This page covers the media cue: a video or audio file. It is the type most of a rundown consists of, and the only one that behaves like a tape: it has a timeline, it can be scrubbed, and it runs out.
Adding one
Media in the toolbar, or drag files onto the list. Both accept exactly the same file types, so whichever is quicker for you is the right one.
Each file becomes its own cue, named after the file. Rename the lines you will have to find under pressure.
What it plays
| Video | mp4, m4v, mov, mkv, webm, avi, wmv, flv, f4v, mpg, mpeg, m2v, ts, m2ts, mts, vob, ogv, 3gp, 3g2, mxf, dv, asf, divx, gxf, rm, rmvb |
| Audio | mp3, wav, m4a, aac, flac, ogg, oga, opus, wma, aiff, aif, aifc, ac3, eac3, mp2, mka, amr, wv, dts, caf, au, voc |
An audio file becomes an ordinary media cue: it has a timeline and a countdown, and it puts nothing on screen. That is the difference with a music bed, which runs underneath a stretch of the list instead of taking its turn.
Types the engine cannot read stay out of the list on purpose, with one message saying what was skipped. A clear refusal beats a cue that plays black.
Hardware decoding
Media cues decode on the graphics card wherever the machine can. It is on for every media cue and there is nothing to set — the difference shows up as processor headroom on a busy list, which is exactly where you want it.
What you can set
Everything from part 2 applies, and for media it all matters:
| Setting | Where |
|---|---|
| In and out | Trim without touching the file — in and out points |
| Volume | 0–100 %, with automatic loudness correction behind it — part 7 |
| Transition | How it comes in |
| Follow action | What happens when it runs out |
The Out box fills itself in with the file’s duration as soon as it has been read, so the list can total up your show before you have set anything.
While it plays
The transport bar acts on the media cue that is on air: play/pause, restart, stop media, and a timeline you can drag to scrub. The countdown counts down to the out point, not to the end of the file.
Practical notes
Files on a network share work, and are the usual cause of a cue that starts a fraction late. If a share is even occasionally slow, copy the media to the machine before the show.
A file that moved is reported when you open the list, with the path it is looking for — see missing files.
Very long files are fine; the trim decides what plays. A two-hour recording with a three-minute out point behaves exactly like a three-minute clip.