Systems and methods for causing a stunt switcher to run a snipe-overlay DVE
View Patent ↗Disclosed herein are systems and methods for causing a stunt switcher to run a snipe-overlay video effect (DVE). An example method involves (i) selecting a first log-entry from a traffic log, the first log-entry corresponding to a snipe-overlay DVE, to a snipe video, and to a start time; (ii) selecting a second log-entry from the traffic log, the second log-entry corresponding to a video component (VC) and the start time; (iii) causing the VC to start being channeled through the stunt switcher proximate the start time; (iv) making a determination that a threshold time-period has passed since the start time; and (v) responsive to making the determination (a) causing the snipe video to be sent to the stunt switcher, and (b) causing the stunt switcher to run the snipe-overlay DVE, thereby overlaying the snipe video on the VC as the VC is being channeled through the stunt switcher.
1. A method for use in a television-broadcasting system having a stunt switcher, the method comprising:
selecting a first log-entry from a traffic log, wherein the first log-entry corresponds to a snipe-overlay digital video effect (DVE) stored in the stunt switcher, to a snipe video, and to a start time;
selecting a second log-entry from the traffic log, wherein the second log-entry corresponds to a video component (VC) and the start time;
causing the VC to start being channeled through the stunt switcher proximate the start time;
making a determination that a threshold time-period has passed since the start time; and
responsive to making the determination that the threshold time-period has passed since the start time, (i) causing the snipe video to be sent to the stunt switcher, and (ii) causing the stunt switcher to run the stored snipe-overlay DVE, thereby overlaying the snipe video on the VC as the VC is being channeled through the stunt switcher.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first log-entry includes a zero duration and wherein the second log-entry includes a non-zero duration.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second log-entry is the next log entry after the first log entry to have a non-zero duration.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first log-entry includes the start time represented as an absolute start time, and wherein the second log-entry includes the start time represented as the absolute start time.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first log-entry includes a house-identifier field and an identifier stored in the house-identifier field, wherein the identifier maps to a set of program instructions that when executed cause performance of the functions of (i) making the determination that the threshold time-period has passed since the start time, and (ii) responsive to making the determination that the threshold time-period has passed since the start time, causing the snipe video to be sent to the stunt switcher, and causing the stunt switcher to run the stored snipe-overlay DVE, thereby overlaying the snipe video on the VC as the VC is being channeled through the stunt switcher; and wherein the method further comprises responsive to determining that the first log-entry includes the identifier, executing the set of program instructions.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the set of program instructions comprises a set of PHP-Hypertext-Preprocessor (PHP) scripts.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determination is a first determination, the method further comprising:
making a second determination that the snipe video has ended; and
responsive to making the second determination that the snipe video has ended, causing the stunt switcher to run a snipe-removal DVE, thereby ensuring that the overlayed snipe video is removed from the VC as a remainder of the VC is being channeled through the stunt switcher.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
adding an indication that the snipe-overlay DVE has been run to an as-run log.
9. A method for use in a television-broadcasting system having a stunt switcher, the method comprising:
selecting a first log-entry from a traffic log, wherein the first log-entry corresponds to a snipe-overlay digital video effect (DVE) stored in the stunt switcher, to a snipe video, and to a start time;
selecting a second log-entry from the traffic log, wherein the second log-entry corresponds to a video component (VC) and the start time;
causing the VC to start being channeled through the stunt switcher proximate the start time;
causing the snipe video to start being sent to the stunt switcher proximate the start time; and
causing the stunt switcher to run the stored snipe-overlay DVE proximate the start time, thereby overlaying the snipe video on the VC as the VC is being channeled through the stunt switcher.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first log-entry includes a zero duration and wherein the second log-entry includes a non-zero duration.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second log-entry is the next log-entry after the first log entry to have a non-zero duration.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first log-entry includes the start time represented as an absolute start time, and wherein the second log-entry includes the start time represented as the absolute start time.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first log-entry includes a house-identifier field and an identifier stored in the house-identifier field, wherein the identifier maps to a set of program instructions that when executed cause performance of the functions of causing the snipe video to start being sent to the stunt switcher proximate the start time, and causing the stunt switcher to run the stored snipe-overlay DVE proximate the start time, thereby overlaying the snipe video on the VC as the VC is being channeled through the stunt switcher; and wherein the method further comprises responsive to determining that the first log-entry includes the identifier, executing the set of program instructions.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the set of program instructions comprises a set of PHP-Hypertext-Preprocessor (PHP) scripts.
15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the determination is a first determination, the method further comprising:
making a second determination that the snipe video has ended; and
responsive to making the second determination that the snipe video has ended, causing the stunt switcher to run a snipe-removal DVE, thereby ensuring that the overlayed snipe video is removed from the VC as a remainder of the VC is being channeled through the stunt switcher.
16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
adding an indication that the snipe-overlay DVE has been run to an as-run log.
17. A television-broadcasting system comprising:
a stunt switcher; and
an automation system having a computer-readable medium including a set of program instructions, that when executed by the automation system, cause the automation system to perform a set of functions comprising:
selecting a first log-entry from a traffic log, wherein the first log-entry corresponds to a snipe-overlay digital video effect (DVE) stored in the stunt switcher, to a snipe video, and to a start time;
selecting a second log-entry from the traffic log, wherein the second log-entry corresponds to a video component (VC) and the start time;
causing the VC to start being channeled through the stunt switcher proximate the start time;
making a determination that a threshold time-period has passed since the start time; and
responsive to making the determination that the threshold time-period has passed since the start time, (i) causing the snipe video to be sent to the stunt switcher, and (ii) causing the stunt switcher to run the stored snipe-overlay DVE, thereby overlaying the snipe video on the VC as the VC is being channeled through the stunt switcher.
18. The television-broadcasting system of claim 17 , wherein the first log-entry includes a zero duration and wherein the second log-entry includes a non-zero duration.
19. The television-broadcasting system of claim 17 , wherein the set of functions further comprises:
adding an indication that the snipe-overlay DVE has been run to an as-run log.
20. The television-broadcasting system of claim 17 , wherein the first log-entry includes a house-identifier field and an identifier stored in the house-identifier field, wherein the identifier maps to a set of scripts that when executed cause performance of the functions of (i) making the determination that the threshold time-period has passed since the start time, and (ii) responsive to making the determination that the threshold time-period has passed since the start time, causing the snipe video to be sent to the stunt switcher, and causing the stunt switcher to run the stored snipe-overlay DVE, thereby overlaying the snipe video on the VC as the VC is being channeled through the stunt switcher; and wherein the set of functions further comprises responsive to determining that the first log-entry includes the identifier, executing the set of scripts.
21. A method for use in a television-broadcasting system having a stunt switcher, the method comprising:
selecting a first log-entry from a traffic log, wherein the first log-entry corresponds to a video-component (VC) and to a first start-time;
selecting a second log-entry from the traffic log, wherein the second log-entry corresponds to a snipe-overlay digital video effect (DVE) stored in the stunt switcher, to a snipe video, and to a second start-time;
causing the VC to start being channeled through the stunt switcher proximate the first start-time;
making a determination that a threshold time-period remains before the second start-time; and
responsive to making the determination that the threshold time-period remains before the second start-time, causing (i) the snipe video to be sent to the stunt switcher, and (ii) causing the stunt switcher to run the stored snipe-overlay DVE, thereby overlaying the snipe video on the VC as the VC is being channeled through the stunt switcher.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first log-entry includes a non-zero duration and wherein the second log-entry includes a zero duration.
23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the second log-entry is the next log entry after the first log entry.
24. The method of claim 21 , wherein the first start-time is represented as a manual start time, and wherein the second start-time is represented as a calculated start time.
25. The method of claim 21 , wherein the second log-entry includes a house-identifier field and an identifier stored in the house-identifier field, wherein the identifier maps to a set of program instructions that when executed cause performance of the functions of (i) making the determination that the threshold time-period remains before the second start-time, and (ii) responsive to making the determination that the threshold time-period remains before the second start-time, causing the snipe video to be sent to the stunt switcher, and causing the stunt switcher to run the stored snipe-overlay DVE, thereby overlaying the snipe video on the VC as the VC is being channeled through the stunt switcher; and wherein the method further comprises responsive to determining that the second log-entry includes the identifier, executing the set of program instructions.
26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the set of program instructions comprises a set of PHP-Hypertext-Preprocessor (PHP) scripts.
27. The method of claim 21 , wherein the determination is a first determination, the method further comprising:
making a second determination that the snipe video has ended; and
responsive to making the second determination that the snipe video has ended, causing the stunt switcher to run a snipe-removal DVE, thereby ensuring that the overlayed snipe video is removed from the VC as a remainder of the VC is being channeled through the stunt switcher.
28. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
adding an indication that the snipe-overlay DVE has been run to an as-run log.