The Sony protocol for communicating with video devices. 9-Pin is the same as RS-422.

(Audio Engineering Society) AES Stereo Digital Audio Input/Output. This connection provides a stream of digital audio data that complies with the AES Digital Audio format.

Computers that control broadcast devices. Automation controllers provide features such as playing and recording clips according to a predefined schedule, providing statistics about actual events, previewing schedules, controlling broadcast equipment, and so on.

Broadcast Automation Systems (such as the Harris Automation ADC- series) are used extensively by broadcast studios to control multiple video devices. Scheduling of video playback and recording, in conjunction with pre-assigned switcher effects can all be scheduled through a single interface.

A digital coding standard for television that is applicable to both the NTSC as well as PAL/SECAM technologies. The standard describes the encoding parameters for the 4:2:2 member of the family (where 4:2:2 is the ratio in which the luminance and chrominance sampling frequencies are related). One CCIR 601 video stream (no alpha) is about 22 MB/sec.

The unit of storage in SGI Media Server. Each clip consists of descriptive information such as the title and duration; digital media data, if the clip has content; and an index, if required by the content format.

XFS filesystems in which the SGI Media Server stores clips. The clip cache can reside on a normal XFS filesystem that can be shared with other uses, or a real-time filesystem created on a set of striped disks or RAID units.

Timecodes that are used to move around within a clip and to control the portion of the clip that is played. An in point, the duration, and an out point are each specified using the hh:mm:ss:ff format, 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 in the forward direction, it is cued at 30 seconds.

Deck control software made by Diaquest.

The compression format used by DVCPRO 25, DVCPRO 50, DVCAM, and DV (16-bit/48 Khz audio only). A DIF file, for example, is a file containing a clip compressed by one of these formats.

Dynamic shared object. An object that one program can share with another.

A digital video compression format provided by Sony. The DVCAM format provides fixed media compression.

A digital video compression format provided by Panasonic. The DVCPRO 25 and DVCPRO 50 formats provide fixed media compression.

Persistent timecode values that are stored with a clip. Edit points are used to automatically initialize the cue points when the clip is loaded. An in point, the duration, and an out point can each be specified using the hh:mm:ss:ff format, 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 has an edit in point of 00:00:30.00, its cue in point is initialized to 30 seconds when the clip is loaded.

Edit points may also be called “edit marks.”

The Fibre Channel Standard defines a high-speed data transfer interface that can be used to connect workstations, mainframes, supercomputers, storage devices and displays. The standard addresses the need for very fast transfers of large volumes of information. Typical high-end Fibre Channel devices carry up to 1 Gb/s data rates.

The General eXchange Format standardizes file structrure to exchange clips and compound clips between television program storage systems. SMPTE 360M encapsulates GXF and is now the formal standard.

Group of pictures. Defined as a sequence of video frames subject to compression encoding under the MPEG-2 standard. A GOP is characterized by one of the following:

The SGI Media Server MFCODEC supports four distinct MPEG-2 GOP structures: I, IP, IPB,and IPBB.

The quantity of frames in the GOP, exclusive of the I-frame. The GOP period must evenly divide the GOP size to be a valid GOP structure.

The GOP size determines total number of frames in the GOP. The size can be an integer but is strictly limited by hardware/software compression algorithms and resources. An extreme upper limit for the MFCODEC GOP size is 15. Large GOPs conserve ingestion storage resources but introduce potential information loss. The GOP of a specific size and structure is encoded during video ingestion and stored by the SGI Media Server when MPEG-2 compression is selected. The GOP structure is decoded during playout.

Guaranteed rate I/O. GRIO is included in IRIX and is used by the SGI Media Server to guarantee disk bandwidth for recording and playback while allowing non-priority access to the clip cache for other operations.

A company that makes, among other components, timecode readers. Its identifier in configuration files is hsip. See www.horita.com.

See Horita.

A timecode reader made by Miranda. Its identifier in configuration files is little-red. See http://www.miranda.com.

The Material Exchange Format standardizes file structure for playable content. MXF defines operating restrictions, structural metadata, and attributes that characterize the playable content. The standard enables interoperability of playable content among disparate VTR products that can process MXF structures.

VTR emulation application for the SGI Media Server.

Refers to any port through which digital media or control data is passed. That is, the term refers to either a video or a deck control port. See also port.

Multiformat codec. The compression encoding/decoder (PCI-VIDAUD-MSB-B) provided with the SGI Media Server supports the following compression formats: DVCPRO 25, DVCPRO 50, DVCAM, DV (16-bit/48 Khz audio only), and MPEG-2.

Multiport Video Computer Protocol. A protocol defined by SGI that provides full-featured control of Video Server Technology through TCP/IP.

P2 is the Panasonic name for the Sony protocol (RS-422).

A point at which an external device connects to the SGI Media Server. Video ports, used by video input and output devices. MFCODEC video ports are named MFCODEC_n (for example, MFCODEC_2). The term media port refers to either a video or a deck control port.

During recording, both source and recording machines can be rewound, generally three frames, so that the beginning of the recording starts when both machines are running at the correct speed. As a result, edits are more frame-accurate.

Is the Sony protocol for communicating with video devices.

A broadcast digital video signal standard. All high end digital video formats as well as many peripheral devices have adopted this standard. 259M is a universal standard permitting long cable runs regardless of the size of the facility.

A media company that uses its protocol, a standard by default, to control media machines, such as VTRs (RS-422).

A software mechanism that functions like a logical video tape recorder transport and is capable of loading, cueing, playing, and recording digital clips. The unit manages a media port, which may be shared with another unit.

A unit may also called a logical unit.

See Video Disk Communications Protocol.

RS-422-based protocol used by the Harris Automation (formerly Louth) ADC series.VDCP is the basis for control protocols for other manufacturers (such as Alamar) as well. VST can parse VDCP through serial ports.

Video Server Technology is an element of the Video Computing Platform (VCP) from SGI. VST is the clip serving platform element of VCP. The core VST software provides management of a simple database of clips (the clip cache), a control API for managing and operating the VST, and a core library which supports various external interface modules.

A videotape recorder, which is a device that records and plays videotapes.

See Video Server Technology.