Requirements

User Permissions

Different user groups should have different privileges in LSM. Producers may be able to view technical information, but they should not be able to edit them. TPCs, TPMs, and Media Traffic can modify technical information. Media Traffic is the only group with access to global settings. Only TPMs/TPCs can mark a live shot as “Ready-For-Air.” There also needs to be a Super Admin to manage shows.

Canvas

TPMs, TPCs, bookers, and producers should be able to create canvases and add live shot objects they want to their canvas or create new objects in the canvas. Their canvas serves as a place where all objects they are working with lives. A user should be able to view assigned live shots for the whole hour in their view/canvas. Users should also be able to dynamically move around and lengthen/shorten live shots within the canvas.

Admin Diagnostic Page

Admin Diagnostic Page would be useful for troubleshooting since admin users will be able to see if the database is connected, if the router is connected, and a log of all the router commands.

PDF Summary of Canvas

The ability to generate a printer-friendly PDF of a user’s canvas would be useful in the situation where a canvas needs to be printed or distributed offline.

Integrations

Guest Tracker - This is a database that houses every person NBC has ever had in their shows and their contact information should be integrated into LSM. When someone gets booked through Guest Tracker, it should auto-instantiate an object for them in LSM.

iNews - This is a database that houses all of the studio/truck info and their routing information. To be integrated into LSM, a new back-end point will have to be created because iNews stores the metadata of each studio/truck into one long text string. To be utilized in LSM the studio/truck name, transmission, studio/truck contact, and studio telephone numbers need to be separated to function properly.

Required Fields to Create a Live Shot

• Name
• General Location
• Studio/Truck
• Object Type (Template)
• Hit time
• Window Start Time
• Window End Time
• Requires Media Traffic Review
• Off-Set or On-Set

The fields above must be required to instantiate a live shot object. Most objects require Media Traffic review, but some will not. Thus, there should be a checkbox to record whether it needs to review and gets sent to Media Traffic. Window (Start time, End time) should be required but the person creating the object may not know that information. Thus, it’s possible to include a checkbox to defer and notifications to remind a TPM who takes over to put place that information.

Template-based Form for Creating Objects

• Each template has associated fields that are specific to that type of shot.

• Templates for Host, Guest, Event, Studio, Other.

• Whether the live shot is on-set or off-set will show different routing options.

• The studio/truck options will populate from iNews back-end point and choosing one would auto fill the transmission notes, studio contact, and the studio contact number.

• Users should also be able to add new studio/truck contacts & corresponding numbers.

• Paths related to that type of shot will also pre-populate.

• Paths will either be Send, Receive, or Phone.

• Users need the ability to add paths as well (i.e., if they decide they need a prompter or another camera).

• Can select one local source or destination per path.

• If a user creates a live shot while working in a canvas, it should automatically be added to that canvas along with the universal repository.

Preset Paths and Fields for Recurring Objects (i.e., Rachel Maddow show)

Paths and metadata fields can pre-populate for recurring objects, and users can go in and make modifications as needed. There also needs to be the ability to save an object's configuration as a new preset.

Dynamic Live Shot Rundown Sheet

The control rooms currently use a paper print-out of their live shots for a show to guide routing called the Live Shot Sheet. LSM must account for all the columns in the Live Shot Sheet but display it differently to cater towards the new workflow. Each row in their current paper live shot sheet will live as a dynamic card in the top down canvas view. There needs to be metadata always visible in the header to replicate the paper print out sheet. Other collapsed metadata like the paths and production notes need to be hidden so many live shots can fit in one viewport. Below are the columns in the live shot sheet that need to be accounted for:

• Window
• Hit Time
• Studio Location
• Studio Contact
• Transmission
• Name of Guest
• REM #
• IFB - where the guest hears our programming
• PL - where the technicians hears our directors
• P.O. # - Purchase order number: TPMs need to do invoice reconciliation

Search

Objects that have already been created can be searched in the system either by the name of the object or associated keywords. Users would search for live shot objects and add them to a show canvas. If a user creates a blank live shot in a canvas, it would also be accessible to other shows from this search function. Users should be able to search for active live shots and expired ones.

Pinning Objects to Top of a Canvas

A user should be able to pin any object in the top-down view to the top regardless of hit time. That is because it is important to keep the main (on set) studio’s routes easily accessible because other on-set live shots will be mapped to it. A main host of the show will also be pinned to the top often because they have many hit times throughout the show.

Blocks of Grouped Live Shots

Users need the ability to organize live shots into blocks which are named by letters in alphabetical order like their current paper live shot sheet. Blocks will be separated and in order by hit time, but live shots within a blocks are not strictly tied to the hit time of the block. The order of the blocks should also be dynamic for last minute changes (for example breaking news), but the letter names will stay the same.

Studio Object Mapped to On-Set Hosts & Guests

Most live broadcast shows have a main studio which will be used every week. Because on set guests and hosts use the same cameras in the home base studio, these on set live shot object routes ought to be mapped to the main studio’s. If a live shot is identified as on set and there is already a main studio object in a show canvas, rather than creating new routes a user can simply select which studio cameras the guest or host is on because the studio routes have already been set in place.

Expiration and Renewal System

Objects do not get deleted from the system but should expire from the system. By default, live shots expire at 3 am the morning after the show date for safety. There should also be an option to extend the object’s expiration by selecting a specific datetime. Expired objects that has been added to a user’s canvas before expiring can be renewed. Users can also search for expired objects and renew them by adding them to a canvas.

Ready-For-Air Checkbox

Once all of a live shot metadata has been entered, the paths have been set up, media traffic has approved the shot /assigned global paths, and control rooms have set up their taking/grabbing, a TPM or TPC should be able to mark the live shot as “ready-for-air”. The visual indicator that it is” ready-for-air” or not needs to be very strong to quickly let users know which live shots still needs work.

Full Transmission Info Accessible

Even though the global path typically has one value, every live shot path has three transmission endpoints- 1) Where it is coming from 2) How it is getting there 3) Where it is going. This full transmission info needs to be accessible to better inform users.

Technical Notes Section for Important Exceptions

Sometimes a live shot may have important exceptions regarding its technical set up that all TPMs/control rooms need to know about. Therefore, there needs to be an “Technical Notes” text field for each live shot to record important notes. If this section is filled in, there also needs to be a strong visual indicator to let users know there is an important exception.

Nice to Have

These are ideas that are not necessarily requirments but would be helpful to user's workflow:

• “Clean Up” button that will will only expand the current and upcoming time, and collapse all other times
• An indicator if guests in the same block are appearing together (i.e. a panel conference call) or hitting separately
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Visual indicators for Host vs. Guest on each live shot object

Ability to Take/Grab Objects and Paths

Users should be able to take and grab individual paths as well as the full live shot object. Only one control room can grab a path or object at a time, but any number of control rooms can take the same object or path.

Object Indicators

• Object statuses to be differentiated by color:

• Not available to take or grab

• Available to take or grab

• Grabbed

• Taken

• Expired

• Pending release: an error indicator when a grab attempt has been made to an already-grabbed object

• Release request: a control room needs an indicator if another room is attempting to grab an object they have already grabbed

• If an object is grabbed, a control room needs to know which room has ownership.

• Indicators to be represented by icons:

• New from Guest Tracker

• Ready for Media Traffic review

• Marked as “Ready-For-Air” by a TPM/TPC

• Users need to know if a live shot is for a daytime, weekend, or primetime slot.

• There should be an indicator for objects that do and don't need Media Traffic review.

Notification System and Live Updates

Users need to be notified if:

• Another control room is attempting to grab an object your room has already grabbed
• Control room attempting to grab control is grabbing an object that has already been grabbed – and which room that is
• When a shot has been released from a control room
• A user edits a live shot after it has been checked off as “Ready-For-Air” and is no longer ready-for-air because it needs to be reviewed by TPMs again

Users also have the option to release control of an object if another room is attempting to grab control of an object while your room has the control. If users don’t know the window to book fiber lines, they can click a UI to defer, and a notification can remind them or another user to put in that information.

Live updates would be useful. Media Traffic should be notified if another parameter has suddenly been added to a live shot due to a need that popped up (i.e., we didn’t anticipate the guest needing a prompter) so they can address it.

Call Studio Button

Users will have situations where they need to dial the studio contact number quickly. Therefore for each studio contact phone number of live shots, there will be a button to dial the phone number directly because control room phones will be hooked up to the computers with the LSM software.

Unique View for Media Traffic

Media Traffic needs the ability to see objects in descending order by hit time because they are concerned with what is coming up next. They are also the only user group that can assign global routing information if the live shot requires their review. There should be a checklist for each line within every shot Media Traffic looks at to mark off each line they’ve addressed.

Live Shot Purchase Order # Per Hit Time

Each time a live shot goes on air, it cost money to book the transmit lines. Therefore, each hit time of a live shot has a unique P.O. # so TPMs can do invoice reconciliation.

A reference to see which live shot spots are unassigned or open

Users need to know where and when there are open live shot segments that still need booking or instantiating. They would need to account for different channels.