VidiControl Release Notes

Release 23.3.163789

Breaking Changes

Recurring Bookings API Changed

The API for Recurring Bookings has been changed. The RecurrenceObject has now a bookingContent field instead of a chunkTemplate. The occurrence field is no longer supported by the API. Applies only to reccurence objects which has been created with the API in 23.2 (not FE UI).

Features

Timeline Improvements

The following improvements have been made to the timeline:

• When dragging items or extending/shortening items on the timeline, they now snap to full minutes.

• The VidiCore Item ID is now displayed in the booking info box.

• A semantic color scheme is now available over the settings menu.

• When holding [Shift], the cursor should snap into full minutes while hovering with the mouse over the timeline (blue line).

• As part of the system configuration a new context menu point open in MediaPortal is added to Done-Timeline items.

• Some context menu points on timeline are adjusted for different recording states, because not all options are given in different states.

• If you open a recording from the timeline, the booking dialog will automatically open in edit mode for both metadata and specification.

• Sort all dropdowns in booking dialog in alphabetic order.

Recurring Recording

With 23.3, VidiControl now also supports recurring recordings in the frontend UI. The booking dialog has been extensively expanded for this purpose. Create Recurrence Recordings

The dialog now offers the possibility to activate recurring recordings in the Definition tab and to provide them with metadata. In case of metadata inheritance, please consider the Inherited Metadata feature (also listed in these release notes). The UI offers the possibility to create weekly or daily recurring recordings. Under the Components tab, the user can view and subsequently manipulate the individual items.

The individual recordings are created as virtual objects and are only placeholders for recordings and have the same recording details. The virtual recordings have the purpose that possible manually planned recordings do not collide with the recurring ones. For this, pools get an unassigned line if the virtual recording cannot be scheduled by the pool because it is already full. The system converts virtual recordings automatically after a configurable interval. If this is not possible due to a collision, the system informs the user with a message in the Action Table (also listed in these release notes). After initiating the virtual recording into a valid recording, a VidiCore item will be created.

Attention: If the recording is initiated by the system or manually, the state of the recording is persisted and loses the dependency on the repeat pattern. A subsequent change of the recurrence rule does not change an initiated recording.

Booking Without Source

Users can create bookings on a Not Assigned In-Port. This acts as an placeholder for an actual booking reserving the recording port. Bookings on this port are always on the top of the router in lanes. Planned items having a Not Assigned port are marked with a red dot indicator. Manage Booking without source

The Action Table (see below) will remind the user to exchange the Not Assigned port with an actual port for recording. If the Not Assigned port is not replaced with a current port before recording starts, the recorder will record without switching. The recordings are then marked on the timeline as DoneWithErrors.

Action Table

The Action Table is a new notification view which alerts the user to manual needed actions. This can currently be two actions:

• Not Assigned: Gives the user the hint to assign a source to a recording. See the Booking Without Source item in these release notes.

• Collision virtual chunk: Gives the user the hint to fix a collision that has occurred due to a recurrence recording.

The system checks configurable cyclically if the indications have already been solved by the system. However, it is also possible to resolve actions manually. When clicking on an action, the system jumps to the relevant recording on the timeline. Actions are marked with a red triangle in the front of the recording. Solve Actions

Switch While Record

It is now possible to switch the source port of a running recording via both, the API and the UI.

• For more information when performing the switch via the UI, see the following article Modify a Booking Component on the Timeline | Switch-Sources-While-Recording .

• For more information when performing the switch via the API, see the following article UC Switch while Recording .

Configuration Interface

With release 23.3, more functionality is available in the configuration interface for VidiControl. Beside of managing router out/in ports, pools and devices, administrators can now also manage events, capabilities and general configuration values. This GUI is described in the Operations Guide: VidiControl Configuration .

Inherited Metadata

This feature gives the user the possibility to inherit metadata to records. It is possible to define metadata on a booking definition or on the component that gets its content from an inherited object. In addition, it is possible to enter a placeholder in the booking definition mask, which in itself assigns its inherited metadata to the booking definition. This saves the user the work of assigning the same metadata to objects that should be the same, since they belong together in terms of content. Inherited Metadata

Please note that in the current release 23.3 the title is not transferred to the individual objects, because of the limitation of the inheritance of the title in VidiCore. This must be entered manually by the user. In future releases an automatic title generation will be implemented.

Default Recording Length

There is a new configuration parameter in configUI (DefaultRecordingLengthInMinutes) which gives you the possibility to set the recording length. This will be set automatically if you open the Booking Dialog .Config Values

Offline Devices

In the rare event that, due to exceptional circumstances, the router service is not accessible, all assigned ports are displayed as offline. Area: Timeline | Timeline-Indications

Sync Technical Metadata to VidiCore

There is a new software component called TechDataSync with the task to send metadata technical values to VidiCore items. The following technical metadata is automatically synched to VidiCore:

The metadata from following article will be syncronized: https://kb.vidinet.net/central/latest/recording-placeholder-c-arc .

The creation of the product metadata in VidiCore will be take place by installation process of VidiControl.

UC Sync Technical Metadata to VidiCore

Extended API

The API contains now also functions to manipulate Booking Definitons as well as Bookings. It is also possbile to now call actions via API which can be resolved with the api. API Resources via Swagger

Fixes

Known Issues

• It is possible to limit the limit of possible occurences in recurring recordings. This is due to possible performance limitations. We currently recommend a limit of 100 possible occurences. Otherwise performance losses are possible. We will inform you about possible changes for this topic in future releases.

• There is actual no auto refresh for actions Messages. Update will happen by solving an action manually or refreshing the page.

• It is possible to create or update a recurrent recording in a way that generates virtual chunks in the past. Because those recordings can’t be done, they are never instanciated.