CineLink File Configuration

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The structure of the CineLink file comprises a set of elements that define the rules by which the given file will be processed.

The mandatory and optional elements are described in detail in the tables and samples below.

Caution

CineLink files created by Cinegy Convert v22.12 are not compatible with Cinegy Convert legacy ones. The corresponding error message will appear.

Note	The CineLink file elements not recognized by processing modules will be ignored.

Mandatory Elements

Element Description

<media>

Defines the source media to be used to generate media streams.

<metadata>

Defines the additional metadata fields that describe the source.

Note

In case several CineLink files define the same metadata value, the last one in the list will provide the final metadata value. For example, the task contains several sources, all of which are CineLink files with some metadata. The final metadata set for the Source will be a combination of all distinct metadata with values being overridden in case defined several times.

MCRitem as a Source

The CineLink <media> section allows you to define timeline XML specification as a source for media streams by the <timeline> element. The following XML shows the possible structure of the section:

<media>
     <timeline>
             --- XML ---
     </timeline>
</media>

Only a single <timeline> element may be present inside the <media> section.

Important

The timeline XML syntax should follow the Cinegy MCR item timeline XML specification.

Specifying Separate Files as a Source

The CineLink <media> section allows specification of separate files as a source for media streams. The following XML shows the possible structure of the section:

<media>
     <tracks>
        <video location='\\server\path\file.mxf'/>
        <audio location='\\server\path\file2.mxf' order='1'/>
        <audio location='\\server\path\file2.mxf' track='2' order='0'/>
        <data location='\\server\path\file3.mxf' track='0'/>
     </tracks>
</media>

Note	The three supported types of tracks are video, audio, and data.

Only a single <tracks> element may be present inside the <media> element. Reordering of tracks can be achieved by the order element in the table below.

Specifying Muxed Files a Source

The CineLink <media> section allows muxed file specification as a source for media streams. The following XML sample shows the possible structure of the section:

<media>
     <file location='\\server\path\file.mxf' />
</media>

In this case, all tracks from the specified file share are intended to generate one media stream.

Initial Timecode Support

The CineLink <media> section supports defining the initial timecode. When the "Import to Archive" task is set, this value is checked and if detected, is applied to the Original Tape In of the master clip. The sample below shows the possible XML schema:

  <timefield name="startTime">
     <timecode frameRate="29.97">11;12;13;29</timecode>
  </timefield>

Traffic Program ID Processing

The XML sample below shows the possible structure of a CineLink file with the traffic_program_id field defined:

  <metadata>
     <field name="traffic_program_id" value="123"/>
     <field name="clip_description" value="Some description"/>
  </metadata>
</cinelink>

Having defined the traffic_program_id field, the Cinegy Archive database is being searched for nodes with the corresponding Traffic ID. In case the node is a master clip and the parent is a Placeholder Roll, the import operation is executed to this Placeholder Roll. As a result, a new master clip is created inside a Placeholder Roll.

Note	If the TV format defined for a Placeholder does not match the format of the processed items, the way of processing this Placeholder Roll will be determined by the "Placeholders processing" parameter settings of the import profile.

Note

If the duration of the imported footage is lower than the one of the Placeholder MOG selected as an import target, the duration of the Placeholder master clip will be automatically corrected during the import operation to match the media duration. If the footage is longer than the duration of the Placeholder MOG, the essence will be cropped to that value and another master clip will be created in the same Roll with the full-length imported video clip.

When the traffic_program_id field is not defined, the import to the Cinegy Archive database proceeds according to the settings configured in the related profile.

Media Group Metadata

The CineLink <media> section supports creating a media_group_id field in the CineLink metadata:

<metadata>
   <field name="media_group_id" value="1" />
</metadata>

The sample specifies the media group identifier, where 1 is regular and 2 is archive.

Optional Elements

Element Description

<name>

Defines the source name to be used for {src.name} macro, empty value by default.

<ext>

Defines the source extension to be used for {src.ext} macro, empty value by default.

<location>

Defines the source location to be used for {src.location} macro, empty value by default.

<media>

Defines the way the media will be processed.

<startTime>

Defines the starting point for the clip.

<framerate>

Defines the actual framerate of the clip.

<duration>

Defines the file duration considering the default timecode value.

<offset>

Defines read start (SOM) from the beginning of media (00:00:00:00).

<tracks>

Defines audio, video, or data tracks to be processed. It is possible to specify the order for processing tracks.

<order>

Defines the order for processing tracks.

Note	The tracks with an order attribute are expected to be processed initially, considering a minor value first. The tracks having no defined order attribute will be processed in the second turn randomly; their order is not guaranteed.

<scenes>

Defines segmentation of the Roll. This means the creation of individual <scene> elements called subclips in addition to the entire master clip in the resulting Roll.

<scene>

Defines the options for subclip creation. All the <scene> elements are grouped into the <scenes> section.

Important

Refer to the Source Macros article to get detailed information on the supported macros.

Duration and Offset Support

The CineLink file supports the definition of start and duration.

The sample XML structure with a defined media start is provided in the examples below:

<media>
  <offset>
    <timecode frameRate="29.97">00:04:10.29</timecode>
  </offset>

The sample specifies the duration in the format HH:MM:SSpFF, where p can be either a :, ;, ,, or . to indicate a drop frame or non-drop frame.

Note	Short forms of timecode are not supported.

The sample XML with the specified duration is provided below:

<media>
  <duration>
      <time>45:13,123</time>
  </duration>

The duration is specified in the format HH:MM:SSpMS, where p can be either a , or . to indicate the ms part. Here, the short forms are supported. An example of a time format explanation is given in the table below:

Time	Description
0.125	125 ms
34.125	34 sec 125 ms
56	56 sec
12:56	12 mins 56 sec

Time

Description

0.125

125 ms

34.125

34 sec 125 ms

56 sec

12:56

12 mins 56 sec

Segmentation of Master Clips

The sample XML with defined segmentation of the master clip into two subclips is provided below:

  <scenes>
    <scene>
      <name>Scene_1</name>
      <description>Scene_1</description>
      <SOM>
        <time>00:00:02</time>
      </SOM>
      <EOM>
        <time>00:00:05</time>
      </EOM>
      <metadata>
        <field name="clip_description" value="Clip" />
      </metadata>
    </scene>
	<scene>
      <name>Scene_2</name>
      <description>Scene_2</description>
      <SOM>
        <time>00:00:05</time>
      </SOM>
      <EOM>
        <time>00:00:10</time>
      </EOM>
      <metadata>
        <field name="clip_description" value="Clip" />
      </metadata>
    </scene>
  </scenes>
  <metadata>
    <field name="clip_description" value="Master" />
  </metadata>
</cinelink>

Here, each subclip is defined by <scene>, where name is a required attribute and the rest of the attributes (e.g., SOM – start time of the scene and EOM – end time of the scene in HH:MM:SS format) are optional.

In this case, the resulting Roll will contain the entire master clip and two subclips created by the segmentation.