Looping RGB+A Elements in LiveText / TC1

[chadrm98]

Hi All,

We are commissioning a new CG package, and our designer offered to incorporate looping backplate graphics for lower-thirds, etc.

1. Is there any way to incorporate a looping movie file into a LiveText composition? Or, do I need to do text on the CG, loop the movies in a DDR, and use two keyers?

2. Could I pre-combine a CG and a DDR on an ME, then key the ME on a DSK, somehow preserving the combined alpha signal from the composite? Older Grass Valley switchers allowed this via "Layered Mode," where the background bus was essentially dropped or turned transparent, allowing the combined keys from the ME to be keyed in a linear keyer as a group elsewhere.

Thanks,
Chad

[kltv]

1. Is there any way to incorporate a looping movie file into a LiveText composition? Or, do I need to do text on the CG, loop the movies in a DDR, and use two keys?

LiveText does not support animation movies of any kind. You'd need to do the text as a separate layer. I'd probably use a buffer instead of a DDR for the looping movie element instead of a DDR. But yes, you'd have to combine it with two keyers.

2. Could I pre-combine a CG and a DDR on an ME, then key the ME on a DSK, somehow preserving the combined alpha signal from the composite? Older Grass Valley switchers allowed this via "Layered Mode," where the background bus was essentially dropped or turned transparent, allowing the combined keys from the ME to be keyed in a linear keyer as a group elsewhere.

The M/Es don't retain their transparency properties on re-entry. I think it has something to do with the transition engine. You could pre-compose the DDR or Buffer and key the text on top in an M/E and make the a source, but the alpha won't make it. If your graphics are solid shapes without shadows or ramping transparency, you might be able to get away with some kind of chromakey. You can chromakey the entire M/E and put that in a keyer. That will give you transparency. Or if it is a super simple graphic a mask effect might do the trick. If the graphics are more interesting that that, I would probably make a macro to force the two keyers to fire on together so I wouldn't have to worry about triggering them myself each time with precision timing.

Kris