1. File Manager
Last updated
Last updated
The File Manager is a module dedicated to importing and converting media files. It also allows the creation of media playlists, sort files imported on the servers, and can be used to recall Timeline media clips when programming a show.
The File Manager window can be divided into 5 window sections:
This list contains all of the media files (images, video, sound, 3D Models) that were imported in TACHYON (see Section 4. File Management and Display in Chapter 3 Importing Content).
The window’s top section contains a series of buttons and toggles as well as a search field. The buttons and toggles support a wide range of functions, including media file import and conversion, and Media File list display categorization (described in subsequent sections of this chapter).
The left section of the File Manager window contains a list of toggles that correspond to different media categories and control which items will be shown in the Media Files List (see Section 4.3 Files Visibility and Media Category in Chapter 3 Importing Content).
A [+] button located underneath the sorting tool will allow you to create custom Playlists from selected media files (see Section 5.1 Playlist Creation in Chapter 3 Importing Content).
The top right part of the File Manager window is dedicated to media preview.
Select a media file from the Media Files List by clicking on it.
Click on the preview button to watch a preview of the content, or scroll through content by clicking and dragging the time slider located beneath the window.
To hide or show the Media Preview window, click on the play toggle located in the window top section.
The Media Preview Panel has audio playback capabilities. If a playback device is set up in the I/O Manager, sound might play (there is a [Mute] button at the end of the timeline).
The lower right part of the File Manager window contains a list where the progress of Import and Conversion tasks is shown in sequential order.
The Task list has 3 slots for importing media files (copying media files via the network to the devices in the Server Group) and 3 slots for media conversion (creating local VCI copies of the original media files; VCI is VYV’s own uncompressed file format).
Ongoing tasks can be:
paused by clicking on the button;
resumed by clicking on the button;
cancelled by clicking on the button.
These actions will impact the entire Task list. Other actions, such as “re-prioritize” or “cancel a single task,” can be achieved by using the contextual menu which can be opened by right-clicking on a task.
To hide or show the Task list, click on the toggle located in the window’s top section.
Click on the button to open the File Manager Settings window. This window contains various parameters that will affect TACHYON’s behavior when performing media imports and conversions.
The folder button will prompt a file dialog allowing you to choose a path.
The number input box set the time interval between every check for new content.
The Check Now button will force a check for new content.
The Conflict option dropdown menu lets you choose what happens with files having the same name:
Ask: will prompt a pop-up box on every conflicting file.
Overwrite: will overwrite already existing files.
Keep existing: will keep already imported content and discard the newer file.
Once enabled a Watch Folder On/Off radio button will appear in the module top section.
This section contains 2 checkboxes:
Enable Preferred Version: activates Versioning in Tachyon
Prefer Latest Version: will automatically force the latest version of a media when used on the timeline.
For more information about Versioning: Click Here.
This section contains 1 checkbox:
Refresh model library after import: If activated this option will enable an automatic refresh of the model library after an import. If deactivated, it will prevent 3D models imported through the File Manager from loading automatically in the 3D Scene in memory. This option can be useful if you don’t want servers to stutter during a viewing session but still need to import 3D objects.
This section contains 3 checkboxes:
Auto Convert After Import: If this option is selected, media conversion will start automatically when media is imported.
Use Legacy Converter:
Delete Original Media After Conversion: If this option is selected, original media files such as .mov or .png will be deleted once they are converted to VCI. While this frees up disk space, it might prevent you from synchronizing your media from scratch in cases where a new server is integrated in the Server Group. (Note that this action will delete files previously copied on the servers, but not the original files residing on a network drive.)
Selecting an item in this menu will determine the destination file format for conversions. The menu contains 1 item:
VCI Compressed: VYV’s video file format featuring time compression using H.264 or HEVC/H265.
TACHYON’s file conversions are usually done by the server’s GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). This option for converting files has been the default since Windows 7 build 7264. The GPU can be changed so the Central Processing Unit (CPU) can take care of the conversion tasks. Note that some encoding formats (YUV422 and YV12 for example) do not allow GPU conversion and will disable the GPU conversion option.
This section contains 2 sliders:
Display Server: This slider will set the megapixel threshold for Display Servers and Display Master Servers. If the media file resolution is greater than the import threshold TACHYON will automatically reduce the resolution so it respects the megapixel limit.
Controller: This slider will set a megapixel threshold for Controller Servers. Since the Controller will playback all of the screens in your installation, it will reduce the size of your media files. If the media file resolution is greater than the import threshold TACHYON will automatically reduce the resolution so it respects the megapixel limit.
This dropdown menu allows you to choose between H264 and HEVC/H265
Keyframe interval Slider: (not currently in use)
Quality Slider: set the level of compression
Alpha Resolution Dropdown Menu: choose the level of reduction for alpha encoding. (full/half/quarter)
Each entry in this list corresponds to one of the servers included in the Server Group (their names are preceded by checkboxes). All of the servers with a green check mark in the checkbox will be included in file import and conversion processes because they are part of the network ring.
