<![CDATA[Cinegy GmbH]]> <![CDATA[How to add new storage to Cinegy Archive so that existing watch f...]]> In order to add new storage that should be used only when specified explicitly in watch folder settings the following steps should be performed:

- register network shares that refer to the new storage in Cinegy Archive;

- create a new Media Group that will be used to reference the new storage;

- assosiate created network shares with each file type within the created Media Group;

- select the corresponding Media Group in watch folder settings.

If you add network shares that reference the new storage to the existing Media group - the new files will be ingested to both the old and new storage, by the principal of round robin.


For more details please refer to the Cinegy Open documentation,
https://open.cinegy.com/products/archive/15/archive-manager/user-manual/media-storage/types-locations/. 

]]> <![CDATA[How to add to the Roll having the original audio an audio track f...]]> The Cinegy Archive master clip itself does not allow the replacement or addition of media tracks. Although it is possible to generate a new copy of the media with the required tracks layout.

The recommended way of new master clip versions generation is using Conform Capturer function. The Conform Capturer ingests existing Sequences into Cinegy Archive and creates a new Roll. 

If you need to avoid the transcoding, you can apply the following workaround:
1. Export the first master clip from Roll to MXF Op1A with the direct transcoding profile.
2. Export the second master clip from Roll to MXF Op1A with the direct transcoding profile. In the result, you will have two video files with different audio tracks.
4. Create CineLink - https://open.cinegy.com/products/convert/24.2/cinelink-file-support/cinelink-file-configuration/#specifying-separate-files-as-a-source and specify which tracks and from which file to take.
5. Import the specified cinelink using the direct transcoding profile.

]]> <![CDATA[How does the automatic media assets population work?]]> In order to achieve automatic media assets population, you’ll need to use Cinegy Traffic Gateway and Cinegy Convert (either Legacy or PRO).
All the media files that are going to be played out should have a unique name (Traffic ID). While composing the CSV file a Traffic ID should be defined for each of the playlist items.

While processing the CSV file Traffic Gateway is scanning the MAM Database and/or your media storage for the media files corresponding to each of the playlist items by Traffic ID. There are two file match providers available in Traffic Gateway: CAS (responsible for scanning the MAM DB) and PowerShell (uses a *.ps1 script for scanning the media storages and triggering the imports of missing media into archive).


In case the media file is available in MAM Database or your media storage, a media URL is going to be assigned to the playlist item. If the media file is unavailable in MAM database, a placeholder is going to be created with the corresponding Traffic ID by CAS and the reference to this placeholder is going to be assigned to an item in the resulting playlist. At the same time, PowerShell will try to search the media piece (missing in Archive) in the media folder (specified in TG settings). If PowerShell locates the desired media piece in a media folder, it will create a CineLink link file in Convert Watch folder (the path should be specified in the *.ps1 script). In case PowerShell is unable to locate the media file with the specified Traffic ID in your media folder, Cinelink file will not be created. Resulting MCRlist will contain a dummy item with the corresponding Traffic ID.


CineLink file contains the information about the path to a media file and a GUID of a target placeholder (created by CAS) so that Convert could fulfill the proper placeholder with a proper media. Afterward, Convert Watch folder service surveys the watch folder and picks up the Cinelink file in order to create an import task and pass it to Convert for further processing. As a result, the placeholder is filled with media.

When the MCRlist created by TG is inserted into Cinegy Air, the control application calls CinegyAirPlaceholder.dll which is going to scan Cinegy archive for the placeholders that have been already filled with media. As a result of this scan, in case the placeholders have been filled, each of the playlist items referred to a placeholder is going to be updated with the URL to a media file on your MAM media storage automatically. If the media file for a playlist item has not been imported to the Archive yet, the item is going to remain a dummy until the corresponding placeholder is filled.


The MissingMediaData.txt report file with missing media ID's is located in C:\Watch_folder by default and this path may be changed by a user in .ps script.

]]> <![CDATA[What stream encodings support GPU-accelerated decoding? ]]> With the help of GPU we are able to decode H264, HEVC, and MPEG2. H264 NVidia GPU supports only 4:2:0 Chroma Format and 8 Bit Depth while HEVC NVidia GPU also supports 10 Bit Depth.

The decoder(s)/encoder(s) work either on the CPU, or they are executed on the GPU if the decoder was created on a video card. Though "GPU acceleration" is a commonly used term, actually it means "GPU offload". If decoding is done on the CPU and it does not cope, when we turn on NVDEC or NVENC, the GPU does not actually starts to "help" or "speed up". Similarly, the CPU does not "help" in case the encoder/decoder is assigned to GPU that does not cope (overflowed). The CPU still continues to be used for various operations related to processing but in much less extent.

]]> <![CDATA[What lowest bitrate could be set when using the DANIEL2 codec for...]]> GPU offloading (hardware acceleration) is available for Daniel2 4:2:2 formats. Other formats are CPU-based.

Cinegy recommends using the following bitrates for Daniel2 format:

- UHD p50 4:2:0 8 bit: 600 Mbit/sec
- UHD p50 4:2:0 10 bit: 800 Mbit/sec
- UHD p50 4:2:2 8 bit: 800 Mbit/sec
- UHD p50 4:2:2 10 bit: 1 Gbit/sec

Please, note that HDR is only possible in 10-bit formats.

]]> <![CDATA[Can Cinegy Convert run in standalone mode (without Cinegy Archive...]]> Yes, Cinegy Convert can run in standalone mode transcoding files according to the configured profiles. Watch folders for network shares are also supported for automatic operations.

Cinegy Archive integration is a separately licensable option that is required for Cinegy Convert to process ingest into/export from Cinegy Archive tasks.

]]> <![CDATA[What is the difference between Convert Agent Manager and (Desktop...]]> Cinegy Convert is available in several Editions that differ by the licensing model used.

Cinegy Convert requires a full license to be available on the local machine either as the software license or the physical USB dongle attached. Convert Agent Manager should be started in order to enable processing tasks on the dedicated machine and consume the corresponding license. Please see https://open.cinegy.com/products/convert/24.2/agent-manager/ for additional details.

Cinegy Convert Desktop Edition shares a single license with Cinegy Desktop running on the same machine. Desktop Cinegy Convert Agent Manager should be started in order to enable this licensing mode. Desktop Edition is limited to processing only one local task at a time. Please see https://open.cinegy.com/products/desktop/22.11/desktop/user-manual/importing-and-exporting-files/overview/ for additional details.

Both Cinegy Convert Editions can be started on the same machine but only one at a time. To switch between the Editions, exit the currently running one by choosing the “Exit” item in the context menu in the taskbar notification area. Please see https://open.cinegy.com/products/convert/24.2/agent-manager/user-manual/configuration/licensing/ for additional details.

]]> <![CDATA[What bitrate could be set when using XAVC codec for capturing UHD...]]> XAVC exists only in 10 bit 4:2:2 and has the fixed bitrate about 800 Mbit/sec, it can't be changed by the standard.

]]> <![CDATA[What are the hardware recommendations for Cinegy Convert?]]> Cinegy products work only on machines with CPU supporting minimum instruction set SSE4.1, "Intel® AVX" is also required.

The actual performance of a machine depends on the number of running simultaneous tasks, their TV formats, as well as various settings like number of encoders used, complexity of encoding profiles, etc. Therefore no precise hardware recommendation can be given. As Cinegy Convert has no requirements to perform faster than real time, virtually any modern machine can be used.

The following configuration has proven to be reliably sufficient for up to 4 simultaneous HD transcoding tasks using single encoder:

- Supermicro X10 series motherboard

- dual Xeon E5 2697v3 CPU

- 16x 8GB of DDR4 RAM

- SATA-2 SSD drive for OS

When exporting Cinegy Archive Sequences with Cinegy Type elements and\or CUDA effects enabled, a dedicated NVidia K2200 video board is required. For highly intensive graphics please consider the NVidia Quadro M4000 board.

NOTE: These system recommendations use older hardware which has been previously tested. The CPU’s listed should be used as a guide to select modern equivalent options and not as direct requirements.

]]> <![CDATA[What components does Cinegy Convert consist of?]]> Cinegy Convert includes the following components:

Process Coordination Service

The central system component used as a storage for all the task processing resources. It allows monitoring all registered tasks and their statuses.

Convert Agent Manager

Client which performs launching and lifecycle management of individual Convert Agent processes.

Convert Monitor

Dashboard-style client interface for monitoring Cinegy Convert activities.

Convert Client

Dashboard-style client interface for creating Cinegy Convert activities.

Convert Profile Editor

Client interface for creating generic convert target profiles.

Convert Watch Service

Sevice for automatic convert task creating from different sources.

 

 

 

]]> <![CDATA[What is Cinegy Convert?]]> Cinegy Convert is Cinegy’s server-based transcoding and batch processing service. Designed to function like a network-based print server, it can be used to perform the repetitive import, export and conversion tasks by "printing" material to predefined formats and destinations. Available in both standalone and Cinegy Archive integrated variants Cinegy Convert saves time that can be applied to more important activities by automating repetitive tasks. Processing is performed on dedicated Cinegy Convert servers that act as a print queue/spooler, processing tasks in order.

Highly flexible, scalable and interactive it is an ideal tool for converting a material into different formats and for integration with third-party NLE systems.

]]> <![CDATA[What Operating systems are supported by Cinegy Convert?]]>

Cinegy Convert software is certified to run on the 64-bit editions of the following operating systems:

  • Windows Server 2019

  • Windows Server 2022

  • Windows 10 Enterprise/Pro

  • Windows 11 Pro

Operating system recommendation: Windows Server 2022 is recommended for servers; Windows 11 Pro is recommended for workstations and desktop PCs.

]]> <![CDATA[What does "The request cannot be completed because you have excee...]]> When using Cinegy Convert with YouTube integration, you might encounter an unexpected work interruption and see an error in the Cinegy Convert log that looks like this:

ERROR - YouTube media upload: Failed inserting video: The service YouTube has thrown an exception. HttpStatusCode is Forbidden.
Google.Apis.Requests.RequestError. The request cannot be completed because you have exceeded your quota. [403] 

This error indicates that you have reached YouTube's daily upload limits for videos. These limits are imposed to ensure the safety and quality of content on the platform and can vary based on several factors including your account's history, regional settings, and any strikes against your account.

To ensure safety at YouTube, we limit how many videos a channel can upload in a 24-hour period across desktop, mobile, and YouTube API.

Limits may vary by country/region or channel history. Copyright strikes may impact channel history eligibility. Community Guidelines strikes will affect how much you can upload.

For more detailed information, visit YouTube's common uploading errors guideline.

If you receive the "Daily upload limit reached" error, wait 24 hours before attempting to upload more videos on YouTube.


What you could try is to go to the YouTube Studio directly and try to upload a video directly using the same account. This can help confirm if the quota has been exceeded.

Also. ensure your account has no strikes and is in good standing.

By understanding and managing your upload limits, you can better plan your content uploads and avoid interruptions.

]]> <![CDATA[Why only one CPU is used when running a transcoding job in Cinegy...]]> This may be related to the CPU distribution caused by NUMA Group Size Optimization settings. The default value is CLUSTERED which causes Windows to create a processor group for each physical processor. When it is set to FLAT, all CPUs should be equally loaded. For example, please, see https://ingogegenwarth.wordpress.com/2017/07/27/numa-settings/ for additional details. 

]]> <![CDATA[How to overwrite the imported media in Cinegy Archive while keepi...]]> Unfortunately, there is no built-in prevention of duplicates while importing media into Cinegy Archive. However, it is possible to create a PowerShell script that will search the database for the existing media with the same Traffic ID and delete it if required. Such script can be developed based on, for example, the following one:
https://github.com/Cinegy/Cinegy.Powershell/blob/master/Cas/CAS-Query-Search.ps1
Such script should run independently before importing the actual media and be provided with the Traffic ID to be checked.

Another option is to use the Convert pre-processing script to automate running the script above and getting the required Traffic ID from the task itself. Such script will be able depending on the script config to execute additional logic - either delete existing, create duplicate, or cancel import task.

Convert pre-processing script can use the following:
$trafficId = $provider.Metadata['src.meta.traffic_programm_id'] - to get the current item traffic id and search for it in the database
$provider.SetTaskCancelled("Cancelled from script") - to cancel the task with the corresponding message if media already exists in the database

If you need help with scripting and organizing a customer's workflow you could contact our Cinegy Professional Services at ps@cinegy.com.

]]> <![CDATA[How to get information in Cinegy Convert about the user who perfo...]]> If only information about the import operator is needed, you can get some info from the metadata. We recommend using a small pre-script that extracts the name of a file owner from AD and enters it into a custom metadata field.


# IMPORT PRE
param($provider)

$fileName = $provider.Metadata['src.name']
$fileLocation = $provider.Metadata['src.location']
$filePath = [io.path]::combine($fileLocation, $fileName)

$user = Get-Acl $filePath | Select -ExpandProperty Owner
$userName = $user.Split('\')[1]

$provider.AddMetadata('src.meta.created_by', $user.Split('\')[1]);

]]> <![CDATA[ Do Cinegy software block files?]]> Cinegy software does not block files. Even when files are being written, read access is always available (Shared Read). Blocking can only occur due to the user's system or third-party programs (e.g., OS, antivirus, etc.). If a block occurs, a message indicating the reason or fact of such blocking will appear in the logs of Cinegy Convert components only if the OS issues an error during the next attempt to read the file, such as a network error, timeout, etc. If the OS does not return an error and "waits" for the third-party process to "release" the file and allow the read/write operation to complete, there will be no messages from the Cinegy software.

If you encounter a "terminate" issue while using Cinegy Convert, increasing the "task hung detection" time might help. This adjustment makes the Cinegy Convert Agent Manager wait longer before forcefully terminating the process. If access to the file is unlocked during this time, the Agent will continue working as expected.

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