Chapter 2. Using the VCP-Recorder GUI
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## Chapter 2. Using the VCP-Recorder GUI

The VCP-Recorder graphical user interface (GUI) was designed as both a demonstration of the VCP-Recorder capability and a beginning point from which broader graphical applications can be developed. The GUI consists of the following:

- Media Control Panel, which enables clips to be played and recorded

- Deck Control Panel, which enables a video deck to be controlled

- Unit Status Monitor, which displays the status of VCP-Recorder ports

- Clip Manager, which is used to manage clips, including getting them from, and writing them to, an archive system

The following topics are discussed in this chapter:

- “Playing and Recording Clips”

- “Monitoring the Status of VCP-Recorder”

Chapter 3, “Using the Clip Manager,” describes how to use the GUI to manage clips. Chapter 4, “MVCP Reference,” describes the MVCP protocol, which was used to implement the VCP-Recorder GUI.

## Playing and Recording Clips

This section describes how to use the VCP-Recorder Media Control Panel and how to control a video deck. The following topics are discussed:

- “Starting the VCP-Recorder Media Control Panel”

- “About the Media Control Panel”

- “Playing or Recording an Existing Clip”

- “Creating a New Clip”

- “Changing Cue Points and Edit Points”

- “Controlling a Video Deck”

See the VCP-Recorder Installation and Administration Guide for information about how to copy digital media data from a file into the VCP-Recorder clip cache.

### Starting the VCP-Recorder Media Control Panel

To establish a control connection to VCP-Recorder and start the Media Control Panel, enter the following, either from the workstation on the VCP-Recorder server or from a workstation on which the VCP-Recorder tools software[1] has been installed:

    % /usr/vtr/bin/mcpanel  [-h hostname]  [-p videoPort|unit]  [-D deckCtlPort]
    [-c clipname]  [-r]  [-C "inpoint outpoint"]  [-P]  [-v loglevel]

Table 2-1 describes each of the options available when starting the VCP-Recorder Media Control Panel.

Table 2-1. mcpanel Startup Options

Option | Description
--- | ---
-c | Identifies the name of a clip to be loaded when the Media Control Panel starts. If this option is not specified, no clip is initially loaded.
-D | Specifies the video deck control port (deckCtlPort) to be used for VLAN communication to an external video storage device, such as a digital videotape recorder (VTR). The deck is controlled by the Deck Control Panel. If this option is not specified, deck control is not available.
-h | Identifies the host on which VCP-Recorder runs. This enables the Media Control Panel to be run from a remote workstation. If this option is not specified, the local host is assumed.
-p | Identifies the VCP-Recorder host video port or unit to which the control connection is made. videoPort is the VCP-Recorder host video port to which the control connection is made. If you specify a port, VCP-Recorder creates a new logical unit that is used by this control connection. unit is the VCP-Recorder logical unit to which the connection is made. If you specify a unit, it must have already been created by another control connection. The control connection being made shares the unit with the control connection that created the unit. (Units are named with a capital “U” followed by a number, for example, U4.) If this option is not specified, the first video port on the VCP-Recorder is used.
-r | Specifies that if an mcpanel already exists for the video port, the existing mcpanel should be raised on the desktop instead of creating a new one.
-C | Specifies that the loaded clip should be cued with the specified in- and out-points. If “*” is specified for either inpoint or outpoint, the default edit in-point or out-point is used.
-P | Specifies that the clip whose name is clipname should start playing when the Media Control Panel starts.
-v | Sets the logging verbosity level to loglevel. The default is 0, meaning all log messages up to and including Info priority are written to STDOUT. (The mcpanel program writes its log messages to STDOUT.) The values for loglevel are defined in Table 2-2.

Table 2-2 shows the log severity levels and codes, which are listed in decreasing order of severity

Table 2-2. Log Severity Levels

Priority | Log Level | Description
--- | --- | ---
Emergency | -6 | Panic condition
Alert | -5 | Condition that should be corrected immediately, such as a corrupted system file
Critical | -4 | Critical condition that has system-wide impact, such as a hard device error; immediate action required
Error | -3 | Problem that needs correcting but does not require immediate action
Warning | -2 | Possible problem but could be a transient problem that corrects itself
Notice | -1 | Condition that might require attention, but is not an error condition
Info | 0 | Informational message
Debugn | n | Informational message that normally is of use to engineers for debugging; may be Debug1, Debug2, or Debug3, with Debug3 producing the most debugging information

The VCP-Recorder Media Control Panel, shown in Figure 2-1, is displayed in a separate window. This control panel represents a unit, or logical VTR, that is used to play and record clips. The buttons in the Media Control Panel are similar in function to those of a standard videotape player/recorder. For example, there are buttons to load a clip, play it, and pause.

Figure 2-1. VCP-Recorder Media Control Panel

See “About the Media Control Panel” for a detailed description of the Media Control Panel.

To determine which video and deck control ports are available on a VCP-Recorder server, establish a telnet connection to the VCP-Recorder server and then use the MVCP `PLS` (List Ports) command. (See “Establishing an Interactive MVCP Connection” for details.) The following example shows the type of information returned by `PLS` for an O2 server. This example identifies “mvp” as the video port (VID) on the server:

    PLS
    201 OK
    mvp BOTH "SGI O2 (MACE) Video Processor" VID

The following example shows the `PLS` command output for an Origin server. This output identifies “vlan_1” as the deck control port (DECK) and “DIVO_n,” where n is 0-7, as the video ports (VID):

    PLS
    201 OK
    vlan_1 BOTH "VLAN Deck Control" DECK
    DIVO_0 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID
    DIVO_1 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID
    DIVO_2 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID
    DIVO_3 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID
    DIVO_4 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID
    DIVO_5 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID
    DIVO_6 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID
    DIVO_7 BOTH "SGI XT-DIVO Digital Video Option" VID

See “PLS (List Ports)” for more information.

You can also determine the ports by using the `/usr/vtr/bin/vtrstat` command:

    % /usr/vtr/bin/vtrstat -ports
    #  Port    Type    Description
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    0  mvp     Video   SGI O2Video (Multiport Video Processor)

See the `vtrstat(1)` man page for more information.

To determine which units are in use on a VCP-Recorder server, establish a telnet connection to the VCP-Recorder server and then use the MVCP `ULS` (List Units) command. The following example shows the information returned by the `ULS` command:

    ULS
    201 OK
    U1 mvcp/originserver mvp BOTH * DONE IDLE * 0 *
    U2 mvcp/originserver mvp BOTH * DONE IDLE * 0 *

This example indicates that there are two units (U1 and U2) on the server, both using the mvcp port on the host named originserver. The units were opened for input and output (BOTH) and they are currently idle.

See “ULS (List Units)” for more information.

You can also determine the units by using the `/usr/vtr/bin/vtrstat` command:

    % /usr/vtr/bin/vtrstat -units
    Unit  Owner        Port    Clip       Function Location
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    U3    mvcp/oo7     mvp     *          IDLE     *

See the `vtrstat(1)` man page for more information.

The following are examples of starting the Media Control Panel:

- When the Media Control Panel is started by entering the following command, a control connection is made to the DIVO_1 video port on the “origin_server” host using a newly added unit. Messages with a severity level of Info and above are written on STDOUT:

      % /usr/vtr/bin/mcpanel  -h origin_server  -p DIVO_1

- When the Media Control Panel is started by entering the following command, a control connection is made to the U9 unit, which must already exist. Messages with a severity level of Debug2 and above are written on STDOUT:

      % /usr/vtr/bin/mcpanel  -v 2  -h origin_server  -p U9

- When the Media Control Panel is started by entering the following command, a control connection is made to the mvp video port on the “o2server” host. Messages with a severity level of Info and above are written on STDOUT:

      % /usr/vtr/bin/mcpanel  -h o2server  -p mvp

### About the Media Control Panel

Figure 2-2 shows the appearance of the Media Control Panel after a clip has been loaded. The header of the control panel identifies the host, control port, and unit to which the control panel is connected.

Figure 2-2. The VCP-Recorder Media Control Panel With a Clip Loaded

The menu bar gives you access to the following:

- The File pulldown menu, which lets you load or unload an existing clip, create a new clip, or close the Media Control Panel. Most of the functions that are available in this pulldown menu are available through buttons in the Media Control Panel.

- The View pulldown menu, which lets you access the Deck Control window. The Deck Control window, which is shown in Figure 2-5, is used to control a video deck that is attached to the VCP-Recorder host. See “About the Deck Control Window,” on page 34, for more information.

- The Utilities pulldown menu, which lets you access the following:

  - the IRIX audio panel

  - the IRIX video panel

  - the VCP-Recorder Unit Status Monitor (described in “Monitoring the Status of VCP-Recorder”)

  - the VCP-Recorder Clip Manager (described in Chapter 3, “Using the Clip Manager”)

The following describes each of the displays and buttons in the Media Control Panel:

- The Clip field contains the name of the clip, if one is loaded. The display is blank if a clip is not loaded.

- The Load, Create, and Unload function buttons let you load an existing clip, create a new one and record into it, and unload a clip, respectively.

- The cue points are used to move around within a clip and to control the portion of the clip that is played. An in-point (In), the duration (Dur), and an out-point (Out) are specified using the following format:

      hh:mm:ss:ff

  where hh is the hours, mm is the minutes, ss is the seconds, and ff is the frame number. In drop-frame mode, the final colon is replaced by a period:

      hh:mm:ss.ff

  For example, if a clip with a cue in-point of 00:00:30.00 is cued for playing, it is cued at thirty seconds.

  See “Changing Cue Points and Edit Points” for information about how to change the cue points.

- The edit points (under “Mark” in the Media Control Panel) are persistent values stored with a clip. They are used to initialize the cue points when the clip is loaded. An in-point (In), the duration (Dur), and an out-point (Out) are specified using the following format:

      hh:mm:ss:ff

  where hh is the hours, mm is the minutes, ss is the seconds, and ff is the frame number. In drop-frame mode, the final colon is replaced by a period:

      hh:mm:ss.ff

  | Note: Edit points may also be called “edit marks.”

  If a clip has edit points associated with it, those values are used to initialize the clip's cue points when the clip is loaded.

  See “Changing Cue Points and Edit Points” for information about how to change the edit points.

- To the right of the cue and edit points are the start, the duration (Dur), and end of the clip. Each is specified in the following format:

      hh:mm:ss:ff

  where hh is the hours, mm is the minutes, ss is the seconds, and ff is the frame number. In drop-frame mode, the final colon is replaced by a period, as in:

      hh:mm:ss.ff

  If a clip does not have edit points associated with it, these start, duration, and end values are used to initialize the cue points when the clip is loaded.

  | Note: You cannot change the values of the start, end, or duration of the clip, itself. However, you can select any of the values and copy it to the cue points or edit points.

- The cue buttons cue the clip for playout (-->|>) or recording (-->|). The location at which the clip is cued depends on how the clip is cued and the play direction, as discussed in the descriptions of the VTR control buttons and the Media Control Panel's option menus. (The play direction is determined by the setting of the topmost option menu.)

  | Note: A clip must be cued before it can be played or recorded. This can be accomplished explicitly by clicking a cue button or implicitly by clicking the play or record button without first clicking a cue button. If you click a cue button and then click play or record, the clip starts playing or recording immediately. If you click play or record without first clicking a cue button, the Media Control Panel first cues the clip and then starts the requested function. In the latter case, there is a brief delay before the requested play or record function begins.

- The current frame display is initialized to the cue in-point or cue out-point each time the clip is cued. The actual cue point depends on how the clip is cued and the clip's play direction, as discussed in the descriptions of the VTR control buttons and the play direction. (The play direction is determined by the setting of the topmost option menu.) As the clip is played or recorded, the display changes to indicate the current frame number.

- The function display shows the current function. When a clip is first loaded, the word “STANDBY” is displayed.

- When a clip is being played or recorded, the status/shuttle speed display shows the speed. If the clip is not being played or recorded, the status is displayed. The status may be one of the following:

  - BUSY, when the function is waiting to execute or waiting for another unit to finish (for example, a Louth automation controller that is playing a clip). The word BUSY blinks on and off.

  - RUN, when the function is in progress.

  - DONE, when the function completed without an error. The word DONE and the function display are grayed-out.

  - ERROR, when an error has occurred. The word ERROR blinks on and off, and appears in red.

- The VTR control buttons control the playout and recording of clips. The following describes these buttons, which correspond to standard VTR buttons:

  - Fast-reverse (<<) plays the clip in reverse at a fast speed.

  - Jog backward (<|) jogs the clip backward by one frame. Each time you click the jog backward button, the clip jogs back one frame.

    If the clip is playing when you click this button, the clip jogs backward one frame and then pauses. You have to click either the play button or the pause button to resume play.

  - Forward play (>) plays the clip in the forward direction. If the clip is not cued, it is cued before it begins playout.

  - Jog forward (|>) jogs the clip forward by one frame. Each time you click the jog forward button, the clip advances one frame.

    If the clip is playing when you click this button, the clip jogs forward one frame and then pauses. You have to click either the play button or the pause button to resume play.

  - Fast-forward (>>) plays the clip forward at a fast speed.

  - Reverse play (<) plays the clip in reverse. If the clip is not cued, it is cued before it begins playout.

  - Pause (||) temporarily stops the clip from playing or recording. You have to click the play, record, or pause button to resume.

  - Stop (n) stops the clip and de-cues it. After the clip has been stopped, you must re-cue it to play it again.

  - Record () begins recording. If the clip is not cued, it is cued for recording before it begins.

- The top option menu lets you specify the play direction, which determines the direction in which the clip is played and whether it plays once or plays until it is stopped. The following options are available through this menu:

  - Fwd, for forward play (default)

  - F Lp, for forward loop play

  - Bwd, for backward play

  - B Lp, for backward loop play

  - F/Bwd, for alternating forward and backward play

  - F/B Lp, for alternating forward and backward loop play

  - B/Fwd, for alternating backward and forward play

  - B/F Lp, for alternating backward and forward loop play

  If the direction is one of the forward directions (Fwd, F Lp, F/Bwd, or F/B Lp), the clip is cued at its in-point. If the direction is one of the backward directions (Bwd, B Lp, B/Fwd, or B/F Lp), the clip is cued at its out-point.

  The forward direction means that the clip plays from its in-point to its out-point. The backward direction means that the clip plays from its out-point to its in-point. For alternating directions, the clip plays once in each direction. In loop mode, the clip continues to play in the given direction until you click the stop button. If you do not choose loop mode, the clip plays once in the indicated direction and then stops.

  | Note: When you change the option in this menu, the change takes effect the next time you cue the clip. For example, assume that the Fwd option is in effect when you start playing a clip. If you choose the F Lp option after the playing starts, the play stops when the out-point is reached. The next time you play the clip, the clip plays in forward loop mode.

- The middle option menu lets you choose the following options:

  - PB, the clip's audio and video are output when a clip is playing; nothing is output at other times (default).

  - PB/EE, the clip's audio and video are output when a clip is playing; the input signal is output at other times.

    | Note: The EE (end-to-end) option emulates a video deck feature and is relevant only when you have an active input source.

  - PB/Im, the clip's audio and video are output when a clip is playing; SMPTE 75% colors bars and 1kHz tone are output at other times.

  - PB/B, the clip's audio and video are output when a clip is playing; a black screen is output at other times.

  - EE, the output always displays the input signal instead of the signal from VCP-Recorder, even when a clip is playing. (When a clip is playing, the output displays the input signal.)

  - Image, the output always displays a color bar image.

  - Black, the output always displays a black screen.

  - Hold, the output always displays the last image.

- The Local/Rem option menu lets you put the unit in remote mode. The following options are available through this menu:

  - Local, which puts the unit in local mode and enables the VTR control buttons (local).

  - Rem, which puts the unit in remote mode and disables the VTR control buttons. This mode prevents you from accidentally operating a Media Control Panel while the unit is being controlled remotely, for example, by an automation controller.

- The shuttle dial lets you control the speed of a clip that is playing. To use the shuttle dial, begin playing the clip and then use the mouse to point to the black notch on the dial. Press the left mouse button and keep it pressed while you turn the dial clockwise to increase the speed or counterclockwise to decrease it.

  | Note: The straight up position of the dial is zero, or pause.

In general, buttons that are enabled and can be used appear darker than those that are disabled. For example, when you load an existing clip, the cue for playout button (-->|>) is darker than the cue for recording button (-->|). This indicates that the cue for playout button is enabled and the cue for recording button is not.

### Playing or Recording an Existing Clip

To play or record an existing clip, follow these steps:

1. If the clip is not loaded, load the clip:

   - Click the Load button in the Media Control Panel. A window that lists the clips managed by VCP-Recorder appears, as shown in Figure 2-3.

     Figure 2-3. Loading a Clip Into the Logical VTR

     The Load Clip window lists the name, duration, and format of each clip that is stored in `/usr/vtr/clips`, which is the VCP-Recorder clip cache. For example, the SeedsOfLife clip has a duration of 00:03:38.16 and its format is movie/vframe/jpeg. (If the duration contains an “*” it means that no material has been recorded in the clip.)

     | Note: If a clip is stored in a directory within `/usr/vtr/clips`, that directory name precedes the clip name. For example, if the clip name appears as ADS/COMM1, the clip is stored in `/usr/vtr/clips/ADS/COMM1`.

   - Select the clip that you want to load. (You select the clip by pointing to it with the mouse cursor and pressing the left mouse button.)

   - If you want to record over this clip, click Record Enable. (When recording is enabled, the yellow LED is lit in the Record Enable button.) Click Record Enable a second time if you want to disable this option.

   - Click the OK button. The window closes and the selected clip appears in the Media Control Panel. The cue for playout button (-->|>) is enabled. If the clip can be recorded over, the cue for recording button (-->|) is also enabled.

2. Change the cue points, as needed. (See “Changing Cue Points and Edit Points” for information.)

3. Click the cue for playout button (-->|>) or the cue for recording button (-->|).

   | Note: If you cue the clip first, the clip starts playing or recording as soon as you click the play or record button. If you do not cue the clip beforehand, the Media Control Panel automatically cues the clip and then starts playing or recording it. In the latter case, there is a delay before the requested function begins.

4. Click the play button (>) to start the playout or the record button () to start recording.

5. To stop playing or recording, click the stop button (n).

   | Note: If you want to replay or re-record the clip after it stops, the clip must be re-cued. If you click the play or record button without first clicking the cue button, the Media Control Panel automatically cues the clip before it starts playing or recording.

### Creating a New Clip

To create a new clip and record its content, follow these steps:

1. Click the Create button in the Media Control Panel. The Create Clip window, shown in Figure 2-4, appears.

   Figure 2-4. Create New Clip Window

2. Enter the name of the clip in the Clip Name field.

3. Choose the format of the movie from the Format option menu.

   | Note: You can create clips through the VCP-Recorder graphical user interface using only the “movie/vframe” option, which is the VCP-Recorder variable-frame movie format.

4. Choose the compression type of the clip from the Compression option menu. You can choose from the following compression types:

   - Rice (Rice compression; only on Origin servers with the Digital Video Option)

   - None (uncompressed; only on Origin servers with the Digital Video Option)

   - JPEG (M-JPEG; only on O2 workstations)

5. Click the OK button. The window closes and the clip appears in the Media Control Panel. Both the cue for recording button (-->|) and the cue for playout button (-->|>) are enabled.

6. Click the cue for recording button (-->|).

7. To start recording, click the record button ().

8. To stop recording, click the stop button (n).

### Changing Cue Points and Edit Points

You can change the cue points and edit points of a clip in the Media Control Panel in three ways:

- Select and type a new value. For example, if you want to change a value from 00:00:00.01 to 00:00:00.05, select the “1” and type “5.”

- Click inside a field and use the scroll bar. The Media Control Panel automatically adjusts the other entries, accordingly, when you use the scroll bar. For example, to increase the cue in-point, click any place within the cue in-point field and then click the scroll bar to move it down. As the cue in-point increases, the duration decreases by the same amount.

- Select values with the left mouse button and then copy them using the middle mouse button.

If you press the Enter key after changing one of the values, the Media Control Panel verifies the new value. If the new value is valid, the Media Control Panel adjusts the other values to correspond to the new one, if necessary. If the new value is invalid, the Media Control Panel displays an error message in a dialog box.

If you do not press the Enter key after changing one of the values, the Media Control Panel does not check the validity of the new value. When you perform a function that uses the new values (for example, cueing the clip), the Media Control Panel then performs validity checking and displays an error message if a value is invalid.

| Note: Changes that you make to the cue points take effect the next time that the clip is cued. They have no affect on a clip that is already cued or is playing.

Any changes that you make to the edit points or cue points are temporary. The changes cease to exist after the clip is unloaded unless you do one of the following:

- To make changes to the edit points permanent (that is, stored persistently with the clip), click the Save Marks button after you make the changes.

- To make changes to the cue points permanent, copy them to the edit points and then click the Save Marks button. The next time that the clip is loaded, the newly saved edit points are copied to the cue points.

| Note: Only the last set of edit points are saved. That is, when you save the edit points, they replace the edit points that are currently stored with the clip.

### Controlling a Video Deck

This section describes how to use the Deck Control window to control a video deck that is attached to the VCP-Recorder host. (For information on attaching a video deck to a VCP-Recorder server, see the VCP-Recorder Installation and Administration Guide.)

| Note: To use the Deck Control window, you must specify a deck control port in addition to a video port when starting the Media Control Panel. (See “Starting the VCP-Recorder Media Control Panel” for details.)

The following topics are discussed in this section:

- “Accessing the Deck Control Window”

- “About the Deck Control Window”

- “Recording From the Deck to a Clip”

- “Recording From a Clip to the Deck”

#### Accessing the Deck Control Window

To access the Deck Control window, choose View > Deck Control Panel from the menu bar of the Media Control Panel. The Deck Control window, shown in Figure 2-5, appears in a separate window.

Figure 2-5. Deck Control Window

#### About the Deck Control Window

The File pulldown menu in the menu bar of the Deck Control window gives you access to the following options:

- Close, to close the Deck Control window

- Exit, to close both the Deck Control window and the Media Control Panel from which it was launched.

The following describes each of the displays and buttons in the Deck Control window:

- The edit points let you set the amount of time to preroll, the in-point, the duration, and the out-point. Each of these can be specified in the following format:

      hh:mm:ss:ff

  where hh is the hours, mm is the minutes, ss is the seconds, and ff is the frame number. In drop-frame mode, the final colon is replaced by a period:

      hh:mm:ss.ff

  See “Changing Cue Points and Edit Points” for information about how to change the edit points.

- The cue point is the location at which you want to position the deck. The cue point can be specified in the following format:

      hh:mm:ss:ff

  where hh is the hours, mm is the minutes, ss is the seconds, and ff is the frame number. In drop-frame mode, the final colon is replaced by a period:

      hh:mm:ss.ff

- The cue button (-->|>) tells VCP-Recorder to search the deck to the cue point and park it there.

- You can use the following deck control function buttons:

  - Review, to review the specified edit. The deck plays the selected portion of the tape, but VCP-Recorder does not record it.

  - Capture, to perform a frame-accurate capture from the selected portion of the tape to the VCP-Recorder clip currently loaded.

  - Rehearse, to review the specified edit. VCP-Recorder plays the selected portion of the clip, but the deck does not record it.

  - Lay Down, to perform a frame-accurate record from the selected portion of the clip to the tape.

- The current frame display is initialized to the cue in-point each time the clip is cued. As the clip is played or recorded, the display changes to indicate the current frame number.

- The function display shows the current function.

- The edit status display shows the status when performing an automated edit (that is, a capture, review, lay-down, or rehearse). The status may be one of the following:

  - CUE, when searching for the cue point

  - SYNC, when doing a preroll

  - LOCK, when the deck transport is locked

  - EDIT, when the edit is in progress

  - DONE, when the edit is complete

- The deck control buttons, which control playout and recording, correspond to standard VTR buttons. The following describes these buttons:

  - Fast-reverse (<<) moves the deck in reverse at a fast speed.

  - Jog backward (<|) jogs the deck backward by one frame. Each time you click the jog backward button, the deck jogs back one frame.

    If the deck is playing when you click this button, the deck jogs backward one frame and then pauses. You have to click either the play button or the pause button to resume play.

  - Forward play (>) moves the deck in the forward direction. If the deck is not cued, it is cued before it begins playout.

  - Jog forward (|>) jogs the deck forward by one frame. Each time you click the jog forward button, the deck advances one frame.

    If the deck is playing when you click this button, the deck jogs forward one frame and then pauses. You have to click either the play button or the pause button to resume play.

  - Fast-forward (>>) plays the deck forward at a fast speed.

  - Pause (||) temporarily stops the deck from playing or recording. You have to click the play, record, or pause button to resume.

  - Stop (n) stops the deck and de-cues it. After the deck has been stopped, you must re-cue it to play it again.

  - Record () begins recording.

- The EE On and Off buttons turn the deck's end-to-end mode on and off, respectively. If you click the On button, the output displays the input signal instead of the signal from the deck. If you click the Off button, the output displays the signal from the deck.

- The shuttle dial lets you control the speed of the deck. To use the shuttle dial, use the mouse to point to the black notch on the dial. Press the left mouse button and keep it pressed while you turn the dial clockwise to increase the speed or counterclockwise to decrease it.

  | Note: The straight up position of the dial is zero, or pause.

#### Recording From the Deck to a Clip

To record from the deck to a clip, follow these steps:

1. Use the Media Control Panel to do the following:

   - Create a new clip. (See “Creating a New Clip” for information about how to create a new clip.)

   - Change the cue in-point, if needed.

     | Note: The cue in-point in the Media Control Panel is the point in the clip to which you want the material captured.

   - If the Deck Control window is not displayed, choose View > Deck Control Panel in the menu bar of the Media Control Panel.

2. Use the Deck Control window to do the following:

   - Review the clip's edit points and change them if needed.

     | Note: The edit points in the Deck Control window identify the portion of the tape that you wish to capture and the duration of the capture.

   - To see what would be recorded without actually recording into the clip, click the Review button.

   - To record the clip from the deck, click the Capture button.

#### Recording From a Clip to the Deck

To record from a clip to the deck, follow these steps:

1. Use the Media Control Panel to do the following:

   - Load the clip from which you want to record.

   - Change the cue in-point, if needed.

     | Note: The cue in-point in the Media Control Panel is the point in the clip from which you want to record.

   - If the Deck Control window is not displayed, choose View > Deck Control Panel in the menu bar of the Media Control Panel.

2. Use the Deck Control window to do the following:

   - Review the edit points and change them if needed.

     | Note: The edit points in the Deck Control window identify the portion of the tape to which you want to record and the duration of the recording.

   - To see what would be recorded without actually recording onto the tape, click the Rehearse button.

   - To record from the clip to the deck, click the Lay Down button.

## Monitoring the Status of VCP-Recorder

To monitor the status of VCP-Recorder, enter the following, either from the workstation on the VCP-Recorder server or from a workstation on which the VCP-Recorder tools software[2] has been installed:

    % /usr/vtr/bin/mcstat  [-v loglevel]  [hostname]

where

- loglevel sets the severity level of the messages that are written on STDOUT.

  | Note: The `mcstat` program writes its log messages to the window from which it is invoked.

  If this option is omitted, all messages with a severity level of Info and above are written on STDOUT. If this option is present, loglevel, which can be a positive or negative number, identifies the minimum level of the messages that are written to the log. (See Table 2-2 on page 18 for the definition of the log severity levels.)

- hostname is the name of the host on which VCP-Recorder is running. If this parameter is omitted, it is assumed that VCP-Recorder is running on the same host as the one from which the program is invoked.

The VCP-Recorder Unit Status Monitor appears in a separate window, which is shown in Figure 2-6. This monitor identifies each port, unit, type of connection and host, clip name (if one is loaded), current function and frame, and the status of unit. (See “About the Media Control Panel” for more information.)

Figure 2-6. Unit Status Monitor

See “About the Media Control Panel” and “About the Deck Control Window” for a description of the status information that is displayed by the Unit Status Monitor.

| Note: You can also start the Unit Status Monitor by choosing Utilities > Status Monitor in the Media Control Panel menu bar.

[1] To run the Media Control Panel from a remote workstation, the vcp_recorder_eoe.sw32.tools subsystem must be installed on a workstation that has IRIX 6.2 or later. See the VCP-Recorder Installation and Administration Guide for more information.

[2] To run the Unit Status Monitor from a remote workstation, the vcp_recorder_eoe.sw32.tools subsystem must be installed on a workstation that has IRIX 6.2 or later. See the VCP-Recorder Installation and Administration Guide for more information.

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Chapter 1. Overview of VCP-Recorder |  | Chapter 3. Using the Clip Manager