Automation¶

Makalu Automation is the user interface for manually controlling the Makalu playout automation. Depending on the number of playout channels, it includes one or more individually controllable players, running on playout instances.

Each player seamlessly plays the video content of a linear playout channel based on a rundown, that consists of playlists, shows, and clips. The playlists are created via the Makalu Traffic planning component.

Accessing Makalu Automation¶

To access Makalu Automation, proceed as follows:

Open the following URL in your browser:

https://automation.customer-identifier.makalu.live.

Notice

Replace customer-identifier with your actual customer identifier, e.g. exampletv.
Log in with your Makalu credentials.

The channel status overview is opened.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Channel status overview
In the Channels sidebar on the left select a channel.

Notice

You can only select channels that are online. Online channels are highlighted with a green circle icon. Offline channels are highlighted with a red circle icon.

The Makalu Automation user interface for the selected channel is opened.

Figure: Makalu Automation user interface

Tip

From the Makalu Automation user interface you can go back to the channel status overview, by clicking the white Makalu logo in the top left corner.

Starting and stopping a channel¶

Notice

Each playout instance can be started or stopped individually when deployed on AWS.

Warning

If you stop a channel, the corresponding playout instance is shut down and distribution targets configured for this channel will not receive any content.

Depending on the system configuration, in Makalu Automation each playout instance can individually be started or stopped. To do this, open the channel status overview like described in section Accessing Makalu Automation and proceed as follows:

To start a playout instance, in the status list click Start for the channel to be started.

To stop a playout instance, in the status list click Stop for the channel to be stopped.

Makalu Automation user interface overview¶

The main user interface consists of the following elements:

Figure: Makalu Automation - User interface

User account settings
Channel/system information
Channel preview including peak audio meter
Time-related rundown information
Next clip information and preview
Channel rundown
Navigation tabs for accessing the areas media, playlist, graphics, recordings, stream targets, transfer, Asset Uploader and playlist import
Media asset preview and information (content varies depending on the selected navigation tab)
Media asset list (content varies depending on the selected navigation tab)
Rundown and player controls

Channel/system information¶

This area includes the following information:

Channel name
System time
System health status

The system time displays the local time based on the time zone that is configured for the channel.

The system health status indicator displays the current operating status of the most important internal system components (e.g. connection to backend components and player status).

Figure: System status indicator

To display a list of individual components, click the system status indicator.

A green indicator means that the component runs normally, while a red indicator means that it has an error.

The menu button to the right of the system health status provides access to the following channel actions:

Action	Purpose
Restart player	Restart the player Warning: Restart the player only in case of an emergency (e.g. if a player error occurs). Restarting the player takes a short amount of time. During this time no output signal is generated.
Show preview	Enable/disable the preview player
Restart preview	Restart the preview component Notice: Manually restarting the preview is only necessary in case of an audio or video error.
Delete graphics	Remove all currently displayed graphics secondary events Notice: Manually deleting graphics is only necessary if graphics are not automatically removed as expected.

Channel preview¶

Figure: Makalu Automation - Channel preview

The channel preview displays a low-res version of the current player output in real-time.

It also includes a peak audio meter that indicates the current audio signal level of the channel preview.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Peak audio meter

Tip

If you want to use a rundown-focused view you can hide this area by selecting User account settings > Show simple view. As a result the rundown list is extended to the full height of the left side.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Rundown simple view

Figure: Makalu Automation - Time-related rundown information

This area provides the following information:

Element	Description
Remaining Total	Remaining playback time of all playlists currently in the rundown, or "LOOP" (the current clip is played in a loop until the operator manually triggers the start of the next clip)
Remaining Show	Remaining playback time of the current show, or "LOOP" (the current clip is played in a loop until the operator manually triggers the start of the next clip)
Next Live	Remaining time until the next live clip in the rundown, or “LIVE“ (if a live clip is currently played)
Next Fixed	Remaining time until the next element in the rundown with a fixed start time
Overtime / Undertime	"ON TIME" or time difference regarding the scheduled time of elements in the rundown Relevant e.g. if a live clip ran shorter or longer than originally planned

Tip

If you want to use a rundown-focused view you can hide this area by selecting User account settings > Show simple view. As a result the rundown list is extended to the full height of the left side.

Next clip information and preview¶

Figure: Makalu Automation - Next clip information and preview

This area provides a preview for the next cued clip. It can be used to preview file-based and live clips.

Tip

If you want to use a rundown-focused view you can hide this area by selecting User account settings > Show simple view. As a result the rundown list is extended to the full height of the left side.

Channel rundown¶

Figure: Makalu Automation - Channel rundown

This area contains the rundown of the current channel. The rundown list contains all playlists, shows, and clips that are scheduled for playout. In this list each playlist and show can be expanded and collapsed. If a clip has assigned secondary events (e.g. graphics), it can also be expanded and closed, and the corresponding secondary events are listed.

Depending on the type of the currently selected element in the rundown, the toolbar at the top contains the following elements:

Icon/Element	Description
	Reload rundown
	Automatically expand rundown and jump to current on air clip every 15 seconds (click to deactivate)
	Group selected clips
	Ungroup selected clips
	Move selected clip to the top (set it as first clip of the show)
	Move selected clip one position up
	Move selected clip one position down
	Move selected clip to the bottom (set it as last clip of the show)
	Remove fixed scheduled start time from selected element
	Add default graphic to selected playlist, show or clip
	Delete default graphic from selected playlist, show or clip
	Add splicing event to selected clip
	Delete splicing event from selected clip
	Delete selected playlist or clip
	Access additional actions Depending on the selected element available actions are: Icon in the toolbar above the rundown list - Display/hide playlists Playlist - Delete selected playlist Show - Delete selected show Clip Browse for clip - Open the selected clip in the preview in the media tab and reveal it in the storage folder structure Delete selected clip

The actual rundown list includes the following information:

Column	Description
Clock icon	Configure a fixed start time of a show/first clip of a show Depending on whether a fixed time is set or not, the clock icon is displayed as follows: Small gray clock icon - show/first clip of a show does not have a fixed start time Large white clock icon - show/first clip of a show has a fixed start time Tip: To set a fixed start time click the clock icon.
Start Time	Scheduled/actual start date and time of a playlist, show or clip
Link	Distinguish playlists, shows and clips, expand/collapse shows, display clip thumbnail The different types of elements are marked as follows: Playlist - No icon / Circle with arrow icon - Show collapsed / expanded Circle icon - Clip Tip: To expand/collapse a show, click the circle with arrow icon of the corresponding show.
Title	Name of the playlist, show or clip, indicator for grouped clips Notice: Grouped clips are highlighted with an orange indicator (if multiple groups are used, each group is highlighted in a distinct color)
Duration	Total playlist, show, clip duration and remaining time of show/clip currently playing
Status	Clip status, possible values: Ready (clip is ready to be played) Cue (next clip to be played, prepared by the player) On Air (clip currently playing) Placeholder (clip is a virtual placeholder) Pending (the file is currently being transferred from the ingest storage to the playout instance storage) Error (file cannot be played)
Secondaries	Indicates if there are secondary events assigned to the show or clip Tip: To expand/collapse the list of assigned secondary events, click the secondaries icon of the corresponding clip or show. Notice: If a clip has an assigned splicing event it is marked with an "S" icon .
Flags	Clip flags that define how each clip should be played
	Access additional actions Depending on the selected element available actions are: Playlist - Delete selected playlist Show - Delete selected show Clip Browse for clip - Open the selected clip in the preview in the media tab and reveal it in the storage folder structure Delete selected clip

Secondary events assigned to a clip are listed with the following information:

Column	Description
Start-Offset	Offset until the secondary event is triggered (based on the start of the corresponding clip)
Type	Type of the secondary event (e.g. Singular.Live graphics, Splicing, Script)
Title	Title of the secondary event
Duration	Duration of the secondary event
Flags	Delete button for removing the secondary event from the clip

Rundown and player controls¶

Figure: Makalu Automation - Rundown and player controls

The rundown and player controls provide the following actions:

Action	Description
Cue Prev	Prepare the previous clip for playback
Take Next	Start the playback of the currently prepared/cued clip
Cue Next	Either prepare the first clip in the rundown for playback (if no clip is currently cued) or prepare the next clip after the currently cued clip for playback
Sync	Synchronize rundown and player Notice: This action should only be used in case of an error, if rundown and player are not synchronized as expected.
Stop	Stop the playback of the clip currently playing
Eject	Stop playback and eject player (set to idle)

Notice

The control buttons on the left side are always displayed by default. The buttons on the right side can be manually displayed or hidden. If these buttons are not displayed, you can display them by clicking the Show controls icon at the bottom right of the screen. To hide these buttons, click the Hide controls icon at the bottom right of the screen.

Media¶

Figure: Makalu Automation - Asset list and preview

The Media tab contains the following elements:

Media asset preview
Media asset metadata
Media asset list

The preview player provides the following controls:

Icon	Description
	Fast rewind
	Previous frame
	Jump to mark in
	Set mark in
	Stop
	Play
	Set mark out
	Jump to mark out
	Next frame
	Fast forward

Below the player controls the following time-related information of the file currently being previewed is displayed:

Figure: Makalu Automation - Preview (time-related information)

Position - Current playback timecode
Thumbnail with file name - Draggable element for adding the file (as clip) to a show in the rundown, including the mark in and mark out timecodes
Remaining - Remaining duration
Mark In - Mark in timecode
Duration - Total duration
Mark Out - Mark out timecode
Reset - Reset mark in and mark out

To the right of the player window, the metadata of the file currently being previewed is listed. This section is divided into Common, Video and Audio metadata.

Figure: Makalu Automation - File metadata

Below the preview player and the time-related information the media asset list is displayed. Depending on the selected entry in the Source dropdown menu, this section either lists all files available on the ingest storage or on the playout instances that are assigned to the currently selected channel.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Media asset list

The toolbar of the media asset list contains the following elements:

Icon/Element	Name	Description
	Select source	The source of the media assets to be displayed in the media asset list Available options are: ingest storage (e.g. "Playoutdata") playout instance storage (e.g. "Player_Main")
	Title filter	Search media assets based on their title Tip: You can chain multiple search terms. Each time you press [Enter]* the current term is added to the current custom search. All currently used terms are listed below the search field:* You can also create multiple reusable custom searches by clicking the plus icon to the right of the search field:
	Live source filter	Filter the available live sources based on their type (only available if asset type Live is selected) Available options are: All Backchannel Live sources
	Time filter	Filter the displayed media assets based on the date they were imported into the system Available options are: No filter Today Yesterday Last week Last month
	Resolution filter	Filter the displayed media assets based on their resolution Available options are: All resolutions SD HD UHD
	View switch	Switch between table view (default) and grid view
	Reload assets	Refresh the media asset list
	Upload assets	Trigger a file transfer from the ingest storage to a playout instance storage (only available if the ingest storage is selected as source), see section File transfer for more information
	Upload assets again	Re-trigger a file transfer from the ingest storage to a playout instance storage (only available if the playout storage is selected as source), see section File transfer for more information
	Delete assets	Delete selected assets (only available if a playout instance storage is selected as source)

Playlist¶

Figure: Makalu Automation - Playlist

The Playlist tab contains all available playlists of the current channel. Each playlist can be expanded to list all included components (shows, clips, secondary events, and metadata). See section Schedule for information about how to create playlists.

The toolbar at the top contains the following elements:

Element/Icon	Description
	Search a playlist by title
	Number of playlists to display
	Filter the displayed playlists based on their scheduled on air time Available options: Today Next 7 days Next 14 days Next 30 days Past (default) All
	Add the selected playlist to the rundown The position/time where the playlist is added to the rundown depends on the following: if the playlist does not have a fixed start time, it is appended to the rundown as last element (directly after the previously last playlist, without creating gaps) if the playlist does have a fixed start time but you leave the Sched checkbox unchecked, it is appended to the rundown as last element (directly after the previously last playlist, without creating gaps) ignoring the fixed start time if the playlist does have a fixed start time and you activate the Sched checkbox, it is appended to the rundown corresponding to the fixed start time (creating a gap if the start time is not set directly after the end of the previous playlist)
	Delete the selected playlist
	Reload the list of available playlists

Graphics¶

Figure: Makalu Automation - Singular.Live graphics dashboard

The Graphics tab includes an embedded version of the Singular.Live composition dashboard, allowing you to manually trigger Singular.Live graphics for the current channel directly from within Makalu Automation.

For more information about how to use graphics, see the Graphics section.

Recordings¶

Figure: Makalu Automation - Recordings

In the Recordings tab you can record available (live) sources by using available encoders. For more information about how to create recordings, see section Recording.

The tab contains the following areas:

Preview - Preview and controls of the currently selected encoder
Encoder list - List of available encoders
Preferences - Preferences for creating a new recording job for the currently selected encoder
Recordings - List of existing recording jobs

The Preview area provides the following controls and information:

Element	Description
	Prepare a recording
	Start a recording
	Stop a recording
	Split a recording
	Cancel a recording
	Delete a recording job
Current	Current recording duration of the selected recording job
Total	Total recording time of the selected recording job
Next	Time until the next scheduled recording job starts on the selected encoder
Source	Source of the selected recording job
Input	Input format of the selected source
Profile	Profile of the selected recording job
Status	Status of the selected encoder or recording job
Name	Title of the selected recording job

In the Encoder list area all available encoders are listed. Depending on their current status, encoders are highlighted in one of the following colors:

Gray - Encoder is offline or has no active recording jobs
Green - A recording job is currently prepared
Red - A recording job is currently running

The Preferences area provides the following input options:

Name	Description
Title	Title of the recording job
Filename	Name of the file to be recorded Notice: If no file name is provided, the title is used as file name.
Folder	Destination folder where to store the recorded file
Source	Source stream to be recorded
Save As Default	Set the currently selected source as default for the currently selected encoder
Profile	Format/recording profile of the file to be recorded
Type	Recording job type, available options: Single shot - to be used for single file recording jobs (after stopping the recording job it cannot be used again) Multi shot - to be used for multi-file recording jobs (the recording can be stopped; the recording job can be used again to record another file and each time another recording is started, a consecutive number is appended to the file name)
Split	If enabled, a recorded file can be split either manually via the corresponding control or automatically based on the "Automatic Split" time setting
Automatic Split	Time interval for automatically splitting a recorded file Notice: This option is only available if "Split" is enabled.
Loop	Enable to enable the retention period field
Retention period	Select a duration (in hours) when a recorded file is automatically deleted
Apply	Create a recording job with the current settings
Schedule	Activate the checkbox to create a scheduled recording job
Start	Start time of the scheduled recording job
End	End time of the scheduled recording job
Now	Set start time to current time and end time to current time plus one hour
Add	Create a scheduled recording job with the current settings
Duration	Duration of the scheduled recording job Notice: The duration is only available if "Schedule" and the toggle switch next to "End" are enabled.
Open end	Activate the checkbox to create a scheduled recording job without specifying an end time Notice: In this case the recording job must be stopped manually.

The Recordings list contains all current recording jobs and the following information:

Column	Description
Channel	Recording channel/encoder used for the recording
Source	Recorded source
Type	Type of the recording job, available options: Crash (manual start and stop) Schedule (scheduled start and stop)
Status	Status of the recording job, available states: Idle - the recording job is not active Created - the recording job is created Completed - the recording job is completed Error - an error has occurred Prepared - the job is ready for recording Preparing - the recording job is in preparation Queued - the recording job is queued Running - the recording job is running Started - the recording job has started Starting - the recording job is starting Stopped - the recording job is stopped Stopping - the recording job is stopping Canceled - the recording job is canceled
Profile	Format/recording profile of the recorded file
Action	The action column provides the following controls: Prepare recording Start recording Stop recording Split recording Cancel recording Delete recording job

Stream targets¶

Figure: Makalu Automation - Stream targets

The Stream Targets tab lists existing streaming jobs/events. It also allows you to create new streaming jobs/events and to trigger them manually.

The list of Predefined Targets contains all available stream targets and the following information:

Column/element	Description
Target Name	Icon representing the target platform/type and name of the stream target
Account	Internal name of the corresponding target platform-specific account to be used by the stream target (if applicable)
Source	Name of the source stream
	Set the selected source as default for the stream target
Platform	Target platform
Description	Short description of the stream target
	Create a new streaming job for the corresponding stream target

The Joblist contains all scheduled streaming jobs/events of the current channel and the following information:

Column	Description
Platform	Icon representing the target platform/type of the job
Event	Event title or category
Target Name	Name of the stream target
Account	Internal name of the corresponding target platform-specific account to be used by the stream target (if applicable)
Source	Name of the source stream
Scheduled	Scheduled start time
Status	Streaming event status, available states: Unknown - the status of the event is unknown Error - an error occurred Queued - the event is queued Preparing - the event is in preparation for the stream Prepared - the event is ready for streaming Starting - the event is starting Started - the event is started Running - the event is running Completed - the event is completed Stopping - the event is stopping Stopped - the event is stopped
Edit	Edit metadata of the stream job
Link	Open stream event in a new tab Copy stream event link to clipboard
Action	Actions for manually controlling the streaming job, available actions: Queue - queue the streaming event Prepare - prepare the streaming event Go Live - start the streaming event Stop - stop the streaming event Delete - delete the streaming event

Notice

You can only trigger actions that are highlighted with a white or green icon. Actions with a gray icon are not available.

For more information about streaming, see the Social media streaming section.

Transfer¶

In the Transfer tab all file transfers from ingest storage to playout instances are listed, that are currently running or were recently finished.

Figure: Makalu Automation - File transfer list

The number in brackets beside the playout instance name indicates how many file transfers are currently running. The columns of the list provide details about each file and the transfer progress.

The action column provides the following elements:

Icon/Element	Description
	Pause file transfer
	Cancel file transfer
	Retry/re-trigger file transfer

Below the transfer list in the Disk space area the available storage space of the selected playout instance is displayed.

At the bottom of the Transfer tab the media asset list is displayed. This is the same list and provides the same functionality as in the Media tab. The only difference is that its source is set by default to the storage of the first playout instance instead of the ingest storage. The source can be changed via the corresponding dropdown menu.

For information about how to trigger a file transfer, see section File transfer.

Asset Uploader¶

The Asset Uploader tab integrates the functionality of the Asset Uploader into the Makalu Automation user interface.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Asset Uploader

For information about how to use the Asset Uploader see section Ingest.

Playlist Import¶

The Playlist Import tab enables you to import playlists from third-party traffic systems.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Playlist import

The list of imported playlists provides the following information:

Column	Description
Title	Name/title of the playlist
Missing Files	Number of files missing on the ingest storage Notice: For each imported playlist, a missing file list is created. This list includes all files that are used in the imported playlist but are not yet available on the ingest storage. Missing file lists can also be exported. For more information see section Exporting a missing file list.
Revision	Playlist revision number (each time a playlist with the same name/title is imported, the revision number is increased)
Channel	Target channel
Process	Progress/status of the playlist processing/import
Import	Start the playlist import

For more information see section Importing a playlist.

Previewing file-based and live media¶

To preview media, proceed as follows:

On the right side, select the Media tab.
In the media list select the media type (live or clips) and the corresponding source folder that contains the media item to be previewed.
(Optional) To filter the displayed media items, either use the Search field (to filter by file name) or the dropdown menus (to filter by modification date or by resolution).

The media list is filtered based on your filter settings.
To preview a media item, click the Play icon at the right side of the corresponding list item or drag the item on the preview player.

The media item is loaded by the preview player.

Figure: Makalu Automation - File preview
Use the preview player controls to play the media item.
Notice

If you preview a live source:
- the player controls are disabled, except the stop button
- you can copy the stream URL to the clipboard by clicking the corresponding Path icon in the Common metadata section

Adding elements to a rundown¶

Adding a playlist to a rundown¶

To add a playlist to a rundown, proceed as follows:

On the right side, select the Playlist tab.

All available playlists for the current channel are listed.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Available playlists
To add a playlist to a rundown, you can either:
1. Select a playlist by clicking the corresponding row in the Playlist tab (the row will be highlighted in blue) and click the Plus icon (Add playlist to rundown) at the top right, or
2. drag a playlist and drop it on the dashed area in the rundown.
Figure: Makalu Automation - Adding a playlist to the rundown

Notice

If the rundown is currently empty, a dialog is displayed that asks you to select a start time for the playlist. Select the start time and click Apply to confirm.

The playlist is added to the rundown.

Notice

If you selected a start time, the playlist is added based on your selected start time. Otherwise, if the rundown previously already included playlists and you did not select a specific start time, the new playlist is added as last element and the start time is dynamically calculated without creating gaps.
(Optional) To expand an included show, click the corresponding circle with arrow icon in the link column.

The show is expanded, and all included clips are listed.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Playlist added to the rundown

Tip

To add a playlist to a rundown at a specified start date/time, activate the checkbox in the Sched (Scheduled) column before you drag the playlist onto the DropZone area or click the Add playlist to rundown button.

If the playlist already has a specified start time, this will be applied. If the playlist has no specified start date/time, a dialog is displayed that asks you to select the start time.

Notice

You cannot add a playlist with a specific scheduled start date/time to a rundown if there is already a playlist in the rundown scheduled for the same date/time.

Notice

Playlists with a fixed start date/time can only be added to a rundown if the start date/time is in the future.

Notice

If the added playlist includes files that are not available on the channel's playout instances, file transfers are automatically started. As a result all corresponding files are copied from the ingest storage to all playout instances that are assigned to the channel. See section File transfer for more information.

Adding media to a rundown¶

In addition to playlists you can also add media assets (video files, secondary events, live sources, or placeholders) to a rundown, by adding them to a show in a playlist.

To do this, proceed as follows:

(Optional) To expand a show, click the corresponding circle with arrow icon in the link column.

The show is expanded, and all included clips are listed.
On the right side, select the Media tab.

All available media items are listed in the media list.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Show expanded and media tab opened
Select one or more video files, live sources, or placeholders from the media list on the right side and add them to a show in the rundown on the left side via drag and drop.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Adding video files to a show

Notice

If you want to add a video file to a rundown, its resolution and framerate should usually match the channel output properties exactly. For example, if you use a channel that is configured for 1080p and 25 fps output, you should use files with a resolution of 1920x1080 px and a framerate of 25 fps.

Video files with properties that differ from the current channel output properties are highlighted in the media list (the resolution and/or the framerate are highlighted in red):

Figure: Makalu Automation - Video files with resolutions and framerates that do not match the channel output properties

By default, you cannot add video files that use other resolutions and/or framerates than the current channel properties. Depending on the channel configuration it may be possible to add files to a rundown, that do not match the channel properties.

The selected video file, live source, or placeholder is added to the rundown as last clip of the selected show.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Video files added to a show

Tip

Instead of adding a clip at the end of a show you can also replace an individual clip in a show by dragging and dropping one or more new media items directly on the clip to be replaced while holding [Shift]. For more information see section Replacing a clip.

To add a new clip before an existing clip in a show, drag and drop the new clip on an existing clip (without holding [Shift]).

Notice

If the added file is not available on the channel's playout instances, file transfers are automatically started. As a result the corresponding file is copied from the ingest storage to all playout instances that are assigned to the channel. See section File transfer for more information.
(Optional) Change the show’s clip list order to move the added clip to a specific position within the selected show.

Adding trimmed media to a rundown¶

To add only a specific subsection of a video file to a rundown, proceed as follows:

Notice

Trimming is only possible for media assets that represent actual video files. In the media list these files are usually listed under Clips in the folder tree. Live and placeholder media assets cannot be trimmed.

In the rundown select and expand the show to which you want to add trimmed media.

The show is expanded, and all included clips are listed.
On the right side, select the Media tab.

All available media items are listed in the media list.
In the media list select the media asset to be trimmed and click the Play icon on the right side.

Tip

You can also open a media asset in the preview player by dragging it from the media list and dropping it on the preview player.

The media asset is opened by the preview player.
Use the preview player controls to select the timecode for the mark in.
To set the selected timecode as mark in, click the Set Mark In icon.

The Mark In timecode is updated accordingly.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Trimmed media - Mark in set
Use the preview player controls to select the timecode for the mark out.
To set the selected timecode as mark out, click the Set Mark Out icon.

The Mark Out timecode is updated accordingly.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Trimmed media - Mark out set
Use the draggable element below the preview player (consisting of thumbnail and file name, located between "Position", and "Remaining") and drag it on the show to which you want to add it.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Adding trimmed media to a show

The selected video file is added to the rundown as last clip of the selected show.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Trimmed media added to a show

Tip

Instead of adding a trimmed clip at the end of a show you can also replace an individual clip in a show by dropping the draggable element directly on the clip to be replaced while holding [Shift]. In this case a confirmation dialog is displayed that also informs you if the rundown duration will be shortened or extended by this replacement. For more information see section Replacing a clip.

To add the trimmed clip before an existing clip in a show, drag and drop the trimmed clip on an existing clip (without holding [Shift]).

Notice

Trimmed files in the rundown are recognizable by their color. Their scheduled duration is highlighted in yellow.

Notice

If the added file is not available on the channel's playout instances, file transfers are automatically started. As a result the corresponding file is copied from the ingest storage to all playout instances that are assigned to the channel.
(Optional) Change the show’s clip list order to move the added clip to a specific position within the selected show.

Adding secondary events to a rundown¶

To add a secondary event to a rundown, proceed as follows:

On the right side, select the Media tab.

All available media items are listed in the media list.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Show expanded and media tab opened
In the media list click Secondary Events and select the type of secondary event you want to add.
Select one or more secondary events and drag them on a show or clip in the rundown.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Secondary event selected

The selected secondary events are added to the show or clip, which is indicated by the corresponding icon in the "Secondaries" column.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Secondary event added to a clip

Tip

To expand the list of secondary events added to a show or clip, click the secondaries icon of the corresponding element.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Clip secondary event list expanded

Editing the rundown¶

Editing the start time of a show¶

To edit the start time of a show, proceed as follows:

Notice

You can only edit the start time of a show if the show is not currently on air.

In the rundown click the clock icon of the show to be edited.

Tip

If the show is expanded the clock icon is displayed for the first clip of the show.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Edit show start time
A dialog is displayed that asks you to either use the current time by clicking Now or to enter a specific start time (format hh:mm:ss:ff).

Notice

You can only enter a start time that lies in the future.
To confirm the new value, click Apply.

The edited scheduled start time is applied, and the start times of all clips used in the show are updated accordingly.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Show start time edited

Editing the duration of a clip¶

To edit the duration of a clip, proceed as follows:

Expand the show that contains the clip to be edited, by clicking the corresponding circle with arrow icon in the link column.

The show is expanded, and all included clips are listed.
To edit the duration of a clip, click the Duration field to be edited.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Edit clip duration

A dialog is displayed that asks you to enter the duration.
Enter the new duration (format hh:mm:ss:ff).

Notice

If you enter a scheduled duration that is longer than the original duration, the clip playback is looped. When the original duration ends, the clip playback starts from the beginning and plays until the entered scheduled duration is reached.

If you enter a scheduled duration that is shorter than the original duration, the clip playback stops when the entered scheduled duration is reached.
To confirm the new value, click Apply.

The edited duration is highlighted in yellow.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Clip duration edited

Editing the start time or duration of a secondary event¶

To edit the start time or duration of a secondary event, proceed as follows:

In the rundown click the secondaries icon of the corresponding element (show or clip) to expand its list of secondary events.
Depending on what property you want to edit, either click the Start Offset or Duration field of the corresponding secondary event.

Figure: Edit the start-offset and duration of a secondary event
Enter the new value (format hh:mm:ss:ff).
Press [Enter].

The entered value is applied.

Figure: Start-offset and duration of a secondary event edited

Using groups¶

The group feature allows you to assign multiple clips within a show to a group. Each group is highlighted in a distinct color to facilitate the differentiation of groups.

Tip

You can play a group of clips in a loop, by activating the loop flag for the last clip in a group. When the playback of the last clip in the group is finished, the playback of the first clip in the group starts again.

To add clips to a group, proceed as follows:

In the rundown expand the show that contains the clips to be grouped, by clicking the corresponding circle with arrow icon in the link column.

The show is expanded, and all included clips are listed.
In the selected show, select multiple clips to be grouped.
In the top right corner of the rundown, click the Create group icon.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Rundown - Create group

The selected clips are assigned to a new group and are highlighted in the group color (orange in the example below).

Figure: Makalu Automation - Rundown - Group created

To remove clips from a group, proceed as follows:

Expand a show and select the clips to be removed from the group.
In the top right corner of the rundown, click the Delete group icon.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Remove clips from group

The selected clips are removed from the group. If all clips are removed from a group, the group is removed.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Clips removed from group

Moving clips¶

To change the clip order of a show, proceed as follows:

In the rundown expand the show that contains the clip(s) to be moved, by clicking the corresponding circle with arrow icon in the link column.

The show is expanded, and all included clips are listed.
Select one or more clips to be moved.
Depending on where you want to move the clips, select the corresponding function:
1. To move the clips one position up in the list, click the File up icon .
2. To move the clips one position down in the list, click the File down icon .
3. To move the clips to the beginning of the selected show’s clip list, click the First file icon .
4. To move the clips to the end of the selected show’s clip list, click the Last file icon .
  
  The clips are moved to the selected position.

Replacing a clip¶

Notice

This function can be used, for example, to replace virtual placeholder assets with other media assets (actual video files). In addition it can be used to replace any clip in the rundown (regardless of the type) with any other available media asset (regardless of the type).

To replace a clip in a rundown, proceed as follows:

In the rundown expand the show that contains the clip to be replaced, by clicking the corresponding circle with arrow icon in the link column.

The show is expanded, and all included clips are listed.
On the right side select the Media tab.
In the media list select the type of the media asset (video file, live source, or placeholder).
Select one or more media assets.
Hold [Shift] and drag the selected item(s) from the media list on the right side and drop it on the clip to be replaced in the rundown on the left side.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Replace clip

Notice

If the new item is a live source, you additionally must select the duration of the live clip and click Apply.

The original rundown item is replaced by the new item.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Clip replaced

Notice

If the new file is not available on the channel's playout instances, file transfers are automatically started. As a result the corresponding file is copied from the ingest storage to all playout instances that are assigned to the channel.

Assigning or deleting a default graphic¶

To assign a default graphic to a playlist, show, or clip, proceed as follows:

In the rundown select a playlist, show, or clip.
Click the Add default graphic icon in the toolbar above the rundown list.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Assign default graphic

The default graphic is assigned to the selected element(s), which is recognizable by the corresponding icon in the "Secondaries" column.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Default graphic assigned

To delete a default graphic from a playlist, show, or clip, proceed as follows:

In the rundown select a playlist, show, or clip with an assigned default graphic.
Click the Delete default graphic icon.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Delete default graphic

The default graphic is deleted from the selected element(s).

Figure: Makalu Automation - Default graphic deleted

Adding or deleting a splicing event¶

For information about how to use splicing events, see section Ad triggering:

Deleting a clip or a playlist¶

Notice

You can only delete a clip if it is in status Ready or if it is a placeholder. You cannot delete a clip if it is cued or on air.

The same applies to playlists and shows. You can only delete a playlist or a show if no clip in the playlist or show is cued or on air.

To delete a clip from the rundown, proceed as follows:

Select the clip to be deleted, by clicking the additional actions icon and select Delete clip.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Delete a clip
Confirm the displayed dialog by clicking Yes.

The clip is deleted.

To delete a playlist from the rundown, proceed as follows:

Notice

Playlists can only be deleted if they are displayed in the rundown. To display playlists click the additional actions icon in the toolbar above the rundown list and select Show playlists.

Select the playlist to be deleted, by clicking the additional actions icon and select Delete playlist.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Delete a playlist
Confirm the displayed dialog by clicking Yes.

The playlist is deleted.

Tip

You can delete multiple playlists, by selecting the playlists to be deleted. Then click the additional actions icon in the toolbar above the rundown list and select Delete playlists.

To delete a show from the rundown, proceed as follows:

Select the show to be deleted, by clicking the additional actions icon and select Delete show.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Delete a show
Confirm the displayed dialog by clicking Yes.

The show is deleted.

Deleting a fixed start time¶

To delete a fixed start time of a show in a rundown, proceed as follows:

In the rundown expand the show with the fixed start time to be removed, by clicking the corresponding circle with arrow icon in the link column.

The show is expanded, and all included clips are listed.
Select the first clip of the show.
Click the Delete fix start time icon in the toolbar above the rundown list.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Delete fixed start time

The fixed start time is removed from the selected element. The clock icon in the first column changes from white to gray .

Reloading the rundown¶

Notice

Manually reloading the rundown is only necessary in case of an error, e.g. if the clip status is displayed as “Unknown”.

To manually reload the rundown, click the Reload rundown icon in the toolbar on the left above the rundown list.

Controlling the rundown playback¶

The rundown playback can either be triggered automatically (based on the scheduled playlist start time) or manually by using the rundown control via the buttons at the bottom left of the screen.

To manually start the playback, proceed as follows:

In the rundown cue a clip to prepare it for playback, by either:
1. clicking Cue next in the rundown control, or
2. by clicking the clip status of a clip that is in status "Ready".
Notice

If you use the first method, this either cues the first clip in the rundown (if no clip was cued before) or the next clip after the previously cued clip.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Cueing a clip

The clip status changes to "Cue".

Figure: Makalu Automation - Cued clip
To start playback, click Take next in the rundown control.

Figure: Makalu Automation - Playing a clip

The clip is played. The clip status changes to "On Air".

Figure: Makalu Automation - Clip is playing

Tip

If the Auto Follow flag of the following clip is enabled, the following clip is automatically cued. Alternatively you can cue any other clip (that is in status "Ready") by clicking the clip status.

To manually stop the playback of the current clip and start the playback of the next cued clip, click Take next in the rundown control. This is required if e.g. a clip of type "live source" is currently playing with clip flag "Open End" enabled. Because of the flag the clip is playing permanently. The playback stops only when you manually cue the next clip to be played and click Take next.
To manually stop playback, click Stop in the rundown control.
Confirm the dialog by clicking Yes.

The playback is stopped. The clip status changes to "Ready".

Figure: Makalu Automation - Playback stopped

Notice

If you manually stop playback, the previously cued clip remains cued. To eject the player (setting it to idle) and reset the status of all clips (setting all available clips to status "Ready"), click the Eject player icon in the rundown control via the buttons at the bottom left of the screen and confirm the following dialog by clicking Yes.

File transfer¶

As described in section Ingest, all media files to be played are initially uploaded to the ingest storage. Afterwards each file, that is used in a rundown, must be copied to all playout instances (e.g. main and backup playout instance) that are assigned to the corresponding channel. The file transfer between ingest and playout storage can be triggered in the following ways:

add a new playlist to the rundown, which automatically triggers transfers for all used files that are not yet available on the playout instances
add a media file to an existing show in a playlist in the rundown, which automatically triggers transfers for all used files that are not yet available on the playout instances
trigger a file transfer manually via the media asset list (either via the Media tab or Transfer tab)

The file transfer status (that indicates if a file is already available on all related playout instances) is recognizable by colored bars in the media asset list:

Figure: Makalu Automation - File transfer status

Green bar - the file transfer is completed, the file is already available on the playout instances
Black bar - the file is only available on the ingest storage but not available on the playout instances

A list of all currently running and recent file transfers is available in the Transfer tab.

Notice

The number of file transfers running at the same time is configurable and set by default to 5 parallel file transfers.

Triggering a file transfer manually¶

To trigger a file transfer from ingest storage to playout instances manually, proceed as follows:

Select the Media tab or the Transfer tab.
In the Source dropdown menu select the ingest storage (e.g. "Playoutdata").
Select a folder that contains files that are not available on playout instances (indicated by a black bar to the left of the file import date).
Select one or more files to be transferred.
In the toolbar at the top right of the media asset list click the Upload assets icon .

Figure: Makalu Automation - Start file transfer
Confirm the dialog by clicking Yes.

The transfer of the selected file(s) starts.
Select the Transfer tab to view the file transfer progress.

Figure: Makalu Automation - File transfer started

The file transfer to the playout instances is completed. This is also indicated by a green bar to the left of the file import date.

Figure: Makalu Automation - File transfer completed

Deleting transferred files manually¶

Notice

You can only delete files from a playout instance, that are not currently used in the rundown.

To manually delete files from a playout instance, proceed as follows:

Select the Media tab or the Transfer tab.
In the Source dropdown menu select the playout instance (e.g. "Player_Master").
Select the folder that contains the files to be deleted.
Select one or more files to be deleted.
In the toolbar at the top right of the media asset list click the Delete assets icon .

Figure: Makalu Automation - Delete files
Confirm the dialog by clicking Yes.

The selected files are deleted from the playout instance storage. This is also indicated by a black bar to the left of the file import date.

Importing a playlist¶

Notice

Makalu supports the import of XML-based playlists. For further information please contact [email protected].

To import a playlist, proceed as follows:

Select the Playlist Import tab.
To add a playlist, either:
1. drag the playlist file on the drop zone area, or
2. click select and select the playlist file.
Select the target channel to which the playlist should be assigned.
To confirm your selection, click Apply.
Click Process.

The content of the playlist file is checked and processed.
Click Import.

The playlist is imported.

Exporting a missing file list¶

To export a missing file list, proceed as follows:

Select the Playlist Import tab.
Click the plus icon of an imported playlist that has missing files.

The missing file list expands, and all missing files are listed.
Click Export.

The missing file list is downloaded.

Notice

Missing file lists are exported as CSV files.

Restarting the player¶

Warning

Use the channel restart trigger only in case of an emergency (e.g. if a player error occurs).

Restarting the player takes a short amount of time. During this time, no output signal is generated.

To manually restart the player, proceed as follows:

Click the menu button to the right of the system health status indicator and select Restart player.

A dialog is displayed that asks you to confirm this action.
Confirm the dialog, by clicking Yes.

The player is restarted.

Automation¶

Accessing Makalu Automation¶

Starting and stopping a channel¶

Makalu Automation user interface overview¶

Channel/system information¶

Channel preview¶

Time-related rundown information¶

Next clip information and preview¶

Channel rundown¶

Rundown and player controls¶

Media¶

Playlist¶

Graphics¶

Recordings¶

Stream targets¶

Transfer¶

Asset Uploader¶

Playlist Import¶

Previewing file-based and live media¶

Adding elements to a rundown¶

Adding a playlist to a rundown¶

Adding media to a rundown¶

Adding trimmed media to a rundown¶

Adding secondary events to a rundown¶

Editing the rundown¶

Editing the start time of a show¶

Editing the duration of a clip¶

Editing the start time or duration of a secondary event¶

Using groups¶

Moving clips¶

Replacing a clip¶

Assigning or deleting a default graphic¶

Adding or deleting a splicing event¶

Deleting a clip or a playlist¶

Deleting a fixed start time¶

Reloading the rundown¶

Controlling the rundown playback¶

File transfer¶

Triggering a file transfer manually¶

Deleting transferred files manually¶

Importing a playlist¶

Exporting a missing file list¶

Restarting the player¶