The Upgrade To OnTheAir Node With Manager From OntheAir Video With Schedule from Softron is a step up to OnTheAir Node software with OnTheAir Manager for all users who currently have OntheAir Video with the scheduling option. The options you have on your Video software are transferred and will be usable on the Node.
OnTheAir Node is a playout server and ingest engine for Mac that is opened to third party applications. Designed to be an affordable, dependable and customizable video server with an open client-server architecture, Node can be controlled remotely over the network. OnTheAir Live is a client application bundled with Node that can be used to control it, as can the included OnTheAir Manager. A single client computer in a control room can manage multiple OnTheAir Node playout servers found in the machine room.
Featuring unrivaled openness, Node ushers in a new era of Mac-based playout servers. It enables third party applications like Traffic and Media Asset Management solutions to easily control a reliable playout server with real-time media cataloging and validation.
The software launches automatically at startup and resumes operation, even in the event of a power loss. Node is compatible with any Intel-based processor equipped with a video card (AJA, Blackmagic Design or Matrox) and installed in the Xserve, MacPro, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, or Mac mini machines.
The Node software is equipped with the same playout engine as Softron's flagship product OnTheAir Video, so it delivers the same reliability that this product has demonstrated over time. Not only does Node output video to any available video output on the Mac and enable it to be controlled remotely, it also catalogs the available assets in one or more scan folders and informs any of the client applications (included OnTheAir Live or OnTheAir Manager, or optional OnTheAir Node Remote for iPad or third party app) when a new asset arrives or is removed. Additionally, it checks for validity and compatibility. Information on the clips is given as XML, which makes it easy for any other third party application to retrieve the clip's characteristics, such as video codec, audio sample rate, creation date, last modification date, or finder label.
OnTheAir Node features open architecture that permits any third party application, including Traffic or Media Asset Management software, to manage the playout and view the list of available media. Node utilizes Telnet for its communications, which ensures that the protocol is a proven and open standard that has no special requirements.
With OnTheAir Node's virtually unbeatable efficiency, you have the ability to play out 4 streams of HD simultaneously on a single Mac. The software's playback engine (NAVI) has been developed since 2004 and is the same one used by OnTheAir Video. It does not employ the graphics card for playout, and you need not have a monitor connected to your Mac in order to keep Open GL active, as you do with other playout solutions.
You can send GPI triggers from OnTheAir Node to a video mixer or any GPI compatible device in order to take control of it. The software's versatile system of "Attributes" permits it to take control of multiple external devices, including video routers (via RS232 or Ethernet), Character Generators and logo inserters (via GPI triggers). Attributes are altered for the entire length of a clip and changed back to the default value at the end.
The HD option (not included unless your OnTheAir Video has it) activates the high definition output formats. Logo Overlay (also not included unless your OnTheAir Video has it) allows you to overlay a logo over the video without extra hardware. The OnTheAir Node Remote option for OnTheAir Live allows you to control OnTheAir Node playlists (not schedules) from an iPad, and is available from the AppStore (not included).
OnTheAir Manager is a Client-Server software application that serves as the ideal complement to OnTheAir Node and OnTheAir Server. It builds on the features of Node by adding the ability to create schedules, hierarchical playlists and live events, and send them to any Node in your network to be played out. The software previews clips, checks which ones are ready to air, and is capable of controlling multiple OnTheAir Nodes--all from one networked workstation.
OnTheAir Manager's graphical calendar-style user interface allows you to easily view the schedule for the day, the week or the month and produce playlists simultaneously. You'll find that the software greatly simplifies the task of scheduling programming for single and multiple channels. It sends schedules to any number of OnTheAir Nodes and automatically assigns graphics, manages video routers, and sends GPI triggers-- while taking into account the various user defined categories of every event, playlist and clip. Compatible with live events capable of being triggered automatically or manually--by GPI, for example--this smart software tool ensures smooth, problem-free playout. It gives you detailed reports of potential problems, including overrun and underrun conditions, in addition to offline clips, enabling you to quickly address these issues before their potential becomes realized.