New Features in MediaCentral

Feature	Description
Record an audio clip.	You can use audio controls in the Media pane to record an audio master clip. This is an alternative way of recording a voice-over that gives you more flexibility than recording a voice-over for a sequence. To record an audio clip, you use the Media Pane in Asset mode and click the Voice-Over button. This feature applies to Interplay Production assets only. For more information, see Recording an Audio Clip.
Use a basic sequence as a source for editing an advanced sequence.	You can open a basic sequence in Source mode, and then use it as a source for editing an advanced sequence. This feature applies to Interplay Production assets only. When you load the sequence in Asset mode, editing controls such as Mark In and Mark Out are available through buttons and keyboard shortcuts. You can perform an insert edit and an overwrite edit. Replace editing is not currently supported. For more information, see Using a Basic Sequence as a Source for a Sequence (Interplay \| Production).
Timecode field displays hyphens when you start to use it for navigation.	In the Media Pane, if you select the Timecode field, and begin to type a timecode for the frame you want to display, the existing timecode digits are changed to hyphens. Hyphens are replaced by the digits you type. Press Enter and any digits not entered are filled in from the initial timecode. For more information, see Entering Timecode to Cue a Frame.
Play button flashes before playback starts.	If you start playback (for example, by clicking the Play button), the Play button flashes orange until playback actually starts. This feature is helpful in high-latency or low-bandwidth situations so that you do not try to start playback again.

Feature	Description
New options for process creation	The option to create processes is now also available in the following panes: • Associations pane • File Info pane In both panes, the Pane Menu contains the Actions menu item that provides process creation options.
Using files as attachments during process creation	MediaCentral UX v2.6 enhances the options for using attachments during process creation: • You can upload files during process creation and monitor the upload operation. • You can cancel file upload and delete uploaded files from the process creation dialog box. • During process creation, you can monitor the number of attachments (assets and files) in the Attachments count and get information on the allowed attachments types.
Tasks pane enhancements	Starting with MediaCentral v2.6, the Tasks pane provides the following features: • The My Tasks button allows you to toggle a filter on or off. When toggled on, the Tasks List shows only the tasks that are assigned to you or your group. When toggled off, the Tasks List shows all tasks that you are allowed to edit. • You can show new columns in the Tasks List to get information on the Assignee, Assigned Group, Next User, and Next Group. • You can assign user tasks to another user or user group. This means that you can place a user or group in charge of performing the action that has to be performed during the process execution. Depending on the configuration of the task template, you can set the following in the Tasks Details area: Assignee, Assigned Group, Next User, and Next Group.
Associations pane enhancements	The Associations pane provides the following new features: • You can use the Parent button to navigate to the parent asset of the asset that is open in the pane: When you click the button, the parent asset is opened and set as new source asset in the Associations pane. • The Associations pane shows all associated asset types that can be set for the asset. In addition to show and hide associated asset types for which no associations are currently defined, you can now also show and hide specific associated asset types.
Adding link to folder in messages	Starting with MediaCentral v2.6, messages can also carry links to Interplay MAM folders. When you double-click a folder link, the Asset pane navigates to the folder in Interplay MAM and shows the asset references saved in the folder.
Deleting assets and basic sequences	You can delete assets and basic sequences from the Interplay MAM database. To do so, you can start a Delete process from different panes: • In the Media and File Info pane, you can delete the asset or basic sequence open in the pane. • The Associations, Assets, and Search pane allow you to delete up to 50 assets and sequences at the same time.
Cleaning up essence packages	You can delete files from essence packages in MediaCentral UX. To do so, you can start a Cleanup essence packages process from different panes: • In the File Info and Media pane, you can clean up the essence packages of the asset open in the pane. • The Associations, Assets, and Search pane allow you to clean up the essence packages of up to 50 assets at the same time.
System Settings	In MediaCentral v2.6, the Interplay MAM system connection settings are changed and now use the MAM Control Center to deliver the credentials of the impersonating user login and registry endpoint URL. Updating to MediaCentral v2.6 requires removing all previously connected Interplay MAM system from the ACS Bus Attribute Service prior to installing the Interplay MAM Connector v2.6.

Feature

Description

Email Options

The system administrator now has the ability to customize an e-mail message with the following options:

• Remove an asset link from an e-mail message.

This option prevents problems if the asset link is opened in a user’s default web browser and the browser is not supported by MediaCentral UX (for example, Internet Explorer is not currently supported).

• Add a custom default header, footer, or both to an e-mail message.

This feature lets the administrator add default text that appears on all e-mail messages. This feature is particularly useful if the option to remove an asset link is selected.

For more information, see Configuring E-Mail Options.

Feature	Description
Limit STP to selected user groups	An administrator can specify which users are allowed to send to playback (STP). You set permission for STP on a group basis in the Send to Playback settings in the System Settings layout. For more information, see Limiting Send to Playback to Selected User Groups.
Copy the asset name and use it as the Video ID	In the Send to Playback Settings dialog box, you can copy text from the Name field into the paste buffer. If the Video ID field is empty, you can paste the clip or sequence name into the Video ID field. Valid characters for the Video ID field are alphanumeric characters, hyphen, and underscore. If invalid characters are used in the clip or sequence name, they are removed before the text is pasted into the Video ID field. You cannot type invalid characters in the Video ID field.

Feature	Description
Match field colors used in iNEWS	Avid iNEWS lets an administrator assign colors to various components. These colors are now displayed in the following MediaCentral UX areas: • Rundown: In earlier releases of MediaCentral UX, iNEWS system colors were shown in the Story Form. These colors are now shown where applicable in the rundown. If a story is selected in a rundown, any items that use iNEWS system colors display the same iNEWS system colors. • Drop-down menus: In the Story Form, any colors shown in iNEWS drop-down menus are also shown in the MediaCentral UX drop-down menus.
Turn iNEWS monitor server on or off	The Queue/Story pane toolbar now lets you turn the iNEWS monitor server on or off. You turn the monitor on or off by clicking the MON button in the Queue/Story pane toolbar. When the MON button is on (orange), the iNEWS monitor server checks its assigned rundown for changes. It performs as much error checking as it can by comparing machine control events with styles located in the SYSTEM.RESOURCE queue, without communicating with any broadcast equipment, including iNEWS \| Command.
View-only access to iNEWS Timing clocks	The Queue/Story Pane menu now includes the option Show Timing Clocks. If you select this option, an additional line is added to the toolbar, which shows three timing fields: • Item Countdown: Time remaining for the current story • Elapsed Segment Time: Time remaining until the next hard out. • Show Over/Under: Time that the show is over or under—red for overtime and green for under or on time. These items have the same functionality as the iNEWS option to display the show timing clocks in view-only mode. You can use these items to display the show’s timing but you cannot use them to control the timing.
Print a Rundown view from within MediaCentral UX	The Queue/Story pane toolbar now includes a Print button, which opens the default browser Print dialog box and lets you print the current rundown view.

Feature	Description
Support for Traditional Chinese in indexed searches	Using Chinese as the language for indexed search now includes dictionaries that support both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Support for Interplay MAM multi-value attributes in indexed searches	You can use multi-value (MV) attributes for indexed searches when the feature is enabled in your Interplay MAM configuration.
Improved English search using text analysis	Media Index uses improved text analysis and normalization to yield better results when it comes to finding different forms of terms, such as conjugated verbs or plural words.
Card view displays a result count	Viewing search results in Card view now allows you to see the total number of results for your search.

Feature	Description
Support for Vimeo API v3	You can create a profile for publishing to Vimeo using the latest version of the Vimeo API.
New Transcoder profile for publishing video in the MXF format	A new transcoder profile (NoOp) has been added that allows you to publish video without converting MXF video to MP4.
Publishing video to Twitter	If you configure an appropriate transcoding profile, you can publish video directly to Twitter without using another online video provider.
Facebook Page profile added to User publication types	You can configure a Facebook Page personal account in the Media Distribute user settings.
Generic CMS Extended profile	A new profile has been added to support extended fields to be used with a generic content management system (CMS). The profile, when configured, allows you to use a new Generic CMS Extended pane to publish media packages to a user-defined CMS.

Feature	Description
Up button in the Assets pane toolbar	The Assets pane toolbar now includes an Up button. Click this button to display the contents of the next folder up in the assets hierarchy.The button is inactive at the highest level of the hierarchy. Support for Interplay Production was introduced in MediaCentral UX v2.5.1. For v2.6, support includes Avid iNEWS and Interplay MAM.

Feature	Description
MediaCentral Platform Services Concepts and Clustering Guide	A “Best Practices for MediaCentral” section has been added to the guide, detailing suggested daily, weekly and monthly maintenance guidelines. The guidelines have been developed as a coordinated effort between Avid Customer Success and Avid Engineering to prevent some of the most common issues experienced by MCS system users.