Release Notes

The full Cinegy Air package components are:

  • Cinegy Air provides a software-based system for SD/HD/UHD/8K playout automation using standard PC server hardware. Cinegy Air performs video playout by acting as a TCP/IP-connected video "printer" offering its services in a network. The Cinegy Air broadcast automation software connects to the Cinegy Air Playout service and instructs it what to "print" on air and when.

  • Cinegy Studio is a modern, highly configurable, and customizable control panel for live and studio operations. It offers a higher level of flexibility and additional advanced functionality like integration with Cinegy News workflows and also third-party MOS-based workflows.

  • Cinegy Playout is a universal tool that performs the final direct playout without rendering or export. This is a software-based system for SD/HD/UHD/8K playout using standard PC server hardware. It is controlled either by Cinegy Air or Cinegy Studio connected via TCP/IP without any need to restart or reconfigure.

  • Cinegy Encode allows the user to convert SD, HD, or UHD SDI streams into broadcast-quality, SMPTE-compliant RTP/UDP and NDI streams or vice versa.

  • Cinegy Prompter is an optional component that runs on any commodity or tablet Windows-based PC and is compatible with any teleprompter hardware available on the market.

  • Cinegy EAS Gateway is used for receiving US emergency alert messages from the TFT 911 device and playing them automatically.

  • Cinegy Title, an integrated part of the Cinegy Air PRO, Ultimate, and Infinity Bundles, is the CG and branding option for Cinegy Air allowing the addition of multiple layers of automation/manually controlled, template-based titles, logos, animated graphics, and more. Cinegy Air PRO Bundle includes Cinegy Title Editor, the template designer for building and previewing templates offline as well as a dedicated Cinegy CG tool to control up to 10 layers of graphics and animation – perfect for live operations, such as news and sports. Cinegy Title now also supports audio elements, e.g., a "swoosh" sound when a logo appears or disappears.

    Note
    Cinegy Titler is rebranded to Cinegy Title.
  • Cinegy CG is a simple yet powerful live CG and channel branding tool giving you the power to control graphics in real-time on one or multiple Cinegy Playout engines at once. If a loaded graphics template has variables, Cinegy CG will let an operator change the values and even update them on the fly on one of the ten available layers.

  • Cinegy Event Manager is an events handler to manage secondary events that can be used to control external devices, such as external SDI switches or GPI signal generation.

Cinegy Air 24.11 Release 1

Cinegy Air Release: 24.11 R1

Cinegy Air Build: 24.11.0.5444.27778

Cinegy Title Build: 24.11.528.16046

Cinegy Cinecoder Version: 4.14.7.54096

Cinegy ML Version: 9.0.65158.27825

Compatible with: Cinegy Desktop 22.11+

Release Date: November 28, 2024

Caution
Please note that working with the AVID DNxHD/HR video codec now requires the additional purchase of a codec license and installation of a separate plug-in. For details, please contact the Cinegy Sales Team.

Major Improvements

– General

  • added Intel and AMD encoding and decoding support (US 7537)

  • removed Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable X86 package from Cinegy Air installation wizard (US 7604)

  • added some improvements to the Cinegy Air installer related to an occasional machine reboot occurring after installing Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable with Cinegy Air installation wizard (defect 11634)

  • fixed issues encountered during the broadcast of specific MOV files (defect 16758, ticket OHR-997-70631)

  • fixed issue with AAC audio decoding from specific MP4 files (defect 16991)

  • fixed issue with decoding audio from MP4 files with halved timescale value in metadata (defect 15025, MIX-163-76621)

– Cinegy Air

  • introduced the Cinegy Air Control Service application, which is currently in beta stage (USs 7532, 7533)

  • introduced an "Air Counters" plug-in (USs 7506, 7539, 7549, 7559)

  • implemented the ability to define the planned start time of an item (USs 7541, 7480)

  • implemented the display of Avail Id alongside the automatic opt-out block name (US 7508)

  • implemented the display of a camera icon for the live items in the timeline (US 7509)

  • implemented highlighting of items modified outside the Cinegy Air control application using a blue font in timeline (US 7507)

  • implemented the display of In-Out variance errors in the timeline (US 7512)

  • introduced an option in "Preferences" that allows insertion of items and moving them via drag-and-drop only with Shift + click (US 7510)

  • added the ability to apply a mask to incoming SCTE-35 or SCTE-104 triggers in the input stream via a secondary events (US 7530)

  • standardized the labeling in the interface for adding notes (US 7557)

  • improved the performance of item status updates to reduce processing time (defect 17124)

  • fixed issue with centering the item on the timeline on playlist selection in the playlist (defect 17157, ticket ICB-389-14876)

  • fixed issue with displaying the item duration in one line with item name (defect 17163, JZJ-287-98014)

  • fixed invalid URL error if Cinegy Stream Switcher server is defined in secondary event as OP1 value (defect 17162)

  • fixed issue that prevents resetting the duration of a skipped program to 00:00:00:00 when the "Show actual duration of blocks and programs" option is disabled (defect 16760)

  • fixed the colored highlighting of the dummy item in the playlist (defect 16761)

  • fixed issue with saving the timezone Id in the configuration file (defect 16792)

  • fixed incorrect tracking of playlist item modifications after splitting a program (defect 16968)

  • fixed the highlighting of playlist items on the timeline that were not loaded into the Cinegy Playout engine (defects 17006, 17008)

  • fixed issue preventing the editing of IN and OUT points for playlist items with timecodes that cross midnight (defects 17013, 17014)

  • fixed issue where non-printing characters are copied into the RTP address field (defect 17131, ticket GXR-152-81646)

  • fixed occasional application crash when decoding Daniel2 feedback stream (defect 17154)

  • fixed "Encountered an improper argument" error occurring upon application closure when the "Timeline" panel is undocked (defect 17195)

– Cinegy Studio

  • added recording commands ability to assign GPI inputs to GPI control setting (US 7538)

  • fixed GPI event processing and command triggering while the "Enable GPI" option is disabled (defect 16975)

  • fixed issue that caused a crash of the Cinegy Playout engine and reset the on-air item when the "Load Cued" command was used from the GPI device to trigger the last Rundown item on-air (defect 16976)

  • fixed the processing of the first event sent by the GPI device after the application startup (defect 16985)

  • fixed issue where the first item becomes cued after executing the "Start Cued on Video 1" command via GPI event (defect 16992)

  • fixed cueing of the item preceding the on-air item when using the "Cue Previous on Video 1" command via GPI with "On-Air" mode enabled (defect 16993)

– Cinegy Playout

  • increased the maximum number of inputs via Blackmagic Design DeckLink boards

  • fixed issue preventing Cinegy Playout engine from starting when MPEG-TS 1080p50/1080p59.94 output is configured with pre-processing enabled to 1080i25/1080i29.97 and H.264 codec (defect 16808, ticket KFB-276-52202)

– Cinegy CG

  • implemented various interface and usability improvements (USs 7551, 7561)

  • implemented setting the date and time for a variable via the date and time picker (US 7529)

  • introduced the exit loop button and loop markers in the template preview dialog (US 7548)

  • implemented marking linked and unlinked variables in the variables table (US 7562)

  • implemented reloading of Cinegy Title templates on application startup and during template loading (US 7499)

  • implemented the “Smart TextBox” panel for editing text variables (US 7475)

– Cinegy Event Manager

  • introduced 64-bit architecture support for the application (US 7482). It is advisable to conduct preliminary testing before using in production environment.

Upgrade Notes

  • Please note that during the installation of Cinegy Air, some dependencies, such as Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package and .NET Framework 4.8, may be installed automatically if they are missing. In some cases, this may result in the system requiring a restart upon request after the installation of Cinegy Air components is complete.

  • The Cinegy Air Web API service is considered deprecated.

  • Preview player settings are extended and should be verified after upgrading to Cinegy Air v24.11 from v21.9.

  • Changes to the playlist format to add HDR settings for items are not backward compatible with Cinegy Air v21.9 and earlier. Therefore, a copy of all active playlists should be taken before the commencement of the upgrade.

  • Changes to the configuration for Cinegy Playout v24.11 are not backward compatible with version 21.9 or earlier. Therefore, please ensure a copy of all existing engine .xml files is taken before the commencement of the upgrade.

  • Before the installation, it is required to manually uninstall all Cinegy Air and Cinegy Titler components that you may have on your machine if the currently installed version is 21.2 or lower.

Important Known Issues

  • There is a performance degradation when working in multichannel mode with 6 or more channels, some channels have incorrect items indication when loaded into Cinegy Air control application. Reconnection to Cinegy Playout engine is required to rectify this situation.

  • Currently, selecting an AMD GPU in the "Video Effects Accelerator" section when using the H.264 AMD encoder leads to engine instability.

  • The current limitation is that user data in the output stream is not supported by the AMD GPU manufacturer.

  • User data is not embedded in the output stream when using Intel GPU.

  • An issue occurs with Intel GPU encoding when using HEVC with a B-frames GOP structure.

  • Intel GPU HEVC 4:2:2 encoder is not currently supported by Cinegy.

  • Cinegy Air control legacy APIs will no longer start automatically and will need to be manually started.

  • AAC audio in the Cinegy Air control application preview can be distorted in some cases (defect 13432).

  • Frame numbering issue for IBBBP/IBBBBP output with AAC-LC audio with some specific video codecs and bitrate (defect 15917, ticket BVA-906-12970).

  • Audio packet size decreases during audio silence on IP output with AAC-LC audio (defect 15950, ticket ENI-672-26743).

  • Cinegy File Browser is missing in Cinegy Studio (defect 15091).

  • Colors in semi-transparent areas within the media file used in the Cinegy Title template are displayed incorrectly if the color specified in the "Source Matted With Color" parameter is not black. The issue occurs for the Straight and Premultiplied rendering modes when previewing secondary events (Cinegy CG preview in the "Load Template" window, Clip viewer preview) and Sequences (Cinegy Title template as a main item) output. We recommend generating media files with Premultiplied alpha using the black background and not changing the black color in the "Source Matted With Color" parameter in the Cinegy Title template.

  • When a Cinegy Title template is modified outside the Cinegy CG, changes may not automatically refresh in the "Load Template" window in certain cases (defect 17197).

  • Changes to the voiceover stream settings (e.g., SRT to RTP) require restarting Cinegy CG for the new settings to take effect on the Cinegy Playout engine.

Third-Party Known Issues

  • Customers are advised to consider installing the latest security drivers update from NVIDIA. For details refer to the NVIDIA Security Bulletin from October 2024 https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5586

  • System memory and resources leak when creating and closing threads with NVIDIA graphics is detected in drivers version 526.67. The issue was reported to NVIDIA support (NVIDIA Incident Report 4027304) and is fixed in version 535.98. We recommend using NVIDIA graphics drivers version 535.98 or later to fix the system memory and resources leak. Please verify the resource usage after driver upgrades.

  • NVIDIA GPU driver version 526.67 produces H.264 interlaced video marked as progressive. The issue was reported to NVIDIA support (NVIDIA Incident Report 4005908) and is fixed in version 553.35. We recommend using NVIDIA graphics drivers version 553.35 or later to ensure the correct marker for picture structure when encoding interlaced video.

  • Blackmagic Design DeckLink video cards occasionally play video without sound or with distorted sound on output. Before using Blackmagic Design DeckLink cards for critical installations 24/7, extensive testing must be carried out in advance.