4. just:play Channels & The Primary/Edit Mode (v.5.x)

Owned by Georg Deisting
Last updated: Oct 23, 2023 by Manuel Grund
5 min read

Working with just:play Channels

The Just Control application allows you to manage and control multiple Channels at the same time. This screenshot shows an exemplary setup where multiple Channels are configured.

Consult your system administrator for further information on how the Channels are configured.

Switching Channels

When multiple Channels are opened, you can switch between them by using the Tab bar at the top of the Just Control window. Only Channels that have been opened in the Multi viewer before will be displayed as Tabs.

  • Switching to another Channel will result in the user interface changing to reflect the status of the other Channel.

  • Closing a Channel tab does not terminate the corresponding Channel, it merely closes the user interface to control this particular Channel.

Connecting to a Channel with insufficient permissions results in a warning. Contact your system administrator for further information.

Channel States

  • Online: an active Just Out engine is playing out the content that is scheduled at the moment. All changes will be executed – without any additional action from the User.

  • Offline: there is no Primary or Redundant Just Out engine assigned or started to any of the Layers. Nothing is playing out currently, but the Channel can still be used for scheduling.

Online Channel

This is what the control area of an Online Channel looks like.

  1. The Timecode appears in GREEN colour and is in Primary Time mode.

  2. The Connected To info dsiplays “ONLINE”.

  3. The buffer and temperature values of the Mac running the just:out engine are displayed.

Offline Channel

This is what the control area of an Offline Channel looks like.

 

  1. The Timecode appears in YELLOW colour and is in Primary Time mode.

  2. The Connected To info shows “OFFLINE”.

  3. The “Buffer” and “Temperature” values are not displayed.

Usually, an Offline Channel is used to build playlists which are later used in an Online Channel. When doing so, the Playlist(s) has/have to be saved, which is explained in detail in Chapter  .

just:play Timecode Display

The Timecode Display provides info like the current Playout time, the time to the next Live Event, or the time to the next Sync Point.

Colors of the Timecode

Online Channel in Primary Time Mode

The Timecode is GREEN and follows the real time.

Online Channel in Edit Mode

The Timecode is WHITE and shows the position of the CTI.

Offline Channel in Primary Time Mode

The Timecode is YELLOW and shows the position of the CTI.

Primary Time Mode

  • This mode is the default mode when just:play is started.

  • In Primary Time Mode you can watch the current Playout.

  • The Timecode is GREEN and synchronized with the Just Out engine's time, which means that the user interface reflects the current Playout position.

  • In Primary Time Mode, dragging items within the Timeline and altering the duration of Graphic elements within the Timeline is not possible. Nevertheless, it is possible to change the attributes of any item in the Inspector, as long as it is not in the past.

  • You can edit the Rundown in the Workbench area by dragging and dropping elements (i.e. adding/deleting elements or changing their position independent of the time mode).

  • In Primary Time Mode, the On Air Preview shows the current output. The passed-through Live Signal is not visible when using the DSK-based switch to live mode. Please contact your system administrator for more info.

Edit Mode

  • Dragging the Timeline's ruler or double-clicking an Element in the Calendar View, Workbench, or Timeline activates Edit Mode.

  • Changing the day in the Calendar View also activates Edit Mode.

  • The Timecode is WHITE and shows the current Preview position. The user interface reflects the status of the Playout like it would be at the displayed time.

  • The Edit Mode will either show the Past or the Future. A small text above the Timecode display informs about that.

  • All elements are greyed out in case Edit Mode shows the past.

Switching Modes

Switching from Primary Time Mode to Edit Mode

Drag the Timeline's ruler or double-click an element in the Calendar View, Workbench, or Timeline. Changing the day in the Calendar View will also activate Edit Mode. There are certain functions (like the ability to drag and drop elements in the Timeline) that are only available in Edit Mode.

Switching from Edit Mode to Primary Time Mode

Click the Now button. You are now back in Primary Time mode. This will also highlight the Video Layer automatically.

Functions of Edit Mode

Scrubbing the Timeline

To preview Videos, drag and scrub the Timeline ruler to watch a frame-accurate preview in the On Air Preview. It is not possible to preview Audio files, Events, or realtime Graphic elements.

Changing the Position of Video Elements in the Timeline

To change the position of a video in the Timeline, simply drag and drop it within the Playlist in the Timeline.

Changing the Duration of Graphic Elements

In Edit Mode, you can change the length of a graphic element (which has at least one stop frame) by moving the mouse pointer to the beginning/end of the graphic element and dragging the start/endpoint. Note that graphic elements snap to the start/endpoints of items in the Video Layer.

Changing the Position of an Event, Graphics, or Audio Element

In Edit Mode, you can change the position of elements. Hover the mouse pointer over the middle of the element, then drag and drop it to another layer and/or another point of time on the same layer. Note that such elements snap to the start/endpoints of items in the Video Layer.

 

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