GRASS VALLEY AURORA BROWSE 7 User manual

PRODUCT DATA SHEET
www.grassvalley.com
Aurora Browse 7
DESKTOP-BASED BROWSING SYSTEM
FOR WINDOWS 7/XP
Aurora Browse is a workflow
management tool that provides
desktop access to low-resolution
media for searching, browsing, logging,
archiving, restoring, and simple content
management.
KEY FEATURES
The Grass Valley™Aurora™production
solution integrates with the entire
tapeless production process, from
acquisition, ingest, and media browsing,
to quick-turn editing, craft editing, and
automated playout.
A key component of this solution
is the Aurora Browse system, a
workflow management tool for media
production environments. It provides
desktop access to low-resolution
media for searching, browsing, logging,
archiving, restoring, and simple content
management.
The Aurora Browse system is based on
Grass Valley’s K2 BaseCamp Express
content management architecture. The
K2 BaseCamp Express server platform
provides the functionality for all Aurora
applications to access Aurora Browse
features directly, and provides an IT
industry-standard extensible stylesheet
language template (XSLT) interface for
the integration of third-party applications.
Supporting the K2 media server/media
client system and the K2 Summit™HD
production client—as well as the Aurora
Ingest, Aurora Edit, and Aurora Playout
applications—the Aurora Browse system
delivers fast, easy access to feeds,
centralized and archived media—all from
the desktop.
The Aurora Browse platform also
provides a number of important
production workflow benefits. Using
it, you can access, review, and modify
shared media. Multiple users can
browse, log, and make selections from
a single piece of media simultaneously,
even while the media is being recorded
into the system.
For archived material, the Aurora Browse
platform can quickly search and retrieve
proxy content linked to archived, high-
resolution media. It also greatly reduces
wasted time and valuable storage
resources by eliminating unnecessary
restores; you can initiate a restore from
an archive of related high-resolution
media and get visual confirmation right
at your desktop.
For centrally managing your content, the
Aurora Browse system lets you locate
assets easily to manage the logging of
rich metadata, archive interactions, and
asset transfers and deletions within the
system.
By leveraging modular, scalable
components, the Aurora Browse system
provides expandability without increasing
latency or compromising performance.
Speeding Story Creation
The Aurora Browse system helps speed
story creation. Instead of waiting for an
edit room to become available, you can
work right from the desktop. Operators
can preview media and mark keywords
or keyframes frame accurately. These
metadata pointers are then immediately
selectable within each of the Aurora
applications throughout the workflow.
Frame-accurate, 800 kb/s to 1.5 Mb/s,•
MPEG-1 browsing of high-resolution
media
Format support:•
DV 25, DV 50, DV 100, and MPEG-2—
SD: NTSC/PAL—
HD: 1080i/720p 50/60 Hz—
AVC-Intra—
Ingest, archive, and restore enabled•
asset management tools
Software encoding creates exact•
copies from shared storage or
SmartBin FTP transfers from
standalone K2 or K2 Summit servers
Assign keywords to important clips•
that can be seen throughout the
workflow
Add clips and sequences into virtual•
collections for asset management
simplification
View scene detection storyboards for•
rapid shot selection
Supports Aurora Ingest, Edit, and•
Playout interface
User authentication and rights•
management to control access for
asset protection

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Streamlining workflows further is the
system’s storyboard-creation feature that
creates a thumbnail image for each scene
change or keyword. Whether viewing
media through Aurora Browse, Aurora
Edit, or Aurora Edit LD, users can select a
picon image and the application will bring
the operator directly to that location.
Robust Asset-AccessTools
For asset access, the Aurora Browse
system includes a sophisticated query
engine and media database. They keep
track of media assets and preserve
the important links between the low-
resolution versions used for browsing
and initial editing and the high-resolution
versions used for finish editing and
broadcast.
The Aurora Browse system also lets
you add wide-ranging descriptive
information about media assets—and
features advanced search technologies
to quickly retrieve them. For example,
you can add, modify, or delete metadata
and annotations, and review and
delete individual keywords for clips
or frames. You can also annotate and
enter information in custom metadata
fields before, during, and after clips are
ingested. An administrator can even
create predefined metadata fields, or pick
lists, to speed selection and avoid errors.
Text entered into the Aurora Browse
system is indexed and searchable. You
can also retrieve low-resolution versions
of high-resolution media from both online
and offline media storage systems.
To keep assets secure, the Aurora
Browse system lets administrators set
functional and media-access permissions
on a user-by-user basis, including the
ability to assign read-only versus create
metadata, archive/restore privileges.
AURORA SYSTEM WORKFLOW
Embedded SDI
Incoming Feeds
RAID Shared Storage
Automatic Scene
Detection Thumbnails
Web Pages
and Metadata
Aurora Browse
Archivist/Journalist/Producer Workstations
Aurora Browse
Browse Edit System
Servers and Encoders
K2 Shared Storage
Combine K2 with
RAID Shared Storage
Aurora Edit
High Resolution Editing
K2 Playout Client
Aurora Playout
K2 Ingest Client
Aurora Ingest
100Base-T or Gigabit Ethernet Newsroom LAN
100/1000Base-T Ethernet Facility LAN
Gigabit Ethernet or Fiber Channel

PRODUCT DATA SHEET
Aurora Browse also supports metadata
import and mapping from removable
media devices such as Infinity™
REV PRO™and CompactFlash, P2, and
XDCAM.
Scalable Platform for Unfettered
Growth
The Aurora Browse system is
comprised of browse and archive/
restore applications, browse servers
and low-resolution storage systems,
and encoders. This collection of
hardware and software can easily scale
to meet the growth demands of your
organization.
The Aurora Browse K2 BaseCamp
Express server maintains a Microsoft
SQL Server database, which links
low- and high-resolution media, and
manages the metadata and access
rights for the system. The Aurora Browse
software transcode engine automatically
generates browse media and storyboard
thumbnails using advanced scene-
detection technology.
The low-resolution storage systems
serve up all media to clients, including
low-resolution MPEG-1 files for desktop
editing and browsing and thumbnails for
quick clip identification.
The Aurora Browse system also scales
to accommodate any number of ingest
sources and offers flexible encoding for
generating low-resolution files.
The system’s advanced encoder, for
example, handles up to 1.5 Mb/s,
MPEG-1 low-resolution media from
feeds or tapes. This Ethernet device,
when paired with a K2 system, can
simultaneously record high-resolution
media while monitoring selected folders
in scavenge mode to automatically
create low-resolution material from new,
finished material.
K2 BASECAMP EXPRESS – INTEGRATING AURORA SYSTEM APPLICATIONS
When the K2 BaseCamp Express
content management module is added to
the Aurora system, Ingest, Edit, and
Playout will all have access to the
same media search and metadata
management tools previously only
available within Aurora Browse.
K2 BaseCamp Express lets you
add general and custom metadata
and has expanded sortable results,
collections, dynamic keyword marking,
and integrated on-the-fly logging
functionality.
The expanded results window, with
dynamically positioned columns, enables
you to choose what metadata is shown
in sortable results. Each user can
customize their view using the column
picker to show technical, general, or
custom metadata when viewing search
results.
Enhanced Search –• use filters for
flexible and efficient searches
Explore View –• explore devices or
on-line folders directly without using
search tools. If you know where the
media is, just go there. You can see
both shared storage and inventory
from standalone ingest and playout
servers
Transfer Tool –• now integrated into
the K2 BaseCamp Express Explore
View tools, allows you to drag and
drop files and monitor transfer
progress between devices
Collections –• a virtual folder
workspace allows you to create
public or private folders so that you
and others can contribute references
to the media. Some of the uses for
Collections include selecting clips for
projects, selecting clips to be archived
or restored, and requests for the
media manager, all without actually
moving or duplicating media.
Keywords –• mark keyframe locators
and keywords with in/out points and a
description to identify selected media
for use directly in editing
Scene Detection –• the K2 BaseCamp
Express scene detection engine scans
for visual changes in the picture to
make review of media faster
Pinnable Windows –• the K2
BaseCamp Express panels are now
pinnable and relocatable so you can
customize and resize K2 BaseCamp
Express tools within the application
Custom Metadata –• create and
search metadata fields including
variable- and unlimited-sized text
fields, date, pick list, and numbers

PRODUCT DATA SHEET
Our customer support and services offerings ensure optimal system performance and maximize uptime. These services include call centers staffed around the clock, commissioning,
professional training courses, and technical maintenance programs and service agreements.
www.grassvalley.com/support
CUSTOMER SUPPORT & SERVICES
ORDERING INFORMATIONSPECIFICATIONS
System Features
Codec for support of MPEG-1 at•
800 kb/s to 1.5 Mb/s
Modular storage on network-attached•
storage (NAS) systems devices with
1 Gb/s uplink to newsroom network
Editing Application System
Requirements
Applies to low-resolution editing•
extension (Aurora Edit LD) systems
Intel Pentium 4 (dual core CPU•
preferred), 1 GB RAM, 40 GB EIDE
system drive, CD-ROM drive, DirectX
9 compatible
Dual Ethernet 100Base-T network•
interface (Gigabit Ethernet switch
network suggested)
Windows 7 (32/64-bit) or Windows•
XP Professional SP3 (32-bit)
Video
NTSC, 525/59.94 (240, 248, or 256•
active lines per field)
PAL, 625/50 (288 active lines per•
field)
HD 1080i/720p 50/60 Hz•
Compression: MPEG-1, 1.5 Mb/s•
Audio
MPEG-1 stereo pair multiplexed with
video in MPEG-1 file
Timecode
Captured from high-resolution asset file
Server Physical Dimensions
Chassis: standard EIA rack mount
Dimensions:
Height (2 RU): 8.57 cm (3.375 in.)•
Width: 48.26 cm (19.0 in.)•
Depth: 69.85 cm (48.26 in.)•
Power Requirements
Power: 500W
Voltage: auto switch, 120V @ 6.2A or
240V @ 3.1A
Frequency: 47-63 Hz
Metadata and Keyword Tools
Add general and custom metadata and keywords for logging media.
Ingest/Asset
Management:
Monitors K2 and•
K2 Summit systems
for new material and
automatically generates
low-resolution clips
Supports wide range of•
user-defined metadata and
annotation fields
Supports Boolean searches•
and provides reusable
custom filters
Creates custom and•
structured metadata, pick
lists, and date fields
All text entries indexed,•
searchable, and retrievable
from online and offline
storage systems
Editing:
Supports Aurora Edit HD•
and LD interface
Enables creation/preview•
of edited sequences
Supports low-resolution•
marking during ingest of
live feeds
Independently controls•
audio tracks and audio
levels
Speeds editorial review•
via automatic storyboard
creation
Archive:
Interfaces to Legato,•
Front Porch Digital and
SGL archive-management
systems, as well as
generic FTP storage for
basic near-line archive
Partial full-resolution•
restoration from archive
AURORA BROWSE TOOLS
Please contact your authorized Grass Valley representative.
www.grassvalley.com/sales
© Copyright 2011 Grass Valley USA, LLC. All rights reserved. Grass Valley, Aurora, Infinity, K2 Summit, and REV PRO are trademarks of GVBB Holdings S.a.r.l.
All other tradenames referenced are service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Specifications subject to change
without notice. SDP-4007D-2