[JIM] Working with Schedule Mode v.6.2

Overview

The Schedule Mode in just:in for macOS is a great and easy way to automate the recording process via Calendar Events. In Schedule Mode, recordings can be triggered by scheduling Calendar Events within the macOS Calendar application, making it very easy for everyone to create a recording schedule. Users can utilize either the local Calendar on the machine running the Just Control User Interface or any other Calendar service available within the macOS Calendar application, such as iCloud, Gmail, or an Exchange Calendar server. For example, using an iCloud calendar allows recording schedules to be created from anywhere, with the just:in channel simply receiving Calendar events and starting and stopping the recording automatically.

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Workflow

So, how does all of this work in daily operation?

First, ensure that the correct Calendar is available within the macOS Calendar application. Once the Calendar and the relevant Events are visible there, proceed to the macOS Privacy and Security Settings, as Just Control requires Full Access to the Calendar application to receive the necessary information for the recording schedule. Therefore, ensure that this is set up correctly.

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Once the Calendar is available on the Just Control machine and the security settings are adjusted, start the Just In Engine and Just Control application. In this case, a single channel setup is running and configured with two Capture Presets (XDCAM HD422 and H.264), switch the Channel Mode to Schedule. Note that at this point, it is no longer possible to start a recording manually.

As the next step, configure the channel to listen to a Calendar, which can be done by selecting an available Calendar from the Calendar list. Once selected, all available Calendar events from the next 24 hours are displayed in the event list below. Please note that a maximum of ten events are displayed here; other events from the future will be displayed once a recording is done.

With the Channel configured to listen to a given Calendar, the main configuration part is complete. Now, the recording starts and stops automatically as soon as an Event is scheduled and the start time reaches the current time.

File Naming

File naming in Schedule Mode also utilizes the well-known Naming Presets of just:in for macOS. Therefore, all available Variables, such as Date, Time, Channel, etc., can be used. However, there is one special case: the Name variable. This variable can be used to incorporate the event name into the actual file name of the scheduled event. For instance, if the event name is “Test001”, the file name of the recorded event will be the same if the selected Naming Preset uses the %Name variable. Other variables, like the Date variable, can be combined here as well.

Timecode Source and macOS System Time

Another important consideration is the Timecode Source, as well as the macOS system time of the machine running the Just In Engine application. This is crucial because the Just In Channel Timecode Source and the macOS time should be the same; otherwise, the recordings will not happen at the scheduled time. Therefore, ensure that either the macOS system is synced via a valid NTP server or that the LTC and the macOS time are synchronized to the same source.

Signal

Regarding input signal, please be aware that the scheduled recording only starts if there is a valid signal attached to the video device in use. If there is no valid signal present at the start recording time, the recording will begin as soon as there is a valid signal, even if the event is halfway through.

Just Control

It's essential to note that Just Control is the application receiving the schedule data from the Calendar application; therefore, it must be open at all times when working in Schedule Mode. If Just Control is closed, no new schedule data will be received, and consequently, no new recording will start.