Viz Content Pilot 5.1.8 package released
November 20, 2008
Viz Content Pilot 5.1.8 released, including many bug fixes and improved stability. Replacing the previous 5.1.7 release.
It was tested and released as a package that includes:
- Viz Media Sequencer Engine 1.18.1
- Viz Multiplexer 1.4
- Extra Viz Plugins 1.8.3 (For Viz Engine 2.x and 3.x versions)
- Ticker Viz Plugins 1.8.3 (For Viz Engine 2.x and 3.x versions)
When upgrading VCP, it is strongly recommended to upgrade to MSE version 1.18, as well as the Viz Multiplexer & Extra Viz Plugins (if used) versions released with this package. If you cannot upgrade the related components, consider that some of the new features will not work properly.
In any case, it is best to coordinate this upgrade with your local Vizrt support team.
Main new features and bug fixes:
Viz Content Pilot
- The Oracle Instant Client has been updated from version 10.2.0.1 to 10.2.0.4.
- Added ‘Animate’ functionality to “Live Preview” in VCP and Newsroom Component.
- Added “-retry <sec>” option for thumbnailgenerator.
- Several bug fixes related to Cyrillic and other non Latin characters usage.
- GUI settings for individual playlists are now stored under the playlist instead of /config/playlists/settings
- Renaming a concept now publishes the new concept name to MSE
- Templates with no variant will no longer show up in VCP
- Fixed support for Live Update for templates based on ControlObject.
- Numerous bug fixes for VTW, VOS & Template Manager.
- Removed memory leaks from the Thumbnail Generator. It now gives error massages and closes on invalid database settings.
- Newsroom component:
- 'continue’ now works for single layer, single state transition logic templates when previewing.
- With preview enabled, the icons are now fetched from Viz via Viz Multiplexer. If a template contains an image with invalid material/object the icon fetching will still timeout after 2sec.
- Fixed a problem that caused Newsroom component to ask for the data list multiple times, which caused delays on database level, creating many data elements and a wide date range.
Viz Media Sequencer Engine
- Default default.xml and log file locations changed.
- MSE can act as a Viz Gateway 2.0. Can now configure how far into the future the MSE should plan.
- Now supports Windows Vista
- TreeTalk protocol expanded to allow the move command to operate by indices.
- New TreeTalk command list_refed. lists all referred nodes. Used for debugging.
- New Plug-ins: mcm_remote and multichannel_manager
- Fixed the odd behavior on playlist initialization.
- Fixed problem of hanging MSE when an unreachable or less responsive Viz Engine has been configured.
- The scene used for initializing images is no longer loaded into the renderer, After initialization, no scene is on the renderer. (Note the side effect of this with Viz Engine and Viz Artist 3.x).
- MSE now calls a new method on the toggle plugin, called reset_current. This avoids the problem of calling reset on old versions of the plugin which in some cases caused errors in transition-logic scenes causing old data to appear on playout.
- Fixed a bug in the throttle mechanism for MOS-messages which temporarily prevented MSE from receiving new MOS-messages.
- MSE no longer tells Viz to add empty images, which fixes the "image location invalid" errors when having elements with ControlImage plugins and no image set.
Extra Viz Plugins package
- This version now bundles all necessary runtime C libraries, which are required with the latest compilers. This solves the nonfunctional installation problems.
- Console logging has been removed for non-critical error messages.
- Fixed a problem with the the Toggle reset function that did not properly reset all directors, particularly the x-fade and object directors, that were on some situations left in an active state and flickered when mixing transition-logic and scene-based playout.
Viz Multiplexer
- Fixed a bug related to null icons, e.g. when a client requested a non existing icon, Viz Multiplexer used to hang.
- Added filtering out of LOAD commands from clients, to avoid loading scenes that can not be unloaded properly.
- Important when upgrading! Viz Multiplexer will now by default put Viz Engine in NLE-mode (to serve as a frameserver as opposed to live playout). It is the suitable setup for Viz NLE and Viz Content Pilot Preview. To disable this mode: Add --no-nle-mode flag to the shortcut cmd.
Important Installation notes:
- If upgrading from a VCP version below 5.1.7, a database structure update is required. The upgrade scripts are supplied with the installation package.
- When upgrading from a previous version of Extra Viz Plugins, it leaves a ghost in the Control Panel Add/Remove Programs list. To remove it, either uninstall the previous version before installing the new one, or remove it, manually, afterwards. The new installation will not be affected when removing the old version from Add/Remove.
For full details, installation notes and known issues, read the Release Notes for VCP here
All release notes files are on the ftp in /products/VizContentPilot/ReleaseNotes
Download installation files from the ftp in /products/VizContentPilot/LatestVersion folder.
The VCP 5.1 Administrators Guide, VCP, VTW, VOS and VTM Users Guides were updated. They are included in the installation and can be downloaded from /Vizrt Documentation/ product folders.