step procedure. Multiple arrows in a list

indicate that you perform one of the actions listed.
(Windows), (Windows This text indicates that the information applies only to the specified
only), (macOS), or (macOS operating system, either Windows or macOS
only)
Bold font Bold font is primarily used in task instructions to identify user interface
items and keyboard sequences.
Italic font Italic font is used to emphasize certain words and to indicate variables.
Courier Bold font Courier Bold font identifies text that you type.
Ctrl+key or mouse action Press and hold the first key while you press the last key or perform the
mouse action. For example, Command+Option+C or Ctrl+drag.
| (pipe character) The pipe character is used in some Avid product names, such as
Interplay | Production. In this document, the pipe is used in product
names when they are in headings or at their first use in text.
1 Introduction
The Maestro | News Controller is intended for managing template-based, on-air 3D graphics. After
creating a data entry template (page), you can choose graphics, update data elements in real time,
preview graphics and then play them directly to air. You can schedule the playback sequence of
animations and monitor them.
In this section:
• Workflow
Workflow
A typical workflow using Maestro | News PageEditor and Maestro | News Controller contains the
following steps:
1. Scene Creation in Maestro | Designer
Complex scenes and animations composed of layers of graphic elements and animation channels are
created in Maestro | Designer by the graphic designers. Exports created in Maestro | Designer are
used in Maestro | News for data updates. Exports are parameters of the Maestro | Designer graphic
objects that are exported by the graphic designer and can be edited in Maestro | News. Animations
tracks for different graphics in a scene can be set. Interactive objects that can be controlled through
Maestro | News from a touch screen are defined. Key frames can be set to trigger various actions.
Graphic sets are saved in Maestro | Designer as a scene.
For more information on Maestro | Designer, see the Maestro | Designer User Guide.
2. In PageEditor
• Create a data entry template (= a page)
Create a page that will be based on a Maestro | Designer scene. Create as many pages (i.e., data
entry templates) as required. Each scene is later loaded to one VSlot.
• Add controls to a page that are connected to scene exports.
Save a snapshot as a background image for easy orientation, and add export controls with
content that can be updated at any time.
• Create a timeline for the page.

Create a timeline for template behavior to implement the playout logic with various tracks: cue
track, take track, out track, animation track, ticker track, slot track, clip status track, and external
manipulation track. Connect to the required data sources to update your content in real time.
• Save the page in the database.
Save your template in the Maestro | News database to make it accessible for all Maestro | News
users connected to the database (depending on their user-permissions).
13
3. In Maestro | News Controller
• Create a rundown from your pages.
Create a rundown for your program, and add items. A rundown item is an instance of a page/
template (with its own data set) that is added to the rundown.
• Preview the item and then play it on air.

While one item is playing on air, you can preview other items on a preview channel and make
sure it is ready to be played.
14
2 Getting Started
This chapter describes how to launch the Maestro | News Controller and provides an overview of the
menus and options available in the interface.
In this section:
• Starting Maestro | News
• Maestro | News Main Screen
• Menus
• Toolbar
Starting Maestro | News

Maestro | News is opened from the Start menu in Start > Avid > Maestro > Maestro | News
Controller. You can also use the shortcuts placed on the desktop during installation, as shown below.
To start Maestro | News:

1. Select Start > Avid > Maestro > Maestro | News Controller,
or
Use the desktop shortcut.
2. The Login dialog box is displayed.
3. Enter the required parameters as described below, and click Login.

Field Description
Login Enter the user name.
Password Enter the password for the above user.
Server name Enter the host name or IP address of the computer on which the Server is installed
(database location). Server name must be in the following format: <hostname or
IP>\<DB instance>.
Database name Name of the asset database. (Default value is maestro_3 for the native Maestro |
News database 2).
Server type Choose the type of Server on which the asset database is stored.
Authentication Choose the type of authentication method to log in with; Windows, SQL or Avid
MediaCentral Platform. If you choose Windows authentication, no password is
required, and the Windows login name is used. When Avid MediaCentral Platform is
selected, enter the MediaCentral user name and password.
Maestro | News Main Screen

Maestro | News Controller’s main (default layout) screen looks like this:
Different layouts are provided, available from the tabs in the upper right corner, for convenient
access to different tasks. Layouts can be modified by dragging the different windows and tabs, and
then saved as described in the Customizing the GUI topic below.
The typical workflow (see “Workflow” on page 12) requires the use of pages. Pages are generally
created in the PageEditor layout, described in the Page Creation topic. Once you have the required
pages, a rundown can be created in the default layout. Playout is better controlled from the Playout
layout.
16
Customizing the GUI
By default, Maestro | News Controller has three pre-configured layouts for convenience when
working in PageEditor, playout, or a third, default layout, optimized for rundown creation in high
resolution screens, with access to all available tools.
You can save a layout with a new name, for a tabbed option that will be available whenever you start
Maestro | News, or lock the current layout so that windows cannot be moved or closed (but can still
be resized).
To create your own layout:

1. Arrange the GUI as required; open or hide windows and panels, and resize them as required.
2. Select Customize > Layout > Save Current.
The Save Layout dialog box is displayed.
3. Type in a new name, or select an existing name from the list.
4. Click OK.
The layout is saved, and its tab appears alongside the default tabs.
To automatically save changes to the current layout:

t In the Customize menu, select Layout > Auto save.
To lock the current layout:

t In the Customize menu, select Layout > Lock.
The layout is locked against moving, opening, and closing windows.
Menus
The following sections provide information about the FastServe | Playout menus, available in all the
layouts.
File Menu
Icon Field Description
New Create a new rundown.

For more information, see “Creating/Opening a Rundown” on page 65.
Open Open an existing rundown.

For more information, see “Creating/Opening a Rundown” on page 65.
Save Save the current rundown.
Save As Save the current rundown to a different location/with a different name.
Import Playlist Import a MOS rundown (in XML) from a third party system.
17
Close Close the current rundown.
<list> List of recently opened playlists.
Edit Menu
Insert new item Insert a new rundown item.

For more information, see “Adding Rundown Items” on page 68.
Cut Cut the selected rundown item.
Copy Copy the selected rundown item.
Paste Paste the rundown item from the clipboard.
Delete Delete the selected rundown item.
Control Menu
Connect renderer(s) Connect all defined render and video channels.

For more information, see “Previewing and Airing Items” on page 75.
Load all Load all scenes used by items present in the current rundown.
Unload all Unload all scenes used by items present in the current rundown.
Load clips of Load all clips referenced by the selected rundown items.
selected items
18
Unload clips of Unload all clips referenced by the selected rundown items.
selected items
Cue Execute the timeline Cue track.

For more information, see “Playback Control” on page 78.
Take Execute the first timeline Take track.

Out Execute the timeline Out track.

Preview Play animations to the RE window.

Vslot + Set the next Vslot in the list of defined Vslots (see “Virtual Slots” on
page 142).
n Virtual Slots are like visual layers (in the preview or on-air).
Different scenes can be played to different Vslots. The result would
be one scene appearing superimposed upon another, or one scene
loaded in the ‘background’ waiting for a scene in the ‘foreground’
to play out. You can define up to 256 Vslots. 0 is the back layer, and
255 is the front layer.
Vslot - Set the previous Vslot in the list of defined Vslots.
Move focus to Move the cursor to the Page selector.

UniqueID field
Take output Open the Take output snapshot dialog box and select the image source,
snapshot storage location, and format.
In the PageEditor layout, save the current frame as a background for the
current page.
In the Playout layout, save a snapshot for external use.
Active Mode Toggle this option to switch between the Active and Passive modes.
In the Active mode, Maestro | News receives commands from automation
devices, and sends commands to RenderEngine and channel status updates
to the controlling device.
In the Passive mode, Maestro | News receives commands from automation
devices, but does not send commands to RenderEngine or send channel
status updates.
Customize Menu
Field Description
Settings Open the Preferences dialog box.

For more information, see “Customizing” on page 100.
19
Field Description
Layout Lock - lock the current layout to prevent floating, moving, or closing the
displayed panels. Resize is still available.
(Selected options are marked with
) Auto save - when this option is selected, changes to the current layout are
saved automatically as the current layout. When this option is cleared,
changes to layout must be saved manually in order to retain them when
Maestro | News is next opened.
Save current - open the Save layout dialog box to save the current layout
using the current name, or create a new layout with a new name.
Remove - open the Remove layout dialog box to select a saved layout for
removal.
Toolbar
Additional controls that don’t appear in the menus are available in the toolbar.
New Create a new rundown.
Open Open an existing rundown.
Save Save the current rundown.
Cut Cut an element (story or item).
Copy Copy an element (story or item).
Paste Paste an element (story or item).
Delete Delete an element (story or item).
Start Log Opens the Log Viewer dialog box to view the contents of any log file.
20
Connect all Connect/disconnect all defined renderers.
Load all Load all scenes referred by items in an open rundown.
Unload all Unload all scenes referred by items in an open rundown.
Clear Instantly clears all output being broadcast on all channels, and recalls the
mute preset set in the preferences.
Load clips Loads the video clips used by the selected rundown items to the available
caches (set in the HDVG Control Panel / Maestro | Engine Manager), so
that they are ready to be played.
Unload clips Unloads the video clips used by the selected rundown items from their
cache, to free the cache.
Take output Open the Take output snapshot dialog box and select the image source,
snapshot storage location, and format.
In the PageEditor layout, save the current frame as a background for the
current page.
In the Playout layout, save a snapshot for external use.
Connect Connect/disconnect all defined automation systems.

Automation
Devices
Update Playlist Update the current rundown, with all data (applies only to imported
playlists from .lst or .xml files).
Data Query Refresh Refresh data in all database queries used in the open playlists.
For more information, see “Using Queries” on page 97.
Passive mode Activate Passive Mode.

In Passive mode, Maestro | News receives commands from automation
devices, but does not send commands to RenderEngine or send channel
status updates. (See also “Miscellaneous” on page 120.)
21
Asset Browser Show/hide the Asset browser.

For more information, see “The Asset Browser” on page 79.
Timeline Show/hide the Timeline.

For more information, see “Timeline” on page 48.
Browser Show/hide the Browser.

For more information, see “Using the Browser” on page 69.
Data Sources Show/hide the Data Sources tab.

For more information, see “Data Sources” on page 86.
Control Show/hide the Control panel.

PageEditor Show/hide the PageEditor tab. (Available only when using a layout other
than the PageEditor layout.)
Rundowns Show/hide the Rundown area.

For more information, see “Rundown Area” on page 66.
Global parameters Show/hide the Global parameters tab.

For more information, see “Global Parameters” on page 62.
Macros Show/hide the Macros panel for creating controls (using scripts or a
wizard) to trigger sets of commands.
PGM manager Show/hide the PGM manager tab to show the status of the scenes and clips
that are loaded on the defined channels.
Metadata Show/hide the Metadata tab.

For more information, see “Adding Metadata” on page 200.
Scene Editor Show/hide the Scene Editor list.

For more information, see “Scene Editor” on page 186.
22
VE manager Show/hide the VE manager to show the status of loaded and playing clips
and images.
Local RE window Show/hide the local RE window.
23
3 Page Creation
Maestro | News uses the Maestro | Designer scenes as a basis for the graphics it broadcasts during a
production. Data entry templates (pages) use scene graphics, and allow modification of elements
marked as exports in Maestro | Designer.
In this section:
• The PageEditor Layout
• Creating Pages
• Placing Exports in a Page
• Filtering Controls and Content
• Saving/ Loading a Page
• Triggering Events
• Global Parameters
• World Mapper Plugin
The PageEditor Layout

Maestro | News has a predefined PageEditor layout, convenient for creating pages. This layout can be
changed as required, or new layouts can be created for your convenience. (For more information, see
“Customizing the GUI” on page 17.)
n PageEditor can be opened as a standalone application from the Start menu.

To work in the PageEditor layout:
t Click the PageEditor tab in the upper right corner.
The PageEditor layout displays modules that are especially important for setting up a page:
• The Workspace – where you can set up pages visually, set page properties, and view scene
elements. This is where the PageEditor toolbar is located.
• The Timeline (tab) – is where you set the animation sequence in a page, when to update data, run
a script, and all other graphic actions. For more information, see “Timeline” on page 48.
• The Data Sources tab – where you can create queries, and assign them to parameters in a page.
For more information, see “Data Sources” on page 86.
The PageEditor Workspace

The PageEditor workspace is where a page template is displayed, together with its properties and the
elements used in the scene that it is based on (exports, animations, etc.).
At the top of the PageEditor workspace is a toolbar dedicated to the PageEditor.
New Select a scene from which to make a new page, from a browser window.
Open Open an existing page, from a browser window or click the arrow to see a
list of recently opened pages.
Save Open a browser window to save the current page or click the arrow to save
with a different name or save all open pages.
Cue Execute the Cue track in the timeline.
Take Number The amount of ‘takes’ defined for the page, and the current position.
(field)
Take Play the current take in the RE window.
Play all Play all takes that appear in the linear timeline in the RE window.
For more information, see “Linear Timeline” on page 55.
Out Execute all events in the Out track, in the RE window.
25
Undo Undo last action.
Redo Redo last action.
Copy Copy a control.
Paste Paste a control.
Cut Cut a control.
Delete Delete a control.
Spell check Check spelling in all text fields in the page, that are not connected to data
sources.
Tab ordering Show tab ordering (the order of filling controls inside the item), so that
when you press TAB (or when an automation system fills in items), the
next control according to this order, is selected. Press SHIFT+TAB to
select the previous control.
Show control names Show labels for all controls, displaying the name of the control.
Show invisible Show controls set as invisible in the page.

controls
Snapshot Take snapshot of RE window to use as page background.
26
Alignment Use to align all selected controls in the page (CTRL+click to select
multiple controls);
Align right
Align left
Align top
Align bottom
Align to horizontal center
Align to vertical center
Unify control widths
Unify control heights
Arrange controls Use to arrange controls in a page as a table.
Control order Bring to front or Send to back
Creating Pages
To create a page, you must first select a Maestro | Designer scene containing the graphics and object
exports that you want to use.
When selecting a scene, you begin to build a page to use for airing graphics. You can take a snapshot
of a scene, a single frame from a scene that is used as a background for your page, or use any image
as a background, to represent the scene.
The main functions performed in the PageEditor are:

• Building timeline event sequences for the page.
• Specifying the export elements (data entry fields) that you want to include in the page.
• Defining links to data sources.
Data entered in the PageEditor is the default data shown when the page is loaded in Maestro | News
Controller and other Maestro | News suite applications and plug-ins.
27
To create a page:
1. Select New in the PageEditor toolbar.
2. The Select Scene dialog box opens:
3. Select the scene that you want to create a page for, and click OK.
The scene is loaded to the RE window. In the work area, an empty data page for this scene is
created.
4. If you want to set a background for the page from the RE window, in the toolbar, click
Snapshot .
The snapshot appears as the background of your page.
n Snapshots can only be taken when the local RE window is open. Most scenes start with a blank
screen, so if you take a snapshot as soon as the scene is loaded, you will have a black background. In
most cases you need to play the timeline animations, and then take a snapshot.
28
SubPages
You can save a single page with different variations or a group of different pages for greater
versatility. The subpage that is saved as the active tab will be the page that is sent to air. Subpages can
be based on the same scene, a different scene, or page.
To create a subpage:
1. Click the arrow to open the list next to the page tab.
2. Select the required option from the list:
Field Description
Add empty page Add an empty page from the current scene.
Add empty page from Open a browser window to add an empty page from any scene.
scene...
Add and copy from... Add and copy a page from one of the current page tabs.
Import from asset... Add and copy a page from any scene.
A new page tab is added, and saved with the page tabs. The selected/active tab is the subpage
that will be broadcast when the page is aired.
29
Placing Exports in a Page
Exports in a scene are made editable by adding their controls to a page so that you can edit their
content during a broadcast. Any export created in a Maestro | Designer scene is available as a control
in Maestro | News. The available exports are listed in the workspace in the Scene tab, and control
types are listed in the Controls tab.
CTRL + click allows you to drag and drop multiple exports. The table tool can be used to create an
array of exports according to your specifications (see “Arranging Controls in a Page” on page 33).
Most of the properties in the Properties window can be applied to more than one control (including,
for example, Size). For more information, see “Control Properties” on page 36.
Clicking on the background of the page displays page properties. Setting these parameters is
important when setting up a page. For more information, see “Page Properties” on page 34.
To add a linked export control to the page:

1. Find the export in the Scene tab, and drag it to the page in the workspace.
A list of control types is displayed.
2. Select the appropriate option.
Field Description
Label Add a label without input options.
Single Line Text Add a standard text input box. The text in PageEditor is the default text that appears
in all Maestro | News-related applications.
Link this text input box to a database query, for automatic data retrieval.
Multi Line Text Add a text input box that allows carriage returns. Can be linked to exports that
require a carriage return (SHIFT+ENTER).
Decorated text Pastes a text input box that allows you to format different parts of the text. In Play
mode, formatting options are available above the text box, that can be used.
These formatting options are available later in the export seen on the Maestro | News
Controller.
(The export in Maestro | Designer must have the Use Style Modifier option
enabled.).
30
Field Description
Drop down list Add a drop-down list from which to choose items. List items can be added manually
or from a data source. Each list item has a label that the user sees in the list, and a
value that is the text that will be aired or a path that calls a file. See also “To add
events to a track:” on page 50.
To populate the list manually:
1. Drag and drop an export as a drop-down list.
2. Under Properties click ... to open the Items dialog box.
3. Enter and item label and value.
To add items, click +.
4. Click OK.
To add items from a data source:
1. Open the Data Sources tab, and drag the required query to the export.
2. Under Properties, select a value for the CurrentItemIndex and click OK.
The items now appear in the drop-down list.
Array value Add an array value control. It allows to set data into a single dimension array. Array
controls can store two types of data: textual and float. Data can be added, deleted
and moved up and down, one by one, using the control's toolbar visible when the
control is focused.
Image selector Add a button to open a file browser. Browser buttons allow you to change textures
that have been assigned to scene elements, such as team logos, correspondent’s
photos, etc. For more information, see The “The Image Browser” on page 83.
Clip selector Open a browser window to select a clip. The clip browser allows you to preview,
manage, and search for clips in the system or a connected MAM system.
The folder set in PageEditor is the default folder that is displayed.
For more information, see “The Clip Browser” on page 85.
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Field Description
Media selector Add a media selector control. Clicking on the control opens a Media Selector dialog
window, which allows to:
• select media file: clip, image or image sequence from the file system, Video
Engine database or connected MAMs,
• set in/out points,
• set loop in/out points,
• set loop counter,
• set output,
• preview media.
Boolean value Add a check box that acts as an on/off switch. A check box can be linked to exports
from a scene, such as video on/off, tracking on/off, object show/hide, to provide
simple controls for scene attributes.
Integer value Add a text input box for integers only.

Value constraints can be edited under Properties. The GuiType property allows you
to set the control style: spinbox, horizontal slider, or vertical slider.
Double value Add a text input box for decimal numbers only.
Value constraints can be edited under Properties. The GuiType property allows you
to set the control style: spinbox, horizontal slider, or vertical slider.
Date selector Add a text box containing the current date. The default date or date format can be
edited under Properties.
Time selector Add a text box containing the current time (time format: hh:mm:ss. This control is
not updated). The default time or time format can be edited under Properties.
Timecode selector Add a text box containing the current time (time format: hh:mm:ss:ff. This control is
not updated). The default time or time format can be edited under Properties.
This control is intended to be connected to the 'Wait time' event in timeline. The
value of this control affects the timing between events in the timeline. (Maestro |
News 5.X legacy).
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Field Description
Run Script Add a control to execute a page script that is connected to this control.
WNM clip selector Open the World Mapper plugin to use WM templates. This option is available when
the World Mapper application is installed and working in server-client mode. For
more information, see “World Mapper Plugin” on page 62.
3. Right-click the page background to display a context menu and set the following:
Field Description
Fit in View Scale the page to fit the browser window.
Channels Define the default output channel(s) of the page. This can be changed.
Vslot Define the default Vslot on which a page will be run. This can be changed later.
Arranging Controls in a Page

In PageEditor, you can arrange the controls in a page, as required, using the Arrange controls
tool.
To arrange controls as a table:

1. In the page, select the controls that you want to arrange.
2. Click in the PageEditor toolbar.
The Arrange parameters window is displayed.
3. Double-click the Value column to set the following:
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Field Description
Table position Set the position of the top left corner of the table from the top and left edges of the
page.
Table size Set the table size, regardless of the size of the controls to be included.
Rows, columns Set the number of rows and columns in the table.
Fill order Set the order in which the controls will be arranged in the table.
Start from Set the starting point for the order of the controls.
Control size Set the size of each control in the table.
4. Click Apply.
The controls are arranged as specified.
Page Properties
You can set various properties for a page in the Properties window. Use the Filter field to filter
properties by name or type.
To set page properties:

t Select the property in the Properties window, and set its value as required:
Field Description
Name Page name.
Size Page size.
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Field Description
Project The Maestro | Designer project to which the page belongs.
Scene The Maestro | Designer scene on which to base the page.
Unique ID The unique identifier of the page in Maestro | News.
Background color The background color of the page.
Background image path The name of the image file used as the page background.
Vslot The Vslot on which the page is displayed by default.
Channels The channel(s) to which the page is played by default.
Audio preset The audio preset number from the audio preset file.
Show control names Show the control names as labels in the page.
Time Scaling Policy Choose the time scaling options when the track duration in the Timeline is changed.
You can select between default (the start point of all items remains unaltered),
stretch (the position of the last element is adjusted to end at the same point as the
new track duration), scaling (the start point of all items is scaled accordingly to the
new track duration). To find out how to change the duration of a track, see “To
specify a track duration:” on page 54
To enable the time scaling policy, make sure that the Item duration property is
unlocked (the square button is green as illustrated below).
Item duration Duration of all takes in the page, as set up in the linear timeline. For more
information, see “Linear Timeline” on page 55.
Item default color The background color of items based on this page when added to a rundown.
TakeCount Number of takes in the timeline. When this is set to Auto, the number of takes is
equal to the number of take tracks. You can set this manually, to reflect the actual
number of takes for instances when takes are conditional.
Transition The default page transition effect that is used in the rundown. For more information
on transition effects, see “Animating Transitions Between Rundown Items” on
page 73 and “Virtual Slots” on page 142.
Scripts Page scripts are triggered when a defined condition occurs in a page. (I.e., the page
is saved, or a given tab is selected).
On SubpageSelected - script is executed when a specific subtitle that is connected
to the script is selected.
OnSave - script is executed when an item based on this page is created.
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Control Properties
Different export controls can have different properties. The common properties are described in the
first table, and specific properties in subsequent tables.
To set control properties:

t Select the property in the Properties window (with the relevant control selected), and set its value
as required:
Field Description
Name Control name.
Position Position of the control in the page.
Size Control size.
Visible Show/hide the control.
Read only Lock/unlock the control for editing.
Use in item title Use control content in item title. (Enable page parameters in item’s title must be
selected, see “Miscellaneous” on page 120.).
Layout direction Left to right or Right to left settings.
Scripts OnDataChanged - run the selected script when the data of the control is changed
(all control types).
Run Script - run the selected script when the Run script control is activated (Run
script controls).
Specific controls have their own set of properties. All available properties are listed in the
following sections.
Additional Properties
Label
Field Description
Font Set the text font (all types except Script controls).
TextColor Set the text color.
BackgroundColor Set the background color.
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Field Description
TextAlignment Set the text alignment.
Case Set the case for text entry; mixed, upper-case, lower-case, or title-case.
Data Set the content of the control.
Single Line Text
Field Description
InputMask Limits the format in which text can be entered in a line text control, as follows (for
Single line text controls):
• A – ASCII alphabetic character required. A-Z, a-z.
• a – ASCII alphabetic character permitted but not required.
• N – ASCII alphanumeric character required. A-Z, a-z, 0-9.
• n – ASCII alphanumeric character permitted but not required.
• X – Any character required.
• x – Any character permitted but not required.
• 9 – ASCII digit required. 0-9.
• 0 – ASCII digit permitted but not required.
• D – ASCII digit required. 1-9.
• d – ASCII digit permitted but not required (1-9).
• # – ASCII digit or plus/minus sign permitted but not required.
• > – All alphabetic characters following > are uppercase.< All alphabetic
characters following < are lowercase.
• ! – Switches off case conversion.
• \ – Use \ to escape the special characters listed above to use them as separators.
TextMaxLength Set maximum character length for text field. This setting is ignored if an input mask
is defined.
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Field Description
Multi Line Text
Field Description
TextMaxLength Set maximum character length for text field. This setting is ignored if an input mask
is defined.
ConvertLineBreaks Set whether or not to convert line breaks (from the data) in the text item.
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Decorated Text
Field Description
Drop down List
Field Description
GuiType Set the type of control that you want to display: drop down list, list box, or radio
buttons.
Font Set the text font.
CurrentItemIndex Set the currently displayed item.
Items Open a dialog box to display the available items in a drop-down list, and add or
delete items, as required.
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Field Description
AllowInsert Allow or block adding items.
Spacing [Radio Buttons] Set the spacing between the radio buttons.
Orientation [Radio Buttons] Set the orientation of the radio buttons: horizontal or vertical.
Array Value
Field Description
ArrayDataType Set the internal type of data stored into the array control. Changing the type
automatically converts values from text to float and vice versa.
The same conversion is performed when you set a text array into float array control
or a float array into a text array control (for example using timeline/control scripts).
Orientation Set how array value control items are to be displayed: one above another or one next
to another.
Alignment Set the alignment of array values: left, right, center or justified.
FixedSize When set to True, an array control does not allow to add/delete items (Add, Delete
buttons are hidden). Data set by a script or a query will be cut or extended according
to the current number of elements in the control.
ItemWidth Define the width of an array value item. When Orientation = Vertical, the ItemWidth
parameter is automatically set to control width and cannot be changed manually.
ItemHeight Define the height of an array value item. When Orientation = Horizontal, the
ItemHeight parameter is automatically set to the control height and cannot be
changed manually.
FloatMaximalValue Set the maximal value of an item when ArrayDataType = Float. When data is set by
a script or a query and item value > FloatMaximalValue, then the value stored in the
control is set to FloatMaximalValue.
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Field Description
FloatMinimalValue Set the minimal value of an item when ArrayDataType = Float. When data is set by
a script or a query and item value < FloatMinimalValue, then value stored inside the
control is set to FloatMinimalValue.
FloatPrecision Set the float number precision of an item when ArrayDataType = Float.
Image Selector
Field Description
SearchDirectory Set the default folder to search for files.
Aspect Set the aspect ratio of an image. X:Y=displayed value.
CropSize Set the size of the cropped image.
Clip Selector
Field Description
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Field Description
SearchDirectory Set the default folder to search for files.
LoopCount Set the number of times a clip is played.
Video Set the video to play (true) or not to play (false).
AlphaChannel Enable or disable the alpha channel.
Interlaced Enable or disable interlacing.
ReversedPolarity Enable or disable reversed polarity.
Audio Set the audio to play (true) or not to play (false).
Media Selector
Field Description
InPoint Set the IN point of the clip.
OutPoint Set the OUT point of the clip.
LoopNumber Set the number of times a clip is played.
LoopInPoint Set the loop IN point.
LoopOutPoint Set the loop OUT point.
Output Select the output to play the clip.
ImageSequence Use the image as sequence (true or false).
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Boolean Value
Field Description
Text Set the check box label text.
Data Set whether the check box should be selected (true) or unchecked (false).
Integer Value
Field Description
GuiType Set the type of control that you want to display for setting a numeric value: spin box,
horizontal slider, or vertical slider
MaximalValue Set the maximal value allowed.
MinimalValue Set the minimal value allowed.
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Double Value
Field Description
GuiType Set the type of control that you want to display for setting a numeric value: spin box,
horizontal slider, or vertical slider
MaximalValue Set the maximal value allowed.
MinimalValue Set the minimal value allowed.
Precision Set the number of decimal digits.
DefaultValue Set the default value for the control.
Data Set the current content of the control.
Date Selector
Field Description
DateOrder Select the order of the elements for displaying a date.
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Field Description
DateFormat Select the date format; ISO, long, or short.
DateSeparator Set the character to use as a separator for the date elements.
Time Selector
Field Description
Time Set the time in the 24-hour time format, regardless of the data format.
TimeFormat Select the time format.
TimeSeparator Set the character to use as a separator for the time elements.
DataFormat Select the type of time selector to use; time, minutes, seconds, frames, etc.
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Timecode Selector
Field Description
Data Set the current value of the control.
Run Script
Field Description
46
WorldNewsMapper Selector
Field Description
WorldNewsMapperPath Set the WNM project to use.
LoopCount Set the number of times a clip is played.
Video Set the video to play (true) or not to play (false).
AlphaChannel Enable or disable the alpha channel.
Interlaced Enable or disable interlacing.
ReversedPolarity Enable or disable reversed polarity.
Audio Set the audio to play (true) or not to play (false).
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Timeline
The Timeline tab displays the tracks you define for your page, and the events in each track.
Tracks are executed according to their type, triggered by an action or by defined conditions for
execution. Set conditions for track execution by selecting the track and using the wizard or script
editor in the Event property window to set the condition. For more information, see “M6 Scripting
API” on page 215.
To add a track:
1. Click .
A Take track is added to the timeline.
2. Click the arrow in the new track to open a list of track types.
3. Change the track type, if required, according to the types described below:
Take All events in this track are executed when you play an item. (Multiple take
tracks can be added to the page.)
In the Event property window, you can set the take number. (By default,
numbers are assigned automatically according to the order of the tracks in
the timeline, and the numbers change if a track’s position in the timeline
changes.)
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Cue All events in this track are executed when you cue an item.
Out All events in this track are executed when you play an item’s out sequence.
Callback tracks, executed when a page is on-air and its defining condition is true:
Animation started When the animation defined in the Event property window is started, the
events in this track are executed.
Animation finished When the animation defined in the Event property window is finished,
the events in this track are executed.
Animation paused When the animation defined in the Event property window is paused, the
events in this track are executed.
Animation resumed When the animation defined in the Event property window is resumed
(after a pause), the events in this track are executed.
Ticker: item needed When the ticker that is currently running does not have any more items to
display, it informs the controller so it sends new content. This track type is
created automatically when you use the ticker plug-in to create a ticker or
it can be added manually to define an action to perform when ticker data is
played out.
In the Event property window, define the ticker name. If required, set the
data index to send a callback according to the number of cell specified
here.
Ticker: item left When each individual ticker item leaves the ticker, events in this track are
executed.
Ticker: Fixed time When a ticker defined in the Event property window is started, the events
mode initialized in this track are executed.
Slot: signal received When a signal, defined in the Event property window, is received, the
events in this track are executed. For more information, see “Triggering
Events with Signals” on page 57.
Clip status changed When the status of a clip is changed to the status specified in the Event
property window (CLIP_CB_TYPE), the events in this track are
executed. For more information, see “Using Clip Status as a Trigger” on
page 58.
External When an interactive object is activated as specified in the Event property

manipulations window, the events in this track are executed.
For more information, see “Triggering Events with Interactive Controls”
on page 58.
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RE clip status When the status of the clip specified in the Event property window has
changed been changed, the events in this track are executed.
Exposer value When the status of an exposer specified in the Event property window
changed has been changed, the events in this track are executed.
Exposer value got This callback provides a response to the Get exposer value event. In the
Event property window, specify the exposer name to filter changes only
for that specific exposer.
To add events to a track:

t To each track, you can drag different Events.
Timeline elements can be resized by dragging the corners of the track labels or the linear timeline
separator.
Each type has properties that must be defined in the Event property window in the Timeline
tab:
DATA
Send Export Update the export data.

In the Event property window, select or clear the exports to be updated, as
required. (Use the Export name field to find exports quickly.)
When an event is selected (under Use), double click any parameter (except the
Name) to edit; if the data is taken from a data source, you can set the displayed
value, and switch to the next field in the data source by setting the iteration
interval.
Wait Time Wait before proceeding to the next item.

In the Event property window, define the wait duration or connect this event
to a timecode selector control.
Script Event Run a script, written in JScript. Must run the return true command in order for
the remaining timeline events to be executed.
You can use the Wizard to create a script. For more information, see
“Triggering Events with Interactive Controls” on page 58.
Signal event Signal Maestro | News to start a signal received-type track.

In the Event property window, define the name of the track to be executed.
For more information, see “Triggering Events with Signals” on page 57.
Send global Send a RenderEngine parameter (such as settings) dynamically. RenderEngine

export must be configured to receive data for a given parameter.
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Send array export Assign an array value to a specified scene export.

In the Event property window, select the scene export and choose the array
value to be assigned.
Get exposer value Send a request to RenderEngine asking for the current exposer value. The
response is delivered with an Exposer value got callback.
In the Event property window, select the exposer whose value is to be read.
ANIMATIONS
Start Play an animation group.

In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be played, as
required.
Stop Play an animation group.

In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be played, as
required.
Pause Pause an animation group.

In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be paused, as
required.
Resume Resume playing a paused animation group.

In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be resumed,
as required.
Break loop Stop a looped animation group when the current loop plays out.
In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be stopped, as
required.
Set Position Go to a defined frame in an animation.
Exposer value Rewind an animation group.

changed
In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be reset, as
required.
MASTER ANIMATION
Load Load the specified master animation.

In the Event property window, select or clear the animations to be loaded.
Play Play a master animation.

In the Event property window, select or clear the master animations to be
played, as required.
Stop Stop a master animation.

In the Event property window, select or clear the master animations to be
stopped, as required.
51
GoTo Go to a defined frame in a master animation.
SCENE
Load Load the specified scene. Scene is specified in the Event property window.
Activate Activate a scene with its default values.

An activated scene is visible in the output (but not played in the Play track).
Activate is not required for the scene used by the page, but it can be useful for
other scenes.
In the Event property window, you can set the VSlot and specify a different
scene.
Deactivate Clear the scene from the output (scene remains loaded).
Transition Set the transition type to use for this page when playing items to rundown.
TICKER
Start Start a ticker.

In the Event property window, select the ticker, the offset between ticker
items, and the ticker speed.
Stop Stop a ticker.

In the Event property window, select the ticker.
Pause Pause a ticker.

Resume Resume a paused ticker.

Send data Update ticker data.

In the Event property window, the ticker data to update.
Init fixed time Start a ticker with a fixed duration.

mode
In the Event property, set the duration of the ticker. The speed and offset are
calculated automatically.
CLIP
Load Clip Load the clip. Select the clips to load in the Event property window.
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Unload Clip Unload the clip. Select the clips to unload in the Event property window.
Unload All Clips Unload all loaded clips.
Control Clip
n This event type is a legacy from previous versions. In this version it is
recommended to use the Clip controller control type, instead.
Play a clip as required. Define the required command for a clip in the Event
property window. (Options are - Pause, Play, Pause and Cue, Cue and Play,
Rewind and Play, Pause and rewind, Rewind.)
Activate audio Specify an audio preset to activate (as defined in the audio presets file).
preset
CLIP RE CONTROL (dedicated to controlling the Media Selector)
Cue Clip Cue a clip. Select the clip and alpha to cue in the Event property window.
Play Clip Play a clip. Select the clip to play in the Event property window.
Stop Clip Stop a clip. Select the clip in the Event property window.
GoTo Clip Go to a specified position of a clip. In the Event property window, select the
clip and the position of that clip.
Pause Clip Pause a clip. In the Event property window, select the clip.
Break Loop Stop a looped clip. Select the clip in the Event property window.
KEYFRAME
Position Define a keyframe position for an object, to change its timing (available only
for key frames defined in the scene).
Value Define a keyframe value for an object to change its properties (available only
for key frames defined in the scene).
EXTERNAL DEVICE
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Command Line Use a Windows-type command line to run programs from Maestro | News.
SMH Device Send events and parameters to a Social Media Hub server.
Maestro | TX Send parameters to a Maestro | TX system previously configured in the

Device settings.
GPI Device Activate a GPI output (in a previously defined GPI device) to send a signal to
an external device. The device must be defined in preferences.
OTHER
Telestrator Draw on a screen interactively. Here you can select the telestrator type.
Transformation Use this tool to set specific coordinates when an interactive object for zoom is
created in a scene. (Anna)
Interaction Set interactive elements in the scene to be activated.from this event you can set
specific device, if needed get callback from different iPads.
To specify a track duration:

1. When you add events to a track in the timeline, the duration of the track is calculated
automatically and can be checked in the Event property window. Click on the track icon to
view it.
2. If you want to change the duration of the track, unlock the Duration parameter by clicking on
the red square button. Once it becomes green, you change the duration value by adding an offset.
The offset value is stored, so once you add more events (such as Wait time), the offset time will
be added to the complete duration.
3. To go back to the automatic calculation of the duration without the offset, just lock the Duration
parameter again.
54
Linear Timeline
At the bottom of the timeline tab is a linear timeline that, by default, displays all the tracks in the
[visual] timeline in chronological order. The linear timeline can be edited to include only certain
tracks for previewing or working in NLE or NRCS (where scripts cannot be executed), can be seen in
the PVW channel, and can set timing. The linear timeline is used to preview items when defined.
To edit the linear timeline:

t Right-click and reset.
All Take tracks are added, and you can rearrange the tracks, move the cursor to adjust time, and set
the frame to use when Single image preview is enabled (see “PGM & PRV” on page 124). You can
also drag any element from the visual timeline to the linear timeline. Tracks can be added manually
by dragging from the main timeline.
Setting Page Behavior in the Timeline

Define the sequence in which animations and other actions are played and executed by adding them
to the timeline.
To set how an animation plays:

1. Choose an animation group or any scene object from the Scene tab.
2. Drag it to the timeline.
The event is placed in the timeline. For more information on using the timeline, see “Timeline”
on page 48.
Define the required Event Properties.
3. Select additional events, as required.
4. When your sequence is complete, click Take in the PageEditor toolbar to preview, or save
the page, and play the item from the Playout layout.
You can also connect to a remote rendering host, and preview the page using Remote Preview.
55
Filtering Controls and Content
Controls in a page can be filtered to allow selection of controls by type (or free text).
To filter controls or content:

1. In PageEditor, open the PagePage tab.
2. Click the arrow next to None to display a list of control types,

Or-
In the Filter field, type in a text string to search for.
The relevant search results are displayed.
Saving/ Loading a Page

After editing a page, you must save the page so that it can be loaded into Maestro | News Controller
for airing and accessible from Maestro | News modules (NRCS or NLE).
To save a page:
t Click Save in the PageEditor toolbar.
The arrow by the Save icon opens a context menu allowing you to Save the current page, Save
As..., or Save All open pages.
56
To load an existing page:
1. Click Open in the PageEditor toolbar.
The Open Page dialog box opens.
2. Choose the folder and page you want to open.

3. Click OK.
Triggering Events
Events can be triggered in a number of ways:
• Triggering Events with Signals on page 56
• Triggering Events with Interactive Controls on page 56
• Using Clip Status as a Trigger on page 57
Triggering Events with Signals

Signals allow you to use basic internal logic without the need for programming syntax.
Using a signal event, you can trigger any track in a page. A signal track is played when a signal of
that name has been received, only if the item is on-air. If the signal has the direct option enabled, the
signal can be triggered off-air, as well.
To add a signal to be sent:

1. Add a Signal event to an appropriate track in the timeline, as described in “Timeline” on
page 48.
2. In the Event properties, assign a name to the signal event.what is value for? other parameters?
The signal is sent when its track is played, and any Slot:signal received track with the same name
is executed.
You can assign a name and value to the event to allow triggering of other events according to the
value and name.
57
To add a Slot:signal received track:
1. Add a Slot:signal received track in the timeline, as described in “Timeline” on page 48.
2. In the Event properties, fill in the signal name under Name.
All events placed in this track are played when the matching signal event is played.
Triggering Events with Interactive Controls

Interactive, touch-screen manipulated controls can be used for triggering actions during a production.
In order for an object to be interactive, it must be defined as such in the Maestro | Designer scene. In
Maestro | News, you must define the type of manipulation, and the required result in the Timeline.
To set object interactivity:

1. Add an External Manipulation type track to the timeline. (See “Timeline” on page 48.)
2. In the Event properties, double-click the TYPE parameter value to open the list, and select an
option:
Field Description
Tap Tap the object (node) to trigger the events in the current track.
Drag begin Begin dragging the object (node) to trigger the events in the current track.
Drag update Drag the object (node) to trigger the events in the current track.
Drag end Release the dragged object (node) to trigger the events in the current track.
Hold begin Begin holding the object (node) to trigger the events in the current track.
Hold update Hold the object (node) to trigger the events in the current track.
Hold end Release the held object (node) to trigger the events in the current track.
Start free manipulation Begin any manipulation of the object (node) to trigger the events in the current track.
End free manipulation Release the manipulated object (node) to trigger the events in the current track.
3. In the Event properties double-click the NODE_NAME parameter value to set the object to use
as the trigger.
Using Clip Status as a Trigger

Maestro | News can use clip status to trigger events in a timeline track. This can be used for various
purposes when a clip status is changed to: Cuing, Cued, Paused, Playing, Error, Unloaded, Invalid.
To create a clip status track:

1. Add a Clip status changed type track to the timeline. (See “Timeline” on page 48.)
2. In the Event properties, double-click the CLIP_PATH parameter value to open the list, and
select a clip.
3. In the Event properties, double-click the CLIP_CB_TYPE parameter value to open the list,
and select the status that will trigger the events in the track.
58
Writing Basic Scripts
Maestro | News allows you to use Java scripts for more complex operations. Maestro | News provides
both a script assistant and wizard for easier script creation, and a built-in syntax checker. Scripts can
be added to a track in the timeline using a script event, or added for a page or a control in the Script
Editor from scratch, if you are proficient in Java script. For more information, see “M6 Scripting
API” on page 215.
Timeline Scripts
To add a script to a timeline track for execution:

1. Add a script event to an appropriate track in the timeline, as described in “Timeline” on page 48.
2. In the Event property window, use the wizard to compose a script (in the Wizard tab) or enter
the script code in the Script tab.
Using the Script Wizard and Script Tab
When you select a script event in the timeline, the relevant tabs are displayed in the Event property
window. In the Wizard tab, compose a script as described below. Once you click on Copy to script,
the code appears in the Script tab. You can also use the Script without the wizard to define your own
variables, functions or objects. Any syntax errors will be highlighted and you can also take advantage
of the auto-complete list, which appears when you press Ctrl+D on your keyboard.
To write a script using the wizard:

1. Click to add a new line.
2. In the new line, double-click the Action column to allow you to display a list of commands that
you can use in the script.
3. Select the required command:
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Command Description
Undefined No action (default).
Take item Play a rundown item defined by a unique ID.
Out item Play the out track of an item defined by a unique ID.
Cue item Cue a rundown item defined by a unique ID.
Load item Load a rundown item defined by a unique ID.
Unload item Unload a rundown item defined by a unique ID.
Send event Unload a rundown item defined by a unique ID.
Send event direct Add a signal event that is executed even for unactivated items.
Set playlist variable Create a rundown variable with a set name and value.
Set app variable Create an application variable with a set name and value.
4. Double-click the Parameters column to reference the required item.

5. Click Copy to script.
The script is now in the timeline, and is coded in the Script tab.
Script Editor - Coding Scripts for Pages or Controls
Right-click the Page Editor toolbar and select Script editor to show or hide the Script editor window.
The script editor allows you to write executable scripts for pages or controls in Javascript, with
different event types.
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To write a script for a control:
1. In the Scripts tab, select Control scripts.
An empty script is displayed in the Script editor.
To edit an existing script, select one of the nested scripts.
2. Select the Event type:
Event Type Description
OnDataChanged The script is executed when the data of the connected control is changed.
RunScript The script is executed when the connected Run Script control is activated.
3. Type in your code as required.

Press F5 to check your syntax.
4. When your script is finished, Name it, and click Save script.
The script is listed in the Scripts tab under Control scripts.
5. Select the control to connect to the script.
6. Under Properties, select the script event type, and set the required script.
This connects the script to the control.
7. Click Execute script to test the script.
To write a script for a page:

1. In the Scripts tab, select Page scripts.
An empty script is displayed in the Script editor.
To edit an existing script, select one of the nested scripts.
2. Select the Event type:
Event Type Description
OnSave The script is executed when the page is saved.
OnSubPage The script is executed when a subpage of the current page is selected.
Selected
3. Type in your code as required.

Maestro | News displays a list of relevant commands for pages when you type page. Press F5 to
check your syntax.
4. When your script is finished, Name it, and click Save script.
The script is listed in the Scripts tab under Page scripts.
5. Select the page to connect to the script.
6. Under Properties, select the script event type, and set the required script.
7. Click Execute script to test the script.
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Global Parameters
Global parameters are user-defined parameters that can be used for a production, together with other
commands. Global parameters are given a value that can be used by a script or set by a script, as
required.
You can define two types of global parameters; integer and string. (In Java scripts there is no need to
define the type.)
In the Global Parameters tab, when you click Add, you are asked to select integer or string.
World Mapper Plugin

The World Mapper plugin is used to create map-based clips for broadcast.
The World Mapper tool is based on high quality and resolution maps that come from Microsoft Bing,
Blue Marble Maps or Open Street Maps. Clips are used to show a location-based event, for example:
a road accident, a hurricane, a parade, etc.
The templates created in World Mapper are available in Maestro | News. The template that you select
is the starting frame of your clip, and you can set the target location (end frame) and other options.
Add a World Mapper (WNM clip selector) control to a page as described in “Placing Exports in a
Page” on page 30.
To create a World Mapper clip:

1. Double-click the WNM clip selector.
The following dialog box is displayed.
2. Select a template.
The template is opened in a new window.
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3. Use the mouse to drag the view to the required target location.
Or-
Search for the target location; click Add Location to open the Locations dialog box, type in
the required Location, and click Go.
4. Click Flight record to preview the clip.
5. Add labels and shapes as required; click Shapes or Free Objects to open a dialog box to
display a list of all graphic objects available in the clip.
6. Click Flight Target to save the selected target location.
7. Click Done to save the clip to the WNM control.
Plugin Options
Go Home Return to the main template selection window.
Add Location Open the Locations dialog box to search for a location and set the fill color
of the location (Add Shape) and the style of the location labels (Add
Item).
Flight target Set the current view as the target location (and last keyframe) of the clip.
Flight record Preview a low resolution version of the clip.
Done Close the current dialog box, create a high resolution clip, and assign it to
the control in Maestro | News.
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Free objects Select graphic objects (user-defined in the World Mapper) to add to the
clip.
Object to front Send a selected graphic object to the front layer.
Object to back Send a selected graphic object to the back layer.
Delete object Delete the selected graphic item.
Flight start Go to the first frame in the clip.
Flight end Go to the last frame in the clip.
Refresh map Refresh the map.
Properties Open a dialog box to display the clip properties.
Shapes Open a dialog box to display a list of all graphic shapes available in the
clip.
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4 Building a Rundown
This section explains how pages are used and edited for broadcast.
For any production, you create a rundown that contains the items that you want to display. The
rundown is subdivided as follows:
• Rundown – top element, usually the rundown is a playlist identified with a program (e.g.,
“News at 10”, “Closing Markets”, etc.). A rundown can contain both stories and play items.
Multiple rundowns can be open together. The terms ‘Rundown’ and ‘Playlist’ are used
interchangeably in Maestro | News.
For information on creating a rundown, see “Creating/Opening a Rundown” on page 65.
• Story (optional) – divides the rundown into logical sections. This element can be used if a show
naturally breaks into subsections. A story can only contain play items.
• Item – an instance of a page, an essential element of the rundown, identifies a graphical template
containing the data/animation/tickers/etc. to be displayed during production.
In this section:
• Creating/Opening a Rundown
• Stories
• Adding Rundown Items
• Assigning a Channel
• Previewing and Airing Items
• Playback Control
• The Asset Browser
• Working with Tickers
• The Image Browser
• The Clip Browser
Creating/Opening a Rundown
Before you load items, you must create a rundown. The rundown acts as a container for all the items
that you plan to load.
To create a new rundown:

t Select File > New.
A new rundown is created.
When you save this rundown, you are asked to name it.
To load a previously saved rundown:
1. Select File > Open.
The Open asset dialog box is displayed, with recently opened folders displayed.
n Playlists are stored in the “workspace” folder in the database. Playlists that were stored in “list”
mode in previous versions (Maestro | News 5.0 or earlier), must be converted to “folder” type
playlists.
2. Browse to the required rundown, and click OK.

The rundown is opened.
Rundown Area
The Rundown area is where you create and edit rundowns/playlists. Multiple rundowns can be
opened simultaneously, each in its own tab.
The column headings displayed in the Rundown area can be shown or hidden, depending on your
requirements. For more information, see “Customizing the Rundown View” on page 67.
The Rundown area toolbar contains the following buttons:
View mode Toggle the available display modes:

• List - display the rundown with all defined details.
• Thumbnail view - displays the content of the rundown as large
thumbnails with a representative item of the graphic, and other
information.
• Dual view - display both detailed list and thumbnails.
Rundown item Show/hide special items (with associated timeline) that are associated with
the rundown.
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Parameters Show/hide the parameters panel.
Hide all stories / Hide all stories in the Rundown area leaving only the items contained in
Hide empty stories the stories.
Click the arrow to enable the option to hide empty stories only (that is,
stories that don’t contain items). (Most commonly used with NRCS
integration and MOS rundowns.).
Channel filter Show/hide the items assigned on the selected channel.
Playlist Status Show/hide the playlist status panel.
Start Start scheduling to play all items in the rundown according to their start
and duration parameters.
Pause Pause the rundown run by the auto-scheduler.
Play in loop Apply continuous play (loop) to the rundown in the auto-scheduler.
Text Filter Filter the rundown view by items’ title and parameters.
n The CTRL+F keyboard shortcut can also be used to enter the text
filter.
Multiple rundowns can be open in the work area simultaneously, as tabs or thumbnails. Toggle View
mode in the rundown toolbar to switch between views.
Customizing the Rundown View

Customize the columns in the Rundown area by right-clicking the table header of the rundown view
(below the toolbar). You can choose to hide or display columns, and drag displayed columns to the
required location. Parameters in the these columns can be edited by double clicking. The following
columns can be displayed:
Column Description
VSlot The VSlot to which the rundown item is assigned.
Unique ID The Unique identifier assigned to the rundown item.
Chained Indicates if the start time of each rundown item is dependent on the start time and
duration of the previous rundown item, or if start times are absolute.
Start The start time of the rundown item from the start of the production.
Audio Preset The audio preset number from the audio preset file.
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Column Description
Transition The transition type that will be used when transitioning to the next rundown item.
Played Played status.
PVW Indicates if the item is assigned to the preview channel and if the scene is loaded to
the channel.
Stories
Stories divide the rundown into logical sections. This element can be used if a show naturally breaks
into subsections. A story can contain only play items.
To create a story:
1. Right-click in the rundown area.
A menu is displayed.
2. Select New > Story item.
The new story now appears in the rundown.
3. Press F2 to rename the story (type the name, then press ENTER).
Adding Rundown Items

After creating a rundown (see Creating/Opening a Rundown), you can load any page created in
PageEditor to the rundown.
To add an item to the rundown:

t From the Browser (see Using the Browser below):
Drag a page to the rundown.
A rundown item with default data and animation settings is created.
t From the Asset Browser:
Drag the required item from the Asset Browser to the Rundown.
t From a page (that is open in the Browser and has been changed):
Drag the Drag item button from the Browser to the rundown or press the INSERT key.
t From the popup menu (see “Editing Rundown Items” on page 72):
Right-click a rundown/story/item element and select New, and then select the required item type.
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Using the Browser
The Browser provides access to all of the pages created in PageEditor and other sources, such as
video items, tickers, and Maestro | Designer scenes.
Pages and folders can displayed as Thumbnail images or in detail view in the display options, with or
without search tools.
Double-click a page to open it, and enter data.
Double-click a folder to display its contents.
The tools available in the Page Browser toolbar are:
Graphics Display the Maestro | News asset directory, which contains the pages
saved in PageEditor.
VideoEngine Display all available video clips and images.
Tickers Display tickers available to Maestro | News and the ticker data window to
define ticker content.
Maestro | Designer Display all available Maestro | Designer scenes.
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Drag Item Drag and drop this icon into the rundown to add a Maestro | News page
with data changes, a ticker, Maestro | Designer scene as a rundown item.
Save as template Save the currently selected rundown item as the current template (page).
Up directory Moves the browser up one level in the directory.
Home directory Moves the browser to the root directory.
Spell check Check spelling for all controls that are not connected to data sources.
Metadata Display the assigned metadata of the selected asset.
Show Config bar Display a toolbar for defining Vslot, transition, and selected channels.
Show alpha assets Select a different Video engine item to act as the alpha channel for the
current Video engine item.
Video Item Options

Maestro | News provides a video engine for control of dedicated video playout channels. In the
Browser, select the Video item option to preview the video clips or images stored in the File system
(g:) or registered in the video engine database.
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You can use the VideoID information from the Command inventory to locate clips that were send to
the FastServe | Playout with STP.
Double-click any asset to display its preview and playout options.
Use the controls in the Preview window toolbar to navigate the clip:
Icon Description
Go to the previous frame.
Go to the next frame.
Rewind to the beginning of the clip.
Play the clip in the Preview window.
Pause the clip at the current frame in the Preview window.
Break loop, when part of the clip is looped.
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Icon Description
Display the alpha channel of the selected clip/image.
Mute the embedded audio in the Preview window.
Open the current frame as an image in the Image Editor and save as required. For
more information, see “The Image Browser” on page 83.
You can set the clip to play as is, or set various options to play the clip in the rundown, as follows:
Option Description
In/Out Mark the start and end points for the current clip. Click to mark the point from
which the clip starts to play, and click to mark the point at which the clip ends.
Loop Set Count to the number of times you want to repeat the clip or the defined section.
Set the start and end points of the defined section below by clicking .
Alpha Click Use embedded to use the alpha channel embedded in the selected image or
clip (as opposed to selecting an alpha channel from a different asset described in
“Show alpha assets” on page 70).
Image If using a graphics file sequence, select the first image to be displayed as the current
asset. Select Use as sequence to display all images with the same file names and
subsequent numbering in a sequence.
Click the icon to set the current frame in the preview as the thumbnail displayed in
the rundown.
Duration The current duration of the clip, from the default or set start point to the default or
set end point.
Position The current frame in the preview.
Editing Rundown Items

In the Browser, you can change the page data components used by an item:
• The content of Data Fields;
• Textures and Clips that need to be updated.
In the Browser, you can update both text and graphic exports in the page, but you cannot move, add,
or rearrange the labels themselves. If you want to do so, you must return to PageEditor and edit the
page there.
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Editing a play item will not alter the original page. Each item receives a unique ID that is displayed
in the rundown.
Data Fields
Depending on the control type added in PageEditor, you can edit the content of the controls in the
browser; select the displayed item in a drop-down list, the state of a check box, the text in a field, etc.
Textures
To apply a texture to a control in a scene:
1. Click the Select Image control that was added in PageEditor.
A Browser window opens.
For more information, see “The Image Browser” on page 83.
2. Select an image file to be used as the texture. You can select an image stored on your computer,
or one stored in the GMAM database, if relevant.
3. Click OK.
The texture is assigned to the exported object, scaled to fit the object to which it is mapped.
Animating Transitions Between Rundown Items

You can set an animated transition between rundown items, for example fade in/out, to add effects to
your graphics. Transitions are created in Maestro | Designer scenes. The scenes to be used must be
defined in the Preferences dialog box in the Transitions settings (see “Transitions” on page 140).
Transition scene should be in full frame.
There are three ways to set a transition between rundown items:
To set a transition in the Rundown window:

1. In the Rundown window, right-click the heading row.
A context menu is displayed.
2. Verify that Transition is selected to display a column showing the transitions set for each item.
3. Double-click the required transition and open the list to select one of the transitions defined
previously.
To set a transition in the timeline:

1. In a Take track, place a Transition event.
2. In the Event property, select the transition to use for this take.
To set a transition in the page properties:

t With the page open in PageEditor, double-click the Transition value in the Properties window,
and edit as required.
n Each item with a transition effect should be assigned to a different V-slot.
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Saving Rundown Items
After editing a page to be used as a rundown item, you have various options for saving your changes.
If you don’t save the item, its data is the same as other rundown items created from the same page.
Click Save to save the items with their new content, without replacing the original page.
n If the Automatically save changes for edited items option (in the Preferences) is selected, the save
option is disabled (See “Miscellaneous” on page 120).
If you want to save the original page with the new content, or with timeline modifications, use the
Save as template option.
Assigning a Channel
When an item is added to the rundown, an output channel should be assigned. Maestro | News
Controller can control up to sixteen channels. Define channels as described in “PGM & PRV” on
page 124.
To assign a channel to an item:

1. Right-click in the channel column of the item to which you want to assign a channel.
A menu opens.
2. Select Add to Channel.
3. Select the playback channel(s) to be used.
Each item can have a predefined channel assignment, and can be changed with shortcuts
(1,2,3,4...).
New items will be added to a rundown assigned to the default channels set in PageEditor.
Locking a Channel
Starting with version 2020.12, an option to lock selected channels has been added. The locked
channel will not be assigned to item on ADD (drag and drop) and MODIFY (add to channel / remove
from channel) actions.
To lock a channel:
t Click on the header of the channel you want to lock.
A key symbol appears next to the channel name .
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Previewing and Airing Items
After each item has been added to the rundown, preview the rundown and then make any required
changes to the items, before sending to air. Rundowns can be previewed on multiple preview
channels and aired to multiple program channels.
Even when the Scheduler is active, you can also change the position of your rundown items, remove
them or add new ones during the playout. A pointed item is the last Cued item on the playlist. If the
start time of a pointed item is changed, then the current playlist time is changed by the difference
between the previous start value and the current one. In the Play settings (Customize > Settings >
Play), you can set the Tolerance value, which represents the time interval when Maestro | News can
send a “play” action (default value is 40ms).
To preview the rundown:

1. Click Connect to connect renderer devices.
As each host connects, the status lights for each rendering host in the bottom right hand corner
changes. Green indicates that the host is connected, and Red indicates that the host is not
currently connected. For more information on connecting to preview devices, see “PGM &
PRV” on page 124.
Click the arrow next to each host alias to open a menu that allows you to connect or disconnect
from individual hosts.
Items are initially displayed as Not Loaded.

2. Click Load All to load all items in all open playlists. (or use CTRL+L.)
-Or-
Right-click the status indicator to load the specific item in the channel that you chose. (If
multiple items are selected, you can right-click and select Load Selected.)
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Each item in the rundown changes to READY when they are ready for use.
The status buttons are colored as follows (by default. This can be changed in the Miscellaneous
preferences.):
Color Description
Gray Neither graphics nor a clip is loaded.
Light Green Item is loading/unloading, or item is partially loaded. For example, graphics are
loaded but clips are not.
Green Item is loaded – graphics and clips are ready to play.
Orange Item is loaded, but MAM media is missing.
Red Click the icon to set the current frame in the preview as the thumbnail displayed in the
rundown.
Maroon Item has been played.
3. Once the items are loaded, play the items as follows:

t Press CTRL+SPACE to view playback on local preview.
t Press CTRL+ENTER to view playback on PGM channel only.
n To configure keyboard shortcuts, see Miscellaneous on page 121.
Additional status information is shown in the status bar in the lower left corner of the screen.
Gfx shows scene status, and Clip shows if the clips in the item are cached and ready. Color coding is
as described above.
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Media Validation Before Playout
We have added an option to validate your playlist items before playout. If an item cannot be loaded,
then Maestro | News will change the Duration value of this item to 0:00 (skip) and it will
automatically jump to the next item. When the scheduler is restarting, the Duration values of items
are changed to the previous (correct) value.You can activate this option in the Maestro | News
Preferences. Go to Customize > Settings > Play.
Media Type Indicators Displayed in the Maestro | News Rundown

Video item media types in the rundown are marked with different colors.
Color Description
Red Video.
Pink Image.
Yellow-Green Image sequence.
Green Media with alpha.
Yellow Media with configured loop count.
Blue Sub clip (IN OUT points).
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Playback Control
The Playback Control allows you to Preview, Cue, Take and play Out pages from the rundown.
Actions initiated with the Playback Control are for the currently active item only.
To display the Playback control:

t Click in the main toolbar to toggle the Playback Control.
To select a channel for an item:

t In the rundown list area, right-click in a channel column, select Add to Channel, and then select
the required channel. Channels can be assigned automatically to all default channels defined in
the settings window. Each page will then be added to these pre-assigned channels.
Cue Activate any Cue track in the timeline and its events.
(Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+O)
Current Take Display the total number of takes required to play an item and the current
Number status of the item, for example, 2/3 means that there are three “takes”, two
that have been already executed.
Show video’s first (Optional) Freeze the first frame of the video item on its playout channel(s)
frame output (clips / images), replacing any content that was active on this output
before.
To use this feature, go to Customize > Settings > Play, and select the
“Enable Show First Video Frame action” check box.
Make sure that the FeatureToogle section of the Maestro | News Controller
SystemSettings.ini file contains the following entry:
ShowFirstVideoFrame=true.
Take Play the next Take track in the timeline on the assigned program channel(s)
until next break event or end of events.
(Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+ENTER)
Out Run all events in the Out track in the timeline.
Preview Play the selected item on the assigned Preview channel(s). Generally, the
RE window is the local preview.
(Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+SPACE).
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Page Selector Input box for unique ID. The unique ID for page can be entered here, to
send that page to air at the next ‘Take’. Selected either with keyboard
shortcut CTRL+‘ or onscreen with the cursor.
The following color-coding is applied:
• Red when: the unique ID is not in the current rundown or the database.
• Yellow when: the page is in database, but is not loaded.
• Green when: the page is loaded in the current rundown.
n Starting with version 2020.12, you can execute Cue/Take/Out actions on multiple selected items,
when the “Multiselect for playout” option is enabled in the Play settings. For more information, see
“Play” on page 130.
The Asset Browser

The Asset Browser is for quick management of all Maestro | News assets (templates, data sources,
workspaces, data sets, tickers), and for search capabilities.
The data sources folder contains all the defined queries.
The templates folder contains all available pages.
The workspace folder contains all playlists and items.
To display the Browser:

t Click Asset Browser, to show/hide the Asset Browser.
The Asset browser has a toolbar for easy management.
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Button Name Description
Back / forward Navigate to the previous or next folder.
Up Navigate one level up in the folder hierarchy.
Search Open a window that allows you to search for an asset.
Folders Open a sidebar showing the folder hierarchy.
Details view/ Display the assets according to details or as thumbnail images.

Thumbnail view
Cut Cut an asset.
Copy Copy an asset.
Paste Paste an asset.
Delete Delete an asset.
New Folder Create a new folder.
Metadata (Available when working with GMAM or the native Maestro | News
database 2)
Searching for Assets in the Asset Browser

You can use a simple or advanced search to find pages, items, rundowns, and data sources. The
search will be conducted in the native Maestro | News database. For more information on asset
search using regular expressions, see the “Appendix” on page 235.
To search for assets:

t In the Asset browser, click Search.
A simple search allows you to search by name, asset type, unique ID, and dates.
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The advanced search uses queries of metadata fields, and is not limited by conditions.
To save a search:
t After filling in the search values, click Save.
The search is saved. You can use the search values to run a new search as required.
To load a search:
t Click Load/ Del and select the saved search to load.
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Working with Tickers
Tickers in a scene can be controlled from Maestro | News; you can control both the ticker content and
when and how the ticker is run.
To add a ticker item:

1. To show the available ticker templates, select in the Browser.
All saved projects and scenes are displayed.
2. Select a scene from the G: directory.
The Browser displays the Ticker settings.
3. If required, click Ticker to select the ticker exports with the content that you want to update
manually or connect to a data source.
4. Click Add under Ticker data to display ticker exports. Use and to add or remove the
ticker content rows.
5. Select Fixed duration if you wish to set the ticker’s duration time, without specifying the speed
and offset time.
6. Click Build timeline.
Tracks are built for the ticker in the timeline.
7. In the Timeline, select the Start Ticker event, and set the ticker properties in the Event property
window.
Use additional events to modify the ticker timeline events, such as Start animation, Call signal,
etc. as required.
To add a ticker to a rundown:

t With the ticker open in the Browser, drag the button to the rundown or press the INSERT
key.
Edit the ticker as required.
n In case Fixed duration is selected, to define the duration time, change the 'Init Change time mode'
event in a timeline.
Tickers can be saved as templates using Save item as template in the Browser window.
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n If Save item as template is not available, show it by changing its visibility in the Miscellaneous
settings. For more information, see “Miscellaneous” on page 120. See also “Setting up a Data
Source” on page 86.
The Image Browser

For Image selector controls, you can open a browser that allows you to select an image to display
from any directory defined in the Data Location preferences (see “Data Location” on page 111). You
can also edit the image itself.
To open the Image Browser:

t Double-click the export control in the page (open in the Page Browser).
To edit an image (only from the native Maestro | News database and the native Maestro database 2):
t Right-click an image, and select Edit.
The Image Editor is displayed.
Edit graphic parameters as required.
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Parameter Description
Adjust Adjust the following effects in the image editor, using the sliders, arrows, or by
setting the numerical values:
• Brightness
• Contrast
• Gamma
• Hue
• Saturation
• Lightness
• Sharpness
Deinterlace Discard one of the fields that compose a frame, by selecting one of the available
options:
• Keep upper
• Keep lower
Flip Flip the image horizontally or vertically.
Resize Resize your image as required, using the required resampling algorithm from the
Method list.
Crop Select the Aspect for your cropped image. Use the cursor to mark the required area,
while pressing CTRL. Click Crop to crop the selected area. When an area is selected,
you can resize it using the cursor while pressing CTRL.
n If the page aspect ratio is set to anything other than 0, a selection rectangle
with the correct aspect ratio is marked.
Display For editing purposes, you can choose to fit the image in the Image Editor, or display
it at its normal size.
Reset Cancel all settings made in the Image Editor.
Save Save the image using its current name.
Save as Save the image using a different name.
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The Clip Browser
For Clip selector controls, you can open a browser that allows you to select a clip from any directory
defined in the Data Location preferences (see “Data Location” on page 111), to play, preview in the
Clip Browser, or set the clip properties that determine how it will be played by RenderEngine.
To open the Clip Browser:

t Double-click the clip control in a page open in the Browser.
To preview a clip:
1. Select a clip.
2. Set the required properties:
Loop count The default number of loops for which a new clip added to a page. By default, the
value is Infinite.
Video When set to true clips are treated as video clips. When false, video stream is
ignored.
If clips are marked as video clips, you can set:
• Alpha channel - when true, clip is played with an alpha channel.
• Interlaced - when true, clip is defined as interlaced, with or without reversed
polarity, as required.
Audio When set to true, clips are played with audio. When false, audio is ignored.
3. To preview, click .
n Certain clips might require installation of additional codecs for preview.
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5 Data Sources
This section provides information on retrieving content from external data sources.
Using a database is a way of airing content without manual inputs. You can determine the rate at
which content is refreshed, if at all, and retrieve that content from various sources, as required.
In this section:
• Setting up a Data Source
• Using Queries
Setting up a Data Source

When drawing content from a data source, you must define the source and the specific query from
which to take the content. Data sources have their own dedicated tab in Maestro | News, for
managing data source setup and queries.
To define a data source:

1. Open the Data Sources tab.
2. Right-click in the Data Sources column and select Add Data Sources.
The Data Source dialog box is displayed.
3. Define your data source as required.
Factory name Set the format of the data source; each type requires installation of its own dedicated
driver.
Type Set the data source file type.
(All other settings derive from the data source type.)
4. Define your data source according to its type. For more information, see:
- ODBC Data Source
- Database (SQL) Data Source
- Excel Data Source
- Text Data Source
- News (RSS) Data Source
- XML Data Source
- JSON Data Source
- SMH Data Source
ODBC Data Source
ODBC data sources must be defined in the ODBC Data Source administrator in Windows in order to
be used as data sources for Maestro | News. (Select Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools >
Data Sources (ODBC) to open the ODBC administrator and add a data source for your system).
To define an ODBC data source:

1. In the Data Source dialog box, select ODBC from the Type list.
2. Select a DSN Connection Name from the list (this must be defined in the ODBC data source
administrator),
-Or-
Type the path and filename of a File DSN Connection.
3. Type a User name and Password if necessary (this should be available from the database
administrator).
4. Type the Data source name as it will appear in the Data Sources and Queries dialog box.
5. Click Test Connection to verify the connection has been made.
6. Click OK to save the data source information.
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Database (SQL) Data Source
Connection to SQL databases can be defined using the Database Server type.
To define a database data source:

1. In the Data Source dialog box, select DATABASE from the Type list.
2. Under Enter database server location, type the path.
3. Type the database file name under Enter database name (<Server name>\<Instance name>).
administrator).
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Excel Data Source
Microsoft Excel files can be used as data sources.
To define an Excel data source:

1. In the Data Source dialog box, select EXCELFILE from the Type list.
2. Specify the path of the Excel file.
3. Type the database file name under Data source name.
administrator).
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Text Data Source
Text files can be used as data sources.
To define a text data source:

1. In the Data Source dialog box, select TEXT_FILE from the Type list.
2. Specify the folder containing the file.
administrator).
n Text formatting is controlled by a file (schema.ini) that must reside in the same location as the text
file. The syntax of this file can be found at: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/odbc/microsoft/
schema-ini-file-text-file-driver?view=sql-server-2017.
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News (RSS) Data Source
RSS news feeds can be set up as a data source.
To define a news (RSS) data source:

1. In the Data Source dialog box, select News as the Factory name.
2. Select RSS/ATOM news feed as the source Type.
3. Specify the URL address of the news feed.
4. If you are using a proxy server, select Use proxy server, and set the required parameters.
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XML Data Source
XML files can be used as data sources.
To define an XML data source:

1. In the Data Source dialog box, select XML as the Factory name.
2. Select XML as the source Type.
3. Specify the file path or URL of the XML file.
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JSON Data Source
JSON files can be used as data sources.
To define a JSON data source:

2. Select XML as the source Type.
3. Specify the file path or URL of the .json file.
4. Add custom headers for http requests, if necessary.
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X.News Data Source
x.news allows you to bring content from social media, news agencies, video sharing platforms, and
news websites into your workflow. Integrated into your Maestro | News and MediaCentral workflow,
or used standalone, x.news enables you to retrieve, monitor, filter, and moderate content-and
download the associated media-for use in your stories and graphics.
A single x.news connection can be used to retrieve data from multiple workspaces.
To define an x.news data source:

2. Select XNEWS as the source Type.
3. Specify the file path of the x.news root containing the exported folders.
4. Add custom headers for http requests, if necessary.
Using x.news Assets in Pages
Once you have added the x.news data source, go to the Query Columns tab to select the tables for
your queries. Create a query to list the x.news workspaces using the WORKSPACE table and a
separate query to list the required XML data (e.g. use localAvatarPath to display avatar pictures or
title3 to display the message).
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In our example, a drop-down list containing the workspaces (named WORKSPACE and connected to
the ‘Workspaces’ query) controls what data is displayed in the controls with the connected XML data
sources.
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SMH Data Source
A Social Media Hub connection can be set up as a data source.
To define a Social Media Hub data source:

1. In the Data Source dialog box, select SocialMediaHub as the Factory name.
2. Select SocialMediaHub as the source Type.
3. Specify the address of the SMH host.
For more information, see the Social Media Hub User Guide.
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Using Queries
Database queries allow you to draw certain data from a given data source.
Once the data source is defined, you must create a query to use in Maestro. You can type an SQL
query in the Query Editor tab at any time, or use the query wizard as follows
To define a query:
1. Under Data Sources, select the required data source.
2. In the Query Columns subtab, in the Table/Column window, the available tables in the data
source are shown with their columns.
Select the columns from which you want to read data, and click to display the column names
in the right window.
3. Open the Query Order subtab.
Under Column, select the table column by which to arrange the data items, from the list.
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4. Under Order, select ASC (ascending) or DESC (Descending), as required.
5. Open the Query Editor subtab.
The tab displays the syntax of your query and allows you to set the following options:
Wizard/editor Wizard is selected by default, to write the syntax of the query automatically. If you
want to edit the query manually, select the editor option.
Select top Select this check box and set the number of rows to use from the top of the data
source, or clear to use all rows in the data source.
Refresh query results Select this check box and set the frequency at which to refresh the query results, or
every clear to use the current results (until data source is refreshed manually or from the
timeline).
6. Open the Query Conditions tab.
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Set conditions to filter the query results, as required.
7. Open the Query Result subtab. All defined cells from the selected table(s) are displayed. You
can select the entire column by selecting the check box in the column header or you can select
rows in the Range selection mode (default).
8. Define a Query Name, and click Save Query As.
n The Query Parameter tab is intended for advanced users to create parameterized queries that allow
connecting the data from one control to the data from another control.
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6 Customizing
This section includes information on customizing Maestro | News for your needs.
In this section:
• Setting Preferences
Setting Preferences
Open the Settings dialog box (Customize > Settings) to configure system preferences for Maestro |
News.
Appearance
The Appearance settings show you the location of the default Maestro | News style sheet, which
defines the appearance of the GUI.
Style sheet Select the style sheet to use to define the user interface. This file is an HTML
cascading style sheet (CSS) and can be used to customize the Maestro | News GUI.
Item colors Define the colors used in playlists to color-code item status.
Select the check box of an item status to display it using the color defined here.
When a check box is selected, you can edit the color. Edit color by clicking the color
display. A color palette dialog box opens to select a new color.
The Apply colors to background option enables full row coloring (instead of just
the status indicator).
Item display Define the font size and the item height of rundown items.
Asset Database
The Asset Database settings display the defined storage database for all of your Maestro | News
assets and the login information used during login. Select Customize > Settings > Asset Database
to open the Asset Database settings.
n These settings are defined during Login, and it is recommended not to change them here.
Login/ Password Set the user name and password used to login to Maestro | News Asset Database.
The user name is defined during Maestro | News installation.
Server name Set the name and path of the current database server (<database server>\<database
instance>).
Database Name Set the name of the selected Maestro | News asset database. Default name is
“maestro_3” for the native Maestro | News database 2.
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Server type Set the type of database/asset management server to which the system is connected.
The Native Maestro | News DB 2 option is SQL based with extended capabilities
for user rights, advanced searching, and metadata.
Authentication The type of database/asset management server authentication protocol.
Cache Enable the cache option to reduce the number of database read operations by
keeping the last used pages in memory.
n Any page modification done outside of running Maestro | News will not be
noticed until the application is restarted.
Unique ID Length Set the allowed length of Item and page IDs (default=8, max. of 32 characters). ALL
applications connected to the same database need to use the same unique ID length.
c Changing the ID length might reset all IDs in the database. Do not
change the length.
Login process to Select this check box to display login window upon next startup, clear to connect to
application same database upon startup without having to login.
Automation
In the Automation settings, define the Maestro | News behavior when controlled by one or more
external automation systems. Select Customize > Settings > Automation to open the Automation
settings.
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Root folder Define the location in which to save the external automation-related items. This
definition is important especially for systems using a VDCP protocol, because only
items within this folder or in the current rundown can be played.
Use Prefix Define the prefix to use when saving external items (only used when check box is
selected).
Use Current Date in Select this check box to add the date to the name of an external item. Valid only
Prefix when “use prefix” is selected.
Connect to automation When selected, automation system is connected whenever a PGM channel
systems whenever PGM (RenderEngine) is connected.
channels are connected
When cleared, you must connect the Automation system manually by left-clicking
its device indicator.
Remove item from When selected, if the automation systems sends a 'STOP item' command, the item is
playlist on STOP event removed from the rundown.
When cleared, the items are not removed, and the rundown becomes longer over
time.
Force item reload on Select this check box to reload items whenever a cue command is received from the
CUE event automation system to ensure that the latest data is always aired.
Force item focus on Select this check box to highlight the relevant item in the rundown when a Cue
CUE event command is received from the automation system.
Force item focus on Select this check box to highlight the relevant item in the rundown when a Play
PLAY event command is received from the automation system.
Move item to playlist Select this check box to move the relevant item to the end of the rundown when a
end on CUE event cue command is received.
Automation devices Define the automation systems that Maestro | News can receive commands from.
Configuring an Automation System
Maestro | News can be controlled by an Automation system using multiple Maestro | TX, Avid
ControlAir, CII, Orad control, Sony protocol, and VDCP devices. In order to work with an
automation system, the appropriate driver must be installed, and you must configure Maestro | News,
as described here.
To configure an automation system:

1. Select Customize > Settings.
The Preferences window opens.
2. In the Automation options, under Automation devices, click Add to add a device to the
list.
3. Double-click the device name to rename it, as required.
4. Select the device type from the list.
5. Click Configure to open the device configuration dialog box.
Continue as required.
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CII Protocol
To configure the CII protocol:

1. In the Driver tab, select the required options:
Option Description
Port Select Serial or TCP/IP according to the automation system requirements.
Charset Set the character set to use for communications between the automation system and
Maestro | News.
Logger Select the Logger check box to create a log for Maestro | News’s interaction with the
automation system.
2. In the Settings tab, set the following:
Option Description
Misc
ID length Set the required length of the item IDs that the automation system can send to
Maestro | News.
Play item with READ/ Select this check box to automatically play an item when an update command is
UPDATE command received from the automation system. Clear to update the item without playing.
Execute OUT command Select this check box to ignore OUT commands that arrive for items that have not
only for played IDs been played. When cleared, OUT commands are executed regardless of item status.
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Option Description
Cue
Timeout Set the maximum time that an automation device waits for a response to a command.
Return status When an automation channel is mapped to more than one program channel with
different statuses, set which status should be sent to the automation system;
Minimal - the highest status is sent. (For example, if one channel is ready, and
another is not ready, a READY status is sent.)
Complete - The lowest status is sent. (For example, if one channel is ready and
another channel is not ready, a NOT READY status is sent.)
MediaCentral | Command
Signal item take When selected, Maestro | News notifies the automation device when the execution
finished of a PLAY event is complete (useful for multi-take items, so the automation device
does not play the next take before the previous take is completed). When cleared, no
notification is sent.
Signal item status When selected, Maestro | News notifies Command about item status change. This
changed option needs to be enabled to allow for updating of Command playlists with changes
of items statuses from Maestro | News playlists.
PGM channel assignment
Assign a Maestro | News channel and Vslot to each automation system output.
Heartbeat
The heartbeat is the verification of communication between the automation system

and Maestro | News.
Set when Maestro | News stops responding to the automation system; when one
(any) of the defined program channels is down OR when one (any) of the defined
ACTIVE (assigned) channels is down.
Use timecode
Set a timecode device (Host) to set playout to a future time, Offset by a few frames,
to correct asynchronous operation.
3. In the Macros tab, you can set a name for any macro command not defined in the protocol
(double-click to select), to be triggered by the CII protocol.
This searches for a name in the CII macros list, and if not found, tries to execute a normal macro
in Maestro | News with the same name (if this macro exists).
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Avid Graphic Device Settings in MediaCentral | Command
Option Description
Allow multiple items When enabled, multiple items with Cued status are allowed on the same channel.
with Cued status
Allow multiple items When enabled, multiple items with Play status are allowed on the same channel.
with Play status
Allow multiple items When enabled, multiple items with Play status, but different VSlots configured, are
with Play status only for allowed on the same channel.
different VSlots
Extended tracing When enabled, additional information is traced. However this can cause a rapid
increase in the log size.
Maestro IP address Address IP of the computer where Maestro | News is running.
Maestro port (default: Port number configured for the Maestro CII device assigned to work with
10001) MediaCentral | Command.
Thumbnail height Height of item thumbnail requested from Maestro | News.

(default: 240)
Thumbnail width Width of item thumbnail requested from Maestro | News.

(default: 320)
Maestro | TX Device (3DPlay)
To configure a Maestro | TX device:

t Type in the host name and port number.
Orad Control Device
To configure an Orad control device:

t Type in the port number.
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Avid ControlAir / Sony Protocol
n ControlAir and Sony Protocol are legacy systems, no longer sold, and only work when the
MediaCentral | Newsroom Management system is used.
To configure an Avid ControlAir system:

t Load a Profile and specify the MOS page number, then click OK.
A default profile is provided with Maestro | News in the file called:
C:\Orad\Maestro\DM\oradDM.dmp.
The following settings must be modified in this file according to the settings in ControlAir.
• SvrHostName=serveName (ControlAir Server host name)
• DeviceName=oradCG (Avid device name in NRCS)
VDCP Protocol
To configure the VDCP protocol:

1. In the Driver tab, select the required options:
Option Description
Communication Select Serial or TCP/IP according to the automation system requirements.

protocol
Logger Select the Logger check box to create a log for Maestro | News’s interaction with the
automation system.
File path Set the path and file name of the log file.
Trace levels Select the trace level check boxes to set which types of messages are written to the
log file.
2. In the Settings tab, set the following:
Option Description
ID length Set the required length of the item IDs that the automation system can send to
Maestro | News.
Cue • Timeout - the maximum time that an automation device waits for a response to a
command.
• Return status - When an automation channel is mapped to more than one
program channel with different statuses, set which status should be sent to the
automation system.
• Minimal - the highest status is sent. (For example, if one channel is ready, and
another is not ready, a READY status is sent.)
• Complete - The lowest status is sent. (For example, if one channel is ready and
another channel is not ready, a NOT READY status is sent.)
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Option Description
Port to channel mapping Assign a Maestro | News channel (mandatory) and Vslot (optional) to each
automation system port. Click Add to add new ports, double click the port/
channel/Vslot name to edit.
Heartbeat The heartbeat is the verification of communication between the automation system
and Maestro | News.
Set when Maestro | News stops responding to the automation system; when one
(any) of the defined program channels is down OR when one (any) of the defined
ACTIVE (assigned) channels is down.
IDReqest: Cue ID on Select this check box to cue items once they are validated by the automation system.
validation When cleared, validated items must be cued independently.
IDList Set which item IDs to send when the automation system requests a list of items;
Return automation root folder content - list the item IDs that are in the folder
specified in Root folder on page 101. Return playlist content - list the item IDs in the
currently active rundown.
3. Click OK.
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MediaCentral | Cloud UX Browser
Maestro | News can connect to MediaCentral | Cloud UX™ to browse for MediaCentral | Asset
Management and MediaCentral | Production Management assets. For that purpose, a new window
has been added: the CloudUX Browser window.
However, before you can use the CloudX Browser, you need to activate it in the CUX Browser tab in
the Maestro | News Preferences.
Enable the CloudUX Browser check box (disabled by default), and enter the MediaCentral |
Connection details:
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Option Description
Host Enter the MediaCentral | Cloud UX IP address or its host name.
Port Set the port required for MediaCentral | Cloud UX connection.
User Enter the MediaCentral | Cloud UX user name.
Password Enter the password for the above MediaCentral | Cloud UX user.
Maestro | News Controller will establish a connection to MediaCentral | Cloud UX once the
CloudUX Browser is opened. To open it, click on the CloudUX Browser icon in the Windows
toolbar.
In the CloudUX window, you can browse and search for MediaCentral | Asset Management and
Production Management assets. You can drag media assets (images or clips) into controls on a
Maestro | News page, or drop them into a rundown.
n Maestro | News and MediaCentral | Cloud UX need to have the same MediaCentral | Asset
Management and MediaCentral | Production Management systems defined for the drag & drop
functionality to work.
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Data Location
Define the default location for assets. Only the locations defined here will be available to users for
clip/image selection. Define the paths and aliases for your Images and Clips locations. When using a
clip or image browser, the alias name of the locations is displayed to make it more user-friendly.
Under Transition, define the path for scenes that will be used as transition effects and will be
available in the transition settings. (see Transitions). These settings affect all devices connected to the
db: JStation, NRCS plugins, etc.
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External Devices
Maestro | News can send commands to external devices; Maestro | TX (to update exports, for
example), Social Media Hub (to define the SMH server and publish content, for example), GPI
devices (to control other GPI devices from Maestro | News, for example), and generic CMD lines.
External devices defined here can be used by events in the list of events in the timeline.
To add an external device:

1. Click Add .
A device is added to the list.
2. Click the device name and give it a descriptive name.
3. Click under Type to set the device type.
4. Click Configure to display a dialog box appropriate for the selected device type, and set your
preferences;
For a GPI device, enter the device name.
For Maestro | TX and SMH devices, enter the host name and port number.
For a command line device, set the following:
Option Description
Working directory Set the path of the directory where the process should be started.
Environment Set the environment variables required by the target application, if different than the
default variables.
Program Click ... to browse to the executable application file.
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Option Description
(select one) If the program is not running then start (only when not already running),
If the program is already running, close it before start (to restart), or
If the program is program is already running, start another instance of the program
(every time).
External Tools
Maestro | News allows you to start external applications or scripts and to add them to the Toolbar.
To add a command to the Toolbar:

1. Click Add .
A browser window opens.
2. Browse to the required executable, and click Open.
The application icon is added to the toolbar. Icon and application parameters can be defined as
required.
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GPI
n The GPI option is licensed separately and is available only if an appropriate card is connected.
Set up a GPI device to send and receive commands.
Option Description
Connect to automation When selected, the device is connected whenever a PGM channel (RenderEngine) is
systems whenever PGM connected.
channels are connected
When cleared, you must connect the device manually by left-clicking its device
indicator.
Device Select the installed GPIO device from the list. Devices compatible with Maestro |
News: Adlink PCI-7256, Adlink PCIe-7230, and Sealevel (Sea IO).
Once the card is physically connected to the system, and the device is added to this
list, the connection indicator appears at the bottom of the Main screen with the
channel indicators.
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Option Description
GPI configuration Define what action to execute when the GPIO device status changes; double click
the Action name to open a list of possible actions, or Data to enter an item’s unique
ID.
• Cue selected - cue the item selected in the rundown.
• Cue ID - cue an item with the specified ID.
• Take selected - play the item selected in the rundown.
• Take ID - play an item with the specified ID.
• Preview selected - cue the item selected in the rundown.
• Clear output - clear output from all Vslots.
• Clear output on Vslot - clear output from specified Vslots.
• Out selected - play the out sequence of the item selected in the rundown.
• Out ID - play the out sequence of the item with the specified ID.
• Start / Pause / Resume / Stop of scheduling of an active rundown.
• Play macro - configure a GPI trigger to play a selected macro. Available macros
are displayed in the dropdown list.
• Play last cued clip on VE channel - play the last cued clip on the selected VE
channel.
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iNews
In the MediaCentral | Newsroom Management (iNews) section you can configure MOS-less
configuration with MediaCentral | Newsroom Management through the MediaCentral | Cloud UX
web services.
Option Description
Webservice connection Set the MediaCentral | Newsroom Management Webservice URL, the IP address of
the MediaCentral | Newsroom Management server host, the username and
password to login to MediaCentral | Newsroom Management, and the MOS IDs.
Load rundowns on When this option is selected, active rundowns from MediaCentral | Newsroom
application start Management are loaded when Maestro | News is started.
Manual rundown update When this option is selected, the Update playlist button is available in the
toolbar. This button is inactive when no updates are present; the button blinks
several times when an MediaCentral | Newsroom Management rundown can be
updated.
When an iNews story has been changed, Maestro | News Controller highlights the
updated story until you click the 'Update' button. Click on Select color to choose the
color dedicated to highlighting changed iNews stories.
Don’t update status for When this option is selected, on-air items are not updated with MediaCentral |
“On Air” items Newsroom Management updates. When this option is cleared, items are updated
while on-air.
Don’t load “floated” In iNews, floating a story keeps it in the queue but removes the story’s time from the
stories show timing, causing it to be ignored by machine control and the network
prompters. When this option is selected, these stories are not loaded to the Maestro |
News Controller rundown.
Display “page-number” When this option is selected, the script’s page number is displayed in the rundown.
Ignore Video-Id When this option is selected, Production Management clips linked by the Video-Id
field will not be added to the playlist.
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Option Description
Interplay PAM clip Set the Webservices URL of MediaCentral | Production Management (formerly
search Interplay | Production), and the username and password to login to MediaCentral |
Production Management. Set the Search folder URL location on MediaCentral |
Production Management, which will be used to conduct the Video-ID search and the
System ID of MediaCentral | Production Management (usually it is global). Enter
the Video-ids of the items to be ignored by MediaCentral | Production Management.
Log
In the Log options, you can define application log storage options.
Option Description
Log File Path Specify the location where the log files are saved.
Remove older than Logs older than the time defined here will be automatically deleted.
Remove when larger Logs larger than the size defined here will be automatically deleted.
than
To view a log file:

t Click to open the log viewer.
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MAM
You can connect to MAM storage for clips and images as an additional media assets location.
Option Description
Identity The MAM system must be configured in Maestro | News to allow the connection. To
configure a new system, click Add . With the connection selected, type in a
connection Name, and then set the following fields:
• System ID - MAM System ID (for MediaCentral | Asset Management (formerly
Interplay | MAM) this value is taken from the MediaCentral | Cloud UX settings
or the web interface of MediaCentral | Asset Management, for REST MAM
enter the MAM REALM);
• MAM type - MAM system type (Maestro | News supports MediaCentral | Asset
Management, MediaCentral | Production Management, REST MAM and Native
Maestro DB2).
Database server Set the database server name (for MediaCentral | Production Management, enter the
IP address of the ACS bus; for MediaCentral | Asset Management, enter the secure
address and the port number of the MAM services on the MAM server; for REST
MAM enter <media_central_server_name_or_ip>:<port>); for Native Maestro DB 2
enter the SQL server host address. Select the required form of authentication.
Login/ Password Type in the user name and password for the selected authentication method.
For REST MAM, select SQL Server Authentication and enter Cloud UX login
credentials.
n Make sure that your Cloud UX users have corresponding users in the Maestro
| News system. Use the Maestro Admin tool to add Cloud UX users manually
or import them automatically. Make sure that the names of both types of users
are matching.
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MAM File Transit
In setups where Maestro | News integrates with MediaCentral | Cloud UX, MAM file transit option
can be configured to enable media copying to a local (or closer to playout) storage.
Option Description
MAM file transit Select Central location if you want to transfer items from all channels into a single
location. Select Distributed locations if you want to differentiate the target
locations based on the channel assigned to the item.
ACS gateway host Set the IP of the ACS bus (MediaCentral | Cloud UX).
ACS gateway port Set the port of the ACS bus (default port numbers: 9500, 9900).
Zone ID, Token valid Set the Zone ID and the Token valid time.
time
User name, Password, Type in the MediaCentral | Cloud UX user name and password and set the role of the
Role, Transcoding user. Set the Transcoding system to 1.
system
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Miscellaneous
In the miscellaneous options you can define various system parameters.
Option Description
Misc
Enable page parameters When selected, item name/content is displayed in the rundown page title for easier
in item’s title identification. If required, you can display only certain items, by setting the
UseInItemTitle property (for an object/control) in PageEditor. (True
(default)=display, False=hide).
When this option is selected, you can modify the contents of the item by pressing F2
and TAB to move between fields in the title itself.
When cleared, only the item name is displayed in the rundown.
Automatically save When this option is selected, changes made to the current item in the rundown are
changes for edited item saved automatically when a different item is selected.
When this option is cleared, changes made to an item are discarded when a different
item is selected, unless the item is saved manually in the Browser.
Check user profile When selected, access to various functions is applied according to permissions given
to logged in user. When cleared, user profile is not checked and users have access to
all functions.
Once you activate this option, you cannot access preferences unless you belong to
the right group. (In order to allow different permission levels, users must belong to
one of four Windows administrative groups, defined by the system administrator.)
Silent mode When selected, user confirmations are not requested, default response is sent
automatically. Messages and alerts are not displayed.
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Option Description
Turn off thumbnails for When selected, rundown item are displayed without thumbnail images; when
rundowns cleared, a thumbnail is displayed for each rundown item.
Delayed MAM/PAM Enable this option to accelerate the item loading process. Data from image, clip and
Asset Loading media selector controls is loaded with a delay after the page containing them has
been opened.
Open rundown in When selected, each rundown is opened in a separate tabbed window, displayed
separate tab alongside previous rundowns. when cleared, rundowns are opened as tabs, one in
front of the other.
Load static scenes when When selected, scenes marked as static in the PGM manager are automatically
channel is connected loaded when the respective channel is connected.
Enter passive mode on When selected, system is started in passive mode; in passive mode Maestro | News
application start does not send RenderEngine commands or channel status updates.
Show filesystem files in When using GMAM database, you can choose assets from the GMAM database and
Image and Clip data locations. When cleared, you can take assets from GMAM only. This setting is
browsers disregarded when no GMAM database is available, assets are taken from data
locations only (see “Virtual Slots” on page 142).
Reset item’s TAKE When selected, the Take count is reset to 0 after a scene is unloaded. When cleared,
COUNT when scene is the Take count increases incrementally after each take, regardless of the scene status.
unloaded
Start time is chained (Relevant when scheduling is used.) When this option is selected, rundown items are
played only if the previous item in the rundown is finished (the time displayed in the
Duration column). When cleared, rundown items are played as scheduled (and might
be played simultaneously).
Show “Save as When selected, the Save as template button is displayed in the Playout browser.
template” button in When cleared, the button is not available.
Browser
Spell check Define the dictionary language and path to use when running the spell-checker.
When Maestro | News is installed on a Windows 10 system, then Windows 10
dictionaries (easy to install and update) are used. Maestro | News uses the installed
language packs' spelling dictionaries. It is also possible to add your own words to the
dictionaries or edit dictionary files using the Maestro | News Controller:
The user-specific dictionaries for a language, which hold the content for the Added,
Excluded, and AutoCorrect word lists, are located under
%AppData%\Microsoft\Spelling\. For more information, see the Windows Spell
Checker API.
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Option Description
Language
Language Define the language displayed in the Maestro | News GUI. Select Get from System
to use the default language of the operating system.
Data path mapper
Data path mapper Map the locations to be used for asset storage (usually the virtual G: drive).
Traffic Playlist Import
Graphics event prefix Define the prefix for items that Maestro | News should use in a .lst format file.
(Default=G)
Dummy item template Define the template to use as a dummy item when using third level rundown items in
imported .lst rundowns.
Gfx device name Define the device that should be imported from the rundown file.
.tbl file path Define the path of the file used to format of the rundown file.
MOS Protocol
In the MOS settings, you can set preferences for using the MOS protocol for communication with
newsroom clients.
Option Description
Use MOS connection When this check box is selected, MOS communication with newsroom systems is
enabled.
Listen Port It is recommended to leave the default value. This parameter defines the
communication port between the Avid MOS Server and Maestro | News. (Default =
6001).
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Option Description
roChannel(s) This parameter defines channel names, as defined in the newsroom system, that
Maestro | News should listen to. If left empty, Maestro | News receives all active
playlists in the newsroom system.
Host Used for accessing the MOS database. Host should be the location of the MOS
database.
Database Name of the MOS database (‘CyberGraphics’ by default).
User/ Password Set the user name and password for connecting to the MOS database (by default the
user name is ‘sa’, and the password is ‘maestro’).
Initialize MOS on When this option is selected, MOS is started when you open Maestro | News. When
application start this option is cleared, you must use Start MOS in the toolbar to start MOS.
Allow synchronization When this option is selected, the Sync MOS List button is available in the
command toolbar. When this button is clicked, all active playlists are resent from the
newsroom system.
Manual rundown When this option is selected, the Select playlist button is available in the toolbar.
selection This button opens a window that displays a list of active playlists in the newsroom
system, and allows you to select playlists to open.
Manual rundown update When this option is selected, the Update Playlist List button is available in the
toolbar. This button is inactive when no updates are available to the active playlists
in the newsroom system; the button blinks several times before becoming active
when any modification to an active rundown in the newsroom system becomes
available.
Automatically load When this option is selected, active rundowns in the NRCS are loaded when
active rundowns Maestro | News is connected to MOS.
Send ‘Media missing’ When this option is selected, if a rundown item is missing an asset, the controller is
item status alerted. When cleared, the rundown item is reported as ready.
Hide empty stories Hide stories which do not contain any items.
Don’t update status for When this option is selected, on-air items are not updated with NRCS updates.
‘on-air’ items When this option is cleared, items are updated while on-air.
Show story number Select this option to display the story number with the story name. Choose an option
to determine the numbering used for each story;
• Automatic numbering - Maestro | News numbers NRCS stories incrementally.
• Use storyNum - Maestro | News uses the original story name from the NRCS.
Ignore roDelete The roDelete command is sent from the NRCS to Maestro | News when a rundown
command is unloaded in the NRCS.
Select this option to ignore the roDelete command in Maestro | News when a
rundown is deleted in the MOS database, and not delete the rundown in Maestro |
News. When cleared, the rundown is deleted in Maestro | News is unloaded in the
NRCS.
Copy item data When this option is selected, when receiving a MOS rundown, Maestro | News
copies the images from their original location to a location accessible to the playout
engine. Type in the path of the destination location.
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PGM & PRV
In PGM & PRV, define output settings, DVG channels, and local and remote RenderEngine behavior.
Settings can be changed only when renderers and VE decks are not connected (see “Connect all” on
page 21).
n While connected to your devices, you cannot change any of the remote program channel definitions.
Option Description
Frames Select the frame rate (frames per second). This setting affects the time displayed in
the duration of the timeline.
RE lock logic When selected, you can edit the Priority level of RE tasks, when cleared, Priority
level setting is disabled.
Priority Set the priority given to the current Maestro | News station by RenderEngine. If
RenderEngine is in use by another application with a higher priority, the connection
to the current Maestro | News station is rejected.
Timeout Set the timeout in which Maestro | News will wait for RenderEngine to respond.
PGM Define program channels. See “Defining Channels” on page 125.
Connect PGM(s) on When this option is selected, all remote program channels are connected upon
application start application startup, when cleared remote program channels must be connected
manually. (Cleared by default.)
PRV Define preview channels. See “Defining Channels” on page 125.
Aspect Select the aspect ratio of the RE window.
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Option Description
Single Image Preview When this check box is selected, only a given frame of the animation is shown. This
frame is defined in PageEditor for each page. A yellow triangle is displayed on the
required frame on the linear timeline. See “Linear Timeline” on page 55.
Single Vslot Preview When this check box is selected, only a single scene can be displayed in the preview,
regardless of different Vslots defined for each scene. Dynamic blending is disabled.
Defining Channels
Before you begin previewing and airing items, you must define the channels on which they will be
played. For example, define a program channel that is played on air, and a backup channel.
To define a channel:
The Preferences dialog box is displayed.
2. Select PGM & PVW on the left.
The PGM & Preview settings are displayed. You can define settings for multiple program and
preview channels. Type and Host must be defined for each channel, in order for them to be
connected.
3. Under PGM or PRV, click Add .
A new empty channel slot is appended.
Each of the program channels is assigned a letter (A, B, C, etc., to P).
Each of the preview channels is assigned a number.
4. Enter the channel Type and name of the remote Host or IP address to be used, and if required,
give an Alias Name that will be used in the status bar and in the rundown as the channel name.
Option Description
Type Set the type of channel:

• RE – graphics channel for program output.
• VE – video channel that shows the program output in real time. For each VE
channel that you define, a VEDeck window is available in the main view.
• VE-R – video recording channel. Records the video input from defined port.
This setting must be consistent with the setting in the Video Engine configuration.
Host Set the name of the remote host or IP address to be used.
n Alias names for channels are unique across all Maestro | News family applications connected to the
same database. If you want different channel definitions on each Maestro | News station, leave the
Alias names blank.
For program channels, the default channel(s) can be set here as well; whenever a new item is
added to the rundown, it is automatically assigned to the default channels listed here.
For preview channels, select the PGMs column and click ... to open a dialog box to define the
channels on which to preview items.
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Under On select the check box to activate a channel.
5. Click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.
In the status bar you see all of the channels and devices that have been defined, listed at the
bottom of the controller. You have the option to disconnect device in the status bar
Using the VE Deck Window
Once a channel has been added, you can view the live stream in the VE Deck window. You can add
up to 8 VE Decks in one row (Full HD screen resolution, scaling 100%).
You can also view the progress of Send-to-Playback assets while they are being copied. The red bar
indicates the progress of the playout, while the yellow bar illustrates the progress of the copying
process.
To open the VE Decks view:

t Click on the icon in the Toolbar.
Use the controls in the VE Deck window toolbar to navigate the video:
Icon Description
Cue the previous item on the currently active playlist (CTRL+Home).
Cue (CTRL+\).
Cue the next item on the currently active playlist (CTRL+End).
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Icon Description
Go to the IN point (CTRL+ALT+[).
Go to the previous second (CTRL+ALT+,).
Go to the previous frame (ALT+,).
Play the video in the VE Deck window (CTRL+/).
Pause the clip at the current frame in the VE Deck window (CTRL+ALT+/).
Eject (CTRL+ALT+\).
Open the current frame as an image in the Image Editor and save as required
(CTRL+=).
Go to the next frame (ALT+.).
Go to the next second (CTRL+ALT+.).
Go to the OUT point (CTRL+ALT+.).
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PGM Assignment
Automatic channel assignment allows to add VE channels to the Channel roll and create Groups
from the added channels. All video items that are in a channel group are automatically assigned to the
channel roll.
n To use this feature, make sure that the FeatureToggle section of the Maestro | News Controller’s
SystemSettings.ini file contains the following entry:”AutomaticChannelAssignment=true”.
Option Description
Automatic channel Enable the Automatic channel assignment feature.

assignment
Refresh interval Set the frequency at which to reassign the channel after a user action.
Force reassign on out When the Play Out sequence button is selected, then the reassign action is
action executed.
Channel roll Define the channels which will be used for automatic assignment. Click on to
select available VE channels and add them to the list. Click on to remove a
channel from the list. Use the arrows to reorder the list.
Channel groups Define the channel groups and choose the channels on which the roll is applied.
Example: if a rundown item is assigned to channel A (which is a part of an active
Channel Group), then this item is a subject of automatic channel assignment.
To automatically assign channels in a rundown:

1. In the Maestro | News Controller, open or create a rundown which contains video items.
2. Assign a video item from the rundown to the channels included in the active channel group.
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Channels are automatically assigned to all video items on the list according to the order set in the
channel roll. You can change the order of the video items (or nest them) and the assignment will
automatically update itself.
If you delete an assignment for a video item or change the channel manually, then the remaining
items adapt to the change.
n If a channel is locked and but it is also defined in the channel roll, then this channel will be excluded
from the automatic channel assignment process.
3. Right-click on a video item and select PGM assignment from the menu to view further options:
t Reset - cancel the “Break” action and assign a channel from the channel roll.
t Break - remove the selected item from the automatic channel assignment.
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Play
In the Play options you can set default scene options that are executed when cueing, playing or fading
out, as well as audio presets.
Option Description
Cue
Explicit CUE only When this option is selected, cue functions in the timeline are executed only you
press CUE. When cleared, Maestro | News cues the as necessary.
Reset scene When selected, the scene is reset when cued. When cleared, scene remains in its
current state when an item is cued.
Activate scene When selected, scene is activated upon cue; that is - the scene is displayed, if not
already visible. When cleared, nothing new is displayed upon cue.
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Option Description
Video item auto still When selected, when a video item is cued, the first frame (or IN point) is visible on
the VE output.
Load scene When selected, the scene used by the cued item is loaded upon cue. When cleared,
the scene is not loaded upon cue, and must be loaded manually.
Load clip When selected, clips used by the cued item are loaded upon cue. This can be used as
an alternative to smart clip management. When cleared, clips are not loaded upon
cue.
Cache images When selected, images used in an item are cached upon cue. When cleared, images
are not cached upon cue.
Take
Advance to next item When selected, advance to next item in rundown after the last take in the item. When
cleared, an item remains selected in the rundown after it has been played out.
Force CUE before item When selected, items in timeline are automatically cued before being executed.
is activated When cleared, timeline items are executed as is.
Cue next Video item When selected, after the current playlist item has started playing, Maestro | News
searches for the next item, checks whether it is a video item, and cues it (with
children).
Cue next Gfx item When selected, after the current playlist item has started playing, Maestro | News
searches for the next item, checks whether it is a graphics item, and cues it (with
children).
Enable Show First Freeze the first frame of the video item on its playout channel(s) output (clips /
Frame action images), replacing any content that was active on this output before.
Out
Allow out action for off- When selected, if you click Out during playback, the out track is played (even if the
air items item is off-air). When cleared, the out track is played only if the item is on-air.
Reset scene When selected, the scene is reset upon scene out. When cleared, scene is not reset.
Deactivate scene When selected, scene is deactivated upon scene out. When cleared, scene might
remain active or even displayed after scene out.
Mute audio When selected, the ‘mute’ audio preset is set upon scene out. When cleared, audio
plays.
Stop Playing When selected, stop playing loaded items when scheduling mode was stopped. In
this case Allow Out for “of air” items should be selected.
When cleared, out track is played even if scheduling is stopped.
PlayAll
PlayAll When Use for preview is selected, all Play tracks in the timeline (or linear timeline)
are played to the preview channel.
Scheduler
Cue Time Set the Cue time for items in scheduled mode.
Tolerance Time interval when Maestro | News can send a play action in the scheduled mode to
allow for changing the rundown items (default value is 40ms).
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Option Description
Media validation before If an item cannot be loaded, then the Maestro | News Controller will change the
playout Duration value to 0:00 (skip) and it will jump to the next item. When the scheduler is
restarting, the Duration values of items are changed to the previous (correct) value.
Smart Clip Management
Smart Clip Management When selected, Maestro | News looks ahead at items in the rundown, and preloads
any clips to an available cache. If you air items randomly (not according to their
order in the rundown), disable this option, and cache clips manually.
Select the number of items that should be inspected for clips in advance, when smart
clip management is enabled. The number of caches is set in the HDVG Control
Panel. For more information, see the HDVG Control Panel Configuration Guide.
Audio
Audio channel Select the channel on which to play audio.
Preset file Select the XML file that contains the definitions for audio presets. This file is
created in the HDVG audio panel.
Mute audio on channel When selected, the preset defined under Mute Audio Preset will be recalled when
clear one channel output is cleared. When cleared, nothing is changed in audio processing
when a channel is cleared.
Mute audio preset Define the audio preset that is used when 'Mute audio on channel clear' is selected.
Misc
Unload gfx on rundown Select this check box to unload all rundown scenes from RE channels when the
closure rundown is closed. When cleared, scenes remain loaded to channels.
Multiselect for playout Select this option to enable playing Cue / Take / Out actions on multiple selected
items. The selected rundown items assigned to channels are played descending,
starting from the top of the playlist.
Use timecode source
Use timecode source Connect a timecode source (for frame accuracy).
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RenderServer
The RenderServer automates the rendering of existing graphic items, and automates the creation of
clips in a variety of formats to be used in a post-production environment, web or second screen
applications.
Option Description
Configuration Specify your working configuration:

• Local - when working with a single Maestro | News system.
• Global - when working with more than one Maestro | News system. This
configuration is saved in the Maestro | News database and is available for all
Maestro | News stations.
Enable “Render to file” Enter the connection details for the RenderServer database.
Default render options Set the default options for clips that are created by the RenderServer. (Enabled when
the RenderServer database is connected.)
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SceneEdit
SceneEdit is a graphics editor, integrated into Maestro | News, used for creating and editing Maestro
| Designer graphic scenes in a playout environment.
Option Description
Start SceneEdit on Select this check box to start the application with Scene Editor open.
Maestro Start
n This option requires Scene Editor to be installed and licensed separately.
Host / Port Set the host and port name for the Scene Editor system.
Remote port Set the port for Maestro | News to connect to the Scene Editor system.
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Shortcuts
You can define keyboard shortcuts for many of the actions in Maestro | News. You can save personal
settings as a file, and load them when required between systems. In the left window shortcuts are
sorted by category, and in the right window shortcuts are sorted alphabetically.
To edit/create a shortcut:
1. In the Shortcuts dialog box, select an action in the left window.
2. Place the cursor in Press shortcut keys, and press the required key combination.
3. Click Assign.
To cancel a shortcut:
t Select the action and click Remove.
When you are finished customizing the settings, click OK.
To save all shortcuts to a file:

t Click Save.
A browser window is displayed, allowing you to select the location to which to save the file (in
STC format).
To load a shortcut file:

t Click Load and select an STC file to load.
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SmartShot
The SmartShot Controller boxes (SmartShot or SmartShot II) provide an easy button interface with
Maestro | News. You can assign commands and graphic templates to SmartShot’s LCD keys for
quick access. SmartShot must be licensed separately. Select the Connect SmartShot devices
whenever PGM channels are connected option to automatically connect your SmartShot devices.
To add a SmartShot controller:

1. Click Add to add a controller. Use the arrow to select the controller type:
Option Description
SmartShot 28-key controller box, with a 21:9 ratio screen.
SmartShot II 24-key controller box, with a 16:9 ratio screen.
2. Select the Name check box and under Host, type in the IP address of the SmartShot controller
box. (See Network Configuration on the SmartShot console.)
3. Set the incoming Port and Configuration file path as required. (See Ports Configuration on the
SmartShot console.)
n Each model has its own configuration file; do not use the wrong file with the wrong SmartShot.
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Setting the SmartShot LCD Button Functions
Touch Screen Bank Buttons
LCD Keys
You can define the commands to be executed by each LCD key on the controller box to streamline
the workflow. The Bank buttons beneath the Touch screen allow you to switch between ten sets
(“banks”) of LCD key definitions. Each bank corresponds to a bank button on the controller box.
(The above image is of the SmartShot I unit.)
To customize the SmartShot LCD keys:

1. In Customize > Settings > SmartShot, click to open the specified configuration file for
editing.
Each Bank tab represents a Bank button on the controller box.
n The buttons in the SmartShot configuration dialog can be rearranged by dragging a selected button
and dropping it into the new position. The rest of the buttons will be rearranged accordingly.
Dragging of a button with the pressed CTRL key copies the selected button into another one.
137
2. Double-click any LCD key to open the Key Editor.
3. Open the Action list, and select the command that you want to associate with the key from the
following list.
You can use any 32*32 pixel image PNG file, smaller than 32 KB.
Command Description
Cue Cue the selected item.
Preview Play the selected item to the PVW channel.
Play Play the selected item to the PGM channel.
Stop Play the Out track for the selected item.
Select previous item in Select the previous item in the rundown.

playlist
Select next item in Select the next item in the rundown.

playlist
Select first item in Select the first item in the current rundown.
playlist
Select next playlist Move to the next rundown (in the Rundown tab).
MOS manual refresh Manually refresh the NRCS playlist.
Data source refresh Refresh all data sources referred to by an item in the rundown.
Load all Load (to RE) all scenes used by the items open in Maestro | News.
Unload all Unload (from RE) all scenes used by the items open in Maestro | News.
Load selected Load (to RE) all scenes used by the selected items.
Unload selected Unload (from RE) all scenes used by the selected items.
Load clips of selected Load (cache) clips of selected items.

items
Unload clips of selected Unload (cache) clips of selected items.

items
Clear output on all Clear output from all connected channels.

channels
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Command Description
Connect/ disconnect RE Connect or disconnect all defined channels. MAESTRO-502
Channel A-P Show and toggle channel status (loaded/not loaded/on-air).
Cue item ID Cue an item by its unique ID. (The unique ID is displayed in the rundown.)
Play item ID Play an item by its unique ID. (The unique ID is displayed in the rundown.)
Stop item ID Stop an item by its unique ID. (The unique ID is displayed in the rundown.)
Toggle Channel Filter Turn channel filter in rundown on/off.
Start/Stop scheduling Start/stop current rundown according to schedule.
Pause/ Resume Pause/resume schedule of current rundown.

scheduling
Load Layout Load the defined GUI layout.
Play macro Execute the defined macro.
Cue and Play Item ID Cue, then play a rundown item with an assigned shortcut with each press (the
shortcut must be assigned in the shortcut settings as a SmartShot shortcut.)
Cue/Play/Stop Item ID Cue, then play, then stop a rundown item with an assigned shortcut with each press
(the shortcut must be assigned in the shortcut settings as a SmartShot shortcut.)
4. If required fill in the necessary parameter values.

5. Click OK to close the Key Editor.
6. Click Save to save the key and close the Configuration dialog box.
The SmartShot box is now configured to work with the Maestro | News station.
A page thumbnail is displayed when the page is loaded or played to indicate the connection
status to Maestro | News.
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Transitions
Set the graphic scenes that will be available as transitions in Maestro | News as animated transitions
between rundown items and the transition applied to clips (animated transitions are only applied
when transitioning between items on different Vslots) or set the transition effect to be used between
clips.
To set a graphics scene as a transition:

1. In Settings > Transitions, click Add .
The Transition scenes dialog box opens, displaying all the scenes in the Transitions directory in
the G:/ drive or any folder that is defined in the Data Location settings (see “Data Location” on
page 111).
2. Select a scene to use as a transition and click OK.
The scene is added to the Transitions list.
3. Click OK to close the Settings dialog box.
To set the VideoEngine transition:

t Under VideoEngine transitions, select the transition effect to apply when transitioning between
clips. If no effect is selected, a standard cut is used.
To set the Default transition:

t In the Default transition section, select one of the available VideoEngine transitions from the
drop-down list.
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VideoEngine
Maestro | News provides a Video Engine for previewing clips and playing them to air. It can control
multiple video server channels. Here, specify the connection details to the video engine database
where the media catalogue is stored.
Option Description
Configuration Specify your working configuration:

• Local - when working with a single Maestro | News system.
• Global - when working with more than one Maestro | News system. This
configuration is saved in the Maestro | News database and is available for all
Maestro | News stations.
Misc
Ingest folder Set the default folder for clips ingest.
Add item to playlist With this option enabled, when a clip is dragged into a connected VEDeck, it is
when media is dragged automatically added to an active playlist.
into VE deck
Clips Database
Host Set the IP address or host name of the clip database video server.
Port Set the clip database communication port.
Database Set the clip database name.
User and Password Set the user name and password for connection to the video server.
Clip Player
Port Set the clip player communication port.
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Option Description
MediaSelector Clip Player
Port Set the MediaSelector clip player communication port.
Virtual Slots
Virtual Slots (Vslots) are visual layers in a channel (preview or on-air). Different scenes can be
played simultaneously to different VSlots. The result would be one scene appearing to be
superimposed upon another. You can define up to 256 Vslots. 0 is the back layer, and 255 is the front
layer. In the VSlots settings, you can define slots 0-255.
To define a slot:
1. Click Add to add a layer.
2. Set a VSlot number.
3. Double-click the Alias column and type a name for the slot.
4. Press ENTER.
n The Virtual Slots definition is applied to the resource database. You can modify the Vslot; changes
made here affect all hosts connected to the current database.
To delete a VSlot from the list:

t Select the VSlot from the list, and click Delete.
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7 Maestro Monitor
Maestro Monitor is a monitoring and control tool for all Maestro | News applications and
MediaCentral | Cloud UX integration related services. It is a Windows Service application that can be
set to run at startup of the computer to ensure continuous monitoring. The Maestro Monitor GUI,
which connects to the Avid Maestro Monitor Service, provides a common way to configure startup
and recovery modes for all Maestro | News software components, irrespective of how the component
runs: as a Windows Service or as a Windows application.
For a Windows application that does not run under the control of the Service Control Manager,
Maestro Monitor can restart the application if it stops responding or is accidentally closed by a user.
It is also possible to change the startup mode of the services to manual, automatic or disable it
completely.
You can use the Stop all, Start all and Restart all options to change the status of all services:
• Stop all - stop all applications with Startup set to Manual;
• Start all - start all applications with Startup set to Manual;
• Restart all - restart all applications with Startup set to Manual.
Maestro Monitor respects all parameters in the run command, and so can distinguish between various
REST services. For example, “AssetService -REST -a” and “AssetService -REST -b” are recognized
as separated applications and can have different settings in Maestro Monitor.
Maestro Monitor is a part of the MaestroBusServices installation. Set of initially available services
and applications depends on what setup type you have selected (ACS BUS or REST).
In this section:
• Using Maestro Monitor
Using Maestro Monitor

To enable / disable Maestro monitoring:
1. Open the Services window by going to Control Panel > Administrative Tools.
2. Right-click on the Maestro Monitor Service to start, stop or pause it.
To access the Maestro Monitor GUI:

t Run the MaestroMonitor.exe file in C:\Program Files\Avid\Maestro NEWS
Controller\<version>.
Main Maestro Monitor Window
Services required by Maestro | News HTML5 Cloud UX Plugin:

• Asset Access Service
• Asset Access Service REST
• Data Link Service
• Maestro Asset Service
• Maestro Sync Agent
• Render Service
Services required by Maestro | News HTML5 MOS Plugin:

• Asset Access Service REST
• Data Link Service REST
• Media Browser Service
• Render Service REST
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8 Maestro | News Sync Applications
Maestro | News Database Sync and Maestro | News Native2 Sync applications are used to import or
export Maestro | News assets or to create copies of the Native2 database.
Working with Maestro | News Database Sync

Maestro Sync provides options to import, export and migrate information about Maestro | News
assets.
Use it to import rundowns (with items), pages and datasources from one Maestro | News database to
another. The Maestro Sync tool also allows to migrate a previous generation Maestro | News Native
database to the current Native 2 database format. You can easily create an asset database backup to a
separate file, which can be then restored when necessary.
However, since Maestro Sync only exports/imports the information about rundowns or pages, the
actual video and graphic files as well as Maestro | Designer scenes need to be copied manually to the
new location.
Maestro Sync is a part of the Maestro | News installation.
After installation, you can launch Maestro Sync from the desktop shortcut, or from Start >
Programs > Avid > Maestro > Maestro Sync.
The initial connection window is displayed.
Enter the required parameters and click OK. The parameters change accordingly to the selected
action.
To connect to a Maestro database, the required parameters are:
Action Select the type of action you want to perform in Maestro Sync:
• Open existing Maestro database file
• Open existing SQLite database file
• Connect to native Maestro database
• Connect to native Maestro database V2
• Connect to IBIS asset management V5
Login Enter the login name for the selected authentication method.
Password Enter the password for the selected authentication method.
Server name Host name or IP address of the database location. Server name must be in the
following format: <hostname or IP>\<DB instance>.
Database name Name of the asset database. (Default values is maestro_3 for the native Maestro |
News database 2).
Authentication Choose the type of authentication method to log in with; Windows or SQL If you
choose Windows authentication, no password is required, and the Windows login
name is used. When SQL Server Authentication is selected, enter the SQL Server
user name and password.
Main Maestro Sync Window
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On the left side of the window, select the export database. Click on the Change button to select the
database. You can browse for an existing Maestro database file or SQLite file, or connect to a native
Maestro | News database (native or Native2).
Once you have accessed the required files, select which rundowns, pages or items you want to
export.
Set the necessary Export Options:
Export with Enable this option if the rundown should be automatically exported together with its
dependencies pages and queries.
Overwrite unique IDs Select this option if you want to overwrite files that have the same unique IDs.
Export metadata Enable this option if you want the files to be exported together with their metadata.
Export access control Enable this option if you want the files to be exported together with their assigned
access control permissions.
On the right side, select the new location of the exported files by clicking on the Change... button.
You can create a new Maestro database file and use it as your backup. You can also open an existing
database file (Maestro or SQLite) or connect to a native Maestro database (native and native 2).
Once you have accessed the required location, click on the Export button to perform the migration of
the files.
Follow the same steps to perform an import of files. Once you have selected the files to be imported
on the right side and the location for the files on the left side, click on the Import button.
Set the necessary Import Options:
Overwrite items Enable this options if you want to overwrite items that have the same name.
Overwrite pages Enable this options if you want to overwrite pages that have the same name.
Overwrite unique IDs Select this option if you want to overwrite files that have the same unique IDs.
Import metadata Enable this option if you want the files to be exported together with their assigned
Import access control Enable this option if you want the files to be imported together with their assigned
Working with Native2-Sync

The native2-sync application is installed as a part of the Maestro | News Tools package. It allows to
create a copy of the Maestro | News database. The native2-sync application can be operated from the
Command Prompt and using a simple and intuitive GUI.
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To access the native2-sync application:
1. Open the Command Prompt and navigate to the following location:
cd “C:\Program Files\Avid\MaestroNewsTools\<version>
Then type: native2-sync.exe to access the console.
2. Login to your source and destination databases using the following command:
native2-sync -s {[<user>:<pass>@]<host>[:<dbname>], <localDb.mdf> -d
{[<user>:<pass>@]<host>[:<dbname>], <localDb.mdf>}
Example: native2-sync -s sa:[email protected]\m:maestro_3 -d

sa:[email protected]\m:maestro_3_cp
Example: native2-sync -s user1:[email protected].\m:maestro_3 -d file.mdf
3. Once you establish a connection to source and destination databases, you can type “h” to view
available commands.
Type “export” and press Tab to view further options. The console will guide you through the
entire process by providing the required and available parameters.
4. You can filter the exported items using the available options:
t -create_date <from> [<to>]
t -modify_date <from> [<to>]
t -name <name> - regular expression filter for asset name
t -type <type> - PAGE|ITEM|RUNDOWN|DATAQUERY|DATASOURCE
t -force_override - override all assets
t -override - override asset only when source modification date is higher.
t -without_dependency - collecting assets without dependencies is quicker.
t -without_empty_folders - additional check if the target directory exists, which
can slow down the export process.
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t -without_metadata - excludes metadata information from the export process.
t -without_subdirectories - speeds up the process because only assets from the
selected directory are exported.
5. When the export of selected assets from the given path is complete, a confirmation is displayed:
Example:
Export complete. Successfully exported: DATASOURCE: 2, ITEM: 2, PAGE: 38,
RUNDOWN: 0; Failed: DATASOURCE: 0, ITEM: 0, PAGE: 0, RUNDOWN: 0
To access the native2-sync GUI:

1. In the native2-sync console, type the following command:.
native2-sync <connection commands> -g
2. Inside the native2-sync GUI, you can set up the same export options as in the Command Prompt
console.
Working with the Page Converter

The Maestro | News native2-management application includes a page conversion tool which allows
to convert Maestro | News Pages from version 6.8 to the 2021.x format.
The page conversion tool allows to change the internal properties of page/item XML. You can
change the font, the color of the controls or timeline events data by typing appropriate commands in
the native2-management tool.
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To access the native2-management application:
1. Go to the following location: C:\Program Files\Avid\MaestroNewsTools\<version> and double-
click on the native2-management.exe application.
-or-
Open the Command Prompt and change the location to:
cd C:\Program Files\Avid\MaestroNewsTools\<version>
Then type: native2-management.exe to access the console.
2. To connect to your database, type:
database - connect to database using command line
-s [<user>:<pass>@]<host>[:<dbname>] - (Required) source database
general
-g - show GUI
-userdata_subdirectory - SystemSettings.ini and logs directory
3. The following page conversion commands are available:
update_items_data {<pattern>}, {<location>}, [<filters>] - replace item/
page field data with another value
pattern
-file <file> - (Required) file
location
-path <location> - directory
-unique_id <uniqueId>
filters
-create_date <from> [<to>]
-modify_date <from> [<to>]
-name <name> - regular expression filter for asset name
Example:
native2-management update_items_data -file ./pageConverter/toColored.ini -
unique_id 0C
where:
- pattern (file) - contains path to the Page Converter file (*.ini).
- location:
* path - location of the folder which contains pages/items. The tool moves through a
directory tree.
* unique_id - unique id of the asset.
- filters - asset filters.
4. Type “h” to view the help menu or “q” to close the console.
You can also open the native2- management GUI from the console by typing native2-
management general -g.
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The Page Converter File
The page converter file used to update the Maestro | News pages and items is a configuration file in
the .ini format.
Translators
The Translators section contains a list of translator definitions (up to 999). A single instance of a
translator contains information about a path to the page XML property and a replacement for the
current variable.
Example Definitions
[Translators] path - enter the path to the XML tag in one of the following
0\path=r@.*/M6_CONTROL/CONTROL_DATA$ formats:
0\propertyName=BackgroundColor • value - absolute path to xml tag.
0\replacement=4291875024
Example: M6_MULTIPAGE/M6_PAGE/
0\insertIfPropertyDoesNotExists=true
M6_CONTROL/CONTROL_DATA
1\path=r@.*/M6_CONTROL/CONTROL_DATA$
• regexp - regular expression. Format: r@<expression>
1\propertyName=TextColor Example: r@.*/M6_CONTROL/CONTROL_DATA$
1\replacement=4279703319 replacement - enter the replacement value.
• value - enter the new value.
• script - enter a script which returns the new value.
Format: s@<file_path>.
For more information, see “Scripting” on page 152.
151
Example Definitions
propertyName - name of property to change. If

propertyName is empty then tag value is taken.
<tag propertyName=”propertyValue”>tagValue</tag>
insertIfPropertyDoesNotExists - if an attribute does not
exist, then insert. False by default.
Maestro | News Page XML Format
You can access the following attributes of Maestro | News pages:

• M6_MULTIPAGE/M6_PAGE - subpage
• M6_MULTIPAGE/M6_PAGE/M6_CONTROL - control
• M6_MULTIPAGE/M6_PAGE/M6_CONTROL/COMMON_DATA - common control properties
• M6_MULTIPAGE/M6_PAGE/M6_CONTROL/CONTROL_DATA - control properties
• M6_MULTIPAGE/M6_PAGE/M6_TIMELINE- timeline
• M6_MULTIPAGE/M6_PAGE/M6_TIMELINE/PEvent- timeline event
• M6_MULTIPAGE/M6_PAGE/M6_TIMELINE/PEvent/SubPEvents/PEvent- timeline subevent
• M6_MULTIPAGE/Scripts - scripts
Maestro | News Item XML Format
You can access the following attributes of Maestro | News items:

• MItemDescr/Custom/multiItemObject/MItemDescr - subpage
• MItemDescr/Custom/multiItemObject/MItemDescr/Common/baseInfo - subpage data
• MItemDescr/Custom/multiItemObject/MItemDescr/Common/pevents/PEvent -
event
• MItemDescr/Custom/multiItemObject/MItemDescr/Common/mParmeters/mParam-
control
• MItemDescr/Custom/multiItemObject/MItemDescr/Common/mParmeters/mParam/
MParamProperties- control data
Scripting
You can enter replacement values for the converted pages using scripts.
Functions
Function Description Definition
log Log messages to the console in this format: void log(arg1, …);
PageConverter: <message1>, …
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Function Description Definition
getDomValue Returns attribute value from the current tag level. string getDomValue(path, attribute);
Example paths: ../../M6_CONTROL|4/
CONTROL_DATA (move back to M6_PAGE, go
to 4th M6_CONTROL and go to
CONTROL_DATA ).
Example attribute: Name.
Attribute can be also empty if you want to access
tag value.
setDomValue Change dom tag/attribute value. void setDomValue(path, attribute, string);

This function only has the ability to modify a value
(adding is not permited).
decodeVariant Decode string in format “2#TS#6“and returns variant decodeVariant(string);

value in right format.
Mostly used in events.
encodeVariant Encode variant to format “2#TS#6“. string encodeVariant(variant);
Syntax
Scripting syntax is based on ECMA Script. From the script level you are allowed to access three
dynamic variables:
• path - the XML tag path.
• attribute - the attribute name (empty if is tag value).
• value - the current string value.
Example script which logs the current value in the console and returns the same value:
log(path, attribute, value);
return value;
Most Important Conversions
Encode/decode variant
(...)
<PEvent Name="inNDyt7cx0Zd" ID="54" Type="ON_TAKE">
<PEventParams>
<script>
<wizard type="1">1#TS#true</wizard>
</script>
<duration type="2">2#TS#1</duration>
<take_time
(...)
0\path=r@.*/PEvent/PEventParams/duration$
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0\propertyName=
0\[email protected]
var decodedValue = decodeVariant(value)
if(decodedValue == 0)
{
return value;
}
else
{
decodedValue = 0;
return encodeVariant(decodedValue);
}
Encode/decode color:
(...)
<M6_CONTROL Name="SingleLineText" Module="Native Maestro" Type="0">
<COMMON_DATA Size="150, 30" QueryActive="0" LayoutDirection="2"
ID="1" Visible="1" zValue="1" Scripts="OnDataChanged|-|none"
UseInItemTitle="1" Query="" ReadOnly="0" Position="10, 35"/>
<CONTROL_DATA TextAlignment="0" TextMaxLength="2147483647" Case="0"
Data="Test" TextColor="4294967295" InputMask=""
BackgroundColor="4284506208" Font="Arial Unicode MS,10,-
1,5,50,0,0,0,0,0" DataType="10"/>
</M6_CONTROL>
(...)
0\propertyName=TextColor
0\[email protected]
function toRgba(color) // m6 color to rgba
{
var v = parseInt(color);
var b_ = (v >>> 0) & 255;

var g_ = (v >>> 8) & 255;
var r_ = (v >>> 16) & 255;
var a_ = (v >>> 24) & 255;
return {r: r_, g: g_, b: b_, a: a_};
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}
function toM6Color(rgb) // rgba to m6 color

{
var newV = rgb.b
+ (rgb.g * Math.pow(2, 8))
+ (rgb.r * Math.pow(2, 16))
+ (rgb.a * Math.pow(2, 24))
return newV.toString();
}
var color = toRgba(value);

color.r = 255; // change red to 255
return toM6Color(color);
Control type:
text - 0, multiline text - 1, bool - 2, combo box - 3, image - 4, clip - 5, label - 6, date - 7,
decorated text - 8, integer - 10, double - 11, time - 12, run script - 14, timecode - 15, world
news mapper - 16, media control - 17, array - 18
0\[email protected]
var color = toRgba(value);
var controlType = getDomValue("..", "Type");
if(controlType == 10 || controlType == 11) // is double or int

{
color.r = 255; // change red to 255
}
return toM6Color(color);
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Font:
function Font()
{
this.fontFamily = "Georgia";
this.capitalization = "Regular";
this.strikeout = 0;
this.underline = 0;
this.weight = 50;
this.size = 10;
this.toString = function()
{
return this.fontFamily + "," +
this.size + "," +
"-1,5," +
this.weight + "," +
"0," +
this.underline + "," +
this.strikeout + "," +
"0,0," +
this.capitalization;
}
}
var f = new Font();

f.size = 12;
log(f.toString());
return f.toString();
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Conversion Examples
In the MaestroNewsTools\<version>\pageConverter directory you can find example converters of
the following page:
You can find the descriptions of the functions and scripts used in the example converters in the table
below:
toBright [Translators]
Changes the background 0\path=r@.*/M6_CONTROL/CONTROL_DATA$

color in controls to
4291875024 (bright) 0\propertyName=BackgroundColor
hardcode value and text 0\replacement=4291875024
to 4279703319 (dark)
value 0\insertIfPropertyDoesNotExists=true
2\path=r@.*/M6_PAGE$
2\propertyName=BackgroundColor
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toDark [Translators]

color in controls to
4281216558 (dark) 0\propertyName=BackgroundColor
hardcode value and text 0\replacement=4281216558
to 4293388263 (bright)
value 0\insertIfPropertyDoesNotExists=true
toColored [Translators]

color and font for
controls using scripting. 0\propertyName=BackgroundColor
The color is changed to 0\[email protected]
dark or violet depending
on control type.
1\[email protected]
2\[email protected]
3\propertyName=Font
3\[email protected]
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9 NLE Plugin
The Maestro | News plug-in for non-linear editing requires a separate license. The plug-in works with
Avid Media Composer, Avid Newscutter, Avid XpressPro, Adobe Premiere, Quantel qEdit, Sobey,
GV Aurora, EVS Xedio, and Sony XPRINS (SONAPS), and S4M VPMS to allow adding Maestro |
News graphics to video. Integration in with each system is slightly different due to the different
capabilities each system provides.
In this section:
• Maestro | News NLE Server
• NLE Server Preferences
• Using the Plugin
• Using the NLE Template Linear Timeline
Maestro | News NLE Server

In order to run the plug-ins, the NLE server must be running.
To start the NLE Server:

t Double-click the Maestro NLE shortcut on the desktop.
The server functions as a browser only, for viewing the pages available from Maestro | News.
To allow you to connect to the server from external applications, you must set the connections in
the external application’s Server.
To set connection preferences:

t Right-click one of the empty spaces in the menu bar, and click Preferences.
The Preferences dialog box opens.
NLE Server Preferences

Set the system preferences for the NLE Server, as described in the following sections.
Login
Login & Password The user name and password for logging in to the required Maestro | News database.
Server name The name of the computer where the Maestro | News database is stored.
Database name The name of the Maestro | News database.
Use DSN connection Select to use a DSN Connection, and specify the connection name (this must be
defined in the ODBC data source administrator).
Server type Choose the type of Server on which the asset database is stored.
Authentication Choose the type of authentication method to log in with; Windows or SQL. If you
choose Windows authentication, no password is required, and the Windows login
name is used.
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Log
Log file path Set the location of the log file.
Remove older than Send log files older than the limit defined here to the recycle bin.
Remove when larger Send log files larger than the limit defined here to the recycle bin.
than
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NLE Renderer
Local RenderEngine Select this check box to display a local Preview window. If this is selected, you must
specify the path of the Render engine application and the work directory. When
cleared, no local Preview window is displayed.
Remote RenderEngine Select this check box to use a remote HDVG as a PVW device, and specify the host
name.
ClipPlayer Set the communication port for the ClipPlayer.(10001 by default).
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Miscellaneous
Spell check Define the dictionary language and path to use when running the spell-checker.
Remember last folder Select to remember the last folder opened in the browser, or clear to return to the
root folder each time the browser is opened.
Show buttons Select to display or clear to hide the buttons shown in the NLE plugin user interface.
Data path mapper Set the path where the required graphics are stored.
Style Sheet Define the style sheet to use to define the user interface. This file is an HTML
cascading style sheet (CSS) file and can be used to customize the Maestro | News
NLE Plugin GUI.
163
Shortcuts
You can define shortcuts for of the actions and save personal settings as a file, and load them when
required between systems. In the left window shortcuts are sorted by category, and in the right
window shortcuts are sorted alphabetically.
To edit/create a shortcut:
1. In the Shortcuts dialog box, select an action in the left window.
2. Place the cursor in Press shortcut keys, and press the required key combination.
3. Click Assign.
To cancel a shortcut:
t Select the action and click Remove.
When you are finished customizing the settings, click OK.
To save all shortcuts to a file:

t Click Save.
A browser window is displayed, allowing you to select the location to which to save the file (in
STC format).
To load a shortcut file:

t Click Load and select an STC file to load.
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NLE
Communication Port It is recommended to leave the default. This parameter defines the communication
port between plugins to NLE and the Maestro | News NLE server. (Default = 2310).
Response timeout Set the duration before the system time out.
Renderer Set the maximal number of scenes that can be loaded to RenderEngine
simultaneously.
Use Prefetch Select this option to set RenderEngine to generate frames before the editing system
requests them for faster rendering time. This should only be disabled if using a
remote RE that is not dedicated to a single NLE station.
165
Using the Plugin
Avid Media Composer
To use the NLE plugin in Media Composer:
1. In Media Composer, right-click in the timeline and select New Video Track.
A new video track is added to the timeline.
2. Select Tools > Effect Palette to open the Effect Palette.
3. In the Effect Palette, select Maestro in the left pane.

The Maestro | News effect is displayed in the right pane.
4. Drag the Maestro | News effect to the new video track in the timeline.
5. In the timeline toolbar, click Effect mode .
The Effect editor is displayed.
166
6. Set the following effects, as required:
Effect Description
Page selector Select this check box to open the NLE plugin. The plugin is connected to the
Maestro | News database. From here, select a template and an item to add to your
clip. You can see the graphics rendered in the local Preview window.
Flicker filter Select this check box to apply a filter to prevent flickering.
Overlay Select this check box to ignore the alpha channel overlay graphics on video.
specify a track duration:” on page 54.
Fast rendering Select this option for faster rendering. Only one effect at a given point of the
timeline is allowed. (When using Fast rendering overlapping effects are not
rendered.).
Disable rendering Select to enable using graphic elements in production without burning graphics to
video. (Requires configuration with Maestro IPM, MediaCentral | Production
Management or Command, etc.)
Adobe Premiere
To use the NLE plugin in Adobe Premiere:
1. In the Effects directory, select Video Effects > Generate.
167
2. Drag the Maestro | News effect to the timeline, to a video track.
The effect is displayed in the Effect controls.
3. Set the following effects, as required:
Effect Description
Browse Open the NLE plugin. The plugin is connected to the Maestro | News database.
From here, select a template and an item to add to your clip. You can see the
graphics rendered in the local Preview window.
Aspect Set the aspect ratio to use for the effect.
specify a track duration:” on page 54
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Using the NLE Template Linear Timeline
In the NLE template linear timeline you can change event timing. Move tracks in the timeline as
required. For more information, see “Linear Timeline” on page 55.
Timeline scaling policy is also applied here, as described in “Time Scaling Policy” on page 35.
Manual manipulation is only feasible when scaling is disabled (set to Default).
169
10 NRCS Integration
Maestro | News integrates with MediaCentral and other newsroom and editing systems to simplify
and speed production workflows. Quickly add components and change configurations as needed.
Easily find, edit, and add Maestro | News graphics to stories from anywhere, using any device.
Connect to MediaCentral and/or Interplay to find content faster. Retrieve MediaCentral | Newsroom
Management and iNEWS rundowns without MOS. This section describes how Maestro | News can
be integrated with NRCS systems.
In this section:
• NRCS Plugins
• Setup
• Using the Maestro | News NRCS Plugin
• Direct MediaCentral | Newsroom Management Connection
NRCS Plugins
Maestro | News can be integrated into newsroom systems.
The Maestro | News plugin for NRCS enables access to graphic templates that can be inserted into
Newsroom rundowns. When linked to a newsroom system, published templates are accessed from
the newsroom system itself. Journalists can browse or search templates, enter relevant data (either
manually or retrieved from an external data source), preview it on their workstation, and add it to the
newsroom system rundown. Once updated, a mirrored rundown within Maestro | News Controller is
automatically updated, as well.
Avid MediaCentral | Newsroom Management, AP ENPS, Octopus, Dalet+, Annova Open Media,
Snews, LifeNews, NorCom NC Power, Sobey and Dayang are some of the supported newsroom
systems.
Detailed information about the supported NRCS system is provided in the Maestro | News
Installation and Configuration Guide.
Constraints
Graphic templates must be created in the Maestro | Designer authoring tool. Data templates (called
pages) are created using Page Editor (part of the Maestro Graphics Suite). Both graphics and data
templates are saved to a database and are accessible to network clients. They can be accessed from
Maestro | News, Journalist Station, and the Maestro | News plugin for NRCS.
For more information on creating graphics, see the Maestro | Designer User Guide.
For more information on creating data templates and rundowns, see the Page Creation and Building a
Rundown chapters of this guide.
This manual assumes that graphics and pages already exist in the database.
Setup
This section describes the one-time setup process required, when you first install the Maestro | News
plugin on the NRCS client.
System Configuration
Each part of the system must be configured, as described in the following sections:
• Maestro | News MOS Gateway
• Maestro | News Controller
• NRCS Client
• NRCS Server
• NRCS MOS Gateway
Requirements
• All elements must be part of the same network (able to reach each other at IP level).
• NRCS server and client are installed and properly configured for normal operation (without
plugin).
• All ports of communication between the various system components must be open.
• Maestro | News is installed and properly configured (without NRCS integration).
• NRCS MOS Gateway is already installed.
• NRCS MOS gateway and Maestro | News MOS gateway are not installed on the same station.
• Maestro | News MOS gateway can be installed on the same station that acts as file server and
database server.
Maestro | News MOS Gateway

The Maestro | News MOS Gateway is configured in the Settings dialog box. For more information
how to configure the Maestro | News MOS Gateway, see the latest Maestro | News Producer MOS
Gateway ReadMe on the Avid Knowledge Base.
171
Maestro | News Controller
Maestro | News requires an additional license for MOS in order to receive MOS commands. When
this option is licensed, you can configure the MOS settings, as follows.
The Maestro | News Controller is configured in the Preferences dialog box.
For more information on configuring Maestro | News to receive MOS commands, see “MOS
Protocol” on page 122.
NRCS Client
The NRCS client is configured in the Preferences dialog box.
n The NRCS client station must have a license enabled and/or a dongle installed to perform the
following configuration.
172
To configure the NRCS Client:
1. In the NRCS client, select Tools > Plugins > Maestro Editor Class.
The MaestroBrowser window opens.
2. Right-click anywhere within the toolbar area of the MaestroBrowser window, and select
Preferences.
n By default, access to preferences is blocked, contact Avid support to unblock this, if required.
3. In the Login settings, set the parameters as described below:
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Login and Password The username and password that you use to log in to Maestro | News.
Server name The name and path of the current database server.
Database name Enter the database name.
Use DSN Connection Select to use a DSN Connection, and specify the connection name (this must be
defined in the ODBC data source administrator).
Type Select one the database to use:

The Native Maestro | News DB 2 option is SQL based with extended capabilities
for user rights, advanced searching, and metadata.
Authentication Windows authentication – The Windows username and password is used, and the
username and password entered here are ignored.
SQL authentication – use the default username and password.
4. In the MOS item settings, set the following parameters.
5. Set the parameters as described below:
MOSID The ID of the device inside the NRCS.
NCS Type The type of the NRCS System.
MOS Server When this check box is selected, the MOS server is notified of new item creation.
When cleared, new items are created in the Maestro | News DB without notifying the
MOS server.
Set the Host IP address and the Port number of the Maestro | News MOS gateway.
174
Enable asset drag to When this check box is selected, the puzzle piece icon for dragging newly created
NCS MOS items to the NRCS rundown is enabled. When cleared, item insertion must be
done automatically upon save.
Timebase Select the required video format time base.
Use aliases as channel Use aliases defined in the Maestro | News DB instead of the channel code (A, B,C)
names in the channel selection bar.
Insert itemEdStart and Use tags to define the duration and the start time (measured from the beginning of
itemEdDur tags the story).
6. In the Preview application settings, set the following parameters:
n The preview application is used to view items in the NRCS client, and requires a separate license.
175
Aspect Set the video format to use.
Mode Set RenderEngine behavior when the aspect ratio of the scene used is different than
the aspect ratio with which the RE is configured.
Local RenderEngine Initialize on application start - when this check box is selected, the local Preview
window is started when MediaCentral | Newsroom Management is started. When
cleared, the local Preview will either start when you open the plugin, or when you
request the preview.
Shut down RenderEngine on exit - when this check box is selected, RenderEngine
is shut down when MediaCentral | Newsroom Management is closed. When cleared,
RE is left running, so the next time that the plugin is open, the local Preview will be
available immediately. (if a floating license is used, the RE will use a license even if
not in use).
Limit scenes loaded by RenderEngine - limit the number of scenes loaded to
RenderEngine to the specified number.
Single image preview - when this check box is selected, only a given frame of the
animation is shown.
Single Vslot preview - when this check box is selected, only a single scene can be
displayed in the preview, regardless of different Vslots defined for each scene.
Dynamic blending is disabled.
Clear output before preview - clear any remaining graphic in the preview before
playing the next graphic.
Remote Preview Select this option to define a renderer to be used from a remote system.
Renderer
Studio Preview Select this option to define an application to launch to preview graphics as they will
Launcher be displayed in a video wall.
Start in split-view Select this option to start the preview side-by-side with the page view (rather than
above it).
Clip Player Define the port used to communicate with Video Engine when Video Engine is used
for preview.
7. Click OK.
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Maestro | News HTML 5 MOS Plugin Integration
You can also configure the Maestro | News HTML 5 MOS Plugin to work with MediaCentral |
Newsroom Management (iNews).
NRCS Server
Configuration of the NRCS Server is performed in the NRCS client. Two system files must be
configured for the plugin to run smoothly. The following is an example of how to configure
MediaCentral | Newsroom Management via MOS. To learn about the direct connection between
Maestro | News and MediaCentral | Newsroom Management, see “Direct MediaCentral | Newsroom
Management Connection” on page 182.
To configure the NRCS Server:

1. In the tree, select the MAP file from the SYSTEM folder.
The file’s code is displayed. This file contains a list of rundowns that can be sent to the Maestro |
News controller.
2. For each rundown that needs to be sent to the Maestro | News controller, verify that the MOS
configuration line is correct, as explained in the following example:
The line ‘mos orad’ specifies that a MOS device named ‘orad’ is connected to the NRCS MOS
Gateway that is running on ‘kajko’.
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3. In the tree, select the MOS-MAP file from the SYSTEM folder.
The file’s code is displayed. This file specifies mapping between the MOSID and the computer
name (used by MOS).
4. Verify that the mapping is correct, as explained in the following example:

In the line <MOS ID> <iNews Dev Name>;
- The <MOS ID> parameter is the name of the Avid device in NRCS (it must match the ID
given in the Maestro |News MOS gateway and in the NRCS client).
- The <iNews Dev Name> parameter must match the internal MediaCentral | Newsroom
Management name specified in the MAP file.
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NRCS MOS Gateway
Configuration of the Avid MediaCentral | Newsroom Management MOS Gateway is done from the
Avid MediaCentral | Newsroom Management client. The mosconfig.xml file must be configured.
To configure the NRCS MOS gateway:

1. Open the file: c:/program files/Avid/MOSgateway/mosconfig.xml.
2. Under the MOS device definition, set the following:
t IP or Host name of the ORADMOS PC (10.10.1.81 in this example), as required.
t Set the <mos> object to match the name of the MOS ID.
t Set the internal MediaCentral | Newsroom Management name to match the <amcp> object.
Using the Maestro | News NRCS Plugin

This section describes the process of editing rundown items in the Avid MediaCentral | Newsroom
Management client, and inserting them in a rundown.
Opening Items
To edit a rundown item in a MediaCentral | Newsroom Management client, you must open the
MaestroBrowser.
To open an item:
1. Select Tools > Plugins > Maestro Browsing Class.
The MaestroBrowser window opens
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2. Browse to the required item, and double click to open it.
The item opens as shown in the following example.
Editing Items
You can edit new items just opened from the Maestro | News database, or items that were opened
previously, and added to a rundown.
Editing Items from the Database
Edit the data within an item by selecting the required data field with the cursor, and editing it as
necessary.
Once you’re done editing, click Save to save the changes. This saves the item in the Maestro | News
database. (See also “Previewing Items” on page 181.) To insert the item to a rundown, with the
rundown selected in the tree, click the Item button, and drag it to the lower right window in the
NRCS client, then save the rundown.
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Editing Items from a Rundown
To edit items from a rundown, you must select the item in the Avid MediaCentral | Newsroom
Management application (double-click). A plugin opens (MaestroEditor), allowing you to modify the
item, preview it, and re-save it in the Maestro | News database. The plugin switches to edit mode, and
when using MediaCentral | Newsroom Management, must be restarted after being used for editing.
You can use the toolbar options to find assets available in the following locations:
Location Description
Maestro Display the Maestro | News asset directory, which contains the pages saved in
PageEditor.
VideoEngine Display Video Assets stored in configured locations.
Tickers Display tickers available to Maestro | News and the ticker data window to define
ticker content.
Maestro | Designer Display all available Maestro | Designer scenes.
Assign channels, vslots, and transitions to the rundown item at the bottom of the plugin window.
Previewing Items
n This feature requires a separate license. For more information, contact the Avid support team. To use
preview capabilities, the templates folder in the central server should be available as a local unit,
named g:/ in the NRCS client.
You can preview the changes made in the Avid MediaCentral | Newsroom Management client, before
sending them to the controller.
To preview an item:
t Click Play in the NRCS client.
The scene associated with the active page is displayed in a RenderEngine window. (preview will
behave differently, depending on settings).
Press Play again to replay the animation.
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Direct MediaCentral | Newsroom Management Connection
Maestro | News provides a MOS-less MediaCentral | Newsroom Management (formerly iNews)
communication through the MediaCentral | Newsroom Management web services.
Setup
To use the direct MediaCentral | Newsroom Management connection, you need to configure it in the
iNews tab of the Settings dialog box.
To configure the direct connection to MediaCentral | Newsroom Management:

2. Select iNews on the left.
The MediaCentral | Newsroom Management settings are displayed.
3. Set the preferences in the Webservice connection section as described in the topic MediaCentral
| Newsroom Management (formerly iNews) on page 113.
4. To retrieve items from MediaCentral | Production Management, which are nested inside a
MediaCentral | Newsroom Management rundown, you need to enable the Interplay PAM clip
search. For more information, see “Searching for Assets in MediaCentral | Production
Management” on page 203.
5. Click OK and close the Preferences dialog box.
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Working with MediaCentral | Newsroom Management Rundowns
Now that the connection to MediaCentral | Newsroom Management is fully configured, you can
easily retrieve MediaCentral | Newsroom Management rundowns. Once the rundown is loaded, you
can preview and air the video items.
To select a MediaCentral | Newsroom Management rundown:

1. Click on the Select MediaCentral | Newsroom Management rundown ( )button.
The Select queues window appears.
2. Double-click on the chosen queue and click OK.

The selected queues appear in the Rundown area. The items in the rundowns can be organized
and the video items can be previewed. For more information, see “Building a Rundown” on
page 65.
The elements of the imported rundown are described in the table below:
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Item Description
1 MediaCentral | A MediaCentral | Newsroom Management story becomes a Maestro | News

Newsroom Management story.
story
2 Video item with a valid Video item recognized by MediaCentral | Production Management through a
Video-id valid Video-id property. A video, which is found in MediaCentral | Production
Management, has a valid Duration and the Video Id is inserted in brackets
before the clip name.
3 Graphic item with Graphic item set with a timing information in MediaCentral | Newsroom
timing information Management. It is nested inside the video item.
4 Video item without a Video item missing a valid Video-id. This video item has duration set to
Video-id 00:00:00:00.
5 Media type indicator Video item media type indicator. For more information, see “Media Type
Indicators Displayed in the Maestro | News Rundown” on page 77.
6 Graphic item without Graphic item which does not have a timecode information. It is displayed as an
timing information independent, manually playable item.
In the MediaCentral | Newsroom Management system, a video production cue is usually entered
into the story form, using the field labeled Video Id. The Video Id property is assigned to the file
in MediaCentral | Production Management.
When a MediaCentral | Newsroom Management rundown is imported into Maestro | News via a
direct connection, the Video Id of the video items is retrieved amongst other information.
MediaCentral | Production Management retrieves the video item by looking for the Video Id
property.
When no valid Video Id is found, the video item appears with the Video Id inserted as the title
and the duration is set to 00:00:00:00.
When the Video Id is recognized by MediaCentral | Production Management, the video item is
inserted with the correct duration and the information about the video id is shown in brackets
before the clip’s title.
Some graphic items are nested within the video items and will be automatically cued according
to their timing information. This option can be enabled in the MediaCentral | Newsroom
Management system.
To enable the “Use TC” option in MediaCentral | Newsroom Management:

1. Right-click anywhere within the toolbar area of the MaestroBrowser window, and select
Preferences.
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2. In the MOS item section, enable the Insert itemEdStart and itemEdDur tags option.

4. Select the graphic asset to be inserted into a story, and click on the Show timecode icon.
5. Set the required timecode values to allow for automatic cuing of the graphic in the queue.
6. Save the changes and drag the graphic into the MediaCentral | Newsroom Management story.
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11 Scene Editor
Scene Editor is an optional Maestro | News tool that allows you to create or make simple changes to
page/scene content prior to airing.
Scene Editor is a basic version of Maestro | Designer that allows for making limited changes to
scenes.
For more detailed information on any of the Scene Editor functions, see the Maestro | Designer User
Guide.
In this section:
n Scene Editor requires a separate license. For more information, contact Avid support.
• Getting Started with Scene Editor

• Editing Scenes
• Saving Scenes
Getting Started with Scene Editor

Scene Editor can be opened independently or from within Maestro | News. To make the Scene Editor
options available in Maestro | News, Scene Editor must be enabled in the Maestro | News
preferences. For more information, see “Virtual Slots” on page 142.
To open Scene Editor from Maestro | News:
1. In the lower right corner, verify that the Scene Edit indicator is connected (green), and click
Scene Edit.
2. Click Scene Editor to open the Scene Editor tab.
3. Click on New Scene to create a new scene or to open an available scene,
Or-
drag a page to the Scene Editor tab to open the scene.
In Scene Editor, you can add new graphics (based on assets created in Maestro | Designer), or edit
objects in the current scene. Construct scenes quickly and easily, without interrupting the on-air
production.
Scene Editor Menus and Toolbar

File Menu
Option Description
New Scene Open the Create Scene dialog box to create a new scene from a Maestro | Designer
template.
Open Scene Open the Load Scene dialog box to open an existing Maestro | Designer scene.
Save Scene / Save Scene Open a dialog box to save the scene. It is recommended to always save the scene
As under a different name.
Close Close the current scene.
Recent Scenes Display a list of recently edited scenes.
Edit Menu
Option Description
Undo Undo the last action.
Redo Redo the last action.
Cut Cut the currently selected object.
Copy Copy the currently selected object.
Paste Paste the currently cut or copied object.
Delete Delete the currently selected object.
Animation Menu
Option Description
Go to start Go to the beginning of the current animation group.
Go to previous Go to the previous keyframe.
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Option Description
Play Play the animation.
Continue Continue the animation from the current keyframe.
Stop Stop the animation.
Finish loop and continue Finish loop and continue the animation.
Go to next Go to the next keyframe.
Go to end Go to the end of the animation.
New animation group Create a new animation group.
Remove animation Remove current animation group.

group
Mirror animation group Mirror current animation group.
Edit key Edit keyframe.
Record Start / Stop record.
Set start range Set the start frame of the animation range (to the left of the Timeline in the
Animation strip).
Set current frame Select the current keyframe to display.
n This field is not displayed if the timeline is set to use a timecode.
Set end range Set the end frame of the animation range (to the right of the Timeline in the
Animation strip).
Jump Use the SPACE bar to jump forward 10 frames on the timeline.
Set snap to frames Select to set the animation timeline to Snap to Frames or clear to Snap to Fields (0,
0+, 1, 1+, etc.)
Clone animation group Clone current animation group.
Renderer Menu
Option Description
Show Translation Activate the translation (positioning) manipulators for the selected object.
Manipulator
Show Scale Manipulator Activate the scaling manipulators for the selected object.
Show Rotation Activate the rotation manipulators for the selected object.
Manipulator
Show Text Manipulator Activate the text manipulator for text objects.
Show Selection Activate the selection manipulator for the selected object.
Manipulator
Show Active Camera Activate the current camera (layer) manipulator.

Manipulator
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Option Description
Show All Cameras Activate the manipulator for all cameras.

Manipulator
Save Camera Position Save the current camera position before using the camera manipulators.
Restore Camera position Restore the camera position to the last saved camera position.
Render Engine Open the Render Engine Connection dialog box.

Connection
Dock RE Window Dock the local RE window in place or undock as a free window.
Show Alpha Show the alpha layer of the scene.
RE settings Open the Render Engine settings.
View Menu
Option Description
Windows Show or hide various Scene Editor windows.
Layout Load Layout - Load a saved GUI Layout (from a browser window).
Save Layout - Save the current GUI layout with an assigned name.
Restore layout - Restore default menu layout to Scene Editor.
Settings Customize Scene Editor with various system settings.
The Scene Editor toolbar contains additional tools:
New Scene Open a dialog box to create a new scene/project.

(Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+N).
Open Scene Open a dialog box to open an existing scene.

(Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+O).
Save Scene Save the current scene.

(Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+S).
Undo Undo the last editing action.

(Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+Z).
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Redo Redo the last editing action.

(Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+Y).
Cut Cut an object from the scene to the clipboard. Can be pasted if required.
(Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+X).
Copy Copy an object. The selected object, together with all stored information, is
copied to the clipboard.
(Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+C).
Paste Insert the contents of the clipboard into the scene.

(Keyboard shortcut: CTRL+V).
Delete Delete an object from the scene without copying it to the clipboard.
(Keyboard shortcut: DEL).
Lock Object Lock all selected objects to prevent editing.
Unlock Object Unlock all selected objects to allow editing.
Show selected Make all selected objects visible in scene.

object
Hide selected object Hide all selected objects.
If an item was loaded in the RE window of Maestro | News Controller, it is displayed in the Scene
Editor RE window. However, in order to change a scene, it must be opened from the File menu.
You can also create a new scene in SceneEditor. If there are any default templates that have been
created in Maestro | Designer, they will be listed when you select File > New.
Build a scene using the assets available from the Asset Strip. This can be saved as a scene for airing
or as a template for reuse in other scenes.
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When a scene object is selected, the editors and manipulators are enabled. Using the animation,
position, and object properties, you can create new animations, adjust object properties, assign
materials and geometry, and export variables for updating via a page.
Editing Scenes
Scene Editor enables you to open scenes for minor editing while working in Maestro | News, or to
create new scenes with basic capabilities. This section describes what is available in Scene Editor.
To open a scene in Scene Editor:

t Drag a scene from the browser to the Scene Editor tab.
Or-
Click New scene to open a new scene in Scene Editor. (New scenes are based on templates that
exist in the Maestro | Designer database.)
Animation Strip
In the Animation strip, the timeline displays key frame markers for animation sequences, to indicate
the points of change on the timeline.
Defining an Animation Sequence
For each animated sequence, you need to define the parameters that determine the starting status of
the object(s) before the animated action, and to define start and end keyframes for the animation,
which constitute the range.
To record an animation sequence:

1. Click Record in the Animation strip.
The background turns red.
2. Select the object you want to animate, and set the animated parameters to their start point.
n When using the record function the starting properties of an object are not recorded. If you want any
property to be animated, you must record its values (by making a change) after you click Record.
3. Enter the next keyframe number in the Current Keyframe field (or use the yellow slider ).
4. Change the object as required.
5. Enter a new keyframe number in the Current Keyframe field (or use the yellow slider ).
This adds a keyframe at the current frame.
6. Add as many keyframes as required, by changing parameters, and setting the current frame.
7. Click Record keys again to stop the recording.
The background turns gray.
A small pink indicator appears in the Scene tree near the property that was animated (in the
Transformation column); clicking the square displays the Animation window.
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Keyframe Fields
The animation timeline displays the current keyframe number when you move the yellow slider .
If you enter a value in the current keyframe field, the slider jumps to that position.
The timeline also displays the start and end frame numbers of the section of the timeline that is
currently in view. By entering new values in these fields, you can rescale and move the timeline. You
can also drag the slider, to view the hidden sections. The values in the first and last keyframe in view
are automatically updated to reflect the visible section.
There are a number of ways to create a keyframe:
To create a keyframe:
t After you change an object’s parameters for animating, click the Extension button next to the
parameter, and select Set Key. This can be done to change all parameters: transformation,
geometry, color, etc.
A key frame is recorded for the parameter at the current point on the animation timeline.
Changing Keyframe Properties
Keyframe properties are changed in the Key Editor.
To change keyframe properties in the Animation strip:

1. Right-click the keyframe you want to change.
A menu is displayed.
2. Select Edit Key.
A list of the recorded channels is displayed for the selected keyframe.
3. Select the required channel.
The Key Editor dialog box is displayed (see The Key Editor below).
The Key Editor allows you to edit the value of a keyframe for a specific parameter.
Change the values for that keyframe as described in the following table:
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Field Description
Channel Name This is the name of the parameter whose settings are shown in the dialog box (it
cannot be changed).
Key Name Assign the keyframe a meaningful name. This is used by controller applications that
air the Maestro | Designer scenes.
Time Indicate the current keyframe.
Value Set the value of the current parameter at the current keyframe, as required.
Segment - Mode Define playback settings for the segment following the keyframe.
Available options are:
• Linear – the animation speed between keyframes is constant.
• Jump – this segment of the animation shows only the current keyframe and the
next keyframe, not the movement or gradualization between them.
• Accelerated – enable the acceleration/deceleration fields.
• Free - freely set animation acceleration/deceleration for the entire segment.
Segment - Acceleration Set the segment following the keyframe to accelerate when it starts. The value here
defines the percentage of the segment time during which the animation accelerates.
The acceleration is relevant from the keyframe. For example, enter a value of 25% to
accelerate object animation for the first quarter of the segment.
Segment - Deceleration Set the segment following the keyframe to decelerate before it ends. This value
defines the percentage of the segment time during which the animation decelerates.
The deceleration is applied at the end of the segment. For example, enter a value of
25% to decelerate object animation for the last quarter of the segment.
Loop Select the Loop check box to loop the animation and enable the relevant options:.
• Length – define the length of the loop. Each repetition goes back the defined
number of frames, counting from the end keyframe, and plays the animation from
that point.
• Repeat – choose this option to loop the animation according to the value in the
adjacent field
• Repeat infinite – choose this option to loop the animation infinitely
Creating Multiple Animation Groups
To create multiple animation groups:

1. In the Animation strip, click the New Animation Group button. The default name for a new
group, Animation, appears in the drop-down list as the current animation group.
2. Change the name as required. The animation group is automatically saved and added to the list.
3. Define the animation, as described in “Defining an Animation Sequence” on page 191.
n The displayed animation group and the playback controls are applicable only to the currently
selected animation group in the list of animation groups.
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Editing Animation Ranges
Each animation channel range can be manipulated to allow the operator to re-time the key frames. In
the Animation strip, the frame range of the timeline is displayed.
On the timeline, the duration of the current animation channel is displayed. Using the control handle
at the end of the animation (highlighted in the following image), you can change the duration of the
timeline; all the key frames are re-timed accordingly.
Transformation Strip
The position of objects can be changed in the following way:
• In the RE window, you can use the manipulators to reposition objects (right-click to select a
manipulator). For finer control, there is the transformation strip:
From here, you can control the position, rotation, and scale of any object in the scene precisely. Click
the extension button, next to each value to open a menu. Using this menu, you can export variables
from the scene; these variables will then be available in PageEditor. You can also set key frames, or
edit any existing key frame.
Property Editors
Property Editor tabs are available in Scene Editor. When each object is selected, the appropriate
parameters become active.
For comprehensive information on editing scenes, see the Maestro | Designer User Guide.
Saving Scenes
Once you are finished editing a scene, you must save it. The saving options vary, depending on how
the scene was opened.
If you opened a scene by dragging an item (that refers the scene) to the Scene Editor tab, and then
save it with a new name, Maestro | News changes the reference of the item to the new scene.
Scenes made in Maestro | Designer and opened for editing in Maestro | News Scene Editor using
New Scene can be saved with their current name or with a new name. Changes to existing scenes
apply to all pages referencing the scene.
Discard changes made in Scene Editor by selecting File > Close, without saving.
New scenes created in Scene Editor must be named.
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To save a scene:
1. Select File > Save Scene As.
The Save Scene dialog box is displayed, prompting you to enter a name for the new scene. You
can save it with the original name.
2. Save the scene as required.
Scene Editor is closed.
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12 Integration with Asset Management Systems
This chapter describes how Maestro | News is integrated with Avid asset management systems -
MediaCentral | Asset Management (formerly Interplay | MAM) and MediaCentral | Production
Management (formerly Interplay | Production).
In this section:
• Working with MediaCentral | Asset Management
• Working with MediaCentral | Production Management
Working with MediaCentral | Asset Management

Designed for demanding broadcast, news, sports, and post-production environments, MediaCentral |
Asset Management manages the entire lifecycle of your content, making it easy to browse and
retrieve media across multiple tiers of storage for reuse or repurposing. MediaCentral | Asset
Management also integrates with Maestro | News graphics solutions, enabling graphics teams to find
and access any MediaCentral-managed content.
You can access and use images from the MediaCentral | Asset Management as textures in graphic
items or use clips as video items in Maestro | News.
Configuration
Maestro | News allows for an unlimited number of MediaCentral | Asset Management connections.
To add a new MediaCentral | Asset Management connection:

2. Select the MAM tab on the left.
The MAM settings are displayed.
3. Click Add to add a new MediaCentral | Asset Management connection.
t Under Identity, type in the Name of the connection, the System ID and select REST MAM
as the MAM type.
t In the Database server section, set the database server name (enter
<media_central_server_name_or_ip>). Select the SQL Server authentication.
t In the Login section, type in the user name and password for MediaCentral | Cloud UX.
n Make sure that your Cloud UX users have corresponding users in the Maestro | News system. Use the
MaestroAdmin tool to add Cloud UX users manually or import them automatically. Make sure that
the names of both types of users are matching.
4. Once the new connection has been configured, press the Test button to verify if it is working
properly. After clicking Apply, the status of the connection changes from “Test OK” to
“Connected”.
MAM File Transit Configuration

In setups where Maestro | News is integrated with MediaCentral | Cloud UX, the MAM file transit
option can be configured. With this option enabled, you can avoid playing large files over the
network, as the files will be transfered directly to the configured location.
To configure MAM file transit:

2. Select the MAM file transit tab on the left.
The MAM file transit settings are displayed.
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3. Select the MAM file transit check box and enter the following parameters:
a. select Central location if you want to export items from all channels into a single location
or Distributed locations if you want to differentiate target locations based on the channel
assigned to the items.
b. ACS gateway host - IP of the ACS bus (MediaCentral).
c. ACS gateway port - 9500 for MediaCentral 2.7.x or older, 9900 for MediaCentral 2.8 or
newer.
d. User name / Password - Administrator user name and password.
e. Zone Id - this is ICS Zone id (Interplay Communicaton Services Zone Id);
f. Role - Administrator
g. Transcoding system - selection a delivery format; must be numerical, set to 1.
Video Engine Configuration

To preview videos from MediaCentral | Asset Management, you need to enable Video Engine
(FastServe | Playout).
To authenticate MediaCentral | Asset Management on a Windows Video Engine:

t Map the MediaCentral | Asset Management as a local drive from the File Explorer on the Control
PC.
n Windows Video Engine accesses the MediaCentral | Asset Management via an UNC path and you
need to provide login credentials in advance.
-Or-
t Using the net use command, map MediaCentral | Asset Management in the Windows command
line.
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n With this method, manual mapping will be required after each system restart.
To authenticate MediaCentral | Asset Management on a Linux Video Engine:

t Create a mount point corresponding to MediaCentral | Asset Management on the rendering
server itself, provide the required permissions and update the fstab file.
Adding Graphics and Clips from MediaCentral | Asset Management

You can use images and video assets from MediaCentral | Asset Management to fill Maestro | News
graphic templates from Maestro | News Controller, its plugins or MediaCentral | Cloud UX.
To use images from MediaCentral | Asset Management:

1. Open a graphic template containing an image selector or media selector control and double-click
the export control.
The Image Browser opens.
2. Select one of the MediaCentral | Asset Management systems on the left and browse for the image
you want to insert into your page.
3. Click Open.
To use clips from MediaCentral | Asset Management:

1. To fill in a graphics template with a video item, open a graphic template containing a clip or
media selector control and double-click the export control.
Select one of the MediaCentral | Asset Management systems on the left and browse for the
desired clip. Double-click on the video asset to use it in the graphic template.
-or-
2. Select the Video Item item icon to display all available video clips. The Clip Browser opens.
Select one of the MediaCentral | Asset Management systems on the left and browse for the
desired clip.
Double-click on the video item to display its preview and playout options. For more information
on video items, see “Video Item Options” on page 70.
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Adding Metadata
Different metadata can be configured for templates and items. Each type of asset has its own
metadata.
To add metadata for a page, item, or asset:

1. Select the required asset.
2. If necessary, click Metadata to display the Metadata tab.
3. Enter the required information in the available fields.
4. Click Save.
Searching for MediaCentral | Asset Management Assets

You can use a simple or an advanced search (based on asset metadata), to find assets in MediaCentral
| Asset Management. You can also search for assets using regular expressions. For more information,
see “Asset Search Using Regular Expressions” on page 235.
To search for assets in MediaCentral | Asset Management:

1. In the Browser, select a MediaCentral | Asset Management instance and click Search.
A simple search allows you to search by name, asset type, unique ID, and date.
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The advanced search uses queries of metadata fields, and is not limited by conditions.
When you click on the Favorites button in the Browser, you can view and use stored
MediaCentral | Cloud UX searches.
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Working with MediaCentral | Production Management
MediaCentral | Production Management (formerly Interplay | Production) is an asset management
system, which lets you easily manage content creation.
You can browse MediaCentral | Production Management video sequences and media and add them
directly to the rundown.
Configuration
Maestro | News allows for multiple MediaCentral | Production Management connections.
To add a MediaCentral | Production Management connection:

2. Select the MAM tab on the left.
The MAM settings are displayed.
3. Click Add to add a new MediaCentral | Production Management connection.

t Under Identity, type in the Name of the connection, the System ID and select Interplay
Production as the MAM type.
t In the Database server section, set the database server name (the host name or IP address of
the computer on which the server is installed). Select the SQL server or Windows
authentication.
t In the Login section, type in the user name and password for the selected authentication
method.
4. Once the new connection has been configured, press the Test button to verify if it is working
properly. After clicking Apply, the status of the connection changes from “Test OK” to
“Connected”.
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Adding Video Assets from MediaCentral | Production Management
You can use video assets from MediaCentral | Production Management to create new Rundown
items.
To use media or assets from MediaCentral | Production Management:

1. Open the Browser , navigate to the Video tab and select the MediaCentral | Production
Management tab on the left.
The list of available folders and clips opens.
2. Browse for the desired clip. Double-click on the chosen click to preview it in the Browser. For
more information on video items, see “Video Item Options” on page 70.
3. Using the Drag item from here button, you can drag the clip directly into the rundown and
assign a channel. For more information, see “Editing Rundown Items” on page 72.
Searching for Assets in MediaCentral | Production Management

You can use a simple search to find assets in MediaCentral | Production Management. Before you can
use the search option, you need to enable it in the Preferences.
To enable the Interplay PAM clip search:

1. Open the Preferences dialog box (Customize > Settings) and select iNews on the left.
2. Under Interplay PAM clip search, enter the required connection details. For more information,
see “iNews” on page 116.
To search for assets in MediaCentral | Production Management:

1. In the Browser, select a MediaCentral | Production Management instance tab and click Search.
You can only search using the name of the asset.
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Once the item is found, you can view or change the clip’s metadata by clicking on the Metadata
button, or preview the clip in the Browser by double-clicking on the asset. You can also drag it
directly into the rundown to preview the video on multiple channels, before sending it on air. For
more information, see “Previewing and Airing Items” on page 75.
The MediaFS Component

The MediaFS component is a local media indexer, which scans the defined paths on the local file
system and then synchronizes the corresponding assets in the Maestro | News database. Media
indexed with MediaFS has thumbnails and metadata, is searchable and can be used as a part of the
graphic template.
For a more detailed description of the MediaFS component, see the Avid Maestro | News Installation
& Configuration Guide v2019.6.
To use the media indexed with the MediaFS tool inside the Maestro | News Controller, add the
Native Maestro DB 2 type of MAM in the Maestro | News Preferences. For more information, see
“MAM” on page 118.
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13 Access and Permissions
Maestro Admin is a tool designed for an administrator to allow setting user and group permissions
for functions in Maestro | News and access to assets in the Native Maestro | News Database 2.
In this section:
• Starting Maestro Admin
• Maestro | News Users
• Limiting Functionality
• Restricting Access to Assets and Metadata
• Working with Active Directory Users
Starting Maestro Admin

Maestro Admin can be opened from the following location:
C:\Program Files\Avid\MaestroNewsTools\<version>.
To start the Administrator tool:

t Run the MaestroAdmin.exe file from the MaestroNewsTools catalog.
a. The Login window appears.
Enter the required credentials and press Login.

b. The main Maestro Admin screen opens.
Maestro | News Users

The Native Maestro Database 2 has its own Maestro | News User Management model. The
MaestroAdmin is a tool dedicated to manage this model.
It allows the Maestro | News administrators to:

• create new Maestro | News users and groups of users;
• grant or revoke access to folders for a given user or a group of users;
• add or remove permissions for certain actions that a given user can perform in the Maestro |
News Controller;
• create and assign metadata fields for a given asset type.
Creating New Users

You can add new Maestro | News users using the MaestroAdmin tool.
To create a new user profile:

1. In the Users tab, click New User.
The New User dialog box is displayed.
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2. Select the form of the Authentication for the user: Windows Authentication, Microsoft SQL
Server, or Avid MediaCentral Platform.
3. Depending on the selected Authentication method, enter the necessary user details:
t Windows Authentication - enter the details of the new user:
- User name - the user name needs to contain at least one letter.
- Full name - enter the full name of the new user.
n For this type of authentication to work, the user must be a member of the Active Directory domain
and must be logged in to the domain account.
Check the Do not create SQL Server login box if a corresponding SQL login should not be
created. It is possible that this particular user already has access to the database, or the whole
Active Directory group has been given access to the SQL and Maestro | News assets
database.
With this option disabled, a matching SQL Server login with access to the current Maestro |
News database is created.
t Microsoft SQL Server - enter the details of the new user:
- User name - the user name needs to contain at least one letter.
- Full name - enter the full name of the new user.
- Password - enter the user password.
- Confirm password - retype the password for verification.
Check the Do not create SQL Server login box if a corresponding SQL login should not be
created. It is possible that this particular user already has access to the database, or the whole
Active Directory group has been given access to the SQL and Maestro | News assets
database.
With this option disabled, a matching SQL Server login with access to the current Maestro |
News database is created.
t Avid MediaCentral Platform - enter the details of the new user:
- User name - enter the Avid MediaCentral Platform user name.
- Full name - enter the full name of the user.
- Password - enter the Avid MediaCentral Platform user password.
- Confirm password - retype the password for verification.
n For this type of authentication, the access to the SQL database is granted with the login details used
during the Maestro | News installation.
4. Click OK.
The user is created. All existing users appear in the Users tab.
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Importing Users
It is also possible to import a list of existing MediaCentral Platform or Active Directory users.
To import MediaCentral Platform users:

1. In the Users tab, click on the Import button.
The Import window appears.
2. Select Import from MediaCentral Platform.
3. The Import users window appears, where the users can be selected and imported into Maestro |
News Administrator.
4. The imported users can now be added to groups and mapped to roles.
To import Active Directory users:

1. In the Users tab, click on the Import button.
The Import window appears.
2. Select Import from file (LDIF, DSML, TXT).
3. Browse for the necessary file and click on Open.
4. Choose the users to be imported, or press Select All, and click on Import.
The users can now be added further managed in the Maestro | News Administrator tool.
Limiting Functionality
Starting with version 2021.3, functionality within the Maestro | News application is limited for each
group according to the role assigned to the group. By default, new users are added to the Maestro
users group, which has the System operators role assigned. This role gives the users full
functionality for working in Maestro | News.
Working with Groups

Groups allow you to set roles for all users. Starting with version 2021.3, you can only assign roles to
users by adding them to appropriate groups.
To create a new group:

1. In the Groups tab, click New group.
The New group dialog box is displayed.
2. Type in a Name and Description for the group.
3. Click OK.
The group is created. All existing groups appear in the Group list.
To add a user to a group or groups:

1. In the Groups tab, select a group from the Group list.
2. With the group selected, select the users to be included in this group;
Move the users to the left column using the arrows to include in the group or to the right column
to exclude.
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To assign roles to a group:
1. In the Groups tab, select a group from the Group list.
2. Move the required Roles to the Roles in this group column using the arrows.
All users withing this group can now perform operations assigned to the selected Roles.
Creating Roles
To limit the functionality access of user groups, you need to create roles.
To create a role:
1. In the Roles tab, click New Role.
The New Role dialog box is displayed.
2. Type in a Name and Description for the role.
3. Click OK.
The role is created. All existing groups appear in the Role list.
4. With the role selected, select the functions that the user group has or does not have permission to
use.
t Permissions for this role - move allowed functions to this column using the arrows.
t Operations - move restricted functions to this column.
Restricting Access to Assets and Metadata

Access to the assets and their metadata stored in the Native Maestro | News Database 2 is restricted
by Access mode:
• Private - when you want assets to be available to the creator and to administrators.
• Public - when you want assets to be available to all.
• Group - when you want assets to be available to members of a group.
To restrict access to assets or metadata in the database:

1. In the Folders or the Meta Fields tabs, select the folder or field to set the access options.
For more information on metadata fields, see Adding Metadata Fields on page 231.
2. Select the Access mode from the list.
If you selected group access, set the access type (View or Modify) for each group.
Adding Metadata Fields

Add metadata fields in the Maestro Admin tool and set the access permissions, as required. Metadata
fields are displayed in the Maestro | News interface in one of the following property sets:
• Page properties
• Rundown properties
• DataSource properties
• DataQuery properties
• Item properties
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To add metadata fields:
1. In the Meta Fields tab, click Create.
The Create New Meta Field dialog box is displayed.
2. Type in the required Field Name and select the Data Type from the list.
The following Data Types are available:
- Boolean
- Integer
- Real
- String
- Date
- Time
- DateTime
- Selection
- MultiSelection
- Text
3. Click OK.
The field is added to the current list.
n When you set the Selection data type, you must add selection items in the list that is displayed on the
right.
n When creating MultiSelection meta data, you can add multiple boolean values from the Selection
column. In the Selection column, click Add to insert a new value at the end of the list, or press Insert
to put the new value before the currently selected one.
Deleting Metadata Fields

If you delete a metadata field, it is deleted from the database together with all metadata that was
added to the field, and cannot be restored.
Displaying Metadata Fields for Assets

Once you define metadata fields, you can set what fields are available for your database assets in
Maestro | News.
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To set metadata fields per asset:
1. In the Meta Data tab, select the Asset Type.
2. Using arrows, move fields to be displayed in the asset properties to the Meta Data list, or fields
to hide to the Meta Fields list.
Working with Active Directory Users

Starting with version 2021.3, you can import Active Directory groups directly into the Groups tab of
the Maestro Admin tool.
Importing Active Directory Groups

A new Import Group button has been added to the Maestro Admin Groups tab, which allows to
import groups from Active Directory.
To import an Active Directory group:

1. In the Groups tab, click Import Group.
2. In the following window, click on Connect to view the Active Directory tree. By default, the
domain to which your computer is connected appears in the Active Directory browser.
After establishing a connection, you can browse through the AD tree and select a group to be
imported. The list of users belonging to the selected group appears in the bottom section of the
Active Directory browser. To turn off the users’ view, click on the menu button next to the
domain view and disable the Show users assigned to selected group option.
Press OK to import the selected group.
3. The Active Directory group now appears in the Group tab, but the users are not imported directly
into the Maestro | News system. You cannot modify the users of the AD group, but you can
assign roles to the entire group, as described in the To assign roles to a group: procedure.
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Synchronizing Active Directory Users
Synchronizing users between Active Directory and Maestro | News is performed the by native2-
management tool. This application is installed as part of the Maestro | News Tools package. It
should be run in the domain environment periodically to synchronize users imported into Maestro
Admin with the users present in Active Directory. The native2-management application can be
operated from the Command Prompt and using a simple and intuitive GUI.
To access the native2-management application:

1. Go to the following location: C:\Program Files\Avid\MaestroNewsTools\<version> and double-
click on the native2-management.exe application.
-or-
Open the Command Prompt and change the location to:
cd C:\Program Files\Avid\MaestroNewsTools\<version>
Then type: native2-management.exe to access the console.
2. The following options are available in the native2-management console:
native2-management 2021.3
Copyright 2021 by Avid Technology, Inc.
native2-management <database> [<general>] (<command>)
database - connect to database using command line

-s [<user>:<pass>@]<host>[:<dbname>] - (Required) source database
general
-g - show GUI
-userdata_subdirectory - SystemSettings.ini and logs directory
Commands:
ad_group_sync {<prefix>} - synchronize users for group imported from ActiveDirectory
prefix - Prefix for AD user. Format: <prefix>\<user>
-domain_dc - Returns prefix for domain in dn link.
-pre-Windows_2000 - Returns prefix for current PC's domain.
-user_prefix
update_items_timeline <parameters> - copy timeline from selected page to child items

parameters
-unique_id <uniqueId> - (Required) unique id of page
3. Type “h” to view the help menu or “q” to close the console. You can also open the GUI from the
console by typing native2-management general -g.
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To synchronize Active Directory users:
1. Run the ad_group_sync command in native2-management to synchronize the Active Directory
users.
n Active Directory uses two types of domain names: regular domain name and Pre-Windows 2000
domain name. The Pre-Windows 2000 name is compatible with Maestro | News components.
2. The ad_group_sync command should be run periodically to ensure proper synchronization. You
can automate this process with help of the Windows Task Scheduler.
a. Search for the Task Scheduler in the Start menu and open it.
b. Go to Action > Create Task....
The Create Task window appears.
c. In the General tab:
- Enter an informative Name for the task.

- Enable the “Run whether the user is logged on or not” option.
- From the “Configure for” drop-down list, select Windows 10.
d. Go to the Triggers tab and click on New to schedule when the synchronization task should
occur. Click OK to go back to the previous view.
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e. In the Actions tab, click on New and set the following options in the New Action window.
- From the “Actions” drop-down list, select “Start a program”.

- In the “Program/scripts: section, browse for and select native2-management.exe.
- Add the required arguments in the “Add arguments (optional)” text box. You can
specify the database connection here or let the script load the source connection from
the SystemSettings.ini file.
s localhost\db:database_name ad_group_sync -pre-Windows_2000
- In the “Start in (optional)” text box, enter the path in the following format:
C:\Program Files\Avid\MaestroNewsTools\<version>
Click OK to close the window.
f. In the Conditions tab, enable the “Wake the computer to run the task” option.
g. Finally, go to the Settings tab and set the following options:
Click OK to close the Create Task window.
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14 M6 Scripting API
In this section:
• Timeline and Macro API
• Page Level API
• Media Manager API
• Metadata API
Timeline and Macro API

All level APIs in this section can be used in timeline script events.
For more information, see the following topics:

• “Item Level API” on page 215
• “Playlist Level API” on page 219
• “Application Level API” on page 221
• “Asynchronous Communication” on page 222
• “External Device Communication” on page 223
• “Datasource” on page 224
• “ReTalk Scripting API” on page 225
Item Level API

Item Level Properties
Several items properties are accessible directly from a script through the item object. You can read
and set values of the following item properties:
• item.Title – item title, displayed in the rundown view;
• item.Project – name of the project of the graphic scene;
• item.Scene – name of the scene;
• item.TakeCount – number of the OnTake events;
• item.CurrentTake – current take number (takes are numbered from 0);
• item.UniqueID – item unique id (read-only);
• item.VSlot – vslot for item; returns an integer value (not alias name);
• item.Channels – channel list.
Example:
var arrayChannel = item.Channels;
for( var i = 0 ; i < arrayChannel.length ; ++i )
{
app.addParameter( arrayChannel[ i ] );
}
Item Level Parameters
Script parameters are accessible by their names. To set the value of a parameter it is enough to type:
item.parameter_name = some_value;
To read a value from a parameter, use the same semantics with reversed order of script parameters:
var script_value = item.parameter_name;
n Because of scripting, parameter names are limited to alpha-numeric strings with the '_' character.
Other characters are forbidden.
In Maestro | News, a parameter can be a single value, or an array value. To operate on array
parameters in scripts, you can use the parameter's properties:
• "item.parameter_name.Data – returns data as an array of strings;
• "item.parameter_name.Size – returns the size of an array (read-only);
• "item.parameter_name.Index – returns the current index of an array;
• "item.parameter_name.Value – returns the value of the current index from an array
(value of this property is updated automatically when Index or Data is modified)
• item.parameter_name.QueryValid – turns off/on a query for parameters, returns true
if query is on, else returns false;
• item.parameter_name.Visibility – turns off/on the visibility for parameters;
• item.parameter_name.ReadOnly – turns off/on the modify options for parameters.
Item Level Functions

• bool addParameter (string name);
Set value of parameter to parameter_value, if parameter “name” does not exist, create a
new one. Return true on success. If parameter with that name exists, return false.
• bool deleteParameter (string name);
Delete parameter “name”. Return true on success.
• bool hasParameter(string name);
Return true if the parameter “name” is defined.
• void loadItem( Object obj )
This function will try to load graphics to RenderEngine.
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Example:
var item1 = app.findItem( '1LINE' );
if ( item1 != null )
{
app.loadItem( item1 );
}
void unloadItem( Object obj )
(On-Air mode only) This function will try to unload graphics to RE.
• bool isItemLoaded( Object obj )
Returns true if an item is loaded.
• void cueItem( Object obj )
Execute 'CUE'
• void takeItem( Object obj )
Execute 'TAKE'
• void outItem( Object obj )
Execute 'OUT'
Examples
Changing item's title during play operation:
This example uses a simple scene with one text export, and two 'IN' and 'OUT' animations; the first
take sends a text export, and plays the 'IN' animation and the second 'take' plays the 'OUT' animation.
Script for first “Take”:
if(TAKE_NO === "0")
item.Title = "First take: info bar IN";
return true;
return false;
Script for first “Take”:
if(TAKE_NO === "1")
item.Title = "Second take: info bar OUT";
return true;
return false;
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Using one item to display different data for each take:
This example uses a simple scene with one text export, and two 'IN' and 'OUT' animations, but the
scripts for the Take events are different. In this scene, there is a newsText parameter, which holds an
array of text data (e.g. from data query).
if((TAKE_NO % 2) === 0)
item.Title = 'Data to display: "' + item.newsText.Value + '"';
return true;
return false;
Line 1 checks if the take number is an even number. Line 3 changes the title of the item.
Second script:
if((TAKE_NO % 2) === 1)
item.newsText.Index += 1;
if (item.newsText.Index === item.newsText.Size)
item.Title = 'End of data';
item.newsText.Index = 0;
return true;
return false;
Line 1 checks if the script call parameter is an odd number. In line 3, the current index of
item.newsText.Index is increased by 1; we want to display next data. Line 4 verifies that the current
index does not exceed the size of data (the first index is 0). After the last index, the item's title is
changed to 'End of data'.
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Playlist Level API
The Playlist can be accessed in scripts through the 'playlist' object. An item can only access its
'parental' playlist.
Playlist Level Properties
Sample properties:
• playlist.Name – name of the playlist, without the location prefix (read-only);
• playlist.Type – {MOS, MANUAL, ....}
• playlist.MOSDurationStr - MOS playlist duration (parameter roEdDur) as a string;
• playlist.MOSDurationFields - MOS playlist duration (parameter roEdDur) in fields;
• playlist.ActualDurationStr - the actual playlist duration as a string (calculated in
Maestro | News based on the start point and the duration of items in the rundown);
• playlist.ActualDurationFields - the actual playlist duration in fields (calculated in
Maestro | News based on the start point and the duration of items in the rundown).
Playlist Level Parameters
Playlists, like items, can have parameters. Playlists parameters are identical to item’s parameters. We
can access parameter object by its name:
• playlist.parameter_name
Playlist Level Functions
Similar to item objects, playlists will have functions to manipulate their parameters.
• bool addParameter(string name);
Set value of the parameter to parameter_value; if the parameter “name” does not exist, create a
new one. Return true on success.
• bool deleteParameter(string name);
Delete the parameter “name”. Return true on success.
• bool deleteAllParameters();
Delete all parameters. Return true on success.
Item enumeration functions are a part of the set of functions for easy navigation between items (for
accessing individual playlist items).
• int getItemCount();
Returns the number of items in a playlist.
• Object getItem(int anIndex);
Returns reference to an item.
• Object getFirstObject();
Returns the first item in a playlist.
• Object getNextObject(Object aPreviousObject);
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Returns the next object or null;
• Object findItemByID(string uniqueID);
Returns an item with a uniqueID or null;
• Object findItem(string uniqueID);
• Object getLastObject();
Returns the last object in a playlist;
• Object getPrevObject(Object anObject);
Returns the previous object or null;
• Object getCurrentObject();
Returns the current object or null;
• void selectObject(Object anObject, bool aScrollTo);
Selects the specified object and scrolls the playlist if aScrollTo is true.
• Object findItem( string uniqueID );
Tries to find an item in a rundown. On failure, it returns null.
Example:
var uniqueID = "JKP";
var item1 = app.findItem( uniqueID );
var item2 = app.findItem( '1LINE' );
Examples
Change the project name in each item in a playlist.
With this simple script we can quickly replace graphics in each item in a playlist.
function changeGraphics()
{
var oldProject = playlist.old_project; // get old project name from
playlist parameter 'old_project'
var newProject = playlist.new_project;
var nextItem = playlist.getFirstObject(); // take the first item from
playlist while (nextItem != null)
{
if (nextItem.Project == oldProject)
{
nextItem.Project = newProject;
}
/*nextItem = playlist.getNextObject();*/
nextItem = playlist.getNextObject(nextItem);
}
}
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Application Level API
Application object in a script will be named 'app'.
There will only be one application object; it can be accessed from any script. (Items cannot access
other playlists than their own).
Application Level Properties

• app.Name – name of the application (in case of Maestro | News, it will be called 'Maestro',
MOS plugins might have different names);
• app.Version – the version number;
• app.User – name of the current user (as set during the application start);
Application Level Parameters
Like item and rundown objects, applications will have parameters. Parameters can be accessed by
their names:
• app.parameter_name
Application Level Functions
Like item and rundown objects, applications will have their own functions to manipulate parameters.
• bool addParameter(string name);
Set value of the parameter to parameter_value; if the parameter “name” does not exist, create a
new one. Return true on success.
• bool deleteParameter(string name);
Delete the parameter “name”. Return true on success.
• bool deleteAllParameters();
Delete all parameters. Return true on success.
Playlist enumeration functions form a set of functions for easy navigation between playlists
(accessing open playlists).
• int getPlaylistCount();
Returns the number of opened playlists.
• Object getPlaylist(int anIndex);
Returns reference to a playlist.
Another example for enumeration functions:

• Object getFirstPlaylist();
Returns the first playlist.
• Object getNextPlaylist();
Returns the next object or null.
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• Object getActivePlaylist();
Returns the playlist marked as active.
• void closeAllPlaylists();
Closes all playlists, example: app.closeAllPlaylists().
• void loadScene(string aChannel, string aProject, string aScene);
Loads a scene to the specified channel, for example: app.loadScene("A", "Demo", "CNBC").
• void clearChannel(string aChannel);
Clears the specified channel, for example: app.clearChannel("A").
• void clearAllChannels();
Clears all channels, for example: app.clearAllChannels().
Asynchronous Communication
General information on the SIGNAL / SLOT communication mechanism
SIGNAL/SLOT is an abstract name for asynchronous event which can be sent from and item and
received and handled by another item, playlist (only item's playlist can receive its SIGNALS), or
application.
SIGNAL has two parameters: signal name (string) and signal value (variant).
Signals can be sent from the timeline or using script code. In the timeline using Signal event. (Signals
are posted immediately; the Wait command does not apply for scripts or signal events.) In the script
code use the postSignal(name, parameter) function.
Signals can be received by items, playlists, or applications. Only items with on-air status receive
signals (performance constraint). Playlists will receive signals from their children only. Applications
use a global handler.
Sending signals from a script:
Two global functions are provided in the script API:

• postSignal(signal_name, parameter);
Sends signal to all slots (items, playlist, application).
Parameters:
- 'signal_name' – the first parameter allows the receiver to recognize the type of the signal.
- 'parameter' – each signal can 'carry' some value with itself.
• postSignalDirect(signal_name, parameter, recipient);
Sends signal only to the recipient object. This function guarantees that only one object will
receive this signal.
Parameters:
- 'signal_name' – the first parameter allows the receiver to recognize the type of the signal.
- 'parameter' – each signal can 'carry' some value with itself.
- 'recipient' – the signal destination, it can be an item, a parent playlist, or an application.
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Receiving signals in items
A new type of callback can be added to the timeline. The callback will have following interface:
• bool function OnSignalEvent(var SIGNAL_NAME, var SIGNAL_VALUE)
{
return true;
}
External Device Communication

General access to external device properties and functions:
• device_name.device_property();
• device_name.device_function();
See also:
CMD Device
GPI Device
VideoEngine Device
CMD Device
A CMD object in a script will be named 'cmd'. It can be accessed from any script.
CMD Device Properties

• cmd.WorkingDirectory – the path to the directory when the program will run.
• cmd.Arguments – argument list (array type is required).
• cmd.ProgramPath – path to the .exe file.
CMD Device Functions

• void Run();
Start the program.
Examples
Start notepad.exe from Maestro | News using a script:
Script:
cmd.ProgramPath = 'c:/start.bat';
cmd.WorkingDirectory = 'c:/';
cmd.Run();
In start.bat:
start c:\windows\notepad.exe
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GPI Device
A GPI object in a script will be named 'gpi'. It can be accessed from any script.
GPI Device Properties

• gpi.DeviceName – the device name.
GPI Device Functions

• void setPortStatus(int aPortNumb, bool aPortStat);
Set the port number.
VideoEngine Device
The Avid VideoEngine allows to preview video and clips in the Maestro | News Controller.
VideoEngine Properties
• videoengine.DeviceName – select the device, use the names set in 'External devices'
preferences.
• videoengine.ClipId – select the clip name (or ID).
• videoengine.Channel – the VideoEngine channel ID.
• videoengine.IsConnected – the VideoEngine device connection status (true when
connected).
VideoEngine Functions
• videoengine.Cue()
• videoengine.Play()
• videoengine.Stop()
Example
videoengine.DeviceName = 'a';
videoengine.ClipId = 'MOV00000075_ducati_1080i_48';
videoengine.play();
Datasource
Update Specific Query
• datasource.updateQuery (<ds name>,<query name>)
where <ds name>,<query name> is the name of an existing query.
Update Query For Parameters

• datasource.updateData(Object object)
Updates all parameters in an object (parametrized query gets all values from the object) where an
object can be:
- an item,
- a playlist,
- an application.
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Or updates one parameter when pass object 'parameter' (parametrized query only gets the value
from this parameter):
- app.parameter_name
- playlist.parameter_name
- item.parameter_name
Individual parameters can also be updated by a function from the Page level API (parametrized
query only gets the value from this parameter).
ReTalk Scripting API

The scripting API also allows to use ReTalk functions to control scenes, exports and animations.
ReTalk Functions
• ReTalk.startAnimation( <animation name> )
Starts the animation selected in the prompt popup. List of available animations is displayed in
the prompt window when the cursor is in the context of the ReTalk function. Press Ctrl + D to
display the prompt popup.
Example:
ReTalk.startAnimation(‘IN’);
ReTalk.startAnimation('OUT');
• ReTalk.stopAnimation( <animation name> )
Stops the animation selected in the prompt popup.
• ReTalk.pauseAnimation( <animation name> )
Pauses the animation selected in the prompt popup.
• ReTalk.resumeAnimation( <animation name> )
Resumes the animation selected in the prompt popup.
• ReTalk.breakAnimationLoop( <animation name> )
Breaks the loop of the animation selected in the prompt popup.
• ReTalk.rewindAnimation( <animation name> )
Rewinds the animation selected in the prompt popup.
• ReTalk.waitTime( <seconds as floating number> )
Sends the wait time before proceeding to the next item.
Example:
ReTalk.waitTime(0.5); // waits 0.5 s
ReTalk.waitTime(3);
• ReTalk.activateScene( <scene name>, <vslot as integer> )
Activates the specified scene on the specified vslot.
Example:
ReTalk.activateScene("projectname/scenename", 0); // vslot is an integer in
range 0-255
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• ReTalk.deactivateScene( <vslot as integer>)
Deactivates the scene on the specified vslot.
• ReTalk.resetScene(<scene name>)
Resets the specified scene.
• ReTalk.sendExport(<export name>, <export data>)
Sends the specified export along with the specified data. The available exports will appear in the
prompt popup.
n The following conditions apply when working with ReTalk functions:
- the script should return “true”, otherwise the command will not be sent to RenderEngine;
- the maximum number of ReTalk function calls is 999;
- any exceptions thrown during the script execution are logged to the application log file.
Page Level API

The scripting APIs in this section are used exclusively to create page scripts in PageEditor.
See also:
• “Page Object” on page 226
• “Subpage Object” on page 228
• “Control Object” on page 230
Page Object
Page Level Properties
• page.SubpageCount – the count of subpages in form of an integer, (read-only);
• page.UniqueID – the unique id of a page in form of a string, (read-only);
• page.AppName – the application name in form of a string, (read-only).
226
Subpages
• page._1 – first subpage as an object, (read-only);
• page._2 – second subpage as an object, (read-only);
• page._3 – third subpage as an object, (read-only);
• page._current – current subpage as an object, (read-only)
Page Level Functions

• bool hasSubpage( int aSubpageIndex );
• bool hasSubpage( string aSubpageName );
Returns true if a subpage with the specified index/name exists, otherwise false.
• aSubpageIndex – index of the subpage where first subpage has index = 1.
• Array getSubpagesNames();
Returns an array containing the names of all subpages.
Example:
var subpageNames = page.getSubpagesNames();
for (var i = 0; i < subpageNames.length; i++)
{
var subpageName = subpagesNames[i];
...
}
• Array getSubpages();
Returns an array containing all subpage objects.
Example:
var subpageObjects = page.getSubpages();
for (var i = 0; i < subpageObjects .length; i++)

{
var subpageObj = subpageObjects[i];
subpageObj.Width = 520;
...
}
• Object getSubpage( int aSubpageIndex );
• Object getSubpage( string aSubpageName );
Returns a subpage object with the specified index/name.
• aSubpageIndex – index of the subpage where the first subpage has index = 1.
Example:
var subpage = page.getSubpage(1);
subpage.Width = 520;
227
• void selectSubpage( int aSubpageIndex );
• void selectSubpage( string aSubpageName );
Selects the subpage with the specified index/name.
• aSubpageIndex – index of subpage where first subpage has index = 1.
Example:
page.selectSubpage(1);
Subpage Object
Subpage Level Properties
• page._current.Index – index of the subpage as an integer, (read-only);
• page._2.ControlCount – count of subpage controls as an integer, (read-only);
• page._current.Name – name of the subpage as a string, (read-only);
• page._current.Width – the width of the subpage as an integer, (read/write);
• page._current.Height – the height of the subpage as an integer, (read/write);
• page._current.Project – the project of the subpage as a string, (read/write);
• page._current.Scene – the scene of the subpage as a string, (read/write);
• page._current.Visible – visibility of the subpage as boolean, (read/write);
• page._current.BackgroundColor – the background color of the subpage as a string,
(read/write), format: "#RRGGBBAA"
Example:
page._current.BackgroundColor = "#FF0000FF";
• page._current.BackgroundImagePath – the path to the image background of the
subpage as a string, (read/write);
• page._current.VSlot – VSlot of the subpage as an integer, (read/write);
• page._current.Channels – channels of the subpage as an array, (read/write);
Example:
page._current.Channels = new Array("A", "B", "C");
• page._current.AudioPreset – the audio preset of the subpage as an integer, (read/
write);
• page._current.ShowControlNames – show/hide of controls' names as a boolean value,
(read/write);
• page._current.ItemDuration – the duration of the subpage in fields as an integer,
(read/write);
• page._current.ItemDefaultColor – the default color of an item as a string, (read/
write), format: "#RRGGBBAA";
Example:
page._current.ItemDefaultColor = "#FF0000FF";
• page._current.TakeCount – the number of takes of the subpage as an integer, (read/
write);
228
• page._current.Transition – Transition of the subpage as an array; (read/write) first
array element is the transition scene name, the second one is the duration of the transition in
fields.
Example:
page._current.Transtion = new Array("transition", "50");
• page._current.AppName – the application name as a string, (read-only);
Subpage Level Functions

• bool hasControl( int aControlndex );
• bool hasControl( string aControlName );
Returns true if a control with the specified index/name exists, otherwise false.
• Array getControlsNames();
Returns an array containing the names of all controls.
Example:
var controlNames = page._current.getControlNames();
for (var i = 0; i < controlNames.length; i++)
{
var controlName = controlNames[i];
...
}
• Array getControls();
Returns array containing all control objects.
Example:
var controlObjects = page._current.getControls();
for (var i = 0; i < controlObjects .length; i++)
{
var controlObj = controlObjects[i];
controlObj.Width = 120;
...
}
• Object getControl( int aControlIndex );
• Object getControl( string aControlName );
Returns the control object with the specified index/name.
Example:
var control = page._current.getControl(1);
control.Width = 120;
229
Control Object
Control Properties
• page._current.SingleLineText.X – the x position of a control as an integer, (read/
write);
• page._1.SingleLineText.Y – the y position of a control as an integer, (read/write);
• page._current.SingleLineText.Width – the width of a control as an integer, (read/
write);
• page._current.SingleLineText.Height – the height of a control as an integer,
(read/write);
• page._current.SingleLineText.Visible – the visibility of a control as a boolean
value, (read/write);
• page._current.SingleLineText.ReadOnly – Set the control to read-only state as a
boolean value, (read/write);
• page._current.SingleLineText.QueryActive – Enable/disable control's query as
a boolean value, (read/write);
• page._current.SingleLineText.UseInIemTitle – Set the control to be used in an
item's title, boolean, (read/write);
• page._current.SingleLineText.LayoutDirection – the layout direction of a
control as an integer, (read/write);
Possible values:
0 – LeftToRight
1 – RightToLeft
2 – Auto
• page._current.SingleLineText.TextColor – the text color of a control as a string,
(read/write), format: "#RRGGBBAA"
Example:
page._current.SingleLineText.TextColor = "#FF0000FF";
• page._current.SingleLineText.BackgroundColor – the background color of a
control as a string, (read/write), format: "#RRGGBBAA"
Example:
page._current.SingleLineText.BackgroundColor = "#FF0000FF";
• page._current.SingleLineText.Data – the data of control depends on thecontrol
type, (read/write);
Example:
page._current.SingleLineText.Data = "Some text";
page._current.IntegerValue.Data = 10;
• page._current.SingleLineText.AppName – the application name as a string, (read-
only);
230
Control Functions
• bool hasProperty( string aPropertyName );
Returns true if a control has property specified by name, otherwise false.
• Array getPropertiesNames();
Returns an array containing the names of control specific properties.
Example:
var propertyNames = page._current.SingleLineText.getPropertiesNames();
for (var i = 0; i < propertyNames.length; i++)
{
var propertyName = propertyNames[i];
...
}
• Variant getProperty( string aPropertyName );
Returns the value of the property specified by the property name. Returned value type depends
on the control type.
Example:
var isVideo = page._current.ClipControl.getProperty("Video");
var imgAspect = page._current.ImageControl.getProperty("Aspect");
• void setProperty( string aPropertyName, Variant aValue );
Sets the properties specified by the property name.
Example:
page._current.ClipControl.setProperty("Audio", true);
page._current.ImageControl.setProperty("Aspect", 0.5);
• void updateQuery();
Updates the query assigned to the control.
Example:
page._current.SingleLineText.updateQuery();
231
Media Manager API
Media Manager Properties
• mediaMgr.CLIP_CUING - clip status: cuing, read only;
• mediaMgr.CLIP_CUED - clip status: cued, read only;
• mediaMgr.CLIP_PAUSED - clip status: paused, read only;
• mediaMgr.CLIP_PLAYING - clip status: playing, read only;
• mediaMgr.CLIP_ERROR - clip status: error, read only;
• mediaMgr.CLIP_UNLOADED - clip status: unloaded, read only;
• mediaMgr.CLIP_INVALID - clip status: invalid, read only.
Media Manager Functions

• int getClipStatus( string aChannel, string aClipPath );
Returns the status of the specified clip (aClipPath) on the specified channel (aChannel).
Example:
var status = mediaManager.getClipStatus("A", "g:\clips\clip.avi");
if (status == mediaManager.CLIP_CUED)
{
...
}
• Array getClips( string aChannel );
Returns an array containing the paths of clips on the specified channel (aChannel).
Example:
var clips = mediaManager.getClips();
for (var i = 0; i < clips.length; i++)
{
var clip = clips[i];
...
232
Metadata API
This API extension provides direct access only for reading asset metadata from the database in
scripts using 'metadata' objects and the MetaDataContainer. Changing metadata using this API does
not affect the database, only Maestro | News memory.
Metadata Functions
• MetaDataContainer get( string asset_GUID );
Returns MetaDataContainer containing asset metadata. Takes asset GUID to query.
• MetaDataContainer get( item );
Returns MetaDataContainer containing item metadata. Takes item to query.
• MetaDataContainer get( page );
Returns MetaDataContainer containing page metadata. Takes page to query.
MetaData Container
This is a JavaScript Object with metadata fields as its properties. If you are not familiar with
JavaScript, think of the MetaDataContainer as a container that maps metadata names to their values.
You can access metadata by name from MetaDataContainer.
n MetaDataContainer is an idea, not a real JavaScript Object. Everything that applies to a JavaScript
Object, applies to the MetaDataContainer, since MetaDataContainer is a JavaScript Object.
Knowledge of JavaScript Objects is not necessary to use MetaDataContainer, but will be helpful
(especially regarding properties).
You can comment scripts with text, for example:
// Two slashes begin comment - this line is ignored in a script var item_metadata = metadata.get( item
);
Basic Use
Accessing item metadata
To access item metadata in TimeLine Script Event, simply call: var item_metadata = metadata.get(
item );
Predefined metadata object returns item metadata via its 'get()' method. Variable item_metadata is
MetaDataContainer that contains all accessible item metadata. Let's assume, that item has metadata
field with name 'AssetName'. It is possible to access this metadata using two methods:
Method 1:
meta_data.AssetName; //read
meta_data.AssetName = 'NewName'; //write
Method 2 (recommended):
meta_data['AssetName'] //read
meta_data['AssetName']= 'NewName'; //write
233
n Changing MetaDataContainer will not change metadata in the database, only in Maestro | News
memory.
The second method is recommended because some metadata names may contain spaces. For
example 'File Type' metadata field, can not be accessed with first method, only with second:
meta_data['File Type'] //read
meta_data['File Type']= 'JPG'; //write
Accessing page metadata in PageEditor Scripts (Page Level API)
Access for page metadata is similar to accessing item metadata, but instead of using an item object, a
page object is used in the metadata 'get()' method:
• var page_metadata = metadata.get( page );
Accessing asset metadata
Access for asset metadata is similar to accessing item metadata, but instead of using item object,
pass asset GUID to metadata 'get()' method:
• var asset_GUID = 'c9431f15-d167-458f-92a8-1409c6476df5';
var asset_metadata = metadata.get( asset_GUID );
Checking if MetaDataContainer contains a specific metadata field
To check if MetaDataContainer contains 'AssetCreationDate' metadata field, use JavaScript

hasOwnProperty() method:
• if ( item_metadata.hasOwnProperty( 'AssetCreationDate' ) )
doSomething();
n Since the MetaDataContainer is just a JavaScript Object, and it contains metadata as its properties,
the above code snippet asks the object item_metadata if it has property called 'AssetCreationDate'
using built-in JavaScript hasOwnProperty() function.
List all contained metadata from MetaDataContainer
To see what metadata fields are in MetaDataContainer use a JavaScript for...in... statement:
• for ( field in item_metadata )
doSomething( item_metadata[ field ] );
Assume that item_metadata contains following metadata fields: 'AssetName', 'AssetCreationDate',

'AssetType'. The above code will iterate through all them;
In the first iteration the field variable will be equal to 'AssetName',
In the second iteration the field will be equal to 'AssetCreationDate',
In the third iteration the field will be equal to 'AssetType'.
Using a for...in... statement, you can to iterate all contained metadata.
234
15 Appendix
The Appendix discusses how to perform an asset search using regular expressions in the Maestro |
News Controller.
In this section:
• Asset Search Using Regular Expressions
Asset Search Using Regular Expressions

The Maestro | News simple search mechanism updates the search results as you type or when you
change the search parameters. There is no need to know the SQL syntax and the search is not case-
sensitive. The asset search using regular expressions is available for the Native 2 database,
MediaCentral | Asset Management (formerly Interplay | MAM) and the File System.
n The number of search results is limited to 100.
Collections
You can match specific characters by defining patterns inside square brackets. You can also define
how many characters you want to find (range or count).
[...]
[...]{n}
[...]{min, }
[...]{min, max}
^ - NOT
Example Description Count
[acGFD]{4, } a, c, g, f OR d 4+ characters
[a-zA-Z]{5, 11} any letter 5-11 characters
[^0-9]{1} not digit
[0-9@)]{11, 5} digit or @ 5-11 characters

Special Characters
The Escape Operator
You can use escape operator to perform certain operations (listed below) or ignore special characters:
• \n - any digit
• \n+ - any number (1+ digits)
• \c - any character (a-z, A-Z)
• \c+ - any word (1+ characters)
• \w - any word (1+ characters)
• \a - any character (in ASCII)
• \a+ - any characters (in ASCII)(1+ characters)
• \N - NOT any digit
• \N+ - NOT any number (1+ digits)
• \C - NOT any character
• \C+ - NOT any word (1+ characters)
• \W - NOT any word (1+ characters)
OR Operator
You can use the | - OR operator to define a search:
a|b|c g|d
(a OR b OR c) AND (g OR d)
Other Operators
Operator Count Description
? 0-1 any character
. 1 any character
* 0 - ... any character
+ 1 - ... at least one character
! BEGINNING / END of a word
“” the string inside of “” or '' or “' or '"

is taken as one word.
n Special characters cannot be used in collections, i.e. the following search expression [?]{1,4} will
find the '?' character instead of replacing it with 'any character'.
236
Example of Asset Search Using Regular Expressions
In our example, the following items exist in our database:
FullFramee; keyframe; word123o; word1o; 123abc; frume44+; 12344567; 1-tab_tab; fulltab;

full_tab; tab full.
The identified search results are marked as bold.
Operators Searched Results Explanation

FullFramee
Frame Frame contains "frame"
keyframe
FR (any
FullFramee
character) M
FR.M*E keyframe
(0+ characters)
frume44+
E
FRAM (1+
FRAM+E FullFramee Framee
characters) E
1-tab_tab
fulltab
tab tab
full_tab
tab full
Other
operators // one result less:
1-tab_tab
// fulltab // tab isn't
!tab (begin) tab full_tab
the beginning of
tab full
the word
fulltab
// contains tab and
tab full tab AND full full_tab
full
tab full
((begin) tab
// contains tab and
(end)) AND full_tab
!tab! !full! full
((begin) tab full
// but as words
full (end))
// "tab full" is taken
"tab full" tab full tab full
as one string
FullFramee
keyframe
word123o
word1o
Escape 123abc
\N (Not a digit)
operator frume44+ Result containVD
1-tab_tab number but will
fulltab take true branch at
full_tab "a"
tab full
237
word123o
word1o
123abc
\n+ (any number)
frume44+
12344567 Last result doesn't
1-tab_tab contain this one.
word (any digit)
word\no word1o
o
word (any word123o
word\n+o
number) o word1o
44 (1+ frume44+
44+ // find any
characters) 12344567
character after "44"
// find "+" after
44\+ 44+ frume44+
"44"
fulltab
full tab full AND tab full_tab
tab full
FullFramee
1-tab_tab
OR full|tab full OR tab fulltab
operator full_tab
tab full
((tab) OR (fr contains "fr.me"
(any character) frume44+ and number
tab|fr.me \n+
me)) AND (any 1-tab_tab contains "tab" and
number) number
frume[0-9] frume (1 digit) frume44+
frume[0-
frume (1 digit) frume44+
9]{1}
frume[0- frume (1+
frume44+
9]{1,}\+ digits) +
Collections frume[0- frume (2+
frume44+
9]{2,} digits)
frume[0- frume (3+
9]{3,} digits)
frume[0- frume (2-5
frume44+
9]{2,5} digits)
238
d[0-9]{1,}o d (1+ digits) o word123o
FullFramee
keyframe
word123o
word1o
[abo] (a OR b OR o) 123abc
1-tab_tab
fulltab
full_tab
tab full
// contains "+"
[+] + frume44+
character
(f OR r OR
a OR u OR m
FullFramee // "fraume" is not
[fraume]{5}! OR e)(5 taken as one word.
keyframe
characters) // It is a collection
(end) so the search will
(begin) (f OR r find 5 characters
OR that
![fraume]{5} a OR u OR m frume44+ // contain one of
OR e)(5 them.
characters)
FullFramee
keyframe
word123o
word1o // Only frume44+
(digit or 123abc doesn't have a
[a-z0-9]!
character) (end) 12344567 character or
1-tab_tab number at the end.
fulltab
full_tab
tab full
239

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Avid® Maestro™ | News

Copyright 2003-2007 of MOG Solutions

The following disclaimer is required by Apple Computer, Inc.:

The following disclaimer is required by the Independent JPEG Group:

Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 by Jef Poskanzer.

Copyright 1995, Trinity College Computing Center. Written by David Chappell.

Copyright 1996 Daniel Dardailler.

Copyright (c) 1991 by AT&T.

The following disclaimer is required by Nexidia Inc.:

The following disclaimer is required by Paradigm Matrix:

The following disclaimer is required by Ray Sauers Associates, Inc.:

The following disclaimer is required by Videomedia, Inc.:

The following disclaimer is required by Ultimatte Corporation:

The following disclaimer is required by 3Prong.com Inc.:

The following disclaimer is required by Interplay Entertainment Corp.:

COPYRIGHT file which is included in the distribution:

warlib is copyright Jarle (jgaa) Aase 2000 - 2009

Portions copyright © 2012 Avid Technology, Inc.

Symbols and Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Symbols and Conventions

Symbol or Convention Meaning or Action

n A note provides important related information, reminders,

w A warning describes an action that could cause you physical harm.

> This symbol indicates menu commands (and subcommands) in the

This symbol indicates a single-step procedure. Multiple arrows in a list

1. Scene Creation in Maestro | Designer

• Create a timeline for the page.

• Preview the item and then play it on air.

Starting Maestro | News

To start Maestro | News:

3. Enter the required parameters as described below, and click Login.

Login Enter the user name.

Password Enter the password for the above user.

Maestro | News Main Screen

To create your own layout:

To automatically save changes to the current layout:

To lock the current layout:

Icon Field Description

New Create a new rundown.

Open Open an existing rundown.

Save Save the current rundown.

Save As Save the current rundown to a different location/with a different name.

Close Close the current rundown.

<list> List of recently opened playlists.

Icon Field Description

Insert new item Insert a new rundown item.

Cut Cut the selected rundown item.

Copy Copy the selected rundown item.

Paste Paste the rundown item from the clipboard.

Delete Delete the selected rundown item.

Icon Field Description

Connect renderer(s) Connect all defined render and video channels.

Cue Execute the timeline Cue track.

Take Execute the first timeline Take track.

Out Execute the timeline Out track.

Preview Play animations to the RE window.

Vslot - Set the previous Vslot in the list of defined Vslots.

Move focus to Move the cursor to the Page selector.

Settings Open the Preferences dialog box.