In order to give adopters the possibility to taste and try what new features and looking are coming with Galicaster 1.2.0 a Release candidate is released, however, with a brief documentation.

Prerequisites

To try this release you must follow these steps:

• Install Ubuntu 12.04 (64 bits recommended)
  • Update all packages on the Update Manager
  • Activate the additional drivers for graphics card
  • Recommended: Deactivate screensaver (Brightness & Lock configuration)

• Install dependencies

  $ sudo apt-get install \
      gstreamer0.10-ffmpeg gstreamer0.10-alsa gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad gstreamer0.10-plugins-bad-multiverse \
      gstreamer0.10-plugins-base gstreamer0.10-plugins-base-apps gstreamer0.10-plugins-good \
      gstreamer0.10-plugins-ugly 
  $ sudo apt-get install python-pip python-setuptools
  $ sudo pip install icalendar
  $ sudo apt-get install v4l-conf v4l-utils guvcview
  
  

• Install Epiphan driver:
  • For 64 bits machine with kernel 3.2.0-24 or newer in this link

• Hauppauge driver is included Ubuntu 12.04, and Blackmagic gstreamer plugin is included on the gstreamer dependencies, however Blackmagic driver must be installed:
  • Blackmagic driver installation: Blackmagic cards

• Configure your udev rules as in previous releases

Install Galicaster:

• Download the package.
• Unpackage it and place the folder in an area where you have permissions to run applications. Change the folder name if you want to.
• Place the conf.ini example on the designated folder.
• Run Galicaster with ./run_galicaster.py. It will start with mock devices (bars, static and noise).
• Download the profiles you may want to try and copy then on profiles/. There are some profile example some chapters above.
• Replace those values on the profiles to adapt them to your devices.

Migrate Repository from 1.1.x to 1.2.x

Mediapackages are compatible with both versions but we have included new information concerning the status of the operations. Then, only one file will be modified, the others will remain unaltered.

To do so:

• The script is docs/scripts/migrate_repository.py
• Move it to your Galicaster 1.2 directory,
• Configure Galicaster to point to on the repository you want to migrate
• Make a backup
• Run it on a terminal: python migrate_repository.py

New features

If you have used Galicaster before, you won't find many changes visually. Most of the work has been focused on new Operations upon packages, provide a basic Profile interface and improve the Ingest service.
Other internal changes will be visible on further releases, when we release new plugins and features that are not ready yet.

Profiles

A profile is a group of tracks configurated to run together to record a Mediapackage. Each profile can have one or many tracks, usually from 1 to 4 (two videos and two audios). You can shift between profiles on the profile menu, clicking on the button below Recorder, on the welcome page.

When you change a profile it's automatically loaded. If anything goes wrong, you will receive a message on the Recorder area.
You can try another profile any time you want, without leaving the program. You have to leave the program to edit any profile, if you have knowledge to do so.

New operations

We have included two new operations: export to zip and create a size by size copy of the mediapackage. All the operations, including ingest, can be triggered immediately or nightly (00 am local by default).

• Zip

The "export to zip" operation will zip without compression a mediapackage on the user main folder (usually /home/user/)

To change the folder set the custom path on the configuration files, changing the value of [basic]>export.

• Side by Side

The "side by side" will create a single file video with a side-by-side composition of both presenter and presentation videos. The audio will be attached to. The video is exported to mp4 extension and will be placed on the user main folder.

To change the folder set the custom path on the configuration files, changing the value of [basic]\>export.

Note: Size by size operation only works on mediapackages with 2 videos (audio could be both in or out the video track), the audio will be get from the track with presenter flavor (either video or audio)

Ingest improvements

In this new version of Galicaster Ingesting is more flexible. You can choose a immediate or a nightly ingest style, separately on manual and scheduled recordings. You also may configure the starting time of the nightly ingests.

In addition, operations can be queued, so if you select many operations sequentially they will be resolved in the same order you or the program select them.
Note: nightly operations are not sequentially.

To change your nightly time to ingest, include or change this lines on your configuration files

[heartbeat]
night = 00:00

Other improvements and features

• The frequency of the messages send to Matterhorn is configurable.
• Some device errors are captured by the program, avoiding crashing.
• New information is available on the Recorder Area: Elapsed time, free space, connectivity.
• Blackmagic plugin allows to record audio or not.
• New plugins has been included: Audiotest, Videotest - both mock devices - and Firewire.

Configuration differences between 1.1.x and 1.2.0

A updated configuration guide is available on docs/install/readme.txt

Basically, your configuration will work on the new release.
Your track setup will be considered the "default" profile, so if you don't select a profile, or the profile name is wrong, the default profile will be loaded.

Take a look to a example (the default profile has been removed)

[basic]
admin = True
profile = Webcam

[ingest]
active = True
manual = nightly
scheduled = immediate
host = http://fakeadmin.matterhorn.com:80
username = matterhorn_system_account
password = CHANGE_ME
workflow = full
workflow-parameters = trimHold:true

Configuration and Profiles examples

There is a configuration file included on the package, conf-dist.ini
An example of conf.ini is provided here, the default profile holds three mock tracks with static, color bars and pink noise.

We have uploaded some profile fully functional examples.

• VGA capturing
• VGA and Sound capturing
• Webcam and sound
  • The device is set on /dev/video0, where webcams are usually found, change it if necessary
• Hauppauge ( PAL / NTSC ) and VGA
  • Sound synced and recorded via Hauppauge
• Blackmagic (with sound incorporated)
  • SDI capturing + VGA - i.e. Blackmagic Decklink
  • HDMI capturing + VGA - i.e. Blackmagic Intensity Pro

You may temper the configuration, specially device output location and names of the recording files and current tracks.
If you have any doubt, please consult the guide on docs/install/readme.txt

Matterhorn Scheduler behaviour

With the appearance of profiles, some understanding of their functioning is needed to use the Matterhorn scheduler. There's two options, whether Matterhorn can select the tracks or not.

• When Galicaster's admin mode is off, Galicaster send its tracks to Matterhorn -, giving the scheduler the option to disable some tracks, for instance the VGA or a backup audio.

• When admin mode is on, changes are expectable. Galicaster won't send its tracks and the scheduler won't be able to select any, just schedule. Then, Galicaster will record all tracks activated on the current profile and Matterhorn

Media Manager new look

Media Manager has suffered some changes:

• Instead of ingest we have operations.
• Each operation status is shown on the Manager.
• Colors only affects operations.
• Colors are configurable.
• Classic color scheme is available and configurable (colors are decided depending on ingest status) .

An example for the color configuration:

[color]
classic = false
none =  #FFF0AA
nightly = #AEFFAE
pending = #AEFFAE
processing = #FFAE00
done = #88FF88
failed = #FFAEAE